#it’s not incredibly expensive and I’m worried that the price will only increase cause it’s way out of print

[srvphm]

hmmm should I spend 56$ on an arguably bad gay vintage bdsm manga

[parkerslatte]

Years Passed [Chapter Four]

Spencer reid x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Part Summary: Y/N spends time with Harper on her birthday and the day after her and Spencer enjoy a cosy evening in.

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Years Passed Masterlist

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***

CHAPTER FOUR: GENTLE CONVERSATIONS

The following weeks were less lonely for Y/N. Whenever Harper was at school, Y/N was either painting or meeting Spencer in the same coffee shop where they had their first meeting. Whenever the two conversed, it felt as if they were in their early twenties again, everything was just natural. Even when it was the anniversary of Owen’s death, Spencer helped her through it. He knew that Y/N would be alone so he invited her to go out for coffee. Although Y/N decided to spend the day with her parents when Harper was at school, she appreciated Spencer’s gesture immensely. 

By the time Harper’s birthday rolled around, Y/N was feeling a lot better. With the help of Spencer and her family, she managed to get through the anniversary of Owens’ death without a single tear shed. Y/N was extremely grateful for this, never did she want to be down on Harper’s birthday and luckily this year she never had to force a smile once. 

When Harper ran into Y/N’s room the morning of her birthday, she was greeted to the sight of an empty bed causing a frown to appear on the young girl’s face. 

“Mum?” She yelled out.

“Come to the living room sweetheart.” Y/N called out. 

Harper immediately left Y/N’s room and ran to the living room. A smile stretched across the young girl’s face at the sight. 

“Happy Birthday!” Everyone chorused.

Y/N was standing at the front of the group with a wide smile on her face. Harper ran over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her torso. Leaning her head down, Y/N pressed a kiss to the top of Harper’s head.

“Happy birthday sweet girl,” Y/N mumbled just so Harper could hear it, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Harper muttered back, breaking away from the hug so she could give hugs to everyone else in the room.

As the day progressed and Harper began opening all of her birthday presents, they mainly consisted of different art supplies from her family members, knowing that the little girl had already began to follow in her mothers footsteps. As Y/N watched her daughter opening all of her presents she only wished that one person could be there.

Despite Y/N moving on from Owen a few years ago, she still longed for him to be there for Harper’s birthday. Y/N remembered when Owen didn’t come back from the hospital the night he died. Y/N remembered the constant screaming when Harper must’ve realised that her father wasn’t coming back. She was still incredibly young and didn’t understand much but she was still smart enough to know that her dad was no longer around. 

“Y/N!” Her mother said, snapping her out of her daydream. 

“What?” Y/N asked, momentarily confused.

“I said that me and your father should be on our way,” Her mother said, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine.” Y/N replied.

The look her mother sent back was one of disbelief, “Come with me, I’m sure your father can keep Harper entertained for a bit.”

Y/N followed her mother through to the kitchen where they sat down around the dining table.

“So tell me what’s wrong?” her mother said.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Y/N said.

“I haven’t been your mother for thirty-four years for nothing,” Her mother said, “I know when you lie to me.”

Y/N let out a small sigh, “I was just thinking about Owen, I just wish he was here to see Harper grow up.” 

Her mother reached across the table and gently took Y/N’s hand in her own, “If you ever need to talk to me, I’m always a phone call away.”

Y/N shook her head, “I’ll be okay, it’s just really this time of year. Although this year has been better, with you helping me through it, and Melanie, and Spencer-”

“Spencer? Spencer Reid?” Her mother cut her off.

Y/N nodded in confirmation, “Yeah, he came to question me about my neighbour because she was kidnapped,” Y/N began to explain, “He called me to tell me that she was okay and I guess that we’ve just been hanging out.”

“I didn’t know he still worked for the FBI.” her mother said.

Y/N nodded, “Yeah, thirteen years.”

There was a small pause before her mother’s next comment, “Is he still attractive?”

“Mom!” Y/N exclaimed.

“What? I’m only asking.” Her mother put her hands up in defense.

“I mean I suppose…” Y/N trailed off.

“So that means yes.” 

“No it does not!”

“Again, I’ve been your mother for thirty-four years, I know when you lie,” Her mother said, “I always liked Spencer.”

“Well you didn’t like him after we broke up and I told you the reason.” Y/N said.

“Yeah but that only lasted a few weeks,” Her mother said, “I missed our weekly reading sessions after that.”

Y/N shook her head in amusement, “Can we stop talking about my ex-boyfriend please?”

“You’re the one who mentioned him.” Her mother said as they stood up and began a slow walk back into the living room.

“I mentioned him briefly, you’re the one who cut me off and started the conversation about him.” Y/N defended herself with a small chuckle.

Her mother laughed with her before reaching out and gently holding her elbow, keeping Y/N in place, “But in all seriousness Y/N, please talk to me, Melanie or even Spencer if you begin to feel down.”

“I will, I promise you that.”

***

After Y/N and Harper bid goodbye to Y/N’s mother and father, the two flopped down on the couch. Harper rested her head against Y/N’s shoulder while Y/N rested her’s on top of Harper’s. 

“Mum?” Harper spoke up.

“Yeah?” 

“You didn’t get me a present.” Harper said.

“How do you know that I didn’t?�� Y/N questioned.

“Because I didn’t open a present from you.” Harper replied.

“That’s because it’s not out here, it’s in my closet,” Y/N said, “It’s quite big so I didn’t want to bring it out. Hiding it in my room was more than enough trouble.”

“Can I open it now?” Harper questioned.

“I suppose.” Y/N said with a smile as Harper jumped up from the couch, practically dragging Y/N up with her.

As they entered Y/N told Harper to sit on the bed and close her eyes, “Now it isn’t exactly wrapped because I had no clue how to wrap it and I thought it would come in a box and it didn’t.”

Y/N opened her closet revealing her present to Harper, “You can open your eyes now.”

Harper opened her eyes and gasped once she saw what the present was, “Are you serious?”

“I mean it’s here isn’t it?” Y/N said with a chuckle.

“Thank you!” Harper said, throwing her arms around Y/N. 

The present Y/N bought for Harper was an easel just like hers. Harper had always wanted one like Y/N but she always refused, deeming the easel too expensive for Harper to have her own. However a couple of weeks ago Y/N found the same one she uses at a discounted price so she had to buy it.

“I have no idea where we can put it though,” Y/N said, sitting down on her bed while Harper looked at the easel, “But I was thinking that as we only use the spare room for storage, we can clean it out and make it into our own little art studio.”

Harper gasped, “Can we?”

“If you want,” Y/N said, “We can start cleaning it out tomorrow if you want. We can get a good chunk of it done before you go to Melanie and Toby’s for a sleepover.”

Harper jumped on the bed and tackled Y/N in a hug. A wide smile spread across Y/N’s features as the two lay there. Y/N was so happy to have Harper in her life.

***

The following day, her and Harper were in comfy clothes as they began to sort through everything in the spare room, filtering through what was junk and what wasn’t. There was a lot of junk. 

“Can we keep this?” Harper questions.

“What are you going to do with a light up lightsaber that doesn’t even light up?” Y/N questions.

“I don’t know.” Harper says.

“Exactly, put it in the trash pile.” Y/N says before her phone starts to ring.

“I’m just going to take this call, don’t sneak anything out of the trash pile when I’m gone.” Y/N warned.

As she walked out of the room and into her living room, she checked the caller ID. It was Spencer. She answered the call with no hesitation.

“Hey Spence.” Y/N said happily.

“Hey.” Spencer greeted and Y/N could practically hear the smile on his face.

“So what’s up?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to go and get coffee? We haven’t seen each other for a few days so I thought we could meet up.” Spencer asked, although Y/N could hear the hesitation in his voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry Spence but I’m with Harper right now.” Y/N said.

“Oh of course, don’t worry about it then, maybe we can meet up another time.” Spencer said.

Y/N thought for a second. She did want to see Spencer. The last time she had seen him was about a week ago because he was working on a case out of state. They two exchanged a few phone calls and texts but that was the only communication they had. 

“Maybe we don’t have to go for coffee,” Y/N said, “Harper is being picked up to go to a sleepover at six so maybe we can go and get dinner or something like that?”

“That sounds great,” Spencer said, the happiness evident in his tone once again, “What time?”

“Well it depends on what you want for dinner,” Y/N said, “We could go to a restaurant, or you could maybe come here and we can order in and watch a movie?”

“I like the latter option.” Spencer said.

Y/N smiled, “So do I. That means we can have a relaxing evening in.”

“It’s a date,” Spencer said, “Um, I didn’t mean like a date, I meant it like two friends hanging out.” The panic in his voice only increased.

“I’ll see you later Spencer.” Y/N said with a chuckle.

“I’ll see you too Y/N.” Spencer said before Y/N hung up the phone, a small smile creeping onto her face.

***

After Y/N bid goodbye to Harper for the night she couldn’t help herself but look down at her appearance. She was wearing paint stained clothes and her hair was a mess. Looking at the clock on her wall, Spencer would be arriving in less than an hour. Y/N didn’t know why but she wanted to make herself look at least a little presentable. Flipping through her wardrobe she came across a dress that she had only worn a couple of times but it was the most comfortable dress she had probably ever worn in her life.

After getting changed to make herself look presentable, she scans the house. It wasn’t necessarily messy, more of organised clutter. The minimal bit of tidying she did before Spencer arrived was pushing her easel back towards the wall so it was out of the way and re arranged the pillows on the couch so it looked comfortable and inviting. 

As soon as Y/N placed the final pillow there was a knock on her door. Straightening out her dress, she headed over to the door. She smiled as she opened it and she was greeted by the smiling face of Spencer Reid. He looked a lot more casual than she had seen him whenever they met up. He was simply wearing a black sweater and jeans and a jacket on top - something she didn’t think she had ever seen on him.

“Hi,” Y/N greeted as he stepped aside to allow him into her house, “Make yourself at home. I’m sorry about the clutter, I tidied up the best I could.”

“It’s fine, my apartment is probably worse.” Spencer said, taking a seat on the couch.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted for dinner so I held off on ordering until you got here,” Y/N said taking a seat next to him on the couch, “I was thinking chinese if that’s something you wanted?”

“It’s perfectly fine with me.” Spencer replied.

After ordering, the two put  a movie on while they waited for the food to turn up. As they were sat on the couch Y/N couldn't help but find everything about the situation familiar.

“You know what this reminds me of?” Y/N spoke up, turning her attention away from the movie.

“What?” Spencer questioned.

“Every date night we ever had when we first started dating because neither of us had any money.” Y/N said.

Spencer chuckled, “Yeah it does. And I swear that we watched the same three movies over and over again.”

“That’s only because you were picky.” Y/N said, smiling.

Spencer placed his hand over his chest, looking offended, “I was not!”

“You so were!” Y/N said, “You would pick out every inconsistency and explain why certain things wouldn’t work or how they didn’t make sense.”

“That’s because they didn’t make sense,” Spencer said, “I was only pointing out something that should’ve been pointed out while making the movie.”

Y/N sighed and shook her head playfully, “You sure were a romantic weren’t you Spencer Reid.”

Spencer blushed slightly as there was a knock at the door. Y/N got up to get the food and handed the delivery person the money, plus some extra as a tip. 

“I’ll pay you back for my food.” Spencer said.

Y/N waved him off, “No you don’t have to,” Y/N said, “This just means that next time dinner’s on you.” 

Placing the food down on the coffee table in front of the couch, Y/N stood back up, “let me just go and get something, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Heading into her kitchen, she grabbed two wine glasses out of the cupboard and a bottle of wine. As she made her way back into the living room, Spencer had sorted their food out so it was all set out in front of them on the coffee table.

“So we didn’t order drinks but I have a bottle of wine and two glasses,” Y/N says, “If you don’t want wine I can get you something else.”

“Wine is perfectly fine.” Spencer said as Y/N handed him a glass. 

As she poured the two glasses, she couldn’t help but begin to feel like this was becoming more and more of a date. From the way they were positioned on the couch, every time either of them moved their legs would brush against one another.

“Did you know that Back to the Future was almost not called Back to the future?” Spencer spoke up.

“What was it nearly called?” Y/N asked out of genuine interest.

“Spaceman from Pluto.” Spencer answered.

Y/N let out a loud laugh, “That cannot be true!”

“Look it up.” Spencer said

“I don’t think I need to, you always know the weirdest facts,” Y/N said, “And I love it when you share them.”

Spencer smiled slightly while taking a sip of his wine, “I’m glad you like to listen, usually people tell me to stop.”

“I don’t see why,” Y/N said, “I love hearing you ramble on, I learn things while you talk about something you are excited about. It’s a win win situation really.”

Spencer smiled before he turned back to the television screen and continued watching the movie. 

*** 

Once all of their food was finished, the two remained on the couch as the credits to the movie played but neither of them made the move to stop it. Both of them were on their third glass of wine and they were feeling the effects of the alcohol they had consumed. Finishing off the remainder of her wine, Y/N slumped back against the couch.

During the night, Y/N and Spencer found themselves inching closer and closer to one another. So much so that the sides of their bodies were pressed up against one another. Tucking her legs underneath her, Y/N pressed her body further against Spencer’s as they sat in a comfortable silence on the couch. 

Y/N wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol acting or not but Spencer wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his side so her head now rested upon his chest. 

“Your sweater is really soft.” Y/N commented, giggling slightly.

“That’s why I wore it.” Spencer replied. 

“Where did you get it? I wanna get one.” Y/N said.

“I don’t know, I got it years ago.” Spencer said, his hand brushing lightly up and down her arm.

“I might just have to steal yours then.” Y/N said. 

“No,” Spencer protested, “It’s my favourite sweater.”

Y/N positioned her head so she could look at Spencer, “Then you should wear it more often, it looks really good on you.”

Spencer blushed at her compliment, “Really?”

“Really,” Y/N said, “You just look so cuddly in it.” She moved her arms so they were now wrapped around Spencer’s torso as she attempted to pull him even closer to her.

Spencer looked down at her with a soft smile on his face, “I missed you.”

“What?” Y/N asked.

“The first time we went out for coffee I realised how much I missed talking to you,” Spencer says, “It’s been thirteen years but it felt like we were both in our early twenties again.”

“I missed you too Spence,” Y/N said, “The first few months after I left I missed you so much and there were multiple times where I wanted to call you but I stopped myself. After I moved to England and met Owen I guess any type of feeling I had for you disappeared. But now, I’m glad that we’re friends again.”

“Me too,” Spencer said, lips brushing her forehead, “I’m glad you’re in my life again, this time I don’t plan on letting you leave too easily.”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving you again Spencer Reid,” Y/N said, “Once you become my friend, it’s hard to push me away.”

“Good, because I don’t want to push you away,” Spencer said, letting out a yawn, “But I should get home now.”

“No,” Y/N protested, “Stay here. It’s late anyway and I’m pretty sure we are both quite tipsy now so you shouldn’t go.”

“Okay,” Spencer said, giving in too easily, “Where can I sleep?”

“Well currently the guest room isn’t a guest room anymore and this couch is too small for you so you can take my bed.” Y/N said.

“No,” Spencer said, “I’ll take the couch.”

“No,” Y/N said, “You’re a guest, take my bed.”

“I forgot how stubborn you can be.” Spencer mumbled.

“Why don’t we both take my bed?” Y/N offered.

“Only if you don’t mind.” Spencer says.

“Of course I don’t,” Y/N said, “It can be like a sleepover. Harper’s at a sleepover now you’re sleeping over.”

Spencer let out a quiet laugh before the two stood up from the couch. He followed Y/N through to her bedroom as she immediately began to strip off her dress which made Spencer evert his eyes immediately.

Y/N didn’t know where her sudden confidence came from but she turned around to Spencer, “This is nothing you’ve never seen before.” She joked. 

Getting changed into a large t-shirt, Y/N crawled into her bed. Spencer still sat on the edge looking around hesitantly.

“Well are you going to lie down or not?” Y/N questioned, “And are you seriously going to sleep in jeans.”

“I don’t have anything else.” Spencer said.

“Are you wearing boxers?” Y/N asked.

“Yes.”

“Good enough.”

“Are you sure that you’ll be comfortable with that?” Spencer asked.

“Yeah it's fine Spencer,” Y/N said, “No take your damn jeans off and join me in bed because I want to feel your sweater again.”

Spencer smiled before taking off his jeans and getting into bed next to Y/N, something that seemed so familiar yet so distant. As soon as he lied down, Y/N immediately cuddled up to him. 

“This is okay right?” Y/N asked.

“It's perfectly fine.” Spencer mumbled, getting comfortable with Y/N in his arms.

“Goodnight Spence.” 

“Goodnight Y/N.”

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[plus-size-reader]

Spoiled

Ransom Drysdale x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1711 words

Warnings: none 

Summary: Ransom spoiling you and spending a ton of money on you which upsets his parents when they see just how much money he spends on you

——————————————————————————————————

It was no secret that Ransom liked to spend money. 

He had basically come out of the womb with a silver spoon in his mouth and the promise to keep it there all his life. In fact, you often wondered if money had any value to him at all. 

As best you could tell, he was always going to be that way and nothing would change that.

You, on the other hand, had never been able to shop without worrying about the price tag that it came with. You had worked hard for everything that you owned and you never took it for granted. 

However, that all changed as soon as you started going out with Ransom. 

He refused to let you pay for anything on your own...and that included your car payments, rent, and student loans. Before you knew it, Ransom was even showering you in gifts. 

It was no better than helping you pay off your bills but something about it seemed more unacceptable. 

You could live without crushed velvet peacoats and gold jewelry. 

...Not that telling Ransom any of that meant anything. 

He didn’t care at all for your eye rolls and complaints when he handed you the bags he’d acquired throughout the day. If anything, he liked shopping for you and it made him happy to spoil you. 

It made him feel like there was a reason for his wealth, and that he had a purpose.

It was something he wasn’t used to, especially not knowing the family he came from. 

That being said, you never really thought about how much money he really spent on you in all the time that you’d been together. Spending cash and showering you in lavish gifts was how Ransom showed his love. 

It was just the way it was. 

After this long, you had just grown to accept that Ransom wasn’t going to stop. However, that didn’t make the idea of visiting his family any easier. As a general rule, you two kept to yourselves. 

You avoided his family at all costs, but the death of his grandfather changed that. It meant a lot of different things, but for you-it meant that you’d have to meet his parents, for the first time in your life. 

It wasn’t something you were looking forward to. 

...Not even in the least. 

“I’m not sure about this Ransom, what if they hate me?” you grumbled, unsure if this was really worth it. Ransom had made it clear that his family wasn’t all that supportive of him, which only lessened the chances of them liking you. 

It just wasn’t looking good, and you couldn’t help but be nervous about it. 

However, all Ransom did was scoff at your worry. His family may not have been super into him as a general rule but if he knew anything at all, it was that they would love you. 

You were a well-mannered, kind, decent girl who deserved the world and if they couldn’t see that, they didn’t deserve the pleasure of your company. 

You were incredible, and they would realize that as soon as possible. 

“Don’t even worry about that, they’ll think you’re awesome” he assured, reaching over with his free hand to take your hand. He was driving with the other but he would always figure it out when it came to you. 

Maybe it was the fact that Ransom didn’t give a shit about his family’s opinion but whatever went on, it didn’t matter. 

...It wasn’t going to change anything between you. 

“But what if they don’t?” you countered, shocked that he would even dare to be so confident about that. There was a much higher chance that they’d find you bothersome, and he had to know that. 

They could hate you just on principle without knowing anything about you, but it didn’t help that you were wearing a dress that Ransom had bought you. 

...You were sure they wouldn’t like that.

“Well, no time to worry about that now Sweetheart, cause we’re here” he grinned, pointing out the window to the large estate. At first, you thought he was kidding but when you glanced in that direction, you could hardly believe it. 

The home resting there was hardly a house at all. In fact, it was more or less a fortress and you couldn’t believe it. You had never seen a more brilliant place. 

It was incredible. 

“This is your grandfather’s house?” you gasped, eyes wide as you surveyed it. You knew that Ransom’s family had quite a bit of money but you never would have guessed it was that much. 

This was some Bruce Wayne level wealth, and he didn’t even exist. 

Ransom grinned, looking at you out of the corner of his eye. He was a proud guy, but the fact that you were that enthralled by what he’d always had added to his ego. 

One day, he hoped to get you an estate like this. It would be a wonderful place to raise spoiled rotten little rugrats, likely with hunting dogs to chase them around the yard. 

It would be perfect. 

“Yep, this is it” he muttered, parking it in the driveway in the front, turning to you before getting out. “Don’t worry, they’re going to love you” he assured, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to your lips. 

It wasn’t a foolproof plan but by the time Ransom pulled away from you, you were actually feeling much more confident about this whole thing. 

“No matter what happens, you’ll always be my girl” he winked, opening the door with a start. Everyone else was already inside, but Ransom didn’t mind being the last to arrive. 

...Especially not when he had such a catch to show off to his loser family. 

It was a terrible idea really, but by this point, you were completely on board, mostly because he was telling you the truth. 

If Ransom’s family hated you, it may actually increase how in love with you he was, knowing how much he hated them. 

Ransom’s entire family was convened in the front room of Harlan’s house, just talking and catching up. It was supposed to be a time of mourning but that wasn’t going to stop Ransom. 

He had a whole plan around this evening, but in order for it to work, his family had to get to know you first.

...Not that they cared. 

As soon as you two came into the room, all conversation came to a halt. No one knew what to say or do, only exchanging glances between each other. 

They didn’t know what was going on, but nevertheless, Linda was the first to speak. 

“You’re late Ransom. Would it have killed you to show up on time?” she wondered, ignoring the elephant in the room for a moment. 

It was easier than even trying to address that. 

See, you didn’t know it but Ransom had never brought a girl home before, and they weren’t even sure how to react to that…

A simple fact that he’d chosen to keep to himself.

“You know, that’s a poor choice of words, considering-” he smirked, clearly amused with how clever he thought he was. Normally, you would make more of an effort to calm his mouth, but you didn’t have that kind of power here. 

Besides, after all of the things that had gone down between Ransom and his family, you knew better than to interject. 

It wouldn’t get you anywhere. 

“We’re being incredibly rude by the way. Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Y/N” Ransom tutted at them like you would a child. He was really having a good time with this whole thing. 

It was going to get you into a lot of trouble before this was over. 

That was it. That was all he had to say and then the questions ensued. Linda and Richard wanted to know everything about you like if you’d gone to secondary school and where, how much you made, where you worked. If they could think of it, it came out of their mouths. 

Not that the rest of the family was any better. 

Walt, Joni, and Donna were no stranger to putting their noses where they didn’t belong either, which you’d heard from Ransom on many occasions. 

You always assumed that he was being dramatic, but that clearly wasn’t the case. 

...And the entire time, Ransom sat in the middle of it with a huge smile on his face, just taking it all in. 

“Wait a second, is that a Cartier amulette?” 

The voice came from outside the hounding you were currently in the middle of it, but that didn’t mean that you were in any way safe from their upset. 

Everyone turned around to find Meg, sitting on the couch with her phone in hand, staring intently at the chain on your neck. It was a birthday present that Ransom had given you, but you had no idea where it came from. 

Clearly she did though. 

“Maybe, I’m not sure” you shrugged, not understanding why it was that big of a deal. 

However, everyone else in the room could hardly contain their gasps of shock and confusion on their faces. “Not sure? That’s a four thousand dollar necklace” She filled in, as if you were supposed to know that. 

You assumed it was expensive when he gave it to you, but you never guessed that it was that much. 

“Ransom? Did you buy that? That is such an irresponsible use of your money” Linda huffed, finding it hard to believe, though before the conversation could go on any further, you heard the man you loved clear his throat. 

“If you don’t like that, you’re gonna hate this” Ransom smiled, standing from his chair only to kneel down in front of you, pulling the biggest diamond ring you’d ever seen from his jacket. 

...You should have known. 

That was why he’d asked you to come here. You should have been upset that he was using your engagement to get back at his family, but you couldn’t because you were too busy saying yes. 

The rest of his family would just have to accept the fact that Ransom was going to spoil you, for the rest of your lives.  

[softyoongiionly]

Business Casual 🥼

Your boyfriend Jungkook has become the worldest youngest billionaire after inventing the most sought after wine on the planet. After meeting you and falling in love, he decides to ditch the bustling streets of Seoul for a picturesque villa on the Greek island of Mykonos. Today, after a long few days of work, Jungkook wants to go to the beach...

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Genre: Smut, fluff, Boyfriend! Jungkook, Billionaire! Jungkook

Warnings: SMUT (18+ only please), there’s a lot of fluff, also Jungkook speaks Korean again and, this deserves a warning, language

A/N: This is part of the Mama Mia! series, I hope you guys enjoy!

***All italicized/bolded words indicate when characters are speaking Korean***

Jungkook’s been in the wine cellar all day. 

He, along with a few members of his team worked tirelessly over the last month to get it set up. Many sleepless nights were spent on tossing and turning to the sound of drilling and scrapping of wood but, it had all been worth it when you saw that gorgeous bunny smile on your boyfriends face signaling that it had been completed. The end result was incredible: professional grad wine making equipment, state of the art storage systems and, a complete mini bar where Jungkook could experiment to his hearts content.

 The thing is, Jungkook trusted very few people.

 His jovial nature has been slowly chipped at over the years as more and more people tried to use him.  His old co-workers, his accountant, his third cousin and, worst of all, his half-brother were amongst the most difficult betrayals that caused Jungkook to retreat further and further into his introverted nature. The prototype for Azucar De Luna had been stolen many times during Jungkook’s initial success but, after a difficult year, he had refined it for the last time completely on his own. The only people he shared the recipe with were his parents and, instead of continuing mass production, Jungkook started making the bottles himself. A tireless endeavor, especially given that after the scandals of the stolen recipes broke, the original product only increased in demand.

 A massive waiting list formed and, the price for a single bottle leapt from just under $850 a bottle to $7,700 a bottle. This price increase sent Azucar De Luna to the top of the world’s most expensive wines.

 Jungkook didn’t start making wine for the money though, he started it because he was passionate about it and, grew rather uncomfortable with people treating him like he was some sort of business tycoon. Given that your boyfriend makes all the wine himself, he reduced his output of the product significantly and only releases 200 bottles a year. This of course, only allures the rich and famous more and more.

 “Jagiyaaaa…”  You hear his whine coming from the cellar and, the sound causes a smile to break across your lips.

 He wants you to try something…

 “Mr. Jeon???” You call back in response and you hear him snicker at the name.

 “Come here, I added something new!”

 The sound of his voice warms you from the inside out and, you quickly oblige his request, setting aside the book you were reading to meet your boyfriend in the cellar.

 You pass the thermostat on the way down and, curse yourself for not remembering your sweater. Jungkook keeps his cellar at exactly 55 degrees (12.8 degrees Celsius) which isn’t freezing but, its certainly much cooler than the warm summer breeze currently wafting through your living room.

 “Yah, baby…” Jungkook admonishes from behind the bar, the nickname sends a jolt through your stomach as its not one he uses often, “…you’re going to catch a cold.

 You wave him off, thankful you’re wearing socks as you step onto the stone floor, “I’ll be fine. You’re timing is perfect by the way, just in time for happy hour…”

 Jungkook chuckles, grabbing a wine glass from the overhead rack, “Is that why you keep me around? No need to go to the bar when you’ve got a vintner for a boyfriend huh?”

 “You weren’t supposed to figure that out until after I convinced you to ditch the pre-nup babe, don’t mess with my plans…” You retort, hoisting yourself onto the barstool, admiring the way Jungkook looks dressed in his corduroy apron.

 “All I got from that statement is that you want to marry me…” He smiles, throwing a wink your way as he pours a half a glass for each of you.

 “Shut up…”

 The characteristic bloody red of Jungkook’s wine is slightly darkened and, you ignore the fluttering in your chest and, change the subject.

“What did you add? It smells amazing in here…” The cellar’s scent contained all of the usual subjects: cork, wood, wine, etc. but, there was a strong scent of something else you couldn’t quite place.

“Dark chocolate. I imported some from Africa and asked the chocolatier if I could experiment with it. She said I could as long as I sent her a bottle if it works out.” He smiles fondly, pushing the glass towards you.

“Fair warning, if you do get this right, which I’m quite sure you did, I will be begging you for more…” You warn him playfully, bring the glass to your nose, inhaling the sweet and savory notes of Jungkook’s creation.

“Wouldn’t be the first time…” He quips, smirking, eyes flitting over you and, he throws his head back in laughter as you flip him off, moving the glass to your lips.

The taste is exquisite, earthy and sweet, (just like Jungkook). The chocolate notes linger on your tongue long after you’ve swallowed your first sip and close your eyes in disbelief.

“How is it?” Jungkook’s nervous, he always is. Your approval means a lot to him and, despite his international success, he still doesn’t understand his own greatness.

“Okay, all jokes aside, this is one of your best bottles yet. It’s so amazing, the flavor, the aftertaste, its chocolatey but, not too strong. You’re a genius Kookie, like seriously you have a gift…” You’re rambling and, Jungkook’s bunny smile quickly makes an appearance, relishing in your praise.

 ��Really? It’s only been fermenting for 10 days, I was worried it wouldn’t be long enough…” He is slowly making his way around the counter, feeling a desire to be closer to you.

 “I wouldn’t have been able to tell, it tastes like it’s been aged for half a century…” You smile as he smiles, taking another sip, closing your eyes once more at the taste.However, before you have a chance to open them, you feel warm lips tucking themselves between yours, catching the bit of wine still left on your lips.

“Tastes even better on your lips jagiya…” Jungkook whips out his Korean and his satoori because, he has absolutely no regard for your life.

You hum against his mouth, pushing a hand against his chest, “You’re insatiable…”

The two of you had gone at it this morning: unhurried and unrestrained in your brand new bed. The move has finally allowed for you and Jungkook to indulge in each other without interruptions and, it’s safe to say you’ve been taking advantage of it.

“I’m a sommelier jagi, it’s my job to always improve the quality of my wine…”

He’s kissing down into your neck now, slotting himself between your legs whilst his strong arms wrap around your waist.

You don’t stop him, melting at the feeling of his lips, your hands brushing back his thick, raven locks.

He’s hair is growing longer everyday…

“Are you gonna send me to the chocolatier too then?” You tease, tugging on his hair playfully and, he chuckles, biting your neck in retaliation.

“No,” He’s back to English now, bestowing some semblance of mercy upon you, pulling out of your neck to meet your eyes, “she’s getting the lower quality version, I don’t share…”

Virgos never do….

“The wine on its own is more than enough.” You assure him, fingernails brushing over his back gently, smirking at the light shiver that runs through his body.

“Why do you always do that?” He whines, his hair falling in his eyes as he pushes against you.

“Do what?”

“Use your nails…” He’s boyish as ever, hugging you and, sporting pink cheeks, his lids heavy with an onslaught of exhaustion.

A fond giggle fills the small amount of space between you, “ I thought you liked my nails…”

He grumbles, tucking his face right back into you, nuzzling his face there.

He’s tired…

“I do but,” You haven’t stopped gently running your nails over your boyfriends back, hoping to encourage him to get some rest. “…they feel too good. I have to keep working.”

You shake your head, pressing a kiss against his hair, “You’ve been working for the past 10 hours babe, its almost midnight…”

“Are you trying to get me into bed jagiya?” He hums and, you can feel him smirk against you as his fingertips slide underneath your t shirt.

“I am, you’re going to burn yourself out and, I don’t like going to sleep without you…” You respond shamelessly, trying to ignore the errors in your pronunciation.

Jungkook doesn’t seem to notice as he continues to nose at your neck, “Are you going to put me to sleep?”

You pinch his side gently causing him to chuckle, pulling away from you once more, his chocolate eyes lit up in mischief.

“I’ll come to bed in a little bit, I promise.” Jungkook rubs your hips, his tone sincere enough that you , don’t question it, even though you want him to yourself right now, you know he has to finish up. “You like the wine though right? You think it’s good enough for a soft release, just to the locals’ maybe?”

His onslaught of questions explains why he isn’t ready for bed yet. As much as he wants to snuggle into bed with you, the perfectionist living in his brain is clearly not done with him yet.

A soft smile on your mouth and a thumb over his cheek soothes him slightly, along with your words of encouragement:

“It’s one of the best wines I’ve ever had Jungkook, second only to Luna. Whoever you decide to share it with is going to be in awe…”

His bunny smile is back paired with bunny teeth nibbling his bottom lip, “I love you…”

A pert kiss is pressed to his lips, “I love you too.” You throw a stern look his way as you pull back, “In bed by one ok? I don’t want you overworking yourself…”

He’s docile under your orders, he prefers it that way.

“Yes mam. I’ll be up soon…”

He makes good on his promise and, although you had drifted off not long after your time with him in the cellar, you vaguely remember him cuddling up behind you and, passing out soon after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The curtains danced around the right side of your bedroom along with the summer wind, the song was the sound of the ocean and, you feel awfully lucky that you’re witnessing such a simple yet beautiful sight.

It’s so strange to think that a fairy-tale can feel so much like home…

Jungkook had been up before you, needing to be on a conference call with his parents and, a few remaining trusted investors. From what you could gather, things went well as you didn’t catch anything too alarming coming from Jungkook’s office.

You woke up not long after him, having an appointment of your own with an art gallery in France that you had been managing for the past year. Nothing too eventful came from your meeting either, a new curator had joined your team so, you spent most of the call going over the ins and outs of their position. You’re still in your office when your boyfriend meanders in, wearing only his black boxers and a navy blue dress shirt. You laugh at the sight,

“What are you wearing?”

“What does it look like? Business…” He pauses, gesturing to the dress shirt before turning around and, flashing his ass to you, “…casual…”

Your head is thrown back as full belly laughter leaves your lips, the ridiculousness of your boyfriend really knows no bounds.

“Are your boxer’s designer at least? Or are those the ones you bought at the convenience store?”

He chuckles, feeling warm at the sound of your laughter, making his way over to you, “Those pesky investors don’t deserve my good underwear jagi, those are only for you…”

Jungkook’s arrived at your desk now, his fingers working at the buttons of his top, wanting desperately to rid himself of it.

“Good point.” You giggle before nodding to him,  “Are you done for the day?”

You try not to notice as more and more of Jungkook’s tanned skin is revealed to you and, continue typing away on your computer.

“Yeah,” He finishes unbuttoning and grips the lapels of the shirt before pulling it off, leaving his body on full display, “I don’t feel like doing much else, especially sense I was in the cellar all day yesterday.”

A glimpse of his abs, that he annoyingly still has despite you feeding him constantly, causes you to feel weak in the knees.

Damn him for being so beautiful…

“Yeah, I don’t blame you, you worked really hard yesterday.” You attempt to keep it cool, not wanting to jump his bones two days in a row.

“I wanted to go down to the beach today, the weather is beautiful.”

His statement makes you whimsical, he sounds so happy and, peaceful: something you didn’t hear much of until you moved to Greece.

“Yeah? Let’s do it…I’m almost done here, I just gotta send this out to my new hire and, I’ll be done.”

He smiles at your response, his eagerness coming in full throttle as he kisses your head, “Ok, I’ll get everything ready for us. Take your time jagi…”

Jungkook says take your time but, the way he rushes excitedly out of the room, causes you to finish up as quickly as possible.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours, a plate of delicious food and a third of a bottle of wine later, you and Jungkook find yourself waist deep in the waters of your private portion of Kalafati Beach. The wine and food had settled quite nicely in your system and, you feel pleasantly floaty as your wrap your legs around your boyfriends narrow hips.

“You look like a mermaid jagiya….so beautiful.” He muses, smiling gently against your lips as he nudges your nose, he’s been speaking Korean for the past hour or so, explaining that speaking in his native language relaxes him.

Words sound beautiful out of Jungkook’s mouth, no matter the language…

“I wouldn’t mind living in the ocean…being a merman would suit you too, especially since your hair is so long…” Your response is a little rocky but, you pair it with gentle comb of your fingers through his locks so, any mistakes are forgiven.

“ You like long hair right?”

You kiss his temple, “ I love it.”

Jungkook smiles as he leans into you, kissing slowly and tenderly into your neck.

The thing is, you both had been at this for quite awhile, he was hard, you were wet but, neither of you had made a further move and, instead choose to kiss and tease one another.

Your nails make an appearance on Jungkook’s back, tracing slow and gentle shapes in his damp skin. His dick twitches again, for the hundredth time and, although there is no need for theatrics, you would be lying if you said you weren’t desperate to have him inside of you.

“Baby…” He whispers into your ear, nudging it with his nose, “Baby baby baby…my baby…”

Jungkook is back to English for the pet name only and, you smile fondly as you hear a hint of his submission.

He gets like this sometimes, he’d never let the world know.

Its only for you…

“What jagiya? What is it?” You coo tenderly into his skin, kissing and nibbling against his shoulder.

He shivers at the sensation of your teeth but, his response comes quickly, “can I go inside now?”

“Inside? Inside where?”

Jungkook groans at your teasing, pressing his hips against you desperately, “Inside of you….”

A smirk is on your mouth, you love riling him up, “Inside of me how? How will you get inside?”

Jungkook loves it too, he loves when you tease but, his dick is so hard he can feel it throb painfully in the water. He slides his hand down between you to cup against your bathing suit bottoms, smacking lightly underwater, “You know exactly how I get inside but, if Noona wants to hear me say it, I will…”

His satoori is back and thicker than ever as he tucks a finger underneath the seam of your bathing suit, “I want inside her pussy. It’s where I belong right Noona? Right here huh? In this spot?”

His sinful questions are punctuated with the entrance of his finger that angles right up against your g spot.

“Fuck…” You whisper and, this causes Jungkook to chuckle darkly.

“What’s wrong Noona? Did I touch you somewhere too nice? Is your voice all fucked up now?”

God, he could really be dirty if he wanted to be…

His finger is pumping in and out of you now, his free hand untying one side of your suit, exposing more of you to him. He catches your gaze thing, wet stringy hair in his wild eyes, lips swollen from all of your kissing, smugness on his lips.

“Noona…what happened? Is your pussy too tingly? Is it too hard to speak now?”

You nod, not bothering to admonish his smugness, the sensation only increasing as he rubs his thumb over your swollen clit.

“Noona, will you cum on my hand please? Please Noona? I wanna feel you squeeze my finger, I want to lick it off, please Noona will you? If I go faster like this,” He increases his pace, tucking his finger harder up against your g-spot, “will you cum now Noona? Is it good enough?”

It is. It always is.

You feel your cunt tightening around his finger and, frantically you slide your hand down to rub over Jungkooks thumb, aiding him in rubbing your clit.

“Fuck there you go, that’s my baby yeah? That’s my fucking beautiful Noona, she cums so good for me every time, I’m so lucky…”

“Jungkook…” You whimper, which is uncommon for you and, he notices it, hugging you tightly to him as you slowly ride out your orgasm.

“My name should only ever come from your lips, no one else says it right, not like you Noona…”

He’s worshipping now, another layer of Jungkook’s love for you, perhaps one of the final layers…

“Can I come inside now Noona? Have I earned it?”

He’s whimpering now and, nosing at your cheek, placing eager kisses all over you, his hands following his lips.

“Inside babyboy, you’ve earned it, you always do…”

Jungkook melts at your words, wasting no time as he slides into you, having only pulled his trunks off half way under water.

“Oh god Noona…its not gonna be long, I’m so fucked up for you…” His whimpering is weaker as the two of you fuck eachother in the beautiful Grecian ocean.  

You’re drunk off the emotion, the setting, your lovers body, Jungkook’s words only adding to the high

“Say you love me…please jagiya, I need to hear it, I need it so bad…”

You do, you always do, you’ll say it till you’re blue in the face.

Cause this shit is that strong…

Through a few frantic I love you’s Jungkook cums, using your body for support but, continuing his pace to ensure that you finish for a second time.

It’s been like this a lot lately, unfiltered, raw, passionate…

You think it’s because he’s finally happy, he’s finally at peace with himself after so many years of heartbreak.

The tide is calmer than it was when you first entered the water, the seagulls and, the waves echoing like a heavenly music box around the two of you.

Nothing is said for quite a while, not with words anyway, the two of you merely sit in the world, kissing and touching at one another before Jungkook finally speaks,

“I know what to call the new wine…when it’s ready…” He beams, still sticking to Korean, his voice still small.

“What will you call it?”

He smiles, kissing your neck once more,

“Y/N.”

[hypexion]

A Pile of Fanwalkers (Part 3)

Part three of all these fanwalkers. Now it’s time for all the ones who are mean, and should not be trusted. Sometimes because they’ll stab you, and sometimes because they’re just... kind of massively evil.

The basic format for each planeswalker will be a Name/Colour Identity/Pre-Ignition Typeline/Homeplane blob of information, a quickish description of them and some “fun“ facts, and then some hits and misses for extra flavour. Also, I’m going to split this into three posts - “Heroic“, “Okay“ and “Villians“, for I believe I have the moral authority to judge my creations.

Also some of these are going to be from fanplanes, which will go undescribed beyond whatever tidbits come out the character flavour. Others will just have a ?, representing a lack of knowledge and/or sufficent worldbuilding. With that out of the way, let’s go!

Villians

Evil is not a state of being. It is a form of intent, and a form of action. Some of these Planeswalkers can be trusted. Some of them may even appear to be nice. But make no mistake. They have caused suffering. They have altered lives for the worse. Either by design or consequence, their effect upon the multiverse marks them as villians.

Aster - B, Human Warlock, Zodyas - Aster was born under the influence of a bad star, which granted him the ability to draw power from negative emotions. But don’t think that makes him a bad person. Aster’s powers do not compel him to perform evil deeds. They simply enable him. Motivated by nothing greater than his own self-interest, Aster is the truest example of a disaster with a point of view. He was, while it lasted, a member of the Infinite Consortium. After Tezzeret forget how to run it, Aster managed to… convince a number of cells to accept his leadership. While lacking a grand plan for his splinter group, he’s interested in expansion, if only for the sake of increasing his own personal power. Aster may possess a certain kind of charm, and some level of restraint when compared to other ‘walkers, but do not be decieved. The moment harming you becomes worth the effort, Aster will be ready to do so.

Aster is often described as being pale of skin and dark of hair. There’s some weird magic causing that, since different cultures usually focus on different things when describing others. Aster prefers to dress in the fashions of power, whether that happens to be expensive robes, hand-tailored suits, togas or other such clothing. He preferes to wear darker colours, but if opulence is the style of a plane’s elite, then opulent he shall be. While he does carry a mean looking dagger, his primary form of defense are his so-called attendants - humanoid shades he commands via magic. These can perform many tasks, such as “fetch me more wine“, “open that door“ and “kill them“. When Aster planeswalks, he dissipates into a fine black mist. Interestingly, if he’s thinking about planeswalking, his magic generates a similar mist, that trails from him as he moves.

Hits: Power, influcence, tormenting his enemies, using people’s guilt to literally physically crush them. Misses: The undead, constructs, Loxy, Constellation Cults trying to recruit him, being around Ashiok for too long.

Galina - WB, Human Advisor, Ithmorne - In her early life, Galina leaned much more towards the White aspects of her personality. Even as a member of the Zoriac Imperium, she valued their goal of peace greatly, and was one of those that saw certain practices as a detriment to that goal. However, this did not last. When the outpost she was in was raided, everything changed. The ignition of her spark saved her life, but not her right eye. Fortunately for her, Galina arrived on Ravnica within dragging distance of a Simic emergency care clinic, where it was assumed she was an Azorius member who had suffered a run in with the Gruul. This was a role she was happy to take up for real, once the chance provided itself, seeing the Senate as an obvious parallel for the Imperium of her homeplane. In fact, Ravnica seemed to have many similarities with Ithmorne. This could only be due to the work of Azor, the great Sphinx who had brought peace to her warring plane so long ago, and whose Compact still enforced it now. Galina soon realised that her ability to traverse the multiverse would allow her to find more worlds ‘saved’ by Azor, and in turn learn more from them. Ultimately, she decided, those factions on Ithmorne too small to be affected be the Compact would be forced into co-operating. And if not? Then they would perish. Such would be the price of peace. The process had already begun, Galina believed, and if accelerating the pace was necessary, it would be done.

Galina has white skin and long brown hair. Additionally, the events that led to her ignition left her with a noticeable scar, running from her temple, across her right eye, to halfway down her right cheek. Many wonder how her right eye survived such a wound, and the truth is that it didn’t. Instead, she had it replaced by the Simic while on Ravnica. Galina generally wears the standard uniform for those in her position in the Zoriac Imperium - navy blue military robes, kept in the best condition possible. Rather than carry a weapon, Galina relies on her mastery of law magic, using it bind and impede her enemies. She is also capable of many of the standard black mana abilities, especially those which weaken her foes. When combined, these make her a formidable, and potentially deadly opponent. Galina’s planeswalking effect is a jagged and chaotic burst of darkness, which can cause minor damage to living things that nearby.

Hits: Peace through power, Azor, law and order, her own take on the concept of justice, Simic biomagic. Misses: “Barbarians“, insubordination, traumatic memories.

Malius - UBR, Human Wizard, Innistrad - In every profession, there are those that push boundaries. They look at the rules, and wonder which are truly needed. These are the kind of people the majority of Innistrad distrusts. And in the case of the stitcher pariah Malius, they are completely right to do so. While his fellow skaberen found his “wolf with werewolf arms“ experiment a daring new idea, even they had limits. Rumors began that he had started to use demons as a source of parts, and that he consorted with diabolists for unknown purposes. These rumors contained some truth - Malius was interested in demons and had, for a time, used them to “improve” his creations. But over time, he had become interested in the nature of demonic pacts, and how one might acquire the benefits without having to pay the price. Somehow, he was able to construct a device that extracted the source of a demon’s power, and began using it to infuse himself with dark power. For a time, not demon, nor mob, nor torch-wielding monstrosity could stop him. The destruction of the Helvault was an opportunity to Malius, bring him yet more specimins. Everything was going well, until an angel arrived. She cut through his creations, and had both the strength and motivation to kill Malius. In an act of desparation, he activated the extractor, aiming it at the angel. She exploded (don’t worry - she got better (sort of)). This would have been incredibly fatal to Malius had his Spark not ignited, sending him across the Blind Eternities to Zendikar. And so, he soon discovered all sorts of new things to stitch. Including Eldrazi. In fact, Malius was straight-up ecstatic during the events of Eldritch Moon.

Malius’ various experiments have left him with sickly, pallid skin, and pale white hair. His eyes no longer appear human, and those who spend time around him soon feel uneasy. Malius wears the standard dress of the stitcher, a white labcoat, brimming with tools and notebooks. Malius often manipulates his tools via telekinesis, either to work upon a new creation, or as a method of attack. In dire situations, he calls upon the demonic powers he has infused himself with, physically taking on the form of a demon. This grants him signifigance strength, speed and endurance while it lasts, but prevents him from planeswalking, making it as risky as it is useful. When Malius planeswalkers, he disappears in cloud of dark and burning ash, crackling with lightning. This occurs even when he cannot actually planeswalk due to being a demon.

Hits: Extracting demonic power, demonic infusions, terrifying creations. Misses: Angels, torch-weilding mobs, basic medical ethics.

Skath - WBG, Naga Assassin, Orpheri - At first glance, Skath is like any other planeswalker assassin you might meet. She kills people for money, and she does it well. However, she is still a member of the organisation that trained her, a religious order of assassins on Orpheri. So Skath will not kill those standing on sacred grond, those not old enough to be an adult of their kind, and she requires more than just a payment before targetting a diplomat or member of a religious order. Beyond the rules of her faith, however, Skath kills without hesitation, selling death for gold and jewels. When not killing, she is surprisingly thoughtful, a writer of poetry and cultivator of interesting plants. And while unrepentant, she not always unrelenting. Put up enought of a fight, or simple hide in a shrine for a few days, and Skath will move onto easier targets.

Skath has copper-brown scales, and no hair, because Naga don’t have hair on Orpheri. She wears light armor on her torso, which is engraved with protective magic. Her favoured weapons are two scimitars, enchanted to deliver venomous strikes. She also carries a dagger, and a number of poisons, so that she might have the perfect tool for any assassination. In a pinch, she can bite someone, however the Naga Assassins of Orpheri consider this an act of last resort. Mainly because once you identify the cause of death as Naga venom, finding the killer is fairly simple. Skath planeswalks with a flash of pale orange light, leaving behind traces of sand. Interestingly, she is capable of being incredibly precise with her appearance on a plane, and has sometimes managed to planeswalk into a room based on it’s relative position to a know location.

Hits: Getting paid, botany, the statisfaction of a job well done. Misses: Cold places, oath-breakers, Locke, people attacking her from sacred ground (this is actually a bad idea - her religion sees this as an act of desecration, meaning you ultimately forfeit the protection provided).

Look at all these not nice people. It’s probably best to keep a distance between you and them. Of course, their motivations differ greatly, so if you were to find yourself in close proximity to them, you might be able to avoid getting stabbed. Or worse.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Credit card activity as a predictor of mass shootings

The New York Times has published an investigation into infamous American mass shootings and found that a significant proportion of mass shooters go on credit-card fueled spending sprees prior to their acts of terror, and that these shooters worry (needlessly, as it turns out) that their unusual credit-card spending will be flagged by financial institutions, resulting in their cards being frozen.

Even if you don't own one or more guns, the historic, incredible wealth of the NRA tells you something about the profitability of the industry -- and hence the high price of the bulk-killing weapons that mass-murderers prefer.

This presents a problem for law-abiding hoarders of high-powered, high-speed, high-capacity firearms, who may lack the funds to amass the arsenal of their dreams. But mass killers, who plan on dying in a hail of bullets after they have done their work, can sidestep this problem thanks to the American dream of easy subprime credit, as the high interest rates and fees associated with the cards you can get on short notice pose no hardship to the intestate estates of notorious killers.

Anyone who's ever used their cards in unusual ways knows all about the hair-trigger fraud-detection systems used by banks: I can say from recent experience that even if you call your bank and tell them, "I'm about to do all my annual charitable giving, so please expect a bunch of unusual transactions ranging from $100 to $3000, all to registered charities," that you will still have to call the fraud department and get your card unfrozen half a dozen times. And don't get me started on the risks of having your card frozen while you're out of the country -- even if you warn your bank ahead of time -- with a dead phone battery and no way to call overseas to ask your bank to unfreeze things.

But somehow, mass shooters don't get caught in this dragnet. In part, that's due to a deliberate strategy of obscurity pursued by gun merchants, who piggyback on the Merchant Category Code for sports stores, and who supply only the minimum information required to process the transaction, not volunteering the fact that their customers are buying assault rifles and other killers' friends.

The Times's investigation ends by suggesting that banks are unwittingly complicit in mass shootings, and that they could do better: increasing both the data they demand from merchants and the sensitivity of the fraud-detection systems that interdict suspicious transactions. Andrew Ross Sorkin cites the role that banks have been deputized to play in fighting the financing of terrorism and money-laundering as predecent.

As someone who is pro-gun-control and anti-bank, I should be cheering this on, but I think it's a terrible idea.

First of all, mass shootings are incredibly rare (not relative to other countries, but as a cause of mortality -- you are almost certainly not going to get caught in one, but you should be much more worried about being shot deliberately or accidentally by someone you love, or about killing yourself with your own gun, all of which constitute the bulk of the risk from guns in the USA).

If, say, one in a million high-dollar transactions at a place where guns are sold is a prelude to a mass killing, and your mass-killing-detector algorithm is 99% accurate then:

* Out of every million transactions, 10,000 will be flagged as potential mass shooters

* Out of every million transactions, only one will be an actual mass shooter

* For every 10,000 leads that the banks pass on to police, 9,999 will be false alarms

This is not a good way to fight crime.

What's more, Sorkin's math contains a glaring flaw: while he correctly identifies that spending a lot on credit cards is a good predictor of mass shootings, he doesn't ask whether it's a good predictor of things that aren't mass shootings. This is really important, because if, say, outfitting a big hunting trip, or adding to a collaction of rare and expensive firearms, are thousands of times more likely than tooling up for a mass killing, then the rate at which false alarms are sent to the cops will be much higher than the math above suggests.

Then there's the precedents that Sorkin cites as the basis for asking banks to fight this kind of crime: their efficacy in fighting money-laundering and terrorism. The problem is, banks suck at this. The anti-money-laundering measures put in place have done little to deter the worst money-launderers (see, e.g., the Panama Papers), while they have put incredible hardship on some of the most vulnerable people in our world -- like, say, undocumented immigrants making remittances to their families overseas. Even people with loads of privilege and relative wealth suffer from this (I remember when Citibank UK refused to let me withdraw a thousands pounds in cash on my wedding day, which I wanted to have on hand in case there were problems with the caterer, the hall, etc, that could be resolved with cash money).

Sorkin's committing elementary logic errors here: just because a certain credit-card spending pattern predicts gun violence, it doesn't follow that gun violence is the thing is predicts best, nor that we could detect it well -- and if the best evidence for banks as crimefighters is the money-laundering and terrorism-fighting they do, then we should ask ourselves whether they're very good at doing either, and what costs this imposes on people who aren't money-launderers or terrorists.

https://boingboing.net/2018/12/26/surveillance-chokepoints.html

[eryiss]

Gambler’s Luck: Chapter Twenty

Summary: A drunken night at a bar; that’s how it always starts. A few shots, some self loathing and a decision you would never make when sober. But for Laxus Dreyar, the morning after doesn’t include regret, copious amounts of aspirin and a stranger in his bed. For he only made one drunken decision, becoming the personal driver for professional gambler - Freed Justine. [Fraxus Multi-Chap]

You can read it on FanFiction, Archive of Our Own or under the cut. You can also catch up using the chapter list here. Hope you enjoy ^.^

Chapter Twenty – The Real World

Laxus was happy. It felt unusual.

He had never been an unhappy person, at least form his perspective. Actually, considering his upbringing and the constant crap that the world seemed insistent on throwing in his direction, he had always thought he was pretty content with life. But being content didn't exactly mean he was happy. It just meant that he was… fine. But recently, that had changed.

It was no mystery as to what had caused this change. Only a week ago had he returned from his vacation with Freed, where two had made their relationship official. Laxus wasn't the type of guy to overexaggerate, but he honestly felt that his mood hadn't dropped since they had returned.

Even walking down the rain-soaked streets of Magnolia, he found a smile toying at his lips for no other reason than that he was happy. Nothing particularly uplifting had happened during the day – he hadn't even seen Freed since the evening before – but he found himself happy. The fact he was in a relationship, that someone wanted to commit to him in such an emotional way, the fact that there was someone who wanted to spend time with him without any obligation was thrilling. It was a thrill that Laxus loved feeling, and he wanted to keep it up for as long as possible.

Damn, so this was what it felt to be lovestruck. Not as bad as Laxus thought.

Keeping the smile off his lips, he pushed open the door to Mirajane's bar. As he neither needed to work nor could he see Freed throughout the day, he had decided to drop in and see his friends for the evening. He knew it was only so long that he could put off the conversation with Mirajane before she started making house visits. Laxus knew from experience that a locked door wouldn't stop her.

"Hey lover boy."

Laxus' head snapped up when he heard Cana's greeting form across the room. She was standing behind the bar, seemingly sober and wearing the uniform that Mirajane usually wore. Beside her was Elfman, wearing the male equivalent of the uniform and buffing a glass with a rag. This was weird, Elfman had left the bar years back for his job at the gym and Mirajane never let Cana behind the bar.

He walked to the bar, trying to ignore the flushing of his cheeks as he noticed a few glances at the name Cana had given him. It seemed the woman also knew about the vacation with Freed, and what had come of it. He took a seat, frowning at the two a little.

"Where's Mirajane?" He questioned, leaning his forearms on the cold wood.

"Night off," Elfman answered, placing the glass down and grabbing the bottle of scotch Laxus preferred.

"Some jackass supplier was trying to fuck around with her prices, she's been pretty stressed about it for a while," Cana continued, glancing towards Elfman as he prepared the drinks. "Took a while to convince her, but she's upstairs and let us take control for the night."

Laxus nodded but was still frowning. "And it takes both of you? You ain't exactly busy."

"I'm in training," Cana explained. "Got tired of sponging off my girlfriend so, until I find another job, I'm gonna work here. Still learning the ropes so I'm not allowed look after the place myself, so the big guy here is making sure I don't burn everything down or some crap," Cana then grinned and leant forward. "And Ever's back in town, and Elfy still doesn't have the balls to ask her out so he's hiding away in here."

"Hey!" Elfman protested, placing Laxus' regular drink in front of him.

"It's been years, man. You both want each other, just go for it," Laxus chuckled, before looking back to Cana. "When did she get back?"

"Couple days ago," Elfman muttered. Both Laxus and Cana looked towards him with raised eyebrows. "She texted me, it's not- shut up."

Laxus chuckled, making a note to catch up with his friend when given the chance. She had taken an apprenticeship in Crocus for a year, claiming that it would give her the work experience she needed and that it was a chance that she couldn't pass up. She and Laxus had kept up contact, but Ever's job got busy around the summer months and Laxus had to deal with his personal life, so contact had slipped away a little in the last few months. It would be nice to speak with her again, and she would probably have a pretty excited reaction to finding out Laxus was seeing someone.

The blonde felt his cheeks rise a little as he smiled. The very fact he had a boyfriend to speak of gave him a warm feeling that Laxus wondered how he lived without. The fact he was so willing to talk about his relationship – and how Freed was willing to do the same – only added to the warmth he was feeling.

He lifted the glass of scotch to his lips, using the drink to disguise his smile until he could get rid of it. When he caught Cana's eyes, her expression told him that she already knew what he was doing. He placed the glass down and met her gaze, knowing that she was just as 'curious' about his relationship with Freed as Mirajane was. Cana, however, lacked the subtlety of her girlfriend. This was made plain with her next words.

"So, the gambler not with you," She teased. "Kick you to the kerb already?"

"Funny," Laxus deadpanned, cupping his glass but not picking it up yet. "He's got a friend staying at his place for a week and I didn't wanna get in the way."

"A friend huh?" Cana leant forward a little, grinning. "Your guy's a catch, you not feeling a little jealous?"

"Course not," Laxus chuckled. "Because I ain't a six-year-old kid with commitment issues."

"Nah," Cana laughed. "You're a twenty-six-year-old disaster with mommy and daddy issues."

Laxus didn't say anything but chuckled and raised his glass in a mock toast. The blonde was in a pretty good mood and knew that, in Cana's humour, very little was off limit, so he wasn't offended by the joke made at his expense.

Just as Cana went to say something again, a woman walked to the bar a little further down from Laxus. The blonde could hear the woman giver her order – it was either her round from the busy table in the corner or she was incredibly thirsty – and both he and Cana frowned when Elfman said that Cana would make the drinks. Granted there was no cocktails or anything that would require more than pouring something into a glass, but it was obvious that Cana had yet to make an order with that many people. Her and Elfman quickly swapped places as Cana started to pull out the necessary glasses for the woman's order.

When Laxus glanced up and looked towards Elfman and saw a small smile, he understood why Elfman had given Cana the order. Everyone knew Cana was… intrusive with relationships, so the other man was saving Laxus from further ridiculous questioning, at least for the moment. The blonde was appreciative of it.

"Thanks," He nodded, raising the glass.

"Don't worry about it," Elfman replied, going back to cleaning glasses. "Seriously though, glad you got together. Freed's a good guy, more than man enough for you. Hope it goes well."

Laxus smiled a little. He had almost forgotten that Elfman and Freed were, or at least had been, friends of some kind. Hell, if Laxus hadn't second-guessed his decisions a couple of years ago, there was a chance that Elfman could have been the friend that got them together. It was a weird thought, that they could have been a couple for years if Laxus had plucked up the courage at the time, but it was quickly replaced by the warmth in his stomach as he thought about how glad he was that it had happened at all; because it really was good.

Sure, the way they had treated each other on the vacation hadn't carried over after they had returned. It wasn't as if the floodgates had opened and they could no longer keep their hands off each other or spend any time apart, but things certainly had changed between them. Even if it was only noticeable to someone who knew the men well.

The time they'd spent together out of work had increased considerable, and twice in the last week they had ended the evening at Freed's apartment after sharing a meal there. Both times, Laxus had returned to his own apartment and nothing close to sex had occurred – there was a shared sense of caution around that since they'd returned – but the time together was nice. And it certainly wasn't platonic.

They had changed in smaller ways too. Freed seemed a little less formal when he texted Laxus, even slipping with his grammar once or twice. Laxus found himself second-guessing himself less while talking, making conversation more free flowing. When Freed had needed Laxus to drive him to a client, Laxus had leant over and given Freed a chaste kiss before he left; after seeing Freed smiling as he walked to the client's building, Laxus decided that he would make a habit of doing that whenever he drove Freed anywhere.

So yeah, it wasn't exactly the same as it was on their vacation, but it was still great.

"Me too," Laxus nodded with a small smile.

Cana grinned when she returned, having given the woman a large trey of drinks which slightly lacked the finesse of Mirajane's and Elfman's. Her grin increased when she saw the look on Laxus' face before he could wipe it away. He was practically lovestruck.

Trying to ignore the teasing expression, Laxus finished his drink and placed the glass down on the bar-top. He had expected that he would be hit with a barrage of questions about his and Freed's relationship and, although he hadn't expected them to come from Cana, he was willing to answer them as long as they didn't get too invasive. He sighed a little but smiled, motioning to Cana to indicate that she could ask whatever she wanted. She didn't hesitate.

"So…" She leant forward again. "He your sugar daddy yet?"

Laxus' pupils dilated a little, and he could hear Elfman splutter to his left. So Cana really wasn't going to be candid or subtle about this. That's probably why Mirajane would be the better alternative for his questioning.

"No he fucking isn't," Laxus stared, expression slightly offended. "And he's not gonna be either."

"Oh yeah, course," Cana rolled her eyes, more teasing than sarcastic. "Totally unfair of me to think that, my deepest apologies. I mean, maybe it'd be true if you relied on him for all the money you get, and you also had sex with him, but that's not happening. Oh wait, hold on. That's exactly what's happening isn't it?"

Laxus deadpanned slightly as he watched Cana crack up at her own joke. The blonde's eyes flickered towards Elfman, hoping for a small amount of support from the other guy. When he was met with an expression of restrained amusement, Laxus found it hard not feel at least a little betrayed.

He also found it hard not to be tempted to point out that Cana had almost exactly the same arrangement that he did with her girlfriend; and that Elfman hadn't found the courage to ask out a woman who clearly liked him despite having his own personal mantra about being a man which he spoke about all the damn time. They were a pair of damn hypocrites; not to mention they had a weird brother-and-sister-in-law relationship that barely surfaced, but it was never great when it did.

"Look at him," Cana laughed. "The big man is pouting."

"Leave him alone," Elfman chuckled a little. "We're only teasing man, you're not that kind of guy.

"Yeah," Cana agreed. "Even if you tried it, you'd get bored after a week. You'd spend up all the free time in the gym, just for something to do. Defiantly not to make yourself look all pretty for Mr Rich and Handsome so he gets you something pretty to wear."

Laxus sent her a half-hearted glare and watched as Elfman elbowed her softly; maybe he wasn't such a traitor after all. The blonde did deserve it, probably, after he had been just as obnoxious towards Cana and Mirajane when he first found out about their relationship. There was no doubt in his mind that Cana wouldn't have been as insistent in teasing if Laxus hadn't done the same thing to her years before.

Deciding that Laxus had faced enough, Elfman instructed Cana to check out the woman's bathroom to see if it was still clean; apparently an incredibly drunk woman had been in there for a suspicious amount of time. Cana pouted and whined, claiming that 'she was training, and it was unfair to make her go on a vomit check.' Elfman shut her up by claiming that he owed her after all the times he'd mopped up her own vomit when he worked at the bar full time. She muttered as she left but did as she was told.

"Here," Elfman said, placing a glass of scotch before him. A different brand, a pretty expensive one too. "On the house. You're a pretty private guy, probably should have stopped her from the start."

"Nah, don't mind really," Laxus waved his hand slightly. "And you sure you're not just trying to bribe me so I don't do the same thing when you eventually get with Ever, 'cause you're gonna need a lot more than a drink to make that happen."

Elfman chuckled and went back to buffing some glasses. "I seriously am happy for you, man. You're good for each other."

"Glad you think so," Laxus smiled a little.

He went back to drinking his scotch, noting that it did taste a little richer that his normal brand; it wasn't that bad actually. He leant back and allowed a smile to form on his lips again, seeing no reason to hide it really. He was happy, he knew the reason for it and wasn't ashamed of it, so what would be the point of being candid.

Half way through his drink, he saw that the woman's bathroom door had opened, and Cana had walked out of it. Elfman looked towards her with a raised eyebrow – perhaps he really did think someone vomited in there rather than just using it as an excuse.

"It's clean," Cana said as she walked over to the bar. "I did smell something though. And that girl's table was close to the guys bathroom. Speak from experience when I say, you don't pay attention to bathroom signs when you've got yesterdays dinner in your throat."

Elfman deflated a little. "Aw crap."

As Elfman walked to the bathroom, taking a bucket with him that he kept from behind the bar, Cana took his place and leant on the bar again. Her grin had returned in full force and Laxus knew that, without Elfman there acting as a buffer for him, Cana truly would have no reason to hold back. The blonde sat up a little, both in preparation for whatever Cana had to say and to make a quick escape if he needed.

"So blondie," She practically sang. "How's your gambler in bed?"

-----

"Well look at you, going up in the world."

Freed chuckled a little at Bickslow's exclamation. They both were standing in the elevator of Freed's apartment building, Bickslow seemingly in awe that Freed was living in an apartment that was located in the 'rich area of town' and had 'a goddamn doorman.' The gambler had forgotten that Bickslow had yet to see where his career had taken him.

He had picked up his friend from the airport over an hour ago, and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that their friendship hadn't changed despite years of not seeing each other in person. The moment Bickslow had seen Freed waiting for him, he'd rushed towards the gambler and only gave him time to sigh slightly before hugging the life out of him. Freed honestly was shocked to find Bickslow releasing him before spinning him around in the air. Maybe he had grown up, if only a little. Freed didn't mind, Bickslow wasn't Bickslow without resembling an excited puppy at least somewhat.

The conversation in the car had, as Freed expected, been wildly one sided. Bickslow had spoken about how his music was getting more successful, how he was considering working with a famous cover artist and making an original song with her, and even how he was being considered to be the main musician for the new series of a Spanish crime drama. He then made Freed promise not to tell anyone, as apparently this was a big show in Spain and he had signed a non-disclosure-agreement.

The years defiantly hadn't changed him much. Freed would be disappointed if they had.

"Get it, 'cause we're going up in an elevator," Bickslow continued, grinning wide. Freed couldn't resit the small laugh. "Hah, made you laugh. You're weaker than you used to be."

"I suppose I am," Freed agreed, though completely disagreed with the statement; he could have held back a laugh if he wanted to. "I'm glad your career is going well for you, though."

"Yeah, its great!" Bickslow beamed as the elevator reached their floor. They slowly walked down the hallway and towards Freed's apartment door. "Hell, if I get that contract thing, maybe I'll move and get a place like this."

"Really?" Freed mused, unlocking his apartment and walking in.

"Aw, probably not. If I was loaded, I'd use it to buy fun crap. Not just a big room," Bickslow beamed as he looked around Freed's apartment. "But damn, this place makes a good case for the pros of getting a big room."

"I'm glad you like it," Freed chuckled.

After closing the door, Freed motioned for Bickslow to place his suitcase and duffle bag beside the sofa. He then walked into his kitchen and started to boil the kettle for some tea, also getting a can of grape soda for Bickslow and pouring it into a glass; out of all things, his friend was oddly particular with what he drinks and how he drinks it. He placed the glass of soda on the kitchen counter and leant against it, waiting for the water to boil.

Bickslow leapt up, having removed his coat and slung it over the sofa in a haphazard way. It reminded Freed of when they shared a room in the care home; the line between Freed's clean side of the room and Bickslow's messy side was almost comical. It was nice to have him back.

"So nerd," Bickslow grinned, picking up his soda and cupping it. "Let's cut the bullshit. Tall blonde and handsome, huh?"

"Laxus," Freed corrected. "And yes, we are together."

Bickslow noticed Freed smile a little and fought every urge in his body to slap the guy on the back in congratulations. He didn't, instead he would restrain himself, so the guy wouldn't get all self-contained on him about his new guy. Freed wasn't shy, her had far too big an ego for that, but he was a pretty private man and might get defensive. Bickslow knew exactly how to work around his friend and knew what buttons not to push. He also knew how to push these buttons and have fun while doing so.

"So, a little birdy told me, he has a jawline you could cut yourself on," Bickslow grinned, sipping his soda.

"You're still speaking with Loke, then," Freed laughed.

"A cute guy who keeps me informed about my best buddy and gives me blackmail material on him. You think I'm stupid enough to give that up," Bickslow grinned. "But don't tell him I told ya, he's meant to be my secret informer. Guess I shouldn't have mentioned the jaw thing really."

"His obsession with them is a giveaway," Freed smiled. "And odd."

"You should hear how he talks about yours," Bickslow grinned over the rim of his glass. "Really though, you and blondie good though?"

Freed smiled a little again and thought to his relationship. He had been concerned that, with how their relationship couldn't be the same as it had been on the vacation, that the change in how they acted wouldn't be something he would enjoy. After only a week being a couple back in Magnolia, Freed had realised that he had worried for nothing.

It was impossible to deny; Freed had really enjoyed the relationship so far. He got to spend more time with a man he cared for and enjoyed being around, and every aspect of their friendship now had a greater sense of intimacy and fun. It was better. It was fantastic.

As was the kiss they had shared days before.

"Definitely," Freed smiled as the kettle clicked off, and he started to make himself some tea. "Although, I could use your advice on something."

"Sure. If it's sex, tall guys like hair pulling," Bickslow grinned. "Most people don't reach up that high so it's sensitive; it'll drive him wild."

"That's not what I was asking, and I do not appreciate that insight into your sex life," Freed muttered a little as he poured the boiling water through the tea strainer. "And, what I actually needed help with was ideas for a date. I'm trying to plan one and every idea I've come up with doesn't feel as good as it could be."

"Just take him to some fancy place to dinner," Bickslow shrugged, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. "Flex your wallet, see if you can get him to flex his abs in return."

"I considered that; dinner, I mean," Freed sat on the other side of the breakfast bar, cupping his steaming tea with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I don't think he's the type of person to really enjoy being waited on hand and foot, and I don't want to seem like I'm trying to show off or make him feel inferior."

Bickslow nodded a little. He watched as Freed shuffled a little in his seat and gently sipped at his hot tea. Having known the guy for most of his life, it was cute to see him actually planning out dates and taking his boyfriends feelings into account while doing so. If he wasn't so proud and up-tight, he'd probably be outwardly panicking because of his issue. He chuckled a little at the thought of Freed completely breaking his poker face because of a date, before looking back to his friend.

"So nothing fancy," He nodded, thinking. "What does he like doing?"

"Driving, he seems quite enthusiastic about cars," Freed frowned a little, leaning forward and obviously thinking about Laxus' likes that could lead into date of some kind. "He seems to like scotch as well, perhaps something with that."

"Oh, maybe do like a vintage night!" Bickslow exclaimed. "Hire some vintage car thing, drive to some fancy bar or whatever and drink some old, fancy scotch. You can even dress up in like Victorian style clothes, bet he'd look hot in a monocle." Bickslow was beaming, only then seeing Freed frowning at him. "Took it a step too far, didn't I?"

"I don't think he's the dress up type," Freed smiled a little.

The idea wasn't all together bad though. Taking away the dressing up and the overall theme of it, hiring out a car for Laxus to enjoy would certainly be a good basis for a nice evening together; it wouldn't be difficult to get Mirajane to find out Laxus' favourite car model for him. It wasn't unheard of that whiskey distilleries would have some kind of tasting area, perhaps they could visit one of those as well as have a meal with each other. That… that actually sounded like a nice date.

It wasn't perfected, not by any stretch, but Freed certainly thought it was a good starting point. He smiled a little as he sipped his tea, deciding he would let the idea roam in the back of his mind so that an idea could evolve into something perfect.

"Aw, look at you. All love and romance in your eyes," Bickslow grinned. "You cutie."

"Be quiet," Freed smiled a little.

He supposed he was a little preoccupied with his relationship, but as it happened so rarely he thought it was justified. He would need to make sure he kept his focus at certain times though, as he had ended up losing a round of cards against a client a few days ago because his mind had wondered. In his defence though, that was only a moment after Laxus had kissed him in the car without warning, so he had an actual reason to being distracted rather than simply being a lovestruck idiot.

After all, that was essentially Laxus confirming that he didn't want to entirely separate their romantic relationship and their working relationship, a conflict that Freed had been thinking about since they'd gotten together. His smile widened a little more.

Bickslow simply chuckled and drained the rest of his soda, deciding that he wouldn't interrupt whatever cute crap was going on inside his friend's love filled mind. He walked around the breakfast counter and placed his glass into the sink, the sound of the glass clinking against the metal seemingly breaking Freed out of his love induced trance. Bickslow grinned and leant against the counter, finding it hard not to show how amused he was about the entire situation. He didn't have Freed's poker face, nor did he want one.

"Really didn't think you'd be so open about this," Bickslow grinned. "Thought I was gonna have to plough you with cheap tequila until you started crying about him."

"I don't know what kind of drunk you think I am, but it's certainly not that," Freed took a sip of his tea again.

"Still, you ain't being private. Must mean you really like the guy."

"I suppose I do," Freed nodded a little in thought. "He certainly makes me happy, and I certainly can't deny that spending time with him makes things that could be mundane considerably more enjoyable. And, in all honesty, he's exciting to me. He's not the kind of person who I've become accustomed to being around and that's something I really enjoy. He's fun."

"Good," Bickslow grinned, holding his tongue and not saying that if Freed was attracted to people who were different, Bickslow should be the hottest guy on the damn planet. "Can't wait to meet him, unless you're keeping him a secret."

"As long as you don't intend to do something stupid, like threatening him as if you were my father and I'm a sixteen-year-old girl, I'm sure that'll be fine," Freed nodded.

With that, the conversation about Laxus was over. Bickslow knew that the buttons he had pushed had been enough to satisfy his curiosity and not going so far that Freed would start to get all private on him. Besides, having Freed's permission to meet 'blondie with a jaw of steel' – it was a name he and Loke were testing out for Laxus, Bickslow thought it was a little wordy – was a bigger step than he thought he'd get in his week staying with Freed. Overall, the conversation was a victory.

"So," Bickslow spoke up again, suddenly reminded that the apartment was his home for the week. "Since you're a taken man, I'm guessing I'm gonna be on the sofa instead of cuddling with ya?"

"I'm afraid so," Freed nodded, standing up so they left his kitchenette. "It pulls out into a full bed, so don't worry about having to fold yourself up to fit. And, I've been told by a reliable source that it's rather comfortable."

"A reliable source huh," Bickslow grinned. He could push one more button. "Don't tell me you had blondie here and made him sleep on the sofa."

"It was before we got together."

"And you just wanted to give him a taste of what he could be having, huh. Cruel. Hot, but cruel," Bickslow cackled as Freed gave him an unimpressed expression. "Fine. I'm done. But you were the one who got with a guy the same month that you knew I was coming to visit, so you should have expected a little bit of teasing. So this is really on you."

When Freed didn't reply, Bickslow knew he had made a good point. He collapsed onto the sofa and kicked his feet onto the coffee table, placing his arms on the back of the furniture with a grin on his face. He watched as Freed sat on the adjacent sofa, picking up the remote for the TV and surfing through the channels. Bickslow kept an eye on the programs that were lifted and, after seeing a show where a bride and their bitchy mothers-in-law would go wedding dress shipping together had a marathon going on, he gave his friend his best puppy dog eyes. Freed turned the channel on, already reaching for a book on the coffee table.

They sat together for a short while, with Freed slowly turning a page of his obviously lengthy novel from time to time and Bickslow making comments both about the dresses he thought looked bad and the in-laws that needed to keep their noses out of the bride's business. More than once, an in-law agreed with something he had said about a dress and Bickslow would pout; Freed held his grin behind the paged of his book.

During the pricing of a bride's dream dress, which Freed had quickly learnt was the tensest moment in the show, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked at the text he'd received, fighting back a small smile when he saw that it was from Laxus. The smile got a little larger when he read that Laxus had 'gotten the third degree from Cana and had to get out before things got really personal.' Even though he didn't know Cana all too closely, he knew what Laxus was alluding to.

Bickslow had also heard Freed's phone rumble in his pocket – the buzz had cut through the dramatic music dammit – and glanced over to his friend. His anger dissipated when he saw the small smile on Freed's face as he typed out a reply.

Maybe there was one more button to push.

"Daww," He found himself saying. "Look at you, if you were a little younger, I'd vote you into being prom king."

"Shut up." Freed muttered, not looking up from his phone.

Yeah, that was the last button he could push for the night.

Hey all. Hoped you all enjoyed the last bonus chapter. Just a warning, I'm involved in a writing event thing that has some pretty strict deadlines. I think I've come up with a way to make sure i can keep up the bi-weekly updates of this while also writing for the event, but if an update is late over the next few months that'll be why. Anyway, get ready for Fraxus in Magnolia :)

As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

[elizas-writing]

Last week just wasn’t my week for anything. Work suddenly piled up with deadlines fast approaching, traffic going home was always crap, the sun now sets at 5 fucking 30, and I can’t feel my own lungs because California is on fire again. To make matters even better, my hair fucking dried up too fast, and I overmoisturized in attempting to save it. I left it in a braid for about 3 days cause I just had it, officially.

Is some planet in retrograde which is throwing everything wack or is adulthood finally sinking in? Maybe a bit of both…

But nothing is better to end the week than pay day when you don’t feel too guilty about splurging a little money on materialistic stuff. And what seemed right to throw my hard-earned money at? Lush.

Ever since I began my curly hair journey, I was always curious about Lush’s hair products. I absolutely adore their bath bombs, bubble bars, and shower gels, and their facial cleansers and masks saved my darling skin on many occasions. But I was always hesitant to throw down so much money for their hair products.

I didn’t see a large variety of YouTube reviews from other curly haired folks, much less any which address that most of Lush’s hair products contain sulfates. Sulfates are usually a big no-no for curls as they’re too powerful to already naturally dry hair and scalps. However, they aren’t necessarily the worst thing for your hair. A little bit is okay once in a while if you have a super oily scalp or struggle with product build up. If you still use sulfates, you have to also balance it out with other more-natural products if you want to avoid stripping too much sebum (also if you dye your hair, sulfates are making your color fade faster). While your standard shampoo has liquid sulfates, Lush’s sulfates are powder-based which is less harsh. And because they pack in so many other fresh, natural ingredients into their products, it balances out the otherwise powerful chemicals.

It kinda sucks that even a great company like Lush isn’t exempt from the “check the ingredients” rule, but if you’re ever second guessing on anything, just ask the employees. I made multiple trips for bath bomb restocking and took some extra time to study the hair care and hopefully attract someone’s attention to talk more about the products. I talked to four different employees at the same store, and they all pretty much said the same thing regarding the ingredients (most of the last paragraph is verbatim), and I had no reason to not trust them. I never met a dishonest Lush employee in my life, and they definitely know their shit to make sure you get enough bang for your buck.

So today, along with my hair mask of the week, I’m showing an altered hair routine with some Lush hair products. I won’t do a fully altered routine because that would be far too expensive, and I still feel iffy about a few things, but we’ll get to that when we do.

Don’t let the smell fool you. It is DEFINITELY not toothpaste.

First up, is the Yuge Hot Oil Treatment. This is a pre-shower treatment using heated oils to stimulate blood flow to the scalp which also stimulates hair growth while delivering some much needed moisture. It contains agave syrup, sea salt, jojoba oil, olive oil, spearmint oil, peppermint powder, aaaaaand sodium lauryl sulfate. Yeah, it’s kinda weird that this would have sulfates since it works more like a conditioner, but that’s just how Lush hair products work for some reason.

Despite that, there were no suds whatsoever, and it was super refreshing on my scalp and hair. And it was absolutely fantastic at detangling and moisturizing the dry ends. However, I overestimated how much water I needed to melt the treatment, so the consistency was more water-y than creamy. Also I used hot water right out of a kettle, so it took like 30 minutes to cool down. It still worked wonderfully, but I definitely needed to pay better attention to the instructions.

After leaving in Yuge for 20 minutes, I rinsed it out and shampooed with the Jason and the Argan Oil shampoo bar. As the name suggests, all the ingredients of your typical shampoo are concentrated into a bar without any wasteful packaging, and it lasts anywhere from 60 to 80 washes. It contains argan oil, rose absolute, geranium oil, rose oil, lemon oil, and, you guess it, sodium lauryl sulfate.

Unlike Yuge, the sulfates are far more noticeable in the shampoo bars, and once I rinsed it out, my hair was definitely super squeaky. Thankfully, my hair wasn’t too dried out after air-drying, so again, it’s all a matter of balance and knowing how your hair reacts to certain products. And the smell is absolutely amaze-balls. Rose is one of Lush’s best scents in anything— I happily threw down for the biggest bottle of Rose Jam shower gel once it became a year-round thing—, so I just couldn’t pass up on this shampoo bar. I also have a sample of Godiva which is also supposed to be good for curly hair, so it’ll be fun to compare the results.

Since the hot oil treatment did a hell of a job in detangling, and I was worried about accidentally over-moisturizing again, I skipped my regular conditioner and went straight for the deep condition with a non-Lush product: Love Beauty and Planet’s Blooming Strength and Shine 2 Minute Magic Masque. Given that Lush is all about reducing waste and using the freshest and most natural ingredients, it felt appropriate to use a hair mask from another company with similar values (also I was already breaking the bank with my Lush run and couldn’t bring myself to buy their masks).

Doesn’t it look so damn CUTE?

Love Beauty and Planet is all about making consumers look good while doing good for the environment. All their bottles are 100% recyclable, and they’re committed to reducing their carbon footprint by using sustainable ingredients. They still have a way to go, particularly since their shampoos still contain sulfates, but it’s super cool to see a company commit to sustainability while delivering reasonably priced products in the cutest packaging.

In any case, this is the brand’s only mask which contains rose extract, coconut oil, murumuru butter and sunflower seed oil. I was worried with the small packaging that it wouldn’t be enough to coat my hair, but it was suprisingly just the perfect amount for a mask. I didn’t have too many tangles left after Yuge, so the mask just melted right through. The smell is a little perfume-y at first, but after a while, the rose scent is quite pleasant. And it has the rich, buttery consistency I love in a mask.

I accidentally left it in for almost an hour (cause that just happens when 3 people share one bathroom). There really is no reason to leave a mask in for more than 30 minutes since after a while, the product just sits on your head doing nothing. Thankfully, it didn’t weigh down my hair, and the mask was easy to rinse out once I finally stepped back into the shower.

So good, I threw down $50 for the larger size

For my leave-in conditioner, I used Lush’s R&B Hair Moisturizer. It contains oat milk, avocado butter, olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, orange flower absolute, jasmine absolute, and cupuacu butter. I actually used this before as this is my sister’s favorite hair moisturizer, but it’s been a while since she got any since her haircut a couple years ago. Even though it’s expensive as hell, I don’t mind using it daily as it’s one of the few leave-ins I tried which doesn’t weigh down my hair.

Like most Lush products, a little goes a very long way, and R&B is incredibly thick. I only need maybe a quarter-sized amount on my fingertips to refresh my hair for the day. Jasmine is another one of Lush’s great scents I just can’t get enough of, and it’s wonderful to catch the scent when I turn my head. If you have the spare money to treat yourself on any moisturizer, let it be this one, regardless if you have curls. Your hair will thank you.

I forgot to take a before picture, but I guarantee I looked like a greaseball who needed fucking Moses himself to deliver my hair to salvation. But you can still see the after of my altered routine with a mix of Lush products!

I noticed most of Lush’s hair care are heavily focused in moisture, so it made my hair really soft. Thankfully, some Curls Blueberry Bliss gel was enough to hold the new curls in place. There’s definitely more frizz than usual since I skipped my regular conditioner, and it increased over the next couple days. But the R&B moisturizer is perfect on a daily use to refresh and bring my curls back to life without too much buildup.

Aside from R&B, I won’t use Lush products every wash day since it’s more sulfates than I’m used to, and it’s super expensive. Thankfully, these do last a while, so I don’t mind using them whenever my hair feels super oily. And despite the sulfates, they don’t make my hair feel as dried out as I expected. If you’re ever curious on Lush hair care and have the money to spare, I totally recommend hitting up the closest store and chatting with the employees to get an idea of what will work best for you. Just remember that a little goes a long way and pay extra attention to the instruction videos on their YouTube channel to achieve the best results, and it’ll definitely be worth the money.

Lush Hair Care Review: Worth the Hype? Last week just wasn't my week for anything. Work suddenly piled up with deadlines fast approaching, traffic going home was always crap, the sun now sets at 5 fucking 30, and I can't feel my own lungs because California is on fire again.

[allenmendezsr]

Renew - Record Epcs

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/renew-record-epcs/

Renew - Record Epcs

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    I did every diet fad there was and none of them worked. Intermittent fasting, the low carb diet, keto. All they did was cause me to gain even more weight and increase my depression further once I was done. Throughout my journey I was able to discover a 3 second addition to your daily routine. This is so powerful that thousands of people have seen dramatic results and quickly. We both couldn’t believe it, it was incredible.

I witnessed my energy return and skyrocket; I was like a new person. I got my ‘swagger’ back, the girl I fell madly in love with in our High School days was finally back. Over just 7 days I lost nearly 3lbs. I went into work and each day got more compliments from everyone. It was as if people could just see my transformation daily.

Everyone seems to think that there is a secret diet that will magically shred off the pounds and work like clockwork. That just isn’t the case, your body adapts to most fad diets very quickly. Did you know that you can even quit a diet and rebound gaining more weight then you had before you started? Scary isn’t it?

The key that no one talks about is a ruthless toxin that is wreaking havoc on your body day in and day out. It affects everything from your energy, mood, confidence to most importantly your ability to lose weight effectively. It causes massive weight gain and effects everyone as we speak, regardless of age and gender. The scary thing is, the older you get the worst it gets as it compounds with age.

Don’t worry I won’t be sending you a shopping list of ingredients to cook healthy meals, or asking you to do crazy intense workout routines, or asking you to get super expensive ‘shakes’ that do nothing more than a regular cheap protein shake. None of that stuff that 98% of people fail at and frankly have no desire to do.

I’m dead serious about this only taking you 3 seconds a day to do, and just once per day. I am not asking you to fast for 16 hours, or only eat 1 piece of chicken with broccoli 6 times per day either.

I’m also going to be uncovering the weight loss scams you’ve probably tried or heard of that literally do nothing at all. The ones that cause you to gain even more weight once you quit them. The worst part is they are endorsed by influencers, celebrity doctors and even health institutions.

An important side note, is that I’ve also tested this on both men and women and it works just the same on both! It also doesn’t matter what your age is, whether you are young or old. It is so powerful that some people need to dial it back a bit. Nothing I have encountered or anyone that has used this hack has ever stopped it from working, it’s that powerful. It’s completely safe as well and all natural. There is a lot of resistance I can imagine because the weight loss industry has probably lied to you not just daily, but multiple times daily. Advertising when you’re at work or even waiting for your oil change at the local car dealership.

I get it, I was there too for way too many years. I was such a sucker that I bought everything under the sun, you could play the fiddle and entice me into a store only to empty out my wallet on another pie in the sky supplement that did nothing but leave me feeling like I got taken yet again. I’d walk in and just empty my wallet on every little pill I could find, or the sales rep could convince me to buy, which was just about anything.

It’s time for you to make a dramatic change in your life for the better, and in your health specifically. You owe it to yourself, and your friends, family, and partner. I understand that even going into the gym can be very intimidating. Nobody wants to do that fabled walk up the stairs and to a machine while everyone is staring. Even worse is finding a machine that you don’t know how to use and abandoning it all together.

Hi there, my name is James Marshall and I used to be a physical therapist, helping everyone from kids with injuries to elderly.

It’s always been my favorite thing in life to help others. I also have a beautiful wife, Sarah and 2 children ages 8 and 12; Garret and William. They are my pride and joy.

A common theme I found is that when someone was injured whether it be from athletics or a tragic accident, they would put on weight almost immediately. You don’t realize how active you are just walking around daily even without exercise. I listened to them intently, as thousands of patients told me story after story of fad diets and scammy supplements they had tried, none of them showing much weight loss short or long term. They had gone into local supplement stores and purchased supplements online only to be let down time and time again. Irealized that trying to get people to exercise was so time consuming and 98% of people quit after a week in.

The first ingredient was Psyllium Husk. This isn’t just regular Psyllium Husk, but native to the island so it has special properties. Psyllium Husk comes from the seed of the plant Plantago ovato. It absorbs 100 times it’s weight in water and the best part is, it detoxifies all negative toxins your body is holding onto, including plastics, metals and micro particles caused by air pollution!

The second ingredient he used was Magnesium Oxide. Magnesium Oxide works as a cleansing agent for your body, it actually wipes toxins out quickly out of your body not allowing them to absorb into your bloodstream and settle in.

The final ingredient was Green Coffee Bean Extract. According to a study in Medical News Today it boasts high levels of chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol antioxidant that researchers say can promote weight loss by reducing the absorption of fat and glucose in the gut, and lowering insulin levels to improve metabolic function. All of these ingredients were not synthetic or made in a lab, they came from the Earth! They appeared to almost immediately get rid of the nasty effects of Obesogens.

Because of our initial and continued success over the past 2 years, I decided it was time to share this secret with more people.

I have decided to call it ReNew, because it has renewed our life and happiness and we want it to renew yours too!

Where has that gotten you so far? My point exactly. Most of these companies just want to keep selling you crap that does literally nothing other than pad their wallets as they come out with a new ‘product line’ ever so often which you try yet again and to your surprise does not work. Let’s face it, nobody has time to spend hours every week in the gym or prepping meals, yourother 2 options.

Make sure you take action now before the price goes up, remember that if you order the 3 or 6 bottle package the shipping is free! Don’t forget you also have a 60-day money back satisfaction guarantee. If you aren’t incredibly excited and seeing amazing results then let us know for a fullrefund. In order to get the slimmest body possible and make the most dramatic changes at thebest cost, make sure you select the 6-bottle package.

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I’m sure you have some more questions so let me help you address those. I have put together a list of some of the most common questions customers have had so that you can be put at ease.

I bet you are wondering what results you can expect with ReNew? Most importantly ReNew will help you get rid of unwanted body fat and keep it off for good. It will also help detox all of the nasty Obesogens out of your body, including metals, plastics, hormone disruption caused by pollution and more.

What bottle option is best? The 6-bottle option is superior, it will allow you to lose as much weight as possible within a 6-month period and transform your life completely. It’s also the most heavily discounted option along with free shipping included! Like I said earlier, it’s totally risk-free, you have nothing to lose because you’re covered by my 60-day money back guarantee. We are fully compliant and have a GMP certificate showing our safety and efficacy.

These are average sized capsules and all you have to do is take 2 a day, it’s a 3 second hack to losing a ton of weight finally at your doorstep! You can’t find ReNew in stores or on Amazon, it is exclusively sold from me, as I have a special deal with the people of Mauritius.

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[funnelhacksecrets]

GroovePages Review - What's The Difference Between Base and Pro?

New Post has been published on https://funnelhacksecrets.net/groovepages-review/

GroovePages Review - What's The Difference Between Base and Pro?

GroovePages is one of the latest funnel and landing page builders on the market, and it’s been causing quite a storm.

It’s already got thousands of business owners to switch from other popular alternatives, and in this detailed GroovePages review I’m gonna tell you why.

At the moment it’s currently free to get a GroovePages account since it’s currently in beta.

However, when GroovePages officially launches, well, after its launch period, which will finish around mid-October 2020, GroovePages will no longer be free.

But if you act fast and create a free GroovePages account before this time then you’ll get free access to it for life.

This sounds good, but do you really need it?

You ca use GroovePages to do the following:

Quickly create landing pages

Build funnels

Build a complete website

Build an email list

Promote your own physical or digital products

Promote affiliate products

When I first took a look at GroovePages I immediately saw the potential of it, so I upgraded to a paid plan.

I took advantage of the lifetime upgrade, which means I get access to the complete GrooveFunnels suite, of which GroovePages is just a small part.

If you sign up for a free GroovePages account now before the launch is over then you’ll also have the opportunity to taker the lifetime deal on GrooveFunnels.

Of course, you don’t have to, but if it’s a good fit for you then you will have the option.

If you want to see the full range of benefits and features on the upgraded plan then you can find out more about GrooveFunnels here.

Create A Free GroovePages Account Here

Who Created GroovePages?

Mike Filsaime, the creator of several super-successful software companies including Kartra, WebinarJam, and EverWebinar, he is also the guy behind GroovePages.

As you can imagine, Mike’s got a great track record and a lot of credibility in the industry.

Mike’s company is called GrooveDigital, and GrooveFunnels is his new all-in-one business software toolkit, of which, GroovePages is one of the primary features.

Mike and his business partner, John Cornetta, have managed to get more than 75,000 people to open a GroovePages of GrooveFunnels account even before they have officially launched.

To put this in perspective, one of Groove’s leading competitors, ClickFunnels, has around 120,000 users at the time of writing this article.

GroovePages Features – What You Get

Now I’m gonna tell you about the GroovePages features and benefits so you can have a clear idea of exactly what you can do with it and how it may also benefit your business.

Unlimited Sales Funnels and Landing Pages

GroovePages has many incredible features, but one of the best is its unlimited landing pages and sales funnels that you can create.

Furthermore, you never have to pay extra for the feature, unlike most other landing page and funnel builders that limit the number of pages you can have in your account, unless you pay them more money, of course.

Using the landing page builder is also very simple.

Allowing for unlimited pages and funnels in your account is just the tip of the iceberg in the way that GroovePages is outdoing its competitors.

For example, ClickFunnels charges $297 a month for an account with unlimited pages and funnels.

GroovePages, on the other hand, charges a one-time fee of $497 for life.

However, be aware that when GroovePages is out of beta, there will different pricing that begins at $99 per month.

GroovePages Website Builder

When it comes to easy to use website builders, GroovePages is one of the best examples I’ve seen so far.

I’d say it’s arguably as powerful as WordPress’ new editor, known as Gutenberg.

With this website building tool, you can build all kinds of landing pages, funnels and even create and design a fully-functional website.

Not only that but it will also rank well in Google and have superior page load speed times to its rivals.

And did I mention that you also won’t need to pay anything for a hosting account?

Nope, Groove even provides the hosting for you, so you’ll also save money on your web hosting costs.

Websites created with GroovePages can include menus and navigation pages. You’ll find that most page builders can’t do this.

Using the Groove page builder, you can easily add text, change colors, increase or reduce font sizes, and more.

For example, if I wanted to resize the image below, all I have to do is click it and look to the menu options on the right. In that section, I can easily manipulate the image as I please.

The canvas used on the website editor is both intuitive and simple to use. It’s easy to customize your work by simply clicking on a block of text and changing the content.

Design Complete Websites with Navigation and Funnel Pages

Using GroovePages you no longer have to worry about creating a complete website from scratch yourself, or paying an expensive designer to build it for you.

Being a website builder myself, and knowing how much time and effort goes into it, this one of the main reasons I recommend GroovePages to my clients and customers.

The website editor is intuitive, fun to use, and has been created with some of the latest software tech on the market today.

I also particularly like that I can create both my website and funnel from one dashboard and connect them easily, since they both operate using the same tech.

This alone makes it much less likely that your business will have integration glitches.

With that being said, some of the elements do malfunction sometimes, but that’s because GroovePages is still currently in beta.

However Mike and his team are always on it, and they aim to make it solid and reliable software program by the time the official launch date comes round in October 2020.

Their aim is to make it even more robust and reliable than the other leading landing page builders in the industry.

If you’re not tech-savvy, or if you’ve never built a website or landing page before, then GroovePage is a great option for you.

The pre-designed blocks are great for those who want to get their website or landing page set up and functioning quickly, without having to spend months learning how to do it.

All you have to do is click the “Blocks” tab located on the left panel, then drag and drop the blocks into the editor.

Once the blocks are in place, you can then simply change the text to whatever you want, and customise the features if you need to.

In my opinion, using GroovePages will save you save lot of time.

Wireframe Blocks

Another great feature of GroovePages is Wireframes.

If you want to do a good job, then you’ll want to plan your site before you design it.

Wireframes will help to map out the design of your website, landing pages and funnels so you can then work quickly to implement.

In other words, they provide you with a visual framework for your site.

This feature will also be great for web designers who want to sell their services and show wireframes to potential customers.

This helps to walk a client through a website’s structure before you spend the time creating it.

The other page builders and drag-and-drop editors on the market don’t have a wireframe feature.

Email Marketing Integration

One of the most important things any online business can do is to build and nurture an email list.

GroovePages also integrates with over 20 leading autoresponders, including ConvertKit, Aweber, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse, and more.

If there’s a software program you want to integrate with that’s not on Groove’s integration list, no worries. Groove integrates with Zapier, which then allows you to integrate with anything.

If you upgrade to a paid GrooveFunnels plan then you’ll also get the use of Groove’s own built-in email autoresponder, known as GrooveMail.

Up-sell and Down-sell Pages

GroovePages allows you to use up-sell and down-sell pages in your funnels, even in the free version of GroovePages.

Using up-sell and down-sell pages is a great way to lead your customers through your funnel and show them then exact products that may benefit them the most.

This way, you are able to considerably increase the the value you can offer to your customers, and, of course, the sales that you will make in the process.

If someone does not take you up on your up-sell offer, then you can divert them to a lower priced down-sell option, before they are lead to the ckecouet page.

Your up-sell and down-sell pages will integrate directly with GrooveSell, so your customers’ shopping cart will by dynamically updated depending on which products they choose to buy form you as they move through your funnel.

Order Bumps

Another essential parts of a good sales funnel it help you increase your revenue is the Order Bump feature.

Order bumps are the equivalent of the candy rack that is strategically placed next to the checkout in the supermarket. It aims to tempt the customer to buy more things at the moment when they’re about to complete their purchase.

When you incorporate order bumps, it allows you to add an eye-catching and stylish product option that your customers can take advantage of with one click.

GrooveSell

GrooveSell is Groove’s is Groove’s very own digital sales platform. It allows you to take payment from your customers.

You can use GrooveSell to create coupon codes and promo offers, take payment for physical products, digital products, create subscription plans, recurring billing and more.

GrooveAffiliate

GrooveAffiliate is Groove’s affiliate management tool. It allows you to create your own affiliate program for your products so you can recruit affiliates to promote your products for you.

You can manage your entire affiliate program from insider your GrooveFunnels. You can keep track of high-performing affiliates, view your stats and manage your affiliate payouts all from within your Groove dashboard.

This is another surprising feature to be included on the free GroovePages Base plan, as all other marketing SaaS solutions charge for this tool.

For example, if you’re using ClickFunnels then you need to pay for their Platinum account at $297 per month to be able to use this feature, but with groovePages you get it free.

Free Hosting & Bandwidth

As I mentioned earlier, when you use GroovePages you also get free hosting for your websites, funnels and landing pages.

If you have a monthly subscription with Groove then you’ll get free hosting for as long as your payment plan is active.

However if you’ve bought the one-time-payment lifetime deal of GrooveFunnels then you’ll get free hosing for life.

If you compare this to the web hosting costs you’d otherwise need to pay for with a 3rd party hosting provider, you’ll save hundreds of dollars per year.

Here’s an example of how much you’d save on hosting costs when you use GroovePages compared to some popular hosting companies out there:

Hosting CoPrice Per YrPlanSiteGround$185StarterKinsta$300StarterWP Engine$420StarterGroovePagesFreeGrooveFunnels Hosting

Hosting pricing comparisons

Unlimited Custom Domains

GroovePages allows you to use unlimited custom domains.

Compare this to ClickFunnels who only allows you to use up to 3 custom domains on their starter plan at $99 per month, and 9 custom domains on their Platinum plan for $297 per month.

Pop-ups

Pop-ups are a great conversion tool. You can use them to collect email addresses, or simply to promote a product.

I use popups in my business on several websites I own. When I use them to collect emails they make a huge difference to how quickly I can build my list.

And on the sites where I use them to promote as product, I have found that they are also effective in increasing my conversion rate.

To use the pop-up feature in GroovePages, all you do is go to the left panel, click on the “Pop-ups” button, then click “create new pop-up.”

You’ll also have the option to set the pop-up to appear based on certain perimeters, such as:

After a certain amount of time

On exit intent

When a person scrolls down a certain percentage of your site

Embed Videos

The use of video is extremely important nowadays online. Fortunately, you can easily embed a video from a location sauce as YouTube or Vimeo, on any of your pages.

This is really helpful if you want to use a video sales letter (VSL) on your landing page, or if you simply want to embed a video in one of your pages to help you explain a point.

Google Maps

GroovePages integrates directly with Google Maps. This is a great feature for local businesses.

This feature will, of course, help your customers find you. However, it will also give you additional SEO benefits and help your pages rank in Google’s organic map listings in Google search.

If you run a local business then you already understand how important this is.

Countdown Timers

Countdown times are a great way to provide urgency, and they can increase your conversion rate considerably.

By setting an end time for a special offer that you’re running, you can create urgency and scarcity in the minds of your visitors.

This will help your customers to make a decision quickly and take you upon ion your offer, and it will also help to increase your sales.

Code Embed

You can create pretty much anything you want in GroovePages. And to make the whole process easier, they’ve included a list of block elements that you can simply drag and drop into place, as I explained earlier.

However if there’s something you want to create on your pages that the Groove support team haven’t thought of yet, then you can use the embed code element.

This helps you increase the overall functionality of what you can do with GroovePages.

Progress Bars

GroovePages also allows you to use progress bars, which is an excellent conversion tool.

Use them on pop-ups and landing pages so that your visitors can see how many steps they need to complete to move through your funnels.

Embed Checkout Forms

With GroovePages, you can quickly and easily embed your checkout forms into your checkout pages.

The Groove Academy Library has loads of training videos to show you how to do anything you need to do in GroovePages, including how to use the embed checkout forms feature.

Viral Marketing Integration

As I mentioned earlier, Groove CEO, Mike Filsaime, is known for his expertise in marketing.

Groove Digital is currently working on integrating one of Mike’s marketing concepts, known as Butterfly Marketing.

Similar to viral marketing, the Butterfly Marketing concept is based on the theory that when a butterfly flaps its wings, a tiny change happens in the atmosphere, and a tidal wave of events trigger virally.

Mike has had tremendous success using this principal in his own marketing campaigns and launched a product around this concept in 2016.

It was so successful and lead to many positive results for a lot of people, and since has revolutionized the digital marketing industry.

SEO Friendly

When you get organic traffic for free, it’s one of the best things you can do for your business.

This kind of traffic is highly targeted and comes from potential customers who are actively searching for your products and services.

Paid traffic, also known as interruption marketing is great to get you in the door quickly, but it’s expensive to maintain.

On the other hand, SEO can help you to sustain a steady flow of traffic long-term.

With GroovePages, you can do all the important on-page optimization requirements, way beyond that of any other page builder.

Here are some of the SEO techniques you will be able to apply in GroovePages:

Create a page title around your target keywords

Add a Favicon to represent what your website stands for on Google

Make edits to your permalinks with your target keywords keyword

Create a meta description on your webpage the way you want it to look on Google search

Use H1, H2, and H3 heading tags

Google Analytics and Tracking

To make better decisions in your business, you need data.

In GroovePages, you can add Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and additional tracking codes to your pages so you can then access your vital stats from within your Groove dashboard.

If you know important information like the geographical locations of your visitors, which pages they visit, what devices they use to access your site, what traffic sources are bringing you the most visitors, what keywords your customers are searching, etc, then you can significantly improve your marketing efforts.

Importing Funnels

Importing funnels is a fantastic feature that ClickFunnels offers.

Fortunately, you can also do this with GroovePages too!

I’ve not tested this feature out myself yet, but I think that GroovePages is able to clone pretty much any page, website or funnel on the web, not just other pages and sites built with GroovePages.

I need to play around with GroovePages a little more to confirm this first, but at the moment I believe this is possible.

Free SSL Certificate

Today, all websites need to use an SSL certificate to keep user’s data secure.

Google now also includes the use of a valid SSL certificate as a ranking factor. This means that you’ll get a slight ranking benefit just by using an SSL. It’s all part of Google’s plan to make the internet more secure.

It’s also important to know that many browsers, including Chrome and Firefox won’t show a page if it doesn’t have a valid SSL certificate.

With a free CloudFlare account, you can install a free SSL certificate onto any of your pages built with GroovePages.

GroovePages LITE vs GroovePages Pro

By now, you probably realise that there’s a groovePages LITE and a GroovePages Pro.

Basically, the GroovePages LITE is the version you can currently get for free if you sign up for a GroovePages account before the end of the the promotional period in October 2020.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who did sign up for one of these accounts in time then you’ll have access to GroovePages LITE for life.

Create A Free GroovePages Account Here

Here’s a closer look at what you get with each account.

GroovePages LITE/Base

When you sign up for the Base plan, you get GroovePages LITE.

With the GroovePages LITE, or the Base plan, you basically get everything we’ve talked about so far in this article.

I’m sure you, like me, would agree that that’s a pretty awesome set of features to get for free!

You can also promote GroovePages and GrooveFunnels as an affiliate and earn a 20% recurring monthly commission on everyone you sign up.

You can find out more about the GrooveFunnels affiliate program here.

With the paid plan, however, you’ll get access to the full GrooveFunnels suite which, of course, includes a lot more features.

GroovePages LITE helps you get started and is the best free suite of marketing tools that I have come across, but it’s limited.

For example, you won’t be able to use GrooveMail to build your email list, so you’ll need to pay for a 3rd party autoresponder service to collect subscribers and mail your list.

Here’s a breakdown of all the features you get with GroovePages LITE:

GroovePages

GrooveSell

Groove Affiliate

20% Affiliate Commissions (when you promote GrooveFunnels)

Wireframe Blocks

Premium Blocks Starter Pack

One Funnel Template

3 Project Suites

3 Funnels

Free Hosting

Custom Domain Use

Landing Page Builder

Website Builder

Free For Life

Pop-Ups

CountDown Timers

Progress Bars

Free SSL

GroovePages PRO

Now let’s look at GroovePages Pro, which is basically the same as a paid GrooveFunnels plan.

There’s a whole range of additional features you can get with GroovePages Pro, or a paid GrooveFunnels account. However, which features will depend on the pricing plan you choose.

If you want to upgrade to a paid GrooveFunnels account then you have 4 options:

GrooveFunnels Silver – $99 per month

GrooveFunnels Gold – $199 per month

GrooveFunnels Platinum – $299 per month

Get the promotional lifetime upgrade offer – $1,397 one time payment

The promotional lifetime upgrade offer of $1,397 one time payment will give you lifetime access to the GrooveFunnels Platinum account without having to pay anything else every again.

You will also get access to all future Groove features and apps for life.

If you think the one-time payment lifetime plan is a good fit for you and you want to check if it’s still available, you will need to first create a free GroovePages account and then go to the ‘Upgrade’ section in your dashboard to apply for the upgrade.

Create A Free GroovePages Account Here

Here are the additional features that are available on the paid plans:

GrooveMail

GrooveMember

GrooveVideo

GrooveWebinars

GrooveBlog

GrooveDesk

GrooveCalendar

GrooveSurvey

GrooveQuiz

Project Sites

Project Pages

Large Template Library (new ones added every Friday)

Websites

Funnels

Bandwidth

Royalty Free Images

Split Testing

Analytics

Add Team Members

Agency Feature

Import Funnels

Unlimited Custom Domains

If you’re promoting GrooveFunnels as an affiliate and you’re on the Silver or Gold plan then you’ll still receive 20% recurring monthly commissions on the people you sign up as well as an additional 5% on tier-2 affiliate sign-ups.

If you’re on the Platinum plan, or if you paid for the one-time lifetime GrooveFunnels deal then you will receive 40% recurring monthly commissions on the people you sign up as well as an additional 10% on tier-2 affiliate sign-ups.

Here’s a closer look at some of the main, additional features on a paid account.

GrooveMail

GrooveMail is Groove’s own built-in autoresponder service with very generous subscriber allowances.

For example, on the lowest priced paid account (the Silver Plan), you can have up to 25,000 email subscribers in your account before you need to upgrade.

GrooveMail has already been rolled out, however, like most of the tools in GrooveFunnels, the Groove team are continuing to improve it.

They aim to make the functionality and automation on par, if not better than autoresponder powerhouses like ActiveCampaign in time.

GrooveMember

GrooveMember is Groove’s own membership area.

You can use it to create paid or free membership areas and set up subscription services using GrooveSell.

GrooveVideo

GrooveVideo allows you to host all your videos for free.

Hosting your videos on YouTube and then embedding them into a page is okay, but if a person clicks on your video they are then take to YouTube and leave your page. This is a big problem if the video the person is watching is your sales video.

The second reason that using YouTube is not ideal is that after your videos have finished playing, YouTube will then show your site visitors other suggested videos to watch after. This can distract them form taking action on your offer.

The alternative would be to pay for a service like Vimeo or Wistia. But these services can cost you hundreds of dollars per year.

If you’re a Pro GrooveFunnels member then you can host all your videos with Groove for free and not have to worry about any of these issues.

GrooveBlog

GrooveBlog is Groove’s blogging platform that will allow you to completely run your blog from inside your Groove dashboard.

Since GroovePages uses HTML to build your pages and websites, it also fully supports a blogging feature.

Most importantly, websites and blogs that are created with GroovePages will be able to rank in Google.

This feature is coming soon.

GrooveWebinars

GrooveWebinars allows you to host and run webinars form inside your Groove account at no extra charge if you are a paid Groove member.

You will be able to run both live and pre-recorded webinars with Groove and even integrate your webinars with GrooveCalendar to schedule your events, and GrooveSell to take payments for any products you sell during or after the webinar.

And, of course, GrooveWebinar will integrate with GrooveMail, so you can communicate with our audience and then them know when your events will be held.

GrooveDesk

GrooveDesk is your online support desk. If you run a business that also needs to offer customer support then you can operate your help desk inside your Groove account and save money on any 3rd party services like ZenDesk.

If you have a VA that handles support for you, then you will be able to create a Team Member account access so they can login and manage all your support tickets on your behalf.

GrooveCalendar

GrooveCalendar simply allows you to keep track of your tasks, and schedule your events and important meetings.

GrooveSurvey

If you have access to GrooveSurvey then you will no longer need to pay for a service life SurveyMonkey.

You can run surveys to your customers to gather important information to help you improve, or you can run an ‘ask campaign’ to find out what products they would like you to create next.

GrooveQuiz

GrooveQuiz is a great tool to help you create more engagement on your website.

Depending on your market, many people love interacting with quizzes. Not only do they help you to create more engagement, but they can also help you to collect valuable information form your audience that can help you to market to them better in the future.

GroovePages Review – Final Thoughts

GroovePages is an awesome suite of highly useful software tools that can help you to launch or scale your business to the next level.

The GroovePages Base plan is an incredible offer that is completely free for life at this time.

I don’t know how long GroovePages will be free for, but it is at the moment, so I highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to get your own free GroovePages lifetime account while you still can.

As you can see from this GroovePages review, GrooveFunnels Pro is set to be the most advanced all-in-one online marketing software suite. Considering all you get with it, the paid plans are well worth it.

If you, like me, also think that the one-time payment of $1,379 for lifetime access to the GrooveFunnels Platinum account then you can get your account below.

Create A Free GroovePages Account Here

Disclaimer: Please be aware that some of the links contained in this article are affiliate links. If you click on one of my links and then make a purchase, I may receive compensation for the referral, at no extra cost to you. Any commissions I do earn through this blog enable me to continue to provide you with all this awesome, free content. Thank you.

[mybumpbirthandbeyond]

‘Sleep like a Baby’

I think when most people decide to have tiny humans, we all agree to sacrifice sleep. Say farewell to long lies and early nights - the time to go to bed will be dictated by your bundles of love and their feeding times. Some babies will be better sleepers than others, go to bed earlier than others etc. However, I don’t think couples realise (and by couples I really mean the mummy) that the lack of sleep starts well before the baby is here!

Two of the most useless pieces of advice you hear, and I have certainly been given, are sleep-related: ‘Make the most of the sleep now, because it will change once the baby is here,’ and ‘Sleep when they sleep.’

Inevitably as you get bigger and further on in your pregnancy, sleep becomes difficult. Unfortunately for some, the ‘morning’ sickness might be so bad in the 1st trimester, that that alone keeps you awake (thankfully that wasn’t my experience). I think I have mentioned, I got big (and I mean BIG) and fast. This meant my sleep was compromised pretty early in my pregnancy. The need to go to the toilet (maxed out at 4 times in a night late on!), the general uncomfortableness in trying to turn side to side, back pain, and those panicky moments when I woke up on my back (not allowed!), were enough to mean I was already experiencing a lack of sleep and the baby wasn’t even here yet! I used to find that I would have to move two or three times, just to roll from right to left side, and vice versa. I turned, lift myself and onto my back, then shuffled to my hip and eventually twisted onto my other side. Sometimes this alone would be so difficult, I ended up falling asleep halfway through, on my back. Personally, I don’t like sleeping on my back normally, but this isn’t allowed when you are pregnant. I think it’s something to do with blood flow to the baby and their heart rate. Cue waking up in a panic when I realised I had stopped halfway!! You also get pretty weird dreams when you’re pregnant (when you do eventually get some sleep), and I often found myself waking up just to reacquaint myself with reality. Women’s bodies are incredible, and I highly doubt the lack of the good stuff is a coincidence. I feel it’s the body’s way of teaching you to cope on less sleep, and get used to what will happen when the baby arrives. 

‘Sleep when they sleep.’

I brought this up at my Baby Massage class recently. Does anyone actually do this, and successfully?!!? Who came up with that? Clearly, someone who is not a parent!!! The reality is, newborn babies sleep lots - it’s how they grow and how they develop. But let’s be realistic - the sleeping when they sleep idea really only has some traction when maybe, (only maybe) you have family staying, or your partner is off on their parental leave. If you’re breastfeeding, forget it! The minute you lay your head down, someone will call up tentatively that the baby is showing cues for needing fed, or they’re already past the point of no return and are screaming for milk NOW! As time goes on, (even just in a few days), with so many visitors coming in and out, you find yourself strategically planning housework around your baby’s naps. Washing and sterilising bottles so you don’t run out at the crucial time, hoovering, feeding the dogs, and even just washing yourself and getting dressed (even if it is in joggies and a hoody!) Eating is also important (particularly if you are breastfeeding, but it’s important anyway obviously!) and it’s amazing how much planning goes in to cooking (if possible) and eating a meal between feeds. Quite often now as Cailean gets older, it’s more about keeping him happy and from losing his mind, so my husband and I end up doing a tag team - one eats rapidly while the other soothes until the person who has finished can take over. Talk about indigestion!! Then there are the days when he doesn’t nap, fights sleep like it’s armageddon, and I'm lucky to manage two meals a day, or to be eating before 9pm at night (which usually ends up being cereal).

Which brings me on nicely to Cailean’s sleep. I think I was possibly lulled into a false sense of security the night he was born. He fed and then slept from about 1/2am until just after 7am. Result!! Then it occurred to me, his stomach is no bigger than cherry so he doesn’t need as much right now. When our dayshift midwife came in, she advised she thought he was quite mucusy and that was causing him to feel full, hence why he wasn't that interested in feeding. The second night in the hospital, I have already mentioned was pretty difficult. Alex was on a reeling chair and Cailean would fall asleep at the breast, but scream when I tried to settle him in the bedside basket/fishbowl. I had zero sleep but thankfully, Alex did get some. 

Fast forward to our first few nights at home. Cailean would more or less feed every 3-4 hours and slept in his Moses basket next to my side of the bed. The difficulty I had, was the dreaded transfer from me once he had finished feeding (when I was still breastfeeding), to the Moses basket without waking him. He struggled to settle and we relented in giving him a dummy pretty early to help. We had all these great ideas of not giving him a dummy, but let’s face it, if it helps, do it!! Apart from anything else why is it such a bad thing?! Our midwives knew what they were talking about when they said he would need one, minutes after being born. It became exhausting for me to feed exclusively from the breast. With hindsight, it probably didn’t help that I was fighting off a massive infection which I had no idea about, but Cailean was just so hungry ALL THE TIME!!! I felt like I wasn’t producing enough for him. I know now, that the cluster feeding was his way of getting the breasts to produce enough for him when he needed it to grow, but I'll be honest, I was on the brink of an exhaustion-induced meltdown one night. We then decided we would give a bottle of formula at night to fill him up. My mum had done it with me, so we decided to give it a go. This was when we realised that Cailean struggled with reflux.

You usually find, that most babies don’t tend to need much winding when they’re breastfed. I think i even asked out loud - do I need to wind him after feeding him from the breast? The short answer is I don’t really know, so ask your midwife!! With formula, you absolutely do. This is when we discovered the reflux. Cailean would regularly (and by regularly, I mean at least once almost every feed) bring milk back up. Sometimes it was a stream, sometimes a dribble, and only once or twice was it projectile. Sometimes it was also partially digested - which is called posseting. Bit gross, but it comes out lumpy rather than just milk. 9 times out of 10, Cailean would almost immediately bring up whatever he had just drank when we winded him. We started winding three times during a feed, which has now reduced to two times - once during and once after he’s finished. Boy does he hate it!!! He screams the minute the bottle is taken from him - sure sign my boobs had no chance!!! Because of how often we were winding him, and how often he was being sick when we put him back down in his Moses basket, the night-time feed routine would consist of: nappy change, feed and about 30 minutes post-feed winding and trying to make sure he wasn’t going to be sick when we eventually put him back down.This, as you can imagine, added to the length of time we were up, and reduced the sleeping time between feeds. We tried to help each other out - one got the bottle ready, (initially of either formula or expressed milk) while the other changed and fed him. Then we would swap. Even though we took turns, the resentment you feel to your partner who has successfully dropped back off to sleep within minutes is real!! Probably because I would feel guilty for Alex, so would stay awake as long as possible to help with the settling after - not to mention the fact it was hard to fall asleep when the Moses basket was right next to me! There was a many a sick Moses basket sheet and a change during the night, but thankfully, Cailean always seemed to know to roll on his side to be sick and never did we have to worry about him choking (although we inevitably still worried).

As time went on, and we wanted to dress Cailean in more than just sleep suits, it became frustrating how many outfit changes there were - bibs, tops, muslins, trousers, the lot, were changed multiple times a day. We were lucky in that it didn't seem to adversely affect his weight, but it still wasn’t ideal. With the exception of the Anti-Reflux milk, we’ve tried everything. Anti-colic bottles (we found MAM to be the best, plus they’re self-sterilising so great for travelling!), infant Gaviscon, Carobel, tilting the Moses basket, changed milk, slow flow teats the list goes on! We tried to do one thing at a time in order to eliminate the problem. At first, we only used slow flow teats on our bottles. You’re advised to change the teats to faster flow once your baby has reached a certain age, however, given how greedy Cailean was, and how sicky, we stayed on the slowest flow teats (1) for ages. Even when we moved up a teat, we quickly went back down again, when the sickiness increased.

We then got him prescribed infant Gaviscon. One of Alex’s colleagues had sworn by it, so we thought it was worth a shot. It definitely helped initially, or at least improved the reflux. He did initially get a bit constipated with it, but his still eventually returned to normal once he had adjusted. 

Next, we switched milk. We had been on the Mamia formula from Aldi. All formulas are standard in terms of the ingredients - it’s the law. However, the quantity of the ingredients varies from brand to brand and the price varies quite a bit. Mamia is the cheapest, and then there’s the likes of Hipp, Cow & Gate etc, with Aptamil the most expensive. Wouldn’t you know, being my son, Cailean has a taste for the more expensive things in life - Aptamil turned out to agree with him more. The benefit of this though, is that Aptamil comes with ready made larger bottles, and mini bottles for when you’re out about. Really handy to have! This combination of Aptamil and Gaviscon seemed to work great. 

The problem persisted however, particularly when Cailean was taking more fluid ounces per feed. Each time we increased the volume, we had to increase gradually, so that every second feed was the larger amount, and never right before bed. This usually had to be introduced via the slow flow teat as well, just to be sure we minimised the reflux as much as possible. The time between feeds gradually increased as he took more, so that we are now 4 hours between feeds, with the exception of the last two, which are 3 hours apart.

Within the last few months, we have been prescribed Carobel by our health visitor, which is a milk thickener to make it harder for Cailean to bring it back up. We’ve hit the jackpot with this! We still give him the Gaviscon, as well as Carobel, but have had to move back to the faster flow teat (2), in order to allow for the milk to come out more easily. He has to work harder to get it, which is another reason he’s less sick - he can’t guzzle as easily!

You may wonder why I've strayed off the topic of sleep, and written about reflux. The thing is, they are so closely related that I couldn’t not mention it. The reflux inevitably makes Cailean more uncomfortable, and therefore more difficult to settle. That’s still the case now, even at 6 months’ old. He doesn’t nap during the day so well, and hours after a feed he can still be being sick and/or needing to burp. Somehow, the reflux doesn’t affect him so badly at night, but during the day it’s always been worse. It varies from feed to feed, but it can drive you mad - I get him dressed in a lovely outfit, and before I can get a bib on him, he’s puked and I have to change his whole outfit. Or at classes (especially Baby Sensory), he’ll lie on a mat and constantly be sick. Or he’ll be sick on me once I've got nice clothes on (including the day we had photos taken!!). In the early days, what made it worse was not knowing the cause. Thankfully, we seem to be in a better place with it, but as you can tell, it took some time to figure out the best way to tackle it.

Now I know this is not going to be a popular decision, and people may criticise me for it, but I would not be true to myself unless I stood by my decision. The NHS guidelines say that the baby should be in with the parents until they are 6 months old. That’s just it - these are guidelines and not the law. Every baby is different, and you do what’s right for you and your baby. I did and my son has been sleeping through the night since he was 10 weeks old. Does it seem like I'm gloating? Well, I'm not. I went through the sleep deprivation just like everyone else, and have had a horrendous recovery - I’m due some luck!! 

My husband and I always knew we wouldn’t be keeping Cailean in with us for 6 months. For one thing, I'm going back to work just after that (sob 😢). Trying to get him used to sleeping in his own room, as well as me going back to work, would be too unfair on him, and too damn hard on everyone. We spoke before he arrived about how long he would stay in our room. We agreed at least 4 weeks, but we would play it by ear. NHS guidelines are always changing - when I was born we had to sleep on our sides, we weren’t allowed on our fronts or backs. When my sister was born two years later, it was the back. They’ll no doubt change again if I have another child. The factors that led us to decide to put Cailean in his own room at 6 weeks were numerous. 

Cailean is a long baby. He kicks everywhere but (ironically), in the pool, and generally wriggles ridiculously. He hated the blanket being over his feet in the Moses basket. So much so, that we had to drape it over the end so it wasn’t weighing on his feet, but to make sure he was still warm. He didn’t like not having the space in the Moses basket the bigger he got. The noises he made kept me awake most of the night, straining for every sound and paranoid there was something wrong. We also have an excellent baby monitor. Angelcare have produced a video monitor that has night vision, a nightlight, a parent device that has the ability to speak to your baby, and most importantly, a sensor mat that detects the slightest movement, even breathing, from the cot. The sensor mat goes under the mattress, and movement is monitored by a beeping pendulum on the parent device. If no movement is detected, an alarm sounds on both the parent unit and the monitor. We ended up getting ours during a baby and toddler even in Asda, but they sell them in most places. One thing worth investing in for your baby (apart from the travel system/pram), is definitely a decent monitor. 

We also got Cailean used to his cot gradually. Each morning after his feed, and at night after his bath, we would put him in his nest in the cot when he was tiny, then without as he grew. We would put on the mobile and Ewan the Dream Sheep to entertain him while he was awake. At 6 weeks we took the decision to put him down for his bedtime in his cot and see how got on. We always put him on his back in his sleeping bag, feet at the bottom of the cot. Whether he stayed that way, was another matter, but he quickly got into the routine of just waking twice for a feed, then once, then 4 weeks later we were amazed when he slept the whole night - 10pm - 7am! Thinking it was a fluke, we couldn’t believe when it happened again and again, until it became routine and waking up earlier than 7am became unusual. 

I’m not entirely sure what people think when I tell them that. My health visitor actually said, you do what works for you, but I got the impression she didn’t really mean it when I told her he was in on his own, judging by her reaction! I should point out, that we have changed Health Visitor, but not for that reason and I will cover that in another post.

Invariably, new mums are both amazed I put him in on his own so early, but also, possibly even slightly envious. At the end of the day, I chose to do what suited me and my baby. Not everyone will be able to, or even want to do what I did, and that is absolutely fine - no judgments here! However it worked, and continues to work for us, and that’s what matters. I would never judge another parent for their sleep/feeding routine or for anything for that matter, as I firmly believe you do what works for you and your baby. Parents get enough unsolicited advice and judgment as it is - the least we can do is support each other, regardless of how differently we do things. You do you!

[samuelfields]

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket

Thousands of motorists view speed limits as more of a suggestion and not an actual law.

But driving just a few miles over could lead to a loss of money, driving privileges, and even human life.

Driving at excessive speeds, or even a few miles above the posted speed limit, seems like a victimless crime. Especially on desolate roads, late at night when traffic is minimal, and on highways with miles of empty lanes on the horizon.

But did you know that for more than two decades, speeding is to blame for approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities?

In 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 9,378 driver fatalities due to speeding-related accidents.

The act of speeding doesn’t just carry with it the potential for catastrophe.

Being pulled over for exceeding the speed limit carries hefty monetary fines – depending on the state – and will mean a substantial increase in your car insurance rates.

The true cost of a speeding ticket goes beyond a monetary figure. Consider the following factors before revving up your engine on the open road.

The Average Cost of a Speeding Ticket

The average cost of a speeding ticket in the United States is $150.

Depending on how fast you’re going and what state you’re in, the average cost can vary quite a bit.

Three factors impact the cost of the ticket:

The state you’re in

How fast you’re going

Points against your license

If you speed at all, you should expect to get a ticket sooner or later. An estimated 1-in-6 Americans get slapped with a speeding ticket every year, equating to about 41 million people ticketed each year. With such a huge variance in ticket costs, it’s worth looking up the cost of a speeding ticket where you live. You’ll want to be prepared ahead of time. This is a great site for looking up the traffic laws in your state.

Speeding Ticket Costs by State

There’s a huge variance in cost between different states.

Nevada can charge heavy-footed motorists close to $1,000, even for first-time speeders. I lived in Nevada for two years and had no idea that tickets were this expensive. Now I’m really glad I never got pulled over while I was there. And I’ll definitely avoid speeding the next time I drive through there.

Alaska tickets are also pretty high with an average speeding ticket fine of $300 for first-time offenders.

On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoa has a starting ticket fine of $20.

One state gets you $20, the other gets you $1000.

International tickets can get even more extreme.The unverified world record for the most expensive speeding ticket ever didn’t happen on U.S. soil.

In 2010, a 37-year-old man in a brand new Mercedes-Benz SLR hit 186 mph on a highway in Switzerland. His hefty fine in Euros converts to just under $1 million

Speeding Ticket Costs By Speed

The second major factor in the cost of your ticket will be the speed you were going.

Lower speeds equals a smaller fine, higher speeds give bigger fines.

Take Colorado for example. Here’s the different ticket costs at different speeds:

1-4 mph = $36

5-9 mph = $80

10-19 mph = $151

20-24 mph = $232

25+ mph = $100-300 and 10-90 days of jail time

The higher the speed, the heftier the fees get.

It’s safe to assume that a speeding ticket will cost you about $100-200 assuming you’re not speeding at an extreme level. Then I’d check the costs of your state in case they happen to be much higher or lower.

The Cost of Points on Your License

Driving over the limit doesn’t just ding your wallet.

Speeding tickets deduct valuable points off your driving record. Rack up too many points, and you could lose your license for a significant chunk of time and get hit with even higher fines.

For instance, driving five to ten miles per hour over the limit usually results in a deduction of two points in most states.

A speeding violation of over 15 miles per hour over could be worth three points.

These points have the potential of staying on a driving record for up to 10 years, depending on the state.

Since point systems vary by location, it’s in a person’s best interest to consult this website for information on specific states.

Even if you’re not worried about the cost of an individual ticket, definitely look into the number of points that your state allows before serious penalties kick in. And if you’re close to the point limit, I’d follow the speed limit exactly until some of the points fall off your record.

Other Expensive Traffic Violations

Racking up the speeding tickets is a surefire way to make money peel rubber out of your checking account, but other moving violations are just as costly.

Across the nation, one type of ticket stands out: the DUI.

DUI fines are no joke, you usually lose your license, and could even get jail time. While there is some variance between states, they all have substantial penalties.

Arizona, for example, will suspend a license for a year if found guilty of driving intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

Take a moment and think about the real cost of losing your license. Would you lose your job? Could you support your family? If you depend on your car in your day-to-day, losing a license could result in substantial costs.

Use an Uber or Lyft, get a regular taxi, walk home, whatever it takes. Just don’t drive after having any drinks. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to yourself and everyone around you, a DUI will impact your finances severely.

Reckless driving is another motor vehicle infraction that carries heavy monetary penalties. It’s defined as “a mental state in which the driver displays a wanton disregard for the rules of the road; the driver misjudges common driving procedures, often causing wrecks, accidents and other damages.”

Reckless driving charges can easily be tacked onto the standard speeding ticket depending on the driving conditions and often carry at least one day in jail on the first offense.

According to WalletHub, the average reckless driving ticket is $845.

Oregon tops the list at approximately $6,250 for the first offense. Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico are among the lowest penalties for reckless driving at around $100 in each state.

A recent addition to the list of expensive violations is distracted driving. Texting while driving now carries sizable fines and will also result in an insurance increase.

Driving without a valid license and running a red light may seem like harmless infraction, but both violations carry significant fines.

The Real Cost: Car Insurance Rate Increases

The true cost of a speeding ticket is often felt long after paying the initial fine and any court fees.

Just one speeding ticket could cause insurance rates to skyrocket, especially for drivers under 25 years old.

While every insurance company adheres to specific procedures for dealing with speeding violations, being pulled over and ticketed for speeding means a driver is a higher risk for insurance companies.

A traffic violation means a higher possibility for future violations. To compensate for that extra risk, they’ll raise your premiums.

A handful of insurance companies will forgive first-time offenses and some won’t increase rates so long as the motorist isn’t guilty of driving more than 15 miles over the posted speed limit.

This Traffic Ticket Calculator will give you a rough idea of what to expect by entering the details of your ticket including the specific violation, the state, and your current yearly premium.

For example, a speeding ticket between 1-15 MPH in New Jersey, with a yearly insurance premium of $1700, calculates out to an addition $289 per year.

Once again, price increases vary depending on the state, but other factors an insurance company will consider before charging the new rate include how fast a person was traveling and previous violations.

I’d expect your annual premium to go up by a few hundred dollars if you get a speeding ticket.

If your driving record is littered with speeding tickets affecting your premium and purse, the insurance company Allstate suggests shopping around for a company with lower rates or enrolling in defensive driving courses. And if you really want to get your costs back down, avoid speedings and wait for your previous tickets to fall off your record.

The Total Cost

Extensive fines, higher insurance rates, loss of license, jail time, and even death are all possible from speeding.

On average, expect to pay $100-200 for the ticket fine and another couple of hundred dollars in insurance premiums. Some states and insurance companies will charge you less, some charge you more. Check to see how your state ranks to get a more accurate estimate.

And watch those points on your license. Once they add up, the penalties become much more severe.

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/cost-of-speeding-ticket/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[paulckrueger]

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket

Thousands of motorists view speed limits as more of a suggestion and not an actual law.

But driving just a few miles over could lead to a loss of money, driving privileges, and even human life.

Driving at excessive speeds, or even a few miles above the posted speed limit, seems like a victimless crime. Especially on desolate roads, late at night when traffic is minimal, and on highways with miles of empty lanes on the horizon.

But did you know that for more than two decades, speeding is to blame for approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities?

In 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 9,378 driver fatalities due to speeding-related accidents.

The act of speeding doesn’t just carry with it the potential for catastrophe.

Being pulled over for exceeding the speed limit carries hefty monetary fines – depending on the state – and will mean a substantial increase in your car insurance rates.

The true cost of a speeding ticket goes beyond a monetary figure. Consider the following factors before revving up your engine on the open road.

The Average Cost of a Speeding Ticket

The average cost of a speeding ticket in the United States is $150.

Depending on how fast you’re going and what state you’re in, the average cost can vary quite a bit.

Three factors impact the cost of the ticket:

The state you’re in

How fast you’re going

Points against your license

If you speed at all, you should expect to get a ticket sooner or later. An estimated 1-in-6 Americans get slapped with a speeding ticket every year, equating to about 41 million people ticketed each year. With such a huge variance in ticket costs, it’s worth looking up the cost of a speeding ticket where you live. You’ll want to be prepared ahead of time. This is a great site for looking up the traffic laws in your state.

Speeding Ticket Costs by State

There’s a huge variance in cost between different states.

Nevada can charge heavy-footed motorists close to $1,000, even for first-time speeders. I lived in Nevada for two years and had no idea that tickets were this expensive. Now I’m really glad I never got pulled over while I was there. And I’ll definitely avoid speeding the next time I drive through there.

Alaska tickets are also pretty high with an average speeding ticket fine of $300 for first-time offenders.

On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoa has a starting ticket fine of $20.

One state gets you $20, the other gets you $1000.

International tickets can get even more extreme.The unverified world record for the most expensive speeding ticket ever didn’t happen on U.S. soil.

In 2010, a 37-year-old man in a brand new Mercedes-Benz SLR hit 186 mph on a highway in Switzerland. His hefty fine in Euros converts to just under $1 million

Speeding Ticket Costs By Speed

The second major factor in the cost of your ticket will be the speed you were going.

Lower speeds equals a smaller fine, higher speeds give bigger fines.

Take Colorado for example. Here’s the different ticket costs at different speeds:

1-4 mph = $36

5-9 mph = $80

10-19 mph = $151

20-24 mph = $232

25+ mph = $100-300 and 10-90 days of jail time

The higher the speed, the heftier the fees get.

It’s safe to assume that a speeding ticket will cost you about $100-200 assuming you’re not speeding at an extreme level. Then I’d check the costs of your state in case they happen to be much higher or lower.

The Cost of Points on Your License

Driving over the limit doesn’t just ding your wallet.

Speeding tickets deduct valuable points off your driving record. Rack up too many points, and you could lose your license for a significant chunk of time and get hit with even higher fines.

For instance, driving five to ten miles per hour over the limit usually results in a deduction of two points in most states.

A speeding violation of over 15 miles per hour over could be worth three points.

These points have the potential of staying on a driving record for up to 10 years, depending on the state.

Since point systems vary by location, it’s in a person’s best interest to consult this website for information on specific states.

Even if you’re not worried about the cost of an individual ticket, definitely look into the number of points that your state allows before serious penalties kick in. And if you’re close to the point limit, I’d follow the speed limit exactly until some of the points fall off your record.

Other Expensive Traffic Violations

Racking up the speeding tickets is a surefire way to make money peel rubber out of your checking account, but other moving violations are just as costly.

Across the nation, one type of ticket stands out: the DUI.

DUI fines are no joke, you usually lose your license, and could even get jail time. While there is some variance between states, they all have substantial penalties.

Arizona, for example, will suspend a license for a year if found guilty of driving intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

Take a moment and think about the real cost of losing your license. Would you lose your job? Could you support your family? If you depend on your car in your day-to-day, losing a license could result in substantial costs.

Use an Uber or Lyft, get a regular taxi, walk home, whatever it takes. Just don’t drive after having any drinks. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to yourself and everyone around you, a DUI will impact your finances severely.

Reckless driving is another motor vehicle infraction that carries heavy monetary penalties. It’s defined as “a mental state in which the driver displays a wanton disregard for the rules of the road; the driver misjudges common driving procedures, often causing wrecks, accidents and other damages.”

Reckless driving charges can easily be tacked onto the standard speeding ticket depending on the driving conditions and often carry at least one day in jail on the first offense.

According to WalletHub, the average reckless driving ticket is $845.

Oregon tops the list at approximately $6,250 for the first offense. Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico are among the lowest penalties for reckless driving at around $100 in each state.

A recent addition to the list of expensive violations is distracted driving. Texting while driving now carries sizable fines and will also result in an insurance increase.

Driving without a valid license and running a red light may seem like harmless infraction, but both violations carry significant fines.

The Real Cost: Car Insurance Rate Increases

The true cost of a speeding ticket is often felt long after paying the initial fine and any court fees.

Just one speeding ticket could cause insurance rates to skyrocket, especially for drivers under 25 years old.

While every insurance company adheres to specific procedures for dealing with speeding violations, being pulled over and ticketed for speeding means a driver is a higher risk for insurance companies.

A traffic violation means a higher possibility for future violations. To compensate for that extra risk, they’ll raise your premiums.

A handful of insurance companies will forgive first-time offenses and some won’t increase rates so long as the motorist isn’t guilty of driving more than 15 miles over the posted speed limit.

This Traffic Ticket Calculator will give you a rough idea of what to expect by entering the details of your ticket including the specific violation, the state, and your current yearly premium.

For example, a speeding ticket between 1-15 MPH in New Jersey, with a yearly insurance premium of $1700, calculates out to an addition $289 per year.

Once again, price increases vary depending on the state, but other factors an insurance company will consider before charging the new rate include how fast a person was traveling and previous violations.

I’d expect your annual premium to go up by a few hundred dollars if you get a speeding ticket.

If your driving record is littered with speeding tickets affecting your premium and purse, the insurance company Allstate suggests shopping around for a company with lower rates or enrolling in defensive driving courses. And if you really want to get your costs back down, avoid speedings and wait for your previous tickets to fall off your record.

The Total Cost

Extensive fines, higher insurance rates, loss of license, jail time, and even death are all possible from speeding.

On average, expect to pay $100-200 for the ticket fine and another couple of hundred dollars in insurance premiums. Some states and insurance companies will charge you less, some charge you more. Check to see how your state ranks to get a more accurate estimate.

And watch those points on your license. Once they add up, the penalties become much more severe.

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Surety Bond Brokers? Business https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/cost-of-speeding-ticket/

[kennethherrerablog]

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket

Thousands of motorists view speed limits as more of a suggestion and not an actual law.

But driving just a few miles over could lead to a loss of money, driving privileges, and even human life.

Driving at excessive speeds, or even a few miles above the posted speed limit, seems like a victimless crime. Especially on desolate roads, late at night when traffic is minimal, and on highways with miles of empty lanes on the horizon.

But did you know that for more than two decades, speeding is to blame for approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities?

In 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 9,378 driver fatalities due to speeding-related accidents.

The act of speeding doesn’t just carry with it the potential for catastrophe.

Being pulled over for exceeding the speed limit carries hefty monetary fines – depending on the state – and will mean a substantial increase in your car insurance rates.

The true cost of a speeding ticket goes beyond a monetary figure. Consider the following factors before revving up your engine on the open road.

The Average Cost of a Speeding Ticket

The average cost of a speeding ticket in the United States is $150.

Depending on how fast you’re going and what state you’re in, the average cost can vary quite a bit.

Three factors impact the cost of the ticket:

The state you’re in

How fast you’re going

Points against your license

If you speed at all, you should expect to get a ticket sooner or later. An estimated 1-in-6 Americans get slapped with a speeding ticket every year, equating to about 41 million people ticketed each year. With such a huge variance in ticket costs, it’s worth looking up the cost of a speeding ticket where you live. You’ll want to be prepared ahead of time. This is a great site for looking up the traffic laws in your state.

Speeding Ticket Costs by State

There’s a huge variance in cost between different states.

Nevada can charge heavy-footed motorists close to $1,000, even for first-time speeders. I lived in Nevada for two years and had no idea that tickets were this expensive. Now I’m really glad I never got pulled over while I was there. And I’ll definitely avoid speeding the next time I drive through there.

Alaska tickets are also pretty high with an average speeding ticket fine of $300 for first-time offenders.

On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoa has a starting ticket fine of $20.

One state gets you $20, the other gets you $1000.

International tickets can get even more extreme.The unverified world record for the most expensive speeding ticket ever didn’t happen on U.S. soil.

In 2010, a 37-year-old man in a brand new Mercedes-Benz SLR hit 186 mph on a highway in Switzerland. His hefty fine in Euros converts to just under $1 million

Speeding Ticket Costs By Speed

The second major factor in the cost of your ticket will be the speed you were going.

Lower speeds equals a smaller fine, higher speeds give bigger fines.

Take Colorado for example. Here’s the different ticket costs at different speeds:

1-4 mph = $36

5-9 mph = $80

10-19 mph = $151

20-24 mph = $232

25+ mph = $100-300 and 10-90 days of jail time

The higher the speed, the heftier the fees get.

It’s safe to assume that a speeding ticket will cost you about $100-200 assuming you’re not speeding at an extreme level. Then I’d check the costs of your state in case they happen to be much higher or lower.

The Cost of Points on Your License

Driving over the limit doesn’t just ding your wallet.

Speeding tickets deduct valuable points off your driving record. Rack up too many points, and you could lose your license for a significant chunk of time and get hit with even higher fines.

For instance, driving five to ten miles per hour over the limit usually results in a deduction of two points in most states.

A speeding violation of over 15 miles per hour over could be worth three points.

These points have the potential of staying on a driving record for up to 10 years, depending on the state.

Since point systems vary by location, it’s in a person’s best interest to consult this website for information on specific states.

Even if you’re not worried about the cost of an individual ticket, definitely look into the number of points that your state allows before serious penalties kick in. And if you’re close to the point limit, I’d follow the speed limit exactly until some of the points fall off your record.

Other Expensive Traffic Violations

Racking up the speeding tickets is a surefire way to make money peel rubber out of your checking account, but other moving violations are just as costly.

Across the nation, one type of ticket stands out: the DUI.

DUI fines are no joke, you usually lose your license, and could even get jail time. While there is some variance between states, they all have substantial penalties.

Arizona, for example, will suspend a license for a year if found guilty of driving intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

Take a moment and think about the real cost of losing your license. Would you lose your job? Could you support your family? If you depend on your car in your day-to-day, losing a license could result in substantial costs.

Use an Uber or Lyft, get a regular taxi, walk home, whatever it takes. Just don’t drive after having any drinks. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to yourself and everyone around you, a DUI will impact your finances severely.

Reckless driving is another motor vehicle infraction that carries heavy monetary penalties. It’s defined as “a mental state in which the driver displays a wanton disregard for the rules of the road; the driver misjudges common driving procedures, often causing wrecks, accidents and other damages.”

Reckless driving charges can easily be tacked onto the standard speeding ticket depending on the driving conditions and often carry at least one day in jail on the first offense.

According to WalletHub, the average reckless driving ticket is $845.

Oregon tops the list at approximately $6,250 for the first offense. Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico are among the lowest penalties for reckless driving at around $100 in each state.

A recent addition to the list of expensive violations is distracted driving. Texting while driving now carries sizable fines and will also result in an insurance increase.

Driving without a valid license and running a red light may seem like harmless infraction, but both violations carry significant fines.

The Real Cost: Car Insurance Rate Increases

The true cost of a speeding ticket is often felt long after paying the initial fine and any court fees.

Just one speeding ticket could cause insurance rates to skyrocket, especially for drivers under 25 years old.

While every insurance company adheres to specific procedures for dealing with speeding violations, being pulled over and ticketed for speeding means a driver is a higher risk for insurance companies.

A traffic violation means a higher possibility for future violations. To compensate for that extra risk, they’ll raise your premiums.

A handful of insurance companies will forgive first-time offenses and some won’t increase rates so long as the motorist isn’t guilty of driving more than 15 miles over the posted speed limit.

This Traffic Ticket Calculator will give you a rough idea of what to expect by entering the details of your ticket including the specific violation, the state, and your current yearly premium.

For example, a speeding ticket between 1-15 MPH in New Jersey, with a yearly insurance premium of $1700, calculates out to an addition $289 per year.

Once again, price increases vary depending on the state, but other factors an insurance company will consider before charging the new rate include how fast a person was traveling and previous violations.

I’d expect your annual premium to go up by a few hundred dollars if you get a speeding ticket.

If your driving record is littered with speeding tickets affecting your premium and purse, the insurance company Allstate suggests shopping around for a company with lower rates or enrolling in defensive driving courses. And if you really want to get your costs back down, avoid speedings and wait for your previous tickets to fall off your record.

The Total Cost

Extensive fines, higher insurance rates, loss of license, jail time, and even death are all possible from speeding.

On average, expect to pay $100-200 for the ticket fine and another couple of hundred dollars in insurance premiums. Some states and insurance companies will charge you less, some charge you more. Check to see how your state ranks to get a more accurate estimate.

And watch those points on your license. Once they add up, the penalties become much more severe.

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

[andrewdburton]

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket

Thousands of motorists view speed limits as more of a suggestion and not an actual law.

But driving just a few miles over could lead to a loss of money, driving privileges, and even human life.

Driving at excessive speeds, or even a few miles above the posted speed limit, seems like a victimless crime. Especially on desolate roads, late at night when traffic is minimal, and on highways with miles of empty lanes on the horizon.

But did you know that for more than two decades, speeding is to blame for approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities?

In 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 9,378 driver fatalities due to speeding-related accidents.

The act of speeding doesn’t just carry with it the potential for catastrophe.

Being pulled over for exceeding the speed limit carries hefty monetary fines – depending on the state – and will mean a substantial increase in your car insurance rates.

The true cost of a speeding ticket goes beyond a monetary figure. Consider the following factors before revving up your engine on the open road.

The Average Cost of a Speeding Ticket

The average cost of a speeding ticket in the United States is $150.

Depending on how fast you’re going and what state you’re in, the average cost can vary quite a bit.

Three factors impact the cost of the ticket:

The state you’re in

How fast you’re going

Points against your license

If you speed at all, you should expect to get a ticket sooner or later. An estimated 1-in-6 Americans get slapped with a speeding ticket every year, equating to about 41 million people ticketed each year. With such a huge variance in ticket costs, it’s worth looking up the cost of a speeding ticket where you live. You’ll want to be prepared ahead of time. This is a great site for looking up the traffic laws in your state.

Speeding Ticket Costs by State

There’s a huge variance in cost between different states.

Nevada can charge heavy-footed motorists close to $1,000, even for first-time speeders. I lived in Nevada for two years and had no idea that tickets were this expensive. Now I’m really glad I never got pulled over while I was there. And I’ll definitely avoid speeding the next time I drive through there.

Alaska tickets are also pretty high with an average speeding ticket fine of $300 for first-time offenders.

On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoa has a starting ticket fine of $20.

One state gets you $20, the other gets you $1000.

International tickets can get even more extreme.The unverified world record for the most expensive speeding ticket ever didn’t happen on U.S. soil.

In 2010, a 37-year-old man in a brand new Mercedes-Benz SLR hit 186 mph on a highway in Switzerland. His hefty fine in Euros converts to just under $1 million

Speeding Ticket Costs By Speed

The second major factor in the cost of your ticket will be the speed you were going.

Lower speeds equals a smaller fine, higher speeds give bigger fines.

Take Colorado for example. Here’s the different ticket costs at different speeds:

1-4 mph = $36

5-9 mph = $80

10-19 mph = $151

20-24 mph = $232

25+ mph = $100-300 and 10-90 days of jail time

The higher the speed, the heftier the fees get.

It’s safe to assume that a speeding ticket will cost you about $100-200 assuming you’re not speeding at an extreme level. Then I’d check the costs of your state in case they happen to be much higher or lower.

The Cost of Points on Your License

Driving over the limit doesn’t just ding your wallet.

Speeding tickets deduct valuable points off your driving record. Rack up too many points, and you could lose your license for a significant chunk of time and get hit with even higher fines.

For instance, driving five to ten miles per hour over the limit usually results in a deduction of two points in most states.

A speeding violation of over 15 miles per hour over could be worth three points.

These points have the potential of staying on a driving record for up to 10 years, depending on the state.

Since point systems vary by location, it’s in a person’s best interest to consult this website for information on specific states.

Even if you’re not worried about the cost of an individual ticket, definitely look into the number of points that your state allows before serious penalties kick in. And if you’re close to the point limit, I’d follow the speed limit exactly until some of the points fall off your record.

Other Expensive Traffic Violations

Racking up the speeding tickets is a surefire way to make money peel rubber out of your checking account, but other moving violations are just as costly.

Across the nation, one type of ticket stands out: the DUI.

DUI fines are no joke, you usually lose your license, and could even get jail time. While there is some variance between states, they all have substantial penalties.

Arizona, for example, will suspend a license for a year if found guilty of driving intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

Take a moment and think about the real cost of losing your license. Would you lose your job? Could you support your family? If you depend on your car in your day-to-day, losing a license could result in substantial costs.

Use an Uber or Lyft, get a regular taxi, walk home, whatever it takes. Just don’t drive after having any drinks. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to yourself and everyone around you, a DUI will impact your finances severely.

Reckless driving is another motor vehicle infraction that carries heavy monetary penalties. It’s defined as “a mental state in which the driver displays a wanton disregard for the rules of the road; the driver misjudges common driving procedures, often causing wrecks, accidents and other damages.”

Reckless driving charges can easily be tacked onto the standard speeding ticket depending on the driving conditions and often carry at least one day in jail on the first offense.

According to WalletHub, the average reckless driving ticket is $845.

Oregon tops the list at approximately $6,250 for the first offense. Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico are among the lowest penalties for reckless driving at around $100 in each state.

A recent addition to the list of expensive violations is distracted driving. Texting while driving now carries sizable fines and will also result in an insurance increase.

Driving without a valid license and running a red light may seem like harmless infraction, but both violations carry significant fines.

The Real Cost: Car Insurance Rate Increases

The true cost of a speeding ticket is often felt long after paying the initial fine and any court fees.

Just one speeding ticket could cause insurance rates to skyrocket, especially for drivers under 25 years old.

While every insurance company adheres to specific procedures for dealing with speeding violations, being pulled over and ticketed for speeding means a driver is a higher risk for insurance companies.

A traffic violation means a higher possibility for future violations. To compensate for that extra risk, they’ll raise your premiums.

A handful of insurance companies will forgive first-time offenses and some won’t increase rates so long as the motorist isn’t guilty of driving more than 15 miles over the posted speed limit.

This Traffic Ticket Calculator will give you a rough idea of what to expect by entering the details of your ticket including the specific violation, the state, and your current yearly premium.

For example, a speeding ticket between 1-15 MPH in New Jersey, with a yearly insurance premium of $1700, calculates out to an addition $289 per year.

Once again, price increases vary depending on the state, but other factors an insurance company will consider before charging the new rate include how fast a person was traveling and previous violations.

I’d expect your annual premium to go up by a few hundred dollars if you get a speeding ticket.

If your driving record is littered with speeding tickets affecting your premium and purse, the insurance company Allstate suggests shopping around for a company with lower rates or enrolling in defensive driving courses. And if you really want to get your costs back down, avoid speedings and wait for your previous tickets to fall off your record.

The Total Cost

Extensive fines, higher insurance rates, loss of license, jail time, and even death are all possible from speeding.

On average, expect to pay $100-200 for the ticket fine and another couple of hundred dollars in insurance premiums. Some states and insurance companies will charge you less, some charge you more. Check to see how your state ranks to get a more accurate estimate.

And watch those points on your license. Once they add up, the penalties become much more severe.

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/cost-of-speeding-ticket/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[mcjoelcain]

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket

Thousands of motorists view speed limits as more of a suggestion and not an actual law.

But driving just a few miles over could lead to a loss of money, driving privileges, and even human life.

Driving at excessive speeds, or even a few miles above the posted speed limit, seems like a victimless crime. Especially on desolate roads, late at night when traffic is minimal, and on highways with miles of empty lanes on the horizon.

But did you know that for more than two decades, speeding is to blame for approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities?

In 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 9,378 driver fatalities due to speeding-related accidents.

The act of speeding doesn’t just carry with it the potential for catastrophe.

Being pulled over for exceeding the speed limit carries hefty monetary fines – depending on the state – and will mean a substantial increase in your car insurance rates.

The true cost of a speeding ticket goes beyond a monetary figure. Consider the following factors before revving up your engine on the open road.

The Average Cost of a Speeding Ticket

The average cost of a speeding ticket in the United States is $150.

Depending on how fast you’re going and what state you’re in, the average cost can vary quite a bit.

Three factors impact the cost of the ticket:

The state you’re in

How fast you’re going

Points against your license

If you speed at all, you should expect to get a ticket sooner or later. An estimated 1-in-6 Americans get slapped with a speeding ticket every year, equating to about 41 million people ticketed each year. With such a huge variance in ticket costs, it’s worth looking up the cost of a speeding ticket where you live. You’ll want to be prepared ahead of time. This is a great site for looking up the traffic laws in your state.

Speeding Ticket Costs by State

There’s a huge variance in cost between different states.

Nevada can charge heavy-footed motorists close to $1,000, even for first-time speeders. I lived in Nevada for two years and had no idea that tickets were this expensive. Now I’m really glad I never got pulled over while I was there. And I’ll definitely avoid speeding the next time I drive through there.

Alaska tickets are also pretty high with an average speeding ticket fine of $300 for first-time offenders.

On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoa has a starting ticket fine of $20.

One state gets you $20, the other gets you $1000.

International tickets can get even more extreme.The unverified world record for the most expensive speeding ticket ever didn’t happen on U.S. soil.

In 2010, a 37-year-old man in a brand new Mercedes-Benz SLR hit 186 mph on a highway in Switzerland. His hefty fine in Euros converts to just under $1 million

Speeding Ticket Costs By Speed

The second major factor in the cost of your ticket will be the speed you were going.

Lower speeds equals a smaller fine, higher speeds give bigger fines.

Take Colorado for example. Here’s the different ticket costs at different speeds:

1-4 mph = $36

5-9 mph = $80

10-19 mph = $151

20-24 mph = $232

25+ mph = $100-300 and 10-90 days of jail time

The higher the speed, the heftier the fees get.

It’s safe to assume that a speeding ticket will cost you about $100-200 assuming you’re not speeding at an extreme level. Then I’d check the costs of your state in case they happen to be much higher or lower.

The Cost of Points on Your License

Driving over the limit doesn’t just ding your wallet.

Speeding tickets deduct valuable points off your driving record. Rack up too many points, and you could lose your license for a significant chunk of time and get hit with even higher fines.

For instance, driving five to ten miles per hour over the limit usually results in a deduction of two points in most states.

A speeding violation of over 15 miles per hour over could be worth three points.

These points have the potential of staying on a driving record for up to 10 years, depending on the state.

Since point systems vary by location, it’s in a person’s best interest to consult this website for information on specific states.

Even if you’re not worried about the cost of an individual ticket, definitely look into the number of points that your state allows before serious penalties kick in. And if you’re close to the point limit, I’d follow the speed limit exactly until some of the points fall off your record.

Other Expensive Traffic Violations

Racking up the speeding tickets is a surefire way to make money peel rubber out of your checking account, but other moving violations are just as costly.

Across the nation, one type of ticket stands out: the DUI.

DUI fines are no joke, you usually lose your license, and could even get jail time. While there is some variance between states, they all have substantial penalties.

Arizona, for example, will suspend a license for a year if found guilty of driving intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

Take a moment and think about the real cost of losing your license. Would you lose your job? Could you support your family? If you depend on your car in your day-to-day, losing a license could result in substantial costs.

Use an Uber or Lyft, get a regular taxi, walk home, whatever it takes. Just don’t drive after having any drinks. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to yourself and everyone around you, a DUI will impact your finances severely.

Reckless driving is another motor vehicle infraction that carries heavy monetary penalties. It’s defined as “a mental state in which the driver displays a wanton disregard for the rules of the road; the driver misjudges common driving procedures, often causing wrecks, accidents and other damages.”

Reckless driving charges can easily be tacked onto the standard speeding ticket depending on the driving conditions and often carry at least one day in jail on the first offense.

According to WalletHub, the average reckless driving ticket is $845.

Oregon tops the list at approximately $6,250 for the first offense. Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico are among the lowest penalties for reckless driving at around $100 in each state.

A recent addition to the list of expensive violations is distracted driving. Texting while driving now carries sizable fines and will also result in an insurance increase.

Driving without a valid license and running a red light may seem like harmless infraction, but both violations carry significant fines.

The Real Cost: Car Insurance Rate Increases

The true cost of a speeding ticket is often felt long after paying the initial fine and any court fees.

Just one speeding ticket could cause insurance rates to skyrocket, especially for drivers under 25 years old.

While every insurance company adheres to specific procedures for dealing with speeding violations, being pulled over and ticketed for speeding means a driver is a higher risk for insurance companies.

A traffic violation means a higher possibility for future violations. To compensate for that extra risk, they’ll raise your premiums.

A handful of insurance companies will forgive first-time offenses and some won’t increase rates so long as the motorist isn’t guilty of driving more than 15 miles over the posted speed limit.

This Traffic Ticket Calculator will give you a rough idea of what to expect by entering the details of your ticket including the specific violation, the state, and your current yearly premium.

For example, a speeding ticket between 1-15 MPH in New Jersey, with a yearly insurance premium of $1700, calculates out to an addition $289 per year.

Once again, price increases vary depending on the state, but other factors an insurance company will consider before charging the new rate include how fast a person was traveling and previous violations.

I’d expect your annual premium to go up by a few hundred dollars if you get a speeding ticket.

If your driving record is littered with speeding tickets affecting your premium and purse, the insurance company Allstate suggests shopping around for a company with lower rates or enrolling in defensive driving courses. And if you really want to get your costs back down, avoid speedings and wait for your previous tickets to fall off your record.

The Total Cost

Extensive fines, higher insurance rates, loss of license, jail time, and even death are all possible from speeding.

On average, expect to pay $100-200 for the ticket fine and another couple of hundred dollars in insurance premiums. Some states and insurance companies will charge you less, some charge you more. Check to see how your state ranks to get a more accurate estimate.

And watch those points on your license. Once they add up, the penalties become much more severe.

The True Cost of a Speeding Ticket is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

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