#itty bitty techie

[firwyn]

I made a techno plush but he’s about 4 times smaller than I thought he was going to be

Also his head is heavier so when he slipped from my hand this is how he landed

Edit : he's not done yet, need to make his cape and crown !

edit #2 for the techno fans reblogging and loving on the little guy, this one is "Pocket Techie" and i will make bigger ones until i manage to find the perfect size so stay tuned (if you want)

[crazonia]

Here are Sporvae. They are itty-bitty mushroom aliens from Minimush 3. Here’s a bit about Sporvae and Minimush 3.

Sporvus (plural Sporvae)

They are indeed super small. The tallest they can grow is around 6-7 inches. The average is around 5 inches or a little over.

They are amazing at the sciences. They’re on par with the Techies.

They have 3 arms, 3 feet, and 3 head appendages. The appendages on their head is basically hair and can be styled in anyway as long as the 3 appendages remain.

A Sporvus baby starts off as a small puffy spore. They later grow into their full form when they’re about 2 years old.

The only notable Sporvae are Poppy and her moms Peony and Primula. I��ll talk about them later.

Minimush 3

The 3rd planet to the Sporvae. It’s the 3rd because the last 2 got destroyed. The first was by meteors. The 2nd was by another species ship landing there.

Other species aren’t allowed to land on the planet because their ships alone might just destroy a whole city. They are currently working on a city where other species can land and meet up with them.

Now here’s some info about a Sporvus who appears in Piko’s stories.

Poppy the “pen-pal”.

She is headstrong, stubborn, and confident.

She has no problem speaking her mind.

Unlike most Sporvae, she isn’t really scared of aliens bigger than her. She might get a little startled at best, but will get over it very quickly.

She stands about 3 inches tall. In comparison to Piko and his friends, she’s absolutely tiny.

Now here’s about how they met...

Piko already has a habit of sleep-walking/sleep-flying to begin with, but all of the sudden it got worse and he was doing weird things. He was sleepwalking while building a spaceship, a small one albeit. One time during his sleep-spaceship-making escapades he pulled off a door from his dad’s safe. Gawain wasn’t pleased with that and yelled, waking Piko up, who was unaware of what was going on.

His friends decided to enlist Jeffrey, the Nutler (a nickname Lancelot coined that combined nerd and butler), to help them out. Jeffrey made a machine that tracks Piko’s brainwaves when he’s asleep and when he’s awake. After researching and looking over the results, it turns out the brainwaves he lets off while he’s sleeping is similar to that of wi-fi, so he makes a machine that can emulate the waves while he’s awake.

Once that’s done, they contact the being using him. Finally they come in contact with the strange alien. She’s from a strange planet called Minimush 3 in the Theta Galaxy. They tell her what she’s been doing and she apologizes. She expresses that she’s just been very lonely and was trying to bring a friend to her planet. When they tell her that they’d be too big to fight inside the ship she reconsiders. They all decide to keep in contact with her and talk to her daily. She became a “pen-pal”.

Jeffrey makes a machine that emulates the brainwaves synthetically so Piko doesn’t always have to be present while talking to her. Soon Jeffrey also makes a camera thing, so they can do a webcam sorta chat with her. And once they get closer and closer, eventually Poppy came to visit. She was a bit surprised at their size in comparison to hers, but was quite fine because she got to ride on their heads, in their hands, or on their shoulders. Her moms weren’t keen on this friendship at first, but that’s a story for another time.

[georgiapeach30513]

Drysdale’s Honeymoons

🖤🖤🖤🖤

Aster & Beck: Tuscany, Italy

Beck was the one who planned this honeymoon.  He told Aster not to fret, because he knew what he wanted.  He it made her sick to her stomach to not know what he was planning.  He said she was planning the wedding, so he got the honeymoon.  And he did SO good!  Aster is a bit of a wino.  She loves her wine almost as much as she loves her Beck.

He made sure there was plenty of wine and food tasting.  Plus plenty of places to...mark their territory.  They’re pros at quickies in small or awkward places.  She was actually so proud of him for his planning, because it was perfect.  They got to see so much of Tuscany, but then also get to have those sweet moments together.

They made sure to FaceTime Ellie everyday!  Beck also made sure to bring her plenty of different things.  He hated being away from her, even if he loved having time with just Aster, it was a confusing time for Beck.  Ellie was fine with it, but she did say next vacation she’s going.  And that’s how they started their kiddiemoon.  Six months after their anniversary, they went on a trip just them as a family.  Soon they would add in an Atlas, Orion, Stella, and Ayla though.

Iris & James:  Mykonos, Greece

The old married couple!  This trip was a long time coming, and it was just James spending every moment just loving on his wife!  They waited a lifetime to call each other husband and wife, and after they were married, it was like discovering each other all over again.

Iris started seeing her old Jamey come out on this trip.  His careful, life of the party side.  Obviously there was plenty of sexy time, but they spend a lot of time near, on, or in the water.  This is one of Iris’s favorite vacations, and still one of her favorite places to visit.  They even bring Posie with them a few years later.  Iris even learns to speak a bit of Greek because she loves it so much.

James discovers his love for fishing in Mykonos.  Iris isn’t a fan, but she loves just sitting and talking to her husband, still unbelieving that they made it to being married.  And he’s so proud of her.  Showing her off at every dinner.  He thinks he has the most perfect wife.  

These two are into exploring, but they’ve also had a lifetime of getting to know each other.  Started having relations when she was sixteen, and now they’re twenty-three and twenty-four.  So now it’s just living life together, and as a unit.

Blade & Lo: Zermatt, Switzerland

Our dorks!  So how did they find themselves in Switzerland?  The Matterhorn.  Blade wanted to see the real life Matterhorn, and wake up with that as his view and go to sleep with the warm lights of Zermatt while he tries to make Squish a sister (he fails and makes a brother).

You might not know this, but Blade is an excellent skier, and so is Lo.  So honestly, this is a perfect place for them.  He also loves those cozy nights in the room, and using body heat just to keep each other warm.  Pulling you closer to him, while he peppers his lips against you skin.  He didn’t know he would love having a snow bunny so much.

Blade while a techie, actually loves nature, and that natural beauty of things.  He swears that when Squish gets older, he’s bringing her back, so she can go skiing, because he’s determined she’s either going to ski or snowboard one.

Story & Carter: Private Yacht Around Europe

Carter had no clear destination for the honeymoon.  He just wanted his wife all the time.  Again, privacy is key for these two.  Story isn’t a huge fan of big crowds, and he doesn’t like to see Story anxious.  But the plus side, is her itty bitty bikinis that she thinks she so smart walking past him, she doesn’t get far, until she’s on his lap.

They’ll port in some places, and get off, but it’s mostly them on the yacht and taking notes for where they’d like to go eventually, and preferably with Otto, and eventually the rest of the brood.  

He made sure there was a private chef, and they would cook according the the country they bordered.  Story spent a lot of time lounging in the sun, her eyes drifting back to Carter, who loves to see her smile and be the Story he fell in love with, and yes, still pointe shoes.  He did have some specially made for her that are diamond encrusted.  He got a private show of her dancing in them, and a tutu, that was it.  He loves his tiny dancer.

Lucy & Chris: Thailand

Lucy and her beebs!  Chris wanted to go somewhere tropical, so her beebs would always be out.  They also chose Thailand, so they both could get a traditional Thai tattoo.  Tattoos and piercings become a thing for them in other countries.

Lucy found her spirit animal with the elephants.  They were always attracted to her, almost like they couldn’t get enough.  Chris tells her giant things just love her tiny body, and big beebs.  When they are in the room, Lucy and Chris are naked.  Period.  It doesn’t have to be sexual, it’s just what it is.  Since she chose not to leave the estate, there’s ALWAYS people around.  So when it’s just them, they’re naked.  

Water is Lucy’s element, she is a Scorpio after all.  She can’t get enough of the water.  Every part of the water, she always wants to be in it.  Chris just likes her piercings poking through he tiny bikinis when she gets wet.  Even going underwater to bite on them himself.  

Lucy doesn’t want to leave the estate, but she said if she was going to move anymore Thailand would be it.

[bongovrubel]

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 1-6. I am unimpressed

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 1-6. I am unimpressed

Before we begin, some housecleaning.

I'll try and avoid too blunt spoilers, but it's unavoidable. Therefore, it'll be under a cut

I have never played any of the games, and came with minimal to no background knowledge into this. My biggest exposure into this world was from the AMV for the ending song. Oh and that Keanu Reeves was in it

I am aware there are 4 more episodes, and I plan on watching them. But this is an arc onto its own. Plus, given how what comes next is supposed to be even more tragic and heartbreaking, how much I care for things at this point matters.

And with that out of the way, onwards.

We'll start with the good, because credit where credit's due. I have little, if any, technical complaints or criticisms. I enjoy the art and style, I enjoy the animation. I like the voice acting in Japanese, and the moods set by both OP and ED songs and clips. This is a very well put together anime and kudos to Netflix for getting the right people on it.

I also appreciate how they managed to establish the broken, distorted world we're in within half an episode of less. Corporations big, strong, evil. Everyone else is jerking off openly in the streets because that's all they're good for. This dynamic is obvious even in school, where despite David being a straight-A student, he can't escape the social caste he was born into. Heck, his washing machine stops in the middle in his own home because they didn't have enough credits. All the while his mom's working herself to exhausting to try and keep them afloat and David in his fancy, expensive school.

I am fully onboard with you becoming a criminal, boyo. Let's go.

The story beats aren't anything new in the first chunk of the series, where the biggest conflict is "did Lucy lie to David with the moon date or was it real". This lasted just long enough so that when they cleared it up, them sleeping together would feel emotionally gratifying to the viewers.

Then the bloodbath started, and I realized —

I could not, for the life of me, care less.

Let's rewind to the beginning and remember Gloria Martinez — a Latina woman who worked overtime, ran smuggling operations for dangerous people like Maine, and ferried dangerous items like the Sandevistan implants. But what they actively talk about in the series is how she's David's mom — because they needed motivation for him — and that she knew Maine — because they needed Maine to not kill David, and also work with him. Maine mentions her a couple of times after that, but David doesn't, and we don't get any more details. Chopped up into nice itty bitty pieces and put in the fridge, and I am never to receive the spin-off about where she met David's dad, what happened to the dad, how she got her current job, how did someone like her even get David into the academy in the first place, and her life as a smuggler.

Sadge.

The next death involving a named character is Pilar. And what, at this point, do we know about Pilar? Well, he's a Techie, has long arms that let him do tricks, he's a pervert, and is there to make it obvious David is into Lucy by making him jealous every time Pilar gets close to her. Never mind Lucy is obviously disgusted by him and his unwanted advances, talk about a hostile work environment. Is it on-brand for the world we're in? Sure, I guess, but that means I'm somewhat relieved and happy when he gets his head blown off. Any negative emotion regarding the incident comes from me liking Rebecca, and how she reacted to it. Pros for more world building and group dynamics I guess, but if you're going to kill a named chara, usually I'm supposed to care, right...? Ah, but other than Rebecca no one else seemed to care, either, because David didn't so much as move until he realized Lucy was in danger.

Next on the list is Dorio, who was spoken to, or about, so little I wasn't sure of her pronouns until after she was dead. She was a physical power house, and she was fucking Maine. Cool. The same Maine who got her killed because he's a moron. #DorioDeservedBetter. We're not given any additional background about her at this point to the point it feels like another fridging to push Maine off the deep end. I will give kudos for her design. Be it a really beefed up cis woman or a trans woman (does it even really matter in a world where you can rebuild your body from scratch? ponderings), it's a design you don't see often in anime, so I appreciate it. Less so what happened to her.

Now we get to Maine. Maine, who on one hand was more fleshed out maybe even more than Lucy at this point. The big honcho looking out for his crew, knew Gloria, took David in partially for her sake, all that jazz. And suddenly he's starting to breakdown and has cypberpsychosis. He beats Kiwi up, he beats Dorio up, he has blackouts. We know he used to job in the desert and that's meaningful... why? We also know he could've reduced the risk of this happening because everyone told him to downgrade, but no, big hunk of a man that he is, he refused, no matter how much he was hurting his own crew and ruining missions. Can't say I cared much for him losing it enough to double down when Dorio died, but then David shows up and suddenly Maine is lucid enough to give a speech and see David off.

And with that, Maine fulfills his own death flag when he promised David could have his arms when Maine died. A man who brought about his own downfall, as well as that of his partner, because he refused to let go of his pride. Ultimately the makings of a fascinating tale... if this series stopped to actually bother with any of the characters. As it stands?

Rest in pieces, you piece of shit.

#DorioDeservedBetter.

So, who does that leave us with?

David, who's a shonen anime protagonist who ended up in the wrong genre. Solid character so far, a bit of that 'Chosen One' trope with how he's managing the Sandevistan, but otherwise a rather accessible, likable character.

Rebecca, who's colorful inside and out. She's out spoken, energetic, friendly and at least seems to be honest. The reason I felt anything when Pilar died. Like the dynamic between her and David. Hope to see more of her.

Kiwi...? Is she still alive? Is she ok without most of her face? How does she even smoke like that? About all I know about her, really.

Lucy. The female lead. Rose to the arguable role of female protagonist once she started fucking David. We get tidbits of her past and issues, but I guess we're saving that for 7-10. Gotta get rid of the fodder in the party first, clear the stage for the main act.

And that's the end of the first arc.

Again, I have no qualms about any technical aspect of the show. Very solid, art, animation, audio, all of it. And the bigger plot, with Tanaka and Arakasa seems interesting enough.

But personally, I am first and foremost, a connoisseur of characters, and prefer my characters be given a semblance of humanity — preferably not reliant on who they're fucking — before they die. Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys and Monster come to mind, as well as Attack on Titan are good examples of moving the spotlight to characters right before they die, to make sure that if no emotional connection was made up to that point — here's a Hail Mary last attempt to get you to care before that character exists stage left.

Now, you can argue, and even have a good cause, that this is meta-storytelling. The world doesn't care so why should the story? To that I say, but then I don't care, so what's the point? Especially when Maine did get an introspection sequence, as fleeting and frustrating as I found it to be. So it's not that they couldn't — they didn't.

In Naoki Urasawa's works, which also often depict sub-optimal worlds, the deaths still stayed with me. They're beacons of humanity, that's what made them tragic.

Let's look at another example, Berserk. By the time the characters we know start dying off, we've known them for a good, long while and saw their characters, and relationships with Guts, develop and evolve. So when they died — it fucking hurt.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners had very little of that, and as though to add insult to injury, the casualties consist of:

Gloria Martinez, a woman of color

Maine, a man of color

Dorio, who at the very least spat in the face of gender norms, if she wasn't transexual. A rare sight either way.

I know that if you put representation in a messed up world like that, bad things will happen to these people. But other than Latino David, so far our other survivors are all white women, who generally adhere to the normative beauty standards we all know. One is the love interest on top of it, too.

To be perfectly fair, I think what I take out of this is that I'm not the target demographic for this series. I look for things they obviously didn't prioritize, and I prefer deeper logic and cohesiveness in narrative, both story wise and character wise. I found especially the latter lacking. Will I finish the show? Probably, because I do want to see where they take the plot, but I'm keeping my expectations low.

[artisticzaati]

Ravii’s Transformation.

Written in a tumblr form for those interested. 

Amadeus is written by @akkalatechlabs and Ravii’s written by me. 

-- 

Summary: The drawing I did is pretty much how Ravii turned into Phantom Ganon. All thanks to a corrupted Sheikah.

--

Grinning, Amadeus walks over to the Glacian. Whistling at him to get his attention.  

“So, a little birdie told me that you wish to, what was it?” He snaps his fingers beside his head, trying to find the correct words to say that would catch his attention quick, “... Resurrect Ganondorf, was it? If you believe a scientist like me, I may have a clue on how to do that.”  

Crossing his arms his grin only grows wider. “... you have the last remaining things he owned, correct? Bring those with you and meet me back here. I will show you something mind blowing... extraordinary!” Amadeus claps his hands together, staring at Ravii.  

“So, what do you say? You have nothing else to lose, anyways. Lost your only friend and all that, correct? Nothing more to lose! 

   ... Let's test it out.”

The Glacian turns away at the Sheikah until he mentioned his name - eyes widening he slowly turns his head back at the grinning man.  

“How did he know? Unless someone... No. There is no one who would know of my plan like this.” Ravii thought quietly, staring at the corrupted Sheikah.

"... You. How did you know?" Ravii glares down, grabbing him by the jacket.  

"...You better not be playing a game here, Techie. I have lost my patience with this Hyrule and everyone in it. If you jest with me, I will not hesitate to kill you." Ravii shoves him away, his hand shaking. If there was a chance, even a little chance what he said was true... He should try. This man was right - he did lose everything. All the allies he made... Friends, family.  

   ...He had nothing.  

"...Meet you here you say?" Ravii glances away for a moment, thinking of all his options.  

"... I'll be back, then." Ravii spins around and storms back to his home to gather the outfit and mask he held so dear to him.  

  “Oh Din...” Ravii thought to himself, “Please do not be a trick.”

Dusting off his shoulder, Amadeus watches the other walk away. Cackling, he whistles over a guardian and rests against it in the meantime.  

“Test subject number 2.0 is interesting, isn't he?” Amadeus chuckled, patting the guardian he was leaning on, his focus was back on Ravii who was far away now. Just a mere spec disappearing in the distance.  

“He isn't from this place so I wonder how he will react, hm?

   ... Guess we will find out!”

--

As promised, even if it took some time - Ravii was back. Walking to the other he hid the clothes and mask behind his cape.  

"So... you are still here." Ravii glances up at the guardian, swallowing nervously a bit. His gaze trails back down to the ex-Sheikah.  

"I brought them." Ravii revealed the outfit he found; it was Ganondorf's of the Era of Time's. Along with a skull mask with horns on the top and sides. A gift from long ago from him.  

"Now how do we save him from the Realm he is lost in? We must not delay any longer!" Ravii's eagerness cracked through, screaming at Amadeus.  

"Show me!"  

“Patience, patience! Just a little longer!” Amadeus rolls his eyes and backs away from the guardian. Immediately the guardian stands back up ready to follow wherever he went. Amadeus waves his hand to Ravii to follow him as he walked further to the left of them.  

The more they traveled, the more the grass looked like it was dying. The trees were decaying more and more as they walked to wherever the destination was. Finally, Amadeus stops in front of a large mass of malice oozing from a pit that was left over from the last war on the Calamity that happened awhile back. Since test subject 1.0 was a failure and a mistake on his part, he needed someone who wasn't important to him instead.  

  This man was the perfect subject.

“Here we are! Have you ever seen malice before, your Majesty?” Amadeus bites his cheek, holding in a cackle, “This here is what will bring him back.”

Ravii felt... uneasy here. Looking at all the death around them. This did not seem right. Even in his standards. However, if this was the only way... He had no choice.  

"... No. I do not know what that is." Ravii looks at the malice, his glance trailing back elsewhere, "How will this bring him back? All I see around here is everything dying, you idiot. I do not want that muck on his clothes. Especially the cape since it means more to... Ah, never mind!" Ravii grumbles, glaring at Amadeus. "This better bring him back. If these get ruined for a joke, I will kill you on spot."

“Malice is... well..." Amadeus ticks his head a bit, thinking to himself.

“Apart of Ganon himself. So, this will bring him back! You'll see! I am never wrong! My calculations are on point. I know what I am doing.” The ex-Sheikah bows and points his hands at the malice.  

“Just throw them in and watch closely. You'll see your King come back to life before your eyes! …” Amadeus grins, 

     “You can save him, Ravii!”

The Glacian's eyes widened. 

   He could... save him?  

"I..." Ravii was left speechless for once. This is what he was dreaming about for years - this moment. Bringing his father back to life. Showing everyone he was capable. That he could do something right for once.  

"Alright... I will do it then. If you are tricking me, I swear to Din..." Ravii shook his head and walked to the pit, looking down and swallows nervously.  

 “Just do it.  

    Throw them in.” Ravii tells himself.  

It was so easy yet... he held onto the outfit and mask tightly.

... He was nervous. What could he say to him when he returned?  

'Sorry it took so long? Sorry I couldn't save you back then?'  

  So many thoughts rushed in Ravii’s head.

"..." Ravii takes a deep, shaky breath and looks at Amadeus for a moment.

"So, I just... throw them in? That's it? No magic? No spells...?" Ravii asked cautiously. It seemed too easy...  

Amadeus rubs his chin, looking down at the pit and back at Ravii.  

“Yeah. That is it! It is said in the old texts back in that blasted castle library I found, ‘To resurrect the dark one’..." Amadeus leans towards Ravii, placing his hand by his mouth, grinning, “That being Ganondorf! ‘One must bring the last remaining possessions of him to where the world decays’...”  

Looking around at all the dead flowers, grass and trees around him, Amadeus shrugs, "Pretty sure this is the spot. Since this is the only place in Hyrule like this.  

   Trust me. I did the research.” Amadeus stands beside Ravii, glancing at the mask for a moment and back up at the Glacian.

“Need a moment to think?”

"...I see." Ravii glances at him for a moment, listening to what apparently this text had to say. Ravii glances back down to the last possessions of Ganondorf in his arms.  

"... I lost everything. My kingdom, my family, everyone who put their trust in me..."

Ravii bit his lip thinking back. Flashes of different faces appearing in his mind of those he failed time and time again.

"...I'll fix what I did wrong. I can save everyone after this. I can put this mission to rest when father is back..." Another deep breath from Ravii, 

    "...For Glacia."  

Ravii smiles to himself and throws the outfit, cape and mask in the pit.  

Watching them sink into the malice.  

Amadeus covers his mouth covering the biggest grin he had. Walking over to the pit he watches them sink deeper, more quickly than the bucket did in his last experiment. They must have some energy in it or perhaps it was because they were indeed, of Ganon’s of another timeline. 

   Many questions ticked in his head.  

But! But, but, but... this wasn't about these stupid clothes or that mask that was the subject here.  

      It was...

“Oh? What the blasting beakers is THAT? Come closer! I see something happening!” Amadeus gasps, waving Ravii closer to the edge.  

“Hurry! Hurry!”

Ravii immediately runs over beside Amadeus, closer to the edge and looks around.  

"Where...? I see nothing, Techie." Glaring at Amadeus for a moment he looks back down. Everything he threw in there was gone. He suddenly felt his heart drop.  

   They were gone.

He just threw them in there without even thinking for a moment of how ridiculous this was!  

"You lied to me... you lied to me, didn’t you?!" Ravii turns to the other, "That is all I had left of him!" Warm tears began to run down the Glacian's cheek as he turned away to look down again.

"Maybe everyone was right... Senka was right... Octavo was right... Alaric..." He clenches his fists, shaking as he looked down at the pit.  

"...I am on the wrong side...I've wasted so many years. I am... lost."

Ravii covers his face with his hands, peeking through his fingers as more tears ran down. He didn't know what to do anymore.

"...Father...everyone... someone help me."

“... Hm. Looks like you missed it. I did indeed saw something there!” Amadeus chuckles at Ravii's breakdown and walks over with his hands behind his back, humming to himself.  

“Well...

   That's a shame...” Amadeus glances at the pit once again and back at Ravii.  

“Oh, wait... I forgot one more itty-bitty thing.  

   He needed a host.” Amadeus kicks Ravii into the pit and kneels down, watching him fall in.  

“Now it's complete!” Amadeus grins.

Ravii gasps and turns around quickly as he was pushed, watching Amadeus's expression change.  

"What!?" Ravii falls back first into the malice, feeling something grab him, pulling him in. From panic he takes off his cape and tries to stand, trying to crawl out and climb back up. The more he tried to crawl out the more the malice came back almost... alive, grabbing his ankles and legs, dragging him back in.  

"Techie! Techie! Please!" Ravii cried out from complete fear, "Help me! Please!" Ravii looks back at his legs sinking deeper and deeper with each second passing.  

Ravii looks back up, the most frightened he has ever looked in his entire life and Amadeus was up above, watching him. Not doing a damn thing to help him.  

“Get someone! They...They will save me! Anything! Anyone...! Please..." Ravii chokes on a sob as he slams his fists against the wall.  

"...I don't want to die..." Ravii's head and shoulders dropped as he cries, sinking deeper into the malice. It was up to his waist now.  

“But you have no one who can save you or would even want to! Plus...” Amadeus sits at the edge, dangling his feet down as he cackles, "I've never seen the malice so... attracted to another like you before! It's so attached to you!  

  ... It's fascinating!”

Amadeus takes out his slate, tapping away at it.

“Subject 2.0... when in contact with malice it becomes almost infatuated with the subject... perhaps the subject's closeness with Ganon himself is the cause. Or perhaps there is something more that I do not realize?” Grinning he looks back down, cupping his hands by his mouth and yells, “Let it happen! It'll hurt less!”

Ravii swallows nervously.  

He was right. No one would save him.  

   No one.  

The malice dragged him in further in quickly, despite struggling to get out. He was scared, he wanted to go back.  

Struggling.  

  Struggling...  

He grew tired and held his breath as the malice dragged him in. His head was already in and his hand slowly sunk into it. Leaving Amadeus's view now completely.  

Everything was dark. He couldn't hold his breath anymore and choked. His first instinct was to scream again for help yet why bother?  

This was it for him. His eyes burned. He couldn't move. This was absolute hell. Never in his life has he felt so hurt. Betrayed. Lost. Everything all at once manifests in him.  

Anger.  

 Hatred.  

He couldn't die here.  

   He had to live... live... l i v e...  

"..."

《 What a worthless creation you are ... 》  

Ravii's eyes snap open. He knew that voice!  

  "...help..." Ravii managed to whisper as malice drowned him out. 

 Amadeus watched as Ravii was completely in the malice. Waiting for... another reaction. At least SOMETHING to happen.  

“... Hm. Well, that was underwhelming.” Shaking his head, he stands back up and notices Ravii's sword. Must have dropped when he pushed him in...  

“Well, at least I get a free sword!” Amadeus cackles and picks it up, looking at it closely.  

“I could use this for my own creati-…" His eyes widen and moves the sword a little, staring at the reflection. Tilting it a little to the side, he notices a hand slamming on the ground from the pit and he turns around immediately as his skin crawls at the sight.

Ravii slowly crawls out of the malice pit, covered in malice from head to toe. As the malice drops to the ground it reveals Ravii, wearing the outfit he threw in. Cape and all. Coughing and wheezing, he raises his gaze at Amadeus wearing the mask he threw in.  

His skin was tainted. His eyes a hollow black. His gaze on Amadeus was intense.  

"..." Crawling closer to Amadeus he slowly stumbles to his feet and pointed at him.  

Finally, he spoke in a low tone, a voice that was no longer his.  

  " ... my sword."

“. . .  

  ... Fascinating.” Amadeus hands the sword to him, his eyes still wide with curiosity and fear. If he played this right, he could perhaps live to see another day.

“Ravii... are you in there?” The corrupted scientist walks around him, this was the clothes Ravii threw in alright... What a reaction. This was very different from his own transformation for sure when he was in contact with the malice. Was it because he was from a different timeline? Different effects? Oh, he HAD to bring him in for more studies! This experiment was DEFINITELY as success!  

“... Majesty?” Amadeus spoke as he glanced up at the almost lifeless man in front of him.

Ravii stood there quietly. Holding the sword down in his hand. Head held down as he wheezed and coughed. Looking down the sword he held it in front of him as it began to warp and twist into a trident, malice like substance swirling in the middle of it. Ravii wheezes again dropping his head down.  

He wanted to speak but his lungs and throat felt as if malice was drowning it out. Causing him to be silenced. Ravii stood there, struggling quietly. Standing in front of Amadeus waiting for something.  

  Anything.  

Amadeus watches quietly. He was in absolute awe of what he was seeing. What was this? Malice? No, this was something else. He needed to bring him back to the lab.

“... Hey Ravii?” Finally snapping out the thought, Amadeus snaps his fingers in front of Ravii's face. Hoping for a reaction.  

  Nothing.  

He looked almost.  

     ... Dead.  

"Let's head to my lab. I have a lot of research to do and you need supervision.” Slowly Amadeus takes out his slate, making sure Ravii doesn't suddenly attack. His presence made him... actually nervous.  

Ravii tried to speak once more. Malice gurgling from his mouth he tilted his head. Falling silent again. Letting Amadeus do what he wished.  

He would follow. Without any fighting or disagreements.  

     ... Perhaps he could help him.

[angel-gidget]

Amethyst #1: A Riveting Reboot

I could say Amethyst #1 written and illustrated by Amy Reeder is a work of art and you’d all be like “no duh, gidge. comics are half art” but Amethyst #1 is also clearly a work of LOVE. I’ve been reading and flailing and feeling like I should review, but have been uncertain where to start. So I shall try to simply pick 10 delights that stand out to me.

Heads up for spoilers!

1. Her mom and dad. Amy’s origin has clearly been restored from the left turn at Albuquerque that was the nu52. I love that Reeder shows right out the gate that Amy’s adoptive parents are supportive yet struggling with raising a daughter that spends more and more time in a magical realm they can’t enter. Or can they? We will see what the rules are as we go.

In the original series, anybody who didn’t have magic risked getting lost and stranded between realms if they tried to cross between the Gemworld and earth. That doesn’t conflict with the glimpses we’ve seen in YJ, exactly, so we’ll wait and see how things unfold.

2. One thing that DOES conflict with what we’ve seen in YJ though: Turquoise’s number of arms. Or, the number of arms on anybody living in her entire kingdom for that matter. Might be that Reeder and Bendis didn’t get a chance to double-check those details against each other before committing to their scripts. But who thinks to ask about things like that though? (“Hey, your redesign of this character has the standard 4 limbs or less, not 6, right?”)

You know what? I’m okay with this. We get pretty Bendis/Gleason?/Timms? design and this totally funky four-armed broad-sword user and I think I will enjoy seeing if they actually DO come up with an in-canon explanation of the discrepancy.

Also, apparently this Turquoise is married? He’s clearly a consort rather than a ruler, and I wanna know more. (All of the bullpen appears on board with avoiding the Amy/Topaz/Turquoise love triangle from the original series and that’s probably for the best. I just hope that we’ll get to see my boy Topaz at some point anyway, even if he’s no longer a romantic candidate for either fair lady.)

3. Hallelujah! We have a name! I have always loved that Amethyst rides around on a pegasus/pegacorn (another YJ mismatch here, but seems like semantics to me). BUT HE’S NEVER HAD A NAME. HE FINALLY HAS A NAME! IT’S A BADASS NAME. Ypsilos. Greek & unique. I dig it. ‘Bout time.

4. Her mentors. Granch and Citrine(a) are back! Ok, they’re actually missing, but it was good to see their faces smiling down on itty bitty!Amy. I dug the way “witch mother Citrina” would roll off the tongue in the original series, but it didn’t make totally sense that everybody gets to take the exact name of a gemstone while Citrine gets her name kinda anglicized by sticking an A on the end. Small fix, I appreciate the logic.

I’m wondering if Cintrine is as powerful of a magic user in this story as she was in the original. I mean, probably not, bc of House Amethyst disapearing without a trace, but it will be cool to see how it goes. I dig how Amy notes how much she usually relies on them, and how this sensibly leads to…

5. Noob ruler, a lil’ tone-deaf. She’s clearly trying. Taking some good speech-giving cues from Braveheart, probably. But this scene shows she IS inexperienced and bc she’s still in training, she doesn’t have a lot of trust from her neighboring common people. PEOPLE IN THE CROWD ARE MISSING LIMBS. Turquoise warned her about this. These people clearly HAVE been fighting. They aren’t turning her down bc they lack courage. They’re just insulted that this tiny neighbor princess showed up in a BALLGOWN royal-splaining warrior grit to them.

I gotta admit, I was a bit worried when Amy Reeder’s interview (also at the back of the comic) came out, and she talked about Amy Winston having a “little miss perfect” personality. There were some character details that never got fleshed out about 80′s Amy, but I’m relieved that this new iteration actually has some of the original character flaws shown.

She’s a lil’ presumptuous. She gets her ideas from watching Earth movies and TV. Sometimes it pans out, and she’s like “Of course it did! You backwards middle ages people are so quaint. No worries, I will bless you with my high school knowledge of democracy and vaccination.” But she lacks the foresight to see when and why a youthful earth-style plan won’t work in the Gemworld’s environment.

Re-worked Amy just gets really lucky here that Nameless Warrior of the Cool Haircut and Rad Caterpillar Creature sees that she’s such a tiny summer child and decides to assist, impugning of honor aside.

6. Monsters vs. Innocent Creatures. This was always a fun aspect of the Gemworld! Is that a terrifying monster or a cute critter? Maybe it’s both! Or maybe its not a monster at all, and you’re just biased. Nice to meet you, Stan.

7. Living birth parents? That’s a twist (Or, it still CAN be.) In the original series, Amy’s birth father was revealed be the host of a Lord of Order (If that sounds familiar, it’s a Dr. Fate thing.) That meant she technically had an original living parent, but… that’s where the writing went South and turned obnoxiously edgy and tangential. But this implies that both her bio mom and dad are plain-ol’-fashioned alive. Which is new and an intriguing dangling plot-thread. Cool cool.

8. He’s just… so evil. It’s great. I’ve already blubbered about the pleasant simplicity of Dark Opal’s villainy, but I also appreciate that his funky face clasp is back, and I dig the drone-spiders. In the original series, his adopted son Carnelian was the techie, so I’ll be curious to see if there any nods to that in the future.

9. One seriously solid exposition page. Pretty, concise... and just enough holes to entice. This implies that the events of the first Amethyst mini series have ALREADY HAPPENED in this continuity. But some things are CLEARLY different. (Turquoise kingdom world-building, Amy does not change her age between realms, etc.) That leaves some surprises in store.

10. First issue parallels. It’s her birthday. Again. Her parents are giving her title-drop jewelry. Again. She’s all gussied up in an over-the-top dress for her mentor’s sake, but it’s completely inappropriate for battling evil which is what she’s gonna have to ACTUALLY go do bc that’s her luck. Again. I do love me some good symmetry.

TO CONCLUDE... I am so, so happy to read this. Reeder has done right by my girl, and I look forward to issue #2. Huzzah!

[calicosjinx]

‪I found this itty bitty tiny toy hamster 🐹

So now Techie and Matt have a hamster. 🧡‬ it doesn’t have a name yet.

[ao3feed--kylux]

Tie It with A Bow

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2iylveC

by soIiIoquy

Hux was the dutiful elder son, the true not heir, the Bastard. And as such, he was perfect for pawning off to better his family’s – his father’s – social and political standing. Brendol wanted a connection to royalty, to power, and the best course of action was to have Hux marry into the beloved Naberries of Naboo.

Prince Ben was an unknown. Hux had never met him, never even seen a picture of the man, and now he was betrothed to him, the date rapidly approaching, and the ceremony wouldn’t even be normal.

Who the kriff wore masks for their wedding?

Words: 10847, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Armitage Hux, Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Clan Techie, Matt the Radar Technician, Original Female Character(s), Brief Background Rey Finn and Poe

Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Mistaken Identity, hidden identity, Identity Porn, Masked Wedding, the pair wear masks for the ceremony basically, Kylo is Prince Ben, but try telling him that, Kylo is not happy, Hux is furious but indignantly resigned on the outside, and insecure on the inside, he also has younger siblings, they are adorable, Pining, Mutual Pining, their pining confuses them both, Itty bitty angst, Fluff, sorta Soft Kylux, both boys sneak out for their Last Hurrah, and FEELINGS happen, Implied Force bond, Anal Sex, Bottom Hux, Top Kylo Ren, Hux POV, Kylo POV

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2iylveC

[solohux]

I saw your recent repost and it made me want to reply. There's a lot of kylux and technician shipping, but not family or Itty bitty babis for technician. How would Hux handle his brother, having a family of his own with Mat? How would those two handle children? how would Techie handle it? The pregnancy? The birth? Hell, most importantly, just raising the kids! (Either it be a single child or multiples). love and hellos lottie!

Ahhhh there definitely isn’t enough techienician family fics! And imagine how cute Techie would look with a lil baby bump!

Hux would be very defensive of Techie, I think, maybe even going as far as calling Matt into his office and yelling at him for DARING to get his brother pregnant and then leave him–and Matt has to quickly explain that he’s in love with Techie!!!!

Hux relaxes when Techie tells him that they’re serious and this was planned and they want a family and Hux hugs Techie 💛 It’s just one baby, despite Techie being big, and Matt INSISTS on carrying Techie to and from work (across the ship, and some thinks it’s adorable and some think it’s silly but none comment!!!) and Techie thinks that Matt is going to be an amazing dad ✨✨✨

[tiny-kylo-ren]

Update

Hi friends! Just a little update here! Sorry for the unintentional hiatus there for a little bit. Things have been super crazy in real life, like I have been home for only 10 days during the entire month of July, a bunch of traveling days with no wifi, and wayyyyy more time put in for work. I’ll be working super long hours these next couple of weeks in South Dakota at Sturgis for the motorcycle rally, and then after that I’ll finally have an itty bitty break before DragonCon.

So!

I have all of Tiny Kylo’s travels queued up to last while I’m away, and I have Kylo and friends with me just in case I have some time to get a picture. When I get back, I’ll resume “normal” blogging/scheduled events/etc (Actor Wednesdays, Kylo’s Diary, Doodle Days, Advice from Grandpa, Ask Uncle Chewie, etc). I’ll finish up the Summer Requests, and complete huxlolidays, kyluxpositivityweek, and animperialmarch. AND I’ll be getting to the rest of replies and asks. So please don’t worry if I haven’t gotten to yours yet, I will do my best to get it done soon! 

(if you’re worried it never sent/I missed it/whatever it’s totally fine to send it again!!)

And once all of that is underway, Matt and Techie will make a reappearance, the Resistance members will begin showing up one by one (based on This Poll), and maybe a few other friends as well!

If you’ve sent/are sending Kylo mail, he’ll send you a thing as soon as we get home!

Also, feel free to send in prompts, asks, and/or requests for Kylo to get to when he’s home from his missions!

And I think that’s it for now! If you need to contact me at all or Kylo or anything, I’m at @katherine1753 and you can always email tiny.kylo.ren@gmail.com :)

[ganymedesclock]

Merla Anon - Soo how to you think/hope Merla (or any of DotU/GoLion other female characters) will be introduced in VLD? (I really hope they chose to introduce Merla, she could replace Haggar in my favorite Voltron witch *^*)

Okay so if I’m just gonna throw caution to the winds and wildly speculate about what I’d like in my wildest dreams:

My understanding of Merla in DotU was that she was the queen of a planet that became betrothed to Lotor for political reasons- making her not a galra/”drule”. This intrigues me because VLD, what we see so far of Lotor, he significantly talks up the idea of allies of the empire. Since the audience he’s speaking to is already galra, I think what this suggests is that in the middle of his seemingly patriotic fervor- adhering to Zarkon’s dogma and appealing to those who have- he’s softening his audience to the idea of looking beyond just the empire for allies.

So what I wonder is going to happen is if Lotor isn’t going to pull a stunt a bit like what Azula did in Avatar- namely, “clearly going through the rank and file soldiers isn’t working here. To chase these guys, I want a small, but elite and highly specialized team.”

Unlike Azula, I don’t imagine Lotor’s been able to establish these connections beforehand. Everything about how he’s approaching the empire in those trailers would suggest that he’s starting from scratch- however long he’s been around, he hasn’t been able to establish a bunch of support and subordinates.

(Whether WG is Lotor, or someone else affiliated with Lotor- the only way I can imagine someone who seems to be pretty smart and cautious going into a Weblum solo with zero backup would be if they can’t get backup somehow- it’s just way too much of a gamble for something like scaultrite that’s incredibly difficult to cultivate)

This would tell us that if Lotor is looking to build basically an anti-Voltron task force (or a task force for whatever his goal is, but I think at bare minimum, Voltron’s a problem he’d want to deal with) he’s probably going to be actively looking for these people.

If Merla is a leader who might not only be looking for a way to insulate herself and her position from potentially being annexed by the empire, but, is looking to actually get a slice of power in the empire- by cozying up to Lotor- that suggests that she’s smart and ambitious, and might even have a caring streak if her drive for personal gain, unlike, say, Lubos, might be that she’s trying to protect her people.

Most of the alien races established in VLD have a particular trick or inclination, even when it’s glossed over. We see that the Unilu are four-armed, which, during Keith’s brief altercation with the knife merchant, gives them quite an edge, pun unintended.

One of the main qualities that’s noteworthy about Merla (to me at least) is her companion vulture. Since this show emphasizes unique talents and specialization of characters, I actually wonder if Merla might not be a witch or druid the way Haggar is, but rather- someone whose specialty is animal handling. This would be a big deal if we consider space in VLD is full of things like the saber-toothed lizard cats from s2e1 or even the Baku from s2e2- and the Baku was a challenge for the Blue Lion in her native environment.

So reading Merla as a calculating person who’s possibly looking for a way to integrate with the empire while preserving herself and her people- or even potentially profit them- she might have been holding back or trying to avoid a confrontation with Zarkon, but Lotor comes along with his interest in teamwork, new allies- and Merla is talented and capable and has a lot to gain from cozying to the crown prince.

The other interesting side of this is that, Lotor’s main ally in a different continuity (Voltron Force) is Maahox, who is also not a galra, and someone in a highly specialized field (Maahox is an engineer and technician with elaborate cybernetics). 

VLD borrows many things from Force- the concept of a main antagonist who buffs himself up/preserves his life via dark energy, said main antagonist initially challenging Voltron on foot and doing surprisingly well before in a later confrontation, armoring himself up to go giant robot-to-giant robot.

The bayards are very similar to Force’s voltcoms as a summonable weapon tailored to its wielder, and in another regard, the bayard socketing to unlock different weapons resembles the variant Voltron forms in Force.

So I’d have to wonder if we aren’t going to see Maahox or someone like him in VLD. Which would be very significant in VLD’s universe, because while Force it wasn’t unusual because the drule were only just rebuilding themselves after losing to Voltron and wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth especially one who singlehandedly revived their leader- in VLD, the empire so far seems to be a monolith of only galra, so if Lotor’s immediate move is to team up with two people, neither of whom are galra, it’d be a very unusual move.

The other interesting thing I find here is that if WG isn’t Lotor himself, but another person- then it would suggest that Lotor’s response to Voltron, which is currently down to four main paladins- is a team consisting of himself and three allies. Zarkon and Shiro are both counterparts and out of the picture- Haggar seems to be Allura’s counterpart and is still present in some regards.

If I’m right in my theory that Lotor is Lance’s counterpart, this would be equally significant because:

WG would seem to be paired off thematically with Keith- their main interaction so far is with each other and it seems like WG is both very talented and a little cocky, but rather stoic.

Maahox, historically, is an itty bitty techy guy with a lot of tricks but not much physical power himself (in Force Lotor tends to pick him up with zero effort) and who is highly motivated by scientific curiosity and his own agenda. He could fit as a Pidge counterpart.

Imagining Merla as shrewd and calculating, but also possibly specifically connected to Lotor more than the rest of the team, especially if she’s sarcastic towards him but loyal, she could well be a Hunk counterpart.

[nightmare-afton-cosplay]

Rooms With a View: From Central Park to Golden Gate, Price Premiums on Iconic Vistas

aoldman/iStock

Contrary to popular belief, there’s more to high-end real estate than just the L-word—location. In major cities, there’s another wish-list item clamoring for attention too: the V factor. As in view.

Although city dwellers may generally live stacked on top of one another in apartment complexes, they’re more than willing to reach deep into their pockets to own their own slice of one of the nation’s killer views—iconic sights  like Manhattan’s Central Park, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Lake Michigan in Chicago, Miami Beach, or the Las Vegas Strip.

Of course, we had to know: Just how much deeper are buyers willing to dig?

To figure out the premium that these vistas can command, the realtor.com® data team compared the prices for all the homes for sale on our site that highlight these sought-after panoramas, and then compared them to similar-size properties in adjacent ZIP codes with no view to speak of.

Turns out, spectacular scenery doesn’t come cheap.

It’s worth noting that many of the homes with the best views are luxury buildings that would have cost more regardless of what residents can see outside of their windows, given their proximity to some of the country’s top attractions. Those vistas only drive prices up further.

But just how much? Read on to see which famous American views command the highest premiums.

1. Manhattan, NY: Central Park

Median list price for homes with views: $3,795,000 Killer view premium: 39.9%

A lower, more “affordable” view of Central Park

Photo-Dave/iStock

Manhattan is notorious for its exorbitantly priced, itty-bitty apartments, with windows that look onto a grand expanse of brick wall. Or alleys. But for those New Yorkers who can afford the privilege of natural light, there’s one view that matters above all others: Central Park.

“It’s really about status,” says Manhattan real estate agent Victoria Rong Kennedy of Citi Habitats. Apartments with prime views of the nation’s most famous park, she says, are about showing off “what you have and who you are.”

Full views of the 843-acre oasis are stratified into their own degrees of rank, based on whether the homes sit above or below the tree line. Generally, the higher the floor, the more unobstructed the views are—and the higher the price. So that explains why apartments just a few floors apart in the same luxury building can have vastly different valuations. And why penthouses sit on the top of the price scale.

Where you live along the park also matters. The green space is half a mile wide, cutting across majorly pricey midtown Manhattan on the bottom, the Upper East and Upper West Sides along the park’s two-and-a-half-mile expanse, and less expensive Harlem on the top. It serves as the dividing point splitting Manhattan between east and west.

The most desirable views are widely considered to be on the south side of the park—aka Central Park South—home to some of the city’s tallest, most luxurious, and priciest buildings, says Daniel Neiditch, president of Manhattan-based River 2 River Realty, a luxury real estate brokerage, landlord, and developer. Many are new constructions.

The east and west sides of the park are also very much in demand, with the eastern abodes along Fifth Avenue slightly edging out their counterparts along Central Park West, price-wise. But that probably has more to do with living closer to prestigious, old-money Fifth Avenue than just the pleasure of watching the leaves change color from your window.

2. San Francisco, CA: Golden Gate Bridge

Median list price for homes with views: $2,450,000 Killer view premium: 33.1%

The Golden Gate Bridge: It’s expensive no matter which side you live on.

somchaij/iStock

San Francisco real estate is wildly pricey right now, because all the techies—and wannabe techies—are trying to get a toehold, so they can work in Silicon Valley. But add in a view of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, and the prices on those homes can rise to even more dizzying heights.

“[The] Golden Gate Bridge view is the rarest in the Bay Area,” says Patrick Carlisle, chief market analyst at Paragon Real Estate Group. “It’s highly prized.”

That’s because only a few hundred homes provide residents with a full vista of the famed burnt-orange overpass. Some of the best sightings are in Pacific Heights, the most expensive neighborhood in the city. The neighborhood, filled with luxury shops, several international consulates, and mansions, is also home to U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Danielle Steel, and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. 

Homes in the nearby neighborhoods of Russian Hill and Nob Hill also provide glimpses of the bridge.

Locals prize the landmark so much that many tend to situate their living rooms on the third floor of their homes when remodeling, says luxury realtor Nina Hatvany of Pacific Union International. That way, they can enjoy the panoramas from the comfort of their couches.

“It’s what makes San Francisco special,” Hatvany says of the bridge. “If you have a glorious view of the water, the bridge, and Alcatraz, then you know you’re in San Francisco.”

3. Miami Beach, FL: South Beach

Median list price for homes with views: $944,000 Killer view premium: 103.4%

View of South Beach

Ugo Lora/iStock

Miami—and Florida in general—was slammed hard by the foreclosure crisis, and home prices are still recovering. But flashy Miami Beach is white-hot again, with buyers eager to own a place in its iconic Art Deco District, enjoy the frenetic nightlife scene, and ogle the many beautiful international residents. And they’re willing to compete for those highly coveted ocean views of South Beach, the long expanse of white sand, and the turquoise Atlantic waters that define the place .

“If you’re going to do it, you might as well do it big, that’s the Miami mentality,” says Realtor® Samantha DeBianchi, who starred on “Million Dollar Listings Miami.” “If you have the money, why not have the best view?”

Prices for the thousands of beachfront properties are highest in the more residential northern and southern ends of town, where luxe high-rises and townhouses are found. The middle is considered by locals to be mostly tourist fodder, and is indeed dominated by spring breakers and sunburned visitors. It’s where many of the big hotels are located.

Up north, chic new buildings and recently renovated properties, like the Faena, Edition, and Fontainebleau, fetch sky-high prices. But for the best of the best, you’d have to head down to SoFi, the area south of Fifth Avenue. It’s home to dozens of glass, high-rise buildings, and plenty of chic restaurants and hip bars..

SoFi, Miami’s most expensive area, is “the jewel of South Beach,” says Bianchi.

4. Chicago, IL: Lake Michigan

Median list price for homes with views: $525,000 Killer view premium: 96.8%

Window view of Lake Michigan in Chicago

lightkey/iStock

In the Windy City, unobstructed views of Lake Michigan—which fills the entire horizon like an ocean view—are not for homeowners on a budget.

The price differential for an eastern-facing condo with a clear view of the second-largest of the Great Lakes could be anywhere from 30% to 50% more than a western-facing unit with the same floor plan that only provides a partial glimpse of the lake, says luxury real estate agent Nancy Nugent, of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty.

And it isn’t just the views that jack up the valuations. Buyers are willing to pay more to live near the walkable and bikeable shoreline and to be close enough to take a dip, hop on a boat, or simply go fishing whenever they choose. Yes, city folks do swim in these chilly waters.

However, it isn’t all luxury abodes facing the lake, which boasts 1,600 miles of shoreline and stretches into Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. There are also plenty of single-family homes, apartment buildings, and just about everything else, Nugent says.

The most desirable rooms with a view, though, are in the luxury high-rises in downtown Chicago that sit right on the water, close to the city’s famous Magnificent Mile, Nugent says. The hilltop mansions on the north side of the lake are also popular with those who can afford them.

“When you add the dynamic of a high-rise with city lights going on after sunset, that’s a power view,” she says.

5. Las Vegas, NV: The Strip

Median list price for homes with views: $425,000 Killer view premium: 210%

The Vegas strip at night

4FR/iStock

The city of Vegas is practically synonymous—at least to outsiders—with the Las Vegas Strip, that 4.2-mile stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard lined with ever more spectacular (and yes, to some eyes ever more gaudy) hotels and casinos. So it shouldn’t come as a complete shock that Sin City buyers, who tend to be from out of town, are willing to pay more than double for a glittery view of the landscape where dreams are made—and crushed. Right outside their very own window!

“When you think of Vegas, you think of the Strip,” says local real estate broker Kamran Zand, of Luxury Estates International, who set the record for selling the most expensive condo in Nevada, a lavish penthouse at the Residences at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas.

And there is no shortage of shining views, thanks to the natural geography of the city. The center of Las Vegas lies in a valley, so those trademark lights are visible from nearby high-rises and the elevated single-family homes favored by local doctors and lawyers, which circle the Strip.

Condos cost more per square foot, with the tallest building, Trump Tower, topping out at 64 stories. But houses command a higher total price as long as that shining, blinking, in-your-face panorama is visible from the first floor.

Many of Zand’s buyers hail from California and overseas, and are mostly on the prowl to buy second or third homes directly overlooking the strip. However, Zand has also seen a big bump in older locals trading in their compounds for high-rise penthouses after the kids leave the nest.

Views of the Strip that focus on the area between Tropicana and Sahara avenues are the most popular, because that’s where most of the brightest lights and action are located. But glimpses of both the Cosmopolitan and the famed Bellagio fountain nearby, with its light and water shows, come at the highest premium.

“People pay the premium because the Strip is to Vegas what the beach is in Malibu,” Zand says. “That’s our ocean.”

The post Rooms With a View: From Central Park to Golden Gate, Price Premiums on Iconic Vistas appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com®.

from http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/what-buyers-shell-out-for-killer-views/

[ung]

Trenton Marshall (@mrtechrant)

I like big phones and I can not lie * *You other techies can't deny * *That when a phone walks in with an itty bitty case * *And a big screen in your face * *You get sprung, wanna pull the trigger too * *'Cause you notice those specs were was stuffed * *@SamsungMobileUS #S20Ultra https://t.co/Tw9qar5lzu

faved by your 1 friend

[juliadgaddis]

Bring on the Squillions!

 Today's the day, friends! We're officially kicking off FUNdraising season!! Team Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, for the ninth consecutive year, is participating in Dog-A-Thon, The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County's fundraising walk for homeless pets. For those of you who are new to the blog, I think you're going to be surprised by how fun this fundraiser is. It's a really exciting time of year at the IBKC, and so many look forward to this event. During the next three weeks, we will all work very hard raising funds for our shelter, and we will have a great time doing it. We will talk about all of the positive and wonderful things our Humane Society is doing. You'll hear lots of feel-good stories about the cats we have helped. We want to keep you entertained while we're pestering everyone for donations, so you'll see lots of extra posts and pictures during this stretch. We keep it all very light and try to make it as painless as possibles for all of you! During this season, you'll see the whole IBKC community rise to support our shelter. You'll witness lots of very kind, generous, and caring kitty-loving people in action. You'll see some pretty magical moments. You'll cheer (and breath a huge sigh of relief) when we meet our many matching donation challenges. It will make you feel warm and fuzzy, and you might just even cry a few happy tears. I know I always do. You'll see some tense moments -- it can be a nail-biter at times -- but I promise you that in the end, you will always feel uplifted. Seeing so much good can't be anything but positive. And gosh, with all that's going on in our World right now, don't we need a little more positive? Even though this event is called "DOG"-A-Thon, because we're all about the cats and kittens around here, all of the money we raise goes directly towards helping our feline friends. EVERY single cent of it! This money will help life-saving projects and programs -- like our foster program. It will help make shelter improvements for the cats. It will buy cuddly beds, toys, scratchers, litter boxes, and cubbies to help make a cat's stay at the shelter more comfortable. It will help reduce the cost of spay and neuter surgeries for pets of lower income families. It will help fill the shelves of the Emergency Pet Food Bank with cat food. It will help fix and vaccinate the feral and free-roaming cats in our community. It will help lost kitties get reunited with their owners. It will fill bellies with nutritious food. It will provide medical care for tiny kittens, adult, senior, and special need cats. It will help make cats healthier and happier while they wait to meet their forever families. It will help save lives. Many lives. This year, I've set our goal at $100,000. It's a huge amount, but we've set this goal before and have exceeded it every time. It's going to take some hard work to get there, but I have a lot of faith in our community, and I know we can do it. I just know we can! In all of these years of fundraising, this little community of ours has donated over $750,000 to help homeless cats and kittens. Can you believe we did that? The Humane Society has put our donations to good use, and I've seen so many positive changes happen for the cats at the shelter because of our community. WE came together and provided them with the resources to make wonderful things happen. We've helped them help more cats. I am so proud of us! So, what can we expect this season? There's lots of great stuff on the calendar, and I'll be adding more as we go.We'll have lots of auctions this year. Once our current crew graduates, we'll bring in the next batch of babies and auction off the rights to name those kittens. I also have a very lovely cat-themed quilt that a couple of special people made just for this occasion -- I am so excited to reveal it! We'll be auctioning off some art and other cat-related items, too. We will be auctioning off the always popular "Tea with the Bean" --- your opportunity to have lunch with us at IBKC headquarters and meet Charlene, Wylla, and kittens. The tea has been a huge success over the years, so of course, we'll do it again. Even if you don't toss your hat in the ring, it's exciting to watch the bidding frenzy! We will be checking in on some of our IBKC grads, and I'll be posting lots of alumni updates, too! Thanks to some very generous folks, we will have MANY awesome matching donation challenges to help us read our goal. There's still room on the schedule for more, so if you would like to offer up a match, please send me an email, and we can discuss the details. We'll have days dedicated to some of your favorite programs and causes: The Senior Cat Medical Fund, Community Cats, Special Need Cats, The Emergency Pet Food Bank, the Foster Program and our Low-Cost Spay and Neuter program. It's a great way to give and have your money go  directly towards something you really care about. The HS is using trying a new online fundraising platform for Dog-A-Thon, so things look a little bit different this year. The new platform is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate, so I don't think anyone will have issues. But if you do, please let me know. It doesn't have a few features the old system had, but I'm working hard with my techy husband to find ways to provide some of the things that are missing. The big thing is getting a "progress bar" up on the blog.  Hopefully, we'll get that resolved today! In the meantime, you can track our progress on the fundraising page --- maybe even "bookmark" it for your convenience, so it's easy to follow along. Another thing that's a little different this year is that sadly, I won't be able to walk the Dog-A-Thon walk.  I've got a family wedding in Colorado happening that very same day, so I have to miss it the event.  I can't tell you how heartbroken I am over this -- it makes me so sad that I can't be there to celebrate our victory and the Humane Society, too.   I haven't broken the news to Wylla yet, who always joins us for the walk. I know she'll be disappointed and sad to let down her adoring fans. I am SO SORRY we can't be there. Normally, we wrap up the fundraising the day before the Dog-A-Thon walk, but because of my traveling, we'll be ending it a couple of days earlier on Wednesday, July 19th. We wanted to have a really awesome first day, so we're starting this show with a huge $5000 matching donation challenge. Our Awesome Anonymous Donor is back this year, and she will be matching every single dollar we donate today until we reach the $5000 cap. I know it's a big challenge to meet on our very first day, but to hit our big goal, we're going to have to keep things going a pretty good clip. It's going to take big matches like this along the way to get us there! Just in case you forgot how the matches work, here goes: For every dollar we give, our Awesome Anonymous Donor will do the same until we hit the $5000 max. SO, if we're able to meet the match, our $5000 will turn into $10,000! Of course, even if we don't complete the match, our dollars will still be doubled, but when someone offers up a challenge, we hate to leave a single dollar on the table, so we work hard to max it out. To jump in on this match, get your dollars doubled by our donor, and make a tax-deductible donation to our campaign, please visit our FUNdraising page. This matching donation challenge ends at 7:00 PM (Pacific Time) tonight. Thank you Awesome Anonymous Donor for this very generous match to kick things off! Our shelter has provided us with so many wonderful kittens over the years. These kittens have made us smile, they've brightened many days, they've warmed our hearts -- especially during these troubling times. Here's our chance to give something back - we can honor all those itty-bitty kitties and say "thanks" by supporting the organization that gave them their start in life - The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County. Thank you for listening, friends. It will be an exciting and emotional stretch, and I can hardly wait to see how much we can raise to improve the lives of our precious shelter cats and kittens. We appreciate every dollar you give! No matter what the size of the donation, it helps because when we put it all together, we make BIG things happen for our little friends. 100 Squillion! HERE WE COME!! OK, I'll be back with lots more today! As I mentioned before, I post a lot during the FUNdriaser, so do stay close! We've got LOTS of cuteness coming your way!!! THANK YOU for being here. Thank you for caring. We love you!!  Wheeeeeee!  Here we go!!!!! OK, Robin! You've got the fist shift on the phones, are you ready?  Yoohooo, Robin, are you ready? Don't worry, blog land. I've got this.  Please click HERE to learn a little bit more about Dog-A-Thon and make your donation! PS I know that not everyone is in a position to make a donation - you can always help by spreading the word! Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or via email doesn't cost a cent, and it helps tremendously! Thanks!!! from The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2017/06/bring-on-squillions_26.html

[jamieclawhorn]

Bitcoin is worth more than gold – for now

Crypto currency Bitcoin is hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons again, as the payment vehicle of choice for the crooks behind the world’s biggest ever ransomware attack.

WannaCry’s global cyber onslaught infected more than 200,000 computers in around 150 countries, with stricken users told to pay between $300 and $600 in the anonymised currency for access to their encrypted data.

Bitcoin has always been controversial, having first come to public attention as the de facto currency of the Dark Web, the hidden internet, via notorious cyber-underworld sites such as the Silk Road.

Yet since launch in January 2009 its value has spiralled to $1,698 at time of writing, netting billions for those who got in early.

Today it is worth more than gold, which currently trades at $1,233 an ounce, but can that last?

Coining it in

Bitcoin was on a roll before the cyber attack but its price has dipped since, possibly in consequence.

It has always been highly volatile, its price regularly crashing after hackers stole coins from Bitcoin exchanges, but it has always come back stronger.

Bitcoin was the world’s best performing currency in 2015 and 2016, and is on course to repeat the feat this year. It ended last year trading at $959, and is up 77% since then.

That is despite a dip to $952 in March, amid fears that the Chinese authorities were set to crack down on Bitcoin exchanges because investors were using it for money-laundering.

Bits and pieces

In the spirit of disclosure, I should say that I have an itty-bitty holding in Bitcoin, although sadly, I bought too recently to have made serious money.

I found it a bit of a faff setting up my digital wallet but then I’m no techie, and I was shocked at the trading fees on some sites, which swallowed up more than 10% of my coinage.

I bought it as a kind of mental insurance: if Bitcoin continues to go ballistic I don’t want to kick myself for failing to take a punt on it.

Digital death

A lot could go wrong, as the monetary authorities are highly suspicious about Bitcoin, a paperless, bankless, stateless currency wholly beyond their reach.

In some respects it has more integrity: unlike Fiat currencies, it cannot be devalued by central banks printing money.

The danger is that it gets too big for its boots, persuading the regulators to clamp down, say, by going after the major exchanges. The cyber attack will only add to their charge sheet.

Good as gold

Bitcoin is no more to blame for the cyber attack than the US dollar is to blame for bank robberies, drug dealing or muggings.

It isn’t even completely anonymous, every transaction is recorded on a public ledger known as the blockchain, which can lead criminal investigators to crooks who fail to cover their tracks. The FBI cracked Silk Road in the end.

Crypto-currencies could go mainstream, or they could remain shadowy. Bitcoin could one day be worth $1 million, or nothing at all.  I treat mine like a lottery ticket.

Gold, by contrast, has been a store of value for more than 4,000 years, and probably will be for the next 4,000 years.

Taking a punt on crypto-currencies could make you a million, or you could lose the lot.

There are surer ways of striking it rich. Check out this FREE Motley Fool report 10 Steps To Making A Million In The Market, which shows how investing in stocks and shares over the long-term can make you rich.

You don't have to be a share picking genius, ordinary people can become astonishingly wealthy by investing in stocks and shares.

This no-obligation report shows you how to do it, step-by-step. To find out more, click here now.

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