#Automatic Trading Services

[robotrade-india]

Advanced Automated Trading Services | Robotrade

Robotrade offers modern automatic trading services that transform the way individuals and businesses engage in the financial markets. Our algorithmic trading system leverages advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to quickly analyze vast amounts of market data, identifying profitable trading opportunities with accuracy and speed. Visit Robotrade to get started trading with us.

[abra-ka-dammit]

Id like to wish monforge, pokegen, pokegz, and berichan a very Fuck Off I Am Trying To Surprise Trade For Legitimate Pokemon

[whencyclopedia]

Slavery in the Roman World

Slavery was an ever-present feature of the Roman world. Slaves served in households, agriculture, mines, the military, workshops, construction and many services. As many as 1 in 3 of the population in Italy or 1 in 5 across the empire were slaves and upon this foundation of forced labour was built the entire edifice of the Roman state.

Slavery as An Accepted Reality

Slavery, that is complete mastery (dominium) of one individual over another, was so imbedded in Roman culture that slaves became almost invisible and there was certainly no feeling of injustice in this situation on the part of the rulers. Inequality in power, freedom and the control of resources was an accepted part of life and went right back to the mythology of Jupiter overthrowing Saturn. As K.Bradley eloquently puts it, 'freedom...was not a general right but a select privilege' (Potter, 627). Further, it was believed that the freedom of some was only possible because others were enslaved. Slavery, was, therefore, not considered an evil but a necessity by Roman citizens. The fact that slaves were taken from the losers in battle (and their subsequent offspring) was also a helpful justification and confirmation of Rome's (perceived) cultural superiority and divine right to rule over others and exploit those persons for absolutely any purpose whatsoever.

Aside from the huge numbers of slaves taken as war captives (e.g. 75,000 from the First Punic War alone) slaves were also acquired via piracy, trade, brigandage and, of course, as the offspring of slaves as a child born to a slave mother (vernae) automatically became a slave irrespective of who the father was. Slave markets proliferated, perhaps one of the most notorious being the market on Delos, which was continuously supplied by the Cilician pirates. Slave markets existed in most large towns, though, and here, in a public square, slaves were paraded with signs around their necks advertising their virtues for prospective buyers. Traders specialised in the commodity, for example, one A. Kapreilius Timotheus traded throughout the Mediterranean.

Continue reading...

[theambitiouswoman]

How To Get Started Investing In The Stock Market

Educate yourself: Before investing in the stock market, it's important to educate yourself about the basics of investing, including the different types of investments, the risks involved, and how to build a diversified portfolio. There are many resources available, including books, online courses, and investment blogs.

Determine your investment goals: It's important to have clear investment goals before investing in the stock market. Are you investing for retirement, a down payment on a house, or to generate passive income? Your investment goals will help determine the types of investments that are appropriate for you.

Open a brokerage account: To invest in the stock market, you'll need to open a brokerage account with a reputable brokerage firm. Some popular options include Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, and Charles Schwab. When choosing a brokerage firm, consider factors such as fees, investment options, and customer service.

Build a diversified portfolio: Diversification is key to successful investing. By investing in a mix of stocks, bonds, and other assets, you can reduce your risk and increase your chances of long-term success. Consider investing in a mix of large-cap and small-cap stocks, domestic and international investments, and bonds with varying maturities.

Start investing: Once you have a brokerage account and have determined your investment strategy, it's time to start investing. Consider starting with a small amount of money and gradually increasing your investments over time.

WAYS TO INVEST

There are several ways to invest in the stock market, including:

Individual Stocks: This involves buying shares of individual companies on the stock market. You can buy shares through a broker or an online trading platform.

Mutual Funds: Mutual funds pool money from multiple investors and invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks. This allows you to invest in a variety of companies with a single investment.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): ETFs are similar to mutual funds, but they trade like individual stocks on an exchange. This allows you to buy and sell ETFs throughout the trading day.

Index Funds: Index funds track the performance of a specific index, such as the S&P 500. This provides exposure to a broad range of companies and can be a good option for long-term investors.

TOOLS TO START INVESTING

Online Trading Platforms: Many brokers offer online trading platforms that allow you to buy and sell stocks and funds. These platforms typically provide research tools and stock charts to help you make informed investment decisions.

Robo-Advisors: Robo-advisors are digital platforms that use algorithms to create and manage investment portfolios for you. They can be a good option for beginner investors who want a hands-off approach.

Investment Apps: There are several investment apps available that allow you to buy and sell stocks and funds from your mobile device. These apps are often designed for beginner investors and offer low fees and user-friendly interfaces.

PLATFORMS

A few popular options:

Robinhood: Robinhood is a commission-free trading app that offers stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrency trading. It’s designed for beginner investors and offers a user-friendly interface.

Acorns: Acorns is an investment app that automatically invests your spare change. It rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar and invests the difference in a diversified portfolio of ETFs.

TD Ameritrade: TD Ameritrade is a popular trading platform that offers stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, futures, and forex trading. It offers a variety of trading tools and research resources.

ETRADE: ETRADE is a popular online broker that offers stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, and futures trading. It offers a variety of trading tools and resources, including a mobile app.

Fidelity: Fidelity is a full-service broker that offers stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, and futures trading. It offers a variety of investment tools and research resources, including a mobile app.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

Value Investing: Value investing involves buying stocks that are undervalued by the market and holding them for the long term. This approach requires patience and a thorough analysis of a company’s financial statements and growth potential.

Growth Investing: Growth investing involves buying stocks in companies that are expected to grow faster than the market average. This approach often involves investing in companies that are at the cutting edge of technology or have innovative business models.

Dividend Investing: Dividend investing involves buying stocks in companies that pay a dividend. This can provide a steady stream of income for investors and can be a good option for those looking for more conservative investments.

Passive Investing: Passive investing involves investing in a diversified portfolio of low-cost index funds or ETFs. This approach is designed to match the performance of the overall market and requires minimal effort on the part of the investor.

Real Estate Investing: Real estate investing involves buying and holding real estate assets for the purpose of generating income or appreciation. This can include investing in rental properties, real estate investment trusts (REITs), or crowdfunding platforms.

Options trading: is a type of trading strategy that involves buying and selling options contracts, which are financial instruments that give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset, such as stocks, at a specific price within a certain time frame. Options trading can be used to generate income, hedge against risk, or speculate on market movements.

Swing trading is a type of trading strategy that aims to capture short- to medium-term gains in a financial asset, such as stocks, currencies, or commodities. Swing traders typically hold their positions for a few days to several weeks, taking advantage of price swings or "swings" in the market. Swing traders use technical analysis to identify trends and patterns in the market, and they often employ a combination of charting tools and indicators to help them make trading decisions. They look for stocks or other assets that have a clear trend, either up or down, and then try to enter and exit positions at opportune times to capture profits.

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS TOOLS

There are many technical analysis resources available for traders to use in their analysis of financial markets. Here are some popular options:

TradingView: TradingView is a web-based charting and technical analysis platform that provides users with real-time data, customizable charts, and a variety of technical indicators and drawing tools.

StockCharts: StockCharts is another web-based platform that provides a wide range of technical analysis tools, including charting capabilities, technical indicators, and scanning tools to help traders identify potential trading opportunities.

Thinkorswim: Thinkorswim is a trading platform provided by TD Ameritrade that offers advanced charting and technical analysis tools, as well as a wide range of other features for traders, including paper trading, news and research, and risk management tools.

MetaTrader 4/5: MetaTrader is a popular trading platform used by many traders around the world. It provides a range of technical analysis tools, including customizable charts, indicators, and automated trading strategies.

Investing.com: Investing.com is a website that provides real-time quotes, charts, news, and analysis for a wide range of financial markets, including stocks, currencies, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Yahoo Finance: Yahoo Finance is a website that provides real-time stock quotes, news, and analysis, as well as customizable charts and a variety of other tools for traders and investors.

Finviz: is a popular web-based platform for traders and investors that provides a wide range of tools and information to help them analyze financial markets. The platform offers real-time quotes, customizable charts, news and analysis, and a variety of other features.

[sappymix1]

Okay writing prompt -> office au dnf where George is the front desk worker and Dream is in sales and they meetup in the break room and always flirt

hi anon so funny thing it did not occur to me that you meant office au as in the show the office until I turned on the tv earlier today and it was there lmao. but anyway here is 1.3k words of dnfies working for a company that supplies textbooks to high schools lmao

[12:14] 🐈‍⬛: Dream

[12:16] 🐈‍⬛: Hellooooooooo

[12:16] 🐈‍⬛: This is so messed up why are you ignoring me

[12:19] 🐈‍⬛: Dreeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaam

[12:21] 🐈‍⬛: Stop ignoring me, idiot

[12:25] 🐈‍⬛: I’m so bored. I haven’t had to do anything all day. This is so boring.

[12:27] 🐈‍⬛: And now you won’t even text me back. You hate me. 

[12:31] 🐈‍⬛: You should come talk to me so I don’t die of boredom. 

[12:34] 🐈‍⬛: This is me because of you

[12:34] 🐈‍⬛: Ignore the caption

[12:37] 🐈‍⬛: I’m going to start texting Foolish instead of you. I’ll find his number in my computer.

[12:38] 🐈‍⬛: I’m doing it. I’m going to do it. I’m going to find his number and text him asking if he can show me his muscles

-

“Thank you, Ms. French; I’ll make sure that gets worked out for you. Have a good day.” Dream hung up his phone, posture immediately worsening as he screwed his eyes shut, trying to force down the headache that had been brewing since about the third question about the difference in price between the fourth and fifth editions of the biology textbook some forgettable high school in Vermont was attempting to purchase before the new school year began. 

Dream was pretty good at his job, mostly because he was pretty good with the people. He thought he had a good voice, one that made him good at dealing with people over the phone because it prepped them to like him by that alone. He was a bit more awkward in person, yeah – a bit too tall, not quite sure what to do with his arms or his feet – but clients were already endeared to him enough that at that point his slight awkwardness just ended up being charming. That wasn’t the point though; the point was that he was ordinarily really good at phone sales, customer service, that sort of thing. This particular call had just been a bit exhausting. He had barely even passed his own high school biology class; he definitely did not know which text book was the better option even though he had to at least sound like he did. 

Dream glanced over across the office, over to the desk up by the door. His vantage point, unfortunately, wasn’t that great these days. His boss had gotten it into his head that some change of scenery would make everyone more productive as they got deeper into the hot months of summer and, as a result, Dream had traded his desk conveniently within eyeshot of the front desk for one much farther away, and all he could see over, of all things, the fucking broken printer was a little bit of curly dark hair that drifted back and forth in a way that made it obvious that its owner was rocking back and forth in the swivel chair. 

Dream wasn’t quite sure that this rearranging was having the effect on productivity his boss had desired. He reached into his pocket, and he slid out his phone.

His lock screen was covered in a long chain of texts, all coming from a contact saved simply as a familiar emoji. Dream scrolled through them, automatically smiling as his stomach buzzed with strawberries and oranges. Apparently, he was not the only person struggling to focus.

[12:47] me: get better bait. you would text foolish telling him to die before you asked to see him shirtless.

[12:47] me: besides, you’d never do that to tina

Dream went to flip his phone over, not wanting to risk someone noticing that he was off task, but immediately, his phone buzzed with a response. 

[12:48] 🐈‍⬛: What are you doing?

[12:48] me: i was on the phone. 

[12:49] me: lunch?

This time, he didn’t bother putting his phone down, just watched the three little dots indicating someone typing on the other side of their conversation. He realized quickly that he was holding his breath, and he forced himself to let the lingering air leave his lungs. Don’t be stupid. 

When the text came, it was much shorter than the time spent typing it would have implied. Dream could imagine him going back and forth and back and forth, fingers freezing on the same anxiety that both worried and excited Dream. 

[12:50] 🐈‍⬛: Yes

Dream got up from his desk, heading to the break room to get his lunch. Once the door fell shut behind him, cutting off the low buzz of the lights and computers and air conditioning of the main office with a tight thud, he went to the fridge and pulled out the container of sliced up mango and half a sandwich in a baggie. A green sticky note with a smiley face adorned both of them, identifying them as his. He was in the middle of trying to crack the seal on the lid of his drink when he heard the door swing again and quickly felt arms encircle his waist.

“You’re so, like, needy, today,” he said without turning around. “What’s wrong?” Half teasing. Half so sincere that it made both of them squirm a little bit. Dream had always been good at that – caring about people. Especially certain ones. 

“Nothing.” George – the receptionist, the cute British guy in the office, the most important person in Dream’s phone – pressed his face against the back of Dream’s shirt, muffling his voice. “I’m bored. You were ignoring me.” 

Dream scoffed. He set his lunch down on the counter and turned around to face George. George was looking up at him, lips pressed together like he was trying and failing to keep himself from smiling. Failing, both because George wasn’t particularly good at hiding his happiness and because Dream could read his emotions from a single movement of his rich dark eyes. “I wasn’t ignoring you. I was working. I spent, like, half an hour stuck on the phone talking about biology textbooks.”

“Wow, poor Dream,” George teased, reaching to open the fridge and find his own lunch – left over chicken nuggets, apparently, as well as a plastic bag filled with apple slices – before settling across from Dream at the table. “Forced to spend all day on the phone, while I’m dying at my desk.” 

A bite of his sandwich. “Dying? Of what?” 

“Boredom and neglect,” George said, sounding extremely put upon. “It’s so messed up that you’re letting your stupid job get in the way of our relationship. Just so that you can, like, have money or whatever.” 

“I can’t believe you’d let Patches go hungry like that.” Dream reached over to steal a sip of George’s peach ice tea, and George just grinned at him before sighing. 

“I guess that’s a good enough reason.” They were both quiet for a few seconds, ankles brushing under the table as George chewed on his apple slices and Dream picked at his mango with a plastic fork from home. It was comfortable, or at least as comfortable as lunch at a tiny breakroom table that was so short that Dream banged his knees against it every time he sat down could be.  It was, arguably, one of the least remarkable days of Dream’s life. Tomorrow, he would put back on his scratchy work clothes and the shoes that pinched his toes, make a million more phone calls to talk about textbooks he couldn’t care less about, and eat another dry sandwich in the shitty breakroom. The same mundanity that he had found, despite the big dreams that he had had growing up, to be his life these days. And, just like he eventually did today, before they threw out their trash and tried to leave the breakroom far enough apart to make it inconspicuous, George would ask if he could come over after work, and everything would feel a little bit more special.

[follow-up-news]

The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday, alleging that the e-commerce giant has tricked millions of consumers into signing up for its Prime subscription service through deceptive user interface designs. The complaint filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington also takes aim at Amazon for allegedly trying to keep users subscribed who wished to cancel their memberships. “Specifically, Amazon used manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs known as ‘dark patterns’ to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically-renewing Prime subscriptions,” the FTC complaint said. It added that Amazon deliberately made it much harder to cancel subscriptions than to enroll in Prime, alleging that the company created a “labyrinthine” cancellation process intended to distract or deter consumers from following through on their intent. The lawsuit marks the FTC’s most significant step yet against business practices the agency says harms consumers by either luring them in or keeping them trapped using psychological gimmicks. It represents the culmination of a months-long investigation into Amazon’s Prime practices that involved testimony from company founder Jeff Bezos and CEO Andy Jassy.

[beardedmrbean]

The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation.

The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays.

Under current regulations, airlines decide how long a delay must last before triggering refunds. The administration is removing that wiggle room by defining a significant delay as lasting at least three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.

Airlines still will be allowed to offer another flight or a travel credit instead, but consumers can reject the offer.

The rule will also apply to refunds of checked-bag fees if the bag isn’t delivered within 12 hours for domestic flights or 15 to 30 hours for international flights. And it will apply to fees for things such as seat selection or an internet connection if the airline fails to provide the service.

Complaints about refunds skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as airlines canceled flights and, even when they didn't, many people didn't feel safe sharing a plane cabin with other passengers.

Airlines for America, a trade group for large U.S. carriers, noted that refund complaints to the Transportation Department have fallen sharply since mid-2020. A spokesperson for the group said airlines “offer a range of options — including fully refundable fares — to increase accessibility to air travel and to help customers make ticket selections that best fit their needs.”

The group said the 11 largest U.S. airlines issued $43 billion in customer refunds from 2020 through 2023.

The Transportation Department issued a separate rule requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose upfront what they charge for checked and carry-on bags and canceling or changing a reservation. On airline websites, the fees must be shown the first time customers see a price and schedule.

The rule will also oblige airlines to tell passengers they have a guaranteed seat they are not required to pay extra for, although it does not bar airlines from charging people to choose specific seats. Many airlines now charge extra for certain spots, including exit-row seats and those near the front of the cabin.

The agency said the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year.

Airlines for America said its members “offer transparency and vast choice to consumers” from their first search.

The new rules will take effect over the next two years. They are part of a broad administration attack on what President Joe Biden calls “junk fees.” Last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that his department will let state officials in 15 states help enforce federal airline consumer protection laws.

[fanficshiddles]

The Redbridge Hunts, Chapter 39

‘Is Mandy ok?’ Claire asked Loki the following morning, he’d just been on the phone to his dad while Claire set up Bat’s automatic feeder for the day before they headed out.

‘Yes, thankfully. She’s right as rain after dad fixing her. Pretty shaken up, understandably, but is fine.’ Loki said, relieved.

‘Phew, that’s good news.’ Claire put her arms around Loki. He smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

‘Is her majesty all sorted for food?’ Loki asked as he straightened up.

‘Yep, all prepped.’ Claire smiled.

‘Excellent. Shall we get going, love?’

Claire nodded. ‘I don’t know whether I’m more excited to see Louise or to get that awesome breakfast from Café Five.’

‘I’m so telling your sister that she’s on par with food.’ Loki teased.

‘Pfft, Louise would trade me in for food in an instant without a single thought.’ Claire scoffed, making Loki laugh.

‘Come on, let’s get going. Get that breakfast you’re desperately craving.’ Loki winked at her and took her hand.

Claire was of course excited to see her sister again. This time more so, since she was bringing Loki so they could both meet. She knew that Louise would love Loki, and vice versa, but there was still a tiny bit of nerves within her since she so desperately wanted them to get along. They were the two most important people in her life, she wasn’t sure what she would do if they didn’t like each other.

It didn’t take long to get to the café where they stopped for breakfast. It was at the side of the motorway, a dinky little place but clean with amazing food and service. There were only around ten tables squished in, but thankfully it wasn’t too busy when they turned up so they didn’t have to wait for a table, like Claire did last time.

‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!’ Claire said as they sat down with their tea, waiting for the food to arrive.

Loki chuckled. ‘I’m sure I saw a field of them a few miles back.’

Claire stuck her tongue out at him playfully. He reached under the table and pinched her thigh, making her squeak.

‘I hate how long your arms are. You should not be able to reach me.’ She laughed.

‘To be fair, it’s a small table.’ Loki grinned.

‘Still.’ Claire shrugged. ‘I’m so excited for you to meet Louise. She might be a little odd at first, like I’ve said before, she acts all confident and outgoing, but she’s actually really quite insecure and shy. Well, more she’s put a wall around herself than shy, I guess.’

Loki nodded. ‘I’d say it’s completely understandable though, after what she’s been through.’

‘Yeah, it is. I hate him so much for what he did to her. She was so confident and outgoing, which wasn’t an act, until he started draining all of that out of her… Literally beating it out of her.’ Claire sighed sadly.

Loki reached across the table and cupped Claire’s cheek softly, brushing his thumb up and down a little. ‘She will soon flourish again, I’m sure. Now he’s gone, she no longer needs to live in fear. She’s got a wonderful sister who’s going to continue to be there for her. And now she also has a brother-in-law that’s a vampire.’ Loki smirked and winked at her.

Claire blushed a little and laughed. ‘That’s very true. I know a good gang of vampires that will be able to sort out any assholes.’

‘Exactly.’ Loki grinned and leaned back.

Their food was quick to arrive, it smelled amazing and made Claire’s mouth water. Claire and Loki tucked in straight away.

‘Oh my god, this is better than sex.’ Claire groaned with a mouthful.

Loki mocked a gasp and looked horrified. ‘What? You can’t be serious!’

Claire finished her mouthful and shrugged. ‘Sorry, vampy… but this is seriously good food. If the choice was this every day or sex… well, I wouldn’t be going hungry.’

‘You are so asking for trouble, missy.’ Loki growled deeply at her, which made her clench her thighs together a little.

Loki smirked when he caught a bit of her scent and he saw the way her cheeks turned a little pinker. ‘Aha… Are you sure that you’d be able to go without sex?’ He asked cockily as he raised an eyebrow.

‘Of course I could. I bet I could go longer than you.’ Claire scoffed as she stuffed some bacon into her mouth.

Loki laughed and folded his arms over his chest. ‘Oh, you think so, huh? Well, why don’t we see how long we can last, see who folds first?’

‘It’s on!’ Claire laughed.

When they finished breakfast, they made their way to Louise’s. They arrived just before lunch time, pretty much right on time for when Louise was expecting them.

Claire and Louise were so happy and excited to see one another again, giving each other a big hug. Then Claire stepped backwards a little to Loki and put her arm around his.

‘This, is Loki… Loki, this is Louise.’ Claire introduced them enthusiastically.

‘Lovely to meet you, Louise.’ Loki said charmingly.

‘Lovely to meet you, too.’ Louise grinned and, to Loki and Claire’s surprise, she put her hand out towards him with only a little bit of hesitation.

Loki gently took her hand and shook it. He could smell her nerves and could feel her hand shaking ever so slightly, so he didn’t hold her hand for too long.

Louise then stepped to the side. ‘Come in, come in! I can’t believe I’m actually meeting a real-life vampire. Claire’s told me all about you.’

Loki chuckled as they stepped inside. ‘All good I hope.’

‘Mostly.’ Louise teased.

Loki mocked a gasp and glared at Claire, who just gave him a big cheesy grin as she pushed him through to the living room.

Louise made them all tea and she’d made some sandwiches and brought out some nibbles for lunch.

‘First things first, let’s get rid of the elephant in the room.’ Louise announced as she sat down on the single chair, Claire and Loki were on the sofa.

Claire and Loki looked at her with a confused look on their faces.

‘I need to see the fangs. I’m sorry. It’s just I can’t actually believe it.’ Louise said sheepishly.

Loki threw his head back, laughing. ‘That’s exactly what Claire wanted to see when she found out.’

‘What can I say, we are sisters after all.’ Claire laughed.

‘I can see already that you are both very alike.’ Loki grinned, then flashed his fangs at Louise, who’s eyes widened but Loki saw the excitement on her face.

‘You’re living the dream, sis.’ Louise said as she shook her head in disbelief and took a sip of her tea.

‘Claire was telling me that you both used to talk about being swept off your feet by vampires.’ Loki chuckled.

‘We did.’ Louise nodded. ‘I never would have imagined that they’d be real though… I still can’t quite believe it.’

‘Tell me about it. Teenage fantasies come true.’ Claire smirked and glanced at Loki. ‘Oh, by the way Loki. I was thinking we should set Louise up with Matt. He’s single, right?’

Loki grinned. ‘He is indeed… So is Spencer, actually.’

‘You said Matt is hot… Who’s Spencer? Is he hot?’ Louise asked Claire.

Claire shrugged and nodded. ‘I’d say so.’

Loki looked from Claire to Louise, then back to Claire so fast he almost got whiplash. ‘You think Matt and Spencer are hot?’

Claire looked at Loki and shrugged again. ‘They’re handsome fellows.’

Loki’s mouth fell open and he folded his arms over his chest.

‘In-fact, all the teachers at the school are pretty hot. I’m surprised students can even concentrate properly, to be honest.’ Claire said seriously, though she struggled not to smile and laugh.

Loki pouted and shrunk back into the sofa. ‘I thought I was the only good looking one.’ He huffed.

‘N’aww. Don’t worry, you’re the only one for me.’ Claire assured him and pinched his cheek.

‘You two are adorable together.’ Louise blurted out with a smile.

Loki was quick to turn things around, asking Louise for all the dirt on Claire when they were younger. Claire tried to keep Louise quiet about some things, but Louise was having far too much fun.

‘One memory I have, that I will never ever forget. Is when we were around sixteen?’

‘Oh no… no, no, no.’ Claire made a dive for Louise and tried to cover her mouth, but Louise managed to get her head away so she could still speak freely while fending Claire off.

‘We snuck out late one night to a party at the local park, alcohol was involved. Claire got a little too bold and decided that she could easily climb the monkey bars and hang upside down, to prove she wasn’t drunk. She managed, but as she was upside down her top fell down around her face and she had stupidly decided that going braless that night was a great idea.’

‘No! You didn’t?’ Loki gasped, his mouth fell wide open as he looked at Claire, who slunk back to the sofa and pulled her jumper up over her face.

‘Yep, she did. Flashing most of our classmates. Obviously the guys never let her forget that. Neither did a lot of the girls, actually. Considering she was more endowed than the rest of us at that age, she was getting glares from some of the girls for weeks after. Especially with all the attention she was suddenly getting from the guys.’ Louise laughed hysterically.

Loki’s stomach began to hurt from laughing so much. Claire just kept hidden, until Loki tugged her jumper down to reveal her bright red cheeks.

‘Remind me next time you’re drinking to double check that you’re wearing a bra… don’t want any of the other hot teachers to see what they shouldn’t.’ Loki teased and winked at her.

Claire stuck her tongue out at him in response, earning a playful poke to her side.

Loki and Claire stayed for most of the day, they ended up having a Chinese takeaway with Louise before finally heading home.

‘It was so nice to meet you, Louise. You’re welcome to come see us in Demsdale whenever you like.’ Loki said with a big smile as Louise walked them to the door.

‘Thank you. It’s been good to meet you, too. Though as Claire’s sister, I do need to say this… Vampire or not, if you hurt my sister I will come after your ass.’

‘I wouldn’t expect anything less.’ Loki chuckled.

‘Don’t need to worry, sis. I’m in good hands.’ Claire assured Louise as she gave her a big hug.

‘You sure are.’ Louise agreed as she squeezed Claire. ‘See you soon, yeah?’

‘Definitely.’

When Claire and Loki got into his car and began the drive home, it was beginning to get dark.

‘Your sister is lovely.’ Loki smiled and reached over to squeeze Claire’s thigh.

‘She was really comfortable around you, which shouldn’t be a surprise, really. You’re a big softie after all.�� Claire smiled back at him.

‘I sure am.’ Loki winked at her. ‘I could tell at first she was a little anxious around me, but she did seem to relax after a while.’

‘I still can’t believe she told you that damn story.’ Claire laughed a little and put her hand over her face.

‘I’m glad she did. Now I know I need to keep a close eye on these babies.’ Loki said as he moved his hand up and squeezed at her breasts, making Claire laugh more.

‘Hands off, vampy. They’re off limits for now, remember our bet?’ Claire smirked.

‘You’re not still serious about that, are you?’ Loki raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.

‘Definitely. Unless you’re ready to cave in already, hmm?’

‘Of course not. I can last longer than you. It’ll be you that’s on your knees begging for me to fuck you before I’m the one begging.’ Loki said confidently.

‘Yeah right.’ Claire scoffed.

-

Claire moaned as Loki repeatedly thrust into her, grunting hotly over her. He had his hand wrapped around the back of her neck, pinning her down over the bonnet of the car. It was warm against her cheek from the engine underneath.

‘Lokiiii. Fuuuuuuck, I’m gonna cum!’ Claire cried out as Loki thrust hard into her once more, exploding deep inside her as she clenched around his cock.

Neither of them cared much that anyone could just pull into the car park at any moment, it was dark enough and there were trees shielding them from the main road. Though the slight chance of being seen did fuel their fire even more when they began.

They were only around ten minutes away from Demsdale, but their teasing of one another in the car had become too much for them to bear. Loki had snapped and swiftly pulled off the motorway, practically dragging Claire out of the car and folding her over the front of the car so he could fuck her senseless.

Sweat beaded on Loki’s forehead as he pulled out of Claire and helped her to stand up. She was blissed out, but managed to turn around and, with his support, got her trousers and knickers pulled back up.

‘See… I told you I’d last longer.’ Claire giggled as she leaned back against the car while Loki tucked himself away and buckled his belt up.

He raised an eyebrow at her. ‘You are the one that started masturbating in the car next to me. You stunk out the car, how else was I supposed to react?’ He growled at her, making her stomach churn with more excitement.

‘Well… we didn’t say we couldn’t masturbate. It’s not my fault you can't control yourself.’ Claire shrugged with a smug smirk.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her and a slow smirk spread over his lips, then he launched at her. She tried to run, but couldn’t even get two steps away from him before he grabbed her and began tickling her underneath her jumper.

She screeched with laughter as Loki tickled her, not letting her get away from him. He growled and blew a raspberry against her neck, making her screech even louder. She tried stomping on his foot, but he knew what she was doing and managed to avoid her stomps.

He laughed wickedly when he relented on his attack, finishing with a big sloppy kiss on her cheek.

‘You’re such a goof.’ Claire laughed and pushed his face away.

Loki slid his arm back around her waist and tugged her into him, grinning down at her. She put her hands on his chest as she gazed up at him.

‘We couldn’t even last a day.’ Loki sighed dramatically.

‘We are useless.’ Claire giggled.

‘Perhaps I just needed to re-claim what’s mine…’ Loki hummed as he glanced at her breasts.

‘I’m going to kill Louise for telling you that story.’ Claire grumbled.

Loki chuckled and escorted her back into the car.

[omgpurplefattie]

MLC WIP Wednesday

Hurrah, I have a WIP going again. Here's a bit from the next chapter of RV Lianhua Lou. PoV is Fang Duobing.

------------------------------------------

There was a display shelf in the sitting room that looked suspiciously solid, so Fang Duobing picked up a few flower pots that dotted the shelf, put them on a table, stuck his hand up the most likely cubbies, and started investigating the hinges and corners of the shelf.

Yet another thirty minutes later, he had found a number of levers and buttons, and a sofa on the other side of the room slid aside, to reveal a low door, and stairs going down. You had to duck your head, but otherwise, it was perfectly serviceable.

“I would never have thought…” Zhiyu breathed, leading the way down the stairs; so she was the first to step into the hidden vault.

The ceiling lit up automatically, and Zhiyu screamed.

“Dad!”

Governor Jin was lying on his back on the floor, eyes wide open, wearing only one slipper, and dead as a doornail.

“Damn,” Li Lianhua breathed. “There goes our new business model.”

A bit further inside the secret room lay a Klingon everybody present swore they had never seen before, just as dead, among several open, empty boxes.

“The Blood Vessel of Doom!” majordomo Jin exclaimed. “It’s gone!”

“After this,” Li Lianhua sighed to Fang Duobing, “nobody will commission a security system from us ever again. Our very first client ended up dead, and the main treasure he wanted guarded got stolen. Oh dear.”

“We will get it back!” Fang Duobing declared. He was feeling despondent, but only for a moment. If the Klingon doctor was holding Di Feisheng hostage against that Blood Vessel, then they just had to find the damn old pot again. Giving up on A-Fei was not an option. “Forget about the security system trade; it has been fun, but really not our core competency. I’m an investigator of the Hundred Rivers agency, so let’s do some investigating!”

He took out his tricorder and started recording evidence. Moving the slightly hysterical majordomo aside, Li Lianhua squatted down between the two dead bodies, got out his medical tricorder, and began to record facts. He turned over both corpses and paid special attention to Jin Mantang’s bare foot, which he held in both his hands, bending it sideways and pondering every detail.

“They must have killed each other!” Zhiyu said. “My dad must have discovered the Klingon intruder and tried to stop him from taking the Vessel, and the other artifacts he had down here. Perhaps he has thrown his slipper at him to get his attention?”

“But then where are all the magic pots?” Li Lianhua said. “And I would never try to stop a Klingon with a slipper again. Believe me, I have attempted it, and it didn’t work.”

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, Books, 13: An eclectic library of dusty tomes, fictional textbooks, pocketbooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, booklets, leaflets and magical manuals. Paper leaves and the binding surrounding them can help define a character, kick off a subplot, fuel a fetch quest or simply serve as a generic macguffin. Commonly seen in video games such as Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, World of Warcraft and Skyrim, book items are a way to subtly world build while still handing out sellable loot. A wizard has a spellbook, a cleric has a holy text and now you have a trinket list.

A pulpy horror book filled with short stories made to terrify adolescents and thrill young adults. A creature who reads the book suffers from a Random Nightmare later the next time they sleep.

A large reference book on the subject of minted coinage within the realm. The top of each page has an illustration of both sides of a coin from a rubbing of the original, lovingly and delicately inked. Below is everything anyone could possibly want to know about the coin: number of dies in the designs, the date each went into service, the date each was taken out and destroyed, dates of repairs and re-engravings on each, quantities of each kind of coin struck. There is even a statement about whether or not there are known counterfeits. According the inside cover, the tome belongs to the Royal Assay of the city of TunFaire in the kingdom of Karenta.

A brand new copy of “Volo's Guide to What to Expect When You’re Expecting” with a couple of pages dog-eared in and “Congratulations!” written on the inside cover.

On the Sending Out of the Soul: An eight-page pamphlet on astral projection. The first seven pages of the pamphlet contain vague mystic writing; however, the eighth page details a formula for effecting astral travel. Among the required ingredients are a brazier and a mild hallucinogenic herb. The formula is always successful but has an unforeseen side effect: it invokes the horrid Outer God the Hydra. Knowledgeable PC’s are aware that the pamphlet first appeared a few generations ago and circulated among occult groups. Most copies were destroyed in the wake of a series of grisly murders.

Dictionnaire Infernal: A full description of the hierarchies of demons. This edition includes sixty-nine illustrations of demons by Louis Le Breton a skilled warlock, infamous for trading his soul for legendary artistic talent rather than arcane power or material wealth.

A journeyman’s guide to the proper practices of the guild who oversees the use of Random Artisan Tools. The travel volume includes how to care for your tools and how to interact with other crafters to seek replacement tools and have worn ones maintained. Other chapters detail acceptable prices for goods sold and services rendered along with advice on any specific ethical concerns the guild may have on trading. Most of the book contains descriptions and diagrams on how to perform basic tasks with the tools to the guild’s standards.

A small book, entitled "The Torrid Affair of Knight Gawain,". When placed on its spine it automatically falls open to particularly risqué page.

A personal journal owned by a psychiatrist who was studying the concept of nightmares and their metaphysical properties. The doctor recorded dozens of firsthand accounts of her patient’s slumbering terrors within this volume as well as notes on the patients themselves and how the dreams affected them. A person who peruses the journal for more than a few minutes suffers from a Random Nightmare the next time they sleep. Upon waking they feel compelled to document their experience on one of the blank pages left near the end of the book.

Alchemy of the Flesh: A dark green tome describing how to use a plethora of humanoid viscera and organs to enhance standard potion brewing techniques.

Tome Of The Endless Tale: A small, worn book with fanciful creatures or locales on battered leather covers, the tome’s pages fill with serialized stories that engage and distract the reader. The Tome focuses on a specific genre (See Note) but the stories crafted within the pages are unique to each reader, tailored by the magic from their own imagination and so vibrant that the book’s tales seem to come to life in the mind’s eye. Once per day, the reader can speak the command word written on the book's inside cover to fill its its pages with a serial story tailored to the speaker. This story typically takes 1 hour to read, continuing from where the last tale completed. ---Note: The DM can choose a genre or roll at random; 1, Adventure 2, Romance 3, Mystery / Crime 4, Horror 5, Thriller / Suspense 6, Fantasy 7, Science Fiction 8, Historical fiction.

—Click Here to be directed to the Hotlinks To All Tables post, which provides (As you might have guessed) convenient links to all of the loot and resource tables this blog has.

—Click Here for additional Book Descriptions to give these objects even more personality.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A pulpy horror book filled with short stories made to terrify adolescents and thrill young adults. A creature who reads the book suffers from a Random Nightmare later the next time they sleep.

A large reference book on the subject of minted coinage within the realm. The top of each page has an illustration of both sides of a coin from a rubbing of the original, lovingly and delicately inked. Below is everything anyone could possibly want to know about the coin: number of dies in the designs, the date each went into service, the date each was taken out and destroyed, dates of repairs and re-engravings on each, quantities of each kind of coin struck. There is even a statement about whether or not there are known counterfeits. According the inside cover, the tome belongs to the Royal Assay of the city of TunFaire in the kingdom of Karenta.

A brand new copy of “Volo's Guide to What to Expect When You’re Expecting” with a couple of pages dog-eared in and “Congratulations!” written on the inside cover.

On the Sending Out of the Soul: An eight-page pamphlet on astral projection. The first seven pages of the pamphlet contain vague mystic writing; however, the eighth page details a formula for effecting astral travel. Among the required ingredients are a brazier and a mild hallucinogenic herb. The formula is always successful but has an unforeseen side effect: it invokes the horrid Outer God the Hydra. Knowledgeable PC’s are aware that the pamphlet first appeared a few generations ago and circulated among occult groups. Most copies were destroyed in the wake of a series of grisly murders.

Dictionnaire Infernal: A full description of the hierarchies of demons. This edition includes sixty-nine illustrations of demons by Louis Le Breton a skilled warlock, infamous for trading his soul for legendary artistic talent rather than arcane power or material wealth.

A journeyman’s guide to the proper practices of the guild who oversees the use of Random Artisan Tools. The travel volume includes how to care for your tools and how to interact with other crafters to seek replacement tools and have worn ones maintained. Other chapters detail acceptable prices for goods sold and services rendered along with advice on any specific ethical concerns the guild may have on trading. Most of the book contains descriptions and diagrams on how to perform basic tasks with the tools to the guild’s standards.

A small book, entitled "The Torrid Affair of Knight Gawain,". When placed on its spine it automatically falls open to particularly risqué page.

A personal journal owned by a psychiatrist who was studying the concept of nightmares and their metaphysical properties. The doctor recorded dozens of firsthand accounts of her patient’s slumbering terrors within this volume as well as notes on the patients themselves and how the dreams affected them. A person who peruses the journal for more than a few minutes suffers from a Random Nightmare the next time they sleep. Upon waking they feel compelled to document their experience on one of the blank pages left near the end of the book.

Alchemy of the Flesh: A dark green tome describing how to use a plethora of humanoid viscera and organs to enhance standard potion brewing techniques.

Tome Of The Endless Tale: A small, worn book with fanciful creatures or locales on battered leather covers, the tome’s pages fill with serialized stories that engage and distract the reader. The Tome focuses on a specific genre (See Note) but the stories crafted within the pages are unique to each reader, tailored by the magic from their own imagination and so vibrant that the book’s tales seem to come to life in the mind’s eye. Once per day, the reader can speak the command word written on the book's inside cover to fill its its pages with a serial story tailored to the speaker. This story typically takes 1 hour to read, continuing from where the last tale completed. ---Note: The DM can choose a genre or roll at random; 1, Adventure 2, Romance 3, Mystery / Crime 4, Horror 5, Thriller / Suspense 6, Fantasy 7, Science Fiction 8, Historical fiction.

A cloth-bound book of short stories by famous pulp novelist Cissifin Judeel. The volume is in excellent physical condition.

A bound section that includes chapters six, seven, and nine of some kind of book on mechanical engineering, seemingly torn from a larger work. They describe in enormous detail how to construct an intricate clockwork mechanism, but what it’s supposed to do is left unclear – and, besides, with chapter eight missing you wouldn’t know how to build one of the most important parts…

A cookbook, containing stunningly delicious recipes which, unfortunately, require extraordinarily rare and hard to find ingredients to make. It is no doubt someone's life’s ambition to cook and eat all of them at least once.

An anonymous epic poem about the Brass Spear Prince, full of stirring speeches and descriptions of battle scenes. For many noble travellers, this inspiring story is the reason why they became an adventurer in the first place.

An old bestiary, full of detailed information about monsters and magical beasts. Its sources appear to be approximately one-third hard evidence, one-third rumour or hearsay, and one-third the author's own fevered imagination, with no indication in the text as to which is which. It's information could easily save your life one day if you can only work out which parts of it are actually true...

A strange book whose pages are thin, blank stone tablets bound with knotted leather cords. Skeletons and zombies bow and grovel in the presence of the book.

Phoenix Breviary: A hand-size book bound in what appears to be black ostrich hide. Its pages are empty. Placed in a fire, the book will be unharmed and reveal the canonical hours of a banned cult for as long as it is surrounded by flame. Anything written in it will disappear until revealed similarly.

A joke book, full of genuinely hilarious (If rather mean-spirited) jokes. There are enough one liners alone for hours of belly-laughs and the text would be extremely valued to a jester or entertainer.

An anonymous journal, which records in obsessive detail the suspicious activities of a variety of seemingly-innocuous local citizens, whom the author seems to have been keeping under close observation. Either he was totally paranoid, or they are engaged in some kind of conspiracy. Maybe both.

An instruction manual, which describes in lunatic detail how to build a giant mechanical owl in order to further the cause of righteousness in the land. (The causal relationship between these two things is not made clear.) Chapters 3 through 9, which cover the construction of the owl’s internal mechanisms, have been ripped out.

A book of abstruse speculative philosophy, heavily annotated by some previous student. The annotations to the early chapters are detailed and lucid, but as the book goes on they grow increasingly incoherent, finally lapsing into ravings about a Beast and a City made of Red Steel. Due to the quantity of crazy annotations on its final pages, the last sections of the book are effectively illegible. You've never seen another copy.

An antiquarian manuscript whose author attempts, from the surviving literary and numismatic evidence, to deduce where the major strongholds of the local sorcerer-kings were back in the Age of Wonders. If she’s right, then there are at least three in the area which have been completely forgotten about, one of which is now buried under the streets of a major city…

The memoirs of a famous explorer, describing his many travels. The last chapter describes his plans for his final expedition, from which he never returned. But if the reader can work out where he went wrong, then maybe they'll have better luck…

A catalogue of birds found in this and adjacent kingdoms. Holding the book makes you want to obsessively tick off every species you manage to spot. A former owner of the book seems to have ticked off far more of the really rare ones than you, which causes oddly strong feeling of jealousy. One day, you will surpass him!

A child's sketchbook. On every page that isn't just unintelligible scribbling is a horrific monster.

A book of rather moving and helpfully non-specific love poetry. Memorize some of it for next time you need to persuade someone just how much you adore them!

A notebook in which someone has recorded, in great detail, the gastronomic preferences of a whole range of important and powerful people who live in a nearby large city. Very handy if you want to make a good impression - or to set someone else up to make a bad one!

An extremely spicy erotic novel about the life and loves of a famous courtesan. You keep it with you for, um, further research purposes.

A book of woodcut illustrations, more than a century old, depicting various fantastical monsters. One of them shows a particularly grotesque many-tentacled beastie fighting with a figure in spiked armour, who (Unlike every other figure in the book) has a string of nonsense words engraved beneath them. Disturbingly, these words form an anagram of one of the PC's names.

A book of heretical, politically seditious, and intermittently obscene drinking songs, complete with musical scores. Owning it is highly illegal, but you can’t bear to part with it: after all, it might well be the only copy which survived the purge…

A children's story book with a pressed faerie sprite between the pages...

An engrossing and well-written mystery novel: it's not very deep or clever, but pick it up and you'll soon be wondering where the last six hours went. Handy if you need someone to be distracted without realizing it.

Naga Naga Yo Fraga Blaga: A book whose cover is designed to look as if it was made from green scales, and its pages have golden edges. The volume talks at great length about an ancient race of serpentine creatures of great intellect and natural mastery of sorcery.

Of Gospels and Prophets: A stark white leather cover with gold filigree encompasses this religious reference book. The book does not delve deeply into any specific topic, rather approaches the “mile wide, inch deep” style with no more than 3-5 sentences on any of its entries.

Demozain: A book written by a dozen ur-priests. It makes no attempt to hide the ritual that would summon a sentient black hole to consume a world, but between the lines it reveals secrets of where the gods truly get their power.

A palm-sized notebook that always has at least one more blank page.

A blank spellbook bound in scarred wyvern hide.

Libro Venenum: A vile text filled with pages of aged papyrus and wrapped in dried lizard hide. Translated it proclaims to be the Book (of) Poisons and must be handled with absolute care. The reader is insight into the long-forgotten art of toxic magic, practised primarily by hags.

Folio Malevolence: A profane book whose spine is crafted from the bones of tormented fairies. The pages are all exposed with no actual cover and emit a foul odor. Upon close examination one can see skin has been stretched and matted onto the parchment. The runes on these pages make the reader feel uneasy and waves of hatred flow over them. Good aligned characters will feel immediate aversion to the text. The text itself orders the reader to let malevolence overwhelm then and to lead a life of malice and constant all-consuming rage at the world and everything in it.

A diary that begins quite normal, even boring, but becomes increasingly nonsensical, and the final few pages are indecipherable scrawlings.

A heavy book titled “The Many Faces of Perun”. Dozens of flowers are pressed between its pages.

Opuscule Covetous: A small notebook created with haphazard pieces of vellum tied together with gold wire. If the pages are spread out they appear to be covered in numbered pictures. Anyone who puts the pages in the correct order will see the drawings magically animate. The story they show will be capturing and include scenes of immense wealth and decadence. Those viewing will be intoxicated with avarice and immediately desire the treasures presented in the story. Unbeknownst to the cursed readers this is an elaborate trap set by a witch. What appear to be treasures are actually items the witch herself desires but cannot obtain. Examples would be a sacred holy relic, a newborn child or perhaps a lock of hair from a person pure of heart. No matter what the item they will always appear as something else to the afflicted character. The curse will cease once one or all of the items are obtained and presented to the witch.

A bound album of various portraits and sketches of individual local people and families. Someone went through and meticulously clipped out the heads of all the people in the pictures, leaving the rest of the scenes intact.

A ledger listing quantities and types of Random Humanoid Race bones and teeth along with dates, costs, and prices of sales and purchasing.

A book of anatomy with detailed drawings on xenomorphic creatures completely alien to this plane of existence.

A book of genealogical research of a prominent family in the nearby city, mostly consisting of a bound collection of public announcement posters and firsthand accounts of the local historical society.

The Parchments of Pnom: A manuscript written by Hyperborea's leading genealogist and soothsayer. It is written in the "Elder Script" of that land and contains a detailed account of the lineage of the Hyperborean gods, most notably Tsathoggua.

A beginner’s guide for people learning to play the Random Musical Instrument. The slim volume includes diagrams with all the parts of the instrument along with instructions for proper maintenance and care. Past the introduction the book contains the basics of how to play, along with a dozen simple songs that even someone who is unskilled in the performing arts could learn to play by reading the book and putting in a few weeks of regular practice.

A lengthy tome that boasts as its title “A complete history of the Random Humanoid Species”. The thick tome is dense with small, fine handwriting and goes into impressive (If dry) detail on the known origins of the people along with the high and lows of their past.

A military historical reference book focusing on the construction, maintenance and historical and modern use of the Random Weapon as it pertains to various forms of warfare.

Book of Dzyan: This work is an ancient text from a far away land, which contains “unwelcome truths”—cosmic revelations inimical to any human mind, which the Book tries to reconcile. As such, it describes accounts of mental and physical rites which are protective to mortals, as well as otherworldly threats and how to deal with them. Anyone who casts bard spells can research the spell contrary melody in this book to learn it in place of a 5th-level spell known.

A child’s sketchbook that features named stick figures of various people in a dozen different hands. The cover is marked with a surprisingly ornate rune, almost beautiful, though reading it makes one’s eyes droop.

De Vermis Mysteriis: An eldritch and bizarre spellbook, written by Ludvig Prinn, an ancient alchemist and necromancer who was burnt alive as punishments for his crimes against nature. Its pages are full of spells and rituals that summon strange entities, familiars, and creatures from beyond space and time. It also has a number of rituals for contacting and dealing with Great Old Ones, Outer Gods, and their minions.

A tiny leather bound book that contains a piece of writing such as a story, a poem, a manuscript, or a recipe. Each day, a new piece of writing magically replaces the previous one.

A cookbook, heavily bookmarked and written on, with pictures to accompany each recipe in the book. Licking the pictures allows you to find out how each dish tastes. Writing new ingredients in the recipes alters how the pictures taste. The back of the cookbook has empty pages to allow people to write down their own custom recipes. A few of the pages already have recipes written on them, some of which sound absolutely revolting.

A small novel, in which its 100 pages are used to describe a pebble. It consists of a single run-on sentence, and the description is often repeated throughout the book.

A leather bound book that bursts into flames when opened and extinguishes itself when closed. The book itself is completely fireproof.

A translation manual that teaches the basics for a long lost language. The guide assists the reader in translating basic words and phrases from the lost language into a commonly known language. This manual has significant values in archeological and research circles.

A bible that contains the founding texts of a now extinct religion that was wiped out long ago. This tome chronicles the origins of a murderous and wild sect that broke off from a popular, but now dead, religion. It gives notes on famous individuals this sect claims to have killed, their method in doing so and gives small insight into where more information about this sect may be.

A humble prayer-book bound in homespun cloth. Even with all your knowledge and sophistication, these simple hymns still have an almost supernatural power to soothe your troubled mind.

The Book of The Keeper of The World: A yellow book that is almost as bright as the sun itself. A bloody skeleton is on the cover with a text in an unreadable arcane language, presumably the title. Eating pages of this makes something in the world just disappear out of everyone's mind, a nothingness filling the place it used to be.

A reprint of a banned book, the last copy thought destroyed decades ago.

A ratty journal overflowing with loose sheets of yellowed paper. They are filled with maddened scrawl and diagrams and calculations and degenerate ranting.

A heavy book filled with Holy Scripture from the Loregiver and proclamations of Fate.

A holy text containing the sacred oaths of the first paladins from each paladin order in the multiverse, listing those of Good alignment as examples to strive for while warning against falling to the dark temptations of those who made their oaths for personal gain or other dark desires.

A book containing a list of artifacts designed for dark purposes, primarily those associated with Evil deities, as well as instructions on how to destroy these items. Several items on this list have already been crossed off, presumably destroyed by previous holders of this book.

A large tome that contains what is likely the largest repository of knowledge on healing salves in existence. It lists out materials, costs, where to find each ingredient, and how to combine these ingredients. There is virtually no ailment that cannot be cured by at least one of these restorative mixtures should the text prove accurate.

A small prayerbook that contains a single long incantation that can be used to contact a celestial who specializes in helping unfortunate souls tricked into a contract with a devil find a way out of their unfair bargains.

Book of Ashur: An arcane tome, bound in ancient dragon hide that contains much wisdom on the conjuring and subjugation of spells.

Liber Noctus: A decrepit tome that bristles with dark secrets and eldritch powers. Reading from the grimoire summons dark thoughts and grim deeds.

A blessed tome containing tales of ancient valour, glory, and self-sacrifice are bound to inspire those of noble heart to greater deeds.

A large book, bound in human skin according to the note tied to it, supposedly it was owned by an ancient necromancer during the age of thunder but its impossible to open as the spirits bound by it will lash out at the carrier. At the bottom it reads that it's currently on loan from Candlekeep.

A thick, heavy leather-bound book that contains illustrations and descriptions of over 3000 different kind of animals, plants, fungi, and minerals that can be used as alchemical ingredients, and how to safely collect, preserve, and store them. It was written by a renowned dark elf alchemist and explorer in the north lands. He spent decades studying and experimenting with the various creatures and plants that inhabit that environment, and compiled his findings and recipes in this book.

A worn-out leather book that has a map of the southern land on its cover. It contains detailed descriptions and directions on how to find and harvest rare and expensive alchemical ingredients that grow in remote, dangerous or hidden locations in the southern land.

A green book that has a dwarven hammer as symbol on its cover. It contains detailed secret information on how to use dwarven alchemy, with a specialized focus on creating oils and elixirs to mix into liquid metal alloys during the forging of weapons and armor.

An old yellowish book that has an elegant symbol on its cover. It was written by a legendary elven alchemist who mastered the art of creating healing potions, over the course of more than half a millennia of dedicated focus.

A collection of slim volumes on a variety of topics, including a registry of the nobility, City Watch commanders, and other notable citizens. Blank pages, a vial of ink, a pen. A number of interesting maps.

A single tome that is a combined multi-volumed summa of unified theory of arcane & divine magic, mechanical physics, psionics, and the cosmos.

An old, small, leather-bound, time-worn book with a goat’s head tooled into its cover. The leather is badly foxed and the pages are barely readable. If studied carefully it seems to be the journal of a fiendish cult.

A sketchbook half-filled with disturbingly accurate anatomical studies of various people, the copper plates that cover it etched with a pleasingly abstract rendering of a human heart.

A strange esoteric translation manual that teaches the basics for a long lost language. The guide assists the reader in translating basic words and phrases from the lost language into a commonly known language. This manual has significant values in archeological and research circles.

A hand-written guide by a purportedly self-taught monk on how to manifest and nurture ki powers. Although the information is not grounded in traditional aesthetic principals, anyone with knowledge of ki will recognize some validity to the methods being discussed. It is from an unknown author.

A religious text of an extinct cult that was wiped out long ago. This tome chronicles the origins of a murderous and wild sect that broke off from a popular, but now dead, religion. It gives notes on famous individuals this sect claims to have killed, their method in doing so and gives small insight into where more information about this sect may be.

A bound set of written texts, recording the beliefs of a famous lone wanderer and philosopher. The individual is well-known throughout the land for his beliefs and exploits but it was previously unknown that he had personally committed any of these things down on writing.

A book of spells with particularly elaborate verbal components written in an unknown but important-looking script. Arcane PC's can determine that only one or two minor spells actually work. Extremely close inspection will reveal that the rest of the "incantations" and "magic words" are actually disguised and encoded reports from a deep-cover spy

A worn, leather-bound journal filled with notes and sketches, offering insights into the daily life of its previous owner. There are many blank pages. Reading from the journal causes miniature illusions to appear for others showing the details of the event written, whether truthful or fanciful.

An alchemical codex containing the formulae for various poisons.

A dusty, ancient tome filled with arcane knowledge and forbidden secrets, written in a strange serpentine language and illuminated with intricate flowing illustrations.

A notebook that contains private notes from a psychiatrist about a patient. The first two pages are banal and clinical; by the fifth, they are inscrutable ramblings.

An identifiable book with a dozen assorted silver nails impaling it. The nails look disorderly and haphazardly hammered, with many bent in strange angles. The book is constantly wet, and the title is illegible.

An arcane spellbook that doesn’t seem to have belonged to a single wizard, bearing many different hands and styles across undoubtedly centuries. Many pages are damaged, arcane scribblings made illegible by time and deterioration. On the pages that remain, it seems that many of the spells appear modified in some way.

A well-worn and obviously fake booklet on how to talk to ghosts.

A bound journal filled with sketches of plants and animals.

A medical journal written in a dead language. It's filled with diagrams and drawings of medical dissections of inhuman alien creatures.

The Book of Fate's Mercies: A book that details incidents where people were saved from death by random chance. For example, a barking dog caused someone to walk just a little quicker down the street, which moved them out of the path of a stampeding horse. The last story in the book is about you, potentially causing you to be extremely aware and reactive but utterly paranoid and agoraphobic.

An inconspicuous diary of a young girl named Fyla. At a young age Fyla's talents allowed her to see into the abyss and corrupted her mind. She wrote in detail about the monsters under her bed and her fears of what awaited her when they would finally come for her on her 18th birthday.

The Book of Wisdom: A tome that contains a collection of sayings, stories, poems, and hymns from every known culture, religion, and philosophy. New entries appear at random, as new Wisdoms are collected and recorded by other disciples carrying a copy of the Book of Wisdom.

A spellbook made from high quality blank parchment is covered in tiny runes. When one of these small inscriptions is pressed the parchment changes color.

Tome Of The Spellblade: A soft-covered leather bound treatise containing writings describing, in the most basic terms possible, methods of magical fighting. Even so, the material is fairly dense and requires definition and reiteration of various terms and ideas. Fortunately, it also contains many detailed diagrams.

Fearful Codex of Ancient Wisdom: A weighty volume bound in pale, scaled leather of unknown origin. This magical tome contains a wealth of knowledge both mundane and esoteric, and is inhabited by an archival spirit that will direct the reader to their desired content on request. Unfortunately, the spirit has undergone a great deal of trauma over the millennia and the "fearful" part of the title is now literal. Attempting to simply open the codex and read normally will reveal nothing but blank pages, with perhaps a fleeting glimpse of text slithering away to pages deeper in the book. Only through persuasion can you access the codex. The book has definite dislikes, some of which follow: Being read by firelight is terrifying - paper burns! Natural light is better, but being read outside in the weather is undignified and risky. Magical illumination is best, preferably indoors and someplace quiet. Any kind of liquid nearby is alarming - ink runs and paper is ruined! Don't even think about eating while you peruse the codex. The book doesn't really like to travel either and would prefer to tucked away safely in a library somewhere when not in use. It enjoys the company of other books but isn't fond of other magical tomes, even non-sentient ones. It's also really, really phobic about the number eight, and invariably uses constructions like "two cubed" or "nine less one" in its own text when needed.

[emmkitt]

me:im never gonna post ever agajn… also me:erm hi guys

OK SO!! as a thank you to you all for being aweoske silly goobers/pos i made some freebie object designs just for yall!!! be sure to read the rest of the post so u know all the rules n stuff

including a cut so hopefully the text doesnt take up ur entire screen HHDHD, rules and info are below the cut so hit read more if ur interested in entering!!

SO, im gonna be raffling thes guys off! sorry theres a bit of reading, but dont worry!! you gots plenty of time to read it all :3!!

rules::

-you MUST have a Toyhouse account! this is how i keep track of designs, and by keeping the character on toyhouse i’ll be able to make sure the design isnt stolen. That being said, if you dont currently have a toyhouse account you can still enter!! if you win, i’ll give you a code so you can make an account! (it takes like 2 seconds its ez peasy i promise lmao). I have plenty of codes so don’t feel like you cant participate if you dont have an account hdhd

-PLEASE only enter using one account. I know tumblr is funky and you can like make a morbillion different sideblogs, im relying on the honor system here… I don’t wanna make a rule like ‘if your oldest post isnt older than a week, you cannot enter’ cause i know sometimes people just. dont post. lmao. and that wouldnt be fair to them. I want everyone to have an equal chance, don’t ruin it for everyone else by entering multiple times……please… i beg of thee…

-I don’t really have a strict design ownership terms of service. basically just dont use my designs to spread hate that’s all i ask. idc if you resell or trade or change up the design or whatever just. just dont be a jerk about it. (also spare my poor fragile heart and dont just enter to win the design and resell it…. i want these to hopefully go to people who actually plan to use the design. I understand sometimes you just cant get attached and that’s fine, but if your sole intention is to resell….. yer gonna make poor lil ol me cry…)

-You’ll automatically be entered for each design, however you will only be able to win a maximum of one. If there’s any in the group that you for sure think you will not want/use, just let me know in your reblog! I wont be upset about that!

-Since there’s only four, I won’t be able to give everyone who enters a design :[, if you think you’ll get upset if you don’t win please don’t enter.

-if you have any questions at all just leave a comment and i’ll try to get back to you asap :]!

to enter::

all ya gotta do is reblog! maybe include a random fun fact, or your favorite object show character, or a recommendation for a movie to watch, or literally ANYTHING, entertain me with your rambles!!!! (not required though of course) (also you will totally not bribe me with floory rambles/fun facts I WILL NOT GIVE IN!!!!/silly)

Please please be sure to only reblog once! It’ll make it easier for me to sort through everything!!

no other requirements! u dont gotta like this or comment or be following me just reblogging is all ya gotta do!!

The raffle ends and i will choose winners on March 2nd at 4:00 CST (my timezone yay!!) (it may end a bit later if i end up forgetting … hopefully i wont)

if you will need a toyhouse code if you win you can include that in your reblog just so I’m aware ahead of time!! it will not impact your chances to win… im literally drowning in codes.. take them.. plea…s

I THINK THATS IT??? sorry its a long post but if yall can make it through 40,000 words of gay fanfic you can make it through my 200 word ramble/SILLY

[regsagc]

EU mass surveillance law has been put back on the drawing board

(source)

This Thursday, (20.6.24) a vote was supposed to take place on a law package that would mandate surveillance of all EU chat services. The law wasn't struck down, but simply withdrawn by the proposers because they wouldn't have gotten a majority. It's going to come back in the future, and that is why it is important that people are aware of this.

Under the guise of "saving the children" the law would require the setting up of infrastructure to scan all communications between people in the EU. Actual child protection organisations have described the law as disproportionate and unhelpful. Regardless of suspicion, it would scan and send automatically flagged content to law enforcement.

This would make all chat inherently insecure, as adding a back-door that one party can snoop through, is an obvious point of attack for hackers. Lawmakers seem aware of this, as drafts of the law have included exemptions for military, intelligence agencies and police.

Not to mention the times stuff will be flagged in error, and then end up on the desk of some law enforcement officer or other.

Once this infrastructure is in place, it could easily be adapted to scan for anything else. Allow me to speculate wildly: monitoring drug trades, cracking down on activists, creating a list of queer people in a country, etc. All it would take is another law on top of the first, and experience shows that when the technology is already there, it is a much smaller step to broaden its scope.

Luckily, the law has been put back in a drawer right now, but there are EU countries such as Hungary and Belgium who are still actively re-working it and looking to propose it again at a time when they think it is likely to pass.

[genshin-impact-updates]

"Starlit Sky" — Genshin Impact's Firework Card Collecting and Trading Web Event

Traveler, do you like collecting cards? Paimon found something that might interest you!

"Starlit Sky" — The Firework Card Collecting and Trading Web Event is now available.

>>Click to Take Part in Event<<

〓Event Duration〓

Web Event Duration: February 5, 2023 – February 11, 2023 23:59 (UTC+8)

Prize Draw Results Announcement: February 13, 2023 12:00 (UTC+8)

Duration for Claiming In-Game Rewards: February 5, 2023 – February 19, 2023 00:00 (UTC+8)

〓Eligibility〓

Adventure Rank 10 or above

〓Event Summary〓

During the event, you can collect and trade Firework Cards. Meet certain criteria regarding the types of cards you possess to unlock the Prize Draw and enter it to win physical or in-game prizes!

〓Gameplay Details〓

1. During the event, you can collect Firework Cards and put them in your Inventory. Complete Daily Tasks to obtain additional collection opportunities.

2. Through Firework Swap, you can trade duplicate cards you already own with friends for cards you don't already have.

3. You get one random card each time you collect.

4. When you have all Firework Card types, you will be eligible to enter into the Fireworks Prize Draw. Enter it to win more physical prizes.

〓Event Rewards〓

· Firework Card Collection Rewards

After collecting all 11 Firework Cards, you can get Primogems and other in-game rewards.

· Fireworks Prize Draw Rewards

iPhone 14 Pro Max ×1

PlayStation®5 ×3

iPad mini 6 ×6

*The color and models of the physical prizes are subject to change.

In addition to the physical prizes won by participating in the aforementioned Fireworks Prize Draw, all Travelers who participated in the Prize Draw will receive Mora and other in-game rewards.

〓Notes〓

1. Please log in to the event using your HoYoverse Account and select your corresponding character in Genshin Impact to take part. This will ensure that your rewards can be sent and claimed correctly.

2. Rewards for this event will not be sent automatically to players' in-game mailbox. Please click the "Claim Rewards" button on the page to claim your rewards in time.

3. After confirmation of reward eligibility and confirmation of receipt, the in-game rewards will be distributed via in-game mail. The mail will expire after 30 days, so don't forget to claim the rewards in time.

4. The winner list for physical prizes will be announced on this website at 12:00 on February 13, 2023 (UTC+8). Winners, please fill out your shipping address within the specified period. Winning Travelers who have not provided the required information before February 28, 2023, 23:59 (UTC+8) will be deemed to have voluntarily forfeited their prizes.

5. Please note that the delivery address cannot be changed after confirmation. In order to provide third-party logistics services for the shipment of your prizes, we will be collecting and using personal information such as your address and contact information. The aforementioned personal information will only be used by us and the third-party shipment service provider. We will not disclose any personal information to other third parties without your prior consent.

6. The estimated time for physical prizes delivery will be within 90 business days after the event has ended. The event organizer will contact the winners and notify them of the relevant shipment information in a timely manner after dispatching the prizes. The actual arrival time is dependent on the actual logistics situation.

7. The event organizer will bear the logistics delivery costs of the physical prizes. If tariffs, personal taxes, and other related taxes are incurred due to local policies, winners should declare and bear the relevant tax obligations according to the policies of their country or region. Please refer to the laws and regulations and tax policies of your country or region.

8. You can visit the game's official website for more information on our Privacy Policy. All personal data will be collected and used in strict accordance with our Privacy Policy.

https://genshin.hoyoverse.com/en/company/privacy

9. If you are a minor, please obtain permission from your legal guardian before participating.

10. If you have any questions about this web event, please contact us via email at genshin_cs@hoyoverse.com.

11. This event is hosted by HoYoverse. References to third-party organizations are for informational and identification purposes only, and are not intended to imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation with HoYoverse or the event.

12. This event is not associated with Apple Inc.

[whencyclopedia]

Slavery in the Roman World

Slavery was an ever-present feature of the Roman world. Slaves served in households, agriculture, mines, the military, workshops, construction and many services. As many as 1 in 3 of the population in Italy or 1 in 5 across the empire were slaves and upon this foundation of forced labour was built the entire edifice of the Roman state.

Slavery as An Accepted Reality

Slavery, that is complete mastery (dominium) of one individual over another, was so imbedded in Roman culture that slaves became almost invisible and there was certainly no feeling of injustice in this situation on the part of the rulers. Inequality in power, freedom and the control of resources was an accepted part of life and went right back to the mythology of Jupiter overthrowing Saturn. As K.Bradley eloquently puts it, 'freedom...was not a general right but a select privilege' (Potter, 627). Further, it was believed that the freedom of some was only possible because others were enslaved. Slavery, was, therefore, not considered an evil but a necessity by Roman citizens. The fact that slaves were taken from the losers in battle (and their subsequent offspring) was also a helpful justification and confirmation of Rome's (perceived) cultural superiority and divine right to rule over others and exploit those persons for absolutely any purpose whatsoever.

Aside from the huge numbers of slaves taken as war captives (e.g. 75,000 from the First Punic War alone) slaves were also acquired via piracy, trade, brigandage and, of course, as the offspring of slaves as a child born to a slave mother (vernae) automatically became a slave irrespective of who the father was. Slave markets proliferated, perhaps one of the most notorious being the market on Delos, which was continuously supplied by the Cilician pirates. Slave markets existed in most large towns, though, and here, in a public square, slaves were paraded with signs around their necks advertising their virtues for prospective buyers. Traders specialised in the commodity, for example, one A. Kapreilius Timotheus traded throughout the Mediterranean.

Continue reading...

[mariacallous]

Lobbyists for cable companies and advertisers yesterday expressed their displeasure with a proposed “click-to-cancel” regulation that aims to make it easier for consumers to cancel services.

Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan has said that changes are needed because “some businesses too often trick consumers into paying for subscriptions they no longer want or didn't sign up for in the first place.” The FTC proposed the new set of rules in March 2023, and comments from industry groups were taken this week in a hearing presided over by an administrative law judge.

NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, the primary trade group for cable companies like Comcast and Charter, said the rule would make it harder to offer deals to customers who are trying to cancel.

“The proposed simple click-to-cancel mechanism may not be so simple when such practices are involved. A consumer may easily misunderstand the consequences of canceling, and it may be imperative that they learn about better options,” NCTA CEO Michael Powell said at the hearing. For example, a customer “may face difficulty and unintended consequences if they want to cancel only one service in the package,” as “canceling part of a discounted bundle may increase the price for remaining services.”

Powell said that cable company reps can usually talk customers out of canceling. “Out of millions of cancellations, complaints received by NCTA members amount to only a tiny fraction of 1 percent,” he said. “Three out of four of the cable and broadband customers who called to cancel end up retaining some or all service after speaking with an agent.”

Powell worries that retaining customers will become tougher because, he said, the FTC “proposal prevents almost any communication without first obtaining a consumer's unambiguous, affirmative consent. That could disrupt the continuity of important services, choke off helpful information, and forgo potential savings. It certainly raises First Amendment issues.”

Powell also said the cost of complying—including retraining employees and maintaining records for longer than current practice—could force cable companies to raise prices. He claimed that the FTC's estimate of compliance costs is too low.

FTC: Sellers Must Take “No” for an Answer

The FTC said one of its proposed rules “would require businesses to make it at least as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to start it. For example, if you can sign up online, you must be able to cancel on the same website, in the same number of steps.”

Sellers would also have to obtain customer consent before they “pitch additional offers or modifications when a consumer tries to cancel their enrollment,” the FTC said. Before making those pitches, sellers would have to “ask consumers whether they want to hear them. In other words, a seller must take ‘no’ for an answer, and upon hearing ‘no’ must immediately implement the cancellation process.”

The FTC also proposes that sellers be required to “provide an annual reminder to consumers enrolled in negative option programs involving anything other than physical goods, before they are automatically renewed.”

At yesterday's hearing, the FTC also heard from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a lobby group for the online advertising industry. “The proposed rule would disrupt the current regime by adding specific requirements dictating what auto-renewal disclosures must say and how they must be presented,” said Lartease Tiffith, the IAB's executive VP for public policy.

Tiffith argued that the rule will burden businesses “and restrict innovation without any corresponding benefit. And as the technology develops, these prescriptive requirements will constrain companies from being able to adapt their offerings to the needs of their customers.”

Tiffith defended auto-renewals generally, saying the practice of automatically renewing services brings “significant benefits to both businesses and consumers in the form of cost savings, convenience, and heightened value.”

Cable Lobby Complains About Cost

Powell claims that complying with the rules would require “rebuilding” cable company systems and that the cost “could easily exceed $100 million for initial implementation by our industry alone.” These costs “would likely lead to higher prices for consumers,” he said.

An FTC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking offered a much different take on the costs, estimating that the “annual labor cost for disclosures for all entities is $4,695,800.” That's based on “an estimated hourly wage rate for sales personnel of $22.15” and an “estimate of 212,000 hours for compliance with the Rule's disclosure requirements.”

The FTC said that non-labor costs for complying with record-keeping and disclosure rules, “such as equipment and office supplies, would be costs borne by sellers in the normal course of business.”

Powell argued that the proposal shouldn't be applied to the cable industry. “The ominously labeled ‘negative option’ feature is merely a plan that continues until the customer cancels,” Powell said. "Most such plans present few concerns … In many industries like ours, automatic renewals are the only model that makes any sense. Consumers expect their internet service to flow reliably and without interruption."

The cable lobbyist contended that consumers are happy with cable company cancellation practices, and that adding the rules to “established processes that are well understood by subscribers will create more confusion, not less.”

“Tens of millions of consumers use our services. They know they are paying for continuing service … and they know how to cancel, rarely complaining about the process,” he said. “The FTC's highly prescriptive proposal requiring numerous disclosures, multiple consents, and specific cancellation mechanisms is a particularly poor fit for our industry.”

Referring to the requirement to obtain consent before offering new deals to customers who are trying to cancel service, Powell said that “placing speed bumps on conversations between consumers and providers will deny them a rightful chance at a better deal and providers a fair opportunity to retain a good customer.”

[gowns]

stupid little discount tricks, since people are asking

when shopping online: sign up for the email newsletter. there's usually a signup discount code for 5-15% off. (you can unsubscribe later)

search "website" + "discount code" "coupon code" etc

have a credit card plug in like the one i have that automatically searches for coupon codes

fill your shopping cart then "abandon it" and you might get an email offering you a discount

check social media, because every once in a while a company will advertise a sale or code on an instagram graphic and nowhere else.

keep track of when companies do their seasonal sales and the amounts (kind of playing the long game here). but for instance, when hanna andersson was having a 20% off sale a couple months ago i held off because i knew there was a 40% spring sale coming up. at the end of every season, they do big sales to try to offload things to make room for the new season's inventory.

search for items on reselling sites e.g. poshmark, ebay, etc, and watch the prices and how they compare to retail. depending on the item you may also want to scope out craigslist, fb marketplace. you know that 40% off hanna andersson sale i mentioned? it still won't be as dirt cheap as finding those clothes on facebook.

you know the junk mail you get? that also has coupons... you can play the long game here with some "extreme couponing," comparing the different discounts that come out from different stores at different times.

never buy anything full price, unless it's urgent or some kind of everyday purchase

(this one i learned from my bastard stepfather, it's not great for retail workers but you will usually get a discount): when shopping in person, find a dumb little flaw in an item then bring it up to the cashier and be like "oh there's a button missing (or what have you) can i have a discount?" usually the retail workers are like "ughhhh horrible little man. sure. have a discount." this does not always work and fills me with shame whenever i do it but when it does work. hey. discount!

if you combine all these things you will find yourself never paying full price for anything. discounts forever.

more saving money tricks:

join your local buy nothing group - this is a facebook thing but they're also trying to build up the website. post an "ISO" (in search of) whatever you need and you'd be surprised at what you can find. we got a lot of our furniture and rugs from the buy nothing group when we moved. for freeeeee

(this one sounds like an ad but it's not i just like my service:) to save on your phone bill, use a service like twigby, which will buy out your phone contract and then you pay a discount for the same cell plan / cell towers. i pay only $25 a month for a lot of data and texts. i used to pay like $100 a month for the same. i've had it for years now, nothing shady about it.

keep receipts for everything, you can return most things. if the return policy is strict, begging and pleading works sometimes.

speaking of begging and pleading. you guys know about like, gym memberships and dance classes? i used to do customer service for a ballet studio that used a popular fitness CRM. if people emailed me like "hey my classes expired, can you please put them back :(" i would do it. it's very easy to do it - i'd just go into their account and adjust it. so like, imagine: people who didn't email customer service would just have expired classes. people who DID email me with a sad email like "hey my classes expired can you help :(" would usually get extended classes, refunds, trades for comparable services, etc.

remember all the secondhand sites mentioned above? whatever you buy, you can later resell. it takes a little bit of time to take pictures and write out the details in the reselling posts, but if you're hurting for money it's not a bad way to get $. people will buy random things. computer parts. old video games. furniture. clothes and shoes are very easy to resell on a site like poshmark or depop, but you can also search facebook for certain clothing brands and find B/S/T (buy sell trade) groups. also search for your town + "swap meet" / "classifieds" "resell" / "buy sell trade" etc groups.

(another tip from the bastard stepdad, i do not fully endorse this but hey, it works in times of desperation): to maximize value at a restaurant, you can take things that are out on the table, like sugar, pepper, jam, etc. if you want to get real silly about this you take advantage of free bread / free chips by scooping them all into a tote bag. (i was rattled with shame when my stepdad did this when i was younger but you know what. it's a thing you can do.)

grocery-specific tips:

always look at the number next to the retail price, with the unit price. you want the cheaper unit price 95% of the time. it only doesn't make sense to buy the cheaper unit price when you're buying something for a really limited use. look around the item for similar items and make sure you're getting the best value. this was drilled into me at a young age but not everyone knows about this

always scope out the corners of a grocery store, they usually have a rack of discounted / about to expire food that is usually fine.

there is also dumpster diving which is also usually fine. i don't have too many tips about this because it's not my forte but the tips are out there; when grocery stores are closing they want to just get rid of stuff. so take advantage. weird tip here: go to a farmer's market when they're about to close. a lot of the purveyors just want to go home and will totally sell you their stuff at a cheaper rate so they can pack less into their truck. this works especially well for bread products at the farmer's market because they won't be able to sell day-old bread at the next day's farmer's market.

when you're living high on the hog from all your discounts, make sure you give freely in return. i donate food to food pantries and community fridges; i give away stuff on my buy nothing group + shelters; i put books in the free little libraries; etc.