#i don’t want to talk about how much money i’ve spent on the materials

[officialbabayaga]

thank god the hanks of 0/11 seed beads i need to make my decorative ren faire chain mail are only $4.50 each bc I just had to buy the rest of their stock to make sure I’d have enough

[sunflowerxthoughts]

Finally, here it is! The first date! Can be read as it’s own but highly recommend knowing the lore first. Thank you for the love this little blurb series is getting, sooo much more to come 💜

Eddie was coming to pick you up in the van with one big worry in his mind. You were perfect. Literal woman of his dreams. However, there is this nagging in his head, self doubt. Why would someone so fucking great date the resident freak of Hawkings?

It makes him want to turn arround. He is so torn. This is a one in a million chance, but can he promise something so precious won’t go unharmed? He was so hopelessly devoted to you yet he didn’t even know you that much. There was just something so enchanting.

When you open the door, smiling bashfully and looking so radiant, he feels like he has won the lotery. He understand right then and there that this is a chance he is not willing to miss on.

You are just as nervous. Letting Eddie in, it feels easy. He looks at you like he would never actually hurt, but you’ve learnt looks decive and you don’t know if can actually trust him not not break the heart you’ve put back together since you moved to the town.

“You look… wow.” He says, with his hand over his heart. “Sweetheart oh my god.”

“You look really good too, Eds.”

The drive to the dinner is far from quiet. Eddie is set on paying, having worked overtime dealing and at the mechanic’s, but still there is so much he can afford.

“I promise if you give me a chance, I’ll get you on nicer dates. I swear.”

“Eddie I couldn’t care less about money, honestly.”

The date goes smoothly, Eddie swoons as he hears you speak. You on the other hand are stunned. You thought the walls would be too much, yet with everything Eddie does, he chips at every brick, little by little.

Time ticks and you are both in his van, talking about life.

“So Wayne said something the other day. Something about your past.”

“What did he say?”

“Not much. That it wasn’t easy. That it was your story to tell.”

“Listen Eddie-“ you take a big breath, this is not first day material. “It’s hard. It’s not something I want to get into right now but I guess I must warn you.”

“Warn me? What?”

“It won’t be easy, Eddie. I come with baggage that I’ve learnt to mask. And I don’t want to get into… something, relationship or not, just to be left after because it gets too much.”

“I don’t understand, I don’t wanna leave.”

“All I’m saying is at some point it’ll be hard Eddie. I want to date you, I really do. Just being your friend would be great too because you have such a pure, beautiful light. But that is something I don’t have.” You look at him, hoping this is not scaring him. “I’m not saying you have to stay for the long run, we’ve only just met. I just need you to be honest with me. Because I can’t let the walls crumble again, Eddie. I need to know that things are okay, that you don’t feel like you have to run away.”

“I don’t think you will believe me right now, but I understand you. So much. I feel the walls, I know them all too well. I know I make everything lighthearted but this whole town hates me, sweetheart.”

“How could anyone hate you, Eddie?”

“That’s the thing, they do. They really do. I’ve spent all my life being made fun of. A freak. And then you come around and make me feel… human. Like I matter, like I don’t have to see life from an outside perspective. And it’s so fucking refreshing. So let me be that for you, I want to be that for you. I want to get to know you more. I need you to know I don’t see you as a challenge, I see you as someone worth getting to know. You don’t have to let your walls down right now, I get it. We can work each brick, little by little.”

The tension is high. Eddie wonders if he has just fucked up, while you wonder how you managed to be this lucky. It feels like luck. So you kiss him.

It’s tender and it’s sweet and you can feel Eddie melting onto the kiss. It doesn’t go any further than that. There’s a shyness to it, both of you just trying to memorize this on your brains.

“For the record, I do think you have a light. I think you are radiant. And you deserve to be taken care of, and cherished. And listen I don’t have much money, but I promise I’d give you the moon and stars if I could. I am full invested in this, in you. I’m not running away, not matter what.”

Original post Pt. 2 Pt. 3

Tag list: @josephquinnsfreckles @yujyujj @maedesculpaeusoubi 🦋

[adventuresinobx]

The Bartender

JJ Maybank x fem!reader

Summary: You’ve just met JJ Maybank at a bar across town. Desperate for something - and someone - different, you’re soon taken by his Pogue charm. What happens when he suggests an after hours rendezvous?

A/N: It’s been a while since I wrote for JJ but this kept flowing and flowing. It’s waaaay longer than I had originally thought, but I hope you like it! Also sorry I’ve been AWOL recently. Life is super busy but I try and still find time to write from time to time so will definitely keep posting fics ❤️

Warnings: All the smut. Choking kink, rough sex, dirty talking

You pushed down your dress as you stepped out of the taxi, smoothing the material as you thanked the guy for dropping you off. You were about half an hour from home; and it might have seemed crazy to have spent so much money to go to some dingy bar when you lived in the centre of town with tens of fancy bars around you. You just needed out, out of the same place, the same bars - and the same men. You just wanted different.

As you stepped into the bar, you noticed how dark it was, the lighting barely even managing to lift the brightness in there against the contrast of the dark wood furnishings. You took a step towards the bar, your heels clacking against the sticky floor below. Finding yourself a seat at the bar, you swivelled yourself around before coughing quietly to get the barman’s attention. There was no response. You coughed again.

“Helloooo?” you said, tapping your nails impatiently against the bar. No response. Who was this joke of a barman and how did any of these other people have their drinks if he couldn’t even respond to a simple request. “Hellooo?” you repeated yourself, using the base of your hand to tap him on the shoulder.

“One second, one second,” he said, complaining as he turned around. He seemed shocked to be met with your eyes, and not that of an old man ordering another pint of beer. You gave him a small smile, as his eyes scanned yours then down to your lips, down to your neck, and finally your breasts, which let’s be honest were completely in view. His eyes trailed down further to your stomach, covered with your tight dress, before the bar stopped him from viewing any lower, which he had of most definitely wanted to.

“Uh sorry,” he muttered, embarrassed by his little outburst earlier. He paused, composed himself before adding in a flirty tone: “So what can I get you beautiful? A drink, my phone number?” You snorted, raising your eyebrows and shaking your head as he winked at you. You took the brief moment of silence to admire his arms, clearly in view as he was wearing a cut off shirt. You peered down to his chest muscles, poking out the sides from behind the material and making you curious what might be under his top even more so.

“I’ll take the drink thanks,” you said back, flashing him a small smile as he slid over a chalkboard with some ‘daily specials’ written on them. It looked like it had been there for the last three years or more. “Or maybe I can get you something else, throw something special together?”

“Can you make a mai tai?” you quizzed, him nodding as he threw a wink at you before disappearing under the bar to get a glass and whatever else he needed. As he started to assemble the bottles he needed, which probably hadn’t been used much since everyone else was drinking beer, he glanced back over at you.

“You haven’t told me what a beautiful girl like you is doing here on this side of town. We don’t get your kind of clientele in here.” You looked around, seeing everyone much older - and male. And all Pogues for sure.

“No I can see,” you replied, pulling out your phone and scrolling through social media as you waited for your drink. “You must be the life and soul of the party.” He laughed, shaking his head and flashing you a smile.

“You misunderstand me mama,” he mumbled, “We don’t get beautiful girls like here. Or sexy ones that come in here with all their curves on display in a tight black dress like yours.” You shook your head and laughed; gosh he really was bold - but you kind of liked it.

“Don’t think I put this sexy dress on to kiss someone like you,” you replied, adjusting your dress and pulling it down so it exposed your cleavage a bit more. Intentionally or unintentionally; he would never know. “You think I squeezed myself into this dress to have your hands all over me?” You raised your eyebrows as he gulped hard, nearly spilling the cocktail tumbler he was making the drink in. “Or to have you rip it off me later?” He stopped dead in his tracks, slamming the tumbler down as he questioned what he should say next.

He went to speak but you got there first. “Cos you’re not getting a chance with someone like me.” Your confidence only made him want you more, as he hung onto every single word you said, desperate for something, anything. What JJ Maybank couldn’t have, he wanted more.

**

A couple of hours had passed and you were leaning across the bar now, grabbing at a bottle of alcohol and pouring both him and you a big glug of the liquid. Rum, vodka, gin, whatever it might have been.

“You’re gonna get me sacked, or killed,” he said with a laugh, shaking his head before he downed the contents of the glass you slid in front of him. He’d been with you all night, only briefly disappearing when someone else had ordered a drink. He was stood next to the bar, the empty glass in front of him. You took a moment to notice the muscles in his arms, tensing hard and each muscle popping perfectly as he sprawled out his hands on the dark furniture. You noticed the scratches and cuts on the top of his hands, the way his fingers were so long… you stopped your thoughts dead in their tracks and looked up and offered him another flirty smile.

“So what brings you out here then? You never told me,” he asked, raising his eyebrows and flashing you a cocky look. You gave back just as good as you got.

“Wanted a change of scene, something different,” you replied, elongating the last word.

“Someone different?” JJ quizzed, winking at you. You replied by simply biting your lip. “Cos if you’re game, so am I. After my shift of course.” You contemplated the idea for a moment. This would definitely get you out of your rut. You looked into his eyes, biting your lip as you scanned his face to try and read his mind. He kept your gaze, you only dropping it as you noticed him lift his hands off the bar and clean one of the washed glasses with a towel. Your eyes were completely focused on his hands and what they could do if they were all over you.

“I’m game, let’s just see if you can handle me.”

“Oh mama, you only need to be worried about handling me; there’s a lot to - handle.” He flashed you a wink and smirked at you, his hand ghosting across your arm before he moved himself away to serve someone else.

Your eyes flicked immediately to the clock, 15 more minutes to wait. The bar was closing at 10pm (yes really). He noticed your gaze as he interrupted the silence with: “My place is 15 minutes away, think you can wait half an hour?” He cocked his eyebrow at his own comment, a smile spreading on his lips. You grabbed his vest top and pulled him closer, your breath fanning on his lips and skin as you leant forward and whispered into his ear, your voice soft but a determined tone to it.

“I don’t think I can even wait 15 minutes. How about we just find a quiet place outside of here?” JJ pulled back from you and immediately reached for the bell, ringing for last orders. He just needed you straight away; the flirting - and waiting - had been absolutely agonising for him too and he was sure there was already a tent in his pants, which no doubt grew when you whispered those lustful words into his ear.

“Last orders, quick,” he shouted, you chuckling at his eagerness as a couple of clients headed to the bar clearly completely unaware of his big rush. You’d never seen someone pour two pints so quickly - and badly, but the clients didn’t seem to care and handed over the money. He shoved it into the register and came back over to you. “Come on, let’s go,” he said, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the back exit door of the bar. You scanned your brain for thoughts on whether this was a good idea. Very clearly, your mind said it wasn’t - so of course, you proceeded as planned.

Out the back of the bar, there was a little alleyway, light low from the nearby street lamp but otherwise pitch black. You could see his strong jawline and features illuminated by the moonlight. He looked flawless, his arm muscles tense as he grabbed at you, his hands finally getting to explore you like he had wanted to all night. The movements of his hands sent shockwaves all over your skin and you melted into his body as he moved his hands down your arms and around your back, pulling you closer, before clutching at your waist.

“Wish I could see you naked but there’s no time, I’ll just have to feel you instead,” he whispered, his lips moving all over your neck and collarbone, the outfit you were wearing clearly making things very easy for him to access. His hands pushed roughly at the bottom of your dress, pushing it up to your hips. The sudden cool temperatures of the Outer Banks hit your skin and goosebumps came all across your body. You gasped at the feeling, his hands exploring you in a way no man’s had before. He was hungry, needy for you and it showed in the way he ran his rough hands over your thighs, your hips and down to your ass where he squeezed you, a wicked smile on his face before he dove back to kiss your neck again and leave marks there.

“So fucking sexy, where have you been all my life?” he muttered, his breath short as he explored your body with his hands and mouth. No bare skin was missed as he moved his fingers and lips all over you.

“About half an hour away,” you teased. You’d been a resident for the Outer Banks your entire life. He’d just missed you every single time. Plus you were a Kook and he was a Pogue and they just didn’t get on. “Fuck J.” Your thoughts were pulled from flirting with him when you felt him nip your neck roughly. You weren’t sure if he was drawing blood with how rough his kisses and bites were. But whatever he was doing, you wanted more and more.

“Feeling good mama?” he groaned, his eyes glancing over to look at yours. You had your eyes screwed shut, your body pressed roughly against the wall behind you, dress hitched up around your hips and moans spilling from your lips with every single movement he made. “Bet you’re soaking wet for me. Bet you have been all night.”

His words dripped with sexual tension and undertones, as you reached for his hand that was your hip and held it against your core. You bucked your hips forward into his hand, moaning as you felt his cold fingers against your soaking wet core. Even through the lace of your underwear, the sensation was incredible. You felt JJ push your panties to the side and his finger slipped through your folds. You groaned at the feeling, rocking your hips against his hand and trying to angle yourself against him so his finger would slip all the way inside you. No luck.

“J please, I can’t wait,” you moaned out.

“You think I can?” he said back, his voice harsh as he sunk a finger inside you. He didn’t even wait for a moment before a second followed and then a third. You gripped onto his bicep at the feeling, your arm tensing hard as you clutched onto him. Your back was pressed against the brick work, hips rolling against his hand as he worked his fingers inside you. He was needy, desperate, that was clear by his movement.

“Fuck J, that’s it, feels so good when you go so deep.” He  tried to suppress a moan at your filthy words but your hand had made it down between your bodies and was palming him through his shorts. He grunted as you brushed your hand over the tip, the friction of your hand and the material rubbing together made the most unholy sounds fall from his lips. He managed to mumble out a few swear words mixed in with the word “mama” every time you moved your hand and the material of his clothes brushed over his tip.

“Mama you’ll make me come in my pants if you don’t let me fuck you right now,” he said, one hand gripping tight on your hip, his other with his fingers buried deep inside you. You weren’t going to argue with him; you needed this just as badly too. You closed your eyes for a moment, biting your lip, opening them again as you felt him move his hand away from you. As you opened them, you were greeted by the sight of him with his hand just in front of his face. You bit your lip, feeling that tension in your thighs and core as he slowly took each of his three fingers into his mouth. He sucked off all your juices, tasting them slowly as he made a quiet remark.

“Knew you’d taste good the second I set eyes on you.” Turned on by his words, you leaned in and kissed him, tasting yourself on his tongue which only turned you on more. “So fucking sweet,” he muttered, briefly breaking away from the kiss before attacking your lips again.

“Are you gonna fuck me or what? Do I need to ask?” you said, accentuating the last word.

“You don’t need to ask me, but ask me. Tell me how bad you want me to fuck you.” The words rushed out of his mouth. “Beg me, beg me to push my cock inside you. Stretch you out.” His fingers kept moving at a fast pace as he spoke, his breath catching in his throat and yours catching in yours. He switched the angle of his fingers and brushed his thumb over your clit in quick circles. He knew the more excited he got you, the quicker you’d succumb to him in the way he wanted - no, needed you.

“J, I need you. Fuck me. Please.” That was all he needed and as quick as his fingers were pushing in and out with you, that hand was around by your hip. He had spun you around, fixing your dress that had slightly slipped down due to his rather rough turning of your body. He bunched up the material again, his hand placed just below it on one side of your hip so he could keep his grip of you. He used his free hand to undo his own belt, his shorts falling down at his feet as he pushed down his boxers. His cock sprung free, his hand immediately wrapping around the length for a bit of light relief.

“Bend over baby, spread those legs,” he mumbled, pushing your back with his hand. You braced your arms against the wall, secretly loving the feeling of the abrasive bricks against your skin. He pushed the tiny bit of material out the way and took himself in his hand, rubbing the tip up and down your slit as he got both of you ready. He used his other hand to push against the top of your back, making you bow your head and stick your bum out a little more so he had better access to making you feel good.

“Ready for me mama? Ready for me to fuck you right here in this alleyway where anyone could see?” He continued rubbing the tip of his cock up and down your slit to spread your wetness. You moaned out, unable to form proper words as he finally slid inside you. He went slowly first, settling inch by inch inside you until he reached a little bit of a resistance. He paused for a moment, before pulling out just an inch or two and thrusting back inside you even harder and pushing past that tightness. “Oh baby; you’re so tight,” he groaned as his head fell onto your shoulder. He pushed himself all the way in, bottoming out as his hand pushed against your back and forced you to bend over even more.

This angle was punishing, and his speed was so fast you thought you’d pass out at the pleasure. Filthy words spilled from his lips as he pushed and pulled in and out of you. “Fuck you’re so tight. Squeezing me so good baby. You’re gonna milk this cock soon, make me come inside you. Is that what you want?” They continued. “Fuck yes, Y/N. Can still taste you on my tongue. Feeling you squeezing around my cock, making me feel so good. Bend over more baby, take my cock deeper. That’s it baby. Can feel you tensing around me.” Your body was in overdrive, bent completely over with your arms and hands braced against the wall as he drove into you.

He grabbed your hair in a rough ponytail, pulling you up to standing straighter as he pushed you into the wall more with his own hips. He pulled on your hair, tilting your head back as he thrusted inside you. He was rough, needy and desperate for you. This angle gave him perfect access to your g-spot. You could start to feel his thrusts become a little sloppy as you tensed yourself around him, shockwaves surging through both your bodies. His rough pulling of your hair only made the angle even deeper and you could feel yourself so close to hitting that high with him. He was twitching inside you too and just as you thought he was about to let go, and you follow suit just seconds later, he pulled out of you.

You full on whined at the loss of him. The fullness gone as you collapsed onto the wall, your whole body aching in different ways as you lamented how close you got. He grabbed your hip and spun you around, giving you that smirk you’d come to love throughout the night as he looked up and down at you. In the moonlight and low light from the street lamp, he could see your glistening folds and he licked his lips in anticipation. You thought you knew what was coming next but you were wrong.

“As much as I wanna taste you more baby, I’m gonna come in less than a minute and I want to come inside you.” You nodded at his words, blushing as he moved his hand from your hip, up your side and back down to its resting position again. “Won’t last long,” he warned you and you were certainly OK with that. You were fucked out, completely and utterly spent already.

“Wrap your legs around me and jump,” he said, you looking initially hesitantly at him. “Good girl, for me.” He tapped your bum lightly and encouraged you to do as he asked. You hesitated again, but did as he said. As you jumped, he gripped onto you and sandwiched you between the wall. The brick scratched against some of your exposed skin, only adding to the already electricity coursing through your veins.

“Baby you’re so wet for me, can’t wait to get my tongue inside you next time,” he said, his eyes keeping gaze with yours as he held onto your hip. He gripped himself in his hand, pumping up and down a few times before he pressed the tip against your folds. He coated it in the liquid that threatened to spill out of you, moving himself up to your clit and tapping there a few times before he finally sunk inside you. He held your thighs, which were wrapped tight around him, and carefully started to guide you to bounce on him. Both of you knew this was going to be over in a matter of seconds, your orgasm already bubbling up inside you as you moved your hands over his naked back, his vest somehow ending on the floor in every thing that happened. You don’t remember when but would you remember half of this? Probably not. Would you want to? Absolutely.

“Not gonna last, gonna cum,” he muttered, his thrusts getting more sloppy as he guided you up and down on his length. You managed a few strangled moans, your nails digging into his back and dragging across his skin. “Fuck gonna empty inside you cupcake. Can you take it?” You didn’t even have time to answer before you felt even more full than you had before. His seed filled you, multiple shots painting your walls white as you desperately tried to hold yourself up against him. You dug your nails into his back as you felt yourself clench hard around him. Your thighs tightened around his waist, his grip strong as he thrusted into you so quickly. His dick twitched for a final time, a final length of his white liquid shooting inside you as he kept his hips bucked up and into you. A loud moan spilled from his lips as he finished, your pussy clenching at the sound.

He set you down on the ground, quite unsure what to do next. Should he kiss you? He couldn’t invite you back to his, too afraid it was nothing like you were usually used to. So he settled on a few words, but you beat him to it.

“If I wanna be different again sometime, I know where to go.” You pulled your dress down, straightened it and tucked your hair off your face. And with that, you disappeared into the night, leaving him to redress himself and question what had just happened. As he pulled his top back over his head, he felt the pain from the red raw scratches on his back. What had he got himself into - and how was he going to get this feeling again with no way of contacting you?

taglist (pls let me know if you want to be added 🥰)

@starkeyobx​ @lovelyhedgehog44 @gryffindorpouge11 @jjmaybankmakesmecry​ @pankhoeforlife​ @bayy2452​ @proactivetypeofgirl​ @hoebx​ @fangirlfree​ @severa-kane​ @lovedetlost​ @slutforsmutsstuff​ @drewbooooo​ @raiinyhood @samxslaughter​ @valeriiecameron​ @burgstead @mayceelou @my-baexht-ls @i-always-come-back-xoxo​ @0fucsgivenon @heesbestlover @storytellingwitht​ @ishipit1420 @fiction-is-life​ @im-julessssss​ @meadzy2 @onmykneesforrafe​ @strokesofstokes​ @wannabestarkeysgirl​ @penny4yourthoughts​ @infatuatedjanes​ @tenaciousperfectionunknown​

[ava-monstrum]

LCB CH01 [8]? Overal thoughts

I forgot to say my overall thoughts on Limbus Company so, here it is (I'm copying this from my twitter post). This doesn't spoil anything story specific btw

I would say that the biggest appeal has to be the story and characters. The main cast of sinners are so chaotic and have distinctive personalities (besides Mersault but that’s aggressively the point). It’s clear we’re supposed to love this dysfunctional group and unwrap the story around them. Dante (who we play as) was a pleasant surprise considering that I wasn’t sure he would have a personality. If you follow me you should know my fav is Gregor.

And add to that a strange and twisted world that I’ve heard is super expansive with lore and world building, yeah, I’m super stoked for what’s in the future.

For the gameplay, Im not super knowledgeable on how to analyze gameplay but I found it fun for the most part. It’s a bizarre mix of fast and easy gameplay that makes you feel like a monster, only to suddenly hit a difficulty wall and get the team obliterated.

There are also A LOT of mechanics that at first don’t seem to affect the gameplay until you hit those difficulty spikes.

It’s a very wordy game, not just in story but also those mechanics. From status effects, random coin tosses, and gathering material for your ultimate attack, the game felt a bit overwhelming, even the tutorial didn’t quite help me understand the hud. I had to actually look into guides on YouTube to help me out, especially in Chapter 3.

I don’t really mind cause following the game, at lot of people talked about how this was standard for project moon games.

But it might be a bit much for some players. It’s definitely not a casual game for quick fun. Battles may take awhile, especially against abnormalities (monsters). You’re going to have to grind once you get to chapter 3 (trust me). And certain fights will wipe the floor with you if you don’t take the time to read the mechanics and make a solid team.

Now as for fairness, i haven’t spent any money on the game. And so far I’ve been fairing well. The base characters are actually pretty useful and I’ve been using them more than the ones I got from the gatcha (except for g-corp Gregor, I love him)

So yeah, the game will take up a lot of time but I haven’t found it unfair or tedious so far. But I’ll have to see how that changes as the game goes forward.

To be honest, I kinda feel like I would have tolerated bad gameplay if it meant unlocking more story. Its that charming.

So, cause twitters character limit sucks, I’m very happy with the game so far. I’ve been following its development for a while, and it’s given me everything I wanted from it.

I wish I could add more detail but I think this is a good explanation for now.

It may be a bit intimidating for some, but it’s free so there’s no harm in trying it out.

You may need some outside help to grasp how the game works, but that means we can all suffer together /s.

So, if you wanna delve into a dark but charming game, give it a try.

Just heed the content warnings though, there’s some dark themes, imagery that may be disturbing, and body horror.

[race-week]

I feel like some people don't understand that what the big teams are complaining about isn't them not having the money. They could easily spend more.

It's that they have planned their budget for this season quite a while ago and that their upgrades and all of that were covered in that budget.

However, multiple things have happened in the world since, one of which is inflation for example. Some inflation is normal and accounted for in the cost cap but these are not normal levels of inflation at all anymore. And therefore it's not covered by the cost cap anymore. One point that they have brought up wrt that is that they currently can not adjust their employees wages to the cost cap for example. Which is yk not great. (We are not talking about drivers here, but the "normal" workers)

The other thing is that certain materials suddenly got a lot more expensive, which means some parts have suddenly gotten a lot more expensive and therefore means that some upgrades might just not fit under the cost cap anymore.

Another thing is freight. Shipping things has gotten a lot more expensive. They can't really avoid shipping their stuff to the races so that money also needs to come out of the development bucket.

So with the big teams it's not about them having planned their budget irresponsibly or that they've developed too much and spent their money too fast. It's just that with everything happening they can't follow their original plans. And that might mean an earlier development stop than usual for this season.

The thing with alfa shows that certain things have gotten suuuper expensive and that also affect the big teams. They can easily afford it in general but under the cost cap that money inevitably means less development.

TLDR: the big teams don't want the cap to be raised because they went on a development and spending rampage devoid of conscience. But that certain things have gotten so unreasonably expensive in a way that nobody thought would happen that how they planned to spend their cost cap budgets doesn't work anymore

Yep, exactly, everything has gotten a lot more expensive and despite the cost cap allowing for inflation the actual rate of inflation is a lot higher than was allowed for in the cap and because of that all teams are affected whether they planned to meet the cap or fall below it as they all would have had their own annual budget.

I don’t know about everyone else but I’ve definitely noticed the cost of things increasing massively, and I’m lucky to work for a company that has increased our pay in line with the cost of living increase, that’s likely not possible for the workers in F1 teams.

Thanks anon!

[europa-ganymede]

Light at the end of a very long tunnel

As you may know, shit has been going literally sideways for me for the past couple weeks now (months, actually). I had been so depressed and upset about it all.

I’ve had really very bad luck with trying to find anyone to even come out to look at my house before another rain storm (my gutter issue was unresolved). We had a very dry spring, unusually dry. So, I didn’t have much rain to even worry aobut until the end of June/beginning of July. And Maryland does this cute thing now where when it “rains” it means a drenching downpour of 4″ of rain in an hour. On Sunday, in rained for 20 minutes and we got 2″ of rain. We were running through towels to try to soak up the water that was coming in from the window and flowing under the radiator. I felt bad for me, for my son, for my house.. I cried A LOT over the weekend. Like on and off just sobbing. I talked to so many companies, so many of them didn’t give a shit if I lived or died, if my house flooded, it was more or less like “sorry lady not my problem”. They wanted to upcharge me $100 to even send someone this week... I’ve been pretty broke after all this shit happening so I don’t have the money to just throw at upcharge fees.

I got a missed call Tuesday morning from the guys who I’d used in the past to clean my gutter, his name is Ray. I was so relieved to hear from him. Ray  literally made my entire year because of how kind and generous he’s been with me at a VERY excessively stressful time in my life. There are things going on with me that I can’t even discuss or type to a public audience so just know it’s way deeper than anything surface level... but I just got a much needed gutter replacement from a man who did this work for so, so much less than I could ever find anywhere else. When I say he gave me the deal of a lifetime, he did. He came out, made time, went out of his way to get it done before any other rain storms... he clearly cared. He told me he was inundated with calls and referrals but he wanted to get to me as soon as possible so my “house didn’t crumble”. I told him how we had spent money renting a truck and ladder, spent money on another company to come out and $300 later I was still no closer to a solution. He said “let’s replace it, I’m more than happy to do it”. He quoted me an INSANELY low amount. He refused extra money. I feel very lucky to have been able to know him when I needed him. He did an excellent job and now I have a new 6″ aluminum gutter, upgraded downspout, leaf guard and he installed a fascia board so the gutter is affixed to my house securely and not hanging off the roofing material like before... he said “it’s secure, going nowhere I promise”. This little Turkish man is an ANGEL. I thanked him so many times, I was preparing myself to have to take a loan from my sister for a grand at least and pay her back incrementally. He took pictures and videos to show me exactly what was happening - sent them to me and everything. He’s such a kind soul I hope each side of his pillow is cool, he always merges easily on the highway and he has lots of business for years to come. Honestly.

Ray restored a bit of my faith in humanity. I left him reviews on all major sites to sing his praises.

I’m grappling a little bit on what to do. I want to properly pay him when I get more money but I don’t think he’ll accept it. Do I just sit with the guilt? Let someone do something extremely kind for me and accept it? I don’t know. 

[talenlee]

Smooch Month 2024

Welcome to Smooch Month here on Press Dot Exe! It’s a month to consider and celebrate and scrutinise at length media that centres and focuses on what you might normally see called romantic media. At some point years ago, I offhandedly referenced the idea that ‘romantic’ is a term best suited to being about feelings and then that’s how I’ve used it ever since and in the process trapped myself into using the term ‘smooch month’ when what I mean, ostensibly, is exactly what everyone else means, in common language, romantic media.

And so! Here we are, with the idea of smooch media!

This theme has been good for me, these past few years. Back before I was doing this theme, I didn’t really like watching this kind of media, finding a lot of this media dull and tedious and emotionally unrealistic. Then I spent a few years making a dedicated plan that I had to watch a lot of these things to have things to write about on my blog, which meant that this thing I normally avoided because I disliked it, I had to experience. Even though I had the belief that this stuff was largely badly made and bad.

And you know what? I was right! I mean, okay, not just that there’s a lot of bad media, because of course, 90% of everything is bad, and bad is always a relative thing but also, like, the media form that is presented as ‘romantic’ media when you open things like Netflix, or browse the DVD rental kiosk at the mall.

Yeah, I started with ‘Video Ezy’ and realised I was incarnating a vending machine.

Anyway, thing is, by dint of forcing myself to look at and participate in this kind of media I got to really look at the stuff that’s crap and put it in meaningful context. Sometimes it’s stuff that harmlessly didn’t bother me, like To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before which was just weird as hell showing a school life that meant nothing to me and access to money that seemed fantastic to me. Sometimes, it was choking my way through formulaic, hateable material like Tall Girl, where the structure was held up and adorned with awful people behaving miserably in the name of some confusing messages.

And I started to avoid that stuff. I started watching more and more varied material, I kept looking at things I’d normally not touch at all. I watched some TV shows. I watched Hallmark movies. I read romantic fiction. I re-connected with shipping culture of my childhood that I had, shamefully, avoided for no good reason but generalised embarrassment. Doing this, I, well, at least when we’re talking about the Hallmark stuff, I saw a lot of really bad stuff there too. And finally I hit a groove when I realised that I had more stuff I wanted to write about for Smooch Month than I had slots for.

A big part of this was learning how much I liked romantic anime, and how the alienated, distanced life of writers completely unrelated to my own cultural background were better at showing me experiences that made sense to me than the people of my own country and the empire I’m in did.

Games still present a problem, of course. There are still not nearly as many videogames with a focus on smoochy relationships that I don’t find dire, and it’s pretty funny when you consider there are literally entire genres about this and how hard a time I have enjoying them. Sometimes it’s interface – I remember that Arcade Spirits is a game I think of fondly but hated playing because there were these constant pauses in the interface and oh also the weird way the game alienated me with its nonsense plot about how ‘what if you played games too much?’ There are so many visual novels which are meant to let you ride a relationship rocketboard and have a kind of sweet smoochy story for fun really quickly, but then they either surface a relationship I find boring like Hustle Cat or a sense of humour I don’t really find funny like Monster Prom.

It’s weird too because it’s like the area of gaming that ostensibly specialises in smoochy stuff is the area I find does the worst job of it. That’s not to say all visual novels are bad, all dating sims are bad. They’re just ones I don’t like, whether because they’re made for sensibilities and preferences that don’t line up with mine, or because they’re less interesting as games than I want them to be.

I do think there’s a particular kind of dating sim game that has gotten attention these past few years that provides a frustrating kind of friction in the conversation, though, with games like Dream Daddy (god that is almost a decade old right) or Hatoful Boyfriend where the whole reason the game got attention is because the game is a joke. Not that the game is actually a joke, but there is a joke in talking about the game, because bothering to take a visual novel seriously, you see, is funny.

Like Doki Doki Literature Club.

Heh.

Anyway, there’s also another axis at work here, which is I don’t think you care about what I like about a smoochy game? I’ve been trying to be more honest about it, more directly clear about what makes these things work for me, but I know I’m having to expose some of myself, my preferences, my interests for all this, and I’m normally very shy about that. On the other hand, I think y’all are aware, thanks to the writing I’ve done that I wouldn’t date Anomen, and that’s not been a humiliating thing to have the public know.

It’s practice. It’s getting familiar with and comfortable with being able to talk about things. I don’t expect you to wind up with a list of my dos and don’ts, but I do think that it’s been a lot better to be willing to say that I find a character hot or think they could take a second swing at a line to maybe get it right this time. I don’t know if it counts as rizz but I can at least let you know what’d work on me.

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

[tailsrevane]

[book review] avatar: an activist survival guide by maria wilhelm & dirk mathison (2009)

yeah, i’m pretty much always a sucker for these “nonfiction”-style books about franchises i like. i devoured all the star wars essential guides back in the day, and a lot of the star trek equivalents.

i do have two substantial complaints, though. first, the book repeatedly mentions “overpopulation” on earth, and it’s just… look, i know you’ve heard this a bunch of times if you read much of my writing, but i’m gonna say it again: it’s not a thing. it’s just not. and this is what happens when people without a solid grounding in dialectical materialism and political theory try to do environmentalism. much of the blame is rightly placed on big corporations, but you’re still swallowing wholesale their incredibly racist and misanthropic explanations for environmental degradation and making it a “personal responsibility” thing.

this doesn’t just come up in the parts of the book that specifically refer to earth, by the way. the book says that part of why the na’vi are more “in balance” with nature is because they have a nearly equal birthrate and deathrate, and just… no, guys. that’s not how this works. that’s not how any of this works.

my second major complaint is that there is just so much binary gender essentialism and compulsory heterosexuality on display in this book’s presentation of na’vi culture. it strains credulity that a culture like the na’vi would include either of these features.

this is actually not the most surprising thing to me, though, because it’s extremely similar to some of the things i’ve run into as a baby witch/neopagan. what cameron & co are doing in creating the na’vi doesn’t seem all that dissimilar to me to what a lot of neopagan pioneers did in constructing the various mainstream branches of neopaganism. it is a bit counterintuitive and frustrating to see such obvious reproductions of the wrong thinking that these people absorbed from white, western, largely christian culture in people and groups that are intentionally trying to break with that culture, but at least they’re trying i guess? but you still see these sorts of ridiculously rigid, binarist ideas about “natural” gender in a lot of the most popular and well-known neopagan groups.

i love, love, love the detail that some lifeforms on pandora have characteristics of both plants and animals, and that biologists and botanists “must reassess their preconceptions about the mechanics of life.” a book more solidly grounded in theory would likely add that this speaks to the fact that many “scientific,” “natural” categorizations that are often taken for granted are themselves socially constructed, informed by the ideologies of the cultures that develop them.

this is less a criticism, and more just an amused observation, but it’s kind of hilarious that this book decries the commoditization of na’vi culture and then goes on to describe basically exactly what you can find at the gift shop in pandora: the world of avatar? and i know it’s different when you’re not talking about an actual culture, but the na’vi are so similar to so many actual earth cultures in a lot of ways, so i still feel deeply uncomfortable about the idea of buying like… probably a good 75% of the goods on offer at those giftshops. and, again, this does remind me an awful lot of how i feel sometimes in new age/neopagan shops/etc (though in that case it’s even worse because it is explicitly white people making money off of the appropriation of actual, existing cultures on earth).

you might think i’m asking for a lot from a silly movie tie-in book, and you’re probably right, but this is a franchise that’s trying to appeal to people not just as a big, dumb action/scifi franchise, but also as a franchise that wants to Say Stuff, so i don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask it to do better if that’s the road it wants to travel down.

i’ve spent a lot of time talking about this book’s shortcomings even though they are pretty nitpicky at the end of the day, because there just happens to be a lot more to say about them? like, i do really like this book, honestly! it’s just, all there there really is to say about that is that it’s a really cool book about a really cool world. i like the way it’s formatted, as already mentioned i love these “nonfiction”-style supplemental books about scifi worlds, and i really do like the world of avatar. so this book really is right up my alley.

b-rank

[slavy77]

Content - It’s like being at peace with where you are in life and what you have.

Thanksgiving was last week and we entertained family and friends in our home. My uncle and aunt were down and since I’m the 3rd generation to live in it, we talk a lot about our remodel and what’s next.

What’s next…there is always a what’s next. When I think about it I get a range of emotions: excitement, anxiety, stress and sometimes even a little down. I’m excited about the opportunity, but to not be truly close to being ready can be frustrating.

But why does it feel frustrating? It shouldn’t. I have a nice house with plenty of room. It’s not old on the inside and has character. Why am I not at peace with what my life is like? Why get frustrated with what I don’t have?

Well because the world and our society has been poisoned by the idea that we need more stuff to be happy. That our happiness is a direct result of our material possession and our image to the world.

Much of my life I’ve been a slave to my image…the image of success. I wanted name-brand, high-quality, high-end things. I spent money…ok, credit…to get them and since that mindset took over, I’ve battled debt to this day. That old saying of if you could go back in time and tell yourself something…I’d go back and punch myself in the face and then tell myself to be smarter with money.

The older I get the more I realize what peace in my life would look like. It wouldn’t be having all kinds of junk, the best whatever, the coolest reputation or the biggest bank account.

It would be peace of mind not stressing over how to pay things off. It would be knowing I’m going to be able to retire and rest someday.

I have figured a lot of things out the last few years. One is that God has a purpose for us and we should trust in it. Peace is knowing that God will be there if we put our faith in Him. Might not be a lavish life, but He will take care of you if you truly believe.

Another thing is stuff never makes you happy. You just want more and when you put emotional value in it, you’re only setting yourself up for heartache and stress.

Love those around you, both friends and family. Be grateful for them, not someone you think you want in your life or hope for. And make sure those people are good for you…even family can be toxic to happiness.

My last comment about contentment is the godliness part. We are missing this aspect in society. There was a lot to learn from being a God-fearing, godly person. When you live your life that way, your values are shaped and common sense seems to prevail. We’ve traded godliness for selfishness or just being a good person.

For some you’re fine with just being a good person, but this life is short and it will end and I guess you have to think about what’s on the other side of life? My faith is what has helped me to move towards contentment, not a fancy car, big house or the latest technology. My faith is leading me to peace of mind, heart and soul…helping to realize what is truly important. My faith in God and Jesus is why I don’t fear the other side. I’m on my way to contentment…and I’m willing to help you get there as well.

[usedtohaveascenewithhim]

I'm trying really hard not to strangle my roommate when she gets home, so here's the text I wanted to send her:

I was not complaining. I was trying to bring attention to something I wanted to fix that would mutually benefit us, because we both leave shit out.

You’re right about the lights. I was raised better than to leave the lights on, and I’m sorry. I’ve been very forgetful lately (surely you don’t believe that I do it for shits and giggles). I’ll do better in the future. However, it costs pennies on the dollar to keep lights on. Everybody’s electricity bill is high because of how the weather has been, and we agreed to split it 50/50. If you want to start splitting by percentages, then you can start paying for the portion of my low-FODMAP foods that you eat. That about covers the difference.

As for the trash— a decent amount of it was your trash. It was one bag. I collected all of the trash I could find in the LDK and sink that night. That’s why it was so full. I wasn’t asking you to take out all of the recycling or cardboard (though I am frustrated about the recycling and cardboard. Not mad—but if we had each taken something out every day, we would have been done two weeks ago).

I recognize that I do not have a history of practicing what I am confronting you about, but I’m making a renewed effort at living my life instead of just surviving. I’m sorry if it seemed like I was acting as though I did not actively engage in the behaviors that I’m referencing. That’s why I didn’t want to talk about it that night. I was halfway into a glass of wine. That’s not an excuse—I certainly could have explained it better with more context regardless of my condition. But after going home to clean up my family’s life, I really didn’t want to come home to have to clean the fucking carpet. To me, leaving things out when I’m actively at home is one thing. There is always the potential to clean it up. When I leave for a trip, my default has always been to get everything squared away. You have only ever known me when my trips have been mostly 36 hours or less, so it didn’t matter as much in the dorms. When I move into places, it takes a while for my old “this is home base” routines to kick in (and the depression and covid and all of that. I’ve been a mess this semester is what I’m trying to say).

Do not complain to me about your job. I work my ass off and manage my money so that I don’t find myself up shits creek without a paddle. I have had more time than you to do this—more semesters, yeah, but also more summer breaks, winter breaks, etc. I’ve probably spent more time working than in class. Yes, I’m privileged. I have a safety net. I grew up with 99% of my material needs fulfilled one way or another. That does not mean that my problems are any less valid than yours. I have offered to help you reduce your grocery bill. I have offered to help with budgeting resources and scholarships. I have offered to help you with your loans. If you don’t want my help, fine! The university offers financial counseling for students. But don’t act like you don’t have resources at your fingertips. And guess what? The only difference between your cashflow and mine (beyond income) is that I utilize my credit card effectively month to month. That’s how people are able to fucking afford things with a paycheck like mine. Also, “Daddy” doesn’t pick up the check. I pay for more of my own shit than he ever did in college, and his parents weren’t as well off as my father is. That speaks nothing of the fact that my father often requires his children to pay for their own things. It builds character. If I ask him to pay for something, I know he might say no, and I have to be okay with that. Is he going to say no in the dead of winter when I can’t pay my portion of the electric bill? No. That’s why I make sure that I NEVER have to ask him, which I can do through because of a job that broke me this semester My mother (a first generation college student) is proud of how I budgeted ON MY OWN and how I conduct my finances while eating on a diet that is required for me to live a meaningful life—which, by the way, costs about twice as much as your grocery bill month to month. You could lower your grocery bill by purchasing the Great Value bottle of cranberry juice instead of Ocean Spray. You can’t complain about not being able to afford groceries and then buy name brand products.

I’m sorry that I have let my emotional mess reflect in all aspects of my life. I’m trying to take care of myself, but it’s hard when you don’t know if any of it is medical or somatic (which is, in and of itself, medical). I have more doctors than I have friends, I have no support system beyond the middle aged empty nesters and millennials that I drink with, and my brain literally does not work. I’ve been trying not to vent to you since our conversation a couple of weeks ago (or whenever that happened. Time doesn’t exist), so if you don’t want to hear my problems, don’t ask me what’s wrong. I do not care if you ignore me actively crying. I’d rather sit with my emotions or go see Quinton at Prairie St than have the fact that I confided in you thrown back in my face. I would rather use up more energy calming myself down to go out than feel like this right now.

We have different problems. It isn’t bad. They’re just different. You’ve always been allowed to complain. We’re peers. If you think I’m being a jackass, tell me. If you think I’m depressed as fuck and don’t realize that I’m leaving all of my shit out, tell me. If you decide that we need a good old fashioned MGR-inspired cleaning day, then fucking say the word. I’ll turn on some music and we can take the entire day to deep clean this whole fucking apartment.

[uneconomy]

Guys, what if pizza city is what we all needed to save us from ww3.

Mysteriously, I have no idea why but nobody talks about manufacturing in America. (Or like is that even the current word to use about how things like robots, computers and food is produced.)

I’ve tried looking into it and it’s actually really difficult.  Like I go to the store and I buy an iPhone and I think I’m a genius but like can’t even find my favorite milk in the supermarket sometimes. Could it be because of the war, could it be just out of stock at the moment, is there a recall? In any case, I literally don’t know what it takes to make something from raw materials to actually in the store.  The most important one is the smartphone like I don’t want to relay on the Apple to fix my phone like if there’s damage I want to know at least the language on what’s going on. And like yeah entrepreneur, girlboss, pull yourself from the bootstrap, there’s AI you poor soul but guys do you know in your circle of people who makes a car.  Like yeah fanbros all over Elon Musk but like did that mofo tell you how to make new cars of the future.  No he did and does not plan to tell you he just wants you to buy the car and think your the most amazing person ever but like if that shit auto drives away from you do you know how to get it back.  It’s like the 2020s there is a shit show and like we all didn’t even know the basics.  And year 3 into covid and nobody seems like they care to just make the effort to say this is how a city runs, it’s not just your idea of being a big spender.  You spent the money but did you make generational knowledge to pass down to the next person.  Maybe you don’t like your neighbor but at some point we all need to know how the sewage works. 

And in the end pizza is fun and delicious.

I never use to think so (possible because I did have public school lunch pizza) but at those pizzerias pizza is wonderful.  How do they make it delicious every time? And it’s a food you share and it’s the perfect vehicle for lots of toppings/stuff. It has a wide range of customers. And like the science; what is pizza yeast, what is a pizza oven, what is pizza delivery.  People usually talk about are you a pinneapple pizza person or not but there’s so much more to pizza economy. 

Will it fix racial inequality? Does your doctor approve your pizza diet? What is the mysterious pizza box? 

I do not know but it is weird that pizza only went to be a branded monopolizing neighborhood and not like at the very least a pizza factory. 

[amyhusmann]

Dying To Be One of The Cool Kids

Xavier, my nine-year-old, came home from the first day of school with a request.

“Mom, can I dye my hair?”

My initial reaction was a knee-jerk hell no, kid, you are in the fourth grade, that is way to young to consider any sort of body modifications, permanent or temporary.  

But I somehow managed to keep my cool composure and did the usual parenting trick of saying, “I’ll think about it and let me talk to your dad.”

I had to ask, though, why he wanted to dye his hair.  It turns out that his BFF, Oliver, showed up to school on day-one with blue hair. About half a dozen other cool kids were sporting green, red, and jet-black dyed looks.  

“And they didn’t even get in trouble, mom,” Xavier told me, surprised.  

I gave him the parental, “yeah, yeah,” realizing that Xavier really wants to be one of the cool kids and fit in by standing out.

When Rob came home, I mentioned to him that Xavier wanted to dye his hair (complete with the explanation that the cool kids are doing it these days), and that I told our kid that mom and dad would talk about it.

I thought for sure Rob would have my same reaction of hell no.  Instead, he surprised me with a much more measured response.

“Why don’t we make him wait a week to think about it, and if he still wants to dye his hair after that, he can,” he reasoned.

Sure, okay, a week. By then, the fervor would have died down, maybe the principal will have cracked down with a dress code, maybe the kid will change his mind.

I presented the compromise to Xavier with my own added caveat.  Wait a week, and if after that time, you still want to dye your hair, we can try it with temporary dye, that way, if you don’t like how it looks, it washes out.

He agreed to my terms.

And then I added one more. I’d buy the first round of temporary dye.  If he still wanted to color his hair after that, he’d have to pay for the material.

I thought for sure reaching into his hard-earned tooth-fairy money would give him pause.  But he only nodded, agreeing to my additional terms.

And a week passed.  At the end of which, Xavier informed me that it had been a week and he still wanted to dye his hair.

So, last Saturday, we headed to Sallys, and with the help of the clerk, selected some not-to-bad-for-you temporary hair dye.  Xavier had chosen the colors red and black.

Now, I’ve done my fair share of my own hair dying, like any woman over thirty-five.  I know a thing or two about what to do and not to do.  I know that what you see on the box is not ever what you get on your head.  And I was pretty sure the temporary dye wasn’t going to give Xavier his desired results. We were applying black and red color on already brown hair; at best, it would be a bit of a tint, not something vibrant.  But I kept quiet, and that afternoon, we spent a good hour in the bathroom, crisscrossing strands of red and black dyed hair, while he sat patiently on a stool borrowed from the kitchen.

When I had rinsed and blow-dried, Xavier looked at the results, and was not happy.  Sure enough, at best, the black dye made his brown hair a few shades darker, and the red dye looked… well… pinkish.

He asked me to fix it, to do it again, visibly upset.  And I explained that this is what we were going to get with the temporary dye, and why don’t you give it a few days to see if you like it after all, and if you really, really want bold-reds and jet-blacks, then we need to bleach your hair white first and then use permanent hair dye.  

He studied his reflection a bit more and decided that he did like the faded tint colors after all. Even though they clearly weren’t what he was after.  

His brother told him his hair looked pink.  And the fighting ensued, with vehement denials that it is not pink.

The week passed, and by Thursday, the temp dye had pretty much washed out.  Xavier declared that he did indeed want to permanently dye his hair and he asked me to go to Sallys and pick up hair dye.  

I reminded him that he’d have to pay for it, and that it would be around twenty dollars.  He agreed.  Later that night, I plopped two tubes of permanent dye down on the kitchen counter, and Xavier handed me a twenty-dollar bill.  (The total was $19.96, so, I made a tidy four-cent profit off the transaction).

And today, Xavier and I spent the greater part of our Sunday in the bathroom.  First, I bleached his hair, which totally turned out Donald-Trump-Orange, but I told him not to worry, we were just getting it ready for the color.  Then, after a two-hour interlude for video games, he sat patiently while I painted his strands with a mix of red dye and black dye.  It made a huge mess, and I’m pretty sure that the staining on the back of his neck and ears will never come out.  

When the job was over, he looked at his reflection.  His face was beaming.  “I’m so happy I made this decision!”  he exclaimed.

His hair turned out pure jet black, but the red parts… well, they look more of a… how shall I call it… um… magenta.  Don’t dare call it pink.  It’s not pink.  Don’t even suggest that it is pink.

But Xavier is happy. He has been posing in front of the mirror all night and bouncing with the energy that comes from feeling really good about how you look.

It’s totally pink.

[gibsonkatz8]

Fake Louis Vuitton Replica Baggage

There are a few key issues to look out for and keep away from. For fashions that use a single steady leather-based piece such because the Keepall, one side may have inverted logos on it. In addition, the company spends billions of dollars every year on marketing. According to Reuters, in 2018 Louis Vuitton spent 5.6 billion euros ($6.3 billion) on marketing, reaching 12% of group revenues. Their makers are actually putting attention to element a prime priority when manufacturing replica bags. They have successfully replicated the original bags – from measurements, the hardware used, the standard of leather used, the colors, and even the smallest details. I was a bit apprehensive about making this transaction especially since you have to use WU, but other evaluations impressed me into going ahead. That could be a bummer as a end result of these bags need to be proven round to everybody. With replica bags, you presumably can always flaunt your expensive designer style to everyone who can see, making them think that you're an empowered girl with an immaculate taste for fashion. Since they’re also cheaper in comparability with luxurious originals, you'll be able to always purchase a new one each time your bag will get worn out due to use. In the picture with the true vs pretend Louis Vuitton Millionaire sun shades above, we now have identified how the pretend merchandise has all of its inscriptions at the wrong font-weight. On the “PARIS” textual content, one line decrease, we now have spotted within the fake vs real Louis Vuitton wallet picture above how the fake wallet’s text is also too thin. Stepping apart from the clothes, we are now going to talk about one other one of the loved product varieties from Louis Vuitton, and this time we’re specializing in the equipment. In the image with the replica vs genuine Louis Vuitton luggage above, we've pointed out how the fake LV bag has its text on the wrong font-weight. At the identical time, the reliable hardware details are all the time imagined to shine the same, since they’re all made out of the identical materials, just being added to the totally different bag fashions. You’re not on the lookout for stuff that falls aside or will get pale really rapidly. https://phoenet.tw/blog/post/get-the-best-louis-vuitton-replica-bags Before I knew it, my walk-in closet began to fill with brands like Louis Vuitton, MCM, Dior, Celine, St. Laurent, and of course, Gucci. They have cash, but they don’t have that much money. The problem was, I was paying with plastic. In the industry, these are the indications for an “AAA” quality. I can confidently go to the net site of any high-end model and know at the again of my head that I will be succesful of find a replica for it that costs a tiny fraction of its price. I’m a girl who only recently graduated from school. As you can well imagine, since I simply obtained out of college, I don’t have much of a budget for luxurious fashions. My guide lets you get off the radar so far as those individuals are involved. If you'll find a way to pretend those folks out on the cheap, there’s no telling who you can fake-out. I came all the way from Santa Monica to pawn my gadgets and that i never disappointed.Good service. I’ve been coming to Gold Ex off & on for over 20 years. If you want to pawn or promote your merchandise I advocate coming right here over anywhere else. Quick pawn loan they usually have been very helpful in giving the amount I wanted. The Louis Vuitton Sobe replica is a compact clutch made of the most effective patent leather-based. As much as I would love to, I’m not in a position to spend all my hard-earned money on high-end purses made by some of the world’s most recognizable and renowned luxury brands. What follows is my go-to guide for finding the perfect in replica purses on the internet. This guide will assist you to pick the perfect high quality with out arousing suspicion. In the image with the faux vs real Louis Vuitton items above, we now have identified how the replica merchandise has its “LOUIS VUITTON” textual content looking too thick, and the way the genuine item has its textual content thinner. On the other hand, the genuine Louis Vuitton bag has its “LV” letters on the zippers looking thinner, and they don't come out of the sneakers as much as the fake bags’ zippers. First of all, regarding the appearance of the inscriptions, the actual bag’s serial quantity seems to make use of a different font for the quantity “1” character in comparison with the one used on the replica bag. Today, we’ll be speaking all about tips on how to tell when you have a real Louis Vuitton bag and a number of the key methods you probably can spot a pretend while purchasing. Due to their luxurious status, high price ticket, and movie star endorsers, everyone seems to need to get their arms on one of these iconic types. Unfortunately, this has led to an enormous influx of knockoff reproductions, or dupes as they’re typically referred as. In 2016, Louis Vuitton revamped their packaging. Notice any variation on the brand’s font or pattern that doesn’t look fairly proper. Zippers are another element that can typically be overlooked in relation to the creation and purchase of counterfeit baggage. Another important aspect is the colour of the thread. wikipedia handbags The real deal will nearly always have mustard yellow or brown stitching, versus a bright yellow or different shade. One factor that you could check for, nevertheless, is if all of the logos reduce off at the same point.

[herskind25karstensen]

replica birkin bag 17

Replica Hermes Birkin On the faux version of the bag, not solely sure areas have invariable angles , however at best, the stitches aren't as tilted as the ones found on genuine baggage. On the other hand, the genuine Hermes Birkin bag has an accent on the letter “E” trying thinner and noticeably “slimmer” than the one on the replica Hermes Birkin. https://phoenet.tw/replicas-hermes-bags/replica-birkin-bag.html In other phrases, you’ll notice here an absence of precision on the counterfeit version. In the faux vs actual Hermes Birkin bag images above, we now have identified 4 major flaws on the counterfeit versions, and we have counted each flaw for you to have the ability to perceive this simpler. Replica hermes birkin worth list To collect signatures for the referendum purchased the industry two more years of California earnings, said Thad Kousser, a political scientist at UC San Diego. This second initiative stalls implementation of the bag ban even further, that delay might be price tens of millions of dollars. I’ve seen authentic Birkins and Kellys with actually bad abuse on the piping base and lower part corners. Some, because they by no means sent their luggage to be conditioned, had leather-based pulling off. Do you need a scarf, footwear, ties, wallet, or watch? You must also determine your finances and how much time you want to purchase the Hermes merchandise. Beige/ebony GG Supreme canvas, a material with low environmental impression, with brown leather trim Gr.. Real leather-based and alloy buckle Color as the picture in all cloth nations, engravings and accessorie.. The Favorite MM clutch is Monogram canvas can be carried by hand or on the shoulder because of its re.. It’s normal to wonder how LuxTime can sell designer handbags for less than anybody else – aside from, after all, the shady guy selling cheap $25 knockoffs on the road or at a shady-looking store. Even more importantly, it’s cheap to wonder about the high quality of the luxury baggage you can buy for such low costs. Once you're normally instantly into developer handbags, yow will discover plenty of best brand names to select from. Nonetheless, Hermes Birkin purses are normally amid the best providing developer purses. The particular Kelly felix out of your equivalent model can be renowned, which normally can make Hermes one of many many desired brand names contained in the development trade. Of course, not every bag is created equal. Hermes replicaThey are all small rectangles with a strap that is simply lengthy enough to permit the bag to sit underneath the arm like a loaf of bread. This idea is the place the name Baguette derived since its placement was likened to that of the widespread method to transport the French fare. One of the most talked about Choo bag is the mannequin made of black crocodile leather, referred to as Bari bag. There are solely ten copies of such bag that is offered within the US and it's price $28,000. Given these causes, I truly have completely no remorse or guilt for purchasing replica bags. Only a person who has been living beneath a rock probably don’t know! Our bestselling product is then a black Hermes Birkin replica designer handbag. The Birkin represents the crème de la crème of must-have designer luggage with everybody who’s anyone owning it – Victoria Beckham, amongst others. You ought to definitely try strategies on this guide yourself, however should you spent a lot of money on an merchandise, it might be sensible to consider skilled authentication. If the hardware on your bag appears to be too gentle, your bag won't be as authentic as you thought it to be. I never thought of buying one as I was afraid to harm my reputation. Moreover, when standing, the bag should not slouch or bulge an extreme amount of even when it is a pre-loved piece. wikipedia handbags You can see how vital the form loss is within the fake one by trying on the footage above. My opinion is that any self-confident trendy woman can purchase a Hermes Birkin Horse Embossed replica bag and style it up together with her best outfits.

[jupitermelichios]

So I’ve been playing a lot of skyrim lately, because it’s video game comfort food, and I decided it was time for my Redguard Dovahkiin to settle down. (Actually I specifically just wanted to be able to adopt some of the random orphans you meet because I felt guilty about them, but you need to be married before you can do that so that there’s someone at home to take care of the kids while you’re off galivanting).

So I travelled around a bit, chatting up likely looking npcs until I found one I both liked and didn’t feel guilty about marrying (I feel bad if I marry one of the warrior adventurer types, making them be a stay at home mum) and settled on an obnoxiously cheerful argonian called Shavee because her life was frankly shit, and I thought she’d probably be good with kids.

So off I go to Riften to the Temple of Mara to arrange the wedding. I book it in for the next day, realise I didn’t bring anything nice to wear, and spend the night before the wedding robbing every house in the city in the search for something to wear. Eventually decide everyone in Riften has terrible fashion sense and break down everything I stole into raw materials and use them to craft myself an outfit and some jewellery that i’m pretty happy with. I even carefully pick out my fanciest looking sword to wear.

(don’t know why I bothered, frankly, shavee turned up wearing a shirt covered in suspicious stains and weilding a pickaxe, it’s like she doesn’t even care about this marriage)

(also for comedy purposes, bear in mind I play with survival mods that mean my character needs to eat and sleep to live, and I literally spent the entire ingame night on this and forgot to eat and drink anything either and then just downed four bowls of wolf stew right before entering the temple so I didn’t starve during the ceremony. also I discovered during the wedding that I am dying of rockjoint, which I contracted from sleeping in a pile of hay on the floor of a skeever infested cave, so even being six foot tall and jacked can’t make up for the fact that I am exhausted, running a fever, and probably covered in wolf which I spilled because my joints are slowly atrophying, and even the fanciest clothes in the world aren’t going to cover that up)

so I enter the temple, and my finance is there, and Lydia my housecarl, and some random NPCs the game thinks are my friends because I did fetch quests for them

One of the random NPCs is Lisbet. Atfter I did her fetch quest, I then did another quest in which I discovered Lisbet is secretly a cannibal and part of a demonic cult that worships the daedric prince of decay by kidnapping priests, sacrificing them, and then eating their corpses. Raw. I think the raw meat is the sticking point for me here honestly.

I ultimately decided not to sacrifice the random priest to a daedric prince in exchange for one magic ring and all the raw human I could eat, because frankly, that doesn’t sound like much of a deal to me. I was expecting there to be some kind of dialogue choice where I could nope out at the last minute, but it turns out there isn’t one, so after they drugged the priest and tied him to the altar, I just got out my sword and started swinging.

I killed most of the cult (including the town butcher, because I had brought meat from him before and was extremely pissed off that he might have been secretly feeding me humans) but a couple of them got away, which I figured was fine because they weren’t trying to kill me.

Except it turns out, if any of them escape, then every time you see them in the future there’s a random chance that they’ll fly into a violent rage and try and murder you.

Lisbet is at my wedding. Lisbet decides that clearly me marrying this random argonian woman with two lines of dialogue is the happiest day of my life, and she cannot allow me that happiness, when I’ve taken so much from her.

So she tries to kill me. Only she can’t, because I’m stuck in a pre-rendered wedding animation, and also she’s sitting next to Lydia, my faithful retainer and owner of a really big axe.

It also turns out that Lisbet is essential, meaning she can be knocked unconcious but not actually killed because she’s needed for some quest or other. And the minute she wakes up from unconciousness, she tries to kill me again, so Lydia knocks her unconcious again, and I’m stuck, I can’t move, because I’m supposed to be in the wedding animation.

Except Shavee has, not unreasonably, see all this and decided that she doesn’t like me enough to risk getting murdered, and has done a runner, leaving me at the altar, but more importantly, leaving me trapped in a broken pre-rendered animation, so all I can do is stand there at the altar, staring at the space where my fiance was supposed to be, listening to the sounds of Lydia trying and failing to beat a cannibal to death behind me.

Okay, I think, clearly this wedding isn’t going to happen, I’m going to go for the registry office option and complete the wedding using the dev commands. I do this. The priest gives me a wedding ring, and I can finally move again. I chase after Shavee, who has an impressive turn of speed on her, and eventually catch up right by the city gates. I try to talk to her.

Apparently using the console has completed the wedding for me, but not for her, because she still only has the same 2 lines of dialogue she usually has.

Clearly this is working, I can’t leave my kids with someone who can only say 2 things and doesn’t even know she’s their mum, that’s irresponsible.

I try loading from inside the temple. I get the same problem.

Eventually I figure out that I need to use the dev controls to disable Lisbet’s entire existence in the universe.

Shavee and me get married. As the priest reads the vows, I stare at Shavee and wonder why she couldn’t even be bothered to put on a clean shirt. I wonder what kind of mother she’ll be.

Once the ceremony is over, and I’m happily married to the dirty green lizard of my dreams, and we’ve agreed that until I can make her recognise my extremely nice modded house exists I will share her single bed in the unheated flophouse in Windhelm she calls home, I re-enable Lisbet, because I’m worried I’ll forget if I leave it too long.

Fun fact about skyrim, it loads in quite a lot of npcs and objects by dropping them from the sky. I have no idea why this is the case, but it’s objectively the funniest way to load in objects.

I re-enable Lisbet. She falls from the sky, clips through the roof of the temple, and lands in the pew beside Lydia, stands up, draws a knife, and is immedately beaten unconcious.

I no longer care, because Shavee now has all the exciting new spouse-only romantic dialogue options like “Could you cook something for me” and “have you made any money lately”, and I know she’ll be a great mother.

I limp to the door of the temple, while around me the guests not involved in the Lydia-Lisbet murder cycle scream and duck for cover.

I open the door to the temple, immediately collapse and ragdoll down the steps, which is how I discover I am dying of rockjoint.

I limp to the orphanage down the street, adopt two kids, and then finally remember that I’m carrying garlic bread, which as we all know, cures all known illnesses.

When I emerge back into the street, full of the joys of motherhood and garlic bread, I find the town in disaray. Lydia is chasing Lisbet through the streets with an axe and a dragon is circling overhead, burning npcs to death. People are running for shelter, screaming, while the guards try to take down an entire dragon using only the worst bows and arrows in the game.

I decide that as a parent, I have to think of my own safety first and leave them to it.

I head out of the city, intent on returning home and figuring out why Shavee refuses to move in with me. A man hanging around the stables challenges me to a boxing match. For want of anything better to do, I agree.

Halfway through the fight he dodges at the wrong moment and I punch one of his horses in the head.

Two guards attack me while I desperately try to surrender. My kids will miss me, but I’m prepared to go to jail for my horse crimes, I’m an honest citizen. Also my horse crimes seem somewhat less important than the dragon.

The guards refuse to accept my surrender. I am stabbed to death. As I collapse in front of the indifferent horse, Lisbet exits the city, followed by Lydia. The last thing I see before I die is Lydia swinging her axe at Lisbet’s face.

[noisyalmonddreamer]

Valentines day: Leo Valdez

(A/N) this is a reference to what lover eye necklaces look generally 

- Leo fully goes into Valentine's Day - he used to be grumpy about it. Cause he was single (ha) - but now - he LOVES it - I've stated it before but this dude plans for the things he's excited for like a month in advance (totally not to over compensate cause he can't tell how long the planning will take him...totally not) - and again, he makes you a present - it just feels nice...yk? - he also doesn't have a lot of money so he'll cook dinner! - he's actually kinda a good cook ngl - and he TRIES to be romantic! - he's just not amazing at it - but you can really tell he's trying! ~~~~~~~

This was Leo's first official valentines day with a real date! He'd get valentines day stuff without it being one of those dumb 'bring some for everyone else' events. He was finally dating someone!

He spent a long while trying to figure out a present for you. He already made you a charm bracelet and he didn't want to make anything too cheesy then it hit him! A new weapon! You had complained about your old one being kinda beat up and breaking. You had been planning on getting some random one but NO! He won't let HIS baby, HIS Amor, THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE! Have some random weapon made by some PEASENT! He'll make you a custom one!

So he spent January picking out the material, shape, design, and carvings. He also spent a lot of the time deciding what he'd cook and how he could make the bunker look cleaner and romantic. There was also the deal of getting his siblings away from the forges for a full day(plus some) . Which he did manage to do. After a bit of begging.

So he spent a good chunk of February 13th setting up a romantic feel in bunker 9. By the end of the day he had decided it was absolutely perfect and went to sleep or at least tried to. He was pretty gitty about his first real valentines day, so it took a bit longer to get to sleep then he would have liked.

When Leo woke up he headed to the dinning pavilion and walked up to your table "hey there baby." He said, kissing you.

"Hey there hot stuff. What you up to?" You looked over to him, trying to ignore the giggling, kissing faces and kissing sounds from your sibling(s).

"Nothing much, I got a few things to finish up today. I'm still picking you up before dinner right?" He asked, fidgeting with your fingers. You nodded at him "yeah. I actually also have a few things to finish as well so that's pretty convenient."

~~Time skip~~

Just as Leo finished making dinner his alarm went off, notifiying him to go and pick you up. He turned off the ring and changed to look a little more presentable. Which is to say, not having stains on his shirt.

Leo walked to your cabin only to not find you in there. Asking your sibling(s) they directed him to the arts and crafts center. There he found you painting...something. He honestly couldn't tell.

"(Y/n)?"

The sudden voice startled you, whipping your head around you were met with the face of your boyfriend. "Oh Leo! Is it already time?" You looked to the side at the clock on the wall and "shit it is. Okay I finished just give me a second to put this away and get changed. Just wait outside please?"

~~~Another time skip cause this is getting long~~~

The two of you walked hand-in-hand to the bunker, talking about whatever was on your mind. When you entered the bunker it looked better then it had ever. Or not better just....cleaner.

"Aww Lee this is so amazing!'

Leo only smiled at you, guiding to the newly set up table in the bunker. "So why don't we do the gift exchange now?" In all honesty Leo was rushing the present cause he couldn't wait to give you your gift. He was practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh okay yeah that's good!" Digging in your pocket you pulled out a small jewelry box and placed it onto the table, right next to a much larger box. The wrapping was a bit sloppy which somehow made it even more adorable.

Leo watched you open the box and your eyes lit up. You had been meaning to get a new weapon but this was so much better then you could have thought! It had a really beautiful designs. Some scenes of battles and quests you had been in, some just different myths.

"Leo! This is amazing! I love it. It's so beautiful. Thank you!" Leaning over the table you placed a hand behind his head and kissed him. He smiled into the kiss "No problem mi amor."

Leaning away he placed his hand on his gift "now it's my turn, huh?"

"I don't know now mine feels...dumb."

Leo waved you off "nonsense. I'm sure it's prefect."

Opening the box he was met with two pendants with...an eye painted on each. Leo looked up slightly confused. Taking a deep breath you looked to the side, blushing "I learned about these things called lover eye necklaces recently and they seemed romantic so I made one for each of us." Leo looked down at the pendants again, now that he noticed one looked like him and the other looked like you.

"I love them. Thank you amor."

(if you want to learn what lover eye pendent ask. They're super cute and romantic. The history is behind them is adorable.)