#events manager wp

[luvkyu]

inkigayo ( lee juyeon )

top!juyeon x btm!male!reader

juyeon notices another idol at inkigayo after his recent comeback.

content : 1.7k words, fluff, idol!juyeon x idol!reader, reader is on a food diet

( a/n ) req'd on wp <3

'shit, he's right next to me, i could cry.'

'he's even more gorgeous in person..'

'wait, is he looking at me?'

"y/n!!"

y/n snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his group leader whisper-shouting his name. it was time for his group to depart from the inkigayo stage, but his mind had somehow managed to only become occupied on one of the mcs - lee juyeon.

he gave a quick, bashful smile to the camera before following his group away in embarrassment.

"god, i'm an idiot," y/n muttered to himself.

"yes, but at least you're a cute idiot," one of his group members encouraged. y/n glared at him as they continued walking.

"y/n, you've had a major crush on juyeon for as long as we all can remember. now you're finally in the same room. you should make a move."

y/n looked down at his feet as he thought about his bandmate's suggestion. he had indeed been a juyeon obsessed deobi for a long time, but he didn't think he could ever bring himself to 'make a move'.

y/n looked back up at his group member to see him slowly backing away and nodding toward something behind y/n. the male's brows furrowed in confusion, turning around now to see the one and only lee juyeon walking toward him. the rest of his group quickly, but subtly, dispersed away in turn.

"hi y/n!" the idol beamed with the same beautiful smile that always made y/n's heart pound.

"hey juyeon!" y/n greeted, trying to sound as normal as possible. he couldn't tell if it was easy to see that he was literally shaking, but he just hoped for the best at this point.

"i wanted to make sure you were alright. you kinda spaced out on stage there at the end."

y/n's face flushed a bright red. he quickly cleared his throat at juyeon's caring words and gave him a small smile.

"yeah, i'm okay.. thanks for checking on me!"

juyeon nodded happily at this right as the other's stomach decided to growl loudly. y/n mentally cursed at his own body.

"sorry, i'm just a little hungry.." he said quietly. juyeon frowned.

"have you eaten today?"

"mm, only a little this morning. but it's alright, it's my diet," he responded. this did not convince juyeon.

"hm. eat soon for me, alright? cute boys need their energy."

y/n's whole body froze while just about every ounce of him turned red.

'did my long-time idol crush just flirt with me?'

juyeon gave him a sweet smile and an affectionate pat on his head before turning to walk away. y/n simply stared, finding even his back attractive.

"holy shiiiit! look at you!" another group member said eagerly as he showed up by y/n's side. "did you get his number?"

y/n shook his head, still too shocked to move or take his eyes off of his crush.

"tsk, that blows. what'd he say then?"

y/n shook his head with a flustered smile, finally looking down at his fidgeting fingers as he thought about what just happened.

"nothing, nothing."

his bandmate could tell that it wasn't 'nothing', but let it go. he pat y/n's back happily as the two went to find the rest of their group.

eventually, it was about time to leave as they all gathered their belongings to depart for another event on their schedule.

juyeon's words were still ringing in y/n's ear.

'eat soon for me, alright? cute boys need their energy.'

a bright red color stained over y/n's cheeks again. he hadn't been able to wipe the smile off his face since it happened, either.

"oh, to be young and in love. our sweet y/n's got it bad!" his leader said with a teasing voice. after a couple audible laughs and scoffs from the others, y/n looked at the older in disapproval.

"why'd you say that like you're not only two years older than me.."

his leader stuck his tongue out jokingly while turning to look at him, the group now heading outside to their suv.

"i thought we'd already established that i'm the most dramatic thing to walk the earth," he reminded him. y/n chuckled.

"that's true, you're right."

the other nodded triumphantly as he climbed into the car. y/n was about to do the same until he heard his name being called.

"y/n!"

he quickly turned, seeing juyeon running out of the building toward him. he held what looked like a small bag out to y/n.

"here," he said happily while y/n took the bag in slight confusion. "some food for you. eat well, okay?"

y/n's heart was racing as he nodded and said a bashful 'thank you' before turning back to get into his group's suv. his mind yelled at him to stay and keep talking to juyeon, but he thought it best to leave before he said something stupid or got too anxious.

he simply smiled again and gave juyeon a small wave before closing the door. juyeon waved back, gazing after the car as it finally drove off.

"wasn't that your lunch?"

juyeon jumped at the sudden voice of his co-mc, who laughed lightly.

"shit!.. don't sneak up on me like that.." he scolded. "yes, it was my lunch, but i had a big breakfast this morning. besides, i left something else in there for him.."

"y/n, aren't you hungry? go ahead and eat."

y/n frowned, clutching the bag of food he was given an hour earlier. the group was now stopped at a small café for lunch.

"but my diet.."

"tsk." his leader's disapproval was more than evident. he took y/n's bag and opened it quickly before setting it back down in front of him.

"screw the stupid diet. you don't need a diet. you need food, now eat," he said as he looked at a frowning y/n. "please," he added, realizing he probably sounded too stern for y/n's liking.

y/n looked at the now opened bag, seeing small organized tupperware containers. he looked around between them before settling on the container with some cut up fruit. as he lifted the container out, his eyes landed on a little folded piece of paper that was sitting under it. after taking it out and unfolding it, his eyes widened.

'call me so i know you ate. :)

⠀ ⠀ ⠀x juyeon ( 000-0000 )'

the amount of times y/n had blushed today could not be counted, but one thing was for certain - it was all because of one lee juyeon.

"ooh, what's that?" another bandmate questioned. y/n's reddened face was more than enough to give him away.

"he gave me his number.." he confessed as he held up the paper. his leader beside him grew more excited than anyone, jumping up and bouncing around.

"OH MY GOD. call him, call him now!" he exclaimed. y/n looked at him in shock.

"right now? is that too soon??" he asked. the others were too busy laughing at their drama king of a leader, but the member on the other side of y/n ruffled his hair fondly.

"it's not too soon. obviously, he wants you to talk to him," he encouraged. y/n grinned at this and nodded. he took his phone out and began entering juyeon's number before feeling everyone's eyes on him. looking up to meet their invested gazes on him only made him squirm.

"you guys are creepy. i'll go call him in private," he decided, now leaving his seat.

"laaame."

y/n rolled his eyes at his leader's remark, only continuing to type away on his phone instead of responding.

"wait! take the fruit!" his leader added quickly while pulling y/n back to stuff the tupperware container in his arms. "okay, now go."

y/n simply looked at him for a moment, judging. he then slipped outside and sat at one of the tables with an umbrella overhead to block the sun. popping a grape into his mouth, he looked at his phone nervously and finally called juyeon.

"..."

"..."

"hello?"

"juyeon? hi, it's y/n!"

"y/n! did you eat yet?"

"i'm eating now actually."

"good!"

"also, um, was this your lunch? it looks like it was prepared really well. i hope you're eating too.."

"yeah, it was mine, but don't worry! i grabbed a snack."

"oh okay, good!"

"..so it was cool meeting you today! i really love your group's album."

"ah thank you! would you say you're part of our fandom now then?"

"hmm.. definitely. i think my bias would have to be y/n."

"well i can say with confidence that he's a juyeon bias in return."

y/n felt his heart skip at the very attractive laugh that left juyeon's lips.

"good to know then. while i've got you on the phone, i also wanted to ask if you'd wanna hang out sometime? just the two of us."

"really?"

"yeah! if you'd be into it, of course."

"i'd love to hang out, sure!"

"sounds good, then! i gotta go now but can i text you later tonight?"

"definitely, of course."

"okay, well i hope the rest of your work day goes good! and finish up the food for me, hm?"

"you too, juyeon. and i will, promise!"

"good. talk later!"

"bye!"

y/n smiled to himself as he set his phone down on the table. to think he was basically drooling over his crush at inkigayo while his crush actually noticed him too was crazy.

"details, please! c'mon!" the voice of his leader suddenly emerged from behind him. y/n turned in surprise to see the other's head popping out of the cafe's door, along with two other curious members. y/n clicked his tongue at his nosy friends and shooed them back inside, following suit with his phone and fruit container in hand.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Intuit: “Our fraud fights racism”

Tonight (September 27), I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine. On October 2, I'll be in Boise to host an event with VE Schwab.

Today's key concept is "predatory inclusion": "a process wherein lenders and financial actors offer needed services to Black households but on exploitative terms that limit or eliminate their long-term benefits":

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2329496516686620

Perhaps you recall predatory inclusion from the Great Financial Crisis, when predatory subprime mortgages with deceptive teaser rates were foisted on Black homeowners (who were eligible for better mortgages), resulting in a wave of Black home theft in the foreclosure crisis:

https://prospect.org/justice/staggering-loss-black-wealth-due-subprime-scandal-continues-unabated/

Before these loans blew up, they were styled as a means of creating Black intergenerational wealth through housing speculation. They turned out to be a way to suck up Black families' savings before rendering them homeless and forcing them into houses owned by the Wall Street slumlords who bought all the housing stock the Great Financial Crisis put on the market:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/08/wall-street-landlords/#the-new-slumlords

That was just an update on an old con: the "home sale contract," invented by loan-sharks who capitalized on redlining to rip off Black families. Back when banks and the US government colluded to deny mortgages to Black households, sleazy lenders created the "contract loan," which worked like a mortgage, but if you were late on a single payment, the lender could seize and sell your home and not pay you a dime – even if the house was 99% paid for:

https://socialequity.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Plunder-of-Black-Wealth-in-Chicago.pdf

Usurers and con-artists love to style themselves as anti-racists, seeking to "close the racial wealth gap." The payday lending industry – whose triple-digit interest rates trap poor people in revolving debt that they can never pay off – styles itself as a force for racial justice:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/29/planned-obsolescence/#academic-fraud

Payday lenders prey on poor people, and in America, "poor" is often a euphemism for "Black." Payday lenders disproportionately harm Black families:

https://ung.edu/student-money-management-center/money-minute/racial-wealth-gap-payday-loans.php

Payday lenders are just unlicensed banks, who deploy a layer of bullshit to claim that they don't have to play by the rules that bind the rest of the finance sector. This scam is so juicy that it spawned the fintech industry, in which a bunch of unregulated banks sprung up to claim that they were too "innovative" to be regulated:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/01/usury/#tech-exceptionalism

When you hear "Fintech," think "unlicensed bank." Fintech turned predatory inclusion into a booming business, recruiting Black spokespeople to claim that being the sucker at the table in the cryptocurrency casino was actually a form of racial justice:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/business/media/cryptocurrency-seeks-the-spotlight-with-spike-lees-help.html

But not all predatory inclusion is financial. Take Facebook Basics, Meta's "poor internet for poor people" program. Facebook partnered with telcos in the Global South to rig their internet access. These "zero rating" programs charged subscribers by the byte to reach any service except Facebook and its partners. Facebook claimed that this would "bridge the digital divide," by corralling "the next billion internet users" into using its services.

The fact that this would make "Facebook" synonymous with "the internet" was just an accidental, regrettable side-effect. Naturally, this was bullshit from top to bottom, and the countries where zero-rating was permitted ended up having more expensive wireless broadband than the countries that banned it:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/02/countries-zero-rating-have-more-expensive-wireless-broadband-countries-without-it

The predatory inclusion gambit is insultingly transparent, but that doesn't stop desperate scammers from trying it. The latest chancer is Intuit, who claim that the end of its decade-long, wildly profitable "free tax prep" scam is bad for Black people:

https://www.propublica.org/article/turbotax-intuit-black-taxpayers-irs-free-file-marketing

Some background. In nearly every rich country on Earth, the tax authorities send every taxpayer a pre-filled tax return, based on the information submitted by employers, banks, financial planners, etc. If that looks good to you, you just sign it and send it back. Otherwise, you can amend it, or just toss it in the trash and pay a tax-prep specialist to produce your own return.

But in America, taxpayers spend billions every year to send forms to the IRS that tell it things it already knows. To make this ripoff seem fair, the hyper-concentrated tax-prep industry, led by the Intuit, creators of Turbotax, pretended to create a program to provide free tax-prep to working people.

This program was called Free File, and it was a scam. The tax-prep cartel each took a different segment of Americans who were eligible for Freefile and then created an online house of mirrors that would trick those people into spending hours working on their tax-returns until they were hit with an error message falsely claiming they were ineligible for the free service and demanding hundreds of dollars to file their returns.

Intuit were world champions at this scam. They blocked their Freefile offering from search-engine crawlers and then bought ads that showed up when searchers typed "freefile" into the query box that led them to deceptively named programs that had "free" in their names but cost a fortune to use – more than you'd pay for a local CPA to file on your behalf.

The Attorneys General of nearly every US state and territory eventually sued Intuit over this, settling for $141m:

https://www.agturbotaxsettlement.com/Home/portalid/0

The FTC is still suing them over it:

https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/192-3119-intuit-inc-matter-turbotax

We have to rely on state AGs and the FTC to bring Intuit to justice because every Intuit user clicks through an agreement in which we permanently surrender our right to sue the company, no matter how many laws it breaks. For corporate criminals, binding arbitration waivers are the gift that keeps on giving:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/24/uber-for-arbitration/#nibbled-to-death-by-ducks

Even as the scam was running out, Intuit spent millions lobby-blitzing Congress, desperate for action that would let it continue to privately tax the nation for filling in forms that – once again – told the IRS things it already knew. They really love the idea of paying taxes on paying your taxes:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/20/turbotaxed/#counter-intuit

But they failed. The IRS has taken Freefile in-house, will send you a pre-completed tax return if you want it. This should be the end of the line for Intuit and other tax-prep profiteers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/17/free-as-in-freefile/#tell-me-something-i-dont-know

Now we're at the end of the line for the scam, Intuit is playing the predatory inclusion card. They're conning Black newspapers like the Chicago Defender into running headlines like "IRS Free Tax Service Could Further Harm Blacks,"

https://defendernetwork.com/news/opinion/irs-free-tax-service-could-further-harm-blacks/

The only named source in that article? Intuit spokesperson Derrick Plummer. The article went out on the country's Black newswire Trice Edney, whose editor-in-chief did not respond to Propublica's Paul Kiel's questions.

Then Black Enterprise got in on the game, publishing "Critics Claim The IRS Free Tax Prep Service Could Hurt Black Americans." Once again, the only named source for the article was Plummer, who was "quoted at length." Black Enterprise declined to tell Kiel where that article came from:

https://www.blackenterprise.com/critics-claim-the-irs-free-tax-prep-service-could-hurt-black-americans/

For Intuit, placing op-eds is a tried-and-true tactic for laundering its ripoffs into respectability. Leaked internal Intuit memos detail the company's strategy of "pushing back through op-eds" to neutralize critics:

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6483061-Intuit-TurboTax-2014-15-Encroachment-Strategy.html

Intuit spox Derrick Plummer did respond to Kiel's queries, denying that Intuit was paying for these op-eds, saying "with an idea as bad as the Direct File scheme we don’t have to pay anyone to talk about how terrible it is."

Meanwhile, ex-NAACP director (and No Labels co-chair) Benjamin Chavis has used his position atop the National Newspaper Publishers Association to publish op-eds against the IRS Direct File program, citing the Progressive Policy Institute, a pro-business thinktank that Intuit's internal documents describe as part of its "coalition":

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6483061-Intuit-TurboTax-2014-15-Encroachment-Strategy.html

Chavis's Chicago Tribune editorial claimed that Direct File could cause Black filers to miss out on tax-credits they are entitled to. This is a particularly ironic claim given Intuit's prominent role in sabotaging the Child Tax Credit, a program that lifted more Americans out of poverty than any other in history:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/29/three-times-is-enemy-action/#ctc

It's also an argument that can be found in Intuit's own anti-Direct File blog posts:

https://www.intuit.com/blog/innovative-thinking/taxpayer-empowerment/intuit-reinforces-its-commitment-to-fighting-for-taxpayers-rights/

The claim is that because the IRS disproportionately audits Black filers (this is true), they will screw them over in other ways. But Evelyn Smith, co-author of the study that documented the bias in auditing says this is bullshit:

https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/working-paper/measuring-and-mitigating-racial-disparities-tax-audits

That's because these audits of Black households are triggered by the IRS's focus on Earned Income Tax Credits, a needlessly complicated program available to low-income (and hence disproportionately Black) workers. The paperwork burden that the IRS heaps on EITC recipients means that their returns contain errors that trigger audits.

As Smith told Propublica, "With free, assisted filing, we might expect EITC claimants to make fewer mistakes and face less intense audit scrutiny, which could help reduce disparities in audit rates between Black and non-Black taxpayers."

Meanwhile, the predatory inclusion talking points continue to proliferate. Nevada accountants and the state's former controller somehow coincidentally managed to publish op-eds with nearly identical wording. Phillip Austin, vice-chair of Arizon's East Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, claims that free IRS tax prep "would disproportionately hurt the Hispanic community." Austin declined to tell Propublica how he came to that conclusion.

Right-wing think-tanks are pumping out a torrent of anti-Direct File disinfo. This surely has nothing to do with the fact that, for example, Center Forward has HR Block's chief lobbyist on its board:

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/4125481-direct-e-file-wont-make-filing-taxes-any-easier-but-it-could-make-things-worse/

The whole thing reeks of bullshit and desperation. That doesn't mean that it won't succeed in killing Direct File. If there's one thing America loves, it's letting businesses charge us a tax just for dealing with our own government, from paying our taxes to camping in our national parks:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/30/military-industrial-park-service/#booz-allen

Interestingly, there's a MAGA version of predatory inclusion, in which corporations convince low-information right-wingers that efforts to protect them from ripoffs are "woke." These campaigns are, incredibly, even stupider than the predatory inclusion tale.

For example, there's a well-coordianted campaign to block the junk fees that the credit card cartel extracts from merchants, who then pass those charges onto us. This campaign claims that killing junk fees is woke:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/04/owning-the-libs/#swiper-no-swiping

How does that work? Here's the logic: Target sells Pride merch. That makes them woke. Target processes a lot of credit-card transactions, so anything that reduces card-processing fees will help Target. Therefore, paying junk fees is a way to own the libs.

No, seriously.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/27/predatory-inclusion/#equal-opportunity-scammers

[thesugarclubs-blog]

Be Mine - Bucky Barnes x OC

warnings: speed dating, strangers to lovers, heavy petty, valentines day special

word count: 5.6k

WP: https://www.wattpad.com/1424350312-be-mine-hazel

vibe: “Not enough to scare you I hope,” Hazel voiced, a small smirk tugging at her lips as she studied him fingers tapping the base of her glass.

“Quite the opposite,” he declared his hand inching closer to where she had rested her free arm on the back of the sofa.

“Good, I think we’d balance each other out perfectly,” she mused, her hand meeting him halfway like she had read his mind just as she took a sip of her wine.

Masterlist

“Bucky Barnes, man you’re lookin’ good,” Sam drawled, a sly smile creeping its way across his face.

“Shut up,” Bucky mumbled, nervously running his hand over the long scruff on his cheeks.

He hunched his shoulders and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, desperately trying to make his large frame look less intimidating. Dropping his head, he stared at the toe of his boot as he scuffed it along the wooden floor of his apartment.

“Don’t know why the hell I let you talk me into this,” he added, his brows drawing down into a petulant scowl.

“‘Cause I’m your friend and you love me,” Sam replied sweetly, throwing his arm around Bucky and drawing the reluctant super soldier tightly against him. “You gotta get back out there, charm those ladies like it’s 1942.”

“Friends don’t put each other into situations like this,” Bucky grumbled, his jaw clenching tightly as he glared at Sam out of the corner of his eye.

“Quit being a toddler. You’re acting like we’re gonna fight someone. It’s not Madripoor, or Seoul, or that time in Belize…”

“I’d rather be back in Belize.”

Sam threw his head back with a cackle and slapped his hand between Bucky’s shoulders. “Whatever, big guy, come on. We don’t wanna be late.”

Bucky spent the whole subway ride with a scowl etched onto his face, deepening every time he caught a glimpse of Sam’s grin in his peripherals. 

The annoying part of  this was, the longer he’d been friends with the guy, the more that grin wore him down. 

“Stop it.” 

“I ain’t doin’ anything, man. You stop it.” 

Sam’s toothy smile grew two times wider and he nudged Bucky’s shoulder as they shuffled off the train at Prince Street Station. 

“This thing would be in Soho,” Bucky muttered, following Sam out onto the sidewalk. 

“Hey! No more complaining. For all you know you might meet a nice girl or guy… or alien I guess, it is 2024, and then you’ll be thanking me.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, Sam. Sure, Sam. Just run my life for me, Sam.” 

“Someone’s gotta,” Sam replied just as they stopped outside a coffee shop. Bucky eyed the big A-frame sign advertising the Valentine’s speed dating event and sucked in a breath. 

Here goes nothing.

The sound in there alone was enough to have him turning tail but Sam caught his arm when he made an attempt and gave him a stern look that rang out loud and clear, stay put soldier, that's an order.

Bucky watched as a herd of women fixed their dresses and shirts, chatting politely with the people next to them and sipping on drinks as men lurked in corners, with wide eyes scanning the crowd as they downed beers in feeble attempts to find their courage. Bucky wanted to melt into the wall with them but Sam tugged him toward an empty high table and had the waitress grab them drinks before they even settled in. 

An eclectic looking woman in a bright green patterned dress and thick brimmed purple glasses stepped up on the tiny, open mic stage in the corner and tapped the mic loudly to get everyone's attention. The coffee shop dulled to a murmur as she started to explain how the speed dating would work.

Her nasal whine drilled into Bucky’s brain and he downed the remains of his beer, wishing for all the world that the burn of the alcohol would actually stick this time. He was struggling to form a coherent thought so he had no idea how he’d manage to hold a half-decent conversation. As if someone had heard his desperate pleas, Miss Green Dress came unknowingly to his rescue.

“We know it can be intimidating sometimes, to answer questions from strangers,” she droned, “so make sure you pick up one of our handy yes/no paddles before the first bell rings.”

Bucky’s eyes lit up and he began to move towards the table that held the paddles but Sam’s hand on his elbow stopped him.

“Wait a second, tin man, there’s no way you’re getting out of communicating with real life people.”

"If the lady says to grab a paddle, I'm gonna grab a paddle," Bucky countered, crossing his arms over his chest and staring Sam down as if to say what are you gonna do about it?

"Just promise me you'll actually talk to these people, and I mean talk, Barnes. None of the weird little cyborg grunts I've learnt how to interpret." 

On instinct, Bucky flexed and curled the fingers of his left hand. The leather of his glove creaked quietly as it stretched and Bucky sighed. One glance of the Vibranium and his dates were bound to hop out of their seats like their asses were on fire. 

"If you don't want them to see, you don't have to show them," Sam said. He was speaking in his counselor voice and Bucky hated that Sam could read him like a book.

Bucky sighed softly as he looked around the room again. “They’ll either run or ask me a bunch of questions that I’ll never be able to answer.”

Sam smirked and gently nudged his friend. “You have a bit of a following, you know.”

Bucky only grumbled. “That’s what worries me.”

“I’ve seen some of those messages you get, man those people are crazy,” Sam continued, but his teasing was softened by the sympathetic look in his eyes. “Just…give it a shot and if you really need to get out of here we will, ok?”

Bucky let out a world-weary sigh. “OK.”

“Atta boy, come on, let’s go.” Sam handed him another beer and tilted his head towards the line of tables, where a plethora of women were starting to take their seats.

"Remember, if you are sitting facing the coffee bar, you'll be staying in your seats. If you're facing away, you'll be moving on the ring of the bell," the woman called out loudly, making Bucky wince as he found his seat; James Barnes printed on a little card already thanks to Sam signing them up a week earlier.

The tables were decorated for the event; pink checked table cloths and tiny pink paper hearts scattered across the top. Between him and his first partner, a petite brunette woman with thick bangs and a nose stud, sat a small vase with a single rose. Bucky eyed the tattoos peaking out from the woman's collar and sleeves and gulped, feeling way in over his head already.

"My names Cassie," she introduced herself with a sharp smile. 

"Bucky," he swallowed thickly and palmed his beer bottle. 

"So what are you into?" She jumped right into the questions and all Bucky could think about was the bell ringing, how soon would it happen? Could he ring it if he felt threatened? There was an astounding lack of rules happening, "Like in the bedroom?" 

And boundaries. 

"Uh," he looked around for Sam who was laughing with a pretty blonde girl across the room.

Bucky could feel sweat on the back of his neck as he messed with the label on his beer bottle. 

“You’re not a talker, are you?” Cassie grinned.

It was tensely quiet for a moment before Bucky lifted his paddle with the “no” facing towards his partner.

“Ah, I see. The strong silent type. My kinda guy,” she purred.

Bucky jumped a mile in the air and almost threw his beer across the room as her foot began to stroke its way up his shin. He’d never been more relieved to hear a bell in his life.

Cassie blew him a kiss over her shoulder as she moved onto the next table and Bucky shot daggers at Sam across the room, his nostrils flaring as his so called friend laughed and gestured for him to turn around. 

The next woman in front of him looked a little tamer, if he took her ridiculously low cut top out of the equation. His eyes dipped momentarily — he may have been an ex-assassin, but he was a hot-blooded man first — before he caught himself and met her eye with a tight-lipped smile. 

"So, how many kids do you wa—"

Bucky stared at her wide-eyed and took a long pull of his beer.

"Nope. Next!"

"You're Bucky Barnes," The red head sneered before she even sat down at the table. "That's incredible, show me it."

Bucky stared at her for a moment, her green eyes predatory as they roved over his arm and down to his hand. 

"Show you what?" His brows kissed in frustration. 

"The vibranium arm," she leaned over on the table. "There are bets that it's not real, that the government made it up as a fear tactic." She rambled and Bucky tensed, "I mean we all know you're some kind of science experiment," she continued. "Fear mongering doesn't work when you make the poster child for it with thick thighs," the girl looked under the table and winked at Bucky. 

"I..." he was uncomfortable but wasn't sure what to say to her. 

"Excuse me," a sweet voice floated over the table, "you're in my seat."

Red looked up and looked incredulously at the owner of the voice before turning back to Bucky.

"I said, you're in my seat," the voice repeated, the sweetness dropped a notch.

Bucky's attention was now on the curvaceous blonde who grasped the chair from under the red head and tipped her off. "I said this is my seat, now clear off."

The downed redhead crawled to the next chair, picked up her stuff and disappeared through the cafe.

"Hi Gorgeous, my name's Hazel, pleased to meet you."

Bucky felt himself relax for the first time since he'd taken his seat.

He gave the woman a small smile and nodded in thanks for getting rid of the other woman. “I’m Bucky,” he said quietly as he eyed the now torn off label of his beer.

Hazel smiled at him, her blonde hair bobbed just above her shoulders as she flattened down the skirt of her dress. A pink number with puffy sleeves and a full skirt. 

“How have your dates been so far?” Hazel asked. His eyes flicked down to the corner of her lips where they tugged upwards ever so slightly. Heat crawled up his neck as he took a pull from his beer. 

“Do people not know what boundaries are anymore?” He said after a moment. Hazel stared at him before bursting into a chuckle.

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head and making her blonde bob dance around her ears. “That guy in the blue turtleneck offered me $50 to go home with him.”

“Jesus Christ, I’m gonna kick his ass,” Bucky muttered, semi-rising from his chair, only half joking.

A light touch on his left arm stopped him and the amused twinkle in Hazel’s eyes had him smiling back at her without even realising.

“I don’t need a champion, Bucky, but I appreciate the gesture,” Hazel said, holding out her bottle of beer to clink against his own.

“Ok,” Bucky shrugged as he chimed their bottles together before taking a swig. “Let’s get started then. You wanna go first?”

Hazel scrunched up her nose and tapped her finger against her pouted lips a couple of times. Her eyes lit up before turning a little devilish and Bucky found himself eager to hear what she’d thought of to ask him.

“You know, I could really use a recommendation and you’re just the guy to ask. So…what’s your favourite brand of metal polish?”

Bucky surprised himself with the laugh that escaped him and he didn't miss the proud little smile on Hazel's face, obviously pleased that her question tickled him. 

"Y'know, I'm not a fussy guy," he replied, "I'll take anythin' that'll make it shine." 

"The arm or your eyes?" 

"Hello, smooth talker," Bucky chuckled, "you been talkin' to all the guys like that?" 

Hazel shook her head, flashing him a beaming smile. A wisp of her blonde hair fell across her eyes with the movement and Bucky itched to reach out and tuck it behind her ear, only stopping himself when Hazel leant forward, chin resting in her hand. 

"Guess it's my turn again, huh?"

"What's your favorite drink?" Bucky asked her and felt himself leaning into her smile.

"Espresso Martini," she cooed. 

Bucky raised his hand in the air and a waitress scooted around a table where the dates were screaming at one another, "how can I help?" She asked. 

"Can you get my date an espresso martini please?" He asked and the waitress opened her mouth to explain that she may not be here by the time the drink was made. "She'll be here," Bucky nodded. 

The waitress shrugged and ducked back into the chaos around her. 

"Seems I've met my match," Hazel stared over at him.

Bucky smirked at her as the bell rang, holding her gaze. 

"Time to swap," the next dater spoke from behind Hazel.

"Not happening," Bucky replied, his eyes never leaving hers, as Hazel responded, "He's taken."

As the waitress placed the drink beside Hazel, she shrugged to the disgruntled dater and advised her to move past. "I've bigger fish to fry," she muttered, the couple who had screamed through their date were now heckling each other from several tables apart.

"So, where were we?" Hazel asked, raising her glass in toast to Bucky.

Bucky raised his bottle leaning the neck forward to softly clink her glass, taking a swig as he watched her pink-tinted plump lips part as she brought her glass up to her mouth. 

“I believe you have the floor now,” he smiled, watching her blue eyes sparkle under the soft yellow lighting. 

“Okay serious question now, promise” she winked, “how are you finding the modern world?”

Bucky let out a long breath and chuckled to himself. "It definitely ain't the 40's anymore darlin'." 

Blue eyes regarded him as she tilted her head to the side. "That daunting huh?" 

"And more." He said giving her a lopsided smile. "It's not just the technology that's changed, ya know? It's people too. The way people treat eachother. In some ways the world is a lot more accepting and in others..." His voice trailed off. 

"Like we're always fighting each other for someone else's agenda?" She finished for him.

“Exactly,” he agreed.

He leaned back in his seat and appraised her as he tilted back his bottle and swallowed a mouthful of beer. Hazel did the same, winking at him over the rim of her martini glass and he felt himself flush under her scrutiny. He liked it. 

“What made you come here tonight?” He asked.

“Nancy asked me to make up numbers,” she shrugged, nodding her head towards the organiser in the green dress. “She minded my baby for me last week so I owed her one.”

“Oh?” Bucky raised his eyebrow. “What’s your baby called?”

“Trevor. He’s a total asshole but I adore him,” Hazel gushed. “He’ll sulk for days if I leave him with anyone other than Nancy.”

“Yeah,” Bucky swallowed awkwardly. “I guess kids can be funny like that.”

“Kid?” Hazel threw her head back and cackled. “Trevor’s my cat!”

"Oh...OH!" Bucky chuckled, feeling a little bashful over the misunderstanding. But then with Hazel's laugh, Bucky couldn't help the way his own grew louder. 

Hazel's shoulders shook as she tapered off into a giggle and her eyes creased at the corners, lashes glistening with unshed tears. She was gorgeous, her whole personality infectious and Bucky was more than ready to throw caution to the wind, steal her away from this stupid event. 

"I, uh... I like cats..." Bucky said suddenly, voice going up like it was a question, and the laughter started all over again. He hadn't felt this loose, his heart this full of something that wasn't dread or fear, in years.

"You do?" Hazel perked up and her soft smile curled to the side. 

"I have one," Bucky nodded, "Alpine. Sweet little thing. Feisty too."

"Like father, like daughter, clearly." She teased, her finger rolling down the stem of her glass. "Can I meet her sometime?"

"I'd like that," Bucky smiled at her. "You look amazing in that dress by the way."

"What? This little ole thing?" she quoted. "It's fabulous dahling, I was always told 'go big or go home'. The best advice I've ever been given."

"Who told you that?" Bucky asked curiously.

"My Nan," Hazel smiled at the memory, pausing to take another sip from her glass.

“Must’ve been one wonderful woman as well,” he offered with a tender smile. 

“That she was. And, thank you.” Hazel smiled back, eyes glossy. 

“So Mr. Barnes, I think we’ve defeated speed-dating. Very succesfully, if I might add,” she winked at the soft laugh that slipped from Bucky’s lips. 

Hazel moved her hand and rested it softly atop his and he was absolutely certain from the little twitch upwards at the corner of her lips, that she could see the flush creeping up his neck and cheeks. 

“You think your partner back there would mind if we took our drinks somewhere else?”  she asked pointing Sam’s way with her plush lips.

"Wouldn't care if he did." Bucky grinned, taking another swig of his beer, "what about you? Do you think Nancy is gonna flip if you leave?" 

Hazel glanced over her shoulder at Nancy, too busy calming down a woman. "Nah, she's got her hands full." Those same blue eyes flickered back to him and his heart skipped a beat he was sure of it.

“Well then,” Bucky grinned, hopping up and sliding around the table to Hazel’s side because he was nothing if not a gentleman. He held out his warm hand out for her and something lit up inside him, a sparkling, soft glow in the darkness, as Hazel’s fingers curled around his. 

She giggled as she stood, straightening out the skirt of her dress with her free hand and Bucky took a moment to really take her in. 

“Why thank you, kind sir.” 

Bucky shrugged shyly, face warm as Hazel beamed up at him. If only he couldn’t see Sam giving him two goofy thumbs up over her head.

"Okay maybe walk a little faster though," Hazel giggled when Nancy gasped from the left of the room. 

The two of them made their way out onto the street in a bundle of laughs and quickened steps as Nancy yelled from the door of the shop. Hazel's cute pink dress was a mess in the wind from their scurried steps and Bucky couldn't help but laugh when he looked over at her to find her hair a mess around her beautiful face. 

"Here," he angled himself in front of her, blocking her from the breeze and used both hands to push the hair from her face. "Much better," he smiled, unaware or unbothered by the proximity of their lips as she stared up at him with light dancing across her blue eyes. 

"Thanks," she said, her cheeks turning red.

"Any time, beautiful" Bucky voiced as he stroked her flushed cheek tenderly with his gloved thumb.

"Now who's the smooth talker," Hazel laughed, so sweet and melodic Bucky hoped he could hear it everyday. 

"Still got something," he chuckled. "Where to next?" 

"Well, there's a small bar not far from here. Cozy booths we could sit side by side in... or across from each other you know, your choice." Her eyes shifted from his lips to his eyes and back, and it took every bit of willpower in him not to kiss her right there. 

"You really think I'm gonna wanna sit anywhere but right next to ya?" He said, moving his hands reluctantly from her face to offer his hand once more. "Lead the way darlin'."

Hazel grinned up at him. "Do you trust me?" 

He saw a twinkle of mischief in her eyes as he glanced down at her but something fluttered in his chest that made him feel like he could actually trust this woman. "and if I say yes?" 

She smirked and tugged on his hand, leading him further down the street. "Then you'd make my night." 

He couldn't help but laugh as they continued to walk in silence. One that didn't feel pressured or awkward. It was just the two of them enjoying each other's presence. Hazel stopped outside of a small brownstone and looked back at him. 

"This doesn't look like a bar, darlin'." He raised a brow. 

"That's because it's my apartment." Hazel bit her bottom lip softly as she looked up at him. "I figured if we wanted some place quiet that this might be the best spot and besides...I do need to feed Trevor."

Bucky didn't realise he could raise his eyebrow as high as he just did, blinking down at Hazel as his lips curved into a smirk. 

“You’re bold,” he murmured darkly, “I like it.” 

“My God, I thought you were about to run for the hills,” Hazel breathed, smacking him lightly on the arm — the left one. 

“Sweetheart, the day I run from a gorgeous woman like you will be the day I need my brain fixed… again.” 

Hazel’s cheeks turned a soft pink as she chuckled quietly and Bucky couldn’t help himself as his fingers found her jaw again,  the pad of his thumb gently stroking the apple of her cheek. 

“Last chance to back out,” she offered but Bucky shook his head. 

“You promised a cat,” he grinned.

“That I did, soldier.” She unlocked the door and led him inside. Locking it behind them as she entered. 

The place was cute, decorated in more color than Bucky had ever seen in his entire life. Completely out of place, the most scraggly cat he had ever laid eyes on. Trevor looked like he had gone five rounds with a wood chipper. 

“He was an alley cat,” Hazel set her purse on the long teal hallway table between a hot pink vase full of fake flowers and a funky looking bowl for her keys. “Believe it or not, Trevor is in better shape than he’s ever been.” 

“I’m sensing a theme,” Bucky teased, squatting before the cat and offering his hand. 

“I promise I don’t make a habit of bringing home strays,” Hazel laughed and her fingers ran through Bucky’s hair as she passed. The sensation curled his toes and forced his eyes upward to where she was disappearing around the corner. Nothing but pink tulle and long gorgeous legs.

“Christ,” he muttered under his breath and almost crawled after her until he managed to gather enough of his wits about himself to clamber to his feet.

He padded after her into a small kitchen, careful to keep his steps heavy so as not to startle her with his usual light-footed gait. The orange and hot pink accents in the room should have clashed but somehow they didn’t. They were perfectly Hazel. She turned to face him, a bottle of white wine in one hand, a bottle of whiskey in the other, and a cheeky smile on her beautiful face.

Bucky nodded his head towards the whiskey and stepped further into the kitchen as she busied about, pouring them both a glass. Handing him a cut glass tumbler with a healthy measure of amber liquid inside, she raised her wine glass in a wordless toast before taking a sip. Bucky was mesmerised at the way her tongue darted out to capture the stray droplet of wine that lingered on her bottom lip.

Before he even took a sip of the whiskey warmth filled his chest. He hadn't expected to take away anything from the ridiculous spectacle that was speed dating but here he stood, bashful and anxious before a beautiful woman who was anything but those two things. 

She set her wine glass down and pulled out a tiny can that had Trevor sounding off like a fire alarm as she struggled to open it. Bucky moved forward in an offer to help but her blue eyes flickered up to him in warning. Eventually she got the lid popped and fed Trevor as Bucky stood and watched her care for the mangled, scruffy looking alley cat. 

"You stand out like a sore thumb in here," she teased, looking up at him again before moving around the counter and ushering him through the house. 

"I'll confess I feel like one," he said as she sat across from him with her legs tucked under her. 

His tongue darted out over his bottom lip, saddened that she had curled away from him. Desperate to touch all of sudden. Like a love sick puppy, touch starved and wanting.

“Not enough to scare you I hope,” Hazel voiced, a small smirk tugging at her lips as she studied him fingers tapping the base of her glass. 

“Quite the opposite,” he declared his hand inching closer to where she had rested her free arm on the back of the sofa. 

“Good, I think we’d balance each other out perfectly,” she mused, her hand meeting him halfway like she had read his mind just as she took a sip of her wine. 

Her delicate fingers traced along the leather of his gloves and her eyes followed like she was lost in thought before she spoke again. 

“You know, you don’t have to hide with me.” Her blue eyes found his once more as her fingers curled into his. “I’m not saying you *have* to take them off if you don’t want to, just wanted you to know you were, safe." She finished with a smile so tender and genuine that he thought his heart was going to burst right out of his chest.

Bucky smiled and looked down at his hands. He always kept his gloves on unless he was in his apartment or on a mission if he needed to use the arm for strength. Licking his lips, he flexed one hand. "Thank you..." he told her. It was tempting to show her, to relax the worry in his mind. But he didn't want to frighten her either.

She continued to talk, her voice soft and lilting, and Bucky found himself mesmerised by her animated features and expressive hands. A rogue strand of hair was the only thing that interrupted her monologue as it flopped insistently over her forehead. Hazel crossed her eyes endearingly and pursed her lips to blow it out of the way with a chuckle of laughter that turned into a huff as it immediately returned.

Without a second thought Bucky reached forwards and stroked it gently out of her way, tucking the blonde strand behind her ear. The feel of her warm skin against his fingertips was heavenly and then he stilled with the realisation that he’d taken off his gloves. 

“There you are,” Hazel murmured, a smile of pure delight on her face as she leaned into the touch of his hand.

He can’t remember the last time he’d used his hands for such a soft gesture, for someone to see him so metaphorically naked and not be fazed in the slightest. 

“Hi,” he breathed, fingers still lingering on her cheek. 

“Hi, handsome,” Hazel whispered and then, “can I?” 

She gestured for his other hand and Bucky nodded, letting Hazel lead as she slid her palm along the vibranuim plates of his, her thumb stroking his wrist as if she’d feel a pulse there. And then he was cupping her cheeks, metal and flesh framing her perfect face.

"Do you feel anything?" She asks him and oddly enough he had never been posed with such a question. He had to think about it. 

Could he feel the softness of her skin, the warmth, the realness... or was it just his mind playing tricks on him. 

"It's not a trick question?" Hazel whispered, her eyes flickering back and forth over his expression. 

"I'm sort of sick of those," he leaned forward, their lips ghosting and breath tangling as he worked up the nerve to kiss her. "Questions are messy," he said. 

"You know what's not?" Hazel smiled and it made all the lines around her face crinkle, "kissing."

"I feel like-" Bucky started to say that it was messy, in fact kissing was the epitome of messy but Hazel was done conversation and her lips where colliding with his before he could protest further. They were delicate as she leaned into his touch and dragged her teeth over his bottom lip sending a thousand tiny shivers rolling through him like a wave. It had been a long time since he had been kissed, and even longer since anyone had turned him into knots the way Hazel was.

Bucky sighed softly as his eyes closed. He focused on the softness of her lips, the taste of her cherry chapstick. It wasn’t long before one hand moved to rest on the side of her neck, caressing her smooth skin with his thumb.

Hazel’s lips parted in a soft gasp as Bucky let himself get lost in the kiss. He licked into her mouth, deliberate and tentative all at once. He didn’t want to get this wrong, didn’t want to fuck up the first piece of human interaction to coax out the butterflies that had been hidden, scared away and buried away for the last 80 years. 

Hazel’s fingers skimmed along his jaw, scratching over the scruff of his stubble before they tangled into the fluff of hair behind his ears. 

Bucky’s breath hitched and someone made a keening little sound, muffled by lips and soft breaths. It wasn’t until Hazel moved in a little closer, kissed him a little softer, that he realised it was him.

His entire body was vibrating and he never wanted to let go of this feeling, to let go of her. He wanted to be here for as long as she would let him. 

His flesh hand found purchase in her hair, caressing her blond strands as their tongues danced together while he let his vibranium one travel down her neck. His metal fingers danced along her collarbone and arm as the sweet sounds of her muffled moans took over all of his senses. His hand stopped at her waist, grasping softly as he spoke into their kiss. 

“Need you closer, please.” He whined.

Hazel pulled away just enough to where she could speak. “Closer how, handsome?”

He couldn’t put his feelings into words; he was so intoxicated by her, as if the whiskey had actually overpowered the serum that ran through his veins. Sliding his hands lower he cupped her ass over the yards of silky chiffon and pulled her gently towards him.

Hazel laughed, a joyful, tinkling sound, as she let him guide her into straddling his thick thighs.

“Better?” She murmured, running her nose along the length of his jaw before ghosting her lips lightly over his.

“Much,” Bucky hummed as his palms dipped under the hem of Hazel’s dress, caressing the soft skin of her thighs. “Now, sweetheart… you and your gorgeous legs just sit pretty and let me love on you.” 

“Well, I know I can do that,” Hazel replied and Bucky could feel her smile, hear the quickening thud of her heart as he kissed her pillow-soft, dewy lips. 

There was nothing tentative about the kiss this time, he was determined to make Hazel feel good, to draw out every breath and gasp and moan like it was the only thing that mattered.

"I like you Hazel," Bucky huffed against her lips, needy for more but wanting to play every move carefully. "You surprised me."

"Is that a good," she tensed as his fingers tickled her thigh, "thing? You sound unsure."

"Oh darlin', it's a damn good thing I'm sure."

Hazel giggled softly as she ran one hand slowly through his hair, watching as the man beneath her practically melted. “You’re a little bit like a cat, yourself, you know that?” She smiled. “You practically vibrate when I touch you.”

“How can I not when you feel so good?” He rumbled, adding an extra purr to his words just to hear that laugh of hers again.

It worked. The peal of laughter she let out had his chest blooming with a warmth he’d not felt in years. His hands left her thighs, sliding up and around her back so that he could draw her close.

Hazel fit against his chest as if she’d been made for him, humming contentedly when he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Thank you, Bucky,” Hazel murmured softly, tilting up to press a series of sweet kisses along his jaw. Bucky sighed, warmth flooding his belly. 

“What for, pretty girl?” 

“I know you didn’t want to be at that event but you took a chance, you let me see you.” 

“Couldn’t really say no, Hazel. You had me from the moment you kicked that girl out of her seat.” Bucky chuckled, kissing her again. He couldn’t stop, didn’t *want* to stop. 

“You mean *my* seat,” Hazel replied, flashing him that cheeky grin.

[oraclekleo]

Hiii! Here for the crush channeled message event💕

I’m MC (Virgo sun/cancer moon, INFP, she/her) and I’d like a channeled message from WP (Pisces, dark brown eyes, he/him). Thank you, Kleo!🫶🏻

Hello dear!

Thank you for participating in my little game!

Question: Channeled message from your crush!

Deck: Tarot of Mystical Moments by Catrin Welz-Stein

Card: 10 of Swords

Something is genuinely bothering your crush. He's not feeling his best these days and maybe he's a bit prickly or annoyed. It's not because of you. He's being bombarded with issues from left and right and he needs time to deal with them, process them and gain his control back. If you feel like he's getting detached, try not to panic or pressure him. He needs this little withdrawal simply to manage his matters on his own. He probably believes he needs no help, only space and time. Give those to him. Live your life while he's doing his stuff. If he likes you truly, he will come back.

[rsthemewp]

Eshkool – Education WordPress Theme

Eshkool is a versatile and modern Education & LMS WordPress theme designed to cater to all educational institutions. Whether you’re running a university, college, school, kindergarten, training center, or course hub, Eshkool has got you covered!

Why Eshkool?

Stunning Demos: Choose from 6 unique homepage demos tailored for different educational needs, including Kindergarten, University, and One Instructor options.

Comprehensive Layouts: Includes various LMS course page layouts, inner page layouts, and more to showcase your courses, instructors, and events effectively.

Responsive Design: Built with Bootstrap 4, ensuring your site looks great on all devices.

Easy Customization: With WP Bakery Page Builder and one-click demo installer, setting up and customizing your site is a breeze.

Powerful Plugins: Integrated with LearnPress, Revolution Slider, WooCommerce, and MailChimp for a seamless experience.

SEO-Friendly: Optimized for search engines to improve your online visibility.

RTL Support: Fully supports right-to-left languages for global reach.

Key Features:

Header Variations: Choose from 4 distinct header styles to fit your website’s aesthetics.

Unlimited Color Options: Customize your site’s color scheme to match your brand.

Blog Layouts: Share educational insights with 5 different blog layouts.

Event Management: Announce and detail upcoming educational activities with ease.

Instructor Profiles: Highlight the expertise of your educators.

One-Click Demo Installer: Get started quickly with pre-built demos.

🔗 Explore Eshkool WordPress Theme

[themesfores]

Alanzo Personal Chef WordPress Theme v1.1.0

https://themesfores.com/product/alanzo-personal-chef-wordpress-theme/ Alanzo Personal Chef WordPress Theme v1.1.0 Alanzo Personal Chef & Wedding Catering Event WordPress Theme Alanzo is an elegant, modern & responsive restaurant WordPress theme for catering businesses. It s also a perfect fit for your personal page if you are a chef, and you want to offer your services during special events, like weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties, and corporate banquets. The template is also an ideal option for a restaurant, cafe, and actually almost any eating establishment and food service. Important Features for Catering WordPress Theme Alanzo combines contemporary and interactive design and some awesome functionality. The theme allows you to showcase the menu you offer in a beautiful way (this includes categorization, recipes, nutrition information etc) due to the integration of our custom post format Dishes . Online Appointments booking & management Contact Forms Incredible restaurant menu management Awesome ready-made shortcodes & pages The theme is entirely responsive and fully Retina-ready. No matter what device your users are using for browsing, your site will always look wonderful and work properly. Key Features Professional design One-Click demo install Modern, Flexible, Customizable WordPress 4.0+ Tested and Approved Built with HTML5 and CSS3 code Cross-Browser Compatibility: FireFox, Safari, Chrome, IE11+ Slider Revolution & Swiper Slider included Retina Images Support User menu and Main menu support Interactive Ajax Search Flexible Colors & Typography Layout Features: 100% Responsive & Mobile-friendly Boxed and Fullwidth page layouts WPBakery Page Builder support modify any page content easily Customize Header and Footer Layouts in Visual Composer Advanced Blog Settings: Multiple Blog Styles Flexible Layout Options 20+ Post Animations Customizable Blog Feed (choose from post types or categories) Post views, likes and sharing buttons Related Posts Section Powerful Theme Framework: Setting Inheritance and Override System 750+ Customizer Options Custom Post Types Custom Widget Sets Custom Shortcodes Custom Theme Options Panel Optimized for best performance …and many more! Plugins Compatibility: Slider Revolution WPBakery Page Builder Essential Grid MailChimp for WP ThemeREX Addons Fontello & Image Icons Google Fonts Professional Support Detailed Documentation Regular Updates And many more Change log 17.03.2023 Version 1.0.10 – Update  – Import Essential Grid 3.0.17+ plugin;   – All plugins have been updated to their latest versions 24.01.2023 Version 1.0.9 – Update  – Compatibility with WordPress 6.1.1 has been improved;   – Theme styles have been improved;   – All plugins have been updated to their latest versions 17.10.2022 Version 1.0.8 – Update  – Compatibility with WordPress 6.0.2 has been improved;   – Theme styles have been improved;   – All plugins have been updated to their latest versions Please note that any digital products presented on the themesfores website do not contain malicious code, viruses, or advertising. For License Key: themesfores.com products are functional without entering a product license code. We are unable to provide a license code for you, and it’s because we already obtain the Plugin/Theme to the original developer. The use of a license code usually is for automatic updates and premium support from the original developer. Besides, we guarantee you to deliver a free manual update and minor assistance for your convenience of using the product. Refund Policy: If the plugin or theme is not working properly and we also fail to help you then, in that case, you will get the money back. If the plugin and theme are working properly then you will not get the money back. https://themesfores.com/product/alanzo-personal-chef-wordpress-theme/ #ModernMagazine #WordpressTheme

[onlinecompanynews]

Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event - Information Global Web https://www.merchant-business.com/commonwealth-games-australia-offers-scotland-200m-to-save-2026-event/?feed_id=198634&_unique_id=66e4896a7ed52 Google NewsWe use c... BLOGGER - #GLOBAL Google NewsWe use cookies and data toDeliver and maintain Google servicesTrack outages and protect against spam, fraud, and abuseMeasure audience engagement and site statistics to understand how our services are used and enhance the quality of those servicesIf you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data toDevelop and improve new servicesDeliver and measure the effectiveness of adsShow personalized content, depending on your settingsShow personalized ads, depending on your settingsIf you choose to “Reject all,” we will not use cookies for these additional purposes.Non-personalized content is influenced by things like the content you’re currently viewing, activity in your active Search session, and your location. Non-personalized ads are influenced by the content you’re currently viewing and your general location. Personalized content and ads can also include more relevant results, recommendations, and tailored ads based on past activity from this browser, like previous Google searches. We also use cookies and data to tailor the experience to be age-appropriate, if relevant.Select “More options” to see additional information, including details about managing your privacy settings. You can also visit g.co/privacytools at any time.Source of this programme “I be mad for add-ons, because they are glamorous!!”“Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event  The GuardianCommonwealth Games: Australia offer extra funding for Glasgow 2026 bid  BBC.comAustralia’s multi-million cash offer to save Comm Games  The Canberra TimesMarathon and…”Source: Read MoreSource Link: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitAFBVV95cUxObTdDdy1RM3dlMjR1em5ENTU2U0IyT3ZjcS1JMG0xc1pBYjNuWGRXbVBlUGNMWGpfdFgxWGhGTFAzVHRNR1dGN2JVQkRkVnNlZlN2ek5WY0NhYk1iUDF4aWExaENXT01OS0RTeFE1dlpaUGR3ZnNYWktFTzBkTXFINWQzSTJZYkYtLTEtY2REZG9hNTV2d1hNMl9Vc3VsdUY1N0ZPT1pOdmhJNFJjUEJydmRWZDQ?oc=5#GoogleNews – BLOGGER – GoogleNews http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3536487.jpeg #GLOBAL - BLOGGER Google News We use cookies and data to Deliver and maintain Google services Track outages and protect against spam, fraud, and abuse Measure audience engagement and site statistics to understand how our services are used and enhance the quality of those services If you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data … Read More

[internetcompanynews]

Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event - Information Global Web - BLOGGER https://www.merchant-business.com/commonwealth-games-australia-offers-scotland-200m-to-save-2026-event/?feed_id=198633&_unique_id=66e4896988ea3 Google NewsWe use cookies and data toDeliver and maintain Google servicesTrack outages and protect against spam, fraud, and abuseMeasure audience engagement and site statistics to understand how our services are used and enhance the quality of those servicesIf you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data toDevelop and improve new servicesDeliver and measure the effectiveness of adsShow personalized content, depending on your settingsShow personalized ads, depending on your settingsIf you choose to “Reject all,” we will not use cookies for these additional purposes.Non-personalized content is influenced by things like the content you’re currently viewing, activity in your active Search session, and your location. Non-personalized ads are influenced by the content you’re currently viewing and your general location. Personalized content and ads can also include more relevant results, recommendations, and tailored ads based on past activity from this browser, like previous Google searches. We also use cookies and data to tailor the experience to be age-appropriate, if relevant.Select “More options” to see additional information, including details about managing your privacy settings. You can also visit g.co/privacytools at any time.Source of this programme “I be mad for add-ons, because they are glamorous!!”“Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event  The GuardianCommonwealth Games: Australia offer extra funding for Glasgow 2026 bid  BBC.comAustralia’s multi-million cash offer to save Comm Games  The Canberra TimesMarathon and…”Source: Read MoreSource Link: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitAFBVV95cUxObTdDdy1RM3dlMjR1em5ENTU2U0IyT3ZjcS1JMG0xc1pBYjNuWGRXbVBlUGNMWGpfdFgxWGhGTFAzVHRNR1dGN2JVQkRkVnNlZlN2ek5WY0NhYk1iUDF4aWExaENXT01OS0RTeFE1dlpaUGR3ZnNYWktFTzBkTXFINWQzSTJZYkYtLTEtY2REZG9hNTV2d1hNMl9Vc3VsdUY1N0ZPT1pOdmhJNFJjUEJydmRWZDQ?oc=5#GoogleNews – BLOGGER – GoogleNews http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3536487.jpeg Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event - Information Global Web - #GLOBAL BLOGGER - #GLOBAL

[formidablecompanynews]

Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event - Information Global Web https://www.merchant-business.com/commonwealth-games-australia-offers-scotland-200m-to-save-2026-event/?feed_id=198632&_unique_id=66e4896893936 #GLOBAL - BLOGGER BLOGGER Google NewsWe use cookies and data toDeliver and maintain Google servicesTrack outages and protect against spam, fraud, and abuseMeasure audience engagement and site statistics to understand how our services are used and enhance the quality of those servicesIf you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data toDevelop and improve new servicesDeliver and measure the effectiveness of adsShow personalized content, depending on your settingsShow personalized ads, depending on your settingsIf you choose to “Reject all,” we will not use cookies for these additional purposes.Non-personalized content is influenced by things like the content you’re currently viewing, activity in your active Search session, and your location. Non-personalized ads are influenced by the content you’re currently viewing and your general location. Personalized content and ads can also include more relevant results, recommendations, and tailored ads based on past activity from this browser, like previous Google searches. We also use cookies and data to tailor the experience to be age-appropriate, if relevant.Select “More options” to see additional information, including details about managing your privacy settings. You can also visit g.co/privacytools at any time.Source of this programme “I be mad for add-ons, because they are glamorous!!”“Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event  The GuardianCommonwealth Games: Australia offer extra funding for Glasgow 2026 bid  BBC.comAustralia’s multi-million cash offer to save Comm Games  The Canberra TimesMarathon and…”Source: Read MoreSource Link: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitAFBVV95cUxObTdDdy1RM3dlMjR1em5ENTU2U0IyT3ZjcS1JMG0xc1pBYjNuWGRXbVBlUGNMWGpfdFgxWGhGTFAzVHRNR1dGN2JVQkRkVnNlZlN2ek5WY0NhYk1iUDF4aWExaENXT01OS0RTeFE1dlpaUGR3ZnNYWktFTzBkTXFINWQzSTJZYkYtLTEtY2REZG9hNTV2d1hNMl9Vc3VsdUY1N0ZPT1pOdmhJNFJjUEJydmRWZDQ?oc=5#GoogleNews – BLOGGER – GoogleNews http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3536487.jpeg Google News We use cookies and data to Deliver and maintain Google services Track outages and protect against spam, fraud, and abuse Measure audience engagement and site statistics to understand how our services are used and enhance the quality of those services If you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data … Read More

[smartcompanynewsweb]

Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event - Information Global Web - #GLOBAL https://www.merchant-business.com/commonwealth-games-australia-offers-scotland-200m-to-save-2026-event/?feed_id=198631&_unique_id=66e489679eb7f Google NewsWe use cookies and data toDeliver and maintain Google servicesTrack outages and protect against spam, fraud, and abuseMeasure audience engagement and site statistics to understand how our services are used and enhance the quality of those servicesIf you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data toDevelop and improve new servicesDeliver and measure the effectiveness of adsShow personalized content, depending on your settingsShow personalized ads, depending on your settingsIf you choose to “Reject all,” we will not use cookies for these additional purposes.Non-personalized content is influenced by things like the content you’re currently viewing, activity in your active Search session, and your location. Non-personalized ads are influenced by the content you’re currently viewing and your general location. Personalized content and ads can also include more relevant results, recommendations, and tailored ads based on past activity from this browser, like previous Google searches. We also use cookies and data to tailor the experience to be age-appropriate, if relevant.Select “More options” to see additional information, including details about managing your privacy settings. You can also visit g.co/privacytools at any time.Source of this programme “I be mad for add-ons, because they are glamorous!!”“Commonwealth Games Australia offers Scotland $200m to save 2026 event  The GuardianCommonwealth Games: Australia offer extra funding for Glasgow 2026 bid  BBC.comAustralia’s multi-million cash offer to save Comm Games  The Canberra TimesMarathon and…”Source: Read MoreSource Link: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitAFBVV95cUxObTdDdy1RM3dlMjR1em5ENTU2U0IyT3ZjcS1JMG0xc1pBYjNuWGRXbVBlUGNMWGpfdFgxWGhGTFAzVHRNR1dGN2JVQkRkVnNlZlN2ek5WY0NhYk1iUDF4aWExaENXT01OS0RTeFE1dlpaUGR3ZnNYWktFTzBkTXFINWQzSTJZYkYtLTEtY2REZG9hNTV2d1hNMl9Vc3VsdUY1N0ZPT1pOdmhJNFJjUEJydmRWZDQ?oc=5#GoogleNews – BLOGGER – GoogleNews http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pexels-photo-3536487.jpeg BLOGGER - #GLOBAL

[intelligencecompanynews]

Sleepout charity event only halfway to £100k fundraising target - Journal Global Web - BLOGGER https://www.merchant-business.com/sleepout-charity-event-only-halfway-to-100k-fundraising-target/?feed_id=197599&_unique_id=66e3659344479 More than 40 businesses will support a charity event which will see people sleep rough for one night. The annual Oxfordshire CEOSleepout, organised by Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, will take place on October 10 at University Parks. The event aims to raise £100,000 to help those experiencing homelessness in Oxfordshire, but £50,000 still needs to be raised to reach this target.. Project director, Yvonne Pinner, said: “Currently it looks like we will raise less than last year and yet on top of existing projects, we now hope to add something for women’s provision. “We need to be raising £100,000. So please, come join us.” The event, which has been described as “the weirdest but coolest networking event,” offers participants a chance to meet influential business people while gaining an understanding of the challenges faced by the homeless. There will be free parking and a breakfast provided by Univ – last year’s hosts. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences on social media to inspire others and help raise awareness of the cause. Last year, 47 participants raised £76,500, and there is still time to sign up for this year’s event. Those already signed up can help by encouraging someone else to take part as well. CEOs, managers, colleagues or entire teams can take part, with the charity saying “whatever the case, more people are needed to join the cause”.“Oxfordshire businesses are being urged to take part in this year’s CEOSleepout, which is only halfway to reaching it fundraising target…”Source Link: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24580807.oxfordshire-charity-sleepout-needs-people-take-part/?ref=rss http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/gd5c50cd0a3358a682e20f19c776d2b4e81a7f4c89a17c64f1475106a280b5fd7e3f622d711fe25302eff68de0f5299c586a.png Sleepout charity event only halfway to £100k fundraising target - Journal Global Web - #GLOBAL BLOGGER - #GLOBAL

[bravecompanynews]

Sleepout charity event only halfway to £100k fundraising target - Journal Global Web - #GLOBAL https://www.merchant-business.com/sleepout-charity-event-only-halfway-to-100k-fundraising-target/?feed_id=197597&_unique_id=66e36591408a1 More than 40 businesses will support a charity event which will see people sleep rough for one night. The annual Oxfordshire CEOSleepout, organised by Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, will take place on October 10 at University Parks. The event aims to raise £100,000 to help those experiencing homelessness in Oxfordshire, but £50,000 still needs to be raised to reach this target.. Project director, Yvonne Pinner, said: “Currently it looks like we will raise less than last year and yet on top of existing projects, we now hope to add something for women’s provision. “We need to be raising £100,000. So please, come join us.” The event, which has been described as “the weirdest but coolest networking event,” offers participants a chance to meet influential business people while gaining an understanding of the challenges faced by the homeless. There will be free parking and a breakfast provided by Univ – last year’s hosts. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences on social media to inspire others and help raise awareness of the cause. Last year, 47 participants raised £76,500, and there is still time to sign up for this year’s event. Those already signed up can help by encouraging someone else to take part as well. CEOs, managers, colleagues or entire teams can take part, with the charity saying “whatever the case, more people are needed to join the cause”.“Oxfordshire businesses are being urged to take part in this year’s CEOSleepout, which is only halfway to reaching it fundraising target…”Source Link: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24580807.oxfordshire-charity-sleepout-needs-people-take-part/?ref=rss http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/gd5c50cd0a3358a682e20f19c776d2b4e81a7f4c89a17c64f1475106a280b5fd7e3f622d711fe25302eff68de0f5299c586a.png BLOGGER - #GLOBAL

[companyknowledgenews]

Sleepout charity event only halfway to £100k fundraising target - Journal Global Web https://www.merchant-business.com/sleepout-charity-event-only-halfway-to-100k-fundraising-target/?feed_id=197598&_unique_id=66e3659252baa #GLOBAL - BLOGGER BLOGGER More than 40 businesses will support a charity event which will see people sleep rough for one night. The annual Oxfordshire CEOSleepout, organised by Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, will take place on October 10 at University Parks. The event aims to raise £100,000 to help those experiencing homelessness in Oxfordshire, but £50,000 still needs to be raised to reach this target.. Project director, Yvonne Pinner, said: “Currently it looks like we will raise less than last year and yet on top of existing projects, we now hope to add something for women’s provision. “We need to be raising £100,000. So please, come join us.” The event, which has been described as “the weirdest but coolest networking event,” offers participants a chance to meet influential business people while gaining an understanding of the challenges faced by the homeless. There will be free parking and a breakfast provided by Univ – last year’s hosts. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences on social media to inspire others and help raise awareness of the cause. Last year, 47 participants raised £76,500, and there is still time to sign up for this year’s event. Those already signed up can help by encouraging someone else to take part as well. CEOs, managers, colleagues or entire teams can take part, with the charity saying “whatever the case, more people are needed to join the cause”.“Oxfordshire businesses are being urged to take part in this year’s CEOSleepout, which is only halfway to reaching it fundraising target…”Source Link: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24580807.oxfordshire-charity-sleepout-needs-people-take-part/?ref=rss http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/gd5c50cd0a3358a682e20f19c776d2b4e81a7f4c89a17c64f1475106a280b5fd7e3f622d711fe25302eff68de0f5299c586a.png More than 40 businesses will support a charity event which will see people sleep rough for one night. The annual Oxfordshire CEOSleepout, organised by Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, will take place on October 10 at University Parks. The event aims to raise £100,000 to help those experiencing homelessness in Oxfordshire, but £50,000 still needs to be … Read More

[boldcompanynews]

Sleepout charity event only halfway to £100k fundraising target - Journal Global Web - BLOGGER https://www.merchant-business.com/sleepout-charity-event-only-halfway-to-100k-fundraising-target/?feed_id=197596&_unique_id=66e3659041d91 More than 40 businesses will support a charity event which will see people sleep rough for one night. The annual Oxfordshire CEOSleepout, organised by Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, will take place on October 10 at University Parks. The event aims to raise £100,000 to help those experiencing homelessness in Oxfordshire, but £50,000 still needs to be raised to reach this target.. Project director, Yvonne Pinner, said: “Currently it looks like we will raise less than last year and yet on top of existing projects, we now hope to add something for women’s provision. “We need to be raising £100,000. So please, come join us.” The event, which has been described as “the weirdest but coolest networking event,” offers participants a chance to meet influential business people while gaining an understanding of the challenges faced by the homeless. There will be free parking and a breakfast provided by Univ – last year’s hosts. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences on social media to inspire others and help raise awareness of the cause. Last year, 47 participants raised £76,500, and there is still time to sign up for this year’s event. Those already signed up can help by encouraging someone else to take part as well. CEOs, managers, colleagues or entire teams can take part, with the charity saying “whatever the case, more people are needed to join the cause”.“Oxfordshire businesses are being urged to take part in this year’s CEOSleepout, which is only halfway to reaching it fundraising target…”Source Link: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24580807.oxfordshire-charity-sleepout-needs-people-take-part/?ref=rss http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/gd5c50cd0a3358a682e20f19c776d2b4e81a7f4c89a17c64f1475106a280b5fd7e3f622d711fe25302eff68de0f5299c586a.png #GLOBAL - BLOGGER More than 40 businesses will suppo... BLOGGER - #GLOBAL

[rsthemewp]

🎓 Discover Eshkool – The Premier Education WordPress Theme! 🎓

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[technologycompanynews]

Sleepout charity event only halfway to £100k fundraising target - Journal Global Web - BLOGGER https://www.merchant-business.com/sleepout-charity-event-only-halfway-to-100k-fundraising-target/?feed_id=197595&_unique_id=66e3658f20240 More than 40 businesses will support a charity event which will see people sleep rough for one night. The annual Oxfordshire CEOSleepout, organised by Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, will take place on October 10 at University Parks. The event aims to raise £100,000 to help those experiencing homelessness in Oxfordshire, but £50,000 still needs to be raised to reach this target.. Project director, Yvonne Pinner, said: “Currently it looks like we will raise less than last year and yet on top of existing projects, we now hope to add something for women’s provision. “We need to be raising £100,000. So please, come join us.” The event, which has been described as “the weirdest but coolest networking event,” offers participants a chance to meet influential business people while gaining an understanding of the challenges faced by the homeless. There will be free parking and a breakfast provided by Univ – last year’s hosts. Participants are encouraged to share their experiences on social media to inspire others and help raise awareness of the cause. Last year, 47 participants raised £76,500, and there is still time to sign up for this year’s event. Those already signed up can help by encouraging someone else to take part as well. CEOs, managers, colleagues or entire teams can take part, with the charity saying “whatever the case, more people are needed to join the cause”.“Oxfordshire businesses are being urged to take part in this year’s CEOSleepout, which is only halfway to reaching it fundraising target…”Source Link: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24580807.oxfordshire-charity-sleepout-needs-people-take-part/?ref=rss http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/gd5c50cd0a3358a682e20f19c776d2b4e81a7f4c89a17c64f1475106a280b5fd7e3f622d711fe25302eff68de0f5299c586a.png BLOGGER - #GLOBAL More than 40 businesses will support a charity event which will see people sleep rough for one night. The annual Oxfordshire CEOSleepout, organised by Oxfordshire Homeless Movement, will take place on October 10 at University Parks. The event aims to raise £100,000 to help those experiencing homelessness in Oxfordshire, but £50,000 still needs to be … Read More