#Cost of living in Austria

[lionheartlr]

Discover Austria: A Comprehensive Travel Guide

Austria, a landlocked country in Central Europe, offers a fascinating blend of stunning landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture. From the majestic Alps to the grand palaces of Vienna, Austria is a destination that caters to every traveler’s dreams. Brief History Austria has a storied past that dates back to ancient times. It was a significant part of the Roman Empire before becoming the…

[airenyah]

GUESS WHO'S FINALLY SEEING TWOSET LIVE

[reasonsforhope]

"As the world grows “smarter” through the adoption of smartphones, smart fridges, and entire smart houses, the carbon cost of that technology grows, too. 

In the last decade, electronic waste has become one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world. 

According to The World Counts, the globe generates about 50 million tons of e-waste every year. That’s the equivalent of 1,000 laptops being trashed every second. 

After they’re shipped off to landfills and incinerated, the trash releases toxic chemicals including lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and so much more, which can cause disastrous health effects on the populations that live near those trash sites. 

Fortunately, Franziska Kerber — a university student at ​​FH Joanneum in Graz, Austria — has dreamed up a solution that helps carve away at that behemoth problem: electronics made out of recyclable, dissolvable paper. 

On September 11, Kerber’s invention “Pape” — or Paper Electronics — earned global recognition when it was named a national winner of the 2024 James Dyson Awards. 

When she entered the scientific competition, Kerber demonstrated her invention with the creation of several small electronics made out of paper materials, including a fully-functional WiFi router and smoke detector. 

“Small electronic devices are especially prone to ending up in household waste due to unclear disposal systems and their small size, so there is significant potential to develop a more user-friendly end-of-life system,” Kerber wrote on the James Dyson Award website. 

“With this in mind, I aimed to move beyond a simple recycling solution to a circular one, ensuring long-term sustainability.” 

Kerber’s invention hinges on crafting a dissolvable and recyclable PCB board out of compressed “paper pulp.” 

A printed circuit board (PCB) is a board that can be found in nearly all modern electronic devices, like phones, tablets, and smartwatches.

But even companies that have started incorporating a “dissolution” step into the end life of their products require deconstruction to break down and recover the PCB board before it can be recycled. 

With Kerber’s PAPE products, users don’t need to take the device apart to recycle it.

“By implementing a user-friendly return option, manufacturers can efficiently dissolve all returned items, potentially reusing electronic components,” Kerber explained. 

“Rapidly advancing technology, which forms the core of many devices, becomes obsolete much faster than the structural elements, which are often made from plastics that can last thousands of years,” Kerber poses. 

PAPE, Kerber says, has a “designed end-of-life system” which anticipates obsolescence. 

“Does anyone want to use a thousand-year-old computer?” Kerber asks. “Of course not. … This ensures a sustainable and reliable system without hindering technological advancement.”"

-via GoodGoodGood, September 13, 2024

[zhoufeis]

My news reported on the outfit Taylor Swift wore to the latest Chief win.

Side note: I live in Germany, rarely anyone here cares about American Football, I don't search for Taylor Swift news as I do not like her and I really don't think it is important to know what Taylor Swift is doing or where she is going to report on on the daily news when there's a genocide going on in Palestine, people drowning in Czech, Austria, Poland and Germany, and an explosion happening in one of our big cities this morning. But here we are, with me knowing that the Chiefs are a team featuring Travis Kelce who has won the second match this season, although it first looked like they were going to lose. Mind you, my phone gives me updates on American Football matches, only on the Chiefs games though. Despite me never having watched a game in my entire life. I tend to wonder how her fans would like to explain the overexposure...

Back to the point I was going to make. The outfit she wore apparently cost 5,100 euros (that's around 5,700 dollars), another very important thing to know. I just came here to drop this as a reminder why "eat the rich" is a beautiful statement. Do you know how many people could be given food to with this money that this billionaire wore on her body to a fucking Football game? Eat the rich, eat their clothes, eat their shoes, eat their hair, eat their skins. They are living in luxury and exaggeration, in bliss and happiness of expensive clothes and good skin, uncaring for the poor. She isn't a feminist, she isn't an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights or for non-white people. She is a capitalist doll, a mere player in a pre-determined game of Monopoly cause she owns the money of the bank. And for everyone who says she is just a woman with feelings behind her whole stardom - there comes a point when people have so much money and power in the world that it doesn't matter anymore who they are as individuals. They don't become part of the problem, they become the problem. She is there, she's been there for long. And she has the fucking power to decide who is going to be the next president - that isn't stanworthy, kind artist with feelings, that's goddamn dangerous. I don't care about who she has ever been, she's a dangerous woman to the world out there cause she holds power over things she shouldn't.

[growingstories]

Après ski

Axel, beloved the son of a wealthy farmer in Austria, grew up with a natural talent for skiing. During the winter months, their land was transformed into a thriving ski resort. His parents, also ran a renowned ski school, ensured that Axel received the best training and opportunities in the sport.

From a young age, Axel excelled on the slopes, becoming the best skier in the village. His skills took him beyond the local competitions, and he even won the country ski cup and had the honor of competing in the Olympics. However, despite his success, Axel felt the need for a different path and started uni.

After a few seasons as a ski instructor, Axel stumbled upon the world of apres ski. The parents of kids he taught in his premium class were so appreciative of his coaching that they often showered him with gifts, such as bottles of champagne and warm gluhwine. During the day, he would ski off the excess indulgence, staying in incredible shape.

During the spring and summer, Axel hit the gym to maintain his fitness, eager to make the most of the upcoming winter season. He was determined to balance his love for skiing with his newfound enjoyment of the apres ski lifestyle.

However, as the next winter season arrived, the apres ski scene had transformed into a series of binge drinking events and extravagant dinners, all funded by rich parents. Axel found himself irresistibly drawn to the vibrant party atmosphere, indulging in a carefree lifestyle. He would pick up girls at the bar and enjoy passionate encounters every evening.

Unfortunately, the lavish lifestyle came at a cost. Axel began to gain weight rapidly, and by the end of the second season, he had struggled to shed the excess pounds fast enough for the upcoming winter. Even before Christmas approached, he could feel his weight creeping up due to all the festive celebrations in the village.

Regardless of the strain on his uniform, Axel continued to party unabated during the winter season. His weight continued to spiral out of control, pushing the limits of his once perfect physique. At times he attempted to go to the gym, but the physical exertion proved more difficult now with his increasing size.

As the third ski season loomed, Axel's parents presented him with an ultimatum – lose weight or lose his place in the premium ski class. Failing to shed the extra pounds, he was demoted to being an instructor for a regular group. While a less exciting prospect, the change allowed Axel to indulge in his love for ski instruction while partying and feasting without restraint.

The following summer, Axel didn't even bother trying to lose weight. He lounged in the sun by the pool, enjoying endless amounts of food and drink, blissfully unconcerned about his expanding waistline.

By the fourth winter season, Axel had grown to the point where he needed the biggest uniform available. His parents assigned him to a group of adult skiers who preferred leisurely tours and relaxing on terraces. The entire season revolved around indulgent lunches, lively apres ski evenings, and lavish dinners. His focus was no longer on skiing but on consuming as much food and drink as possible.

Throughout the summer, Axel's weight continued to increase, with no sign of slowing down.

The fifth winter season proved to be the most challenging for Axel. His parents entrusted him with a beginners group, which proved embarrassing but ultimately beneficial. With his weight hindering his movement, making tours became incredibly difficult. Despite his struggle, Axel continued to gain weight, trapped in a cycle of inactivity and overeating.

By the sixth season, Axel had become so obese that his parents had to commission a tailored jacket for him, as the largest size available no longer fit. longer No able to ski or instruct due to his weight, he stationed was at the cash register instead. It was a monotonous role, but one that allowed him to continue eating his beloved chocolate without restraint Swiss.

Despite no longer being an instructor, Axel remained the star of the apres ski scene. He reveled in the constant flow of free food and drinks, relishing the attention ad andoration he received from fellow partygoers. Even with his limitations, everyone still knew and revered the once legendary skier turned apres ski enthusiast, Axel.

[whencyclopedia]

The Evacuation of Children in Wartime Britain

The evacuation of children from British cities during the Second World War (1939-45) was the largest population movement the country has ever experienced. Some 6 million women and children voluntarily evacuated from large cities to live with relations, family friends, and foster parents in towns and villages in rural areas much less likely to be bombed by the enemy. Many children were sent even further afield to such countries as Canada, the United States, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Operation Pied Piper

The British government greatly feared the potential loss of life from an air war, and so even before WWII began, a scheme was devised to evacuate children and some women from the cities most likely to be bombed. Operation Pied Piper, as the voluntary evacuation scheme was called, ensured that 4 million women and children were evacuated to safer locations while another 2 million were evacuated outside the government scheme. As it turned out, the government had been correct about the dangers of aerial bombing. Through the course of the war, Germany's bombing of Britain resulted in 60,000 civilian deaths and another 86,000 injured. Of these figures, 15,000 children were amongst the killed and injured. Evacuation of children from cities vulnerable to aerial bombing was carried out by other states during the war, notably in Germany, the Soviet Union, and Japan. Britain's national evacuation scheme, though, was carried out on a much larger scale than anywhere else. The scheme saved lives, but there was a cost as families were separated, and the experience of having to adapt to an entirely different way of life proved traumatic for many children.

The evacuation of children was first seen in Britain before the war had started. Between November 1938 and September 1939, 10,000 children were evacuated from Germany and Austria by parents concerned for the future under Nazi rule; 9,000 of these children had Jewish parents. The children were sent to Britain in the hope, still entertained at this point, that that country might not become directly involved in a war that looked inevitable in continental Europe. As it turned out, British civilian populations would also be subject to attack, this time from the air.

Continue reading...

[itsallpoliticsstupid]

So talk of the election is going to rumble on for a long time, and this means I'm going to be thinking about it a lot. Because I studied American Politics and this is something that is of interest to me, even though I am now more focused on my work in Russia.

And the more I think about the less surprising this result gets. Because if you look at global trends across many Western Democracies (and some Latin American) there seems to be a global shift towards the right Politically.

People are growing increasingly concerned with issues such as immigration and cost of living, both which the right are traditionally seen to give more positive ideas of lowering than to the left.

You just have to look and it can be seen around Europe:

The European Union Elections - A higher proportion of right wing parties gaining seats

Austrian Legislative Election - The FPO (Freedom Party of Austria), winning the most seats and the popular vote.

Dutch Elections - The PVV (Party for Freedom), another right win party winning the most seats.

Italian Prime Minister - Georgia Meloni, the leader of the right wing Brothers of Italy Political Party.

France - If it wasn't for some Political dealings and candidates dropping out of some areas to create a left wing alliance, it is likely that the National Front would have made significant gains and may even be the ruling party.

Even in the UK, the Reform Party gained 14% of the vote share, even though they only gained 1% of seats. I do believe without them we would have had a closer election result than we did.

I mean these are just a few examples. But it notes that there is a rise of the right wing across the world. So really, this result shouldn't have been a surprise to anybody.

[petrodragonicapocalypse]

GizzMay 2024 !

(a retrospective tour diary by me)

🦎✈️🎵

king gizzard & the lizard wizard announced their 2024 world tour last november with a promise to "get woke, freak out the right wingers and love each other", so i, a like any normal person working a minimum wage job, immediately bought tickets to six shows.

read about the best 2 weeks of my life here (if you wish)

part 1: hamburg & amsterdam

after half a year of planning, studying google maps, scouring airbnb for cheap rooms and wincing at the cost of transport, me and my lovely girlfriend bennie (the person who first showed me polygondwanaland back in 2019) set off on our long-awaited trip on tuesday 21st may 2024. we were going to follow the band for six shows over two weeks across four countries. neither of us had ever done something like this before.

to kick off the trip, we flew from bristol airport to amsterdam, where we were due to transfer to a flight to hamburg. typically, a thunderstorm meant our hamburg flight was cancelled, so they sent us on a detour to vienna. we ate a slice of airport pizza in austria, tried not to panic and finally rolled into hamburg at around 10pm.

hamburg

the next day (22nd may) was our first gig. with around 4000 people and a 3 hour marathon set, this was gonna be the biggest and longest show of our section of the tour, and the only outdoor one. we queued from 1.30pm (early for europeans!) outside the venue, stadtpark arena. soon, the eerie sound of synths began emanating from inside the gates, then morphing into a soundcheck for the never-played-live-before silver cord, vocoder and all, and excitement amongst the fans was stoked. the weather forecast looked ominous, but spirits were high.

at around 3pm, it started raining. it poured relentlessly on the growing line of gizzheads in ponchos clutching poster tubes and beers for 3 hours until the venue gates finally opened. we ran to the front. we were hyped. we stood for another hour while rain and mist blew around the arena and thousands of fans filed in.

finally, just as the rain died down a bit, king gizz ran out onto the stage. the slightly delirious state induced by 2 oreos for dinner and freezing my tits off for 4 hours was almost as good as drugs. all thought of the water running down my back and legs disappeared. fuck yeah!!! king gizzard!!!

the rain soon came back in full force but we didn't care. float along fill your lungs was a fantastic opener, followed by banger after banger: a nonagon suite, work this time and iron lung (with ambrose braving the weather and emerging out onto the exposed walkway in the chorus to splash around in the puddles), to name a few. then, out rolled the highly anticipated new synth table and the boys launched into the 27 minute long live debut of the silver cord.

personally i was full of joy, whimsy and love for techno so naturally i thought this was fucking awesome, but reactions from the crowd (and from the "online community" a.k.a. redditors... haha) seem to have been mixed. it was 27 minutes long, we were cold and wet, the sound was a bit dodgy, etc etc. whatever. i was vibing extremely hard.

however, any dampened spirits were very quickly raised again by the epic 7 song metal run that ended the show. the crowd went wild - turns out moshing does wonders for the cold. i heard what ended up being 2 of my all time favourite live gizz songs for the first time: organ farmer and motor spirit. it kicked ass.

we made it back to the hotel soaking wet and probably bordering on hypothermic after over 7 hours in the rain. had a hot shower and then spent the rest of the evening attempting to dry our clothes and shoes with a hairdryer before our flight the next day. did not smell good.

🦎✈️🎵

amsterdam

we flew from hamburg to amsterdam schiphol on 23rd may, with at least 5 other gizzheads (easily recognisable by their poster tubes and t shirts) dotted around the plane. we arrived to a beautiful city on a beautiful sunny day and (obviously) headed directly to the weed shops. edibles legally purchased, we dumped our stuff at the airbnb and took the train to the venue: AFAS live.

waiting in the line, it was easy to spot who'd been at stadtpark the night before from the mud on their shoes. but the weather that afternoon was sunny and warm and the line was happily buzzing. we met some cool people including a person in a long yellow coat who was drawing huge oil pastel posters for the show - rad as hell and an iconic figure of the tour (i believe they gave the band a poster that night!).

once in the venue, we settled down by the barrier (it's always worth the wait!) and chatted with some swedish guys and a friendly australian, far from home. the support band was dr sure's unusual practice, a lively melbourne based punk act with a wild-haired wild-eyed frontman, filling in last minute for grace cummings who had to cancel several shows due to illness. they put on a great show, during which stu and lucas surreptitiously appeared to watch the band from the wings a few feet away from us. we gave them a wave, and stu shot us a wink.

the setlist that night was fucking incredible. gizzard opened with the mighty crumbling castle, a song that i'd been dreaming of seeing live ever since i first heard it 5 years ago. it was better than i ever could have hoped, with the weed brownie kicking in and the stage lights becoming kaleidoscopic. the band was energetic and the vibes were electric. stu overshot a high kick, fell on his ass and managed to hop back up without missing a lyric. self immolate - dragon - flamethrower - gila monster was unreal. joey used a quiet moment in pleura to stage-whisper "free palestine!", eliciting cheers.

somewhat hilariously in retrospect, during the hypnotic drone of rattlesnake me and my girlfriend both suddenly realised we were way too high. i have vague memories of the second half of the gig, including the han tyumi suite (REALLY REALLY MAD I MOSTLY MISSED THAT) and an honest-to-god terrifying moment in which joey and ambrose walked to the front of the stage, crouched down and stared directly at us for what felt like an undefinable amount of time. ultimately though - despite our tenuous grip on reality and the fact that we somehow got lost in a train station for an hour on the way home and spent the next full day in a semi-stoned stupor - it was a fantastic show. lesson learned: the dutch do not play about their space cakes.

after a day of recovery (let's just skip over that) and a lovely morning spent wandering around amsterdam taking in the sights, bennie and i made our way back to the airport to say our goodbyes. she was going home and i was travelling on to hit up the northern UK shows. despite knowing we'd see each other again in a week for the acoustic UK finale show in brighton, it was weirdly emotional. i was a little nervous about travelling alone, but excited.

🦎✈️🎵

(end of part 1, part 2 coming soon!)

[callofdudes]

König angst please please please!

I did struggle a little because I didn't have much context with this one. But I did come up with a little something for König angst. Thank you anon 😊

Tell me their Name, paint me in blood.

Summary: König never expected to get kidnapped, and he never expected to be interrogated on a familiar name from his past.

Word count: 2.9K+

Cw: angst, torture, talks of trauma, childhood friends Reader and König. Two lines of probably improper German.

König opens his eyes, gasping as cold water hits his face, freezing his cheeks and drenching his chest and legs. His eyelids feel heavy, water dripping from his bottom lip. Bright light invades his eyes, making him shy away, trying to get used to it.

"Wakey wakey," A voice comes from his left, a man walking closer, throwing the water pale to the ground with a clatter. König attempted to move before realizing he was secured tightly to a chair.

The man walked faced him, hands behind his back. "Verdammtes Licht…" (fucking light) König hissed, blinking rapidly.

"Sie werden sich daran gewöhnen." (you'll get used to it) The man replied, smug at revealing he knew the mother tongue.

"Whatever you want, I won't give you," König replied sharply.

The man hummed, reaching forward and grabbing Konig by the jaw, twisting his head to look him in the eye. "You have no idea what I could do to you. My name is Snake, and I already know yours. We're looking for a friend of yours, and you're to give me answers. Now."

König grunted. "I know no one!"

Snake frowned. "Not true. You see, we know your name and that you have a connection to a soldier named Y/n."

König's eyes widened.

Snake raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I thought so."

Y/n… No, no. König grits his teeth. "I don't know anyone like that. It's a dead end for you."

Y/n and him were childhood friends. Well, until he had to move from where he was living to Austria. You were an exchange student staying for a couple of years to finish school. You were friends right up until König left. You had always kept in contact. You were a dear friend to him. But when he joined the military, the connection stopped.

Snake gripped König's hair, pulling him forward. "You are lying to me. That little rat has been fucking us up, and you just so happen to know who the fuck they are. So don't play dumb with me."

König refused. He wouldn't. And besides, hearing your name was too painful.

Snake growled. "You don't have a choice here. I will make you talk. And it will only be more painful the longer you keep quiet."

König was stubborn, and it was about to cost him.

You woke up with your arm numb and aching. You blinked at the clock. Who on earth? You looked back at the window when you heard a rhythmic tapping. You sat up, ringing out your arm previously positioned behind your head.

Getting out of bed, you went to the window and opened it. Seeing none other than your favourite German boy. "König, what are you doing??" You rubbed your eye, yawning.

"I couldn't sleep again. I'm sorry to bother you, but you didn't answer my texts."

"Well, it's two in the morning." You sighed, stepping back. "Come get comfy then." You knew you couldn't shoo him away, watching him leave like a sad puppy who did something wrong. So König climbed into your window, brushing himself off and looking around again. "Ah- thank you."

"Come on, get some sleep."

You walked back to your bed, attempting to make room for König to slip in with you, and he did. Your first sleepover had been hesitant. He refused even the thought of sharing a bed with you. And when you were curled up on the couch later, he realized how nice it was, and things spiralled.

His arms wrapped around your waist, holding your back to his chest, keeping you securely against him.

"Thank you…" He whispered against your neck, closing his eyes softly. Attempting to let the stress go and relax. It was just you and him. All this drama going on between his parents wasn't happening.

He didn't hear them arguing again. There wouldn't be a divorce.

And you were there with him through it all.

A harsh slap sent him spiralling back into reality as Snake left a searing mark on his face. "Head up!" He demanded, the door opening and two other men entering.

König's eye twitched, he was tempted to spit on the ground before them.

One of the men was carrying a large metal toolbox.

Snake smiled. "This is the part where you tell me what I want to know, or… I won't be so nice."

König's eyes narrowed. He eyed the box, then Snake. His heart pounded. He could tell them. He honestly didn't know anything. All he knew was he joined the military and tried to move on.

Head in the game. His heart stuck back in that room with you. Back where you comforted him, hands wiping away his fallen tears and reminding him how much you loved him.

It made his stomach twist, and his heart clench, thinking of your smile. The face that still plagues his mind, infesting him like a virus.

"Nothing?" Snake asked, raising an eyebrow. "So be it."

König watched as the man put down the box and unlocked it, revealing the items inside. There were needles, hammers, pliers, and other items that would be used for torture.

König's eyes widened. "Fuck you!"

"That can be arranged. Unless you want to give me what I need to know." Snake pulls out one of the items, König's eyes watch it as Snake hands it to one of his men. A garrote.

The man moves behind König, who attempts to wriggle, snapping the wire around König's throat. He tightened it around Königs pulsing neck. König choked, trying to move back, feeling the tightness starting to dig its way into his flesh. The wire was thin and strong enough it easily sliced and drew blood while cutting his oxygen.

Snake leaned forward. "You have two options: tell me, or die slowly."

König wheezed. "F-Fuck off…" He gurgled on his blood that attempted to rise, and the man pulled back, letting König take a few deep breaths before tightening it again. König grits his teeth, looking up at Snake. He wouldn't release information. That's not what all this training was for.

But then, the wire was released, the soldier removing it from his neck covered in blood. The line where the skin was ripped along König's throat started to trickle blood faster.

Snake sighed. "You're an idiot. And it's your loss."

König breathed heavily, spitting blood out of his mouth and glaring up at Snake.

"Now, we could get to the good stuff," Snake said, pulling out a hammer.

König's heart raced. The hammer twisted in Snake's hand dangerously, suddenly swinging it and ringing it down on König's hand, smashing his knuckles. König tried to hold in his noises, grunting as the hammer lifted and hit the other hand, smashing down hard, and König heard a crunch, letting out a noise of pain this time.

"Where is Y/n? I will get it out of you," Snake said, twisting the hammer in his hand.

König tried to blink through the pain, his mind foggy and drifting, imagining you again. Waking up that next morning with you still in his arms. Hand running down your cheek, seeing how peaceful you were with you.

When all was said and done, you two could graduate together. And who knows, he hoped his life continued. No matter how his plans for the future seemed or how bleak the way. He wanted you to be with him.

Your eyelids fluttered open softly, looking up at him. "Hey there, big guy." You whispered. The way you said it never made him feel self-conscious about his height. It made him happy to hear you.

"Morning." He whispered back.

You leaned in, settling your head on his chest, wrapping an arm around him.

Those arms were cold as he stirred, head forced back as another bucket of water was brought in. Bringing him back to reality as the cold water was presented. One of the men, still with a tight grip on his hair, shoved a dirty rag in his mouth, covered in God only knows what.

He gagged, and the bucket was lifted to his face and poured. His vision was blurry as the water entered his nose. The rag blocked any oxygen he attempted to breathe in, and he gagged and coughed as he suffocated. He tried to thrash, but they held his head up, forcing the water down his throat and up his nose.

His heart was racing, his hands burned, and so did his throat. His mind raced as he was unable to get air. It wasn't long until his head started to become fuzzy, the blackness at the edges of his vision threatening to swallow him up.

He started to slip away, only to be pulled back, the bucket removed. And the rag from his mouth, allowing him to choke out what was obstructing his oxygen. Water pooled down his lips and chin, gasping for air and coughing violently.

Snake again right there, on him like a hunter on fresh prey. He pulled out a photo and showed it to him. König fought for his vision, panting as it focused in again, seeing the photo.

It was you. A gun in hand, looking down the sight, sharp eyes focused on the target. You were wearing a SpecGru outfit.

He panted. That was you.

"Where. Is. Y/n?"

König shook his head. "I don't know! I don't know anything about them!"

Snake growled. "I will make you regret this."

König stared down at the photo. Seeing you, seeing your face again. He smiled. His vision went blurry again before his head was shoved back into the bucket, choking and forced to take more water. His lungs burned, and his head felt heavy again as the water continued to invade every orifice it could.

He struggled, inhaling water from every angle. Seeing your eyes again. Remember looking into them in slight glances from a classroom full of other people. Seeing how you lit up when you saw the book you'd wanted at the library. Laughing with him over coffee while your homework was spread out without a care.

And your laugh… God, he really wasn't over you. He thought that if he forced you away from himself enough, you would leave. That you would wriggle from his life, and the pain would stop.

The pain of missing you every day. The pain of knowing you were an enemy now. The pain of his lack of oxygen made his head swirl and circuit, trying to fight.

His own tears mixed with the water as he thrashed for his life.

And he was pulled back up.

"Please," König pleaded, gasping for breath as Snake took his time, looking over the photo once more.

"Please! I don't know where they are, please believe me!"

Snake looked back at König, his eyes narrowed. "Then you will die for nothing."

König choked, the rag shoved back into his mouth, and the water poured back into his throat, pouring down on him.

He tried to struggle as he felt burning in his sides, blood dripping from his thighs, screaming and thrashing for any way out. They continued to inflict more pain on him. He tried anything he could do…

"Hey, Hey, König…" You stopped him, seeing the tears flooding down his cheeks. "Shh, what's wrong?" You let him inside, closing the door, and he shook, wrapping his arms around you.

You held him back, having a feeling you knew what this was. He didn't let go, keeping you close to him, burying his head in your shoulder, shaking violently.

"What happened??" You asked quietly, running your hand down the back of his head. He sniffled, so upset and scared. "The divorce is final…" König's voice shook.

"König… I'm so sorry." You knew how hard this was for him, holding him tightly.

"She's taking us to Austria next month." His voice broke, clinging to you. He may never see you again. The realization hit you as you

hugged him back, tears filling your eyes. Clinging on as tightly as you could. "König…"

You both kneeled on the cold tile floor, holding each other, being with each other. The last thing he got to do was hug you. You were in his arms one more time before he left on the plane. The following years of his life were torture, living with new people.

And he didn't have you to turn to. He could call you on the phone, but couldn't hold you. He couldn't see you face to face. He couldn't climb in your window to cuddle you for grounding…

He didn't feel like he ever really had a chance to say goodbye. And that haunted him.

He thought he could get over it… Get over you. How it took him now to realize this. How you always found a way to run back into his life and shatter the illusion that he was holding himself together alone perfectly fine.

Knowing that he'd die a foolish man.

His mind was spinning, barely realizing his body gasping for air, choking and vomiting, trying to grasp reality, but the torture kept coming.

His heart was racing, and he wasn't sure if his hands were numb from being smashed or his head was fuzzy from the lack of oxygen. The blackness was closing in on him, and he felt so faint.

His ears rang, unable to make out Snake's voice. He felt hot. Like he was burning up.

He was going to die. He would never see you again. You would never know…

And he wouldn't ever get to tell you.

How he loved you.

The last thing he saw was the photo. The only thing he could hear was your voice.

His body blocks out the hammer that collided with his temple or the blade that slashes into his abdomen. Tears stream down his cheeks, fading more and more as he's preyed on.

"We will find them. And we will kill them. Just like we will kill you." Snake's voice finally smashed through the sweet illusion of his death. Of his demise with you right in front of him. Wishing he could hold you.

Wishing he could cry to you. Wishing… So much wishing… He had so many wishes that would never come true.

The cut was deep, and he could barely feel it.

Snake looked at his work. König was gone, the look in his eyes was empty. He had been here before. Where König was now. He could see it in his eyes. His mind was trying to save him from the pain.

The fucked reality he's been living in where he's never tried to pick up and call you.

Where he blamed everything for what happened. He blamed himself for it all. And now you were back. You always came back for him. You never left him.

Snake's eyes narrowed, looking back at the photo. "Take him away. He's useless."

The men followed orders, carrying König away to be dumped.

And you. You were in danger. Snake would get to you one way or another. He would have his revenge.

And König would die.

König would never get to see you again.

The one person he wanted to hold in his arms again.

You were about to wake up that morning, and he was nowhere to be seen. But instead, you were woken up by a knock on your door.

And your world shattered.

You didn't get to say goodbye.

Your father gave you the news the plane had left, and König was gone. He'd hugged you the night before, but you never got to say goodbye. Tears filled your eyes, knowing you wouldn't see him in person again for a long time.

But you were determined to be in his life. One way or another. Even if it wasn't meant to be. You should have given up. Trying to stay got him killed. It would get you killed. And no one would win except your enemies.

But you refused to let him go.

You would find him.

No matter what it costs.

"König," you said, reaching up and touching his cheek. His eyes slowly opened, looking down at you, his eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry." You whispered. König reached out to touch you, ignoring the cold feeling in his body as he lay among the trash for his life to fall away. He ignored the blood and the pain he felt. Tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back…" He choked out, shaking.

You smiled, "It's okay, I'm here now."

König choked on a sob, holding onto you tightly. You were cold. Your arms which he'd loved so much when he was younger were frigid, but he couldn't let go.

He would never let go.

You held him back.

His eyes closed, and the ringing filled his ears, everything around him falling away as he held you. And soon, that too was gone. The illusion of you. His body gave up its fight, and he slipped away. Lying dead on the cold ground, soaking wet, bleeding, broken.

You always wanted to be together, one way or another.

And life vowed to keep you apart. One way… or another.

[mariacallous]

Regardless of who wins the US presidential election on November 5th, Pax Americana’s obituaries��are now being drafted. They should be long ones. The Atlantic alliance was one of the most distinctive and seemingly durable features of post-war Europe. It brought security and freedom to tens of millions of people for decades, first by preventing Communism’s spread, then by winning the Cold War, and thereafter doubling NATO membership from 16 in 1989 to 32 now. 

True, the American-led security order was never healthy and lived riskily. The European end was cranky and often unreliable. Endemic underspending on defense strained American patience over many decades; so too did idiosyncratic decision-making, especially in France. Ungrateful or paranoid “peace” campaigners depicted the US nuclear presence in Europe as a menace, not a safeguard. Many Europeans were outraged by failed American wars in Indo-China in the 1960s and 1970s, by the “Global War on Terror” after 2001, and shunned the looming hard confrontation with China.

If the alliance was troubled, so too was the peace it brought. It failed to stop the Kremlin’s murderous cold-war rampages in the captive nations of Europe, and initially let Slobodan Milosević run riot in ex-Yugoslavia. “Europe whole, free and at peace” was an admirable motto for the post-1991 era. But it did not stretch far or firmly enough: Ukrainians are paying the price for that right now. 

A successful attack by Vladimir Putin on a NATO country may deal the decisive final blow, but the deadly rot started earlier. For decades US administrations urged fortitude on Europe. Now the Biden administration is so scared of escalation that it refuses to allow beleaguered Ukraine to use donated deep-strike weapons inside Russian territory. As a result, Ukraine’s front is crumbling under the daily onslaught of guide bombs and other munitions launched from airfields that defenders are not allowed to target. The US also prevents its NATO allies from responding promptly and decisively to Russian “sub-threshold” attacks: intrusions and other dirty tricks. 

Accelerating protectionism adds another dose of trust-killing poison: a decade ago, the US and Europe (and Pacific allies, too) could have built a giant common economic governance zone with not just free trade but common rule-setting. Instead, these countries chose selfish, short-sighted grandstanding. They are all poorer and weaker as a result.

As US influence ebbs on the continent, European countries are falling like dominos. Russia’s web of dirty tricks, economic ties, propaganda, and spycraft has snared Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria already, with Georgia and Bulgaria next – and more looming. 

Yet seen from Washington, European allies are mostly barely worthy of the name. Militarily, they are too small or backward to operate alongside high-tech American forces. The more advanced ones, such as Britain, lack the stockpiles to join any operation for long. Nor do they have much to offer on other fronts: diplomatic, economic, or cultural. Why pick up the tab? 

These flaws did not need to be fatal. Europe could easily be a more effective and capable ally and the US a more resolute and far-sighted one. But both sides enjoyed carping on about the alliance more than they cared to invest money and political capital in preserving it. When it is gone, they will miss it. European governments, having refused to pay the relatively modest costs of sustaining Ukraine and maintaining adequate defenses within NATO, will now face the colossal bill for running their own security. Americans, facing intensifying geopolitical competition, may miss their old allies—especially if some of them flip into the Chinese camp. 

No flowers, please. Instead, donations to any European military budget will be gratefully appreciated.

[fernandomagicalonsomanydances]

Alright before the Spanish GP I had posted my top ten favorite drivers now that we've got a break here's the new list

Carlos Sainz - this is never changing. I got into F1 because of him. Now if only he'd announce where he's going next

Fernando Alonso - and much like some of his famous on track overtakes this man has come outta nowhere to steal 2nd place courtesy of scratching my millennial brain in all the right places and being a meme, a legend, a chaos gremlin and a sex god

Esteban Ocon - is he still a problem child? Yes. Do I still love him and want him to have a redemption arc? Also yes. Este my brother just settle your ass down

George Russell - the man shouted a Flintstones quote upon winning Austria, he's so sweet to his gf, and in general is just very polite and caring if also a bit adorably awkward at times. Plus the Goat Simulator stream video lives in my head rent free

Daniel Ricciardo - literally the male high performance athlete version of me. Except I'm actually from Texas and I think I may act less Texan than that man does

Logan Sargent - I'm American and he's our only driver and while on the track he's been a bit of a disappointment I love that he has been nothing but class as a person. Also he legitimately looks like Captain America fucked an apple pie he's just SO American

Oscar Piastri - I just love Lando's tired parent Oscar who's just so delightfully dry. He's my fav baby on the grid. Must protect Piastri at all costs

Charles Leclerc - I got into this sport because of the C² videos so he's always gonna have to show up in these lists even if he had that "ding dong" with Carlos that made me wanna smack him in the head with a toaster because Carlos is always so supportive of his team mates and Charles was not matching the energy that week.

Lando Norris - he's so sweet with the kiddos and just such a kid himself he's a delight. Also really mate? You just yeet Oscar's shoe away? Lol

Alex Albon - I don't know if anyone on the grid could be purer. He's made of snowflakes and powdered sugar and dandelion fluffs. He is too pure for this world and unlike Oscar who absolutely can look out for himself cause he's a badass I legitimately want to bubble wrap this precious nugget

Honorable mention my trauma vehicle Max Verstappen who still inspires me when it comes to healing from a hard ass dad but I can definitely do without a Verstappen win so he didn't make the list lol

[bunnytalksf1]

McLaren are fastest. So why do they keep losing out?

The general consensus for the duration of the triple header (since Monaco, for some people, who aruged that Piastri's fastest sectors proved that he could have taken pole with an "ideal" lap). For the purposes of this post I'm going to count Barcelona as the first race they were fastest.

So, what unravelled them? For the most part, it's Norris. He just can't seem to shake up under pressure, and it's costing them results bigtime. He started on pole in Barcelona, and a stupid, overly defensive move that pushed Verstappen onto the grass cost him two places when George Russell jumped down the outside and kamikaze'd his way into the lead. This was Norris' fault, he drove desperately, and made a very difficult job for himself to catch up later in the race, and ultimately couldn't do it. The gap to Verstappen was still two seconds, in the end.

I don't want to stoop to the lows of the stuff I'm seeing online about Norris, but what I will say is this: he seems to really struggle under pressure. This isn't just when he's in a championship fight, it was making the difference in the stint of races last year where McLaren had a competitive car. Qatar, where Piastri won the sprint, Lando had issues with track limits. The inability to keep cool under pressure really affects him in quali, and he tends to underdeliver. He's not a Leclerc, or a Verstappen in quali, where they push and push. I can handle a mediocre qualifier. His racecraft is more than enough to make up for it, and his overtakes are usually smooth and calculated.

Then we go to Austria. Verstappen is making the difference this whole weekend and starts the sprint from pole, Norris from P2. The McLaren is faster and by lap five, Norris was brave and lunged down the inside, but he got worse traction. He came from very far back, and his acceleration out of the corner was sub-optimal, allowing Verstappen AND Piastri to collect him in the next corner where he also ran wide. And then after that he got stuck behind Piastri, who is typically slower in race trim, and Verstappen checked out, losing the win. I do think in the sprint it was less of a indicator of Norris' lack of quality and more so an indicator of the quality of the racers around him in PIA and VER.

Same order for the GP. Norris started P2. Honestly, I turned the race off as Verstappen checked out and my ferrari heart couldn't handle the race after charles' lap one contact (lol, if only i knew about today!!) and then my friend turned around and showed me the george russell graphic, so I didn't watch this live. Clumsy racing from both VER and NOR cost both of their races, VER moving under braking and NOR with divebombs that were never going to work or stick.

The issue for me in Austria is that the damage to Norris' car was manageable to go back out and fight for points, which he sorely needed. He made the call to retire, as far as I'm aware. If I'm correct, he did have to pit twice regardless though, so I'm not sure if that was an influence. The decision to DNF cost them valuable points (even if the max was only two or four, he should've gone back out) and extended Verstappen's lead.

Now we go to Silverstone.

Honestly. A brilliant race. You can argue that Norris and Piastri both underdelivered slightly in quali, but Mercedes were rapid, and Hamilton (at Silverstone, at least, lol) and GR are phenomenal qualifiers. P3 for Norris, P5 for Piastri (after they screwed him with timings on his last Q3 run).

Here's where I'm going to criticise McLaren. Both Lando and Oscar did a phenomenal job today. By the time it was time to pit for inters, Lando and Oscar were P1 and P2, after mistakes from both Mercedes drivers. They then pitted Lando for inters from the lead and left Oscar out, and he lost position to both Mercs, Verstappen and Sainz. Working up to the last stint on slicks, oscar managed to pull back past Sainz, but Norris led the race.

Hamilton pit first, and went to the soft, with twelve laps left to go. The McLaren pit wall had already put Piastri onto the mediums at this stage and the team had all the data, and a new set of mediums. They then asked Norris which tyre he thought was best, and went on a used soft to "cover Hamilton". This, as most of the pundits have already pointed out, was the wrong call, and probably lost McLaren the race win. Norris blamed himself in the post-race media, but it's much less a driver issue here than it has been in previous race weekends.

McLaren has a long standing issue where they seem to over-rely on driver feedback rather than the data that they collect, which is frustrating to look at. The internet at large can be incredibly cruel, and its trendy to hate on Norris right now. Whilst I don't like him, nor rate him as highly as I do LEC/VER/HAM, he's definitely earnt his place on this grid and he's got some very good racecraft. Onto my point: Sochi 21 was NOT HIS FAULT. Controversial opinion, I'm aware. But as a team, you don't trust your drivers, particularly when your driver is a 20-year-old under immense pressure for his first race win in F1. The team had the data, it shouldn't have been a discussion. Pit for inters, pit for wets. Yes, Norris' attitude was awful, but Verstappen is similar with his engineer, and I can't blame him when he wanted it that badly. The team needs to take unequivocal responsibilty for its strategy, and rely less on dialogue with their drivers. They don't have the data. And today was a prime example of that.

Norris would have won today on the mediums. Piastri also could've been in the hunt had they double-stacked. But this is a problem that has existed for a long time and needs to be changed fundementally: the team has the data. Make the strategy decisions, and let them drive. It doesn't always cause them problems, but neither driver is used to fighting at the front and they need their team to lean on. That's the point of a strategy department.

Although Andrea Stella acknowledged much of this, so hopefully the only way is up?

[blueshistorysims]

October 31st, 1923, London, England

Out of the parties the Porters were known for, it was their Halloween party they were infamous for, and anyone who was anybody was invited, not just friends and acquaintances. Byron thought it amusing, seeing everyone dressed up in elegant costumes that likely cost a pretty penny. They ranged from cute, like Wilhelmina’s ladybug ensemble, to well, his sister’s extremely accurate gown of Empress Elisabeth of Austria she’d made herself. He had not a clue where she’d gotten such a fine wig, nor did he want to know. 

Of course, Byron was less focused on the party, but rather the two women who were talking near his sister and her paramour. He’d never seen them before, but the woman dressed as a Greek god looked rather familiar, though he couldn’t place why.

“I wonder who those lovely ladies are.”

Montgomery, who’d been in a sour mood for most of the night, turned his head and looked generally surprised. “Oh, don’t ya even think ‘bout it.”

“What? You know Miss Dionysus?”

“That’s Miss Eleora Balass.”

“...Like the Richer-Than-God Baghdadi Jew Balasses?”

“Aye. I’m her father’s personal physician.”

“You? Salim Balass’ personal doctor? He’s everything you are politically against.”

“I think he likes havin’ someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind. We get into such arguments, and I’m afraid I’ve pushed too far, and he’ll fire me, but then the next day he’ll invite me to lunch and we’ll laugh over it.”

The Balass family were one of the wealthiest families in the world—Salim Balass being the fourth richest man in Europe, and listed as one of the top twenty wealthiest men in the world. They had made their fortune as merchant and traders, rising to power in the Mughal Empire before moving their base of operations to India after being forced to flee Baghdad in the early 19th century, where they established control over the Indian cotton industry, moving to Great Britain as their home in the late 1880s. 

“Well, what’s Miss Balass like?”

Montgomery sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No.”

Byron couldn’t help but smirk. “Introduce me. I’ll force you if I must.”

Almost on cue, Miss Balass and her friend turned around, her face lighting up upon recognizing the Scotman’s face, and she waved. “Oh, Dr. MacGregor!”

“Well, I suppose you’ll have to introduce us now, Montgomery.”

“Fuck off.”

“You know the Porters, Dr. MacGregor?” Miss Balass asked.

“Aye, Mr. Porter and I were flatmates many years ago.” He sighed, turning to Byron reluctantly. “May I introduce his grace the Duke of Feldsbury?”

Byron smiled and nodded his head. “A pleasure.”

“A duke? My, my, I wasn’t aware you knew such people.”

The other woman turned to her friend. “I thought you said he was socialist.”

“Oh, he is, don’t worry. Dr. MacGregor is my late sister’s widower. We knew each other far before I was even aware of the Feldsbury title.”

“Oh, Feldsbury! You’re the former army captain one who married the Gardenhouse girl… and well, divorced her too.”

The way she said it was so amusing that Byron couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, I am unwed now.” He turned to Miss Balass’ friend, dressed as Anne Boleyn. “I’m sorry, we haven’t been properly introduced, Miss Boleyn.”

She laughed as Miss Balass blushed. 

“This is Miss Samira Patel. Our fathers were business partners when we were in India, and they still are today. Miss Patel is one of my closest friends. Dr. MacGregor you know is my father’s physician.”

Montgomery smiled at Miss Patel. “Lovely to meet ya.”

Once they moved past pleasantries, the conversation grew much more lively, and as Byron grew enamored with Miss Balass, he could tell Montgomery was quickly warming up to Miss Patel.

In fact, when the quartet took their leave, Byron looked over to Montgomery, Miss Patel holding his arm, and said he planned to spend the night with Miss Balass—in Gaelic of course so the women wouldn’t understand.

The doctor smirked and replied in English, “I think so too.”

“You speak Gaelic, duke?”

He smiled at her. “Would you like to find out what else I speak, Miss Balass?”

She rolled her eyes as she waved for a taxi.   

[20dollarlolita]

Hi! I hope you don't mind the question, but I've been trying to buy a sewing machine and definitely want a used one with a full metal interior relevant parts???? (for longevity and budget reasons).

I'm a student living abroad in austria and therefore have no car and should limit the money I'm spending on appliances, so local used it is. Today I've found a singer 5810 (samba 70) that is -according to the seller- fully functional but no longer needed for a somewhat decent price. Now my question is, "is this even a good machine that will last me for a long time?" or should i keep looking and hoping for a better machine/offer?

Ps: big thanks for all you do for the community

Thank you!

So, I'm saying this as someone who loves old sewing machines, you have to be careful.

If you want to know what to be careful about, the answer is plastic parts, rubber parts, and belts. An old all-metal straight stitch machine is going to be as good today as it will be 30 years from now. You're going to be expected to keep up with maintenance like oiling it and cleaning it, but any damage that could happen to that thing is going to have happened 40 years ago. Once it hits the age it is now, it won't really change.

Plastic and rubber, however, want to betray you. Everyone who's accidentally left a rubber band in their car ashtray has had the experience of picking up rubber that decided to stop being "band" and start being "puddle of crunchy mushy bits." Rubber hits a point where, through no actual action, it turns into awful mush. Plastic is great for being inexpensive to produce and not requiring a lot of machining, as well as being slightly flexible and allowing parts to come together easier since they can be less precise. Plastic will also hit an age where it goes "yeah I'm not fun and lightweight and flexible anymore! I'm angry and hard and I'm going to crack and break up when you ask me to do anything at all!" Which, like, honestly, Plastic? Mood.

The problem with sewing machines of a certain age is that they are not yet at, but soon will be at, the point where either the rubber turns to mush or the plastic turns more fragile than glass. This means you can buy a machine in "good condition" that actually IS in good condition, and through no fault of your own it can transform overnight into a machine with critical parts broken and entirely unfixable.

So I recommend getting an old machine only if you can get the following things

Part one) knowing the machine is in perfect working order. Old machines do something known as cascading, which is where one small part breaks and so you pay to get it fixed, only for another part to break, and slowly by small part after small part breaking you end up spending the full cost of a new machine on your old machine, and still end up with an old machine full of parts that are about to break. This happens because every part in the machine is close to the same age, so if one thing's already broken, it might be the machine telling you it's time to say goodbye. So I won't buy an old machine that's, "great except for this one small fix," anymore. That could easily be a sign that this machine won't be long-lasting.

Part 2) I won't buy a machine that doesn't have every single accessory that I think I could need. Old machines usually don't have parts available, so if the machine doesn't have the zipper foot or the walking foot, I have to buy it being aware that I will likely never have a zipper foot or a walking foot. If you don't require a zipper foot or a walking foot or whatever, that's fine, but never buy an old machine and think, "Oh, I just need to buy this one thing," without checking if good versions of that thing actually currently exist for sale. As a bonus, if a machine is from 1972 and the seller knows where the original zipper foot is, there's a much better chance that it was stored safely and used by someone who cared if they broke it or not. This often means that intact accessory kits indicate machines that were stored better.

Part 3) I won't buy a machine that I know was stored poorly for a lot of years. I know what the climate in my area is. If your machine has just been sitting in a garage for 25 years, I know that all the rubber and plastic in that machine has lived the life that the melted rubber band in my car ashtray has lived. I can expect those parts to perform the same. There's a HUGE difference between "this was in my garage for 10 years" and "this was in the closet in my guest bedroom for 10 years." Machines are meant to run and it doesn't mean it'll run really great right out of the gate if you stored it in the guest bedroom closet, but it's so much better than anywhere not climate controlled. If you're ever in doubt, look to see if the machine has/had rubber feet on the bottom. If those are still in good shape, there's a chance that the internals are in good shape too.

Part 4) I won't buy a machine with too many bells and/or whistles. I do not DO the Singer Touch n Sews. The Singer "touchy, and doesn't sew,"'s. At their heyday, these fuckers were $700 in the 70's and had every single bell and all of the whistles as well. It is no longer the 1970's and most of those bells and 77% of the whistles are broken. These are parts where once it breaks, it's broken. You cannot break a bell that does not exist.

Part 5) I will not buy an old machine that I do not know, for sure, is a really good price. I'm talking like $40 and under. You want this to be a good enough price that if this breaks after 3 projects you didn't waste your money. If you're lucky, you'll get many more than three projects out of your machine. Spend your money like you don't think you'll be lucky. Sewing machines are annoying to keep around if you don't use them, and someone WILL be offering one at a very good price. Just keep looking.

Part 6) Without ignoring the bell/whistle situation, I will prioritize machines that were very high end or expensive when they were made. If your machine was a little straight stitch machine and your husband spent a month's wages on it, some of that quality is going to transfer over to the modern day. A really cheap machine is maybe not going to have been a very good machine even in its prime. A good example of quality sticking around is the old all-mechanical Berninas like the 710 Record, which generally still age quite well. You'll know that they're old because their cases get fragile like glass, but you can't have a cracked cam when the whole machine's metal.

Please don't let all of that make you feel that all old machines are bad! A good old machine is, in my opinion, worth so much more than a frameless Brother or a Singer Heavy Duty. I have three old machines that I use more often than my modern, higher priced computerized machine. A well-chosen old machine will definitely outlive your modern machine that just comes with a 90 day warranty. I just means you need to be judicious with what machines you select. Sorry for not directly answering your question about that machine. The answer is "it depends on the specific machine and also the price it's offered for."

.

If all of that seems too hard, the Baby Lock Zeal has a metal internal frame and I've seen well cared-for machines of that model that are 10+ years old. Most of the BeGenuine collection is really solid and I'm a pretty big fan of them. You get fewer stitch patterns for the same price as a comparable Brother or Singer, but that cost is put into making the internals better. The Janome HD series (at least the HD1000 and HD3000 in White (black is a totally different factory with different standards) are really good. We can't get the HD5000 at work for complicated reasons but it might have the same problems as the 3000 black. Generally, mechanical machines haven't changed too much since the 60's, so a well-made one is going to not be dated to the point where you can't sew modern projects. None of this guarantees that the machine will last 30 years, but I see people replacing these machines when they feel they've got skills such that the machine no longer supports their skills. This is in sharp contrast to what people replace their $300 Singer or Brother machines for, which they do because they break. Check your warranty and anything with 5-6 year warranty on the motor is probably a good bet. Avoid anything with a 90 day warranty and be hesitant if the full warranty is up after 1 year.

[salvadorbonaparte]

Why is it so difficult to find a PhD programme? Like there's one at my alma mater but it entirely depends on if I get funding or not. Finland has no tuition fees but I'd need to finance my cost of living and there's like exactly two research grants. There's several fully funded programmes in the US I'm interested in but the US is scary. Aotearoa is too far away. Austria is definitely going to reject me. Spain might be an option but I don't understand the application website (not even because of the language barrier they're just weird). 90 percent of programmes are in the UK and have no funding for EU students. My own government doesn't fund PhDs and I'd just be registered unemployed (without benefits).

[maggie-004]

(Un-) Lucky coincidence - 3

Jenna Ortega x Fem reader

Summary: After helping Jenna Ortega, Y/N invites her to stay at her apartment when Jenna's hotel reservation is canceled. Jenna accepts the offer, and they bond over music and their shared vegetarian lifestyle while enjoying Chinese food and planning Jenna's stay in Austria for another 1 and a half weeks.

Words: 2155

“Oh, cool cool, I’m here with my car soo uhm do you need a ride?” I asked Jenna, trying to not freak out. “Uh yeah that would be great. Where do you even live, like do you have a house or-“, “What a house, you’re funny, no I have an apartment nearby. Houses here in Innsbruck are very expensive, if you wanna buy a house, that’s not the size of an shoe box you’ll have to pay at least 5 Million euro. Even to buy an apartment is really expensive. Mine costed around 500.000 euro.” I nearly cried out of laughing “Come on let’s go to my Car, and maybe close your mouth on the way there, Innsbruck is a very expensive city” I laughed at how shocked she was, it really is normal around here. “Yeah let’s go, sorry. I am really shocked right now your apartment is just a little less worth than our house in Coachella and my apartment in LA is way, WAY cheaper than yours” Jenna explained while we went to my car. “Oh really I thought America is more expensive than Austria.” I said while unlocking my car.

“apparently not, I really thought Austria would be very cheap, well I thought wrong. Oh is that your own car or is it your parents?” “No it’s my own, I love this car” I proudly said while getting in to my Ford mustang Mach-e. “Wow I thought you were a nursing student, by the way how old are you?” Jenna glanced at me while I connected my phone to the car.  “I’m 19 (feel free to put in your age) how old are you?” I asked Jenna. “Woah how do you have an own apartment, a car like that and your job at the age of 19? Oh yeah I’m 20 but I’m turning 21 this year” she said and smiled at me. “Oh you’re not old yourself, you know for what you’ve reached so far. Well I started to study at 16, I skipped a few classes and I wanted to move out from my old home so I started to save money and I do make money besides school so yeah that’s pretty much it.” I just explained when we drove off, I played some music and I could see from a side eye that Jenna was enjoying it. “wow so you are the youngest in your class, at least I suppose? And how do you manage to make money, well enough money for all that while still going to school. I know that my sister, Mia she is 2 years older than me, is now nearly done with nursing school and she barley has time to work a part time job and make enough money for anything like this. Oh yeah before I forget to ask, where do you find those remixes we’re listening right now” She asked me and started to get into the music even more. “Oh she’s a nurse as well? That’s so cool, but it’s true. When you’re in nursing school you don’t have enough time to make some Money, except you are lucky enough, like me, to make your money doing something you love, for me it’s DJing. I have my YouTube channel and I have now nearly 5.5 Million subscribers, that’s where you can find those remixes by the way. That’s how I make my money. I’ve never shown my face though so I live a normal life. I collaborated with one of my best friends I met online her name is Antonia aka. RevedTV, I really got a lot of subs from her community. All in all I’m just lucky” I explained smiling because that really is just luck and it’s so cool to receive so much good karma. “Okay, wow yeah I don’t really know what to say here, I’m flabbergasted. Congrats on that and you got to tell me your artist name, I really want to listen to more of your remixes.” Jenna said, and to be honest that made me so proud of myself because everyone knows that Jenna is addicted to music and that she has a certain taste of music, I think she has a really good taste in music, but I got ripped out of because we were already pulling up to my garage.

“Thank you” I just realized that Jenna was talking to me earlier, I kind of zoned out, I still got to tell her about my ADHD otherwise she might thinks I’m rude. “Sorry for not talking to you sooner, I kind of zoned out, you know I have ADHD just wanted to clarify so I don’t come off rude. Sorry”. “Don’t be sorry, that’s ok you don’t seem rude, I know how it feels to zone out, happens way to often to me too” She just giggled at me. “Oh thank god you can relate to the zoning out, hey believe it or not some people don’t zone out at all. It really shocked me to learn about that” I explained living through the exact same feeling as I did when I first learned about that. “Yeah no way, you’re kidding right?” she asked me “Nope. I’m not kidding I swear”. “Wow second time you made me speechless today, just for your information, normally that doesn’t happen to me and certainly not twice”, “ Okay and what exactly does that mean?” I asked her while we got in the elevator I live on the 3rd and 4th. I jokingly started to tease her “Do I make you nervous … nahh just kidding” I laughed and I’m not sure but I think Jenna blushed a little but maybe it’s just my imagination. We arrived at third floor and I unlocked the door, holding it open for Jenna “Milady, after you” “Thank you”. “You can keep your shoes on or how ever you like, feel comfortable, do you want a little tour so you see how we Austrians live” I asked her. “Yeah sure I’d love to” she said while she took off her shoes. “ Okay first room to your right is my guests bath, next to it the guests  room and a little storage room” “Mhm oh the furniture is soo cool” Jenna said. “Then you should wait until you see my room, anyways around that corner is my kitchen and the eating era, come on.” “Woah I definitely wasn’t  expecting an all-black kitchen it’s so cool and so big. Y/N you have a really nice furnishing style, I love it here.” Jenna said. “Thank you so much yeah I really took my time because I want to feel at home here so no compromises with anyone, you won’t believe me how many people said ´oh no black kitchen… don’t do this… don’t do that- bla bla bla` but as already said no compromises. Okay come on we have another floor to look at” I just said. “Another one? Wow cool you really hyped me for your room.” “Okay then come on, soo here is my bathroom, I really needed that freestanding bathtub and again a lot of black elements I love it looks so  fancy. Next to my bathroom I have my laundry room nothing special in here. But now my second favorite room, my studio. Here happens all my ´Musical magic´” Jenna looked stunned at me and I just had to laugh at her face and about myself, calling myself magical. “Well I guess we make it a third time that I don’t know what to say wow, this is all so cool, amazing is that your DJing controller?” Jenna asked me. “Yeah it is if you want I can show you a few things on it later” I suggested. “I’d love to, maybe you can teach me a little bit” she smiled like a little child when I nodded at her request. “Okay now come ooonnn I am so hyped to show you my room, I really love it so let’s gooooo.” “Oh my god you’re hyping me up so much don’t hype me anymore I don’t think I could that you know… emotionally” Jenna laughed.

“Well then we’ll make it short and painless. Here take a look.” I said with the biggest grin on my face, because I know we can add another speechless Jenna moment to our list. My room is the biggest of all my rooms, it has 2 black Walls on which my Californian King sized Bed is, also it’s slightly higher than everything else because it’s build on this platform thing, where I have two huge drawers, I know I don’t need bed this big alone but I really fell in love with it, I think its needless to say that I wouldn’t spent so much money on a bed I don’t need, but I got it as a gift from one of my advertising partners. I also have a lot of plants and little decoration things, Pictures and a few fan gifts, a big ass aquarium, way too big tv, but again it was a gift, my beloved Book shelf, next to it a tiny two person couch and a desk for schoolwork and editing. But now my favorite part, my walk-in closet. “So Jenna what do you think” I grinned. “Wow this room is amazing, how long did you spent to make it look like that, and that bed oh my god can I sit on it, it looks sooo comfortable” Jenna said. “Yea you can also lay in it if you want, it was a gift from my advertising partners. I think I’ve spent one and a half months on this room, but only because I didn’t accept any help in this room, I really wanted it like I imagined. So I build that platform for my bed myself and lowered the ceiling for the LED’s.” I explained “How’s the bed?” I laughed at how tiny Jenna looked in it. “It’s amazing but I am a little scared that I’ll get lost in it.” We both started to laugh like crazy. My stomach started to hurt out of laughter I threw myself on my bed next to Jenna and tried to calm down. Needless to say we pushed each other even more and only after 10 minutes we started to calm down. “Uhg now my stomach hurts, Jenna do you still want to drink a coffee” I asked her still giggling. “Yeah sure, can you help me up” “sure her you go, we gotta go downstairs for coffee, or are you hungry?” I asked Jenna now. “Well yeah are you?” she asked. “I am so hungry right now, do you wanna order something or should I cook?”, “Uh we can order something and I pay for it you know as a thank you” Jenna suggested. “Oh Jenna you really don’t have to that’s fine you’re my guest so please let me- “ Jenna interrupted me “Yeah and you helped me when no one did so please I insist.” “Okay thank you” I gave up I didn’t stood a chance. “What should we order?” I asked Jenna. “Well I’m currently chancing my diet for Romania so something vegetarian, do you like Chinese?”, “Oh I love Chinese food and btw I’m vegetarian too, had to change from vegan to vegetarian because of the nutritious, kind of sucks” I explained to Jenna whom nodded at what I was saying. “oh my god same, I was so devastated when I found out I had to change that.” We both ordered some spring rolls and those lobster chips the white ones. “So should we look for places you could stay, or do you maybe wanna stay here, I mean only if you want to and feel safe and everything” I offered her, not really knowing what she’d say and hoping to not scare her away. We sat in my 2nd floor and before she could answer the doorbell rang. So I had to run down and get the food. “Hey Jenna do you wanna eat in the living room or down here?” I yelled up. “ Uhm however you want” she yelled back. So I got everything we need form the kitchen and got back up. “ I think it’s more comfortable if we stay here. Well about my offer-“ Jenn a cut right in “Uhm I’d love to but only if you’re really fine with that.” Oh my god, I think my heart is about to stop. Jenna really is going to stay at my place. “Yeah totally I can set up the guest room, you can stay as long as you want. I really mean it. How long are you staying in Austria anyways?” I asked her. “for another 1 and a half weeks, we are going to start promoting Wednesday, so the rest of the Wednesday cast comes here tomorrow, and thank you for everything”

A/N: Wow these are getting longer, fyi English is not my first language. Still hope you like it :)