#i feel like there will be controversy if i tag any of the series lower on the list so i wont

[ballbustervideo]

made a tier list of books i read in elementary/middle school

[creativeashproductions]

What If...? V // Alive!Luke Patterson

Summary: 1995 was Sunset Curve’s big break in the music world with a successful future. Between 1995-2004 a handful of things happen: Playing the Orpheum, the band buying a house, a car accident, a reconciliation, an engagement, a wedding and children. All things that potentially may have not happened had the boys continued to eating sketchy hot dogs from a car.

Warnings: Swearing, pregnancy, labour, minor angst and a bunch of fluff.

Words: 3.1k

Requested: By @beautifulblogsblog. The last part of your request 🥺😭

A/N: Wow. The last part in the What If…? Mini series is here. This was incredibly fun to write and while I wrote the last two parts I played a few covers and rewrites of Unsaid Emily. This is the first finished series. I’ll also let everyone know that there will be a part three for Lost Time.

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX/ASK PLEASE!

Masterlist

Hospital Maternity Room #284, 1999

“Have a child, they said. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing they said. I can confirm that asshole that said that had a dick.” You hissed from the hospital bed. A contraction contracting your midsection.

Nancy Y/L/N and Emily Patterson took up residence in the chairs on either side of Y/N Patterson in the afternoon of 1999. Nancy had been using the previous months making a scrapbook for the baby; the first bit with copies of photos from Luke and your baby stages. The rest would be the first year of your baby’s life.

“Would you like some ice chips?” Emily asked focused on knitting the baby hat for her impending grandchild.

Mitch and Lance each had made themselves scarce from the hospital in favour of working leaving the women alone.

“I’d like your son to be here to kick his ass.” Your eye twitched at the thought of your husband currently on an airplane. Sunset Curve had gone on a three-day interview marathon to the dislike of your friends and family.

Sunset Curve really needs to fire their manager with little respect for his charges’ lives. Especially the lead singer’s first child. Luke had no clue you had gone into labour.

 “Your father had words with Jerry for his meddling.” Nancy told her daughter glancing up at the strained smile through another contraction, “I’m sure Jerry thought the controversy of Luke not making the birth would be perfect for publicity.”

“I swear I will strangle Jerry if Luke isn’t here. I will pulverize the son of a bitch.” You hissed relaxing against the white sheets in the private suite. The mothers had been constants in the room while Rose, the pianist from the wedding, had visited briefly.

 Rose and the photographer Ray had hit it off so well they had entered a relationship that then blossomed a friendship with you. The couple had become dear friends in the last few months.

 “Okay Y/N, we’re gonna check your progress.” The doctor spoke swiftly tugging the disposable medical gloves on his hands. Two nurses worked with him. Your eyes pinned to the ceiling during the short examination.

“We’ve hit ten centimetres.” The doctor announced pushing the wheeled stool away to study your expressions, “Do you have your partner here?”

The tears built up as it settled that Luke might miss the birth of his first child when he had been so excited about it. He had bought and read more pregnancy books than you he had been talking with his father on how he could support you. He took classes with his mom on how to change a diaper, check the temperature of the bottle and methods for colic and diaper rashes.

Overwhelmed the feeling of two pairs of hands comforted you with the reminder that while Luke wasn’t there, you still had support. The baby would be born with both his grandmothers in the room. It was as best as it could be.

In a fast pace, you then found yourself with your legs in the stirrups with a stranger, albeit a doctor, staring at your vagina. It was uncomfortable, but it faded when the pain really began.

“Okay I want you to push from 1-10.” The doctor soothed, “Good job.”

“You’re doing so well, darling,” Nancy told you, leading Emily to open her mouth. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the chance.

 “I’m here!” Luke exclaimed rushing into the room, “Your dad was-“

Why was it unfortunate that Emily didn’t speak? Well, Luke unprepared caught sight of your exposed lower half. He promptly fainted with a thud to the floor.

“Are you serious?!” You yelled glaring at the puddle of your husband out cold with one of the nurses waving a package under his nose.

The smelling salt pack under Luke’s nose, bringing him back to consciousness, “Oh, boy. I fainted.”

“It happens more often than you would think.” The nurse told the young man while you focused on another push.

By the time the contraction ended, Luke had taken his mother’s place in holding your hand with encouraging words dripping off his tongue.

“This is the only child we’re having.” You hissed at the musician who continued to pale with a perfect view of the birthing in a reflection, “If you faint again I will…ARG”

A beautiful cry filled the room to the relief of baby Patterson’s parents bringing both of them to cry as well. Baby Patterson was scooped away to the corner of the room for a checkup and weight while the doctor inspected you. Time felt unreal as it passed quickly.

Baby Patterson was wiped clean as you delivered the placenta, got cleaned up with a sheet change and began to rest. Baby hairs plastered against your forehead you cooed at the swaddled form of your baby.

“So beautiful.” Luke whispered, unaware of his mother taking pictures with the lessons Ray had given her. The baby’s mouth opened with a gurgle that caused your heart to grow, “I’ll go let the boys know.”

Mesmerized by the baby, Luke made his way to the family waiting room on the maternity ward where it was packed. Opening the door, he counted Reggie, Bobby, Alex, Alex’s boyfriend Willie, your father Lance and Luke’s father. In the corner, Rose and Ray huddled together.

“Well?” Alex anxiously questioned picking at his cuticles, anxious for any news. His blue eyes begging his best friend for answers.

“Y/N is doing fine. The birth was smooth, and baby Patterson is healthy.” Luke proudly announced, placing his hands on the hem of his purple long sleeve shirt.

The room went silent before Mitch spoke, “So, do I have a granddaughter or a grandson?”

From the moment she was born, Stevie Eleanor Patterson had her father tied around her finger with her daddy’s matching hazel gaze. Lips like yours and a nose still unsure of but the nine-month-old was absolutely gorgeous with her short brown hair already curling. Of course, you could be biased as she was all yours.

Stevie wouldn’t settle without rock music of her father singing songs, but she did sleep through the night since day one. That didn’t mean she’d continue to sleep through the night, regression of sleep was tale your mother told about you as a baby.

“Hello sweet baby girl.” You whispered gently rocking the baby back to sleep mesmerized by the perfect combination of you and Luke, “So sleepy from feeding hmm?”

Stevie was heavy with the only complication being the minor tongue tie that was resolved increasing her feed. Stevie had such an appetite you had to compensate with formula to a degree, and you were sure the appetite was all Luke.

“Hey sweetheart.” Luke murmured from the door of Stevie’s bedroom wearing his Rush cutoff shirt and his staple black jeans.

The now twenty-year-old man had transitioned smoothly into fatherhood with the support of his best friends and family. Emily and Nancy had alternated staying in the guest room to help in the first month; the birth had been easy, but recovery had been at a near standstill.

“Hey!” You spoke as Stevie reacted to Luke’s voice, “I thought you said you would be late?”

Luke’s lips turned up at your words, “It looked that way, but Tom sent us home. God, I wish we had him from the first instead of Jerry.”

Both noses of the couple scrunched at the insensitive former manager that had both hit on you and insulted you when started showing with the pregnancy. The minute they could the band fired the man and found a saviour in Tom. Tom had left his previous employment with some magician with a name like Conner or something. The magician was narcissistic truthfully and had a slight obsession with the occult and death.

“Perfect. I need a shower.” You sighed shuffling Stevie into Luke’s warm embrace staring at the daddy-daughter duo.

“Have a bath. Relax babe. I got it.” Luke cooed, staring at his baby daughter’s bright gaze and dimpled smile.

Luke couldn’t believe how blessed he had been in falling in love with someone like you and receiving a gift. The gift being a father to the most beautiful angel in the world with the name Stevie.

“Love you!” You called over hastily make a flee for the master bathroom with the large tub before Stevie objected.

How lucky were you to have a husband like Luke?

Malibu, Patterson home, 2004

Luke, Reggie, Bobby and Alex, better known as Sunset Curve, had become legendary in the music world after their 1995 headliner debut at the Orpheum. In the nine years since the esteemed performance Sunset Curve had released two studio albums and toured four times. With the good times came the bad times as well.

Bobby Willis had decided he wanted to pursue a solo career creating a cavern between all four boys. He would change his name to Trevor Wilson at the suggestion of his label. He had little traction with his songs.

“Daddy!” Squealed, the three old little brunette girl ran through the modest-sized mansion to the man at the door, “I missed you!”

Luke, having memorized the routine, had already left his bag on the ground as his five-year-old daughter launched herself into his arms. Stevie had kept the hazel eyes with the chocolate coloured wavy hair. You could see yourself with her nose, chin, mouth and ears, but the rest is all Luke.

“Bug, you saw Daddy this morning.” You spoke, bringing Luke’s attention to the woman leaning against the wall. Luke’s heart fluttered, taking in the vision of his wife, who inspired so many songs.

Luke’s lips separated to reveal that perfect smile that stilled made your stomach flutter as it had since you were both fifteen. His hazel eyes glanced from your face to the one-year-old on your hip with his eyes closed. Little lips opened with quiet snores.

Hudson Jude was born in December of 2002 thankfully while Sunset Curve was on a break allowing Luke to be there. Hud was a near replica of you with the same eyes as his older sister and father. His infectious personality mimicking his uncle Reggie.

Mitch and Emily’s House May 2002

Last night had been incredible to Luke Patterson as Sunset Curve stood on the stadium stage as the sold-out crowd cheered as the song came to an end. ‘Now or Never’ had a special spot in the band’s hearts as they believed it had been the spark of interest from record execs back in ’95. Luke’s blue electric hung behind him as his best friends, his brothers, came to the edge with him. Grins splitting their faces the four boys grabbed hands and bowed to the audience.

“Thank you so much for coming out!” Luke’s voice reached every corner of the stadium drinking in the cheering and the signs in the crowd. And it felt like just yesterday they played the Orpheum before they hit it big.

The screams growing as Reggie’s winked in the direction of a group of girls, but Luke’s drifted to the VIP section. You stood with Stevie wearing the special headphones to protect her hearing. Her tiny hands clapping as her eyes wandered the large number of people.

The next morning, right now, he was in the living room with his parents, in-laws, his wife and daughter. So much had changed for the vocalist from fleeing this very house to returning to make amends. Now he watched his daughter playing with the toys Emily had found in the attic from Luke’s childhood.

“Hey I got you a gift.” You whispered to the man leaning against your legs on the floor. You sat seated on the couch while the other adults spoke.

“A gift? What for?” Luke questioned leaning to rest his head on your lap. His eyes found the little box you had hidden behind a pillow.

It was small and unassuming to the group in the living room. Luke’s fingers pulled the bow apart before the lid came off. Nestled in the velvet five guitars were. Taking one, Luke read the engraving.

“New Sunset Curve member: Coming December 2002.” Luke whispered blinking as he flipped it to see, “Daddy’s new music buddy.”

You stayed quiet for a moment, “The other ones are for the boys. The back has their names on it.”

 “We’re having another baby?” Luke softly asked, turning to face you completely. His eyes wonder-filled at the news, “Oh my gosh!”

“I know. I’m about two months pregnant at this point.” You murmured back cupping his cheeks with the stubble he hadn’t shaved yet. Tears filling both his and your eyes, “With how busy the tour was I lost track of my periods.”

“Oh my gosh. Can I tell them?” Luke pleaded on his knees, bringing the attention of both your parents. Stevie was still so enthralled by her toys she didn’t catch any words..

“Go ahead.” You smiled at the excited man. Facing the other side of the room, Luke nestled into your side on the couch..

Hand pressing on your flat tummy he grinned, “Stevie’s gonna be a big sister.”

Luke was so excited when his second child was born, he was thrilled at having a son; he would have been just as excited for a girl. He had a son and a daughter he loved with everything in him. He collaborated with Lance on a song for his own children just as Lance had.

“Hi Hud,” Luke spoke, stepping close to kiss his son’s sleeping head nestled in your neck, “How’s my gorgeous wife today.”

“Tired. Hud is breaking a new tooth, but Stevie’s been better today. She missed her uncle Alex.” You spoke, looking at your little girl.

 Stevie had become Alex’s shadow with the man even buying her a toy drumset for her fifth birthday. Alex and Willie had been away the past two weeks for a honeymoon; they legally couldn’t marry, but that didn’t stop them from having a dedication ceremony. The minute the law changed, you had no doubt Willie and Alex would find their way to a courthouse.

“We all miss Alex.” Luke sighed, “I hope he finds beach sand for the next year, there’s only so much I can take of Reggie. Bobby, Trevor came to the studio today. His sales have dropped, and his label dropped him.”

“He wants to come back?”

“To be fair he never really left the band. He went solo.” Luke admitted, “It’s hard to trust him after he took ‘Get Lost’ from us. At least he didn’t take ‘My Name is Luke’ from us.”

Your hand pushed up the hair hanging in his eyes below the orange beanie that had been a staple outfit piece for years now. Fronts pushed together, Luke kissed you for the first time today other than the quick peck as he left this morning. Hudson had a lousy sleep that left Luke staying up most the night with him.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to Reggie, Alex and you to make that decision. He’s never been a bad person, but maybe he felt like he wasn’t important. How many songs did he write?” You questioned your husband tentatively speaking to not spark his passionate anger.

You saw the annoyance in the crinkle of his nose and his eyebrows almost touching, but it didn’t take from the love in his eyes. With a sigh, he shifted Hudson to his embrace, tugging you to the spacious living room.

“If you look at it outside the band you have Stevie, Hudson and me. You have a family. Alex and Willie are connected at the hip. Reggie is with the band, volunteering at the kids centre, or with Ray.” It seemed it shifted something in Luke. His shoulders relaxed.

“The last few years have been pretty hectic.” Luke admitted watching as Stevie danced to the rock playing on the radio. Her little arms moving as if she was drumming.

Hudson shifted on Luke’s lap as you nestled into his side, watching the little loves you created with soft expressions. Stevie’s bright grin lighting up the room better than the natural light from the windows. The innocence she carried deep in her soul it felt like everything clicked into place.

“Daddy! Watch me!” Stevie giggled jumping as the song changed to Bittersweet by her grandfather Lance. The same song that played in the car accident back in ’96 that had a new meaning with having your own children.

It took a long time before Lance was able to pick up the guitar and perform; his lingering pain in his arm the cause. It took a few surgeries and physiotherapy along with relearning how to play before he performed Bittersweet. Lance performed for the first time live in your hospital room to his first grandchild.

“Whoo Stevie!” Reggie called from the front of the house. Behind him, Alex and Willie joined the same family.

“UNCLE ALEX!” Stevie shouted sprinting towards the tall blonde already crouching for the little girl.

The bond between Stevie and Alex was by far the cutest thing you had ever seen with how Stevie looked up at him. Alex would be the first to suggest tea parties and painting each other’s nails with newspaper for any spills. There wasn’t a better role model for Stevie to love. The bond was reminiscent of Uncle Jesse and Michelle from Full House.

“Ellie!” Alex shouted back swinging the little girl in his hug calling his unique nickname for her. He had taken to shortening her middle name; he really didn’t like when anyone else said it.

Peering over the pink sweater Stevie caught sight of Willie in the door, “Ready Uncle Alex?”

 At Alex’s confusion, Stevie wandered over to the skater smiling at the sight of his partner with the little girl. Willie’s brow furrowed as the girl came over to him uncharacteristically.

“Hi.” Stevie spoke, playing with her little fingers, “How was your trip, Uncle Willie?”

A small gasp from both Willie and Alex at the new title given that Stevie was shy with the skater. Stevie had been very excited for her uncle to come back from the honeymoon so she could surprise them.

“What?”

“You married Uncle Alex. That means you’re my uncle now too. Can I call you that?” Stevie’s brows furrowed concentrating on the man with tears in his eyes. The room was silent at Willie collected himself.

“I’d love that Squirt.” Willie choked out when her little arms wrapped around his shoulders, “Learn any new tricks on the drums?”

“Not really! But I lost a tooth!” Stevie excitedly spoke dancing on the balls of her little feet in the kid-sized black vans.

“Oh! Ray wanted me to pass on that he and Rose are pregnant! Baby is a girl due next year.” Reggie gasped, remembering the announcement from lunch at the Molina house, “Ray’s pretty sure they’ll name her Julie.”

The little Patterson girl eagerly informed her uncles on everything that had happened since the dedication ceremony with Willie and Alex. Even the twenty-four hours since she saw Uncle Reggie before breaking out into the dance moves from her dance classes. Hudson now toddling after his older sister with a smile on his little face.

A twist of expressions appeased on the members of Sunset Curve at the same time spoke together. All thinking of a distant vision of a Puerto Rican girl with a blurry face and gorgeous voice.

“Julie Molina? I feel like I know that name?”

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[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Star-Crossed: Bound by Blood

Chapter Two

Master List / Read on AO3

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Mando/Din Djarin x OFC Baast’Mal

Warnings: I’m making this up as a go, Canon divergent from the series during chapter 13, mild violence

A/N: I make this stuff up as I go along, if I screw something Star Wars-y up, apologies in advance, I didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m new to this Fandom. I will be cross posting this story between AO3 and Tumblr except the smutty bits. Those chapters will only be available to registered users on AO3. (I’m trying something new for people who want to read here on Tumblr, but to also avoid the smut for minors controversy. We’ll see how it goes.)

*I do not have a tag list* Please follow the story on AO3 if you want email updates, or follow @tilltheendwilliwrite-library where I post the new/latest chapters of all my stories.

***

Baast woke to the scent of cooking meat. It made her stomach rumble and mouth salivate but also confused her. There had been no one in her life for many years. There should be no one to cook. Her eyes snapped open, prepared to fight whoever had found her.

Then her eyes fell on Din playing with Grogu, and it all came flooding back. He spoke softly through the modulator, encouraging the boy to float the small silver ball from Din's hand to Grogu's.

When the child succeeded, Din whispered a pleased, "Dank farrik!"

Baast almost purred, watching him with the child. He made an excellent father, and she was of an age to desire a mate, a home, a pride. But a warrior like him deserved someone better than a broken Zentari. It mattered not that her soul cried out whenever he touched her without the barrier of his gloves.

He'd stripped them off yesterday, and she could smell him—the spicy scent of masculine soap blending seamlessly with the musk of a man warm in his beskar. But the underlying scent of Din Djarin was that of the sandy dunes of her homeworld. He smelled of warm winds and dusky plains, of tall grasses whipped by fragrant breezes. 

He smelled like home. 

The stars were cruel indeed to drop her in the lap of the one made for her.

She watched them for a time as he encouraged Grogu. Their bond was strong, too strong if the Jedi were to be believed. Such attachments bred fear for the one they loved, and fear lent itself to the Darkside. 

The idea of Grogu's pure soul becoming tainted made her ache, and though she said she couldn't help them, Baast knew she must. Grogu deserved a chance to grow up on the side of good. 

She sat up, drawing Din's notice, the man turning toward her across the fire. 

"Morning."

Baast wondered at the voice behind the modulator. Would it be deeper? More robust? Would it be even more pleasing than this one that stroked fingers of violent want through her blood?

"Good morning," she murmured, voice husky still with sleep. 

Before she could ask, the canteen he carried on his belt was in his hand. "Drink?"

She nodded, catching it easily when he tossed it to her. "Thank you. I'm not used to morning conversations anymore. Or any conversations in some years."

"You've done well, evading capture until now. Now, the Tribe will help."

"The Tribe," she whispered. "I've been alone for so long." The idea of being part of something was both appealing and terrifying. "I look forward to meeting your Alor."

"She will be glad to meet you. They all will. Everyone will hope-" He cut himself off, busying himself with the lizard cooking over the fire. 

"Mando, they should not hope for what I do not think I can give," she sighed, lifting Grogu to her lap when he shuffled over.

"You don't know for sure you can't bond, Baast. Give it time."

Time was all she had. Life was a long thing for a Zentari alone in the universe. 

Small green hands gently touched her cheeks, causing her to look down at Grogu. He cooed a sweet noise as she gazed into big, dark eyes. They were expressive in their own right, and she felt herself falling, diving once more into his mind. 

The images came fast and furious. Din running, fighting, killing, but almost always alone. 

Baast closed her eyes as pain washed through her for the Mandalorian. "I cannot," she whispered to the child. "It would not be fair."

Grogu frowned at her before squealing loudly. More images filled her mind, these of a man reckless with his safety, one who had little to nothing to live for. 

She gasped and wrenched her face away from his hands, but it didn't stop the flow of ridiculousness. Kriff! The man had a death wish!

When Grogu disappeared from her lap, only then did he release her from his grasp. 

Baast sent the green menace a glare. "That was entirely rude."

He smiled and blew a raspberry. 

"I'm sorry," Din murmured, holding the child away like Grogu was a danger.

She held up her hand, continuing to glare. "Do not apologize for something he did. It sets a poor president. Invading my mind is bad manners, little one. Disregarding another's desires is a step down a dark path. This will not be allowed."

"Dark path?" Din asked. 

"The Jedi and the Sith. One force believes in peace and passivity. The other wants power and are often corrupted by that passionate desire, both use the Force. He has the potential to be extremely powerful, but with that power comes responsibility. It is a razor's edge to walk, one I am not confident I have the skill to help him navigate."

Din straightened, but his shoulders lowered, relaxing his posture. "You'll help him? I didn't want to bring it up, but I'm running out of options."

"Yes," she sighed. "I know of one who may be able to help him, but I do not know if he will come at my call. Where is your covert?" He said nothing, and Baast tilted her head in apology. "That was an improper question. Forgive me."

"Always," he murmured.

She wondered if that would still be true should he learn what Grogu already suspected. "If I am to make contact, it must be from Tatooine."

"Why Tatooine?"

"Because it is the planet we agreed upon." She turned toward the fire and the spit of roasting meat before looking up at Din. "Have you eaten?" 

The movement was subtle, a single negative action.

Baast hummed and reached for the cloth that tied her pants' to her calf and began to unwrap it. 

"What are you doing?"

She ignored him and continued until her pant leg fluttered free. The cloth was only a couple inches wide, but it was long and thick enough to make an adequate blindfold. 

She lifted it to her eyes, only for his hand to shoot out and grab her wrist. It felt odd for him to touch her with the slightly cracked but soft leather of a glove now that she knew the feel of his skin.

"You don't need to do that."

Baast blinked slowly, gaze drifting to his hand before returning to the visor where his eyes would be. "It is not a need but a want. I will do this, Din Djarin, so that you may eat freely with the child and I. This is the Way."

"It is unnecessary."

She unfolded, rising gracefully to stand before him, wrist yet held in his grasp. "When last did you eat?"

He said nothing.

She tilted her head and held out the cloth. "I have not shared a meal with another in many years. I would share this meal with you and Grogu. Allow me to honour your Creed."

There was no sound, no movement beyond what Grogu contributed to the conversation in small burbles of noise. The Mandalorian was still and silent, a hunter in all things.

Baast waited, quiet, calm. After so many years in a cell, the forest gave her peace, but those years had taught her patience. She could wait for eternity for his decision. She had the time, after all.

What went on behind the helmet, she couldn't know, but eventually, he set Grogu down, released her wrist, and took the blindfold. "Turn around."

She did so, pushing her hair back to uncover her ears. "If possible, try not to cover them. The tips are sensitive, and the fabric will feel abrasive."

The cloth came down over her eyes, hooked behind her ears, and crossed at the back of her head. 

"Again," she murmured. "I can still see."

Twice more, the fabric circled before he tied a knot. 

Her senses heightened, hearing, smell, and the sixth sense that had been with her all her life. The Force resonated in every living thing, glowing and pulsing, connecting all of them. She could see it like an orange glow, thin lines and thick, veining out around them. 

"Good?"

"Yes." The heat of the fire warmed her skin, but before she could move, Din took her hand and elbow. 

"Kneel. I'll get you some food."

Baast followed his direction, aware of the bright light that was Grogu coming to her side. He placed his hand on hers, flooding Baast with a gentle apology. She turned her hand over to hold his little claws.

A quiet hiss filled her ears, causing her to turn toward Din. The beskar blocked some of his energy, the Force somehow muted by it. Then he lifted off his helmet. 

It took every effort to restrain herself from gasping. He glowed white, the shining brightness of a sun. Shock left her mute as she tracked the supernova that was this Mandalorian as he set down his helmet and removed the spit from the fire. He pulled off a piece of meat, maybe a leg, she couldn't quite tell, and brought it to her. 

"Here." The deep baritone was like the softest of silk to her senses. 

Baast held out her hands for the meat. His bare fingers grazed her palm as the hot meal hit her flesh, and grease trickled through her fingers. 

"Thank you," she managed to force from a throat gone tight with emotion. 

"It's hot. Be careful."

She stuffed down the aching need to reach out and feel the lips that produced such a voice and smiled crookedly instead. "Too long have you travelled with only Grogu for company."

He chuckled. "Perhaps."

Another wave of needy desire hit her, but Baast fought it off. She would not doom him to a half-life with an unfinished bond.

She ate and made sure he ate once Grogu was fed, asking questions about the child and how they came to be together simply to keep him talking. His voice was a balm to a soul grown used to silence.

When they finally finished their meal, she waited for him to return his helmet and come to release the blindfold. His hands were deft, skilled, and careful not to pull her hair.

Baast blinked to adjust to the quickly blooming daylight, then retied her pant leg as Din smothered the fire. She reached for Grogu and stood, ready to leave. 

"I can carry him."

She tilted her head, already missing the gentle ebb and flow of the Force from him, now encased in all that beskar. "Do you object to me carrying him because you think I am weak or out of principle because he is your foundling?"

"Uh…"

She arched a brow. "Do not underestimate me, Mando. I live because I am jatnese be te jatnese. The best of the best."

"I know what it means," he huffed.

"Then stop being ori'buyce, kih'kovid," she smirked. "I will care for the child as you have cared for me."

"Atin," he muttered. 

She didn't protest because, yes, she was stubborn.

"Fine." She could almost hear a pout in his modulated voice as he turned and marched out of their temporary camp. "And I'm not all helmet," he grumbled, likely thinking she couldn't hear him.

Baast smirked and gave Grogu a wink. "Come along, ad'ika. We weak ones best keep up with the big strong Mandalorian," she teased.

"I will leave you behind."

She grinned at his back. "No, you will not."

***

By the time they reached the Razor Crest, he was sweating in his beskar again, but with the luxury of the fresher within sight, Din didn't let it bother him.

He disarmed the ground defences and lowered the hatch, heading inside to get them underway. He wanted off the planet before anyone else thought to come looking for Baast'mal. 

Hopefully, the Alor would know who to bribe to falsify a new chain code for her. Either that, or there would be an all-out war to eliminate the threat and bounty on her head. Or, she would spend the rest of her life hunted by the Empire.

He hated that thought. Baast was not a creature who should spend her life hiding. She should be allowed out into the light, a creature of hope and beauty. 

Though he hadn't seen the true colour of her eyes, the rest of her was so mesh'la, when he'd removed his helmet, it had momentarily taken his breath. And without the helmet, her scent had filled his nose like something he'd loved and long forgotten. It was warm, soft, and decadent, all things a Mandalorian put off when he put on the beskar. 

It was getting harder and harder to keep his hands to himself.

She closed the ramp and followed him to the ladder, climbing up with Grogu to slip into the seat back and to his right.

"Once we've left the atmosphere, you're welcome to the fresher, food, whatever you need," he offered, getting them airborne.

"Do I smell?"

He froze. "That wasn't what-"

Her laugher, that throaty purr, cut him off. "It's fine, Mando. An actual fresher after years of lakes and waterfalls will be pleasant."

"Hm. I have to make a stop on Nevarro, then another before we go to Tatooine. Is there anything you need?"

"Clothing. A cloak. And a weapon."

They cleared the planet, and he made the jump into hyperspace before turning around. "What kind?"

"Short sabres or staff will do."

He watched her pet Grogu's ears, gently using those long claws in such a fashion the kid was almost comatose in bliss. She sat with one foot propped on the seat, comfortably leaning on the armrest. He wondered if her skin would begin to lose its sun-kissed nature now that she was off-world.

"How did you learn to fight?" he asked, forcing himself not to think about her skin and how soft it was. 

"Mandalorians are not the only warrior race. Zentari are taught from birth; the rest I learned from the idiots who held me captive. They sought to make me a weapon or a slave, with that came training, but Zentari are not so easily coerced, nor do we forget the slaughter of thousands. I am no weak-minded individual to be controlled by some Sith," she spat.

"Sith?" He knew next to nothing about Force-wielders and felt the lack of knowledge acutely. 

"They oppose all things the Jedi stand for, desiring power over peace or balance. They corrupt what they touch.."

"And how does a Zentari hold out against someone so powerful?" He didn't wish to insult her, but surely a child against a master Sith couldn't win.

She sighed and looked away, watching the lights of hyperspace. "Zentari are neither good nor evil. We are Force neutral. The blood bonds distinguish much of our future. To avoid creating bonds with those that would bring harm was why Zentarus was so well hidden. But someone betrayed us. They used to brag about it, the Imps. How one who we trusted gave us up to the Empire."

"If you are Force neutral, why allow Mandalorians to know of Zentarus? Why let us come seeking mates?"

She shot those vibrant eyes back in his direction. "Because the Way was honourable once. Perhaps, at some point, Mandalore was led astray by their leader, but that was not our doing. Those that came to us knew the Way. They humbled themselves before us, and if they were denied, they left knowing such was not their destiny. Those who came knowing not the Way… did not leave Zentarus alive."

"Then I am glad I knew the Way," he murmured, wondering who would have won between the two of them had she not revealed herself.

"As am I," she nodded, looking as regal as the Sand Panther she claimed in her blood.

"Were the Jedi not part of your Way?"

She scowled. "The Jedi saw us as a threat. Naturally born Force users who required little training to do much of what they could, who lived for generations, and who were neither good nor evil. They feared what would happen if we were corrupted. An attempt was made to wipe us out. It failed, and we Zentari veiled Zentarus from those who knew not where to look."

"And that's why you didn't want to help us," he sighed, realizing the untenable position he'd put her in.

She stood, placing the sleeping Grogu down on her seat before taking the step she needed to stand between his spread knees. Her hands lifted to land lightly on the sides of his helmet, gliding over the metal. "It is no longer a want but a need. I will not watch Grogu fall to the side of the Sith because of my fear of the Jedi. He must be trained."

She leaned down and rested her forehead against his helmet as long lashes veiled her eyes. "This is the Way."

Without his permission, Din's hands found her hips and drew her incrementally closer. "I will protect you, Baast."

"We will protect each other."

He hummed his agreement and wondered at the low ripple of sound vibrating through his chest.

Next chapter

[yurimother]

Top 34 Yuri Anime

From mid-February to mid-March Akiba held a poll asking viewers what their favorite anime series were. Over 50,000 votes were counted and in the end, they organized the 34 entries by votes to declare which series was the most popular. While not including every yuri series, these titles do vary wildly from pulse-pounding action to salacious dramas and subtext filled slice of life shows. Of course, the eternal problem with popularity polls is that they only show what is, well... popular. So I have decided to organize the same 34 series into my own list, based on a mixture person preference, influence, and historical importance to the genre. Note that this list is not exhaustive, as there are more than just these 34 Here we go!

34. Kuttsukiboshi – No surprise here. While impressive from a technical standpoint, as this two episode series was written, directed, and animated by one may, Nayoya Ishikawa, this impressive feat does nothing to sate the deep loathing I have for Kuttsukiboshi. I found it not only nonsensical but disgusting and offensive at almost every turn.

33. Maria Holic – Ok this one has some funny moments and a solid opening theme but mostly it is about a cross-dressing sadist abusing the hell out of one of the cringiest characters ever written.

32. Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid – ew

31. Seraphim Call – Certainly not the worst but age really took a toll on this anime. It is entirely lost to history, only obtaining 12 votes in the original poll.

30. Love To-LIE-Angle - FANTASTIC TITLE, gross series that was forgotten before it even finished

29. Kurau: Phantom Memory – whut

28. Hidamari Sketch – How did this below average series get as many anime adaptations as it did?

27. Candy Boy – 2007 - 2009 was weird. I actually like parts of this one, as it is really cute, but you have to turn your brain off because full out incest. I have not heard about this one since 2009 and that seems to be cool with everyone involved.

26. The Girl in Twilight – I had never heard of this before doing this piece, which says a lot about this anime’s cultural importance. But it is a good watch.

25. El Cazador de la Bruja – worth one good watch and that’s about it.

24. My-HiME – Raise your hand if you have heard of this one. That is what I thought, and yet it is #13 on the original list.

23. Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn – There is no real place to put this one and that says more about it than I ever could.

22. Blue Drop – Weird show, you should watch it, but not memorable

21. Simoun – This one is actually a sort of hidden gem but it is lost to history for most people.

20. Destiny of the Shrine Maiden – It baffles me how this mostly mediocre mecha series was so popular. That being said, the ending of episode 11 is some of my favorite directing ever.

19. Saki – Ya know, you never hear about this one but it is actually one of the most popular, and was #6 in the poll. It is basically a mahjong sports style anime so I have no idea how it is so popular but hey, lots of people swear by it. The ultimate you “love it or hate it” show for a lot of people strangely as well.

18. Netsuzou Trap -NTR – I held off as long as I could. While really popular I cannot stand this anime, my loathing of it is rivaled only by Kuttsukiboshi.

17. Sasameki Koto – A pretty well-known yuri series. The books are FAR better, but still an enjoyable watch beloved by many yuri fans.

16. Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san – It pains me to not be able to place this one higher, as it is one of my favorites and so hilarious, but overall there are other series that just deserve to be above it.

15. Konohana Kitan – Adorable, just adorable.

14. Black Rock Shooter – It's astonishing that an (admittedly awesome) character design can spawn multiple anime adaptations, a hit song, and its own franchise. The anime adaptation packs some good old-fashion emotional suffering and cool fights but nothing really beyond that.

13. Strike Witches – Far more popular and influential than it has any right to be. One of the most salacious shows on this list I always feel uncomfortable watching it but I do love the characters.

12. Yuri Kuma Arashi – The creators behind this were clearly not sober and probably could have used a cold shower for other reasons as well, but it is an INCREDIBLE anime with some of the best, although extraordinarily odd, writing.

11. Liz and the Blue Bird – Things are starting to get a bit difficult now, this one is actually hard to place. Being only a year old we are not sure of the impact it has but the movie is beautiful and stunning with some really bad pacing.

10. Sakura Trick – Full of fluffy fanservice, and pretty popular. This is one that almost every yuri fan will enjoy.

9. Maria Watches Over Us – The show that revived the sister-love story, a lot of the most popular yuri would not exist if not for this gentle diamond.

8. Yuruyuri – A yuri somehow becomes one of the best slice of life series of all time. Its fame is well deserved, as the memorable characters and dynamics can be enjoyed for many, many viewings.

7. Bloom Into You – What started as a run of the mill yuri series became one of the most well-loved. One of the biggest anime of last year and a darn good yuri to boot. I wonder how we will look back on this one a decade later.

6. Citrus – DEAR GOD. I know how controversial this series is for many people and that some of you want to grab pitchforks right about now in response to me placing this high on the list but hear me out. Whatever your feelings about Citrus, and there is plenty of valid criticism to make, it is a very influential and popular anime. It scored the top spot on Akiba’s list by over 5000 votes. For me, it holds a special spot as the first real review I ever wrote (thank you, Erica, for the opportunity).

5. Sweet Blue Flowers – We are in the top five now, yet I still feel that I have placed this series far too low. It is one of the most grounded yuri series and ten years later its impact on the genre is still clear.

4. Strawberry Panic! – This was my first yuri and will always be special to me for this. But, there is no doubt that this series is actually worse than a lot of the ones lower than it on this list. I can almost feel the seething rage directed towards me for placing what can realistically be described as an aging, parodied, melodrama so high.Yet, as I gaze through my strawberry colored glasses, I see that Strawberry Panic has a magic to it. For so many in the American community, it holds a special place and I have heard my story with it reflected so often that I just started writing it on a speech bubble on the inside of the glasses I wear at conventions so that I know what people are saying to me when my mind wanders off. There is a reason it is nicknamed the gateway of yuri.

3. Kase-san and Morning Glories – A simply stunning, beautiful, and realistic story, this OVA movie is unlike any yuri before it. It holds nothing back in its yuri in its realistic depiction of a lesbian relationship. Kase-san is the best anime to come from twenty-gay-teen it just might change the genre forever.

2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Speaking of changing a genre, PMMM, my favorite anime of all time, did something truly incredible. Not since sailor moon as such a social phenomenon sprung from a magical girl series. The perfect writing, postmodern use of tropes, philosophy, and just pure awe-inspiring nature of the show has not been forgotten years later. The legacy of such a widely celebrated series is nothing short of god-like.

1. Revolutionary Girl Utena – Was there ever really any doubt? This series defined what yuri is for a generation. It is one of the defining works of LGBT and feminist media and possibly one of the most important pieces to come out of 90′s anime. Yuri, as we know it may not exist, were it not for this legendary series.

Well, that was fun but exhausting. Of course, this list is not perfect and I am sure that you more than disagree with me in a few places and I would love to hear them. Send me an ask, post a reply, tag me on twitter @HolyYuriMother for the love of the great yuri goddess! I want to know what you think, what series do you love? What anime do you hate? What nonsense thing did I say that just deserves to be torn apart? I want to know!

You can check out the original list on Akiba.

Help create yuri and LGBTQ+ news, reviews, and content by supporting YuriMother on Patreon

[socialoutsiderwritings]

Always , Only. You 12.2

Talia had taken in Y/N in to her pack after your parents and their pack  were brutally murdered. For years she trained and learned under Talia alongside Derek , Laura and Cora. One night Talia tells you along with Derek that you two have to imprint on each other , to become each other’s mates. Your connection to Derek has always been stronger than his to you. So after the fire it killed you to be away from him , but you had to do it for your own survival. 7 years after the fact , you return home. Back to Beacon Hills. But the Derek you return to is not the same Derek you know. Will Y/N ever get Derek to accept the fact they are meant to be together?

Soulmate!Au Teen Wolf.

Derek Hale x Reader

Gif credit: /Iceburglounge 

A/N: TW: Mentions of sexual assault, abuse, rape. Soooo, I know Teen Wolf is like 6 years old (maybe less since season three came out later) but I just barely now came across a lot of .... tea... about Jeff Davis and the controversy he stirred up about Dennifer? So, yeah I’ve noticed he treated Derek like shit in the series. Actually a whole bunch of characters that deserved better. Plus there was a lot of queerbaiting and a lot of implied romantic relationships/feelings between adults and literal high schoolers and ugh let’s not mention the lowkey xxx scenes between a lot of the characters that were there just because. But one that really stuck to me  was the whole Jennifer Blake ‘psychologically and sexually abused’ Derek. So apparently (and also confirmed by Jeff Davis but I can’t seem to find the link to the article anywhere) Jennifer Blake used Darach magic on Derek to have him trust her and in the scene where they are intimate that was also her using magic because she was healing him and tricking him in to thinking love was making him heal faster. And then she completely 180ed on him when it was time for her to carry out her plan. I rewatched it and it’s hard for me to see it any other way especially since the WRITER confirmed it himself. So, if you were rooting for Dennifer in these next chapters, I’m sorry that’s not happening. I love all of the actors that were in the show, honestly, with all my heart but if I knew JD was such a trash bag and treated them horribly I never would’ve started watching Teen Wolf again. And yes I spent way too much time in the anti Jeff Davis tag.

————————— 🐾 ——————————

Beacon Hills Preserve

The trap you set up for Erica worked perfectly. Thanks to Peter becoming the bait. He lead her to a small clearing in the woods just miles from the edge of the city.

Peter watched Erica, nervously. She hadn’t charged at him, yet, but she had her eyes trained on him. He was keeping still, careful not to give her a reason to attack him.

He quickly glanced up at the trees; he didn’t see you. He looked to the bushes; again he didn’t see you. He looked back at Erica nervously.

Erica lowered herself slightly, growling at Peter. Peter knew what that meant; she was getting ready to pounce.

Peter breathed quickly, adrenaline coursing through his body now. “Fuck it.” He muttered. “Come on!”

Erica snarled at him, and he braced himself for the impact as she ran at him. Peter caught her but was forced to the ground by the force. Erica raised her arms and he grabbed both her wrists before she could claw at him.

“Y/N!!!” He yelled. Erica snapped at him, getting closer to biting off a chunk of his face.

She suddenly stopped moving and went limp. Peter threw her off of him and stood up quickly. He looked down at her then at you.

You were holding a medium sized log and you were grinning at him. “Great work, Peter.” You teased him.

“Right.” He drawled. He started wiping off the leaves and dirt off of himself. “We caught one. Now what?”

“Now you—,” you paused, feeling a slight buzzing your head. “What is that?”

There was a faint, trilling sound echoing in the woods. It was far away, but with your hearing you could make out what it was.

“Is that—?” Peter didn’t finish his question.

“Argent.” You answered. “He’s actually helping.”

“Great, you don’t need me then.” He began walking off.

“No, I’m not done with you yet.” You grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him back. “Take Erica back to the loft. Chain her up if you have to but don’t let her out of your sight!”

Peter groaned and rolled his eyes like a child.

“I’m going to follow Argent’s emitters. Shouldn’t be too hard to catch the other two now.” You walked off in the direction the emitters were coming from.

“You can’t save them all!” Peter yelled to you. He lifted Erica up and tossed her on his shoulder. “You and Scott will soon come to learn that.”

————————— 🐾 ——————————

Beacon Hills High School

You met Argent and Scott at the front of the school. You had gotten there before the betas, but you all knew they were coming. They filled you in on their plan. You were going to trap them in the boiler room at the high school until morning.

You were paired up with Derek. You were. It’s going to lead Cora and Boyd to the boiler room to lock them in.

You and Derek stood at opposite sides of the hallway, till facing each other. He was acting strange. He was too quiet.

“Are you ok?” You asked him, leaning off the lockers.

 “Peter doesn’t think we can catch them.” Derek suddenly spoke. “He said this is all part of Deucalion’s plan. If I don’t kill them— if this doesn’t work—.”

  “This is going to work. I mean, we caught Erica.” You approached him and grabbed his hands. You gave them a gentle squeeze but he refused to look at you. 

“Argent is helping us now. It’ll be easy.”

 “I don’t trust Argent.” He cut you off, pulling his hands from your grasp.

 “Do you trust me?” That made him look at you now.

He furrowed his brows in confusion like you had just asked him an impossible question he couldn’t answer. “What?”

 “Do you trust me?” You asked again. 

Silence.

You clicked your tongue. “I didn’t lie to you, Derek. I was just trying to protect you. I hope you know that.” You took a step back. You were now hurt that Derek didn’t trust you.

“I do.” He finally replied. “I do trust you. But I’m the alpha, I should be protecting you. And the others.”

“You will. You are.” You gave him a small smile in which he returned one of his own.

A small glowing ball of light crossing in front of you and Derek caught your eye.

 “What is it?” Derek asked.

You startled him by swiping at the air to catch it. 

“A firefly?” 

  “It can’t be. The species native to California aren’t bioluminescent.” You opened your palm to reveal the bug but instead a cloud of black smoke erupted from your palm. “And I don’t know of any fireflies that explode like that.”

  “We have a bigger problem.” He said, turning and taking a few steps towards the door. “They’re here.”

Boyd and Cora could be heard panting from a distance as they reached closer to the doors of the school.

They stopped at the open doors.They eyed you and Derek for a second and then jumped up on to the roof of the school.

Derek frowned. He looked up at the ceiling tracking the sounds of the footsteps above. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath as the sound disappeared.

“What do we do now?”

“We ask Argent.” Derek rushed out of the school.

You followed after him, only stopping when you heard a classroom door close somewhere in the building.

You turned your head back slowly, blocking out all other sounds and focusing your hearing to confirm your suspicion.

Heels clicking across the tile echoed in the distance. There was definitely someone else in the building.

 “Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me.” You groaned.

You walked further inside the school building and followed the sound. Down the stairs. Further down. Leading you straight to the boiler room. 

“Why?” You whined to yourself.

You opened the door to the boiler room and entered. You walked further back in to the room. You couldn’t pick up a scent, there was a noise coming from what looked like the supply area.

They were certainly in here. You caught a flash of black long hair in the corner of the supply room. You walked inside closer; a female teacher was grabbing more supplies from the bottom shelves.

She stood up and turned, startled by your presence that she almost dropped the supplies in her hands.

You both turned your heads at the sudden creaking sound of the boiler room door opening. You held a finger up to your lips and slowly backed out away from her. As you exited, you closed the gate door. As a precaution you clicked the clock shut. 

 The loud slam echoed, followed by a loud metal sliding sound. There was a loud bang, as if someone punched the metal door and a loud growl.

The teacher dropped the supplies and ran to the gate frightened. “What is that?”

“Shhh.” You gestured with your hands to for her to keep her voice low. “There’s, uhm, animals in the building. My team is just outside but you have to stay hidden. Go back. Get out of the light.” You explained and gestured with your hands for her to move back.

You waited for her to hide, making sure from where you were standing she could t be seen at all. As you walked away from the supply area, you couldn’t see her anymore.

You just had to make sure the others wouldn’t go near that area. You were close to the front of the boiler room now, several feet away door. Boyd and Cora weren’t there anymore, but they had walked somewhere in the boiler room.

 “What are you hearing?” Derek’s voice, though you could barely hear him from the other side.

“Heartbeats.” Scott.

 “Both of them?” Derek again. 

Silence.

You rushed to the boiler room door. Unsure if it will work, you pressed your hands to the door. “Yes.” You whispered to it. You pressed your ear to it and waited.

  Scott’s heart skipped a beat on the other side.

“Yes.” You repeated against the door. You were getting nervous.

“Yeah.” You heard Scott finally say, but his tone was shaky. “Just two.”

A low growl came from behind, in the center of the dark boiler room. Followed by claws scratching against metal.

You stared, the betas glowing yellow eyes slowly glowing brighter as they emerged. You slowly pushed yourself away from the door.

“Cora, Boyd.” You began slowly walking towards them, “please. I don’t want to fight you.” You tried to reason with them.

They didn’t care. The moment Cora stepped forward, you were sprinting in their direction. You clawed at Boyd’s face first making him stumble back.

Cora’s snarled at you, and she flailed her arms crazily at you, desperate to claw at you. You grabbed Cora’s arms. From behind her, Boyd was angrily making his way towards you, the scratches on his face slowly healing.

You looked at Cora, “I’m so sorry.” You let go of on if her arms, using your free arm to dig your claws across her stomach. She roared out in pain and fell to her knees.

You kicked her in the chest, causing her to fall back and knock Boyd back again. Boyd moved Cora to the side and got up quickly.

“Woah,” you held your hands out as Boyd rushed at you. “Hold on.” You couldn’t move, your feet were planted to the ground.

You slid across the cold floor from the impact from Boyd. He had knocked the entire wind out of you and laid there gasping for air.

There was a sharp, heavy pressure in your abdomen. You opened your mouth to scream in pain, but only a mouth full of liquid sputtered out.

You moved your eyes to see what the cause was. Boyd had his entire hand inside your abdomen. He twisted his fist and pulled his hand out. He grabbed your shoulders and held you up.

Core revealed herself from the shadows as she joined you. “Co-.” Another mouthful of blood. She turned her claws as she plunged them in your thigh. You let out a silent scream.

Boyd dropped you and you fell to your knees. The betas atta med you, relentlessly now. You could no longer fight back.

This is it, you thought. It’s almost over.

You were bleeding all over and you were healing slowly. You were slowly losing consciousness. The only thing on your mind now, was Derek.

What would happen to him if you were gone?

Just the thought of possibilities was enough. You gathered enough strength to get on your feet. You screamed, fighting through your pain. You pierced Boyd in his sides, he screamed out in pain. With the little bit of strength left in you, you forced him towards Cora’s direction so he was in front of her.

You let out a scream of encouragement for yourself, and pushed them with all your might. Cora screamed when her back hit the boiler. She deshifted and pulled Boyd towards you and she fell to the floor, unconscious.

You then did the same to Boyd, until he was unconscious as well. You removed your claws from his side and stumbled back. You fell to the ground, and laid there.

There was a bright light shining in your face. You blinked slowly and then looked up. The light was coming from the window above you. The moon had gone down and the sun was making it’s way up in the sky.

You let out a weak laugh of relief. You blinked once, slowly. Again, this time slower. And again, but you didn’t open your eyes again.

————————— 🐾 ——————————

Beacon Hills High School

Derek looked up at the morning sky, relieved. Surprisingly even sharing a quick handshake with Argent as a thank you. He looked over at Scott.

Scott didn’t look too relieved; he looked like he was going to be sick. He wanted to stay by the boiler room door, but Derek wouldn’t let him.

“Scott.” He calls his name.

“The suns up,” Scott said hastily, “we should let them out now.”

Derek stared at him suspiciously, “Not yet. The sun may be up but we don’t know if they’ve shifted back. We’ll wait a little longer.”

“How long is a little longer?”

“Is there something you need to tell me, Scott?”

“No.” He looked back at Stiles. Stiles shook his head, advising his friend against what he was about to do. “Maybe.” He changed his answer.

“What?”

“Oh thank goodness, it’s Erica!” Stiles shouted.

He was actually happy to see Erica but was more relieved that he just saved his best friend from being murdered.

Derek turned around. It was Erica. And she was her normal self again. And she was walking—

“With Peter? But..” he turned back to look at Scott. “You said you saw Y/N leave with Peter last night.”

“Huh?” Scott asked dumbfounded by the sudden attention again.

Peter looked at all five faces, realizing there was one missing. “Where’s Y/N?” Peter asked.

“Where is she, Scott?” Derek chided. “And don’t lie to me.”

A beat. “She’s in the boiler room.”

Derek was furious. He hesitated between grabbing Scott and wringing his neck or running to the boiler room. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He began to run towards the school but stopped when he saw his sister and Boyd walking out.

His heart dropped. Boyd was carrying you. Cora was walking next to him, a crying mess. A stranger, a woman, ran out from the school building right behind them.

“Ms. Blake?” Stiles whispered to himself.

“I’ll take care of the civilian.” Argent awkwardly announced.

Derek didn’t say anything. He just started walking towards all of you. The closer he got, the worse you began to look.

Cora and Boyd were still healing, but they were considerably in better shape than you were.

“Will you tell her,” the teacher called out, waiting for Derek to look at her, “that I said thank you.”

Derek looked at her. She somehow was happy that she had gotten his attention, because she smiled. Argent broke the eye contact as gestured the teacher to follow him.

Derek continued to stare at her as she walked away.

“Derek.”

He looked down at Cora.

“I wanted to stop.” She tells him. “I couldn’t.”

He closed the gap and hugged Cora. “I’m just glad you’re alive.” She began sobbing into his chest. She let out all the tears that she had been holding in for years. All of those and then some.

“We should take her to Deaton.” Scott suggested.

“I’ll take her.” Derek told him. “You’ve done enough.” There was no hint of gratitude in his voice.

Stiles put his hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “Scotty.” Stiles shook his head at him. “Let’s just go home, man.”

[welsh-gamer]

Finished Pokemon Sword and Shield

Spoilers below

Ho boy this one has been a doozy - it’s easily the most controversial Pokemon game so far, what with how many changes have taken place. 

Pokemon has managed with annual development cycles for the past 24 years. It’s not like every year has seen the release of a core series game but they’re out enough that you’ll find two or three on every Nintendo console. In fact I think the only console NOT to join in on the fun is the Wii U... It had a bad Pokemon Rumble game but that’s all I remember.  

I went into this game with very low expectations. Having played Persona 5, I knew what a good UI felt like. Persona was responsive, you pressed a button and something happened immediately. In scenarios where your teammates get hit all at the same time it happens, you don’t get hit one by one, and when you’re hit by multi-attacks it just..... shows the attack hitting you or your enemy rather than AGONIZINGLY showing each impact one by one. 

Pokemon is a game with no respect for your time and Sword/Shield do not show remarkable improvements for this area. This is by and large the greatest flaw of the game, which claims to be catering itself to a younger audience when we know no small child will put up with this boring crap in silence.  

The Galar region is a step back from the fantastic Alola region too, with a lack of any proper worldbuilding. In previous Pokemon games you would enter a town and some NPCs would tell you the purpose of the town. Not in this game, where there’s a desert, a snow city, a bunch of other places all with no lore whatsoever. You enter them, fight the gym leader, and leave. 

I think that the core gym challenge, however, is one of the best that has ever been in Pokemon. Instead of just fighting a bunch of randos, you complete minigames called a “gym mission”. Past gens have done this (a prime example being Generation 5), but you can tell that GAME FREAK are taking advantage of the console’s power during these challenges, compared to Gen 7 which had nothing of the sort. The game has actual physics in some of the Gym Challenges. 

Exploring the Galar region at my own pace, being able to selectively encounter Wild Pokemon which now appear in the overworld.... Biggest improvement by far over the previous gens. This one needs to stick. Your quality of life is much better when you can see all the cute pokemon bumbling around. 

I found the characters to be, eh, nowhere near the level of Gen 7′s cast, but pleasant enough to want to see more of. This includes all the gym leaders, the champion Leon, and your pseudorivals Bede and Marnie. Hop, however, is a pain in the backside who becomes more of a loser as the story goes on. I’m not sure if he ever stops being one. No kidding - In the end he just has to accept that he’s a loser and do something else with his life. 

The “villain” was just some guy whose home we invaded. He went “F*** it” and tried to solve the energy crisis, then cried to the Champion when it went wrong. This was all just leadup to the awesome final battle against Eternatus, which has no difficulty at all since you can just sit back and watch the fireworks, but has a rocking soundtrack and feels epic enough.  

The postgame is lacking, no fun minigames like Gen 7, no dark Ultra Beast story like Annabelle’s and Looker’s, but it was servicable enough. You beat up Jedward and catch a puppy.   

The multiplayer aspect is HIGHLY LIMITED. It’s fun to be able to engage in battles against Gigantamax Beasts but it’s repetitive and difficult to matchmake with since you have to join each match individually and many of them are just people exploiting the game’s clock to get the Gigantamax pokemon they want. These people will glitch you out if you try to join them. If you leave the multiplayer on in the Overworld, it has the quality of Dragonball Xenoverse where the ally characters may or may not pop-in every couple of seconds. It’s chaotic and it will slow your game right down.  

The pokemon themselves.... In  a static image they look super boring, but in the Pokemon Camp minigame and during certain battle animations they can look impressive. My favourite was the ladybug pokemon, which is covered in spots that will flicker in its middle stage and outright swirl in its final form. I also enjoyed Scorbunny’s epic kick, everything to do with Sirfetch’d, and a certain fighting type’s special move called “No Retreat” which has all 5 of its components band together in a Spartan march.    

Overall, I would not say the game is worth the high price tag of £50. Get it cheaper if you possibly can.

Ratings below:  

Gameplay: 5 - A servicable battle system but it needs to move much faster. 

Story: 3 - Even the other characters treat the story like it’s interrupting your true journey; Pretty much nonexistent, then crammed into the final 5 minutes before you fight the Champion. This game was better when it was just letting me do my own thing.   

Music: 6 - Not up to Sun/Moon’s standard. Wild battle theme is good. Hometown theme is among the best. Everything else is pretty generic. The basic gym leader theme fights Gym Leader Piers for supremacy. 

Presentation: 2 - Considering the amount of resources this company have and how cheaply it continues to present its games, the only way this could get a lower score is if they went back to what Gen 1 looked like. 

Replayability: 7 - Benefitted greatly by the Switch’s multiple profiles. I could see myself trying a nuzlocke run for laughs. This game also gives you more peace and quiet, making it ironically more replayable than the superior Gen 7. 

Timewasting degree: GAME FREAK. I christen this development team with its own category, because I cannot express enough how much they want to waste the player’s time on innocuous crap. God forbid I play a game which wastes my time more and create the “Worse than GAME FREAK” category. 

Overall total: 4.5 out of 10.  This game has its cute parts but you can do so much better. It’s time to start trying. 

[welldonebeca]

Commission/Consulting Rules

Hello, everyone. 

If you’re here, you’re wondering how you can commission a work from me, a story made especially for you, with your tastes and with things you would like to read in my personal writing style. Fear not, for this post is exactly what you were looking for. 

First, you must be asking yourself: 

“Beca, what can I commission with you?”

Well, my lovely follower, the answer to this question is simple. You can commission a story for your favourite characters with any ship, reader-insert or/and OCs. 

“And how much do they cost?”

My dear follower, I have varying prices for whatever you need. 

Stories

250 words = $1

800 to 1.5k words = $6

1.5k to 3k words = $9  

3k to 5k words = $15  

5k to 9k words = $20 

The word count can be divided into two to three chapters, so no need to worries if I tell you we’ll make 2 chapters and the story is just four thousand words long. Sometimes it feels like it needs to be divided

If you want a series or anything different, just DM me, and we can discuss it. The prices are usually lower than just one-shots because of the content.  

Any other pricing needs to be privately discussed.

But pay attention to the rules:

I write for Supernatural, Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars (original, prequel and sequel trilogies) and Harry Potter. I am engaged in some other fandoms and got a pretty good library of films I can write about, but if you want anything out of the four fandoms I mentioned, I would advise you to come and chat with me first. I write some RPF, but ask me first. 

You will be the first person to read the story once it is done, but it will be posted to my page on Tumblr and AO3 after 2 months of it being finished. 

You can choose practically any pairing, including OC x Canon Character, Reader x Canon Character,  and also no pairing at all if that’s what you’d like best. 

OCs and Reader-inserts can be of any gender you’d like best. 

I do not write abuse, incest, bestiality, underage characters engaging in sexual activities, and some kinks. The word I want is mangabanana. If you think your story includes something I may not be comfortable writing, contact me. I do write Jonsa, though, it’s the only “controversial” pairing I write. 

I do not age up underage characters so they can be with adult characters, nor age down adult characters so they can be with underage characters. 

How to commission a piece:

Step by step:

Read the rules. There is a keyword there, you’re supposed to send them to me along with your receipt. 

If you’re unsure of how many chapters the story is supposed to have, message me with the basic plot of the story you want to commission, and I’ll let you know how many I think I might need. We can work together in it if you want it to have more or fewer chapters.

Go to my Ko-fi page and buy be the number of coffees equivalent to what you’ll be spending. (Or we can do it through Paypal alone. DM me and I’1ll send you my email for that)

Take a screenshot of the receipt and message me with it, the plot of the story and the keyword you’ll find in the rules. (See? I told it was important.), and we can come up the plot and the details of the story (When/Where it will be, the main pairing, the plot, the genre, things you’d like to see there...) together. 

I’ll give you the link of the Google Document with the story and it will be available for two months, until I post it on Tumblr, where I’ll tag you. 

If you’re interested in knowing more about me and having exclusive access to my some stories or early access to other content, consider joining my Patreon. 

Thank you for your attention. 

[oceandetail06]

Next Year Innovative developments by Apple

Apple is considered to be the most innovative company in the world at present. It’s the business to which nearly all others search for guidance. When ever Apple reveals a forward thinking new design language or launches a new product, it generates ripples throughout the marketplace. Suddenly, the whole industry is crafting items in Apple’s look and feel. Nevertheless to state Apple is merely a trend-setter understates the organization’s position as arguably the figurehead of invention in customer technology. Apple isn’t just setting technology trends; Apple’s vision units precedents and starts movements that allow the developments to exist to begin with. As wonderful since it must feel to be Apple in this scenario - and as humbling as it must experience to be the many businesses copying Apple at every change - it’s not absolutely all sunshine and rainbows. Most people can claw the right path to the top of a mountain, but there’s not a lot of stable surface up there. One incorrect step and your toppling back down the mountain, undoing years of the hard work needed to get right up there. I actually don’t want to lower price Apple’s successes in 2018: Apple Pencil program for ipad tablet was a beautiful addition; iOS 12 has provided new life to iPhones as old as the 5S; Apple Watch Series 4 generally is conserving lives; and that’s just a few highlights. Looking back, though, 2018 was a fairly tough year for Apple as certain missteps ended up impacting the company’s bottom line. Among Apple’s most questionable moves in 2018, there’s one I wanted to identify for an important reason: Without second-generation iPhone SE around the corner, it seems Apple has exited the budget flagship market. In fact, I will consider it one step further: I’m certain Apple won’t be delivering any more budget iPhones, and here’s why. Apple’s products portfolio is varied. The business generates revenue from services like iTunes and Apple Music to accessories like AirPods and the Magic Key pad, from home entertainment gadgets like Apple TV 4K to personal processing devices just like the MacBook Pro. Nevertheless product sales for most of these are not that impressive (though Apple’s income unquestionably are). It is definitely the iPhone that accounts for the majority of Apple’s income. Since its debut in 2007, iPhone has pushed Apple’s income to such incredible heights that the business has become the first trillion-dollar firm ever sold. With so a lot of Apple’s revenue riding on the game-changing device, you can wager there would be a significant drop in Apple’s income if people beginning buying less iPhones. And that’s precisely what we’re discovering. After a modest 4th quarter, income for Q12019 - which, to be very clear, is made up of October, November, and December, covering the vacation shopping season - was much lower than Apple actually expected. With the cost of fresh iPhones rising, income would’ve increased also if unit sales experienced only remained constant, but there have been fewer iPhone units sold during the period. The implication is normally that demand offers waned, or it’s feasible there wasn’t very much demand for Apple’s costly new iPhones to begin with. The earliest indicator of trouble was in 2017, the year iPhone X premiered. At a starting price 50 percent greater than the prior year’s baseline model, iPhone X unit sales were reportedly flat although Apple’s income increased. How? Because even though Apple sold approximately the same quantity of products as the year before, the common cost of an iPhone had elevated. When you sell the same number of products but tag up the price, you still visit a bump in revenue. Of course, it’s not just the iPhone that’s gotten more expensive. Apple has elevated selling prices across virtually all of the company’s portfolio. But with the iPhone driving revenue, the implication is this: Whenever iPhone sales and profits remain flat or start to fall, Apple will need to keep raising the price of the iPhone every year to maintain year-over-year income gains. As you can plainly see, it’s not really a coincidence Apple has decided to stop reporting iPhone unit sales publicly. Actually if 2017 was an outlier, the release of new iPhones in the fall is meant to give Apple a shot of income adrenaline in the final stretch, enabling for a solid finish as the business crosses the economic finish line. But also for the second yr in a row, that did not happen. Doesn’t it appear possible, if not likely, that increasing the costs for brand-new iPhones has led to lower demand? In regards to a week ago, Apple CEO sent a document to shareholders. You can browse the document for yourself on Apple’s webpage, but it warns traders that Apple’s 1Q2019 revenue will be $9 billion less than was originally projected. The letter mainly blames China’s overall economy for almost all the year-over-year iPhone income decline while also indicating that individuals remain adapting to the termination of carrier financial assistance. In a recent interview Cook explained many of the same reasons to describe lower-than-anticipated iPhone sales. Beyond slowed development in developing marketplaces and the lack of subsidized pricing through carriers, Cook pointed to iOS 12 and the $29 battery substitute plan seeing that having encouraged users to hold their old iPhones rather than ordering new ones. As you may recall, Apple launched the battery alternative program in late 2017 in wish of masking the stench of the battery controversy, which had garnered allegations of designed obsolescence. According to Cook, many with old iPhones didn't upgrade since they could get brand-new batteries for inexpensive. This would take away the efficiency caps that Apple got imposed to them, restoring their iPhones to their previous glory, especially when paired with iOS 12. In fact, Apple visited lengths to ensure that iOS 12 would make older iPhones faster, so Cook is likely right in hoping the electric battery substitute program and iOS 12 factored in to the weaker sales of 2018 iPhones. Nevertheless, Cook mentioned that complicated trade relations between the US and China was eventually the biggest factor. China represents a huge amount of untapped sales prospect of Apple, so there’s most likely some truth to that, too. You can view the full interview in the video below if you want to hear more of what Cook has to say about it. In the mean time, critics and analysts possess suggested poor iPhone sales are a indication of marketplace saturation; at this stage, most people who would like an iPhone already have one, and that’s a hard hurdle to overcome, specifically with buyers modernizing much less frequently. It’s even certainly possible that Apple valued the 2018 iPhones from the developing markets the company claims to be targeting. After all, if you reside in China and need it a new smartphone, are you going to buy an iPhone XS for $1,000 (¥6800) or more, or are you going to get the most recent Vivo or Xiaomi Android smartphone that’s produced locally and can do essentially nearly anything iPhone XS can do at a portion of the price? And in addition, Cook largely sidestepped this issue of ballooning iPhone prices - an obstacle that we have found across the majority of Apple’s products for that matter - which has been among the primary criticisms of latest iPhones. Latest Asking Price Increases Price boosts for the iPhone used to end up being pretty rare. In fact, after carriers stopped offering subsidized prices on smartphones, forcing us to start paying complete MSRP if we wished to buy brand-new iPhones, we're able to at least count on a constant starting price from calendar year to year. That starting cost used to be $649. With the launch of iPhone 8 in 2017, it leapt to $699, a unsatisfying increase, but it was not too surprising. It had been only a $50 increase after generations of a constant price, a lot of people gave Apple a pass. And, actually at the higher price, iPhone 8 seemed really cheap compared to the $999 price tag on the brand new iPhone X. However apparently, the purchase price increase for iPhone 7 set a precedent because in 2018, the price jumped again. Matching the enhance from iPhone 7 to iPhone 8, the 2018 iPhone lineup began at $749 for iPhone XR. You may argue that iPhone XR is a much better device than iPhone 7 and justifies the excess $100, but value is subjective. While some might say iPhone XR will probably be worth its $749 starting price, especially compared to Apple’s more premium models, many customers will fixate on how each new era of iPhone is more costly than the one before. And at this time, can you blame them? To make matters worse yet, as iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR were being unveiled in stage during Apple’s fall 2018 event, iPhone SE was being discontinued. So not only are iPhones getting a lot more expensive, but Apple has now eliminated the only budget option we had. So if you’re looking to get a fresh iPhone in 2019, there’s very little choice anymore. Buyers are mainly having to simply accept Apple’s higher beginning price in the absence of a true budget iPhone. Naturally, consumers and critics as well are getting more vocal within their demands an iPhone SE successor. Overwhelming Unforeseen Value Apple revealed the iPhone SE , which means Particular Edition, in March 2016 at a particular spring event. Both for consumers and the industry at large, iPhone SE was a very un-Apple device for Apple to release. The iPhone 6 had simply jumped in proportions and received a completely new style from the previous generation. Then iPhone SE was released, featuring a smaller, compact type with its design virtually indistinguishable from the previous-generation iPhone 5. Even more surprising was the fact that iPhone SE remarkably featured the majority of Apple’s up-to-date, front runner-level technologies in spite of the reduced starting price; for $399, you got the same custom A9 processor as iPhone 6S in addition to a 12 MP camera with 4K video recording and a bigger battery. In fact, the just significant compromises were the lack of 3D Touch and the usage of first-generation TouchID instead of the faster second generation. But, again, considering its low starting price (which eventually settled to $349), the iPhone SE provided uncharacteristically great value for a product made by Apple. The challenge was that iPhone SE didn’t turn into a top-selling iPhone. In the course of its lifetime, its defining characteristic was that it provided an affordable point of access to the iOS ecosystem although it eventually gained relatively of a cult pursuing among particular Apple fans. Obviously, after iPhone SE had been the baseline of the iPhone lineup for two years, potential customers were prepared for the customary refresh. Though iPhone SE offered an excellent cost-to-performance relation in 2016, a refresh would connect the overall performance gap that developed as iPhone SE’s A9 processor chip was succeeded and replaced, first by the A10 Fusion chip in iPhone 7, on the other hand by the A11 Bionic in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X . Patiently Waiting for Apple's Latest Launches Affirmed, we heard that Apple was working on a fresh version of the spending budget iPhone. Details varied, but the iPhone SE successor - alleged to be called possibly iPhone SE 2 or iPhone X SE (with suffix and modifiers very carefully arranged)- appeared to have the same purpose as the initial, which was to become a compact, low-cost iPhone offering great performance and most of the latest features. Much of the disagreement encircling the naming theme for the iPhone SE 2 was due to unclear stories concerning whether the gadget might retain its iPhone 5-era style or whether it could embrace the new iPhone X visual. Some insisted (or possibly hoped?) iPhone SE 2 would appear to be an iPhone X from the front with a almost bezel-less, edge-to-edge display. These stories were mainly informed by supposed styles for display protectors and cases; if legitimate, the implication was that iPhone SE 2 would have a bezel-much less, notched display equivalent to iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. Of training course, the notch would become among the defining characteristics for 2018 cell phones overall as its was imitated by almost every smartphone manufacturer following the iPhone X debuted in late 2017; nevertheless, for Apple’s purposes, the notch just exists to house biometric sensors for Apple’s proprietary FaceID. Therefore the implication was that iPhone SE 2 would feature FaceID although the high price of FaceID components made it an unlikely inclusion in virtually any budget iPhone. Following these reports, renders were made to show how the device might appear if it turned out to be real. Assuming the case styles and resulting renders were accurate, iPhone SE 2 would’ve been a truly fascinating gadget, the lovechild of the bygone iPhone 5 and the more futuristic iPhone X. Provided Apple could keep creation costs and, by extension, the MSRP down, iPhone SE 2 could’ve easily outsold the original iPhone SE, possibly learning to be a top seller like the original iPhone SE never could. These weren’t simply the pipe dreams of iPhone SE enthusiasts and anyone who wanted cheaper iPhones; reviews from Apple’s own suppliers all but confirmed programs for iPhone SE 2, supplying estimates for possible production schedules and ship dates. In early August 2017, Wistron Corp. - a low-volume manufacturer located in Taiwan that Apple recruits when iPhone demand can be high - was working on expanding its creation base to accommodate a fresh compact Apple smartphone, which many presumed to end up being an updated iPhone SE. After that came a tentative ship day: In late November 2017, Economic Daily News in Taiwan reported Apple had been eyeing a release date in the first half of 2018 for the iPhone SE 2, which would’ve been consistent with the spring release of the initial iPhone SE. January 2018 brought another report of iPhone SE 2 launching in 2018. Shortly thereafter, there was a rumor iPhone SE 2 would include a glass back panel, suggesting the addition of the wireless charging features that the iPhone has had since 2017. Just as rumors pointed to Apple gearing up for the release of a next-generation iPhone SE, Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI Securities who is known for predicting Apple’s products with uncanny accuracy, planted among the 1st seeds of doubt. In late January 2018, Kuo reported iPhone SE 2 had hardly any chance of being released because Apple had exhausted its assets on the three flagship versions to be released in 2018. Of course, those three models finished up being iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. Nevertheless, rumors persisted - though at a slower pace - in spite of Kuo’s doubt. For instance, there have been specifications and other information on the iPhone SE 2 reported in April 2018. Relating to these leaks, Apple intended to keep creation costs (and, by expansion, the eventual retail price) down by omitting the 3.5mm headphone jack and using iPhone 7’s A10 Fusion chip rather than the A11 Bionic chip found in iPhone 8 and iPhone X. For all intents and reasons, the axe was decisively dropped in July 2018 as BlueFin Research told MacRumors that Apple had nixed all programs to proceed with iPhone SE 2. We’ll probably never know for sure whether iPhone SE 2 was ever actually in the pipeline; however, also if it was planned originally, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever get an iPhone SE 2 at all. It’s been four a few months since the release of the 2018 iPhones, an event that coincided with iPhone SE being removed from Apple’s lineup, which, in and of itself, allegedly happened because Apple retired its A9 processor chip. So aside from Apple quickly unloading the last iPhone SE units at a discounted $249 price, which took only 24 hours, iPhone SE is gone from Apple’s catalog, and anyone waiting for a next-generation iPhone SE has little cause for hope. In the event that you ask me, the composing is on the wall structure: Apple won’t be making another budget iPhone. No More Budget iPhone? Spending budget smartphones, or smartphones that price roughly $300 or less, are pretty common today. In some cases, these budget devices offer great value for your money. Some of the more recent notable examples include the Moto G6 for $240, LG Stylo 4 for $250, Huawei Mate 20 Lite for $290, and, of course, the amazing Pocophone F1 for $299. If you have a tad more to spend, you can find a used or refurbished Samsung Galaxy S8 for barely over $300. Or you may get the new Nokia 7.1, an Android One gadget with the design and nearly all of the features that top-shelf Android flagships possess for the discount price of $350. I’m not sure where in fact the phrase originated, but I completely agree: “Good cell phones are receiving cheap, and cheap mobile phones are getting good.” Of program, you might’ve noticed that the smartphones mentioned above are Android smartphones. How about iPhones? When carriers did aside with subsidizing smartphones, we had to start paying full retail cost for new smartphones. So Apple’s decision to create the iPhone SE was extremely timely: Instead of paying $649 or more, you could buy an iPhone for under $400 without producing a huge amount of compromises. Suddenly, individuals who favored iOS to Android had their personal Pocophone. From September 2016 to its discontinuation in September 2018, iPhone SE was never a top-selling iPhones. Even at its peak, iPhone SE hardly ever accounted for more than 11 percent of iPhone sales as the third-best-selling iPhone, and only by a thin margin. Meanwhile, both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus almost tripled the product sales of iPhone SE during that period, accounting for 28.5 percent and 29.5 percent of iPhone sales, respectively. After September 2017, iPhone SE sales dropped substantially, remaining somewhere within 5.5 percent and 8 percent until the device was taken in fall 2018. Suppose you’re Tim Cook seeking at these numbers. Everybody has been asking for a second-generation budget iPhone, but sales numbers display that whenever a lower-cost option is available, the majority of customers keep buying the more expensive iPhones. If customers are willing to pay even more for high-end iPhones, does it make sense to make a cheaper device that, at best, no more than one in ten customers will be interested in buying? With some context, positioning the iPhone more as a luxury item starts to create sense. Like voting on a ballot, Apple’s consumers have already been casting their votes on higher-end iPhones, therefore we can’t actually blame Apple for leaving budget smartphones that do not sell well. If you’re miffed about the loss of life of iPhone SE 2, there are, actually, cheaper iPhones available for individuals on a budget. But you’re not going to discover them in retail stores. Current Market Conditions Apple gave customers the lower-cost iPhone they’d long been asking for, but most of them decided not to buy it. So if you’re Apple, do you produce a second era knowing the first era didn’t sell well, or perform you ditch the budget-iPhone idea altogether? It seems Apple chose the latter. However, it doesn’t eliminate from the actual fact that spending budget iPhones are already available, not to mention plentiful. Specifically, I’m talking about used iPhones on the market. The gray market refers to the investing of used iPhones on the secondhand marketplace. It’s comprised of the countless people selling their utilized gadgets after upgrading, which essentially creates an unofficial marketplace of budget iPhones. Therefore all those listings for iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8 on eBay, the Amazon Marketplace, providers like Swappa, and yard-sale applications like LetGo are the gray market for iPhones. Apple doesn’t have to spend money on R&D, sourcing parts, production, and distribution for a budget iPhone because we curently have access to all the discounted iPhones we're able to ever want in the secondhand market. And every year when new iPhones are released, millions more iPhones will revitalize the secondhand marketplace as users who upgrade to brand-new iPhones sell their old ones. Plus, any post-2016 iPhone models in the gray market could have better specifications than iPhone SE, and some of these used iPhones would be cheaper than investing in a new iPhone SE from Apple for $349. Basically, Apple doesn’t have to sell a budget iPhone since the current-generation iPhones purchased at complete retail cost today become budget iPhones as consumers utilize them and eventually sell them to on the gray market if they upgrade. And even more devices are shown on the gray marketplace every day, so as long as Apple is offering smartphones, the gray market is a renewable resource for budget iPhones. Of training course, the gray market isn’t the only method to get an iPhone on the inexpensive. Depending about how you consider it, Apple actually offers new spending budget iPhone options every year. With the state unveiling of new iPhones each year, the MSRP of each preceding generation still in creation is decreased. For example, when iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X were announced in the fall of 2017, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus became previous-generation products, which warranted price cuts.

The iPhone SE was still in production when iPhone 7 got its lessen price, so if you wanted a fresh iPhone but didn’t want to invest $699 or more for iPhone 8 or iPhone X, you could choose iPhone SE from $349, iPhone 6S from $449, or iPhone 7 from $549. Though $349 isn’t exactly chump change, it’s certainly more palatable than iPhone X’s thousand-dollar starting price. With iPhone SE discontinued, the least expensive iPhone available is iPhone 7 for $449, meaning the cheapest iPhone available today is $100 a lot more than last year. To be fair, iPhone 7 was a great device at release, and it’s still a compelling option today, specifically for the price. Though it was divisive as Apple’s 1st iPhone without the apparently requisite 3.5mm headphone jack, iPhone 7 is otherwise a full-presented flagship. But if you’re searching for a new iPhone on a spending budget, which would you rather buy: a 2016 iPhone for $449 or an iPhone SE 2 with the latest A12 Bionic processor chip for $100 less? Regarding iPhone SE 2 not materializing, maybe knowing what could’ve been is what makes this thus disappointing for some. Even though the info suggests a restricted audience for spending budget iPhones, there will always be situations in which a low-cost iPhone with current-generation efficiency hits the sweet spot. Where Should Apple Go From Here? It’s a great time to become a lover of tech, particularly cell tech as spending budget and mid-range flagships are slaying in the Android smartphone market. Though priced higher than a $349 iPhone, the OnePlus 6T is usually a primary example of how exactly to offer flagship-level specs, design, and performance at a reduced cost. For better or worse, Apple appears to have evacuated the budget smartphone sector after just one single attempt. Granted, Apple hasn't actually catered to budget-minded customers with almost all the company’s equipment starting at $1,000 or more and a shrinking amount of products, like iPods and iPads, priced lower than that. That is why it was so unusual for Apple to make a budget iPhone to begin with. The problem is that it seems Apple is now trying to close a door that probably the business never should’ve opened to begin with. After all, when you’re offering this inexpensive iPhone on the lineup, all of the flagship iPhones seem that a lot more expensive by comparison. Whether or not there’s a fresh iPhone SE in the future, the prices attached to Apple’s products are climbing. In many markets, Apple is coming dangerously close to pricing the iPhone as well as most of Apple’s other items out of reach. For customers who can’t (or don’t need to) pay such exorbitant prices, the actual fact that Apple offered inexpensive options previously but no longer offers those options now will undoubtedly leave a bad taste in people’s mouths, nearly like biting into a rotten apple. Honestly, I hope I’m wrong concerning this, but if Apple really wants to curb the decline in iPhone demand and for product sales to resume an upward trajectory, 1 of 2 things will need to happen, and sooner instead of later. Apple needs to either lower the margins on iPhones to make them less expensive (or even just less costly), or there needs to be a fresh budget option so consumers in least have the illusion of choice. Because as the figures show, most buyers go for the premium iPhones in any case, but if Apple puts a budget model up for grabs, at least they won’t feel like they’re being forced to pay the ever-growing Apple tax. Apple’s current pricing structure gives consumers only high- and higher-priced models to pick from. But it appears buyers are starting to understand there’s still one other option, which is to save themselves the trouble, and possibly some buyer’s remorse, by not buying new iPhones at all.

[augustwash1]

Apple Launches Planned for the Coming Year

Apple is considered to be the state-of-the-art business enterprise in the globe right now. It’s the business to which nearly others search for direction. When ever Apple reveals an innovative new design language or launches a new product, it creates ripples through the entire market. Eventually, the whole industry is crafting products in Apple’s image. But to state Apple is only a trend-setter undermines the company’s position seeing that arguably the figurehead of innovation in consumer engineering. Apple isn’t just setting technology tendencies; Apple’s vision sets precedents and starts actions that allow the trends to exist to begin with. As impressive since it must feel to be Apple in this scenario - and as humbling since it must experience to be the many businesses copying Apple at every turn - it’s not absolutely all sunlight and rainbows. Most people can claw the right path to the very best of a mountain, but there’s not a lot of stable surface up there. One wrong step as well as your toppling back down the mountain, undoing years of the hard work needed to get up there. I do not want to low cost Apple’s successes in 2018: Apple Pencil support for ipad tablet was a great addition; iOS 12 has provided new lease of life to iPhones as previous as the 5S; Apple Watch Series 4 generally is saving lives; and that’s only a few highlights. Looking back, though, 2018 was a pretty tough year for Apple as certain missteps finished up impacting the company’s important thing. Amongst Apple’s most questionable techniques in 2018, there’s one I wanted to point out for an essential reason: Without second-generation iPhone SE in sight, it seems Apple has exited the budget flagship market. The fact is, I’ll consider it one step additional: I am positive Apple won’t be launching any more budget iPhones, and here’s why. Apple’s merchandise portfolio is varied. The company generates revenue from solutions like iTunes and Apple Music to add-ons like AirPods and the Magic Key pad, from home entertainment products like Apple Television 4K to personal processing products like the MacBook Pro. Nevertheless sales for the majority of these aren’t that amazing (though Apple’s income undoubtedly are). It’s actually the iPhone that accounts for the majority of Apple’s income. Since its debut in 2007, iPhone has pushed Apple’s income to such incredible heights that the company is just about the first trillion-dollar organization ever sold. With so a lot of Apple’s revenue riding on the game-changing device, you can bet there would be a significant drop in Apple’s income if people beginning buying less iPhones. And that’s precisely what we are witnessing. Following a modest fourth quarter, revenue for Q12019 - which, to be clear, is comprised of October, November, and December, covering the vacation shopping season - was much lower than Apple traditionally planned. With the price of brand-new iPhones rising, revenue would’ve increased even if unit sales got only remained stable, but there have been fewer iPhone units sold during the period. The implication is normally that demand has waned, or it’s possible there wasn’t much demand for Apple’s expensive new iPhones in the first place. The first indicator of trouble was in 2017, the year iPhone X premiered. At a starting cost 50 percent greater than the previous year’s baseline model, iPhone X unit sales were reportedly flat although Apple’s revenue increased. How? Because even though Apple sold roughly the same quantity of devices as the entire year before, the common cost of an iPhone had elevated. When you sell the same quantity of products but tag up the purchase price, you still visit a bump in earnings. Of course, it’s not simply the iPhone that’s become more costly. Apple has elevated selling prices across just about all of the organization’s stock portfolio. But with the iPhone driving earnings, the implication is normally this: Whenever iPhone sales continue being toned or begin to fall, Apple will have to keep raising the cost of the iPhone each year to maintain year-over-year revenue gains. As possible plainly see, it’s not a coincidence Apple has made a decision to stop reporting iPhone unit sales publicly. Even if 2017 was an outlier, the start of new iPhones in the fall is meant to give Apple a go of income adrenaline in the ultimate stretch, allowing for a strong finish as the business crosses the fiscal finish line. But for the second calendar year in a row, that did not come up. Doesn’t it seem possible, if not likely, that increasing the prices for brand-new iPhones has resulted in lower demand? In regards to a week ago, Tim Cook delivered a document to shareholders. You can read the letter for yourself on Apple’s website, nonetheless it warns traders that Apple’s 1Q2019 revenue will be $9 billion less than was originally projected. The letter generally blames China’s overall economy for almost all the year-over-year iPhone income decline although also indicating that individuals are still adapting to the termination of carrier financial assistance. In a recent interview Cook explained many of the same factors to explain lower-than-estimated iPhone product sales. Besides slowed development in growing markets and having less subsidized pricing through carriers, Cook pointed to iOS 12 and the $29 battery replacement program while having encouraged users to keep their outdated iPhones rather than paying for new ones. As you might recall, Apple began the battery substitute program in late 2017 in hope of masking the smell of the electric battery controversy, which had received allegations of intended obsolescence. According to Cook, many with old iPhones decided not to upgrade since they could get brand-new batteries for inexpensive. This would take away the efficiency caps that Apple got imposed on them, restoring their iPhones to their past glory, particularly when paired with iOS 12. Actually, Apple went to lengths to ensure that iOS 12 would make older iPhones faster, so Cook is most likely right in thinking the battery substitute program and iOS 12 factored in to the weaker sales of 2018 iPhones. But, Cook declared that complicated trade operations between the US and China was eventually the biggest factor. China represents a ton of untapped sales potential for Apple, so there’s most likely some truth to that, too. You can observe the entire interview in the video below if you want to hear more of what Make has to say about it. In the mean time, critics and analysts have suggested poor iPhone sales certainly are a indication of marketplace saturation; at this point, most people who would like an iPhone already have one, and that’s a hard hurdle to overcome, especially with people stepping up much less frequently. get more It’s even certainly likely that Apple listed the 2018 iPhones out of the developing markets the company claims to be targeting. After all, if you live in China and want to buy a new smart phone, will you buy an iPhone XS for $1,000 (¥6800) or even more, or will you get the most recent Vivo or Xiaomi Android mobile phone that’s produced locally and will do in essence whatever iPhone XS can do at a small fraction of the price? And in addition, Cook largely sidestepped the topic of ballooning iPhone prices - a concern that we’ve seen across most of Apple’s product line for that matter - which has been among the primary criticisms of recent iPhones. Latest Price Rises Price boosts for the iPhone used to end up being pretty rare. In fact, after carriers stopped providing subsidized pricing on mobile phones, forcing us to start paying full MSRP if we wished to buy fresh iPhones, we could at least count on a consistent starting price from season to year. That starting price used to be $649. With the release of iPhone 8 in 2017, it jumped to $699, a disappointing increase, nonetheless it wasn’t too scary. It was only a $50 increase after generations of a consistent price, so many people gave Apple a pass. Plus, actually at the higher price, iPhone 8 seemed really inexpensive compared to the $999 price tag on the brand new iPhone X. Yet apparently, the purchase price increase for iPhone 7 collection a precedent because in 2018, the purchase price jumped yet again. Matching the increase from iPhone 7 to iPhone 8, the 2018 iPhone line-up started at $749 for iPhone XR. You could argue that iPhone XR is a much better device than iPhone 7 and justifies the extra $100, but value is subjective. While some might say iPhone XR will probably be worth its $749 starting price, especially compared to Apple’s more high quality versions, many people will fixate on how each new era of iPhone is more costly than the one before. And at this point, is it possible to blame them? To make matters worse, as iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR were getting unveiled about stage during Apple’s fall 2018 event, iPhone SE was being discontinued. So not merely are iPhones getting a lot more expensive, but Apple has now eliminated the only budget option we had. So if you’re seeking to get a new iPhone in 2019, there’s not much choice anymore. Buyers are essentially being forced to simply accept Apple’s higher starting price in the lack of a genuine budget iPhone. Naturally, customers and critics as well are getting more vocal within their demands an iPhone SE successor. Overwhelming Unexpected Benefits Apple revealed the iPhone SE , which means Particular Edition, in March 2016 in a special spring event. Both for consumers and the industry at large, iPhone SE was a very un-Apple device for Apple release a. The iPhone 6 had simply jumped in size and received a totally new style from the prior generation. Then iPhone SE was released, featuring a smaller, compact type with its design practically indistinguishable from the previous-generation iPhone 5. A lot more surprising was the fact that iPhone SE notably featured the majority of Apple’s up-to-date, flagship-level engineering in spite of the reduced starting price; for $399, you got the same custom A9 processor as iPhone 6S in addition to a 12 MP camcorder with 4K video recording and a bigger battery. Actually, the just significant compromises were the lack of 3D Touch and the use of first-generation TouchID instead of the faster second generation. But, once again, taking into consideration its low starting price (which ultimately settled to $349), the iPhone SE offered uncharacteristically great value for a product made by Apple. The challenge was that iPhone SE didn’t turn into a top-selling iPhone. In the course of its lifetime, its defining characteristic was that it offered an affordable point of entry to the iOS ecosystem though it eventually gained somewhat of a cult pursuing among specific Apple fans. Normally, after iPhone SE had been the baseline of the iPhone lineup for two years, customers were prepared for the necessary refresh. While iPhone SE offered an excellent cost-to-performance ratio in 2016, a refresh could link the efficiency gap that grew as iPhone SE’s A9 processor was followed and replaced, 1st by the A10 Fusion chip in iPhone 7, then again by the A11 Bionic in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X . Patiently Waiting for Apple's Latest Releases Affirmed, we heard through the grapevine that Apple was working on a new version of the budget iPhone. Details varied, however the iPhone SE successor - alleged to be named either iPhone SE 2 or iPhone X SE (with suffix and modifiers meticulously arranged)- appeared to have the equal purpose as the initial, which was to be a compact, low-cost iPhone offering great performance and most of the most recent features. Much of the difference encircling the naming scheme for the iPhone SE 2 was due to contradictory information as to whether the gadget will maintain its iPhone 5-era style or whether it would embrace the new iPhone X visual. A few insisted (or possibly hoped?) iPhone SE 2 would appear to be an iPhone X from leading with a nearly bezel-less, edge-to-edge display. These reports were mainly informed by supposed styles for display protectors and cases; if genuine, the implication was that iPhone SE 2 could have a bezel-much less, notched display equivalent to iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. Of program, the notch would become among the defining features for 2018 mobile phones overall as its was imitated by almost every smartphone manufacturer following the iPhone X debuted in late 2017; nevertheless, for Apple’s purposes, the notch just exists to accommodate biometric sensors for Apple’s proprietary FaceID. So the implication was that iPhone SE 2 would feature FaceID although the high cost of FaceID components managed to get an unlikely inclusion in virtually any budget iPhone. Following these reports, renders were made to show the way the device might appear if it turned out to be real. Assuming the case styles and resulting renders had been accurate, iPhone SE 2 would’ve been a really fascinating device, the lovechild of the bygone iPhone 5 and the more futuristic iPhone X. Provided Apple could keep creation costs and, by extension, the MSRP down, iPhone SE 2 could’ve easily outsold the initial iPhone SE, possibly learning to be a top seller like the original iPhone SE never could. These weren’t simply the pipe dreams of iPhone SE enthusiasts and anyone who wanted cheaper iPhones; reports from Apple’s very own suppliers all but confirmed programs for iPhone SE 2, supplying estimates for possible production schedules and ship dates. In early August 2017, Wistron Corp. - a low-volume manufacturer based in Taiwan that Apple recruits when iPhone demand is normally high - was working on expanding its creation base to accommodate a fresh compact Apple smartphone, which many presumed to be an updated iPhone SE. After that came a tentative ship day: In late November 2017, Economic Daily News in Taiwan reported Apple had been eyeing a release time in the first half of 2018 for the iPhone SE 2, which would’ve been consistent with the spring release of the initial iPhone SE. January 2018 brought another report of iPhone SE 2 launching in 2018. Shortly thereafter, there is a rumor iPhone SE 2 would include a glass rear panel, suggesting the addition of the wireless charging capabilities that the iPhone has already established since 2017. Just mainly because rumors pointed to Apple gearing up for the release of a next-generation iPhone SE, Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI Securities who is known for predicting Apple’s products with uncanny accuracy, planted one of the 1st seeds of doubt. In late January 2018, Kuo reported iPhone SE 2 had very little chance of released because Apple had exhausted its assets on the three flagship versions to be released in 2018. Of training course, those three models ended up being iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. However, rumors persisted - though at a slower pace - in spite of Kuo’s doubt. For instance, there were specifications and other information on the iPhone SE 2 reported in April 2018. Regarding to these leaks, Apple intended to keep production costs (and, by expansion, the eventual retail price) down by omitting the 3.5mm headphone jack and using iPhone 7’s A10 Fusion chip rather than the A11 Bionic chip used in iPhone 8 and iPhone X. For all intents and purposes, the axe was decisively dropped in July 2018 as BlueFin Research told MacRumors that Apple had nixed all programs to proceed with iPhone SE 2. We’ll probably never find out for certain whether iPhone SE 2 was ever actually in the offing; however, also if it had been planned initially, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever obtain an iPhone SE 2 at all. It’s been four weeks since the launch of the 2018 iPhones, an event that coincided with iPhone SE being taken off Apple’s lineup, which, in and of itself, allegedly happened because Apple retired its A9 processor chip. So apart from Apple quickly unloading the last iPhone SE units at a discounted $249 price, which took only 24 hours, iPhone SE is fully gone from Apple’s catalog, and anyone waiting for a next-generation iPhone SE has little cause for hope. If you ask me, the composing is on the wall: Apple won’t be making another budget iPhone. FORGET ABOUT Budget iPhone? Spending budget smartphones, or smartphones that price roughly $300 or less, are pretty common nowadays. In some cases, these budget devices offer great bang for your buck. Some of the more recent notable examples include the Moto G6 for $240, LG Stylo 4 for $250, Huawei Mate 20 Lite for $290, and, of course, the amazing Pocophone F1 for $299. Should you have a tad more to invest, you can find a used or refurbished Samsung Galaxy S8 for barely over $300. Or you may get the new Nokia 7.1, an Android One device with the design and nearly all of the features that top-shelf Android flagships possess for the bargain price of $350. I’m not sure where in fact the expression originated, but I completely agree: “Good mobile phones are getting cheap, and cheap cell phones are receiving good.” Of training course, you might’ve noticed that the smartphones mentioned above are Android smartphones. What about iPhones? When carriers did apart with subsidizing smartphones, we'd to begin paying full retail price for new smartphones. So Apple’s decision to create the iPhone SE was extremely timely: Instead of paying $649 or more, you could buy an iPhone for under $400 without making a huge amount of compromises. Suddenly, individuals who favored iOS to Android had their very own Pocophone. From September 2016 to its discontinuation in September 2018, iPhone SE was never a top-selling iPhones. Actually at its peak, iPhone SE hardly ever accounted for more than 11 percent of iPhone sales as the third-best-selling iPhone, and just by a slender margin. Meanwhile, both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus nearly tripled the sales of iPhone SE throughout that period, accounting for 28.5 percent and 29.5 percent of iPhone sales, respectively. After September 2017, iPhone SE sales dropped substantially, remaining somewhere within 5.5 percent and 8 percent until the device was pulled in fall 2018. Suppose you’re Tim Cook looking at these amounts. Everybody has been requesting a second-generation budget iPhone, but sales numbers show that whenever a lower-cost option is available, nearly all customers keep purchasing the more costly iPhones. If customers are prepared to pay more for high-end iPhones, does it make sense to make a cheaper gadget that, at best, no more than one in ten customers will be interested in buying? With some context, positioning the iPhone more as an extravagance item starts to create sense. Like voting on a ballot, Apple’s consumers have been casting their votes on higher-end iPhones, so we can’t really blame Apple for leaving budget smartphones that don’t sell well. If you’re miffed about the death of iPhone SE 2, there are, actually, cheaper iPhones obtainable for people on a spending budget. But you’re not likely to discover them in shops. Current Market Conditions Apple gave clients the lower-cost iPhone they’d long been asking for, but many of them decided not to buy it. Therefore if you’re Apple, do you produce a second era knowing the first generation didn’t sell well, or perform you ditch the budget-iPhone idea altogether? It seems Apple find the latter. However, it doesn’t take away from the fact that budget iPhones are already available, not to mention plentiful. Specifically, I’m talking about used iPhones on the market. The gray market refers to the investing of used iPhones on the secondhand market. It’s comprised of the countless people selling their utilized products after upgrading, which essentially produces an unofficial marketplace of budget iPhones. Therefore all those listings for iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and iPhone 8 on eBay, the Amazon Marketplace, services like Swappa, and yard-sale applications like LetGo are the gray market for iPhones. Apple doesn’t need to spend money on R&D, sourcing parts, production, and distribution for a spending budget iPhone because we curently have access to all of the discounted iPhones we could ever want in the secondhand marketplace. And every year when fresh iPhones are released, millions more iPhones will revitalize the secondhand marketplace as users who upgrade to brand-new iPhones sell their older ones. Plus, any post-2016 iPhone models in the gray market will have better specifications than iPhone SE, and some of these used iPhones will be cheaper than buying a new iPhone SE from Apple for $349. Put simply, Apple doesn’t have to sell a budget iPhone since the current-generation iPhones purchased at full retail cost today become budget iPhones as consumers utilize them and eventually sell them to on the gray market when they upgrade. And even more devices are shown on the gray market every day, so as long as Apple is offering smartphones, the gray market is a renewable supply for budget iPhones. Of program, the gray market isn’t the only way to get an iPhone on the inexpensive. Depending about how you look at it, Apple actually offers new spending budget iPhone options every year. With the official unveiling of new iPhones every year, the MSRP of each preceding generation still in creation is decreased. For example, when iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X had been announced in the fall of 2017, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus became previous-generation products, which warranted cost cuts. The iPhone SE was still in production when iPhone 7 got its price cut, if you wanted a fresh iPhone but didn’t want to invest $699 or more for iPhone 8 or iPhone X, you could choose iPhone SE from $349, iPhone 6S from $449, or iPhone 7 from $549. Though $349 isn’t specifically chump change, it’s certainly even more palatable than iPhone X’s thousand-dollar starting price. With iPhone SE discontinued, the least expensive iPhone available is iPhone 7 for $449, meaning the least expensive iPhone available today is $100 a lot more than last year. To be fair, iPhone 7 was a great device at launch, and it’s still a compelling option today, specifically for the price. Though it had been divisive as Apple’s 1st iPhone without the apparently requisite 3.5mm headphone jack, iPhone 7 is otherwise a full-presented flagship. But if you’re searching for a new iPhone on a budget, which would you rather purchase: a 2016 iPhone for $449 or an iPhone SE 2 with the latest A12 Bionic processor chip for $100 less? Regarding iPhone SE 2 not materializing, maybe knowing what could’ve been can be what makes this thus disappointing for some. Even though the info suggests a limited audience for spending budget iPhones, there will always be situations where a low-cost iPhone with current-generation overall performance hits the sweet place. Where Should Apple Go From Here? It’s a great time to become a lover of tech, particularly mobile phone tech as spending budget and mid-range flagships are slaying in the Android smartphone market. Though priced greater than a $349 iPhone, the OnePlus 6T is usually a prime example of how to offer flagship-level specifications, design, and efficiency at a reduced cost. For better or worse, Apple appears to have evacuated the spending budget smartphone sector after just one attempt. Granted, Apple hasn't actually catered to budget-minded consumers with the vast majority of the company’s equipment starting at $1,000 or more and a shrinking number of gadgets, like iPods and iPads, priced lower than that. This is why it had been so unusual for Apple to produce a budget iPhone to begin with. The problem is that it seems Apple is now trying to close a door that probably the company never should’ve opened to begin with. After all, when you’re offering such an inexpensive iPhone on the lineup, all the flagship iPhones seem that a lot more expensive by comparison. Whether or not there’s a fresh iPhone SE in the future, the prices attached to Apple’s items are climbing. In many markets, Apple is coming dangerously near to pricing the iPhone and also most of Apple’s other items out of reach. For consumers who can’t (or don’t need to) pay such exorbitant prices, the actual fact that Apple offered inexpensive options during the past but no more offers those options today will certainly leave a bad flavor in people’s mouths, nearly like biting into a rotten apple. Honestly, I hope I’m wrong concerning this, but if Apple wants to curb the decline in iPhone demand and for sales to resume an upward trajectory, one of two things will have to happen, and sooner rather than later. Apple needs to either lower the margins on iPhones to create them more affordable (or even just less costly), or there needs to be a new budget option so consumers in least have the illusion of choice. Because as the figures show, most buyers go for the premium iPhones in any case, but if Apple puts a budget model on the table, at least they won’t feel like they’re having to pay out the ever-growing Apple tax. Apple’s current pricing framework gives consumers just high- and higher-priced models to choose from. But it appears buyers are starting to recognize there’s still an added option, which is certainly to save themselves the trouble, and possibly some buyer’s remorse, by not buying brand-new iPhones at all.

[karamorrdraws]

The Night Series Pt.13

The Big Secret

Pairing: Rhysand x Reader Words: 1349

Hello everyone! This series is based on the world created by the amazing Sarah J. Maas. These characters are totally hers and no hate towards any of them. I love them all.

Ps. Sorry for my english! Pps. If you want to get tagged tell me and I’ll tag you! :) Ppps. Sorry for the delay! I’ve been a little bit busy lately :(

CATCH UP! Read Part One here: PART ONE THE NIGHT SERIES MASTERLIST Author’s note: To avoid confusion: reader has red hair and green eyes. Also, she’s wearing the fake name “Daeris”. 

The Big Secret

I stood up. Suddenly I felt a light touch on my lower back.

“You’re crying”, Rhysand said.

I turned away from him as I wiped my tears away. I hadn’t even noticed when I started crying.

“Let’s go”, I told him.

Rhysand didn’t say anything.

…

“The creature you’re looking for is the one called Hydra”, the water wraith said.

My eyes went wide. We had found the water wraiths near the ocean. Their aspect was both terrifying and somehow alluring in a way. Except for their sharp teeth and terrifying black eyes. They were a sight to behold nevertheless. I’d never seen one in all of my immortal life, so I was staring more than usual, which was never good. We had traded the jewels Tarquin had given us for information on the relic. It had been a tedious morning since either they didn’t knew exactly what we were talking about or they didn’t want to help us in the first place and left. It had taken us a while to find a water wraith that actually wanted to cooperate with us and knew about the ‘thing’ hidden in the ocean.

“A hydra is what hides in this ocean?”, Rhysand asked. “Oh not just in this ocean, pretty one. The hydra sees everything”, the water wraith responded.

A hydra. A cunning, deadly, giant, and many-headed water serpent monster. I thought they were extinct. Apparently not.

“Tell me where to find it”, I told her. “The hydra has no specific location, cunning one. Although it does guard a temple hidden in the ocean”, she said. “Where in the ocean?”, I asked.

The water wraith smiled wickedly with her long and sharp teeth.

…

“An underwater temple”, Rhsyand said, sounding a bit annoyed. “Why does everything has to be underwater in this Court?” “At least it’s not under a thousand middengard wyrms”, I replied as we walked towards the beach. “We’ll have to go for a dive. You heard the water wraith, pretty one”, I said mockingly.

Rhysand sneered at me and then stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?”, I asked as I stopped in my tracks and turned to him. “I think since we'll be working together for some time, it'll be wise to know the extent of your powers. You know, before the hydra tries to eat us”, he said. “You mean my power of phasing through things?”, I asked him. “I can only do that through material objects and minds. It has helped me steal thoughts from people and learn important secrets but other than that…”, he interrupted me. “Do you have any other power I need to know of?”

Yes, but you won’t like them. I was quiet as I gathered my thoughts. Should I let him know about my other power? Will he know my true identity if I show it to him? Will he kill me if I show him that particular power? Trust him, a part inside me told me. So I did.

“Yes”, I told him.

He stared at me as he said:

“Show me”.

I flinched.

“I... I don't think you’ll particularly like my other power”, I told him. “Why is that?”, he asked. “Because my powers are... controversial”.

Rhys was quiet as he looked at me.

“Show me”, he repeated.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

“I’m warning you, Rhysand: you’re really not going to like this”.

I tried to make him back away, but he didn’t. He just crossed his arms, waiting for me to show him my power. I sighed.

“You asked for it”.

I walked towards him and touched his cheek lightly. I smiled at him with worry, already asking for forgiveness for what I was about to do.

“Hi”, he said, with a false flirtatious smile.

I rolled my eyes, somehow feeling a little less guilty.

“Shut up”, I told him as I concentrated. “What exactly is your…”, He didn’t got to finish that question.

I unleashed my power on him.

“What…”

Rhysand was suddenly breathing hard and trying to balance himself on his feet as I drained his powers.

“You’re…”

Shadows exploded around me. My breath caught as I kept stealing his powers. His power really went deep. It felt as if there wasn’t an end to his power. It was an infinite stream. I would've been done by now had it been any other fae. But Rhysand... He was special. I stopped stealing his powers and Rhysand caught me as I was suddenly falling. I felt tingly all over. The shadows around me were leaking from me. My knees were wobbly with the intensity of his powers. I’d never felt such power before. It was too much. I could only imagine the bad someone else could easily do if they acquired even a fraction of his powers. That’s why I felt torn and bewildered. I felt as if this power, his power, was made for me. They felt good on me. I felt strong, fierce, powerful, as if I could rule over them all. And I hadn’t even stole his power completely. I looked over at Rhysand. He was staring at me with shock. Utter terrifying shock.

“How… how did you…”

He was so confused and shocked with my power that I felt bad for using it in him. I’d never particularly enjoy to use that power. Ever since my mother had taught me how to use my magic, I’d hated it.

“I’m sorry”, I said as I started to slowly return him his power. “Wait”, he said.

I stopped, confused.

“Show me”.

He wants me to show him how I used his powers. Why?, I thought. I didn't even knew what that meant.

“But…”, he interrupted me. “Please”, he whispered.

Why is he being so trusting with me even though I have control over his powers?, I asked myself, but didn’t have enough time to elaborate on it since he was waiting for me to make a demonstration. So I did. I gave him a demonstration. I appeared a wine glass in his left hand. He stared at the wine glass and then at me, and laughed. He actually laughed.

“I… I wondered how you did that”, I said, shyly. “It's one of the perks of being that powerful”, he replied.

I smiled and let his power return to him. He breathed with relief as his full powers returned to him. I somehow felt both relief and grief that his powers were gone from my grasp.

“I’d never met anyone else who can do that but…” “Amarantha”, I finished for him quietly. “Yes”, he whispered.

Don't do it. Don't tell him. Don't. He will kill you. You know he will. You shouldn't have shown him this power. You might as well destroy his mind in this moment and get out of there. Don’t let him know any more about yourself. Safe yourself. Run. Disappear. Just get out of there now before he finds out the truth…

“How is it possible?”, he asked as he stared at me, jaw clenched.

Don’t let him see you panic. You weren’t trained to be weak. You were meant to rule. Don’t let him intimidate you. Do not tell him your secret.

“Its an ancient type of magic”, I told him. “Interesting”, he said as he kept looking at me.

I didn’t miss the subtle defensive stance he had acquired.

Do NOT tell him Amarantha is your mother!

“It’s a weird power. I told you you wouldn't like it”, I said casually.

I turned around and started walking towards the ocean, giving him my back. Probably a deadly mistake, but he needed to know I trusted him. That I wasn’t afraid of him and that he shouldn’t be either. Every step I took closer to the ocean, I kept thinking it could be my last. He could kill me in any second. He had a clear shot. It wouldn’t be hard at all. He hadn’t moved from where he was standing, so he was clearly debating what to do next. The important question was: Was he going to kill me?

Read Part 14 here: PART FOURTEEN

[elizzawrites]

Ten Questions Tag

tThanks to @merigreenleaf for tagging me!

Answer the questions given, write ten new ones, and tag ten others! 1. Best music/noise while writing? I make playlists for all my novels, but I don’t always use them. I can never write with silence so I usually go with the playlist, whatever new music I’m listening to at the moment, or a writing youtube video for inspiration . 2. Where do you brainstorm best? (Bed, shower, car…?) Usually when I go for a run or unfortunately when I’m in class. I like to be moving when I’m brainstorming, so I’ll start pacing around my apartment if I can or fiddling with my pens when I’m in class. People think I’m a little weird but whatever. 3. What’s the most common reason for getting stuck on a project? That I won’t live up to my own expectations. I have a very vivid idea of what my novels will look like, so when things don’t seem like they‘re going that way, it stresses me out. I honestly just need to lower my expectations a little, but at the same time I have such a specific vision.

4. What do you turn to for inspiration or motivation? Either music, research, or youtube. I like listening to the songs that originally helped spark the story so I can build off of them. I also like reading or hearing about other people’s writing journeys because it makes me feel like I can do it, too. Research is always just interesting, and I like basing at least part of my stories in fact.

5. Any authors you like as a person as well as a writer? This is hard because I always feel like there is some sort of controversy around writers. It’s easier to name writers I really don’t like (aka Orson Scott Card). I’d have to say that, like most people, I really look up to J.K. Rowling and how she fought mental illness and an abusive past to live her dreams and inspire others. I hope my stories and I inspire people that much some day. 6. Ten words or less, describe the plot of your first ever story or novel. Mutant girl gets pulled into civil war when she dies.

This is vaguely the plot of Chemical Numbers in case you were wondering.

7. What does your dream writing office look like? Lol I’m currently living in a tiny three-person apartment with four people at school. I love my roommates, but it’s cramped, so I can’t imagine having an office. It would probably be very open, so I can pace around with big floor to ceiling windows on one side and bookshelves on the other. My desk is massive, so I can but all my shit on it. 8. Do you believe writing classes (like at a college) are worth it? Absolutely not. I’m going to college right now but not for creative writing. I should clarify and say that writing classes are not worth it for me. I’ve learned everything I know through a series of trial and error and youtube videos, and I know more than a lot of creative writing majors and minors that I know. This isn’t to say I’m better but more experienced. Besides, my family only became supportive of my writing in general in the last year, so classes were never an option. 9. Ballpoint pen, felt tip, or gel? Ballpoint for productivity. Felt tip for goofing off. 10. How old were you when you wrote your first story? I don’t even know. I remember I wrote it with my brother and it was called There’s No Such Thing as the Number Nine. I was probably six, but I have no sense of time or ages.

New Questions:

1. If you were trapped on a desert island,  which one of your characters would you bring with you?

2. Do you work better solo or with a writing buddy/buddies?

3. What’s the best snacking food when you’re writing?

4. Have you ever named a character after someone you know?

5. Do you prefer to set your novels in places you’re familiar with or places you’ve never been? (If in another world, do you base them off of places you know or are unfamiliar with?)

6. Do you read in the same genres that you write in? 7. What kind of music inspires your novels? Which genres? Lyrics or no lyrics?

8. Can you write in public?

9. If you could live in the world of one of your stories for one day, which would it be and why?

10. Movie adaptations or TV show adaptations?

Tags (I’m gonna tag some new followers but feel free to do this if you want): @csnasarian @thelonelyrainbowgirl @toboldlywrite @ashlee-j-eisanhower @ephirae @alwayslosingtheplot @flo-lore-writes @novel-like-you-mean-it @franzelwrites @lou-allen

[flexi-lexi]

(/ω＼)ﾟ.+(〃ﾉωﾉ)ﾟ.+°50 More Interesting Questions

Rules: fill this out and tag at least one person you’d like to know more about! Or just fill it out! Or don’t! Answer only some of them! Make up your own questions! “What kind of requirement is that”, you ask? A reasonable one! Who am I to tell you what to do? Anything goes!

tagged by: NO ONE BUT @matsujunkie WANTS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RANDOS SO HERE WE GO

1. What kind of food can’t you stand?: Bland food--unseasoned, monochromatic, flavorless food. Like, I legit feel a specific kind of depression when I eat flavorless food.

2. If you could choose one minor inconvenience to never have to deal with again, what would you pick?: Commuting to work because it’s such a waste of time. The dream is to walk across the street and just be at work, that’d be amazing tbh

3. Have you got any useless talents?:  I can type at like 94wpm lmao

4. If you could be really really good at one thing, what would it be?:  Public speaking--the sheer power behind good public speaking skills and general charisma is not to be underestimated.

5. Name a few people you think are extremely good-looking:  My bf let’s be real Also Emma Watson, Jay Park, T.O.P, Chris Pratt, Ryan Gosling, and Eiza González

6. What was your favorite way to pass the time as a kid?:  I played, played, PLAYED all fuckin day. When I lived in my house in the Philippines, I felt like I always had a million things to do--I’m playing kickball in my garage, I’m playing dolls with my sister, I’m playing pretend chef with my mom, so many things. And when I think I’ve run out of things to do, I’ll just watch cartoons lol

7. What is something you’re proud of?:  I’m extremely proud of my family, especially my parents who worked extremely hard and overcame so much struggle so that my siblings and I could have a brighter future. 

8. What’s one character flaw in people that you just can’t tolerate?:  Lack of basic compassion and consideration for others

9. Do you consider yourself to be more of a leader or a follower?:  I don’t often consider myself a leader, but people have always said I exude the qualities of one. I’ll only be a leader if a group needs a leader. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ve ever been a follower, I’m more of a collaborator.

10. What kind of student are/were you?:  I consider myself painfully average only because I hold myself to a painfully high standard. I think I did relatively well in high school and college, but I was always very hard on myself in high school for not getting straight A’s or not going straight to a reputable university. I’ve learned to ease up on myself in college. Instead, I learned how to be the laziest overachiever possible in college. My motto was, “What is the least amount of work I can do to still get an A- in this class???” lmao

11. Butterfly effect question! Has there ever been a seemingly minor decision you’ve made (at the time) that ended up having a profound influence on your life?: When I decided to sit next to some goody-two-shoes looking girl in 5th grade (lowkey because I was also a goody-two-shoes and I knew she wouldn’t judge me). We’ve been best friends for 15 years.

12. Name your most irrational fear/aversion:  Cockroaches and the dark

13. Are there any fictional characters you find especially relatable?:  As much as she annoys me, Sakura from Naruto is probably the most relatable character because she’s someone who has so much potential but struggled so much to become a better version of herself. She annoyed me in her early days because she was so useless but I think that quality in her annoyed me so much because I’m also kinda useless and I hate that about myself haha

14. If you drink, what kind of drunk are you? Alternatively, what sort of person are you at parties?:  I’m the social butterfly drunk; I suddenly become an extrovert and I’m just annoying af because I just scream my words at everyone. Alternatively, sober me is typically a recluse at parties--I will hang out with my phone, anyone I actually know, or the resident pet. Which is why I tend to drink at parties--I take the term “social lubricant” quite literally.

15. Do you fall in love easily? Or does it usually take a long time for you to trust someone?: Yes, it’s the absolute fucking worst. I hate it. I have a tendency to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I’m trying to lower my expectations of people bit by bit until it’s at a safe level where I can look out for myself.

16. Would you rather have one close friend or 100 casual friends?: 1 close friend, 200%

17. Do you consider yourself to be more of a slob or a neat-freak?:  I am a neat-freak at heart and my dream is to stay that way, but I’m also a really lazy person who can’t be bothered to pick up after myself until something’s been on the floor for 5 months and I start to notice it again.

18. Describe a place (imaginary or real) that you would find incredibly cozy:  A porch on a gloomy October day facing an autumn forest. Alternatively, the same porch but on an early July morning when the sun is just creeping up.

19. Do you have kids? If not, do you want them someday?:  No kids. I’m very wishy washy about kids. I tell myself I don’t want kids, but I still think about it every once in a while. Most recently I think I’ve been having baby fever because I keep imagining what my child would look like if I had one with my bf and what kind of personality he or she would have and how they would call me as their mom (mommy? ma? nay? mi? who knows) and how cool my kid would be if I could get it to speak English, Tagalog, and Korean. I don’t know if this is just a phase or if it will only get worse and more insistent as I get older...

20. What was your favorite book as a child?:  The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

21. Name one thing you just don’t get what all the hype is about:  Juicing??? Why are people so into juice and like expensive af juice??

22. Name one thing that you think is tragically underrated:  lol free education

23. If you had to be glued to a person for a month, real or fictional (who you have never met), who would you choose?:  Probably my papa’s grandpa, Alex Sr. Three generations named after him and I don’t know a thing about him, who he was or what he looked like.

24. What’s something you’d like the chance to do someday?:  Save a life

25. Do you typically speak your mind when you have a controversial opinion? Or do generally prefer to not rock the boat?:  I generally prefer not to rock the boat. I wish I was more straightforward, but the reason why I’m not is because I tend to get very emotional over things on which I have a strong opinion, and that doesn’t help me state my case at all. I think I’m learning to be more outspoken, though, especially because certain things just touch a nerve with me.

26. What’s the dumbest fad you’ve been caught up in?:  My entire middle school life and parts of my high school life was a dumb fad tbh lol

27. What’s something you thought was cool as a kid/adolescent, but now cringe at yourself for?:  Being punk/emo lmao

28. What’s a trait you consider to be very admirable?:  Conviction; the ability to stand up for what you believe in

29. Is there a particular kind of item people always tend to give you as gifts? (For instance, people always get you things with ducks on them because you like ducks, etc.):  I guess it depends on the person or my situation? Like, my bf always gives me necklaces and he needs to stop my parents always give me furniture and household items because I’m always too poor to buy my own. But overall I don’t think I get any one particular gift on the regular...

30. Do you speak multiple languages? Which ones?:  If by “speak” you mean “learned and know subconsciously but too afraid to practice,” then yes I speak multiple languages aside from English: Tagalog, Japanese, and Italian. I really want to learn Korean next, but where to find time and money......

31. Would you rather live in the big city or the countryside?:  Probably the big city because I’ve always been a city girl and I easily get bored without stimulation. But I also tend to get irritated by excessive noise and hubub, so if I could get a suburb that’s closer to the city side (where there’s more to do than just eat burgers, watch movies, and go bowling), then yeah that’d be awesome.

32. Has there ever been something you were certain you’d hate, but ended up loving?:  The book All Quiet on the Western Front. I saw clips of the film adaptation in high school and thought it was the most boring thing in the world. But then I had to read the book in college and it nearly brought me to tears.

33. Do you mind being the center of attention, or do you prefer the spotlight to be on someone else?:  In my imagination, I crave attention and want to be the center of it. But irl I push that shit away because when the attention is on me I become awkward.

34. Favorite holiday?:  Christmas

35. Are you a more go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you need to have things planned meticulously?:  I think in my heart I’m a Type B, spontaneous, go-with-the-flow type of person, but when I try to be that way I just get anxiety because my mind is too Type A to allow it to happen.

36. Is there something you loved so much you wish you could forget it and experience it all over again? (A tv show, book, series–anything.):  Italy, hands down.

37. What hobbies do you have?:  lol i hate this question because i’m reminded of how boring i am as a person watching TV, listening to music, reading, cooking, practicing makeup (a.k.a. watching makeup tutorials all day), occasional exercise, karaoke, eating, spending time with family

38. If you could have a superpower, but it was only mildly useful, what ability would you want to have?:  I really want to fucking fly but if it’s only “mildly useful” does that I mean my power will fail from time to time??? Because I am absolutely not down to fall at any point. So I guess invisibility? Because the power itself is mildly useful--what the fuck am I gonna do with it? Eavesdrop? Become a voyeur??

39. Something people are always surprised to learn about you:  It varies. 1) That I’m into cars (because people assume that girls aren’t interested in cars???) 2) That I’m a nerd (because I’ve learned to keep it on the DL lol) 3) That I wasn’t born here lmao (because apparently my English is “so good” lol bye)

40. Something that took you way too long to figure out:  That things pretty much never happen that way you plan or hope, but that things still somehow always fall into place.

41. Worst injury you’ve had?: All of my major injuries occurred when I was just a baby so I have no recollection of any of it. I think the worst was when a cookie jar fell and smashed on my tender two-year-old cranium lol

42. Any morbid fascinations?: Sure, maybe old-timey b&w crime scene photos, especially the super gruesome ones because when it’s b&w it’s somehow less nauseating to look at.  I also love “true” ghost stories and reading creepypastas and shit, even though I know it could potentially keep me up at night. Strangely enough, despite these fascinations, I still hate horror films. Go figure.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

43. Describe your sense of humor:  Lots of slapstick, good deal of self-deprecation, a little bit of sarcasm. Bonus: I have a great appreciation for dry humor, but I can’t do dry humor.

44. If you had to be born in another era/place, which would you choose?  As a historian, as much as I admire certain eras, I know better than to ask to be born in a time when I’m way more likely to contract polio or the bubonic plague or be enslaved by Spaniards. I also thoroughly enjoy modern conveniences such as running water and grocery stores LOL I think I want to be born in the ‘80s in the U.S. so I can experience the joy, excitement, and prosperity of the ‘90s in the U.S. It seems like a very minute difference given that I was born in ‘92, but I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of the ‘90s because I was way too young to appreciate it.

45. Something you are irredeemably bad at:  ~ S P O R T S ~

46. Something that sucked but you’re glad you went through:  Being kicked out of the house lmao Forreal tho, it was an extremely tough and humbling experience, but I’m really happy to be independent. Strangely enough, I feel like I have a much greater sense of love and appreciation for my parents now that they’re not always breathing down my neck LOL

47. Would you rather have a really godawful ugly tattoo in a place that is only slightly inconvenient to conceal with clothing (upper arm, thigh, etc.), or the coolest, most beautiful tattoo ever in the middle of your face? (Neither tattoo can be removed or concealed with makeup, and the ugly tattoo will deeply offend anyone who sees it.):  Ugly tattoo in an inconvenient place. Because imho a tattoo in the middle of my face, regardless of the level of artistry, is an ugly tattoo anyway, and it’s one that I'll have a harder time concealing.

48. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist?:  I’d like to think of myself as an optimist but I think I come off as a pessimist. Does that makes me a realist? I don’t know but I just told my bf to stop buying lottery tickets because he never wins. You tell me what that makes me lol

49. What would be the most flattering compliment someone could give you?:  If someone ever told me I was “cool.” Because I’ve lived my whole life never thinking I was ever “cool.” Not “cool” as in “I want everyone to like me,” but “cool” like the way I look at someone who has accomplished something that changed the world or someone who stood their ground and gave no fucks about what others thought or someone with a fabulous and unique sense of style. If someone ever told me I was “cool,” to me it means they see something in me that’s admirable or even enviable, and I can’t even begin to fathom how they see those things in me but wow ok yeah cool I’ll take it thank you

50. Something you feel people often misunderstand about you:  Over the years I’ve put up a front of being super happy-go-lucky, even though I’m actually not like that 100% of the time. So on days when I just don’t feel like engaging with people, people just assume I’m angry or sad about something like no I just don’t wanna talk to people rn bye

Tagging: anyone who wants to open up to me, @me because i find these things fascinating as hell

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... Dear White People (S01E01) Chapter 1 Airdate: April 28, 2017 @netflix @JSim07 Ratings: Privatized @DearWhitePeople Score: 7.5/10 TVTime/FB/Twitter/IG/Tumblr/Path/Pin: @SpotlightSaga **********SPOILERS BELOW********** Dear White People, Brown People, and any People who are reading, listening, watching, or paying attention... Eventually it was coming. Eventually this series had to be addressed. But how? The last thing a Sexually Fluid, White Scotch-Irish, Ginger Male in an 11 year+ gay relationship, living in an Argentinian neighborhood within a city that has massive pockets of square miles with +80% people who speak Spanish as a first language... Or large numbers of neighborhoods with Haitian-Creole voices blasting loudly from friendly faces throwing friendly waves from a group of old men, who for some reason are always sitting at a major bus stop in North Miami Beach (but never going anywhere or taking any busses), wants to be labeled as is a 'Pseudo' or even a 'Hardcore-Leftist' who's desperately out to prove that he isn't racist. You won't be getting that article from me. You won't be getting anything of the sort from this 10-Piece Project that I assure you I will be taking my time on. I am not Left. I am not right. I'm barely in the middle. This isn't political, though it might have political undertones and repercussions. That's on interpretation, not me. By now you know that Spotlight Saga never reviews anything in a traditional manner unless it's an everyday type series that doesn't carry a particular tense or emotional impact. We go at our own pace and I prefer existential challenges, but all are welcome. I had made promises to write articles to accompany 'Dear White People', brought to us by the new & true, multitalented Justin Simien, to multiple readers, but I was waiting for the right time. Sure, I have an army of unreleased articles and reviews ready to shoot out of an iOS cannon when I'm not feeling particularly inspired, but that just hasn't happened lately, so expect last second 'Big 4 Network' reviews to start spewing out sometime in September, because everything from 'Gotham' to 'Lucifer' to 'Colony' awaits you. Oh boy. Now let's get something straight, particularly to the people on Social Media whining and crying about the show's polarizing title, claiming to cancel (or to the ones who actually did cancel, though I doubt it) their Netflix subscriptions because the title evoked some sort of feeling of uncomfortable paranoia, or what they felt was divisive rhetoric, even though it was them who were attempting to divide themselves from Netflix and causing a stir... Ultimately giving the show free promotion in the process. DWP isn't a series that is out to make anyone feel shame, wagging a brown finger across your noses, or smacking you over the top of the head with a rolled up newspaper, preferably Sunday (because there are some people who actually deserve it). The show's main protagonist narrates the thoughts of Justin Simien directly and quite accurately, right off the bat. "Dear White People is a misnomer. My show is meant to articulate the feelings of a misrepresented group outside the majority." @jsouth71 on Twitter, one of many racist, idiot keyboard warriors (I'm personally singling out him because he no longer seems to be active - guess he came, he typed, and he successfully looked like an idiot), responded to the original trailer (legit on March 12, 2017, the show didn't even air until April 28th) with multiple hashtags claiming that Netflix was racist. His most hilarious claim (to me anyway) is the one claiming that the show, what it stands for, and those that support it are all full of #LiberalBS. Well what now, Joey Southworth? I'm not even Liberal, Black, or some sort of seemingly desperate apologist... I have no agenda, except to review a Netflix TV Series in a way like no one has ever done before and while doing so, tell you all MY story, my letter to White People, because there is one thing I won't do... Tell someone else's truth... Unless they ask me to, I am for hire, y'all. Ironically, Lionel (DeRon Horton), says something eerily similar to what I've just said and said before a million times. Some people, *coughAVCLUBcough*, don't understand that telling someone else's 'truth' isn't necessarily the point of journalism, but sometimes it does involve telling another person's story from your OWN perspective, after a little help from gaining a bit of someone else's. So let's kick this thing off, shall we? It's going to be a doozy! Samantha White aka Sam (Logan Browning - ah, yes we see the ironic juxtaposition of those names already, especially since the character is biracial) attends an Ivy League school called Winchester University and hosts a radio show on campus called 'Dear White People'. As the aforementioned quote pulled directly from Sam's mouth would suggest, she really just wants to be a voice not normally heard without some sort of filter or applied lens to trickle out what people feel safe with. Sam isn't prejudice or even remotely a bigot, she doesn't seem to be whatsoever. As a matter of fact, Sam's reactions to environmental stimuli and certain situations remind me of me. She is shown often attempting to pull back when faced with a possibility of reacting off of an emotion, but when that emotion becomes overwhelming, she caves and takes control by spiraling out of control. There is a blackface party on campus and it is quickly revealed by the end of the episode that the campus crew, Pastiche, had their Facebook hacked and invites were sent out after the school's administration had already shut down the idea of the party even going forward. Did Sam send it? Please remember we're talking E1, and I don't go beyond that. She claims to have sent the email in an emotionally provocative, genuinely stirring speech she delivers after her radio show is pushed to the sidelines. She had shown up for her time slot and someone else had taken her place due to the recent controversy. This all forces Sam to make a split, snap decision, overthrowing the DJ booth like a straight up BOSS... A prime example of what I mean when I say she 'takes control by spiraling out'. Sam is also seen videotaping the party and later editing & going over the footage. So far, 2+2=4, but if she did indeed do what she said she did, then she's not the only one playing games to prove a point. She's outed to have a white boyfriend, Gabe (John Patrick Amedori), who she seems to genuinely like and in turn he is definitely enamored with her. Yes, by the way, one can be racist and have a significant other of an alternate race (as we covered in an article in S2 of the E4 & Netflix series 'Chewing Gum' after talking with and interviewing several women of color from the Caribbean)... Thats related to the fetishization or perversion of race, skin color, or anything of the like, but that isn't what it looks like what is going on here. There's definitely some real life chemistry brewing. Of course, some of Sam's peers look at her with disdain after Gabe puts their ongoing, once secret relationship on blast with an Instagram pic and a hashtag... Amazing what hashtags are capable of these days, ammirite? Well, in this case it's less the hashtag and more of the 'tagging' of the pic done by Sam's arch nemesis, Coco (Antoinette Robinson - who my white, CW loving ass recognizes from the God-awful 3rd season of 'Hart of Dixie', yeah I see you, Lavon's Niece!)... All of this confusion and animosity is what Coco wanted but this isn't what she necessarily got, not in the exact form she was aiming for, at least. Here comes the fun part! Through self-reflection and talks with her best friend, Joelle (Ashley Blaine Featherson), Sam realizes she does in fact like Gabe and decides to embrace the couple's outing... Bringing him along to her usually, black only, weekly viewing of 'Defamation', a hilarious satire of Shonda Rhimes' (who might just answer this cheeky mockery, since she just scored herself a Netflix contract) ABC political thriller, or just plain dumbed down (sorry Rhimes' fans) version of 'Scandal' (as if it could go any lower). Ouch! Anyway, according to Sam, 'Defamation Wednesdays' are the cornerstone of black college campus life.' It's just that, well, Gabe is obviously feeling a bit 'fish out of water'... Come on, white people, think about how you feel when you are the only white person in the room, you get it right? Well, that's more than likely how your good friend of color feels when you invite them out and they are the only black person to show up at your Baby Shower, Birthday Party, 'Girls Night Out', whatever the event may be. It takes time. It's admirable that Gabe came, it truly is, but this isn't exactly the same situation that I used for environmental comparisons. Sam has a show called 'Dear White People' for Christ Sake, she has an obligation to stick to her guns, sure... But love is love, and as long as there is no perversion of skin going on, who the fuck cares? Mind your mother fucking own! Oh, but that's a tale as old as time, people just love to give no fucks about this or that, while simultaneously giving all kinds of fucks about who someone lays next to at night. I can attest to both of these things, or some version of it, at least... As I live in a part of the States where I'm the only white guy that's not a Euro-Tourist in an incredibly wide radius, also being in a gay relationship, I get quite a few double takes... And the giant Red Beard doesn't help. Yet, I've come to a point where I've been here so long and become so accustomed to a different environment, being amongst other white people makes me a tad uncomfortable. More on that another episode, another day. Reggie (Marque Richardson) isn't too happy about Gabe's presence at the 'Defamation' viewing party... I'm guessing it's a lot less because he's white and a lot more because Reggie feels like he should be the one holding Sam's hand. Reggie comes off as a bit of a jackass, then again, Gabe is not only encroaching on what appears to be Reggie's love interest, but he's also aggressively inserting himself into the group. It's not that Reggie, or most of Sam's friends and acquaintances are prejudice of intolerant, quite the opposite, really. It actually seems more like a 'too much, too soon' situation. Take race out of the equation for a second, take out that fact that Sam's ideals are being broadcasted over the radio, representing a whole lot of people. EVERYONE eyes the 'new' guy or gal in a group, especially if that new person is also a new significant other, I don't care who you are. It's always best to sit back, shut your mouth, and let people come to you... Not stick out your hand and affirm loudly that, 'Hi, I'm Gabe, and I'll be taking a prominent role here now, whether you like it or not.' I love the fact that just like we all have a long way to go as a society when it comes to understanding where everyone is coming from, why people feel what they feel, so do the characters of 'Dear White People', all of them... Black, White, and everyone in between... Especially the girl in between! Yes, it appears that Sam is telling the truth in her guerrilla takeover, emotionally charged, campus wide, broadcasted admission... And if she wasn't she appears very much ready to to take both the praise & the heat (something not yet shown in E1) that she was the one who hacked the Pastiche Facebook and sent out the invites, encouraging the culturally ignorant to show up in Blackface and other embarrassingly idiotic, culture appropriated, misfortunes of human error to a party that had already been given the axe... But the show is still playful in its righteous delivery. The narrator (Giancarlo Esposito) points out a white girl and guesses that she's in a Nicki Minaj costume... Later on, while in her feelings, Sam quickly switches her music from a soft, feminine country crooning track, Suzanna Spring's 'Some Blue Sky' to 'Black' by 'Innanet James' on her way to the radio station when passing a group of Black acquaintances... It's ok to laugh, it's ok to point out the confusing parts of a sliding identity. It's ok to be who you are as long as you are true to whoever that is... Unless your a fucking hateful asshole, then Fuck You. *Somebody cue a 'Run The Jewels' track, please* *********Written By: Kevin Cage********** http://www.tvtime.com http://www.facebook.com/spotlightsaga http://www.spotlightsaga.com http://www.facebook.com/groups/artsentertainment

[tech-battery]

Dell's $1,850 XPS 15 laptop may seem expensive, but it's a bargain compared another laptop with almost identical specs: Apple's MacBook Pro

When I first caught wind of a laptop with an OLED screen, I jumped on the chance to try it.

There are few laptops that come with OLED screens — the pinnacle of TV and smartphone screen technology with the richest colors and supreme contrast that makes everything pop.

You'll most often find OLED screens on LG TVs and premium flagship smartphones from Samsung and Apple. So why shouldn't laptops get them, too? Many of us arguably spend more time in front of a computer screen than TVs and smartphones, after all.

As with premium TVs and smartphones with OLED screens, the XPS 15 with a 4K OLED screen demands a larger chunk of your bank account — a minimum of $1,850, to be precise.

But, in several respects, this isn't the worst deal in the world — not by a longshot. Other Windows 10 laptops with similar specs hover around the same price tag. And compared to Apple's $2,400 MacBook Pro with the same specs, the $1,850 XPS 15 feels like a bargain.

The Dell XPS 15's size and weight seemed daunting at first, but I had no problems carrying this thing around as if it was a slim and light 13-inch laptop.

If you're checking out the XPS 15, I'm going to assume you've made peace with the fact that 15-inch laptops aren't as light and portable as smaller 13-inch laptops. Fans of 15-inch screens will take the hit in portability for the extra screen space.

Having just used slim, light, 13-inch laptops for a while, the four-pound, 15-inch Dell XPS 15 seemed massive and heavy at first.

Still, after using it day after day, I realized I didn't have to make any changes to accommodate the XPS 15's extra heft. I carried around the XPS 15 around in my hands and backpack like any of the 13-inch laptops I've recently used without noticing much of a difference. I even use it during my train commute without missing a smaller laptop.

The XPS 15 and its variety of ports makes my USB-C-only MacBook Pro feel a lot less useful.

Right off the bat, I'm not a major fan of laptops that don't come with regular USB ports. I still own several devices that use regular USB connectors, and new accessories and peripherals are still coming out with regular USB connectors, which means I need to fetch or bring a dongle wherever I go with my MacBook Pro. The Dell XPS 15 is a great antidote, and requires no dongle.

It has:

2 regular USB ports (USB 3.1 Gen 1)

1 HDMI port (2.0)

1 USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 (for docking and connecting to several accessories and peripherals)

1 SD card port

1 headphone jack

A non-standard power port

You even get a battery gauge that lets you see how much battery is left without opening the lid and waking up the laptop.

The keyboard and trackpads are good, but they could have been better.

The XPS 15's "top case" where the keyboard and trackpad lies looks great with the signature XPS carbon fiber design, but it feels a little empty. There's plenty of space, and it doesn't feel like Dell made the most of it.

The backlit keyboard is good, and my nitpicks include slightly wobbly keys, and the keys could have been bigger. Oddly enough, the smaller XPS 13 with a 13-inch screen has larger keys, and it offers a better typing experience as a result. Still, no matter what, the XPS 15's keys offer a better and quieter typing experience that Apple's controversial "butterfly" keyboards.

Also, I'm not sure why Windows 10 laptop makers are letting Apple get away with the largest and best trackpads. The XPS 15's trackpad is very good, accurate, and smooth, but it could have been bigger. There's certainly enough room.

Dell and other Windows 10 laptop makers still let Apple laptops have the best speakers, too.

The XPS 15's speakers are fine. They're a little hollow and don't have much punch or bass. They're fine-enough that I'm not reaching for headphones every time I want to watch a casual YouTube video, but Apple still dominates the laptop speaker game.

The XPS 15 model I've been using has a 4K OLED display, and it's absolutely glorious, to put it lightly.

OLED is the peak in screen technology, as it delivers superlative colors and contrast compared to any other screen technology. Every app, website, and video on the XPS 15's 4K OLED screen looks amazing.

Still, OLED isn't absolutely necessary. LCD screen technology has come a long way, and I've seen some LCD laptop screens that come incredibly close to the OLED screens, like Dell's own XPS 13 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

Unfortunately, the 4K OLED screen option is only available starting with the $1,850 XPS 15 that comes with an Intel Core i7 and 16 GB of RAM. If $1,850 isn't within your budget, your only option is a regular LCD 1080p resolution screen on the XPS 15s.

There is one thing you compromise by going with a 4K laptop, and that's battery life.

4K screens often mean less battery life.

The downside of 4K resolution screens is that they invariably gulp more battery power than lower-resolution displays, like 1080p. Dell says the 4K OLED model gets about 10 hours of battery life, and the 1080p models get 20 hours.

It's tough to say if I'm getting exactly 10 hours of battery life for a mixture of video streaming and regular work. By Windows 10's estimates, the highest battery life I've seen so far with the Windows "Battery Saver" setting is about eight hours. Currently, at 81% while only switching between a few Chrome tabs and the screen at about 80% brightness, Windows 10 is telling me I have six hours and 31 minutes left.

Still, regardless of Dell's accuracy with its battery claims, the 4K XPS 15 models will drain the battery life significantly faster than 1080p models.

Another thing I should point out: The XPS 15 comes with a non-standard charger rather than a USB-C charger. It's not because Dell is late in adopting USB-C for charging. It's because USB-C chargers, capped at 100W, can't deliver the 130W of power the XPS 15 demands.

I've been using the $2,550 Core i9 model, and most of us don't need so much power. But it sure is nice ...

The Core i9 9980 "HK" processor in the XPS 15 model that Dell sent me absolutely flies through everything I do on it. It's absurdly fast, smooth, and far more responsive than the lower powered "U" series chips you'd find on smaller 13- or 14-inch laptops that are designed for ultra-light and slim designs.

Dell's XPS 15 laptops are also available with the performance "H" series of Intel's 9th-generation Core i5 and Core i7 chips, which are also inherently faster than the "U" series you'd find on smaller, thinner, lighter laptops. The i5 and i7 are much better suited for those of us who don't need the power of the Core i9 for intense video and photo editing.

The XPS 15s also come with an Nvidia 1650 graphics chip, which professionals will appreciate more than gamers.

For video and photo editors: a quick stress test with the AIDA 64 software showed that the XPS 15 with the Core i9 can stick at about 2.7GHz without thermal throttling, but it won't maintain its 5GHz boost for very long. That boost is designed for shorter bursts to open files and apps at a boosted speed rather than rendering your photos and videos. Other reviews I've seen for the Core i9 have suggested that the XPS 15 may thermal-throttle to a lower speed over long periods of intense usage.

I've loved the OLED experience of the Dell XPS 15, and starting at $1,850, it's not an unreasonable recommendation. Here's the bottom line:

If you just like the extra screen space of a 15-inch laptop and you're not looking to do a lot of intensive work, the base $1,050 XPS 15 with a Core i5 should suit you just fine. It's still a powerhouse. (However, Microsoft has just announced its new Surface Laptop 3 laptops that look mighty tempting, and I'd wait to read the reviews for Microsoft's new offering.)

For power and a 4K OLED screen — including an Nvidia 1650, if that matters to you — the Core i7 models starting at $1,850 will handily meet your demands.

For unbridled power and a 4K OLED, the Core i9 will do the trick. But starting at $2,550, it's more of a professional's option rather than something most of us actually need.