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justplainwhump · 2 years

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Ich habe 605 Mal im Jahr 2022 etwas gepostet

Das sind 152 more posts als 2021!

220 Einträge erstellt (36%)

385 Einträge gerebloggt (64%)

Blogs, die ich am häufigsten gerebloggt habe:

@justplainwhump

@angst-after-dark

@ocean-blue-whump

@hackles-up

@ashintheairlikesnow

Ich habe 479 meiner Einträge im Jahr 2022 getaggt

Nur 21% meiner Einträge hatten keine Tags

#bbu – 130 Einträge

#self reblog – 84 Einträge

#pet whump – 52 Einträge

#lady whump – 50 Einträge

#ira white – 50 Einträge

#dany – 37 Einträge

#whump – 35 Einträge

#mark and gemma – 33 Einträge

#timezone reblog – 26 Einträge

#gemma sinclair – 24 Einträge

Longest Tag: 63 characters

#also the many many glimpses at how layered this entire world is

Meine Top-Einträge im Jahr 2022:

Dressing Room

For the anon who asked for the prompt “poke and prod at my muse’s injuries”, and dedicated to @whumpymirages , you know why.

Referenced Ridley, Leo and B are @hackles-up s characters. Felicity works for Ridley, and it shows.

Dany isn’t in a good place.

[Dany Masterpost]

Content - lady whump (female whumper and female whumpee), noncon stripping, noncon touching (not sexual, but uhh.. getting there), bruises, references to noncon (male whumper), slut shaming and humiliating language, overall pretty heavy humiliation, mention of a shock collar, references to noncon marriage. This is somewhat darker than the warnings may make it seem. Let me know if I should add something.

"Spin", Felicity commands, her finger drawing a lazy circle in the air. There's a glass of champagne dangling from her other hand, that she takes small sips of sometimes, when she's not busy smacking her lips or talking shit. Which means, she doesn't drink too much. She is, however, certainly enjoying herself. I'm standing on a little, circular platform in the middle of a huge dressing room. There's nothing but shades of white around me, or, more correctly - diamond white, ivory, champagne, eggshell, pearl and blush, as I couldn't help but overhear, when Felicity was talking about me to the dressmakers. Diamond white makes her look sickish, it's gross. Oh, I wouldn't go with champagne, it's so conventional, we need her look to be special.

"Danielle." I hate the condescending tone my name has in her voice. "Spin, bitch. I'm doing my fucking job here, and I won't have your bitching around ruin this wedding. It's going to be perfect."

I can't help but think about wrestling that glass from her hand, smashing it on the ground and burying the remains into her neck. She'd bleed, quickly and violently, red pooling on the light wood, perfectly contrasting the eggshell. I'm pretty sure of it.

With a sigh, Felicity puts the glass aside and reaches into her purse for the little, plastic controller. It looks hilarious in her perfectly manicured hand, next to dangling golden bracelets and expensive rings. A token of brutality, framed in elegance. "You really leave me no cho-"

"No" The tailor all but falls into her arm. "Noo! No, miss, don't shock her, please! This dress is Vera Wang, she'll tear it if she spasms, don't!"

I chuckle dryly. Yeah. Don't endanger the goods. The dress is worth more than me, after all.

Felicity exhales sharply through her nose, clearly annoyed by a little employee trying to tell her off. "Fine", she hisses. "You know what else is on the table, Danielle. I'm pretty sure Mr Lordin laid out in detail how he is going to discipline you, if you go on sabotaging this project. Discipline you, or this horrible, gross guard dog of his."

I blanche, probably matching the color of this fucking dress even better now. She's right. Ridley did go into detail. I can't. I can't risk B's life just to keep up some stubborn pride in front of a ridiculous marketing assistant like Felicity. With my jaw clenched, I spin.

"Stop", she calls. I obey, and I hear her step onto the platform behind me. She's clicking her tongue dismissively. Without further warning, her hand is on my shoulder, fingers digging into a fresh bruise. Pain bursts through me, fresh and reignited by her fingernails, dull and memorized in the shape of Leo's fine leather shoe.

"Please," I breathe. "Please, don't."

My knees give in under her relentless grip, and the only thing hindering my fall is the tailor steadying my side while gathering the dress. "The seams", he whines. "Careful!"

"This looks horrible", she says, fastening her grip. I can't help but wince again. She doesn't care. "It's fucking black. The wedding is in mere weeks. How can you still gather such ugly bruises, you should know better, really. Especially with that pale skin color."

I can't reply, can barely breathe. Tears are welling up in my eyes.

With a final sigh, she lets go. "Take it off," she tells the tailor. "Too much back. Even if that ugly thing heals in time, can't have these other scars show either." I hold back a shivering breath, when she runs her fingers over the ends of the whip marks between my shoulder blades.

"There isn't much opportunities with a high back," the tailor hurries to say. "Out of style, but... Let me see what I can do." A second set of fingers dances over my back, as he undoes the buttons and slides down the dress, carefully aiding me to step out of it and then vanishing towards his storage.

They don't care I'm shivering in my underwear. I'm a thing, meant for a rich man's pleasure. Nothing-

Felicity's fingers are unclasping the strapless bra and I freeze. "Let's have a look at the whole package then, shall we? I gotta know what I'm working with." Her breath on the back of my neck suddenly feels hot. Menacing. I barely hear the soft lace hit the ground, when she drops the bra to the ground. "Spin," she says again. Calmly, this time.

I obey.

She didn't even step back. She's right in front of me, a lot shorter than me, but she isn't looking at my face anyway. She's looking at my body, at my breasts, my belly, my thighs, and there's a contempt smirk on her face. "What a whore," she mumbles. "And I used to be jealous of you. You really are nothing but a dumb little slut, aren't you?"

She rests her index finger against the shock collar, the other hand idly playing with the remote. I won't give her the pleasure of using it, I swear to myself. This isn't a fight I need to win. She's nothing. She doesn't matter.

With a soft hum, she runs her finger down, following a line of dark purple hickeys, on top of a green and blue one. "Disgusting," she says conversationally. "For someone with such a foul mouth, you sure play submissive when he fucks you, don't you?"

I shiver, when her finger prods at my breasts, follow the long finger-shaped bruises. "But that's all you're good for. I can accept that, you know. I run his business. You? You're not his fiancee. You're his fucktoy." Her eyes narrow, my only warning before she pinches and twists my nipple and doesn't let go.

Pain floods me, fueled by humiliation. I cry out, try to back away. "Gosh. Your tits are a fucking mess. He bites you, doesn't he? Yeah, I wouldn't be into that."

My knees threaten to fail. Weakly I put my hand on her arm. "Pl-" No. My head is foggy with pain. I don't want to beg. Not her.

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

55 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 19. Januar 2022

(A BBU Concept)

Radical pet lib cells, determined to show the cruelty of WRU by doing everything that happens to trainees to pet owners, documenting and filming it.

A proof, that everyone breaks under such methods, even those convinced they're so much better than pets.

Oddly enough, some people think this casts a horrible light on pet lib - but some others are convinced it's a necessary price to pay to really unveil the horrors of the pet business...

(Thanks to @whumpymirages @gottawhump @painful-pooch @whumper-in-training for making this a whole thing in my head)

66 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 23. Februar 2022

Assignment

WRU Senior Handler Alan Nguyen tests the boundaries of his his new trainee.

References some of @ashintheairlikesnow s characters in the first part, and is heavily inspired by her facility whump.

[Angel's story]

Contents: BBU, noncon fingering, implied and frankly discussed noncon, romantic pet, institutionalized whump, shock collar, whumper pov.

Alan Nguyen skimmed through 002238's intake paperwork on his tablet. The file was larger than the average, classic indications for the cases of assisted walk ins. Lot more vetting necessary with these involuntary acquisitions. But also, lot more money to be made.

He raised a brow at Alex Nadler from Client Relations. "I see how she's a high security case, but I don't see how I come in. All romantic positions, no pain training, no specialty training, can't get more vanilla than that. Inability to say no, or 'quantum' - now that's a weird one, but still, give them a shock collar and even our interns could get this stuff out of her. Genital piercing. Well, Alex, I won't do that myself either. None of this matches my pay grade."

Alex cleared their throat, obviously uncomfortable. Good. Alan liked making people uncomfortable. He folded his arms and waited patiently.

"The client said he wanted only our best romantic handler on this case. According to client satisfaction, that's you, Mr Nguyen."

"That's me, but I don't do one-on-one training any longer. I oversee. I don't get in close."

Alex exhaled slowly, before they replied. "The Director says you do."

"The Director has another special friend who can do this instead of his actual job."

"You know as well as anyone that he only takes males. You're the best call for this one."

"Fine," Alan snapped and picked up the tablet. "I'm better than him anyway."

Alex granted him a thin smile and Alan replied in turn, before he added. "I want a junior handler in on this."

"There is one. Tyler Parker. He's gone over some of the basics with her already, while you were out on vacation." There was a small rebuke hidden in the emphasis on the last word that Alan chose to ignore. He was under no obligation to answer his phone on his holidays, not with how hard it was to find a timeslot just for him and his husband in Jeff's busy university schedule.

"Good. I want to meet him, before I see the pet."

Handler Parker was pretty much exactly as boyish as Alan had expected from someone called Tyler. Tall, broad shoulders, shaggy haircut and a stubble that definitely wouldn't have been allowed for a handler, when Alan had been his age 20 years ago.

"Handler Nguyen, Sir." Parker's back had straightened when Alan entered the observation room. Good start, at least, Alan supposed. "It's an honor, being assigned to you."

Alan nodded. "Thanks." He dropped the tablet on the desk and opened the training report. "She your first trainee?"

"Third. But first one in high security."

Alan tilted his head in acknowledgement. "You'll find out, it's the same work here, just more of it because there's less staff to help out." He pressed a button to fill the screen with the video image of the trainee in the neighboring training room. She was sitting still on her knees, hands open, oversized white tee loose around her body. Long blond hair fell around her shoulders, slightly unkempt. Her neck was a little reddened around the shock collar, yet apart from that she seemed physically unharmed, even fit.

Her brown eyes were boring into the camera, staring directly at them, from an otherwise calm face. Alan smirked. Probably alerted by the little red light turning on. He didn't particularly like the trainees to know when they were being watched. They should know they always were. But he did like what he saw in her gaze nonetheless. Determination, shrouded in obedience. When directed properly, that determination would be her undoing.

"What did you do with her so far?"

Parker's gaze flicked to the records in front of Alan and then back to his face. Alan smirked, but stayed silent.

"Um. According to the handbook, Sir. Stages 1.1 to 1.4. We went through the positions, all of them. And I... I went through some of the other basics, too. She... She took to it very eagerly. Quick to adapt."

"I take it by that you mean, you've fucked her?"

Parker nodded nervously, and Alan hid a smirk. That kid better dropped the shame about his job, or even his mind wiped trainees would be able to outsmart him.

"File says she's been sleeping around before. Any information on preferences?"

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

66 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 28. Juli 2022

Searching for recommendations! ("Mundane BBU")

Hi everyone! These days, I'm very much into BBU stories that focus on the mundane sides of the universe (handlers "just doing their job", owners who aren't rich sadists but still maybe horrible, people who stumble upon pets and don't know what to do, the whole array of little things that spread around the WRU ecosystem in a world that is still so similar to ours).

Please reblog or comment, if possible with direct links to masterposts or your favourite piece of writing, so this post can double as a little collection! Your own writing, but also, I'm especially happy to see you gush about others!

Nsfw is fine for me, maybe add a note for it to warn others interacting with this!

I'm excited!

77 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 2. Mai 2022

Meine #1 des Jahres 2022

Match

Handler Tyler Parker learns that he can't just leave his job behind.

A part of Angel's story.

Cw for BBU, referenced institutionalised whump, whumper (who doesn't get it) pov, very shortly and clinically referenced noncon (BBU romantic training), some oversimplified views on relationships. Guilt and shame.

Tyler's colleagues at WRU hung out together after work, too. The week before the game, he overheard them make plans for barbecue, who'd buy beer, who could make it from work and who had special assignments that kept them busy at the facility. He'd even been invited himself twice, first by Carly who mostly trained romantics for female prospectives and shared Tyler's taste in folk punk, and later by his superior handler Alan Nguyen. He'd declined both.

Tyler prided himself in having his own friends, not having been fully absorbed by the company that paid his bills. He was going to be at a sports bar with a bunch of old friends from college. He was looking forward to it, sharing old stories from a life before WRU, maybe even becoming a bit more grounded again.

At lunch, when he'd told her about his plans, Carly had looked at him with a hint of pity. Her friends dropped out when they'd found out she wasn't actually an accountant. Tyler doubted his would. Some of them had ended up in law enforcement, others in private security, he wasn't the only one with a somewhat suspicious employer. He'd told them, that he worked security in a high profile research lab. Nobody had ever asked.

He'd be fine, he told himself. His friends weren't like Carly's and he wasn't like her either.

"Oh, but you are," she'd said and patted his shoulder. "You're at facility 002. Involuntary acquisitions. Trust me. We're all sickos."

He wasn't. Tyler Parker wasn't a sicko. He was a great midfield soccer player, he still was a singer in his old band, he even took psychology classes besides his work. His job was his job, but he didn't take it home with him.

"Buddy, you really need to get laid," Mal said and leaned in over the sticky table to grab another chicken wing. "You're all work and no play. I mean, yeah you do your workout and show up for soccer, but when's the last time you've had some pussy?"

5.29 pm. PIV. Position 35. Trainee restrained to table. Very receptive. Denied orgasm.

"Well what about you?" Tyler shot back, taking a swig of his beer to drown the memory. "Last time I checked it was just you and your right hand."

The others snickered.

"Well, you haven't checked in a while. Going steady with Emma now. Met her on that dating app. You ever tried that?"

"Dating apps, I don't know..."

"Drop the act! You do have one," Tara chimes in. "We made you a profile, remember? Did you ever check it?"

"I do," Tyler admitted and pulled out his phone. He'd swiped through that app at work, sometimes, even had some nice chats that went into nowhere. He hadn't used it however since he worked high security, where they had to check in their private phones for their shifts. Better that way, the potential of any footage -

Work. Why did he think about work again? His friends were right, probably. He should find himself some distraction. Wouldn't hurt trying. With some taps, he opened the app and pulled up his eyebrows dramatically. "Let's take a look at the market then."

With an excited squeal, Tara squeezed in between Dave and Tyler on their side on the booth. "Show me!"

She took over his phone and he let her, all four of them looking at the small screen, and Tara swiping. Tyler felt himself relax, shoulder to shoulder with his best friends, a cool beer in front of him, the game commentary from the TV screens a soft background noise.

"Undercut?" Tara mumbled. "Nah, that's my taste, not yours, off you go. Too thin. Nope. Too pretentious. Bye. Hmm, this one?"

A short girl with an even shorter dress on a boat, intense blue eyes, blond locks flying in the wind.

All Tyler could see where blond locks fall over a white tee in a white room, his hand curled up in that hair and -

"No," he said decidedly. "Not uh. Not blonde."

"Really? Thought you liked them." With a shrug Tara swiped left. "I mean, your call, it's your sex life we're going to fix here."

She went on. No freckles, Tyler added, thinking of the freckles littering 238's smooth skin.

To their collective surprises, two or three girls turned out a match, and with Tara's aid, Tyler did send them some sincere-yet-flirty messages.

He had just stepped to the bar to order another round, when he heard Dave whistle. "Gosh, this one must be the woman of his nightmares, then."

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

83 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 24. Juli 2022

Hol dir deinen Tumblr-Jahresrückblick 2022 →

#tumblr2022 #Jahresrückblick #Mein Tumblr-Jahresrückblick 2022 #Dein Tumblr-Jahresrückblick #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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lex-2002 · 2 years

Photo

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit. 'the Day of the Festival of Patrick'), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and, by extension, celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, especially amongst Irish diaspora. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora, particularly those that developed in North America. However, there has been criticism of Saint Patrick's Day celebrations for having become too commercialised and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish people.

#google #Google Doodle #saint patricks day #2023 #irish holiday

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talenlee · 7 days

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Custom MTG: Designing Interlocking Mechanical Space

After three years (or more?) of daily Magic: The Gathering custom card designs, guess what? I’m still going to do that in 2025! But this is also around the time of year where I’d be finishing and planning out the last of next year’s cards, and I thought the process of making would be more interesting to see here, instead of at the end of 2025 to explain what I ‘did’ rather than what I’m doing.

Warning: Wizards employees, this post contains unsolicited designs of custom magic cards.

Define Goals and Boundaries

The three-colour sets of 2024 were interesting to me, and I liked doing them, and I want to build on things I learned from those sets.

Three colour design is open but not wide open.

Mana fixing fills a lot of space in a three colour set!

‘Shuffle’ is an avoidable word!

Starting out, I scribbled out some basic boundaries for the 2025 set of cards:

I want to have a card to post every single day, so 365 cards at minimum.

I don’t want that to include any basic lands, which means there 385 cards.

If I include a cycle of something like rare or uncommon two-colour lands, like the Ravnica dual lands and bouncelands, I want to post them all at once, which means they would ‘add’ to the 385 in a way like 389/393 cards.

I want the rarities and colours to be equal in their volume.

I want to include flavour text in as many cards as possible (ideally, every single card; if I exempt any card from flavour text, I want it to be a for a rule based reason — in Decima Vex, the only cards that missed flavour text were because of a different card face).

I want to introduce some new mechanics that serve a new purpose, because that’s a place I haven’t done anything yet.

The set, currently with the exciting playtest name of SET2025, was concepted to be a top-down flavour-based set inspired by Murder at Karlov Manor, and informed through my experience drafting in Outlaws of Thunder Junction. There was a major change around that point to alter the way commons and uncommon were handled in draft environments, with a deliberate removal of ‘skill tester’ cards, and a general improvement of what commons could do, which I like a great deal.

Murder at Karlov Manor was a Ravnica set which managed to represent the ten guilds of Ravnica across only 62 gold cards, six for each rarity with some miscellaneous extras. That was one mythic, two rares, two uncommon, and one common. This structure was facilitated by the use of hybrid mana and the Disguise mechanic meaning that cards that could be played face-up as AB could be played face-down for A or B. Now, in the format I normally design for (commander), this doesn’t change anything, because those cards still have a multicolour identity.

Two years ago I wanted to make a set which actually represented a variety of rarities (instead of concentrating around rare). Last year, I wanted to make a ‘set’ (two sets really) that actually used flavour text on every card possible and avoided shuffling. This time, building on that, I want to design a set that fulfils those goals, and also includes another new thing for me: New Keyword mechanics.

This is the hardest part of the puzzle so far! Personally, I think that custom magic players are far too eager to create new keywords for things when what they really want to design is a card, rather than a keyword. A keyword needs to be applicable in a lot of ways. It’s not enough to make a thing for one card, you need to make something that can be useful on five, ten, twenty cards, depending on the kinds of thing it’s meant to impact.

There are sets with unequal mechanics of different size. For example, in the Lost Caverns of Ixalan, there are more explore cards than there are descend cards, by a lot. I didn’t want to do that, because that sounded hard. I think if there are only, say, five or ten cards that use a mechanic, then it’s easier to just cut that mechanic. If nothing references or cares about the mechanic, that makes it easier to cut, too. In order to make the process of designing new Keyword mechanics I decided I wanted to make sure that this was being equally distributed, and that meant that there needed to be a cycle of mechanics, equally across the colours. That means either five or ten mechanics, or fifteen if I lose my mind somehow.

For my tastes, as guidelines I think are worth sticking to, a keyword mechanic needs to be doing offloading in the rules text that makes things more convenient , it needs to have human-understandable reminder text that isn’t just the rules text written out, and it needs to be something that other things can usefully reference. It doesn’t have to be, but it needs to be referenceable. I don’t like ability words, and I don’t like flavour words. Not that they’re not legitimate, they’re just not my preference.

I’m telling you this out of order, though, because this is messy and really, at this point, I’m just in the introduction. This is all preamble at this point, which shows how unhinged I get about how I think about this. Imagine, I set this up in a second document to try and structure it well, before I got to this point and just gave up.

SET2025

What I decided I wanted to try for SET2025 is a set with a group of factions as guilds that interacted with one another. I liked my 2024 sets, I loved designing the lore of the factions, but I did feel at the end that they were mostly non-interactive with one another and only saw each other at the edges of their territory. Indeed, the Aszyt and the Jatku, both green base factions, never interacted because the entire Kravh empire is in between them. Instead, I wanted SET2025’s characters to be much closer, more immediately interfacing, and to have a shared purpose and disagree wildly on the methods. I also wanted to make sure the aesthetic was really different.

Anyway, I decided upon a Bloodborne-style cursed city, where the factions are all gangs trying to create a surrogate alternative to the city’s corrupt and evil government. With that in mind, I concepted ten different ways colour pairs could relate to living under an oppressive state. See, one of my favourite things about the colour pie is that colours are ideology, and ideology is a lot more fluid than people like to imagine. It’s entirely possible for two Blue characters to wildly disagree, and even hate one another, based on both of them still being ideologically consistent and coherent to themselves and just believing the other to be incorrect. A city with a corrupt and evil government can be opposed on all fronts by all different colour pairings, for all sorts of different reasons, and I think that’s cool.

That also plays into the mechanical needs. Ten colour pairs, ten factions, ten mechanics. Ten new mechanics seemed a bit much, and I actually started out just looking at old mechanics to use for each one. This presented a new challenge! I didn’t want to reuse a guild mechanic from another guild set (including the Dragons of Tarkir broods), which massively cuts into what you can do with blue and black. I also didn’t want to repeat a lot of brand new mechanics, either, just ‘isn’t this just-‘ kind of designs. If I wanted to make a variant of Plot I needed a reason, otherwhise, why not just use Plot?

The Guilds

And all of that is to say that I wound up with ten factions, each of a colour pair, with a philosophy, an outlook, and a keyword mechanic, and of those keyword mechanics, five were brand new, presented now as a Form Of Numbered List, in standard Guild Order.

The Tin-Stars (WU)

Mechanic: Intercept COST (COST: Put this creature onto the battlefield from your hand. Target creature you control with lesser power or toughness phases out until this creature leaves the battlefield.)

Philosophy: The Tin-Stars see the government’s failure to protect the people of the city as a problem with the government, not the idea of it. They style themselves as a police force, protecting people by interposing themselves between people and harm. They’re a gang of class dobbers who don’t have a teacher to tattle to yet.

Vibe: The overlap of cowboy and knight. Tin-Stars should usually be depicted as protecting something, interposing themselves, using shields and longer weapons.

The Whisperers (UB)

Mechanic: Cloak (To cloak a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature with ward 2. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it’s a creature card.)

Philosophy: The authorities seek to control people through information, and that means any secrets represent power that those people want. Whisperers are infiltrators and spies and some say they don’t even have physical bodies. Not ghosts, but ideas taking form as they move against the aims of the city.

Vibe: Mysterious, hooded figures. Changelings (in the D&D sense) and Dopplegangers. The Whisperers have done something to their own identities to protect themselves from the Authorities and it permanently changes them.

The Stonebloods (BR)

Mechanic: Living Metal (As long as it’s your turn, this permanent is an artifact creature in addition to its other types.)

Philosophy: We will consume those who would oppress us! The Stonebloods hunt and kill the Authorities’ gargoyles, and make concoctions out of the cursed stone that lets them become part-Gargoyle themselves. They hide from the Authorities as part of the city itself.

Vibe: Lurkers, watchers, hunters and predators, the Stonebloods are doing something fundamentally reckless and giving up something of themselves in the name of owning themselves.

The Unruled (RG)

Mechanic: Boast (Activate this ability only if this creature attacked this turn and only once each turn.)

Philosophy: The city sucks. Why are you here? Why aren’t you outside? How bad can outside be when inside sucks so bad? The Unruled are one of the largest factions because they just leave the city and make a home in the haunted, cursed forest outside, where yes, things are hard, but they’re free. The Unruled you see in the city are people who come to show the strength of their community and help other people get free and escape.

Vibe: Wild folk, barbarians, raiders. Art of the Unruled should show individuals who have learned something and become dangerous because of it. Proud of their choice; they’re not thoughtless, reckless anarchists, they’re people who have deliberately chosen to reject a system that they find unconscionable.

The Crownless (GW)

Mechanic: Supply COST (At the beginning of your upkeep, you may supply one of your unsupplied creatures. If it’s this one, pay COST and put three +1/+1 counters on it.)

Philosophy: The government is bad, and not going to help us, so our only option is to help one another. There is always room for one more in the circle, we can include and protect and care for ourselves. We can outlast the system that’s desperate to kill us.

Vibe: The Crownless are anarchists, like the Unruled, but where the Unruled left the city, the Crownless seek to make the city leave them, forming support networks within the city that reject the authorities of other systems. They’re doing things like breaking gates and rerouting paths, patching holes in the road and getting each other food.

The Dawnglow (WB)

Mechanic: Plot COST (You may pay COST and exile this card from your hand. Cast it as a sorcery on a later turn without paying its mana cost. Plot only as a sorcery.)

Philosophy: The government’s evils mean it’s not looking out for me and mine. Therefore, the correct course of action is to take it over and make it more fair, to make sure it now includes my people in the circle of protection.

Vibe: Where the Stonebloods use gargoyles, the Dawnglow hunt and stalk Vampires, making tinctures out of the Government’s bloodsucker agents. The Dawnglow aren’t Vampires, but have many of their eerie strengths and aesthetics.

The Bottlers (UR)

Mechanic: Sabotage COST (You may cast this spell for COST as though it had flash if you also return an unblocked attacker you control to your hand.)

Philosophy: Everything that is, someone built, and that means everything that shouldn’t be can be dismantled by someone. Chemisters and alchemists, unified by their need for glass, the Bottlers wound up creating poisons, toxins, tinctures and paints, trying to find the perfect solution that will render this city’s government back down to its base.

Vibe: Slightly dangerous physickers and chemists, the kind to throw a bottle and run away before people get to see what the result is.

The Second Chancers (BG)

Mechanic: Rouse COST (COST, exile this card from your graveyard: Copy this card. You may cast the copy without paying its mana cost.)

Philosophy: We have almost nothing in this fight against oppression and therefore, we have to get the absolute most out of anything we’re ever going to try using. Death is a disease and we can cure it, at least for a little while.

Vibe: A little bit Frankenstein but also a healthy dose of eerie pagan stuff – the Chancers could very reasonably be called a cult, embracing signifiers like discarded antlers as marks of their territory.

The Halfbricks (RW)

Mechanic: To Arms! (When this Equipment enters the battlefield, create a 2/2 Citizen creature token that’s all colors, then attach this to it.)

Philosophy: The problem isn’t the people or the city, the problem is agency. Put a sword in a citizen’s hand and they’ll defend their home, if they just understand that it’s a thing they can do.

Vibe: Halfbricks are weaponsmiths and armoursmiths who are literally just leaving caches of equipment around the city, trusting in the ordinary people to take up arms against the city’s leadership.

The Jackdaws (UG)

Mechanic: Awaken N COST – (If you cast this spell for COST, also put N +1/+1 counters on target land you control and it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It’s still a land.)

Philosophy: The government is not the city. The city is a living organism, with its own interactions and its own will and its own want to benefit people, grow and become perfect. Governments are a parasite upon cities and need to be carefully attacked. Stand high, look down, and let the city crush those who would oppose it. The city is part of nature, because every part of it is made out of nature. The only thing unnatural about the city are things that don’t exist – like laws and systems of control.

Vibe: Urban druids who dress and account themselves in a more modern aesthetic, almost never using weapons. There’s a primal connection to earth and the land, but that primality is understood as part of a complex relationships.

Of these mechanics, Awaken, Plot, Boast, Cloak and Living Metal are old mechanics I’m reusing, and To Arms!, Rouse, Sabotage, Supply and Intercept are all new designs. Of those, To Arms! is a reference to For Mirrodin!, Rouse is a hybriding of Flashback and Embalm, Sabotage was built out of Ninjutsu, Supply was a variant of Monstrous, and Intercept was modelled on Champion. And of course, they’re all kicker.

The Overlap

Another cheeky thing I did – well I think it’s cheeky – is that I set up a ‘wrong’ wheel of the colour pie. See, if you arrange the colour pie in linear order, the colour pairs are WU, UB, BR, RG, GW, and then WB, UR, BG, RW, GU. Instead what I did was arrange them as a colour wheel for mechanical overlap that tried to make sure I was always moving from a colour in the pair to a new one but didn’t just replicate the standard order, to instead focus on areas of mechanical overlap between the three colours.

The order in this set is WB, BG, GU, UW, RW, RB, UB, UR, RG, GW. This is where the hardest ask of the keyword design process was, where I wanted it so every pair has a card in the shared colours that rewards both pair parts for their mechanic but isn’t obviously great for everyone else. This mechanical loop looks like this:

WB and BG overlap with ‘put into exile’ triggers

BG and GU overlap with ‘late game mana’ cards

GU and UW overlap with wanting low mana value creatures on the board

RW and UW overlap in wanting creatures that weren’t cast

RB and RW overlap with wanting to cast artifacts

RB and UB overlap with wanting noncreature permanent cards to enter your graveyard

UB and UR overlap in rewarding bouncing your own creatures

UR and RG overlap in protecting attackers

RG and GW overlap in wanting very large creatures

GW and WB overlap in wanting to ‘not cast spells’

This set of overlaps doesn’t want a lot of cards to represent it! Just say, a single uncommon or common that rewards the play pattern presented here.

Conclusions

I’m presenting a summary of conclusions here, by the way. Some of these things started as one thing, with one mechanic, then moved to another, or a different colour pair of concept or whatever. This process I’m describing is fluid and clean, and the actual process is a lot more screwy, adjusting each part of the whole and sometimes just restarting.

There’s the idea that any kind of design like this, as an individual, proceeds through a sensible order, from A to B to C, but it really isn’t like that. Sometimes it’s A to handbrake to 472 to manticore, and then you go back through the whole thing and each decision impacts previous decisions and requires them to change. What’s more sometimes you make a choice, it changes a previous choice, so you make the change and wind up going back to that first choice and change away from it, too!

Anyway, yeah, factions! Concepts! Mechanics! That was a pretty quick one, how’d it work out?

Three thousand words you say.

Oh.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Games #Magic: The Gathering #Making

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semi-imaginary-place · 13 days

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was surveying the shipping side of fandom and first wow naruto/kakashi is more popular than I expected thought this would be a rare pair because it's kinda out there (not that this has or ever will stop shippers) also i suspect it's another case of fangirl logic of the only thing better than 1 hot guy is 2 hot guys. But second and most importantly it's all twink naruto like teenage naruto to mid 20s at most. (side note it's less x y ships problematic morally bad and more how subject matter in fiction is handled and generally fanfiction handles these serious topics poorly extremely poorly). Anyways, where's my ch 700 era mid 30s middle aged Naruto in a failed marriage with teen kids that hate him. Overworked stressed out kicked out of the house having an existential mid life crisis questioning why he even became hokage in the first place and finding comradery in kakashi who started out acting chill and goofy as a trauma grief coping mechanism and then acted the persona so much it became the real him and now he spends 6 months out of the year sipping mai tais on the beach wearing an oversized hawaiian shirt. Very few people understand what it is to be hokage. Naruto never really dated around and explored himself before marrying hinata. Missed connections and all that (with deranged uchiha men) on both ends reflecting on the lives they lived. And it changes the power dynamic of a younger naruto from student teacher or boss employee ... well the shinobi hokage relationship is more than that almost master servant. But now naruto's hokage and like the most powerful persona on the planet (reason #385 why boruto series was a mistake the power scaling at the end of shippuden was insane naruto was performing miracles right and left narratively there's no future after that). Also personally way less yikes if they're older.

#Naruto #This post is a disaster i almost dont want to tag i dont even know the ship tag

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finowing · 27 days

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Is ECO Mobility IPO Overvalued? A Detailed Financial Analysis

ECO Mobility IPO is a Mainboard IPO, raising Rs. 601.20 crore (18,000,000 shares) through ECOS (India) Mobility & Hospitality Ltd., a company established in February 1996. It began by offering chauffeur-driven automobile rentals in India and has since grown to become the largest and most profitable provider of chauffeur-driven mobility services for businesses in India as of Fiscal 2023.

The company specializes in Employee Transportation Services (ETS) and Chauffeured Car Rentals (CCR), serving a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies in India. By March 31, 2024, ECO Mobility operated in 109 cities across India, covering 21 states and 4 union territories, showcasing its extensive reach. The company fulfilled the CCR and ETS needs of over 1,100 Indian organizations in Fiscal 2024 and completed over 3,100,000 trips, averaging over 8,400 trips per day.

With a fleet of over 12,000 vehicles, including luxury, compact, and specialty models, ECO Mobility serves a diverse clientele, including big names like Indigo, HCL Corporation, Safexpress, and Urban Company. The company is set to launch its IPO from August 28 to August 30, 2024, with a price band between Rs. 318 to Rs. 334 per share.

Key Financials

Revenue (FY 2024): Rs. 568.21 crore

PAT (FY 2024): Rs. 62.53 crore

Total Assets (FY 2024): Rs. 296.66 crore

Net Worth (FY 2024): Rs. 177.41 crore

EBITDA (FY 2024): Rs. 89.96 crore

IPO Details

Total Issue Size: 18,000,000 Shares (Rs. 601.20 crore)

Allocation: 35% retail investors, 50% institutional investors, 15% non-institutional investors

Listing Date: September 04, 2024

Listing on: BSE, NSE

Evaluation & Analysis

The ECO Mobility IPO's P/E ratio is calculated at 32.05x, which is higher than the industry average of 22.28x, suggesting an overvaluation. Investors should consider this when evaluating the IPO, especially in comparison to listed peers.

Strengths

Market leader in chauffeur-driven mobility services.

Strong client base with long-standing relationships.

Robust financial performance and extensive geographic reach.

Weaknesses

Heavy reliance on vendor partnerships for vehicles and chauffeurs.

Potential risks from competitive pressures and reliance on GCCs.

IPO GMP (As of August 24, 2024)

Current GMP: Rs. 51

Estimated Listing Price: Rs. 385

The ECO Mobility IPO presents a significant investment opportunity, but investors should carefully evaluate the pricing in relation to the industry average P/E ratio.

#stock market #ipo #upcoming ipo #stock market courses

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debtloanpayoff · 1 month

Link

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k12academics · 2 months

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WT Services, Inc. has been in the wireless communications business for 30 plus years. We currently have 15 employees and two locations in the Texas Panhandle. Our Amarillo, Texas location is at 4533 Canyon Drive, and our Hereford, Texas location is at 2439 US Highway 385.

Our company is an authorized Motorola Dealer and Motorola Service Center in both locations. We provide sales, system design, service, installation, and maintenance for communications equipment. Our Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensed technical staff has extensive experience and training in service and maintenance of radio systems and dispatch consoles for public safety, industrial, agriculture, hospitals, schools, and commercial users in the Texas Panhandle. All of our technicians are trained, certified and experienced in the two way radio industry.

#Motorola Two-way #Cell boosters

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pashterlengkap · 3 months

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Marjorie Taylor Greene says “American taxpeople” want cuts to USAID for helping fight HIV abroad

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced an amendment to cut USAID’s (United States Agency for International Development) budget by $1.6 billion, calling the spending “wasteful.” To support her claim, she read statistics about USAID’s success in fighting the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. USAID is the federal agency that administers foreign aid and developmental assistance worldwide, and this isn’t the first time it has come under attack from conservatives in the House. But instead of saying why she believes USAID is spending its budget badly, Greene took another tactic in her floor speech: she listed programs USAID has implemented to fight HIV/AIDS. Related USAID releases its first-ever “LGBTQI+-inclusive” plan for foreign aid The policy is a blueprint for USAID to champion LGBTQ+ and intersex rights around the world. “Among the wasteful things USAID has funded,” Greene said, “are programs like $385 million ‘Dreams Initiative: Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, mentored and safe, a program under PEPFAR which aims to reduce rates of HIV among adolescent girls around the world.” Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “We certainly care about girls around the world,” Greene said sarcastically, “but we really care about our American taxpayers helping Americans at home.” She then pointed out that sex workers have gotten HIV medication from the program. “Again, the American people are over $34.5 trillion in debt,” she said. Greene pointed out some USAID programs help “women, men, girls, boys, and those of other – other – gender identities – by the way, there aren’t any, there’s only two” get HIV treatment and prevention services. She then continued to read statistics about how USAID helps fight global HIV, including how one program resulted in increased testing for HIV and increased medical care for people who test positive. “Meanwhile, the fentanyl drug crisis continues to rage across America!” she said as a rejoinder to the successes of USAID. “But we continue to fund USAID with billions of dollars to address AIDS and other diseases all over the world. We should be caring about Americans. And we should be funding the treatment for Americans here at home from a weapon of mass destruction that is murdering Americans every single day.” “The American taxpeople [sic] are funding this, and the American taxpeople want their problems solved.” She then accused USAID of being “Democrat” because many of its employees support Democratic candidates. I introduced an amendment to cut $1.6 billion from wasteful USAID spending. USAID sends American tax dollars all over the world to fund leftist priorities while America’s borders are wide open and people are dying because of it. The House should vote for my amendment and join… pic.twitter.com/2GHbrQC4Gs— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) June 27, 2024 Last year, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a bill to abolish USAID, arguing that the group has a “perverse ideology” because it helped LGBTQ+ people and women. The bill’s text said that USAID gave $1 million of its $27 billion annual budget – or less than 0.004% of its yearly funds – to the United Nations for “LGBTI human rights advocacy in Asia.” The bill cited a smaller $370,000 grant for LGBTQ+ human rights in Armenia, a $1.1 million grant to the Armenian LGBTQ+ organization Pink Human Rights Defender, and an approximately $300,000 grant for the U.S. State Department’s LGBTI advisor Ryan Kaminski. “American taxpayer dollars are being wasted to fund radical leftist propaganda in foreign countries,” Gaetz said at the time. “USAID does not serve a meaningful purpose. It is used as a slush fund for international wokeism. Therefore, serious lawmakers in Congress should support its complete abolition.” Greene was a cosponsor of that bill. http://dlvr.it/T8rY9H

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pilottire · 6 months

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Driving Innovation: Unveiling the Success Story of Pilot Americas in Tire Manufacturing Excellence

Introduction to Pilot Americas and their tire manufacturing excellence

As an industry leader in tire manufacturing, Pilot Americas has continuously pushed the boundaries of innovation and excellence. With a commitment to delivering top-quality tires for various applications, Pilot Americas has established itself as a trusted name in the market. In this article, I will delve into the success story of Pilot Americas and explore how their dedication to innovation has propelled them to the forefront of the tire manufacturing industry.

The importance of innovation in the tire manufacturing industry

Innovation is a driving force in any industry, and the tire manufacturing sector is no exception. With constantly evolving customer needs and technological advancements, tire manufacturers must stay ahead of the curve to remain competitive. By embracing innovation, companies like Pilot Americas can enhance their product offerings, improve efficiency, and deliver superior performance to their customers.

Pilot Americas understands the significance of innovation in the tire manufacturing industry. They recognize that through continuous improvement and tire technology advancements, they can meet the ever-changing demands of their customers. By investing in research and development, Pilot Americas has been able to bring cutting-edge products to market, setting new benchmarks for performance, durability, and safety.

Pilot Americas' commitment to innovation and continuous improvement

At Pilot Americas, innovation is not just a buzzword; it is a core value that permeates every aspect of their operations. The company fosters a culture of creativity, encouraging its employees to think outside the box and explore new ideas. By nurturing an environment that values innovation, Pilot Americas has created a breeding ground for groundbreaking solutions and tire manufacturer in USA .

To ensure they stay at the forefront of innovation, Pilot Americas collaborates with leading industry experts, research institutions, and technology partners. By leveraging these partnerships, they gain access to the latest advancements in materials, design, and manufacturing processes. This collaborative approach enables Pilot Americas to integrate cutting-edge technologies into their tire manufacturing operations, setting them apart from their competitors.

The success story of Pilot Americas in tire manufacturing

Pilot Americas' success story in tire manufacturing is a testament to their unwavering commitment to excellence. With a focus on delivering superior products and exceptional customer service, the company has earned the trust and loyalty of customers across the globe.

One of the key factors contributing to Pilot Americas' success is their ability to anticipate market trends and customer demands. By staying ahead of the curve, they have been able to develop innovative tire solutions that cater to specific industry needs. This foresight has not only allowed them to capture a significant market share but also establish themselves as a leader in tire manufacturing innovation.

Overview of Pilot Americas' commercial truck tires

Pilot Americas' range of commercial truck tires is highly regarded in the industry for their superior performance and durability. These tires are specifically designed to withstand the demanding conditions of long-haul transportation, delivering exceptional mileage, fuel efficiency, and traction.

With a comprehensive lineup of commercial truck tires, Pilot Americas offers solutions for various applications, including regional hauling, long-haul transportation, and off-road operations. Their tires are engineered to provide optimal grip, stability, and durability, ensuring a smooth and safe journey for truck drivers and fleet operators.

Pilot Americas' best-selling tire models - 325/95R24 and 385/65R22.5

Among Pilot Americas' extensive range of tire models, the 325/95R24 and 385/65R22.5 have emerged as best-sellers in the market. These tires have gained popularity due to their exceptional performance, reliability, and versatility across different applications.

The 325/95R24 tire is designed for a wide range of commercial vehicles, including buses, coaches, and trucks. It offers excellent traction, stability, and load-carrying capacity, making it an ideal choice for demanding road conditions. The 385/65R22.5 tire, on the other hand, is specifically engineered for heavy-duty trucks and trailers. It excels in providing superior grip, durability, and fuel efficiency, ensuring optimal performance even in challenging terrains.

The unique features and benefits of Pilot Americas' tires

Pilot Americas' tires stand out in the market due to their unique features and benefits. The company's tire engineering expertise and continuous innovation have resulted in products that deliver exceptional performance and value to customers.

One notable feature of Pilot Americas' tires is their advanced tread design, which optimizes traction and reduces rolling resistance. This design ensures enhanced fuel efficiency, prolongs tire life, and reduces operating costs for fleet operators. Additionally, Pilot Americas' tires are crafted using high-quality materials and advanced manufacturing processes, guaranteeing superior durability and reliability in all weather conditions.

Pilot Americas' tire manufacturing process and quality control measures

Pilot Americas' commitment to excellence extends beyond tire design and innovation; it encompasses their entire manufacturing process. The company follows rigorous quality control measures to ensure that every tire that leaves their facilities meets the highest standards of performance and reliability.

From the selection of raw materials to the final inspection, Pilot Americas maintains strict quality control protocols at every stage of the pilot tire manufacturing process. This meticulous attention to detail ensures that their tires meet or exceed industry standards for safety, durability, and performance. By adhering to these stringent quality control measures, Pilot Americas instills confidence in their customers, knowing they are receiving top-notch products.

Conclusion: Pilot Americas' position as a leader in tire manufacturing innovation

Pilot Americas' success in tire manufacturing can be attributed to their unwavering commitment to innovation, continuous improvement, and tire technology advancements. By prioritizing customer needs, collaborating with industry experts, and investing in research and development, Pilot Americas has established itself as a leader in the industry.

With their range of commercial truck tires, including the popular 325/95R24 and 385/65R22.5 models, Pilot Americas continues to push the boundaries of tire manufacturing excellence. Their tire engineering expertise, unique features, and stringent quality control measures set them apart from their competitors.

As Pilot Americas continues to drive innovation in the tire manufacturing industry, their commitment to delivering top-quality tires remains unwavering. By choosing Pilot Americas, customers can be confident in their choice, knowing they are investing in a brand that prioritizes innovation, performance, and customer satisfaction.

#automotive #everyone #automation #truck #automobile #commercial truck tyres #industrial #mining tires

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quynhanhphan · 6 months

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Week 7: Aesthetic Labor

Prosumers

The emergence of the prosumer concept facilitated by digital technologies has led to the fusion of consumption and production (Dujarier, 2014), evident in the widespread proliferation of user-generated content online (Bonsu & Darmody, 2008).

This phenomenon raises inquiries into the intersection between prosumption and sexualized labor, particularly on platforms like Instagram, where the monetization of prosumer labor heavily hinges on capturing attention in the "attention economy" (Davenport & Beck, 2001). Notably, predominantly women influencers shape cultural norms and endorse products on Instagram without commensurate compensation, often conforming to heteronormative standards of attractiveness and femininity, thereby presenting highly sexualized self-representations. This trend aligns with the phenomenon termed "porn chic," where elements of commercial pornography permeate mainstream culture, influencing perceptions of female desirability (Tyler & Quek, 2016).

The convergence of pornographic imagery with non-pornographic media, facilitated by digital technologies, further contributes to this trend (Attwood, 2011). Additionally, within contemporary digital culture, the act of taking selfies is often interpreted as a manifestation of sexualized labor, with women frequently presenting themselves online in highly sexualized ways to adhere to conventional beauty ideals (Carrotte, Prichard & Lim, 2017). Termed "pornification", this phenomenon involves the portrayal of a heteronormative display of sexuality or a 'porn chic' aesthetic, predominantly targeted towards a male audience. Fontenelle (2015) suggests that the prosumption reinforces existing power dynamics by perpetuating heteronormative advertising models, with female influencers positioning themselves as objects alongside the products they endorse, emphasizing bodily curves and other enhanced features associated with femininity. Many successful Instagram brands adopt aspects of the pornification template, emphasizing enhanced features and exaggerated femininity, including accentuated lips, jawline, cheeks, waist, and buttocks.

Sexualized labor

Sexualized labor, defined as work associated with sexuality, sexual desire, and pleasure (Spiess & Waring, 2005), emerged from the need to understand how employee corporeality and sexualization impact emotional and aesthetic labor. Two main conceptualizations of sexualized labor are drawn upon: the “conceptual double shift” (Waehurst & Nickson, 2009, p. 385), transitioning from sanctioned to strategically prescribed employee sexuality, and the process linking work with sexual pleasure. Emotion, aesthetics, and sexualization underpin the performance of sexualized labor, where emotional labor involves managing feelings for wage exchange (Hochschild, 1983, p. 7), and aesthetic labor incorporates workers' embodied capacities to evoke affect in customers (Entwistle & Wissinger, 2006). The notion of sexualization remains ambiguous, encompassing sexual appeal and employee-driven sexualization. Distinguishing between sexualization and healthy sexuality is crucial, as sexualization often involves objectification and degradation, creating tensions in understanding the term 'sexualized' in the context of labor (Drenten, Gurrieri & Tyler, 2019, p. 45). Hopefuls, aspiring influencers on social media, perform sexualized labor without monetary compensation, seeking brand affiliation and follower attention. They adopt a consistent 'porn chic' aesthetic (Hall & Bishop, 2007), emphasizing body-highlighting poses and upbeat captions, contributing to the digital economy unrecognized.

Boasters participate in sexualized labor without receiving direct monetary compensation, relying on informal brand connections for credibility (Drenten, Gurrieri & Tyler, 2019, pp. 52-53). They showcase products in their content, skillfully managing heightened visibility and potential harassment. Boasters frequently receive branded freebies, product trials, and coupon codes, all aimed at promoting external brands but lacking in substantial monetary compensation for the influencer.

Engagers, formally affiliated with external brands, perform sexualized labor for monetary compensation, endorsing products through staged, professionally captured images (Turley & Moore, 1995).

Boosters market their own products using porn-chic aesthetics, engaging in ongoing conversations with followers while driving traffic to external e-commerce platforms (Rich, 1980).

Performers monetize their online presence by offering access to themselves as commodities, redirecting followers to external platforms for personalized interactions for a fee, despite challenges in controlling and protecting their digital content (Drenten, Gurrieri & Tyler, 2019, pp. 58-60).

“Body heat” on social media

The concept of "body heat" on social media encompasses both conforming to visual standards of "hetero-sexy" through body production and using an attractive body to influence others (Dobson, 2015). Social media platforms rely on users' curation of "hot" body images to regulate attention flows, especially leveraging hot female bodies in promoting nightlife events. User interactions generate data that informs algorithmic procedures, which learn to prioritize hot female body images due to their profitability. Consequently, naturalized assumptions about gendered desire become embedded in social media platforms' procedural choices.

Scholarly attention to girls' and young women's online identities exceeds that of young men's, with research focusing on their identity constructions and self-branding (Brandes & Levin, 2013). The internet, perceived as a space for challenging normative feminine identities, offers opportunities for empowerment but also involves navigating complex processes of digital identity production (Banet-Weiser, 2012). Social media platforms reflect a political economy of gendered visual images, privileging certain bodies capable of generating affective engagement and profit, while algorithmic media platforms reinforce conventional standards of attractiveness (Carah & Dobson, 2016, p. 3). Promo work in nightlife involves extensive reconnaissance practices focused on registering attention and affect generated by attractive bodies on social media, reflecting vernacular theories of the "male gaze" (Mulvey, 1989) and highlighting how platforms mobilize bodies for attention and affective exchange. "Hotness" operates as both gendered visual characteristics and an ability to influence others, shaping online and offline interactions (Carah & Dobson, 2016, p. 7). Female bodies take center stage in algorithmic media platforms, perpetuating gendered encounters influenced by an assumed male gaze but also offering possibilities for social shifts. Analyzing the interplay between media platforms, branding, and gendered experiences illuminates how gender is reproduced in algorithmic media cultures.

Case Study: Kim Kardashian's Instagram posts

Kim Kardashian's rise to fame, despite lacking a discernible talent, has led to her being revered, particularly among teenage girls, for her entertaining persona (Setiawan, 2020, p. 1).

This portrayal of success prompts viewers to aspire to emulate internet celebrities, who often dictate idealized appearances and body images, further normalizing societal norms through Kardashian's influential social media presence (Juntiwasarakij, 2018, p. 555). This process aligns with the concept of media equation, where viewers respond to communication media as if they were real social actors, solidifying the influence of internet celebrities. However, the portrayal of women, especially through sexually appealing images on social media, can result in both empowerment and exploitation, perpetuating the concept of sexualization, where women are solely evaluated based on their sexual appeal (Liss, Erchull & Ramsey, 2010, p. 65). This representation risks dehumanizing women by reducing them to mere sexual objects, reinforcing self-objectification and emphasizing sexual appeal over their intrinsic value as individuals (Rudman & Hagiwara, 1992, p. 87). Kim Kardashian's Instagram posts frequently feature her wearing revealing clothing, emphasizing her sexuality and allure (Amin, 2015, p. 47). This portrayal, coupled with seductive poses, gestures, and strategically chosen attire such as bodysuits and skirts, accentuates specific body parts like breasts, waist, hips, and buttocks, contributing to her sexualized image (Setiawan, 2020).

Kardashian's promotion of her products through this sexualized persona capitalizes on the effectiveness of sex appeal in advertising, particularly in capturing viewer attention (Poorani, 2012, p. 10).

By embodying societal beauty ideals and normative standards of sexuality, Kardashian reinforces her position as a trendsetter and influencer, shaping viewers' perceptions of attractiveness (Overstreet, Quinn & Agocha, 2010, p. 91). This normalization of her sexually stimulating image is facilitated by Kardashian's control and monitoring of her body, including cosmetic surgeries and rigorous fitness regimens, positioning her as both a subject and object in the capitalist system. Viewers, especially female ones, internalize these standards, aspiring to emulate Kardashian's seductive persona, while male viewers respond favorably to the sexual appeal portrayed (Setiawan, 2018, p. 17). However, Kardashian's hyperreal portrayal blurs the lines between reality and constructed beauty ideals, challenging viewers' perceptions of authenticity and reinforcing unattainable standards of beauty (Baudrillard, 1994, p. 11). In short, Kim Kardashian's Instagram posts demonstrate how she conforms to societal norms and the capitalist system by regulating her body and sexuality (Kress & Leeuwen, 2006). Through revealing clothing, cosmetic procedures, and suggestive imagery, Kardashian strives to maintain an idealized appearance for her audience. This commodifies her body and sexuality, reducing her to a sexual object for profit. However, her Instagram portrayal is a distorted simulation, detached from reality (Baudrillard, 1994).

References

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Test Bank for Taxation for Decision Makers, 2019 Edition Shirley Dennis-Escoffier

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface xx About the Authors xxv PART I Introduction to Taxation and Its Environment 1 An Introduction to Taxation 2 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 3 1.1 An Introduction to Taxes 3 1.2 Types of Tax Rate Systems 12 1.3 Characteristics of a Good Tax 15 1.4 The Taxing Units and the Basic Income Tax Model 18 1.5 Choice of Business Entity 29 Revisiting the Introductory Case 38 Summary 38 Key Terms 39 Test Yourself 39 Problem Assignments 40 Answers to Test Yourself 44 2 The Tax Practice Environment 45 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 46 2.1 Tax Compliance 46 2.2 Professional Responsibilities and Ethics 54 2.3 Tax Planning 59 2.4 Tax Research 69 Revisiting the Introductory Case 89 Summary 89 Table of Contents ix Key Terms 90 Test Yourself 90 Problem Assignments 90 Answers to Test Yourself 97 Appendix: Authorities for Sample Research Problem 97 PART II Income Expenses and Individual Taxes 3 Determining Gross Income 108 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 109 3.1 What Is Income? 109 3.2 When Is Income Recognized? 112 3.3 Who Recognizes the Income? 118 3.4 Sources of Income 119 3.5 Exclusions 134 3.6 Expanded Topics—Jurisdictional Issues 139 Revisiting the Introductory Case 142 Summary 142 Key Terms 143 Test Yourself 143 Problem Assignments 144 Answers to Test Yourself 152 4 Employee Compensation 153 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 154 4.1 Employee Compensation 154 4.2 Employee Fringe Benefits 161 4.3 Employee Stock and Stock Options 174 4.4 Deferred Compensation and Retirement Planning 179 4.5 Self-Employed Individuals 187 4.6 Expanded Topics—Foreign Assignments 191 Revisiting the Introductory Case 195 Summary 195 Key Terms 196 Test Yourself 197 Problem Assignments 198 Answers to Test Yourself 205 5 Deductions for Individuals and Tax Determination 206 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 207 5.1 The Individual Tax Model 207 5.2 Deductions for Adjusted Gross Income 209 5.3 Standard Deduction 212 5.4 Itemized Deductions 217 5.5 Qualified Business Income Deduction 228 5.6 Dependents 230 5.7 Tax Credits 233 5.8 Computing the Tax 239 5.9 Payment of Tax and Filing the Return 247 Revisiting the Introductory Case 250 Summary 253 Key Terms 253 Test Yourself 253 Problem Assignments 254 Answers to Test Yourself 264 PART III Business and Property Concepts 6 Business Expenses 266 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 267 6.1 Criteria for Deductibility 267 6.2 Timing of Deductions 271 6.3 Costs of Starting a Business 275 6.4 Operating Expenses 277 6.5 Limited Expense Deductions 285 6.6 Expanded Topics—Book/Tax Differences 292 Revisiting the Introductory Case 301 Summary 303 Key Terms 304 Test Yourself 304 Problem Assignments 305 Answers to Test Yourself 314 7 Property Acquisitions and Cost Recovery Deductions 316 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 317 7.1 Capital Expenditures 317 7.2 MACRS 322 7.3 Special Expensing Provisions 329 7.4 Provisions Limiting Depreciation 334 7.5 Depletion 338 7.6 Amortization 339 Revisiting the Introductory Case 341 Summary 342 Key Terms 342 Test Yourself 343 Problem Assignments 344 Answers to Test Yourself 351 PART IV Property Dispositions 8 Property Dispositions 354 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 355 8.1 Determining Gain or Loss on Dispositions 356 8.2 Disposition of Capital Assets 363 8.3 Disposition of Section 1231 Property 371 8.4 Mixed-Use Property 378 8.5 Special Rules for Small Business Stock 379 8.6 Sale of Principal Residence—Section 121 382 8.7 Navigating Individual Capital Gains Tax Rates 385 Revisiting the Introductory Case 388 Summary 389 Key Terms 390 Test Yourself 390 Problem Assignments 391 Answers to Test Yourself 400 9 Tax-Deferred Exchanges 401 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 402 9.1 Basics of Tax-Deferred Exchanges 402 9.2 Like-Kind Exchanges—Section 1031 404 9.3 Involuntary Conversions 409 9.4 Other Tax-Deferred Exchanges or Dispositions 418 9.5 Asset Transfers to Businesses 422 9.6 An Introduction to Corporate Reorganizations 431 Revisiting the Introductory Case 432 Summary 432 Key Terms 433 Test Yourself 433 Problem Assignments 434 Answers to Test Yourself 443 Appendix: Corporate Reorganizations 444 PART V Business Taxation 10 Taxation of Corporations 452 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 453 10.1 Introduction to Corporations 453 10.2 Taxation of C Corporations 457 10.3 Corporate Dividend Distributions 468 10.4 Corporate Redemptions and Liquidations 475 10.5 Issues for Closely Held Corporations 480 10.6 Consolidated Returns 484 Revisiting the Introductory Case 486 Summary 487 Key Terms 487 Table of Contents xvii Test Yourself 488 Problem Assignments 488 Answers to Test Yourself 496 Appendix: Exempt Organizations 496 11 Sole Proprietorships and Flow-Through Entities 501 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 502 11.1 Introduction to Flow-Through Business Entities 502 11.2 The Sole Proprietorship 503 11.3 Partnerships 509 11.4 S Corporation Characteristics 528 11.5 Expanded Topics—The Passive Deduction Limitations 540 Revisiting the Introductory Case 544 Summary 545 Key Terms 545 Test Yourself 546 Problem Assignments 547 Answers to Test Yourself 558 PART VI Wealth Taxation 12 Estates Gifts and Trusts 560 Setting the Stage—An Introductory Case 561 12.1 Overview of Wealth Transfer Taxation 561 12.2 The Federal Gift Tax 566 12.3 Tax Consequences for Donees 574 12.4 The Taxable Estate 577 12.5 Transfer Tax Planning 582 12.6 Fiduciary Income Tax Issues 585 12.7 Expanded Topics—The Tax Calculations 588 Revisiting the Introductory Case 592 Summary 592 Key Terms 593 Test Yourself 593 Problem Assignments 594 Answers to Test Yourself 601 Appendix Selected Tax Tables for 2018 and 2017 603 Corporate Tax Rates for 2018 and 2017 603 Individual Income Tax Rate Schedules for 2018 and 2017 603 Social Security and Medicare Taxes for 2018 and 2017 605 Standard Deductions for 2018 and 2017 606 Tax Rates for Estates Gifts and Trusts for 2018 and 2017 606 Depreciation Tables 607 Present Value and Future Value Tables 609 Index 613 Read the full article

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