#there are sure things you ought to do to guarantee that you get the most ideal cost. In this blog entry

[antistaticesdcom]

What should be done Prior to Selling Recycled Vehicles On the web

[bishopsbeloved]

bad idea!

kate bishop x fem reader

No matter how much of a bad idea it may seem to go back to Kate Bishop, you can’t help it. You’re like a moth to a flame

inspired by a girl in red song, mentions of sex but no actual smut, fwb/ex gf kate, dumb lesbians, kind of just a drabble icl, 1.1k words

NOTE: my requests are open!!!!! send me anything you’d like!!!!!! i can’t guarantee i’ll get it done but you’re welcome to send things in🫶

It was such a bad idea to get involved with Kate Bishop again.

It’s so stupid that this even happened. Every fucking time things end between you you’re resolute in your position, you’re determined that this will truly be the end, but Kate Bishop has this way of drawing people back in. You’ve fallen victim to her strange unspeakable allure more times than you can count. That’s how you ended up here in the first place.

Yes, okay, fine, she’s good at sex. When she sends a you up? text you can’t help the way your heart beats a little faster at the thought of the chase resuming between the two of you, of cat and mouse returning to flirtatious antics with one inevitable end. No matter how many times you try to escape it, you and Kate Bishop always seem to find your way back to one another, only to sourly part again and leave you even more lost than you were before. You don’t know what to do. You can’t fucking stand her. You can’t get away from her. You’re not sure you want to.

Nobody else has ever touched you in the way she does, or as well as she can. No matter how much you pretend otherwise she is the one you crave; she’s the one on your mind whilst the hands of others roam your body. You have this deep, innate, carnal need for her — for everything about her — not just her fingers and her tongue and her strap but also her whiny raspy voice first thing in the morning (she, annoyingly adorably, hates mornings) and the sloppy neck kisses she delivers to say goodnight and the kind of sheepish shifty look whenever she brings you a token of her love. The latter doesn’t happen much anymore, not since the two of you broke up — since she dumped you — which on paper ought to mean the two of you no longer see each other. And yet more nights than not one of you has crawled back to and somehow ended up in the other’s bed. It seems you’re both full of bad ideas, and yet neither of you can get enough.

When you wake up in her room again, the purple wallpaper adorned with medals and trophies and Hawkeye posters all too familiar by this point, that feeling of heaviness settles in your stomach. For fuck’s sake. You’re always disappointed in yourself, the morning after. There’s a reason the two of you aren’t together anymore — so why do you keep waking up in each other’s beds?

You look down at where Kate Bishop is nestled against your chest, still bare-skinned against you after last night’s activities. It’s irritating how beautiful she is even when she’s asleep. She looks so lovely in your arms you can almost imagine that being your reality again, until you harshly remind yourself Kate doesn’t want that. She doesn’t want you like that, she broke up with you and the only reason she sees you anymore is for sex. The thought leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, it makes your stomach turn, and suddenly you want nothing more than to be away from her.

Crawling out of Kate’s bed when she’s wrapped herself around you like this is never easy. Perhaps in unconsciousness, in her most vulnerable state, she’s more reluctant to let you go. Sometimes you feel a little guilty leaving before she wakes so often, but you have to, for your own good — for the good of both of you. When you’re not fucking you don’t really know what to say to her. Hey, you were the love of my life, why’d you dump my ass? No thanks. She has these big blue puppy-dog eyes that just make you feel horrible about the whole thing, and everything you’ve ever done, ever. No, you’re better off leaving now.

“You’re leaving,” says a small, scratchy voice from behind you, as you stumble about in the half-dark of the room locating your clothing. It’s a statement, not a question, but she still doesn’t sound entirely certain.

You don’t really know how to respond, you’re kind of wishing this wasn’t happening and rushing to find your other sock so you can get out of here, so you just let out a kind of low grunt of acknowledgement.

“You always leave,” Kate responds, and you don’t have to turn around to know that she’s pouting a little. You can hear it in her voice. The fact you can tell, that you know her well enough to tell only pisses you off even further, and you let out a kind of bitter laugh.

“It’s not like you fucking want me here.”

“That’s not true.” She pauses, and you hear the little noises she makes as she sits up and stretches. “I do want you here. I keep bringing you back, don’t I?”

“Yeah, cause a good fuck is all I’m worth to you,” you say angrily, before closing your eyes and tilting your head back. No. You can’t let her ass ruin your day when you have so much shit to do.

“No, that’s not true,” she tries, whilst at the same time you groan “I can’t do this, Kate.”

She sits up a little straighter, eyes wide, voice an octave higher. “W— what? Can’t do what?”

“I can’t do you.”

“But I— you keep— you keep coming back, though.”

This hits a nerve, and you laugh incredulously, finally turning around to face her. She’s looking up at you in the semi-darkness of the room, her face unreadable. “Yeah, and I shouldn’t. It’s fucking pathetic. I can’t get over my ex so I’ll sleep with her whenever she asks. It’s not— it’s— Kate, I can’t keep doing this.” You bury your head in your hands.

Vaguely, you hear the gentle rustle of fabric in Kate’s side of the room. You just need a moment to collect yourself and you’ll get the fuck out of here.

You hear her footsteps padding towards you, and you open your eyes again. She’s haphazardly tugged on a shirt and is stood before you, bare-legged, almost doleful in expression. “I’m sorry,” she says, barely a whisper. “This is all— I keep fucking up. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know what you want from me,” you say tiredly.

“I— I don’t know. Everything. You.” She steps towards you uncertainly.

“Kate,” you say, and you’re not sure who moved first, but within moments her lips are on yours again. When she tugs you back towards the bed, you let her, your stomach churning with the indescribable sensation of simultaneous adoration and angst that her touch fills you with. She’s so pretty it actually physically hurts.

God, you’re totally fucked.

[odinsblog]

In the coming days/weeks, you’re going to hear a lot about how Ukraine should accept the terms of surrender (as that’s what they are) offered by Russia—how they’d be “stupid” not to, how Zelenskyy should “do the right thing for his people” and prioritize saving lives, how peace should be the priority and we can’t always get what we want.

Make no mistake: even if Russia intends to uphold these terms once Zelenskyy accepts them, this is a terrible deal for Ukraine and a terrible deal for the world.

First of all, there’s no guarantee that Russia will respect a cease fire or peace treaty. Obviously that’s always the case with war, but it’s especially the case when they’ve already violated multiple cease fire agreements by firing on and murdering evacuating civilians, including children. So there’s your peace treaty.

Second, the terms that Russia has presented include virtually all of Putin’s actual goals for this illegal invasion (obviously “de-Nazification” and “de-militarization” were just lies à la “weapons of mass destruction,” a rhetorical tactic that really ought to be familiar to any self-respecting American leftist). Ukraine would forfeit its claim on the territories Russia has already illegally annexed/recognized, it would be forced to change its constitution (!!!) to commit to never joining any “pacts” (EU, NATO, anything else that forms in the future), and it would retain Zelenskyy as a figurehead while installing a pro-Russian actual government leadership.

This is—and I cannot stress this enough—not a “compromise” or a “peace treaty.” It’s terms of surrender. And the lesson learned here is that Russia can continue invading and terrorizing sovereign states without any actual consequences—remember, Putin doesn’t personally care about Western sanctions. He doesn’t care if his people are plunged into poverty as long as he and his cronies aren’t, and they won’t be. He’s furious about the sanctions because he finds them personally offensive and because they confirm his victim complex, not because he’s legitimately worried for his people like Zelenskyy is.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, Putin has made it extremely clear that he seeks to rebuild a Russian empire. He will not stop with Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk. (And make no mistake—Luhansk and Donetsk are not independent sovereign states like Ukraine; they’re simply Russian satellites.) He will not stop with forced regime change in Belorus, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine. (And even if he did—isn’t that awful enough?) He is not “concerned about Russia’s security” or “worried about NATO’s encroachment” or whatever his extensive social media operation has you believing. He’s not concerned or worried about anything. He’s a dictator expanding his empire. He is exactly what you all feared Trump was.

I believe that this “offer” from Russia to Ukraine serves two purposes, and neither of them is to establish a lasting peace and autonomy for each country. One is to give Putin a potential way to back out of a war that has already gone much worse than he expected and cost him significantly in terms of personnel and equipment. (Not the sanctions—like I said, I don’t think he personally cares about the sanctions and in fact sees them as a political tool to use to his advantage.)

The second and more important goal is to create a way for the international community to blame Ukraine for the continued war. “If you’d just accept the terms, you could save your people and prevent nuclear war.” It’s absolutely classic DARVO tactics that, again, any progressive activist should be familiar with. “Sure, it’s not your fault he attacked you, but you shouldn’t have reported it, made a big deal of it, gotten him ‘cancelled,’ made it public, etc.”

It’s not Ukraine’s responsibility to “prevent nuclear war.” Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for protection—protection that it has not received, although Western aid and military assistance has undoubtedly been helpful. Placing responsibility on Ukraine to accept unjust terms and illegal annexation of its land in order to “prevent nuclear war” only lends credence to the claim that only nuclear weapons can keep a country truly safe—after all, it would mean that Putin’s nuclear threats have allowed him to invade his neighbors, terrorize their citizens, destroy their resources, replace their democratically elected leaders with his own puppets, and steal their land—without even having to make any concessions himself.

So here’s my plea to my American progressive/leftist siblings. Please question what you think you know about Putin, Russia, and Ukraine. There are certainly far-right and neo-Nazi political forces in Ukraine as there are in any country, but Zelenskyy is a progressive, democratically elected JEWISH president. NATO and the EU have their (serious) issues, but they have not pressured or forced any former Soviet states to join—in fact, prior to this war, it seemed unlikely that Ukraine would be admitted. Ukraine WANTED to join to protect itself from Russia, which had already illegally annexed its land, empowered far-right groups within its borders, and forced regime changes in surrounding countries.

Putin is not an anti-imperialist revolutionary; he denounces American imperialism because it’s convenient for him politically and it keeps the American left from putting pressure on our government to divest from Russia. Sure, maybe the Democrats oversold Russian election hacking as an explanation for Trump’s win (although the more I learn about the extent of Russia’s disinfo campaign, the more I question this common leftist talking point), but that doesn’t mean that Putin isn’t bent on conquering Eastern Europe and subduing Western powers by any means necessary. This goes far beyond American electoral politics, and the answers here do not conform to American party lines. Do not fall into the trap of dismissing politicians’ statements about Putin and Russia just because you disagree with the rest of their stances.

Putin is a dictator. Sometimes it really is that simple. A former KGB agent, he came to power by staging the modern Russian version of the Reichstag fire (look up “Russian apartment bombings”), using that as an excuse to start a war and win it, and he has maintained his power through strong-arming and terror. The State Duma is entirely symbolic at this point; anyone who goes against Putin knows that they are likely not only to die, but to die horribly, just like Alexei Navalny almost did not long ago (look up “Novichok” and prepare yourself for some body horror).

I could go on. I won’t right now. But in truth, I deeply regret the fact that I haven’t done more over the past 8 or so years to disrupt the blatant Putinist propaganda I hear from a lot of my fellow progressives. I had other priorities and I didn’t give it the attention I should’ve. To be clear: nothing America or American progressives could’ve done would’ve stopped this war, only delayed it or hastened it. The war was inevitable because Putin wants to conquer Ukraine, and beyond.

So I’ll just say—please, please listen to people who fled Russia/the Soviet Union, and to experts who study Russia. The most likely threat here isn’t a nuclear WWIII; this isn’t about you. The thing people like me fear most is simply that Putin will continue subjugating, terrorizing, and ultimately conquering innocent citizens of sovereign states, and that the West will eventually just accept this as the price of nuclear deterrence.

I’m not a political scientist; I don’t know how to stop this war. All I know is that Ukrainian surrender isn’t it. Listen to Ukrainians, anti-Putin Russians, and other experts, form your own opinion, and most importantly, keep your wits about you. Not everyone in this world is a good faith negotiating partner. Some people are, unfortunately, just evil. Hitler was, Stalin was, Putin is.

(source)

[concerningwolves]

today's disconnected but related Thoughts are about how stories should exist within "containers", and how problems in long-running TV series are typically introduced when the writers don't use those containers properly. I'm struggling to articulate it in a coherent order, but:

● an audience needs to be able to see some kind of boundary enclosing the story, otherwise it doesn't feel satisfying. This is why we have set plot structures like Freytag's Pyramid and Fichtean Curve which so many stories follow. Most storytelling formats lend themselves to this – novels, certain comic books and graphic novels, plays, and films all have a beginning and an end. You open the book or enter a theatre or switch on the telly, and you experience the story, and then it ends. The story might live with you afterwards, if it affected or resonated with you or made you want to analyse it, but if the creator did their job well you'll at least feel closure with it on a mechanical level (i.e., plot and character arcs have conclusions that you can see fit within the framework of the story, even if personally you didn't like or agree with something). The Good Place is an example of a TV series that did this very well, because the writers had a set vision for the series and they executed it.

● A lot of TV dramas and serials operate on the premise of being ongoing – a story that stretches on without any defined end in sight. This can be done well, but sometimes the story gets bloated and stale, or it ends up like separate swatches of cloth instead of an interwoven tapestry. I'm not saying this means every TV series automatically fails to tell a story in a satisfying way, or even that the series that don't are inherently bad. It works differently from books or films, and therein lie its strengths as a storytelling medium! For one thing, TV is excellent for character-focused stories, and these can go on and on for ages and still be enjoyable and entertaining (even if not "good" by critical artistic standards). There's also more flexibility in TV than in a film; the ongoing format lets writers string out rising and falling tension, and focus in and out on different plots/subplots across a far larger scope.

● The way these shows work is the overarching medium of the series contains smaller stories in the form of plots. The boundaries between one plot and the next usually need to be permeable, too – a plot arc should conclude satisfactorily, yes, but the things that happen in it ought to resonate with the larger narrative afterwards, otherwise it'll feel pointless to the audience. Ghost Whisperer is an example where the creators failed to do this, repeatedly: each of the five seasons introduces a new concept which seems to be building towards some kind of climax, and then... doesn't. Characters vanish from the story never to be mentioned again. Huge events that ought to have life-altering consequences for the characters only have consequences for a few episodes, and then it's swept under the rug. The series had its appeal in a fun concept and lovable characters, but was let down by the execution. By contrast, medical drama Grey's Anatomy has been going successfully since 2005. It has some continuity issues (like interns vanishing without explanation) and some plots are better than others, but on the whole it takes its status as a long-running story seriously and does it quite well.

● The streaming model and the way TV writers are treated is a factor, too. Even where the boundaries of a story have been pre-defined and could be executed well, the creators often don't have the chance. (and I'm sure the same is true of long-running manga/comic books/graphic novels, although I'm focusing mostly on TV here). Ratings, network politics and actors' personal lives/ambitions have a huge impact on what happens to a TV series, and the popularity or apparent success of a series doesn't always guarantee its continuation. Just look at Netflix's habit of axing series after 2 seasons! Or at Good Omens, which despite being written by Neil Gaiman, having a huge fanbase, and a pre-set story which would be concluded in three seasons, hasn't yet been officially greenlit for season 3 (afaik). The industry has created an environment where stories are commodified, and that's not an environment in which stories can flourish.

[bensonmybeloved1]

My Dearest Pammy,

You can’t read yet, but I don’t know if we’ll ever get to have this conversation when you’re old enough to understand it. The future is uncertain. I’ve always known that, but I know it far better now than I did yesterday. No matter who you are, you are never guaranteed tomorrow. It is for this reason that I tell you this now. When I was young, I fell in love. He was mysterious and attractive and he promised me such sweet things. I believed him. I believed him because he was always so full of hope. That’s what Gatsby always was, I think. Even to the end he was full of dreams and wishes and hope. He was a fool. That’s what I loved most about him. I wish I were a fool.

He left. It was the war. It dragged him away. The whole time he was away, I longed for his presence. The longer he was away, the more I realized that perhaps it had been pipe dreams, instead of reality, that I was longing for. He, after a long while, told me that he was back in the States. I urged him home, my feelings of doubt increasing as he told me that he was unable to return. I wanted his presence. I wanted to know that I was doing the right thing, waiting for him rather than finding myself a husband out of one of my many suitors. I found I could no longer rely on the foolish hopes and dreams of Gatsby. I had to make a choice. The fanciful life I’d been promised by someone just as fanciful, set for a time no one knew, or the steady, reliable life that I could have now, promised to me by someone I could see, touch, and feel? Tom won me over in the end, and I did my best to forget about Gatsby.

You may wonder, child, why I praise the foolishness of Gatsby, and wish for it, but also have denied it. Well, at the time, I’d lost the appeal of being a fool. I thought I was so clever, and I was. I was so clever. I thought that this was the way one ought to be. I thought that the best things to be are pretty and clever. I was both. It was my beauty that got me my suitors, and by her suitors lay a lady’s worth. Her husband is the only way a woman may have anything in this world. It was by my cleverness that I had one. I let go of foolish dreams and married a nice man who could provide for me. For a while, I was content with that. It didn’t last.

Tom was sweet at first. He was tender and kind. We got on well enough to start. There were moments when I was sure that I really did love him. There were moments when I was sure he loved me. And perhaps he does. Perhaps he did. Perhaps I did. I do not know anymore. At any rate, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because of Her. I don’t know if he intended I never find out. If he did, he did a right awful job at that; sneaking off to who knows where, sometimes more than twice a week, and taking secret phone calls. He wasn’t exactly subtle. Neither of us brought it up, but after a certain point, I think he knew I knew. He suspected it at least. It wouldn't have been as bad if it had been a temporary thing, but as the years stretched on, so did the affair, and I knew I would never truly have my husband’s heart. That was all right though. My husband would never truly have mine. Though, while the object of his affections was just a drive away, I had no idea where my Gatsby was or if he even remembered what he’d promised me those years ago.

Eventually, we had you. We were excited for a while, happy. I thought that, perhaps, this was the moment where we would both forget our dreams and come back to reality. I had married Tom, you might remember, for his lack of being a fool. Turns out he was an even bigger fool than I was. It couldn’t last. Tom went back to Her, seemingly more often now than before. I once again found myself longing for the presence of Gatsby. I wanted to know that I had done the right thing, giving up my chance with him and marrying one of my many suitors. I didn’t think I had. I wished so badly that I had been a fool. I wanted to be ignorant of the cruel realities of this world, and I wanted to be embraced by the lovely dreams of Gatsby. Your father so wanted a boy. He had convinced me that I did too. Deep down, though, I think I knew you. I knew what I wanted you to be.

Your father might have been there for your birth. Truthfully, I don’t remember. It doesn’t make any difference anyway. You were less than an hour old, and he was gone. Probably with Her. I suddenly needed to know. I asked the nurse right away if you were a boy or a girl. She told me you were a girl. I turned my head and wept. I still don’t know if they were tears of sadness or joy. Either way, like so many things in this story, it didn’t really matter. You were here, and I was glad. I knew exactly what I wanted you to be. ‘All right’, I’d said. ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’ For it was my beauty that had gotten me all of my suitors, Gatsby included, but it was foolishness that I truly wished for you. I wished that you would not be me. I am far too clever to be happy. That is what I truly want for you. I want you to be happy.

I write this for you now so that you may know why your mother is always so unhappy and distant. I truly do care for you. It is because I care for you that I am distant. I would not be a good mother. I am not. But I needed to impart this wisdom upon you. If you do end up clever, like your mother, darling, I urge you: act foolish. Have as many foolish dreams as your heart desires. If you are foolish enough, they might even come true. My Gatsby lived every day of his life a fool, and I have to believe he was happier for it, at least for a while. If he wasn’t, then both sides of this story are more of a tragedy than they have already become. I am told, though, that Gatsby died with a smile on his face, and that must account for something.

I am hiding this letter away. I might, one day, give it to you in person. Or you might read it after I am gone. You might never read it at all. But, Pammy, never stop dreaming, and always know that I love you. And, for this brief moment, allow me to be a fool.

With All a Mother’s Love,

Daisy Gatsby

[psychosouls]

Low Cost Junk Removal Options

If you have junk on your home, patio, cellar, office, or loft, then consider getting the services of a junk removal company. There are a ton of companies that offer incredible services at a reasonable charge. They can remove old machines, furniture, TVs, or some other having a place. Beside these, they can likewise remove flotsam and jetsam, fencing, and rotting wood from your home. Observe that these organizations can't remove poisonous things.

Junk removal companies have some expertise in, what else, yet removing junk in your home, office, and building sites. These organizations are experts in what they do and most companies dispose of your junk in an earth-accommodating way. They can likewise be approached to remove things in a home during renovation. There are positively a ton of firms that can finish the work for you, yet for people, picking a firm that works for them is significant.

Contemplations in Picking a Junk Removal Company

While the cost of the junk removal service is a significant thought, it is considerably more critical to guarantee that the company you pick is authorized and safeguarded. Remember that when their worker is harmed in your property, they may be held obligated in a claim because of "premises responsibility". If the company has risk protection, you will be secured. Eliminating large measures of trash isn't easy. Another thought you need to investigate is the sort of vehicle utilized. Most firms have large vehicles to rapidly complete the job.

Junk removal firms are providing a service. Accordingly, their client service ought to be great. And no more, you ought to hear back from them in the span of 48 hours or sooner. Attempt to find out about client survey on the web. For instance, do the contractors show up on time? What's more, is the staff well disposed and helpful?

Advantages of Picking a Junk Removal Firm

Your time is valuable. If you have a bustling lifestyle, you surely don't want to squander hours attempting to find a decent waste removal firm. To cover your bases, pick a firm that offers an assurance. It brings them in addition to focuses if they have a long history and a fulfilled client base. Contingent upon the company you pick, they may likewise offer extra advantages like flexible collection.

[polisciandcoffee]

Magnifier Lamp Shopping Tips For The Mortgage holder

For each calling, there are sure instruments that are of incredible assistance particularly while managing little subtleties. From the actual name, a magnifier lamp is a device that amplifies little subtleties on each work piece to hold your eyes back from getting stressed, subsequently providing you with the solaces of working click here extended periods without getting depleted. Having an amplifying lamp around makes things much simpler and quicker, whether it is your work or things you do during your leisure time.

While picking a magnifier lamp, you really should pick one that suits your taste and requests. Magnifier lamps are accessible in three unique sorts reliant upon the elements of your table - base lamp, clamp lamp and floor-standing lamp.

In the event that you continually change position while at work, a base lamp is for you. However much it is being valuable, this type is normally the most costly among different kinds of light installations. A base lamp consumes an excess of room on your functioning work area and on the grounds that changing its position expects you to hold it solidly by two hands; you will be compelled to require to be postponed the very thing you are doing presently.

Following up of costly magnifier lamps are the clamp lamps. These are lamps joined to your pc or reading work area utilizing a clamp or screws. Its lengthy drifting arms can give you a more clear view once its stand is joined to the table. These models are for the most part utilized by experts since they are more exact and are not difficult to adjust.

Floor-standing magnifier lamps are the most ideal decision for somebody who invests less energy chipping away at the table or somebody who might need to consume the whole space on the table while working. This sort of magnifier lamps is favored generally by experts who look for high lucidity of amplification and well-lighted perspectives including dental specialists, doctors and promoting specialists.

For the most part, these lighting apparatuses are implicit hard steel that have easily offsetting and a few springs to guarantee easy adjustment. Focal points are made of top notch optical glasses with just about zero reflecting ability and spread. The most essential things you ought to consider before obtaining such a magnifier lamp are the kind of glass utilized, light bulb and the mechanical parts.

[grumpygreenwitch]

Fanfiction 22-23

The thing is, as much as I have a problem with the vampire situation in the Guild Hunter universe, I can also admit that it fits within the universe, much for the same reasons and points Alyss has made so far. The lil' sunflower's just lucky that he's caught the Cadre at a time when its members are all critically open to the possibility of change and progress. Barring one of them, who really ought to go back to his nap.

Buy me a Ko-fi?

1-2-3 + 4-5 + 6-7-8-9-10 + 11-12 + 13-14 + 15-16 + 17-18-19 + 20-21 + 22-23 + 24-25 + 26-27

22

Alyss was shown to a computer room under the hyperbolic watch of three angels and two vampires, both of whom felt so old to his senses that the hairs on the back of his neck kept lifting up as if he were their prey. He behaved, for the most part. He printed out the lists for every territory, even if he very much doubted some of them wanted the things. He also printed several copies of another personal project and handed them out to one of the vampires, a dark-skinned, dark-haired, strikingly handsome man. "Would you please make sure to get these to Archangel Suyin?" She'd been kind to him and Alyss could only hope that her kindness would extend to others. "And Archangel Raphael too, I guess," he added. For all his ruthlessness the Archangel of North America had been fair, and he'd listened. "Or um, I guess, get them to someone who can?"

The vampire's brows went up. He stared at Alyss levelly, trying to find humor in the dark brown eyes; he saw none, only the young angel's earnest solemnity. The vampire had come to indulge his curiosity and meet Alyss, nothing else, but he hadn't expected the little goldfinch to really not know who he was taking to. "I'll see what I can do," he assured Alyss evenly.

Alyss nodded. Then he hit the manufacturer's reset for the computer.

"Would you like me to set it on fire as well," the same vampire asked, amused, when the angels around them realized what he'd done and lunged forward to try and stop the process.

"No, it's not mine," Alyss told him wanly. "I'm so tired. Do you know which way to my cell, please?"

The vampire pressed his lips tightly shut. It would have been mean to laugh, and there was no guarantee Alyss wouldn't misunderstand the gesture. "I'll take you there," he assured the angel. "Come on."

Alyss followed the vampire dutifully, and they walked in silence for a long moment.

“Do you really believe that? That the vampiric contract is unfair?” “Yes,” Alyss said, walking slowly and hoping he wouldn’t have to answer too many questions. He was very tired and he had a terrible craving for Jean’s cornbread. “Most of all because there’s no room for error, no room for the fact a vampire is a newborn when they sign it.”

“I’d hardly call myself a newborn,” the vampire countered mildly.

“Then why do you count your age from the day you’re Made?” Alyss replied. “I know bloodlust is a terrible thing. I’m not a fighter, I’m not on the frontlines, but no one could miss the horrors that happened when all those vampires rose up. But it’s hard to see detail in a mob. I have. I’ve seen detail. I’ve been to so many places, so many homes. Do you want to know what teaches a vampire to crest that wave? It’s not fear. It’s support. The ones who learn self-control the best are taught, not terrorized.”

“So, what, love?” The vampire scoffed.

“What? No! This isn’t a Beatles song,” Alyss chided him sternly, and the vampire’s amusement rose to new heights. “Support! A support network. Friends. Family. Companions. Knowing that if they slip up they won’t automatically be killed, that someone will be there to catch them before they fall into the abyss. That someone’s there to teach them how to walk on the edge without falling, to begin with. That there’s someone there saying, ‘if you are in danger of falling, here’s my hand, take it, pull yourself up.” Alyss huffed, rubbing wearily at his face. “We teach our babies. They get a hundred years of leeway if not more. You’d think we’d teach the other babies we make, too. Do you think you could get a message to the security forces here at the Refuge?"

All of the vampire’s amusement had vanished at the stark, unexpected truth that the young angel had put before him with such simple words. For a long moment all he could think of was the many times, the many people for whom he’d been that hand, well knowing that he was all that stood between them and the abyss.

For a second all he could think of was the one moment when he had been offered that hand by his best friend, when he’d needed it the most.

He had to bring himself back to reality with an effort, and gave Alyss a sharp, hard look when the young angel’s final words sank in. "Why?"

"There's an angel running around. He's, he was of Charisemnon's Court. I think he ought to be..." Alyss groped for a word that would fit beyond his own incensed feelings. "Watched. He might be guilty of war crimes but that's not something I'd really know for sure."

"Describe him," the vampire growled.

Alyss described Moissani as best he could, and then added, "Oh, I, uh..."

"Go on?"

"I might have punched him," Alyss finished in a rush. "Last night."

"Last night, when, last night? You weren't supposed to have any visitors."

"He snuck into my cell."

"That's a punching offense?"

"No! It was, it was just what he said."

"Uh-huh, and that was?"

"Wait, how do you know I wasn't supposed to have any visitors? I did too have visitors!" But by then they were at the gates to Elijah’s ward, and the vampire handed him over to the guards there, threw him a jaunty little wave, and stalked away.

23

Alyss’ heart sank when the Cadre reconvened and he heard a faint, familiar voice coming from the chamber as he drew close. "No, oh, no."

He couldn't rush in, his guards wouldn't let him, so instead he stayed back with a sparse crowd of people, none of whom he recognized aside from Jessamy and the Hummingbird. And, of course, Kliman, who faced the Cadre with calm composure as they spoke.

"Have we not wasted enough time in this matter?" Aegaeon was asking. "How many more people are we going to have chattering on today? The boy is guilty, he admits it freely."

"He is only guilty if we agree that the laws he has broken are true and right as they are written," Elijah countered mildly. "It could be said that in claiming a flaw inherent in the vampiric contract and Making, he is defending himself." His tone became almost casual. "It's a pretty good defense, to be fair."

"It is criminal behavior all the same. Unless we want to inspire vampires to run from their contracts? What need for the Guild, then? Let them run wild, slaughter the human population. What do we care?"

"Security found your friend," a familiar voice rumbled behind Alyss, the guards making no effort to shoo the vampire away. The angel turned briefly to look at him, but his attention was fretfully riveted on Kliman, looking so tiny at the center of the chamber. "He’s being watched. He claims you have something of his."

That did get Alyss' attention, and he felt his entire body go tight. "He can present a bloody contract for authentication, then," he replied sharply. He caught sight of the Hummingbird saying something to Jessamy and a severe-looking angel with wings of dark gold edged in black. "And then he can bite my whole ass."

"The whole point being made is that the Guild is as necessary as the efforts Alyss has put forth," Raphael replied in counter to Aegaeon, his tone tight. "Alyss himself made that point. In analyzing the information he has provided, I am forced to agree with him."

Alyss cringed. "Oh, that's going to get him in trouble with his Consort."

The vampire next to him made a low, amused sound. "Those are his Consort's words he's repeating. Which she growled out at him after he told her of your meeting earlier and gave her all those documents you sent him."

Alyss turned to face him, incredulous. "Who are you?"

"I will not decide on something as serious as an angel's execution without giving due consideration to every part of this matter!" Titus exclaimed. "Already the information he has given me shows this behavior isn't just abhorrent, it's widespread, and it's old. Discipline is one thing. This is... a sickness."

"Then perhaps you should have not looked at the data," the Archangel of Central Europe declared.

"Do you persist on ignoring the matter, Aegaeon?" Caliane demanded.

"There is no matter to ignore. Don't presume to tell me how to deal with my affairs."

"No. But a majority vote does." Her voice pitched to carry, the oldest of the Ancients declared impassively, "I would hear the evidence Kliman offers on behalf of Alyss."

"So would I," Alexander looked deeply thoughtful, and deeply troubled. The other votes came almost simultaneously.

Alyss saw Lilah move forward with a podium and a laptop. Kliman waited for the vampire to finish whatever she was doing and offer a nod, and thanked her before turning to the Council. "You have heard Alyss' words," she began. "And that is more than I ever thought could be achieved when I was doing the work he does. Yes, the knowledge you can't read from his mind you can probably pluck from mine. I'm older, but I'm no Archangel. And I don't think in numbers." She smiled fleetingly. "But I know some of you are beginning to see how deep this rot has spread while the rest of us sat in comfort, hoping that the rest of our brethren were, if not good, at least decent." She glanced at Aegaeon, then at Raphael. "Old age does not oblige any of us to be good. I think we very recently learned that lesson quite well."

"Get on with it," Aegaeon gritted out.

"I want you to hear from those Alyss helped."

"No -!" Alyss tried to surge forward, but the vampire had caught him even before his angelic guards could, his grip implacable and unbreakable. "No, she can't! Kliman!"

The older angel turned to hear her name called. She didn't look surprised to see Alyss struggling to get to her. "All of them agreed," she declared to the assembly, leaving Alyss so surprised he stopped struggling. "Every last one of them. Being caught is not nearly as important to them as making sure what happened to them never happens to anyone else."

"Oh, but -" Alyss fretted with a low, inarticulate sound.

"I'm sure some part of you is occasionally worried about your own continued existence, Alyss, not just everyone else's," the vampire told him, astonished and amused in equal parts.

Alyss strained in his grip. The vampire might as well be made of steel.

"You want to let go of my bird," a low, low growl suddenly came from a man who'd just stepped past one of the guards with absurd, inhuman grace. He wasn't armed, he couldn't be, not so deep in the Refuge, but he radiated menace like a small sun.

Alyss' breath stuttered out of him; the world, so grim and frightening until a moment ago, when it seemed like he had no more agency than a lamb among wolves, burst into colors and life. "Jean!"

The vampire holding onto the young angel turned very slowly to look at the new arrival. "I don't think we've -"

"I know who you are. I don't give a fuck. You can kill me easy, we both know that. But it won't be clean, and it won't be quiet." Jean smiled ferally. "Because I'll make sure of it. Let go of my bird."

"And you are?"

"His Second."

"Then you can keep him from interrupting, can't you?"

Jean held the other vampire's eyes for a long moment before he sighed, something very like his familiar exasperation showing in his lean features. He dropped his head and rubbed at his forehead before looking up and facing the angel. "Alyss."

"She's going to reveal them!" Alyss protested feebly, caught between his joy at seeing Jean and knowing, by that tone, that the vampires were in agreement. "To the Cadre!"

"They know." Jean slipped in front of him. The guards, at a nod from the other vampire, had fallen back. "Bird, come here." He touched lightly Alyss' face and whispered, "I'm sorry. There's not enough words to tell you how sorry I am. I just want you to stay put. Just that and I'll take whatever comes after, alright?"

Alyss twittered in wordless, defeated protest.

"He'll behave," Jean told the other vampire, who let go of Alyss.

As soon as he was free, the angel crashed into his vampire, holding him as tight as he could. Jean, caught unprepared, staggered briefly back before he could wrap his arms around the angel. "My bird. My sunflower."

"Why are you here, why did you come? You were supposed to stay safe in Boston!" Alyss protested, even as he kissed the taller man.

"I've never been safe a day in my life, Alyss. I don't need to be safe, I need you." He pulled away to look at that delicate face, the dark hollows beneath the sweet brown eyes. Every time he caught a glimpse of what had been done to his angel's wings he felt a cold, black fury come up inside him and try to choke him. "I didn't mean a single word I said back at the lodge. I let my nightmares run away with my mouth. I'm sorry."

"No, but you don't understand, Moissani's here. He knows I know of you, he knows. I, he made me angry and I punched him, but even when I thought I wasn't saying anything he still figured things out and I -"

"Wait, you what?" For a moment, the mere mention of that name had made the whole world shrink to nothing, turn into a devouring, laughing void. It lasted about as long as it took for the rest of Alyss' words to sink in, shattering the darkness so thoroughly Jean wasn't sure it'd be able to put itself back together again. "You punched him?"

"Um."

"Ah," the other vampire said conversationally. "You must be the one who inspired that whole ‘bite my whole ass’ thing."

Jean looked between the two of them. "Alyss doesn't swear."

"Um."

"The angel I met sure does. Now shush, we're beginning to get looks."

Beyond mortified, Alyss would have hidden under his wings and attempted to disappear if he could. Unable to do so, instead he buried his face against Jean's chest. The scent of his vampire, so familiar, so dear, finally drowned out the nearly overpowering scent of ancient predator from the other vampire. Jean's arms came around him once again, holding him close.

They listened, the Cadre and the people gathered with them, as vampire after vampire came online, unafraid, determined. As each of them described horrors beyond number. Many of them had prepared themselves for a hard life; they expected nothing less than the most rigid discipline. "You take a dragon into your veins," one of them said, "you expect learning to ride it will be hard and bloody. Seventy five years didn't teach me shit about my dragon." He looked haunted in the tiny screen. "They taught me only that nothing I ever did, that no matter how I obeyed, my only reward would be torture."

"I was never going to be free," the Finnish woman spoke in heavily accented English, her voice terribly devoid of emotion. "Every effort Kolia put forth was meant to break me. If my body was busy healing, he would abuse my mind. If both were unfit, I was cuffed to the floor until one healed enough to serve. There was no end. His harem, they are all like that. It is less trouble and better profits."

"I know hard work. I knew I was in for a fight." The young man spoke angry Spanish, translated by an angel with pale cream wings splotched with tan and gold. "But I thought I had at least a chance. If nothing I can do is good enough, then tell me! Teach me! Don't just starve me and lock me up in a barrel for your buddies to play soccer with!"

And so it went, until suddenly the build-up of archangelic anger and energy caused the computer to spit out sparks and black out with a sad little sound.

"These people could be anyone. Paid to say such things." Zanaya looked furious, but her words were a transparent attempt at seeing two sides of the issue when in truth she’d been leaning already towards one. The words of the Finnish vampire had touched something in her that was whispering and would not be silenced.

"Then allow me to present to you one of those vampires, here, in the flesh."

"Here, take him," Jean said quietly.

Alyss was slipped from one vampire's arms into another's grip before he knew what had happened. "Wait, what?" By the time he realized what was going on, Jean was next to Kliman. "No!"

"Do you want to tell him what he can and can't do with his life?" the other vampire asked quietly as he held onto the struggling angel, his voice full of dark, unspoken intensity. "You can." The words surprised the angel into holding still and actually listening. "I'm almost sure he'd do what you asked. But he might never get another chance to face his demons. Give him this. He needs it."

"But Moissani's here somewhere!" Alyss twisted frantically against that unbreakable grip.

"And if what you've said is true, he's not gonna touch your vampire, Alyss. I promise. Not ever again."

Kliman had stepped back to give Jean the Cadre's full attention. The vampire stood there, staring at the floor, breathing a little ragged. "Well, you've heard all that and you're not impressed. Can't say I'm surprised, but in my world most angels never cared anyway." With a sudden burst of movement he yanked off his jacket and the long-sleeved shirt he wore, and threw them aside. "Last time someone saw me without a shirt on was a year ago, give or take, a pure accident. No one sees me. No one touches me. I can't stand it. It feels like the goddamn scalpel all over again." The grid of scars gleamed whitely in the lights of the chamber. Around his neck there was a plain cord. He grabbed it and twisted to his back the blood-dipped, amber-colored feather, then spread his arms and turned slowly, letting them all see the extent of the scarring.

Alyss went limp in the vampire's grip at the sight of the feather.

"Who did this?" Suyin asked, one of her hands gone to a tight fist. "Who is your Maker, who holds your contract?"

"There was no contract. I was a ditch-digger in the French Territories four hundred years ago. I had three things going for me: I looked good, I knew how to fight, and three separate outbreaks of god-knows-what had failed to kill me. That was enough to perk up the feelers of a little plague doctor living in Africa under Charisemnon's aegis." He paused as the Council's attention sharpened. "God, he made it sound good, you know? I drank something on this side of the pond and woke up in his stronghold, already Made. Clean clothes, clean food, all the learning I never thought I'd have. Training, supposedly to become part of his guard. He made it sound like Christmas had come early and I just hadn't noticed. He could've given me a contract and I wouldn't have been able to read it, let alone sign it."

Jean spat out the poison of his tale, the things he'd never been able to tell anyone, not even Alyss. The centuries spent being carved into a grid, so much so that even vampiric healing couldn't rid him of the scars. Of disease and poison being cultivated on every inch of him, studied, dissected, tested, tempered. Of attempting escape twice, and failing. Of escaping a third time only because he'd had help. "It was easy for him," he explained when Raphael asked. "Just break a coupla necks, say it was me. With the price he offered, Hunters tripped over themselves to bring me back."

By the time he was done talking he was so exhausted his brogue had begun to take over his voice. "Far as I know, I'm the only one in the pipeline," he admitted. "The only one without a contract what's got away. Y'all want to believe your people are... fair." The vampire smiled humorlessly. "No. You want to believe vampires are treated right, hard, but right. Hell, no. Do I think you're goin' to fix this? A year ago, I woulda said no. But I've met a few angels since that honestly seem to give a damn. One, a fluke, two, an exception. Three?" He glanced at Alyss. "Yeah, three sold me on it. But I'll be honest. I'm expecting y'all to prove me wrong."

"I hold Charisemnon's territory now, vampire," Zanaya said quietly. "It is my duty to right his wrongs. So take this with you. I can do nothing for the horrors you faced or the injustice you've survived, but this much I can do: let the Cadre bear witness, four hundred years is enough. If there had been one, consider your contract fulfilled. You are free."

[doedipus]

I've been having in issue with giovanna lately: my safejumps aren't safe enough.

to recap: a safejump is a technique where you hit someone getting off the floor after a knockdown with an aerial attack very low to the ground. if you land during the active frames of the attack and before their attack would become active, then you're guaranteed to be safe from invincible reversals and are in a good position to continue your offense. if you're sneaky you can catch people off guard by not attacking in the air and doing a low or throw when you land, but this offers you no protection from reversals. it's just a jump.

this is a hugely important part of giovanna's gameplan. her combos and reward off throws are kind of weak compared to other strike-throw focused characters in the game like sol or may, but she has guaranteed safejump setups off of basically any combo route and can safely continue pressing her advantage, or take the opportunity to do a mixup. if you do this right you can reset someone a couple times in a row and kill them without returning to neutral, like it's skullgirls or something.

the safejump setup uses either 5k or c.s to otg after a combo. 5k requires tighter execution and can only be done on shorter routes, but used to be the only way to set up against characters with faster reversals, and c.s is much much easier to execute and can be done off of more routes, but would have lost to fast reversals. however, in the current patch all reversals have been standardized to the slower timing, so the setup off otg c.s is always guaranteed.

when I started trying to integrate this strategy into my gameplan, I decided to just stick with the otg c.s setup, since it's easier and now works on everything. however, I've been having some issues with what happens after the safejump itself- sometimes if they block the safejump attack, they can grab me before I can do a grounded attack and continue pressure again. I've been dropping sets like crazy because of this and it's driving me up the wall.

it's kind of hard to gauge exactly what's causing the issue. I think part of it is that if gio has to dash further to land the otg attack, then they recover a bit sooner, so the safejump attack connects when it's higher up on their body, and it takes longer for gio to land and ready the next attack than it does for them to exit blockstun and grab. part of it also seems to be dependent on spacing, and under certain conditions gio will land closer after the blocked attack and be in grab range.

I spent a bunch of time in training mode today trying to figure things out. it seems like if I do a grabbable safejump, I'm basically always able to just walk backwards briefly and make their grab whiff, so if I block high instead of ducking in place it ought to cover both options. this seems like it's mostly useful as a hard read though, since giving them room and time to move means potentially forfeiting my turn.

the other thing is that the setup that uses 5k otg does still work and seems to much more consistently leave gio at safe spacing when blocked, so even though it's not something that's always applicable I can still work both of them in during a match. if they don't know the difference they'll probably react to both the same way, which will end up being in my favor more often than not. ideally this could also help camouflage a similar looking safejump setup off of throw that suffers from the same kind of inconsistency. and like, at the level I'm playing at I seriously doubt this is something most people I'm fighting will actually pick up on, like, I know for sure I wouldn't catch it.

[wardinpanties]

Looking For Super King-Size Bedding

On the off chance that you have perused my post about king size bedding, you know that I love bigger sleeping pads and the better sleeping experience that they can give. Indeed, the super king size bed is somewhat a definitive articulation of this thought, and it ought to shock no one that I love them too. They can be a particularly great choice in the event that you and your life partner have small kids or creatures that like to go along with you in the bed. The more room you click here have the better with regards to getting a decent night's sleep, and super king size beds give 'room' in spades.

Despite how great the sleeping experience might be in a super king size however, you can hope to run into similar issue we examined with finding standard king size, yet to a bigger degree. As referenced before, sheets are accessible nowadays in pretty much any example, color, and material that you can envision. Be that as it may, dissimilar to whatever other size, this isn't always the situation with super king size bedding. The reality stays that this size essentially isn't standard, and for various reasons. Essentially, these beds are only too huge for most families. Beyond the modern, cutout manors that exist in the suburbs, houses generally have never been worked with the gigantic main bedrooms that we see today. This removes an enormous piece of the addressable market for most sleeping cushions, and puts these in light of most families. Clearly, the other principal reason that these are not appallingly normal is price. As I'm sure you know, bigger sleeping cushions require more work, material, delivering cost, and so on to create and sell. These costs should be given to the purchaser, and accordingly super king sizes are at the external furthest reaches of price. By and large, a standard king size is above and beyond, and supporting not paying something else for the super is simple... all good.

On the off chance that you're hear however, you have the space, and you have the batter for a super king size, yet it's horrible without sheets. We will talk around a couple of things to look at while you're looking for bedding.

A decent arrangement of sheets and bedding is a serious consumption, and somewhat of a drawn out speculation, particularly with a bed this enormous. Hence, you will need to make sure that you require some investment to make a very much contemplated and smart decision. In the first place, you'll should know that not all that you find that you like will be accessible in super king. Know that going in, and you're less inclined to become frustrated while you shop. Furthermore, remember that there are always workarounds - you might find an example you like that isn't accessible in the fabric you like. You might find a material you need, yet can't get it in an example that will look great with the rest of your furniture. Try not to surrender. This is the cross that king size bedding shoppers should bear. It is possible that you must have the sheets specially designed, or it may be the case that you need to talk to a buyer to get what you need uniquely requested. Frequently these choices can be something to be thankful for as it ought to assist with guaranteeing that you get precisely exact thing you need.

All in all, what do you need to think about? All things considered, string count, as examined in the king size bedding post, is much all the more a worry. With more space, comes an improved probability that the sheets will be extended and pulled, and by and large tried to a greater degree regarding their solidness. Looking at string count is the best safeguard you can take against sheets that break down too early and drive you once again into the store to chase after substitutions. As referenced, you can go as low as 80 or something like that, however this is nowhere near suggested. While you're looking for sheets of this size, I would suggest 400 as a base string count for your rundown of requirements.

[studiothetics]

2 Weeks in 3D

Hey, it’s Sasha again. What have I been up to? I’m so glad you asked, gentle reader, because we’ve been doing some visual explorations of what this game should look like, and in pursuit of that I have been learning Blender, and I am now prepared to make that everyone’s problem.

My recollection of the formal education I got in 3D modeling is unpleasant, rudimentary, and I wasn’t really paying attention at the time, so most of my work nowadays involves squinting and swearing at a computer program, and then looking up “[x] tutorial” on youtube. There are some solid guides! I keep a playlist as I go along so I can return to them when I need to. Reading the titles in order as I fumble my way through game development is a fun little instance of environmental storytelling.

My first forays were just trying to build a good looking low poly tree. We’re keeping things low poly because 3D is not my thing and if it looks wonky it should be a charming kind of wonk, and low poly is good for that. (there are some folks who are really, really good at making low poly look expensive as fuck, and I respect the hell out of them. But I am not one such creature. I went to art school for comics.) It turns out there’s a lot of ways to build a low poly tree, and I was feeling a little listless working on such a solved problem, one I wasn’t super passionate about, and one that didn’t apply immediately to something we were going to publish.

So I switched tacks to bringing the Oneiric into 3D.

You’ll recall I wrote a bit about the process of designing the Oneiric here. I have a very good sense of what I want this boat to look like, and it is guaranteed to be an important place in the game, no matter where the crew land– the game’s Starship Enterprise, to steal a useful parallel from Evan. But how to build such a thing…?

I gave it a shot just running at it. I have a top-down drawing to work off of, after all. It was going alright until I had to make anything other than the deck, and then my brain just fizzled out trying to figure out how to wrap the bulwark around the edges, much less build out the bottom of the boat.

So I looked up a tutorial for how to model a ship. And, wouldn’t you know, just like any other artistic endeavor, the answer is not to start with the details and work your way out, but to get the big shapes in first, refine those until you’re happy, and then break it down into slightly smaller shapes, get those to a good place, and so on. Which I already knew about, but frequently forget; I think here I got so caught up in thinking about the details as person-sized and interactable, and thought I ought to start building from that scale.

The second go around went a lot better.

Ropes are very legitimizing, aren’t they? I’m about 70% sure these are the right ties for this particular kind of ship. Then again, it’s kind of a bastard of a boat anyway, so who can say what “accurate” even means in this context?

That was last week’s work. This week, the foray I had into Blender was a bit more personable. I wanted to test the Oneiric as an environment a character could run around in, but I need a character to do that! Axioche’s design is the most stable, so I gave them a try:

…and then spent a full day wrestling with rigging.  If you’ve used Blender before, you might know about Rigify, the built in plugin that gives you a gorgeous rig right off the bat. It’s supposed to be as one-click plug-and-play as they come, but naturally I ran into all sorts of haranguing bugs and issues about it. I won’t get into it here because it was equal parts infuriating and boring. But look!! They can pose now!!

There are still a lot of issues with the model and rig that I need to iron out, but that’s work for next week. I watched this video on “Rigging a Wizard” hoping for some tips on rigging Axioche’s dress (tutorialtube has yet to let me down, no matter how obscure my request) and then tried out a really simple wonky walk cycle, and then followed yet another tutorial for putting it in Unity and attaching it to a player character who can walk around.

Considering I started the day with just a T-pose I think I had a pretty successful Thursday all in all.

Quoth Evan upon seeing a little Axioche running around on the Oneiric: “THAT’S A GAME”

-Sasha

[cocoamami]

Magnifier Lamp Shopping Tips For The Homeowner

For each calling, there are sure instruments that are of extraordinary assistance particularly while managing little subtleties. From the actual name, a magnifier lamp is an instrument that amplifies little subtleties on each work piece to hold your eyes back from getting stressed, subsequently providing you with the solaces of working extended periods of time without getting depleted. Having an amplifying lamp learn more around makes things much more straightforward and quicker, whether it is your work or things you do during your extra energy.

While picking a magnifier lamp, you really should choose one that suits your taste and requests. Magnifier lamps are accessible in three unique sorts subject to the components of your table - base lamp, clamp lamp and floor-standing lamp.

In the event that you continually change position while at work, a base lamp is for you. However much it is being valuable, this type is normally the most costly among different sorts of light installations. A base lamp consumes a lot of room on your working work area and in light of the fact that changing its position expects you to hold it immovably by two hands; you will be compelled to require to be postponed the very thing you are doing right now.

Following up of costly magnifier lamps are the clamp lamps. These are lamps joined to your pc or perusing work area utilizing a clamp or screws. Its lengthy drifting arms can give you a more clear view once its stand is connected to the table. These models are generally utilized by experts since they are more exact and are not difficult to change.

Floor-standing magnifier lamps are the most ideal decision for somebody who invests less energy working on the table or somebody who might need to consume the whole space on the table while working. This kind of magnifier lamps is favored generally by experts who look for high lucidity of amplification and well-lighted perspectives including dental specialists, doctors and advertising specialists.

By and large, these lighting apparatuses are inherent hard steel that have effectively offsetting and a few springs to guarantee easy alignment. Focal points are made of top notch optical glasses with just about zero reflecting ability and spread. The most essential things you ought to consider before getting such a magnifier lamp are the kind of glass utilized, light bulb and the mechanical parts.

The standard breadth of a magnifier glass is generally around five or six inches. Sharp quality focal points lessen how much pressure in your eyes. For somebody who routinely works unreasonably during daytime, getting lamps with better-quality grades would be the most ideal choice.

The magnifier style lamp utilize different sort of bulbs - from glowing to halogen and Drove lights to fluorescents as well as full range bulbs. These days utilizing glowing bulbs is truly not as normal any longer since lamps ought to be situated near your face for a more clear sight making bothering your eyes. For craftsmen, a magnifier glass with full range bulbs is an ideal decision in guaranteeing the nature of the tones utilized in their work.

[kootiepatra]

#FFxivWrite2022 - Day 23 Prompt: "Pitch"

Timeline - probably somewhere around post-Heavensward/early Stormblood

===============

“Oh, good, you’re here!” Tataru exclaimed, jogging across the main room of the Rising Stones. “I was hoping to talk to you.”

Keimwyda set aside her journal and looked up. “Ah, hello! What can I do for you? Were you wanting to browse the shops?” The two were friends for many reasons, but a small bonus was the Roegadyn’s ease at accessing the high shelves in stores. Tatatru did the buying; Keimwyda did the reaching. Tataru did the talking; Keimwyda did the listening. It was quite an agreeable arrangement.

But that was not for today, apparently.

“I just got back from Ishgard,” the Lalafell said, seemingly apropos of nothing, not answering her friend’s question.

“...Oh, that’s nice. How was your visit?”

“Good, good. Gibrillont said to tell you hello. Guess what?”

Keimwyda knew a loaded question when she heard one. “What?”

“I just happened to check in with the Temple Knights’ fundraising efforts, and they’re doing very well. You know the mammets they commissioned in the likeness of Ser Aymeric, right?”

Keimwyda had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. Yes, yes she did. Those amazing, terrible contraptions, intended as a tribute, but one could not blame anyone who interpreted them as a parody.

Tataru did not wait for her to answer. “Well, they are fair flying off the shelves. It seems that people can’t get enough of them. A smashing success, by all accounts.”

“Poor Ser Aymeric,” Keimwyda said through a sympathetic smile.

“What, does he not like them?”

“As I understand it, he hates them slightly less than the old order loyalists do.”

Tataru blinked. “Whatever for?”

Keimwyda leveled a stare at her. She knew full well why not. “Tataru.”

“All right, maybe the face is a bit off,” she acquiesced. 

“That’s only part of…” Keimwyda tried to interrupt, but Tataru kept going.

“But still. I think I should be quite honored if someone made a mammet of me!”

“Hm,” the Warrior of Light replied wryly. “I could send word to Serendipity and commission one if it would make you happy.”

“Now, don’t be ridiculous,” Tataru said. “No one would rush to the shops to buy a decorative receptionist.”

“A legendary receptionist, I would counter,” Keimwyda smiled, taking a sip of her tea.

“Oh stop; do not make me blush. But speaking of legends, picture THIS.”

This ought to be good. Keimwyda knew that tone of voice. She was one of the biggest and most consistent supporters of Tataru’s schemes. While the Lalafell had more than earned her fearful reputation as a businesswoman, Keimwyda found her way of thinking fascinating. Watching the gears turn in her mind was a delight. She couldn’t wait to see where this obvious sales pitch was going.

“A new mammet, right? Guaranteed to outsell the ones of Raubahn and the Lord Commander, probably both of them put together! And with my new contacts in the Shroud, I think I could get a steal on lavender dye.”

Wait.

Tataru spread her hands in a wide gesture, as if indicating a glittering storefront display. “The Wind-Up Warrior of Light!”

Keimwyda sat in stunned silence for several seconds before she found her words to reply. “...AbsoLUTELY not.”

“Oh they would sell marvelously, though, I know they would!”

“That is beside the point!” she protested, her gray face taking on a distinctly ruddy hue.

“And I would find a proper artist to capture the likeness. I could learn who designed Ser Aymeric’s, specifically to make sure I don’t hire them.”

“Tataru, please.”

The smaller woman looked up with wide, innocent-looking eyes. “What?”

Keimwyda just stared at her. Once again, she knew full well what. “You know how I feel about things like this.”

“One of these days, you’re going to have to accept that people actually admire you,” Tataru said.

“‘Tis not that,” the Roegadyn replied, pushing back from the table. “Well, not exactly. You know me well enough by now. You know I have long given up resisting the ‘Warrior of Light’ title. You know that I make my appearances at the memorials and galas and address the crowds when asked. I’ve even stopped feeling queasy when agreeing to those things. I have made peace with being recognized. But I do not want to be idolized.”

Tataru’s face softened a little, as she eased out of her entrepreneurial tone for just a moment. “I fear it may be a bit late for that, my friend,” she said gently, laying a hand on Keimwyda’s knee.

The bigger woman sighed and raked a hand through her hair. “I just want to help who I can, where I  can. I do not want to be famous. I do not want merchandise. No portraits, no trinkets, and definitely no mammets.”

“You know little girls would love them, right?”

Now that was fighting dirty, bringing kids into it. Keimwyda had a miserably hard time saying no to children. Maybe she should consider… but no.

“You know how I feel about this,” she said after a moment, a pained look flickering to her eyes.

Tataru recognized she had genuinely struck a nerve and backed off. “All right. I will not push it further. I am sorry to have upset you.”

Keimwyda shook her head. “No, it is all right. I am fine, and you are of course entitled to ask.” She smiled apologetically. “Would that I had a love for the spotlight for your sake.”

“Well, I for one am happy with the Warrior of Light we’ve got,” she replied, perking up.

“You are too kind.” A wry look crossed her face again. “What about that Trachtoum fellow? I’m sure he would be happy to pose for a mammet.”

Tataru giggled into her hands. “I’m sure he would. But no, I think the real Company of Heroes might have something to say about it.” She hopped down from the chair she had pulled up next to Keimwyda. “Well! I suppose it’s back to work for me then.”

“Best of luck.”

“Do let me know if you change your mind,” she winked.

Keimwyda shook her head and laughed. “You shall be the first to know if I do.”

“Think about it!”

“Oh, I will.”

[galaxymermaid214]

61 through 67 for Cap’n Taylor

61. Which season is their favorite season?

Taylor enjoys Summer best. She grew up in a coastal town and loves the beach, and she also loves all the activity surrounding the season when things warm up and people get to partying (fireworks, barbecues, pool parties, etc.)

62. Have they ever been betrayed? How did it affect their ability to trust others?

YES. (Prepare for a lore dump...)

After her father died, Taylor and her mother were taken care of by Captain Apollo Goldfire, an old friend of her father and a respected Spellsword (modern-day knights/peace officers). Apollo cared very much for Taylor and did everything he could to take care of her, even going as far as getting her accepted into Crystal Academy, a super-exclusive school for training Spellsword candidates (which is where she met Ginny and her other friends). Taylor idolized Apollo and the Spellswords growing up and wanted to be a great hero like him, but once her powers awakened and she became a Spellsword herself, she began to realize how corrupt they were. The Spellswords weren't the noble protectors of justice she thought they were - they were a bunch of bullies beating up on practioners of dark magic and anyone else they felt like picking on. And Apollo was much worse. He was fully aware of the Spellsword's corruption, and he wanted Taylor to see it for herself so she would help him with his grand plan: releasing the greatest, most dangerous dark magic practioner ever known and letting them destroy the Spellswords, and everything else in their way. Then he and Taylor would defeat the practioner, become the heroes they always wanted to be and rebuild the Spellsword order, and the world as they (or rather he) saw fit. Taylor refused to help him, and Apollo turned on her. She and her friends were able to destroy Apollo and prevent the end of the world, but the whole situation left Taylor disillusioned.

This is the reason Taylor emphasizes so much with Felix so much when they discover the truth about Graham Byrant and Clyde Harlow. She knows what it's like to find out your heroes are a bunch of frauds and jackasses, and how much it hurts to have the things and people you once believed in turn out to be a bunch of lies. She also knows first hand that just because you beat the "BBEG" (in Felix's case it's the Board, in Taylor's case it was the dark magic user) doesn't mean everything is immediately fixed forever, and she is bracing herself for when Felix comes to the realization for himself.

Surprsingly, though she hates the bullies the Spellswords have become, she still believes in the things they stood for: Courage, Justice, Truth, Compassion and Loyalty. She never tells lies, she defends the oppressed and protects the ones who cannot protect themselves, she stands by her friends and she lives her life striving to be what she thinks a true Spellsword ought to be.

As for trust, Taylor is an incredibly honest person and has a sort of sixth sense when someone is lying to her. She knew that Max, Graham, and many others on Halcyon were full of shit when she met them. And that's part of the reason Apollo's actions hurt so much. He never once lied to her. He just kept his plan from her until the time was right, and even then he still genuinely believed he was doing right.

On a more minor note, it's also why she hates being called "Captain." She always called Apollo "Captain," and doesn't want to be reminded of him in any way, shape or form. She does allow Felix to call her "Boss," as she sees it more as a term of endearment rather than an actual title.

63. What is always guaranteed to make them smile?

It's pretty easy to get Taylor to smile. She's got a great sense of humor and a well-timed joke, a snarky one-liner or even making a silly face is sure to get her to grin. She's also a huge nerd, so comic books, video games, and fantasy/adventure shows are a very easy way to make her happy.

64. Do they get cold easily? Do they get overheated easily?

Taylor is pretty resistant to the heat since she grew up in a warm enviroment. She detests being cold and, if she could, she would spend all of winter wrapped in a ball of blankets on the couch and not move.

65. What’s their immune system like? Do they get sick often? How do they react to getting sick?

Taylor has a very resilient immune system and rarely ever gets sick. But when she does get sick, it hits her hard and she is out for several days.

66. Where do they live? Do they like it there?

Taylor's home world is Crystalia, and it's a very pretty place where elemental magic like hers is commonplace. But after managing to save her world from destruction, Taylor suffered from major dislliusionment and went traveling to other worlds, partially because she craved adventure, and partially because she wanted to get away from everything.

67. Is their bedroom messy? What about their bathroom? Kitchen? Living room?

Taylor is...not the best at being tidy. Her room is a mess of clothing, comics and other bric-a-brac strewn every which way. No matter where she stays, it always ends up being a mess. It's not because she's a messy person per say, it's because there's no time to clean house when you're off saving the world.

[aicoindownload]

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