#Warehouse Returns and Cancellations

[psycho2-0]

Kate's Requests pt. 2:

Nikobran fic. Since Bran loves to do all the charity work, it leads him to some danger when a crazy person becomes obsessed with him and stalks him kidnaps him while Niko is away for some Bratva stuff. While hearing this Niko returns back early and uses everything in his power to find bran and rescues him. This shows Niko's punisher side.

The dimly lit room reeked of damp concrete and stale air. Brandon King sat in the middle of it, his wrists bound behind him with coarse rope that dug into his skin. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling as he tried to keep panic at bay. Across from him, his captor—the man who had been following him for weeks—paced back and forth, muttering incoherently.

“You’re so perfect,” the man murmured, his wild eyes darting toward Brandon. “Helping people, smiling at everyone like they matter. But they don’t. Only I matter. You’ll see that soon enough.”

Brandon swallowed hard, his mind racing. He’d dealt with all kinds of people during his charity work, but he had never imagined one of them would take things this far. His only solace was knowing Nikolai would realize something was wrong soon.

Where are you, Niko?

Nikolai Sokolov was in the middle of a Bratva negotiation when the call came. His head bodyguard hesitated as he handed Nikolai the phone, his normally impassive face betraying concern.

“Speak,” Nikolai barked, his tone sharp and impatient.

The voice on the other end was frantic. “Brandon—he’s missing. Someone took him.”

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Nikolai’s vision tunneled, the room fading into the background. “Where?” His voice was low, dangerous—a calm before the storm.

“We don’t know yet. He was last seen at the charity center, but his car was found abandoned miles away.”

Nikolai ended the call without another word, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. He turned to his men, his expression a mask of icy determination. “Cancel everything. We’re going back. Now.”

Nikolai arrived in Brighton Island hours later, his private jet touching down as the sun dipped below the horizon. His presence alone sent waves of unease through the city’s underworld; the Punisher was back, and his wrath was imminent.

Using every connection, favor, and threat in his arsenal, Nikolai pieced together fragments of information. It didn’t take long to track down the man responsible—a small-time criminal with a penchant for obsession and a history of stalking.

When Nikolai found the location—a decrepit warehouse on the outskirts of town—he didn’t hesitate. His bulk easily blended into the shadows, his men flanking him as they cleared the building room by room.

The sound of boots on concrete snapped Brandon out of his dazed state. His captor froze, his head snapping toward the door as it burst open with a deafening crack.

Nikolai strode in, his imposing frame radiating raw, unrelenting fury. His icy blue eyes locked on Brandon, softening for a fraction of a second before hardening again as they shifted to the man holding him captive.

“Let him go,” Nikolai growled, his voice low and deadly.

The man’s hand trembled as he pulled a knife, pressing it to Brandon’s neck. “Stay back! I’ll—I’ll kill him!”

Nikolai’s lips curled into a cold, predatory smile. “You won’t even get the chance.”

In a blur of motion, Nikolai closed the distance between them. The knife clattered to the floor as the man screamed, Nikolai’s hand twisting his arm at an unnatural angle. The captor crumpled to the ground, his cries echoing in the empty room as Nikolai loomed over him.

“You dared to touch what’s mine,” Nikolai hissed, his voice dripping with venom. “Now, you’ll pay the price.”

Brandon blinked as Nikolai’s hands freed him, the rough rope falling away. The moment he was untied, Nikolai pulled him into a fierce embrace, his arms wrapping around him protectively.

“Lotus Flower,” Nikolai murmured, his voice tense. “I’ve got you.”

Brandon clung to him, burying his face in Nikolai’s chest as relief and exhaustion washed over him. “You found me,” he whispered.

“I always will,” Nikolai replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Brandon’s head.

Behind them, Nikolai’s men dragged the unconscious captor away. Nikolai will deal with the man later; his only focus was on his Lotus Flower.

As they left the warehouse, Nikolai tightened his hold on Brandon, his gaze cold and unyielding as he stared into the distance. No one would ever touch his Lotus Flower again—not if they valued their life.

Part 1

[cherr-22]

TNGDH 31

“Demonic beasts that look like this can be boiled and eaten. The boiling takes a while, but it will be much better in terms of nutrition and warmth.”

The maids and knights gathered in a circle around me and took notes.

Fortunately, they nodded in understanding despite my crude explanation. They discussed what other demonic beasts could be eaten like this as well as what other kinds of stuffings they could use.

‘I think this is enough for explanations. The duck baeksuk should be done by now.’

I rubbed my sore shoulders and checked the system window that popped up.

[‘Summon’ will be canceled in 5 minutes.]

‘Looks like I won’t be able to taste test it.’

I told my goodbyes to the workers I became closer with and headed to the warehouse in the corner. As I went in and closed the door, I heard Kyle’s voice from a distance.

“You’re late.”

I smiled at his voice looking for me as the white light enveloped my body.

*

To live an hour like a day was tiring. I sighed on top of the sawdust.

I didn’t know how long I slept since I used ‘Summon’, but when I opened my eyes, Kyle was tearing pieces of duck baeksuk into my food bowl.

―Squeak. (What are you doing.)

“Sorry for waking you up. But this is good timing. Eat while it’s still warm.”

Kyle placed the bowl in front of me. I looked at the disheveled appearance of the baeksuk I made.

‘Hmm. It cooked well.’

Baeksuk should be boiled for a long time to be delicious.

I held the meat that Kyle shredded with both hands and took a bite.

The soft flesh with a greasy texture melted in my mouth. I think this tasted better than a regular duck. I wonder if it was because it had more exercise as a demonic beast?

As I mindlessly devoured the meat, Kyle gently stroked my forehead with his index finger and smiled happily.

“This food was invented by him. How did someone so brilliant come here?”

―Squeak squeak. (I came here by dying, man.)

“I have to return this favor properly, but I don’t know what would be good.”

―Squeak squee-, squeak. (Give me money. Money is best.)

I ate all the baeksuk with not a single leftover as Kyle contemplated seriously. Perhaps because of my small body, my stomach felt like it would explode after eating only a handful.

I stretched my arms out. Kyle watched me as if he thought I was the cutest thing in the world and put me onto his palm to carry me out the study.

“I don’t think I have been paying attention to you for a while, so let’s sleep together tonight.”

Kyle laid me down on a handkerchief beautifully embroidered with flowers. He then laid down next to me and stroked me endlessly.

Just when I thought I was going to become a hairless hamster, he ended up closing his eyes first.

‘He must’ve been very tired.’

Anyways, I wonder if his arm is okay?

I stood up and inspected Kyle’s arm. It was still covered in bandages, but he didn’t seem to have any major problems using the arm.

His tough hands were filled with numerous cuts. I massaged them hoping that they’d heal a bit more faster.

Be healthy.

You must be healthy for me to stop worrying.

*

The Northerners were quick to learn new things, as they were veterans who already had experience in making something from nothing but dry land.

They also had good adaptability. Not only were they already making the baeksuk I taught them yesterday, they were also finishing up making the parkas. Teaching felt very rewarding.

Today again, I boiled the duck and even made porridge in front of the knights who caught the duck. As a delicious smell filled the kitchen, the surrounding people began to crowd here.

“Oh…… wow. This… this is really delicious?”

“How could we have never thought about eating like this! It’s a lot better than frying, don’t you think?”

“Please cook like this from now on. Also here, you can eat it more deliciously if you scorch the rice.”

This was the kind of food the owner of my rented room in my past life liked. I once made it for them because I was indebted to them, but they ended up coming to me often to make it for them.

It should be delicious. I’ve been working part-time in a restaurant for years. I know how to cook most dishes decently, at least.

“I suppose you could use the leftover meat to make jerkies. Oh, and, continue to make quilted clothes with the duck feathers.”

I sat next to the maids who were sewing besides a basket full of the demonic beasts’ feathers. The maids greeted me warmly.

The welcoming atmosphere made me feel good.

‘How long has it been since I did something with others like this?’

I developed the game almost by myself, and after graduating from school, I had to leave my uncle’s house to become independent. After my parents passed away, I had no meaningful memories of being with other people. I was busy working part-time in college and taking classes.

‘I sure lived a boring life.’

I put the feathers between the fabric and moved the needle diligently.

The thickly sealed fabric could be used as clothing or as cushion. From afar, they looked like blankets.

I smiled happily and looked at the people around me.

Then, a system window blinked before my eyes.

[‘Summon’ will be canceled in 3 minutes]

“…….”

Already?

I jumped up from my seat. The attention of the people who were once chatting harmoniously suddenly focused onto me.

I laughed awkwardly and made an excuse.

“Something urgent came up, so I’ll be leaving first.”

“Already? You should stay a bit longer!”

“It’s quite important so…”

I turned around and was about to leave when―.

[You have opened up the possibility of a prosperous life for the residents of the Blake estate.]

[Hidden quest, ‘Godfather of the North’ achieved!]

[Miracle Value has increased.]

[Current Miracle Value 21.0%]

[A passive effect has been achieved. Anyone who is a member of the North will favor you.]

[The duration of ‘Summon’ has been extended.]

[‘Summon’ will be canceled in 62 minutes.]

The system windows popped up all at once, then disappeared without even having me a chance to touch it. Smiling with utmost satisfaction, I turned around and sat again.

“……Weren’t you going to go?”

“Oh. I was given extra time.”

One of the maids looked at me strangely and then suddenly turned back their head. I made a confused expression on my face upon seeing that and inserted the needle into the fabric once again.

But…… what was it. Was it just my imagination?

The other people who had been chatting before quieted down as if cold water was poured on them. Just like kids who played during the night study time and then pretended to study when the teacher came in……

At that time, a long shadow fell over my head.

“You guys sure look like you’re having fun.”

It was Kyle. So you were the culprit.

I tilted my head back and lifted the fabric I was working on. Then, I spoke in a calm voice.

“Would you like to do this too? Or do you not have this kind of dexterity.”

The surrounding remained silent. Kyle smiled lightly and supported my back. He put his arm around my knees and lifted them.

“Sure.”

“……No. Why are you lifting me up?”

“I’ll have to borrow you for a moment.”

“Why!?”

Kyle carried me away without answering me.

I felt discontent until I realized his destination. ……Are you serious? Is it the study? Why are you so obsessed with the study!?

‘System! Open the store, the store!’

[☆*:.。. o(≧▽≦)o .。.:*☆]

[!Nut Store!]

Forget the sparkly neon sign. I hit the Love Love Corner like a mad man with sweat falling down my forehead.

[╰（‵□′）╯]

Okay, okay. Next time I’ll press the button only once so hurry up.

[Love Love Corner~❤]

I chewed my nails nervously, looking back and forth between the study and the system window.

‘……So how many Hearts did I have again?’

Didn’t I use a lot last time?

[Currently Possessing Hearts ｜ ❤×52]

“…….”

I slapped my face.

From my memory, the replica hamster lasted 30 minutes and costed 100 hearts.

Alright. I admit this was karma. I shouldn’t have bought the damned hamster clothes and the yarn. This was why people have to save money in case of emergency.

I trembled, cursing my past self. Kyle looked down with a puzzled face and asked, “Are you hurting anywhere?”, but I just shook my head.

Let’s calm down.

There may be a way out of this predicament.

[Replica hamster to soothe the loneliness (Duration : 30 minutes) ｜ ❤×100]

The purchasable items were in blue, and the non-purchasable ones were gray. Of course, the replica hamster was colored gray.

Now. Let’s make it half the price just for today. 50 Hearts for 15 minutes. How’s that? You could adjust it right?

[ಠ﹏ಠ]

It was a difficult expression.

I smiled nicely and started rambling to the system.

‘Think about it. It’s your loss if I get caught.’

I don’t know why you are even helping me, but isn’t it because there’s a benefit to it? Whether it’s Miracle Points or Hearts, wouldn’t it be good if I were to spend more?

[￣へ￣]

Truly a disappointing response.

Then what else could I do. I’ll have to change my methods.

I licked my lips and smiled softly. When persuading someone, impressions were important. Wasn’t there a saying that you can’t spit on a smiling face?

So I clasped both my hands together with a bright smile on my face and muttered softly.

‘Would it be faster for me to bash the button and break the store, or would it be faster for you to give me a discount?’

[(°▽°)]

The system paused for a moment as if it were thinking and let out a [……Loading……] window before opening the renewed shop.

I waved away a series of dissatisfied emotes. Those weren’t important right now. I was in a hurry.

While I was looking for the replica hamster, Kyle has already arrived in front of the study. Luckily, I made it on time.

[‘Replica hamster to soothe the loneliness’ has been added to your inventory!]

I felt a sense of relief and looked up. I made eye contact with Kyle.

“……Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Your expressions were amusing, so I was wondering what you were thinking.”

“…….”

I opened and closed my mouth without being able to say anything back, and in the end just let out a cough.

Kyle was about to say something, but someone passed by and bowed to him. Seeing his clothes and the book in his hands, he seemed to be a magician.

“Tomorrow afternoon, I will come see you in the study, Your Highness.”

“Alright.”

Hm? Why are they meeting tomorrow? What is it? Magician?

I fixed my gaze at Kyle hoping to receive an explanation from him. He opened the door using his shoulder and entered the study room.

“Cashew hasn’t been growing much lately, so I asked a magician to take a look at it. I can use magic myself, but I am not skilled enough to fine-tune the details or to see others’ magic. It would be best to leave this to the experts.”

“……Oh. Oooh.”

If my life were a rollercoaster, the only path it would go was downwards. No, rather than a rollercoaster, this was more like a bungee jump. A jump with its rope cut off.

How could you do this to me?

I wanted to say that it would grow on its own even if it wasn’t injected with mana…… should I say that to him now? No, no. It would be suspicious if I told him this late.

‘Hey. System. Would it be alright for me to accept the mana into my body? Will anything happen?’

[¯_(‘0’)_/¯]

……Understood. So you don’t know anything either.

I got down from his arms, sighed, and carefully placed the replica hamster into the nest.

I don’t know anymore. What happens, happens. It’s already difficult for me to solve the misfortune in front of me right now.

“Now, where is our demonic beast.”

As I pretended to look for the hamster carelessly, Kyle came over and grabbed my hand that was scrambling through the sawdust.

“Didn’t you say it would get surprised if you searched for it like that.”

“Ah, yes…….”

Kyle gently held the crying replica hamster in his hands and inspected it for a while. This needlessly sharp bastard.

I praised the replica hamster excessively to redirect Kyle’s attention. Wow! Our demonic beast! Wow! You squeak so well!

Fortunately, I was able to have him sit down for tea before 15 minutes passed. I also gave him needles and fabric to teach him how to make quilts.

Please spend your time with this from now on. Don’t bother the hamster for no reason.

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

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

[fellshish]

How did you get tickets to Macbeth? I'm trying to get tickets in a few weeks as I'll be in London :)

Ok as you know david tennant macbeth is sold out. But not all hope is lost. There are several ways to get tickets still.

No guarantees. You need luck as well…

1. Donmar Daily: one week before

Every day at 10 am british time the donmar warehouse releases a few tickets for the performance exactly one week later.

This is like. Almost ticketmaster levels of stressful. You have to be FAST.

Get yourself an account and log in. Be on your laptop not your phone. Go to the page for Macbeth. Click the red Book Tickets button and on the calendar choose the date you want to go (7 days from now).

At 9:59 am start refreshing the page. Suddenly the seat plan will appear with only a few clickable seats scattered across. Pick one or two real fast then click next.

More tickets than that i would say is impossible.

Once the tickets are in your basket you have 30 minutes to pay. I’ve read on tumblr about people using foreign credit cards to pay where the payment didn’t go through. In that case those people called the theater and they helped them. Don’t panic :)

2. Standing tickets: same day performance

These tickets are only 15 pounds and are for those who don’t mind standing 1h55min. It’s a similar process as the donmar daily thing except the tickets release at noon on the day of the performance. More info here.

3. Returns queue

Once you’re in London and you’ve had no luck online, you can stand in the queue at the theater and hope for no-shows. People who’ve had to cancel and released their tickets again.

This queue starts at 1:30 pm for matinees and 6:30 pm for evening shows though i imagine showing up a little earlier can’t hurt…

4. Click-through luck

I’ve heard of people clicking through every date on the calendar and then suddenly finding a stray seat still for sale somehow. This is just unverified lore but who knows?

Good luck may the odds be ever in your favour etc

[girlactionfigure]

🔵Ongoing Updates from Israel  

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

Moadim l’Simcha from Israel - wishes for a happy Succot intermediate holy days.

( VIDEO - interception of suicide drone from Iraq coming towards Eilat. Notice the interceptor diving low, the drones fly low to make radar detection difficult. )

⭕OVERNIGHT SUICIDE DRONES FROM IRAQ.. 1-2 intercepted coming at Eilat, one struck an open area in the Golan.  The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility.

⭕OVERNIGHT SUICIDE DRONE(S) FROM SYRIA.. intercepted over the southern Golan.

⭕ONGOING WAVES OF ROCKET BARRAGES at the Meron-Safed area, Golan Heights towns, Krayot-Haifa area, Nahariya and Acre areas.  Frequently. And relatively constant attacks at all the small towns and villages across the northern border region.

♦️LEBANON - Israeli fighter jets struck this morning a command center belonging to Hezbollah's intelligence division and an underground weapons manufacturing site in Beirut.  “Before the strike, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to civilians in the area.”  (( That’s only fair considering all the evacuation warnings Israeli civilians have received - - oh wait, NONE. ))

♦️LEBANON - targeted airstrikes: killed three prominent Hezbollah terrorists, including one responsible for weapons manufacturing.

♦️GAZA - IDF captures the Indonesian hospital area, capturing and sorting through dozens of Gazans for Hamas terrorists.

♦️GAZA - Hundreds of Hamas terrorists began surrendering to the IDF in the northern Gaza Strip, after the IDF issued an ultimatum: surrender or death.

♦️AIR POWER - During the last day, the Air Force attacked about 175 terrorist targets in Gaza and Lebanon. Among the targets attacked: weapons warehouses, launch shafts, military buildings and terrorist infrastructures of Hamas and Hezbollah.

🔹IRAN SAYS.. The Iranian embassy in the UN has officially announced that it denies any connection to the drone that Hezbollah launched at Netanyahu's house in Caesarea.

▪️TIKTOK CHANNEL WRITER WHO SPREAD FALSE HOSTAGE RELEASE INFO.. found and detained for investigation by the Cyber ​​Unit in Lahav 433.  At the end of the investigation of several hours: the suspect of spreading the false statements about the release of hostages was released to house arrest for five days. He apologized for his words, and claimed to the cyber investigators that he received the information from an acquaintance of his.  Prosecutor to decide whether to indict.

.. Tiktok blocked the channel 24 hours later by Israeli govt. request.

▪️DEMONIZING.. Nat. Sec. Minister MK Ben Gvir waswidely reported to have ascended to the Temple Mount for prayers today - which has caused friction in the past.  Subsequent reports are he DID NOT, and photos place him at the Kotel (Western Wall) in the large intermediate-holiday prayer crowd.  We like his esrog, spotted in the photo (not shared here).

▪️US ELECTION.. A protester yelled at the Democratic US presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, that "Israel is committing genocide in Gaza" and she replied: "It's real, I respect his voice."

▪️AIR TRAVEL.. Polish airline Lot postpones the return to Israel until November 12.  Air Baltic cancels flights to Israel until November 30.

[charliethomascoxuniverse]

Charlie Cox: ‘I love being a superhero — I thought that ship had sailed’

Charlie Cox on the return of Daredevil, the joys of sea swimming in Dalkey and his rewarding character-driven work in RTÉ’s Kin

Kirsty Blake Knox   April 27, 2023 (X)

Charlie Cox is a busy man; he smiles widely from the back of a car as it ferries him from a physical therapy session to the set of Disney’s Daredevil.

“We’ve just kind of started, it’s really great. Pretty intense, hence the physical therapy,” he says.

Cox has returned to play Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer-slash-superhero.

The show started life on Netflix and ran for three seasons before it was cancelled in 2018.This resulted in an online #SaveDaredevil campaign which resulted in 400,000 signatures begging Marvel to bring him back.

It took a little time; a contractual clause prevented any characters from the Marvel-Netflix shows from appearing in any non-Netflix projects for two years after cancellation.

And now Cox is suiting up again in his Spandex costume, running around punching people in the face and fighting for justice. It’s a demanding shoot — the series is 18 episodes long. And he is a fan of doing as many of his stunts as possible.

“I kind of get involved as much as I’m allowed to and is appropriate. Obviously, the stunt team are professionals and there are things they can do that I can’t even get close to,” he says. “I feel like the name of the game is to get as involved as you can… it makes the scenes more realistic.”

Cox took on the role, which had once been played by Ben Affleck in 2015. At the time, landing the role came as a shock.

“I never thought of myself as being appropriate casting for an American superhero. That never really occurred to me,” he says. “And in my 20s, a lot of my friends, and a lot of British actors, had gone and done that already. So when I got to 30 I was pretty confident that ship had sailed. I was very fortunate to get a character that I’ve now been playing for almost 10 years. It’s unbelievable.”

Cox is a father to two young children (seven and three) but they are a little young to fully grasp the role their dad plays in the Marvel Universe.

“I’m not sure they quite understand… One of the books we read him (his three-year-old) is called Superbat. A bat who is a superhero. But that’s his only real understanding. And so he thinks that I’m Superbat,” he laughs.

Cox realised he wanted to be an actor while in school and studied at Bristol Old Vic drama school. His first big break came in 2007 when he starred in Stardust alongside Robert De Niro and Michele Pfeiffer.

He has performed on the West End and Donmar Warehouse, in dramas like Treason and took on the role of Owen Sleater in Martin Scorsese’s Boardwalk Empire. For Irish viewers, we can see Cox on our screens every Sunday night, as Michael Kinsella in gangland drama Kin.

It’s pretty unusual for Marvel Universe actors to appear in a homegrown Irish drama. But Cox’s wife is executive producing the series. When another project he was attached to fell through, he read the scripts and felt compelled to be part of it.

“I’ve been working probably 20-plus years, and there’s a handful of times where I’ve read a script and felt like I’m reading something written by a truly brilliant writer,” he says. “And that quality of scripts never ceased. Sometimes you can get a really good pilot episode. But then as you get deeper into the season, some of the writing starts to disintegrate a little bit, but with Peter (McKenna) that was never the case.”

Obviously, the scale of production is a lot smaller on Kin than other productions, but he says these productions can be just as, if not more, rewarding to work on.

“If you have a limited budget, the way you handle that is you write long character-driven scenes… So weirdly, the lower budget stuff often is more appealing. Because you get to really get deep into the character and the relationships and the dynamics… it’s sort of like theatre. So, from my point of view, sometimes that stuff is more appealing.”

He continues; “I’ve learned I’m not precious about my character’s involvement. I don’t care much if my character does cool stuff … what I care about is, ‘are they moving?’”

He says this is some of the appeal of playing Michael.

“This life that he’d come from…and now he’s trying to rekindle a relationship with his daughter. [The] vulnerability, and the desire, and the need to fundamentally change his nature. That was really exciting to me.”

Cox perfected his Irish accent by listening to the voice of former Dublin goalkeeper, Shane Supple. He got up to speed with Ireland’s gangland scene by listening to podcasts featuring award winning crime journalist Nicola Tallant.

“I was kind of blissfully ignorant of the whole thing,” he says. “When I actually read the first two scripts, I just thought it was all fiction and then I agreed to do the part and I started doing my research. I was like, ‘oh, shit, this stuff is happening. It’s current and it’s happening right now.’”

Despite the violent nature of the series, he found filming and living in Ireland to be idyllic.

He and his family were based in the seaside village of Dalkey — where Matt Damon was holed up during lockdown. Cox became a sea swimming fanatic while residing there.

“I absolutely loved being there… I had conversations with my wife about moving to Dublin because I loved it so much. It’s not really viable with my job… Season one, we’re in lockdown. We lived in Hanover Quay, which was delightful…

“Season two, we moved to Dalkey. I felt like it was one of the best kept secrets in Europe… I was swimming in Vico every day… I found it to be like a haven. And I would love an opportunity to go back at any stage.”

Cox is extremely polite and amenable. And modest — despite his success, Cox says he still suffers professional insecurities.

“I never think I’m going to be hired,” he laughs. “I read years ago that Christopher Walken always thinks his job he’s doing is going to be the last time he is hired. I don’t quite have that, but I certainly identify with it. I’ve never felt like ‘Oh, I’m always going to be hired.’”

He says this comes with some advantages, as it makes him more present.

“I’m filming in New York and I’m lucky enough that I’m still able to play a kind of a lead in a TV show,” he says. “You know, the time is ticking on that in a big way. And so I certainly don’t want to wish that away.

“It would be easy to kind of bemoan the amount of hours you have to work, and missing the family, but there’ll come a time where I would kill to be able to be the lead in the TV show. I think the trick is to really enjoy it while it lasts.”

As he makes his way out of his car and towards his makeup chair, I ask if he has any projects outside of Daredevil coming down the tracks.

“I’m going to be doing this until the end of the year. And then I’ll be back on the panic station wondering if I am ever going to work again,” he laughs.

~*~

[thealogie]

Thea I saw Macbeth and it was literally everything I hoped!!!! You 100% convinced me to do this and helped me get the tickets and I have had literal dreams about seeing this show for months so thank you. Now I must ask you to approve my Christmas break plans: if I go to London for a Thursday through Saturday, how likely do you think I am to wriggle my way into Importance of Being Earnest and Great Comet?

Omg yay! I’m always happy to get Macbeth appreciation messages but especially when it’s people whose taste/blogs I love :)

Yes - you KNOW I’m going to say “yes go and the tickets will happen” but even Macbeth at the donmar warehouse you could get tickets if you spent a couple of days trying. Importance of being earnest - I bet cancellations and additional tickets will make tickets pop up on the website. And there is no way the great comet returns queue will be crazier than Macbeth so if you’re willing to stand in the queue starting at like 3 pm you should be golden

[k8epot8e]

Train in Vain: Chapter 10 The Gig

Summary:

The three of you finally reach the venue after your Odyssean journey to get there. You attempt to use some critical thinking skills and good judgment, but that doesn't last long. You meet some new friends and some more large men.

Notes:

Hi hello. It's been a hot minute. Hope you've all been having the brattiest of brat summers. Life is way too much, so it is once again time to retreat into the ample, nurturing, and supple bosom of fanfiction.

TWs: Weed usage, drinking, cursing, flirting, topical burn.

The three of you walked in silence with Kid leading your group like he had earlier. You thought briefly of telling Tashigi and Smoker that you weren’t taking them up on their offer of a ride, but you thought better of it. They might use it as an opportunity to pressure you into going home. Besides, you didn’t even know where they were; they’d kinda disappeared.

The silence you now walked in with the two men was no longer casual like it’d been earlier. There was a lingering awkwardness that radiated through your group with each step you took. You started to worry that the three of you wouldn’t be able to return to your previous, carefree dynamic after what just happened.

You’d cried in front of them. Not just cried, you’d sobbed. This made you feel self-conscious. While the crying was fairly understandable given the situation, you realized that Kid and Kil were probably the only people who’d seen you cry in the past five years. The little speech that you so confidently gave only moments ago had felt right in the moment, but now that the adrenaline was waning, some discomfort settled in.

Your anxiety, still heightened from your earlier predicament, swirled worries around your head like a hurricane.

You were put in a really dangerous situation because of these two, why are you still following them to their show? What if they don’t even have a show and they’ve just been planning to kidnap you the whole time? Is this what Stockholm syndrome is like? What if the show got canceled or something? Why do you keep thinking about how good it felt to have Kid hold you down? What if, after all this, their band sucks?

You flinched as you walked into something hard. You shook your head. You’d accidentally run into Kid’s huge back.

“Ow! What the hell!” You said rubbing the pain from your nose.

“We’re here, space cadet.” Kid smirked down at you.

Kid had led your party down a maze of winding side streets; you’d just now emerged out of the grid of apartment buildings and warehouses and into a wide thoroughfare with a port on the other side. Kid and Kil jay walked across the thoroughfare; you jogged to keep pace.

The port was what you would expect of a port. It was dark with wide open spaces and stacked shipping containers. You didn’t see any people inside. Separating you from the port was a tall chainlink fence with rows of barbed wire strung along the top.

“Oh god, I am getting kidnapped.” You thought to yourself.

Kid sauntered down the fence line, running his calloused palm against the links. After he went about twenty feet, he coiled his fingers around a split in the fence you previously hadn’t noticed. He used his large arms to flex the opening wider.

“After you, girlie.” He said.

“The concert is in an abandoned port?” You asked.

“It’s on the other side. Cutting through the dockyard is faster.” Kil said.

You sighed. You daintily stepped your right foot through the slit in the fence. Kid was holding it fairly wide but you still didn’t want to get caught on the rusty metal. You had to rotate your body to go into the fence at an angle. This maneuver put your back flush against Kid’s broad chest. As your body touched his, you just barely heard him let out a soft purr. You straightened your back and your face heated as you stooped over to pass through the opening.

Each man pried his own way through the fence with surprising ease. You could’ve done the same, you were fairly muscular, but realized Kid probably wanted to show off anyway.

Once you were all on the other side, Kid led your group diagonally across the unlit dockyard. Without the streetlights, it was getting hard to see.

You thought too much about not being able to see and immediately tripped on your own foot. You shoved your arms out in front of you instinctively to catch your fall, but felt a deft arm tug your waist back upright; Kil had scooped you so quickly you’d barely seen him move.

“Thanks.” You mumbled, embarrassed, as you started walking again.

You saw his surgical mask raise slightly; a sign, you’d deciphered, of a smile.

Kid had never stopped walking, so the two of you hurried to catch back up with the redhead.

After you crossed the wide dockyard, Kid led you through rows of stacked shipping containers. You heard it before you saw it. A low din that quickly became louder with each step you took. Once the roar of voices was loud enough to flood your ears, you saw an open area emerge past the rows of containers in front of you.

The open area was ringed by floodlights and four shipping containers positioned in a circle with a fairly large crowd of people in the middle. The shipping container nearest you was the venue’s stage; instruments and gear were assembled on top with towers of amps on either side. You were obviously entering the venue from the back as the stage was oriented to face away from you. You could see that two of the containers, one on either side of the crowd, were being used as bars. You assumed the fourth, furthest away from the stage, was for tickets.

You exhaled deeply. It’d been a long night but you’d finally made it.

The three of you emerged out from the rows of shipping containers into a smaller open area behind the stage. The area seemed to be used as a greenroom of sorts; there were old couches and chairs scattered about, coolers, vanity mirrors, and tons of instrument and gear cases. Multiple vans had been backed-up to the area as well, one of which you assumed was Kid and Kil’s.

You hadn’t previously thought that other bands would also be playing the gig, but it made sense now that you were at the venue. The green room area was busy; there were probably about thirty people hanging around in different groups. Some were drinking, some were tuning guitars, some were lounged or asleep. Most of them were dressed like Kid and Kil, in punk getups with lots of leather and spikes. You stuck out like a sore thumb.

As the three of you entered the area proper, you saw both of the men put on a bit of a swagger. They normally walked with brusk confidence, but now they were exaggerating this confidence ever so slightly; their pace slowed and shoulders rolled back to show the full extent of their frames. You smirked at their peacocking.

Kid and Kil sauntered towards one of the vans. It was an old Dodge Street Van custom-painted black, grey, and green. The front of the van was painted to be, what looked like, a mosasaurus skull. The van’s sliding doors were adored with a jolly roger made to look like Kid himself. You laughed, imagining how the conversation surrounding choosing their logo went.

There was so much to look at you ended up falling behind. Some of the people in the small groups that were scattered around watched as you passed. You blushed as you felt their eyes roll up and down your body. You heard some disapproving tsks, assumedly about your outfit, and you crossed your arms over your chest defensively.

Once Kid and Kil had gotten to their van, you heard some loud exclaiming.

“Thank fucking god!” a man with long blue hair said as he dapped up Kil and then Kid. The man was fairly tall and shirtless with a muscular build. His chest, arms, and face were covered in line tattoos made to resemble stitches. His tattoos imparted an intimidating quality to an otherwise kind-looking man.

“What took you guys so long?” A taller man who was standing behind the blue-haired guy asked. He was lanky and even taller than Kid; he had to be like 6’7” or 6’8”. The man’s height, while impressive, did not shock you. You’d finally accepted that, for some reason, you were in the company of shockingly large men tonight. The tall man wore fishnet stockings and a black jacket. The hood of his jacket was pulled up but the front was left unzipped, showing off a leather harness he had strapped tightly to his chest.

Damn. You’d have to go to more of these shows if the guys dressed this slutty.

The blue-haired man tried to launch into a conversation, but Kil stopped him.

“Hey, before we get into it,” Kil turned around and motioned in your direction. You trotted up to the group so Kil could introduce you more easily.

“This is (Y/N). She’s a friend. She’s going to be hanging out with us tonight.” Kil said.

You smiled and waved awkwardly.

“Oh,” The blue-haired man said, “Oh, okay. Cool! Hey. I’m Heat.” He pointed to himself.

“And this is Wire” he said, pointing at the taller man behind him. Wire only offered you a stoic nod of recognition.

Kil turned to you.

“Hey, so, I know we just got here, but we’re going to need to do some band stuff before we go on. Gotta tune, go over the setlist and all that. We might be a little busy. Is that…okay?” Kil hesitated in his phrasing.

“I’m not a baby. Go do your ‘band stuff,’ I’ll be fine.” You said, chuckling at him.

“Okay, awesome. You can hang out wherever back here. If anyone asks, just tell them you’re with us.” Kil said.

“Don’t get lost now, doll.” Kid said as he slung a maroon Ibanez guitar over his shoulder.

You rolled your eyes. Before you could say something sarcastic, he’d kicked open a cooler with his combat boot, bent over, grabbed two beers and tossed one to you.

You were taken by surprise but managed to catch the Miller High Life with relative ease.

“Nice” said Heat.

You popped the tab, gave Heat a wink, and turned on your heel.

--

You’d very confidently said that you’d be fine to Kil, but as you sipped your Miller and walked away from the band, you quickly realized that Kid and Kil were the only people here you knew. This realization was a little intimidating. You hesitated deciding where to go, pausing in your tracks.

“Hey!”

You turned around to see who was calling. Tucked down one of the rows in between the stacked shipping containers was a lemon-yellow VW bus. The side doors were slid open, and three people were hanging out around it.

You pointed a finger at your chest.

“Yeah you! Come here” One of them said, barely holding back a giggle.

You’d always been told to not follow strange men’s calls down dark alleys, but you’d already done some pretty dumb stuff tonight so, despite knowing that lost cause is a fallacy, you figured why not do some more.

As you approached the group of people, you noticed that they were all wearing white boiler suits which you found odd. The guy closest to you had been the one calling out. He had long, orange hair that hung loosely out of his turquoise beanie. He and another man wearing a ball cap with ear flaps were leaning against a container wall while a woman was sitting across from them on the side of the bus. The woman wore an orange-striped bandana over her beautiful, coily brown hair.

As you approached the group, you were assaulted by a sticky-sweet cloud of weed smoke. You blinked the loud out of your eyes and waved to clear yourself a path.

“What do you want?” You asked.

The orange-haired guy who’d called out to you giggled. You watched chucklehead number two, Mr. Ear Flaps, elbow the orange-haired stoner into pulling himself together.

“We uh…just wanted to know if you wanted a toke!” He said, holding a joint out to you.

“YOU wanted to know. YOU, Shachi.” The woman clarified, shaking her head.

“Hey! You and Penguin did too!” Shachi said. The man in the ear-flap hat, who you assumed was Penguin, laughed and looked away.

“Sorry about them,” the woman said, “I’m Ikkaku. You’re cute and looked lost so they wanted to invite you over. You’re welcome to take a hit or not. Whatever you prefer.” She winked at you and your heart fluttered.

“I’m (Y/N). Um, sure. I’ll take a hit.” You said, setting down your beer.

Shachi passed you the blunt and flicked a flame to life on his lighter which he offered to you with experienced ease. You put one end of the blunt to your lips and dipped the other in the dancing flame.

As you were lighting the blunt, a third man emerged from behind the VW bus.

The man was lanky, that’s for sure. He was decently tall with a long back and arms. His skin was olive-tan with spots of vitiligo in places. His hair was jet black and jut out of his fuzzy white ballcap (another odd accessory if you’d ever seen one) in all different directions. He wore skinny jeans, boots, and a lemon yellow dress shirt that he kept unbuttoned to his waist, exposing his intricately tattooed heart and skull motif chest piece. He sported a soul patch like Kil, but had long side burns to match. His dark brown eyes were lined with kohl and he had multiple gold hoops dangling from each of his ears.

Your eyes met his and your jaw quite literally dropped from how handsome he was.

Your jaw going slack caused the blunt to slip out from between your lips. Luckily, you were able to quickly snag it out of the air before it hit the ground, but you ended up burning your palm on the blunt’s lit end.

You cursed under your breath as you fumbled the blunt back into your mouth.

Shachi and Penguin both chuckled at your clumsiness.

“You okay?” Ikkaku asked.

“I’m fine but my pride isn’t.” You responded.

“Don’t worry girl, I got you,” Shachi said as he bent back over to you with his lighter.

As you relit the blunt and took a proper draw, you tried your best not to ogle the handsome man who’d now joined the circle.

“Law, check her hand. She burnt it on the blunt.” Ikkaku said.

The handsome, tattooed man began to approach you.

“Oh, it’s nothing! It’s fine I’m just stupid. I—”

You fumbled words out of your mouth but the man paid your protests no mind. Once he was less than two feet away from you, he stuck out his hand, palm-side up.

“Lemme see. I’m a doctor.” He said, staring you in the eyes.

You thought it was weird for a doctor to be in what you assumed was a quirky, stoner punk band but he said the fact so nonchalantly that you believed him.

Your mouth still agape, you placed your left hand face-up in the man’s grip and passed Shachi back the blunt with your right.

His tattooed fingers gently but firmly inspected your hand. He peered down at the burn and ran the tip of his pointer finger over the mark. You expected it to hurt but his touch was gentle enough that you didn’t wince at all.

“I mean, it’s a burn Ikkaku. I think she’ll live.” He said flatly, still looking at your hand.

He looked back up at you and said, “You’re gonna want to run this under water at some point. It’ll probably blister but you’ll be fine. Does it hurt?”

You stared into his dark brown eyes and managed to stammer out “Uh. No.”

“Good,” He said unceremoniously, dropping your hand and turning around to walk back to his place in the circle.

Ikkaku locked eyes with you over the man’s shoulder as he walked away and winked at you. Shachi and Penguin giggled again.

“(Y/N) this is Law. He’s our bandleader. Law, this is (Y/N), Shachi’s crush” Ikkaku smirked.

Law leaned his long body on the side of the yellow VW bus and took the blunt from Shachi.

“Is that right, Shachi?” Law asked, amused.

“No! I mean, only if you’re interested.” Shachi said, wiggling his orange eyebrows at you.

Penguin lost it and started rolling against the container wall in laughter. You and Ikkaku both snorted and even Law chuckled lightly as he exhaled smoke.

“Don’t answer that,” Ikkaku said to you, accepting the blunt pass from Law.

“Well I’m technically here with a rival band so I wouldn’t want to cause a war,” you joked, picking back up your Miller and taking a swig.

“Oh really? What band?” Shachi asked.

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy, but I actually don’t know their name. I’m just friends with two of the members.” You said sheepishly.

“That’s okay. We know most of the people here. What are their names?” Penguin asked.

“Eustass Kid and Kil,” You said, Law’s attention snapped toward you.

“You’re here with the Victoria Punks?” Shachi asked incredulously.

“Um. I guess so.” You responded.

“Aw, I knew it was too good to be true” Shachi lamented.

“What does that mean?” You asked, slightly taken aback.

“Well, you were fairly spot on before. They’re one of our main rivals. So you being one of their groupies—” Ikkaku explained.

“Oh, I’m not one of their groupies!” You cut-in.

Was that true? Weren’t you kind of a groupie? You didn’t really have a better way to explain your presence backstage at the gig.

“Wait, Kid and Kil have groupies? Plurl?” You asked.

“They always have a gaggle of women following them around,” Penguin said with a hint of jealousy.

“Law specifically has female fans too but he doesn’t let them hang out with the band,” Shachi said, also with a hint of jealousy.

“Well, I’m not here to be arm candy. I’m just a friend.” You laughed.

Were you just a friend? Were you not just here to be arm candy?

Law stared at you silently from across the circle. You could feel his intense gaze studying you and you realized you probably shouldn’t have said anything about Kid and Kil.

“Oh shit, Law shouldn’t we go over some stuff for the set?” Penguin said, checking his watch.

“Yeah that’s probably a good idea,” Law acknowledged.

“Um. Thanks for the hit. It was nice to meet you guys! I hope you have a great set, but I should probably get back before they think I’m lost.” You said, awkwardly excusing yourself.

“It was really nice to meet you, (Y/N)! We’ll definitely see you later.” Ikkaku waved at you cheerily.

You turned and began walking back to the green room area, still feeling eyes on your back.

[sparrowsage]

Sparrow being offered to be drugged for a showing, which Damon promises will be the worst yet.

He can either be awake and feel it all, all the pain and humiliation, but still have the opportunity to fight. Or he could be blissfully unaware and 'sleep' through it. Wake up hours later, none the wiser and just a little sore.

Thank you so much for this! I was all giddy at the idea, it's so fucking beautiful! And I have to give an amazing thanks to @darkthingshappen for the use of her Whumper Volkov, who is mentioned in this piece! Her and I have some things planned with Volkov and Sparrow that was mentioned in this drabble that we're excited to share with you once it's done!

TW: Very vague implications of future noncon, mentions of past abuse/torture, drug mentions, implied future drugging, the term "boy" used for an adult male (if I missed any, let me know!)

Fighting the Decision (A Warehouse Drabble)

“Get the fuck away from me,” Sparrow growled, doing his best to back up from Damon as he approached him. 

He had only been back at the Warehouse for a few days after his two week stay at the island, and while he was regrettably glad to be back in a familiar place, all Sparrow wanted was more than a few days rest before things returned to normal. Some peace before the oncoming storm he was sure to endure. 

Damon clicked his tongue a couple times, looking down at the pet on the floor of his office, crossing his arms over his chest. “The whole point of that trip was to see what you’ve learned so far, but all it seems to have done is bring you back to where you started.” 

“It was a sick and twisted joke and you know it,” Sparrow snarled back. “Why even send me there if I were to end up back here?” 

Damon quirked an eyebrow, seeming to be slightly amused by the words despite it being back talk. “I was curious to see how you’d do under a different hand, and while you’ve resorted back to how I first got you two months ago, there have been noticeable changes in how you behave. You seem more…how should I put it? Afraid.” 

Sparrow clenched his fists behind his back, his wrists straining against the metal cuffs that kept them locked behind him. “I’m not afraid of you,” Sparrow said, though his tone was more quiet than before. 

“Oh, I think you are,” Damon said in return, crouching down so he was more level with the pet. “I have a proposition for you then.” 

Sparrow did his best to scoot back even more when Damon crouched down, trying to hold himself to appear bigger, but all he really wanted to do was hide in the shadows of the office and disappear. 

“What the fuck is a proposition?” Sparrow asked harshly, earning an amused chuckle from the Keeper. 

“You’re so naive it’s funny, Songbird. An idea, I have an idea. I have quite the audience waiting for your next Showing since you’ve been absent for two weeks, so I have one scheduled for you in an hour. Since you’ve been fighting me at every turn ever since you returned, I thought I’d give you an option on how this Showing would go.” 

“I don’t want to do a fucking Showing, cancel it.” 

Damon shook his head softly, looking over the pet’s body. “You know that’s not an option. The choices are you go through this welcome home Showing lucid. Wide awake, able to feel and endure everything like you normally do. Or,” Damon paused, letting the first option sink in before he continued, “You can go through it drugged, to the point where you don’t remember a thing.” 

This has to be a trick, Sparrow thought. Damon has never had him drugged for a Showing, preferring him to be awake and lucid to elicit more of a reaction. 

“Why give me the stupid options when you’ll just end up choosing the first one?” Sparrow asked, his body rigid and tense at the thought of the whole thing. 

“Because I’m genuinely asking. I know Volkov does things differently than I do, so I’m giving you an out to ease you back into the system. If you go with the first option, you can still fight against everything I do. Granted, it’ll do nothing in the end, but you’ll still be able to try. If you go with the second option, you get a break from it all, but it’ll leave you entirely at my mercy. This may be the only time I grant you this out, Songbird, so choose wisely.” 

“Either way, I end up in a world of fucking pain and end up humiliated,” the pet mumbled, but his gaze shifted to the floor as he thought it over. 

A break. When has he ever gotten a break from all of this? To have a choice in not remembering any of the things done to him? The Keeper hardly ever went back on his word, so the fact that Sparrow would never be given this chance again weighed down on him heavily. 

But drugged to the point of not remembering anything that’s going on? Damon would probably give him something so he’d still be somewhat awake. The fucker loved hearing him moan and scream. He wouldn’t be able to do anything against what the Keeper had planned. It seemed like a lose-lose situation. Stay awake and endure it all and remember it but still stick to fighting back or not remember a thing and be as compliant as they come and embarrass himself due to the lack of thought. 

As Sparrow thought over the options, Damon merely cocked his head to the side slightly, content to watch his Songbird think. It almost seemed like he could see the gears in Sparrow’s head turn, trying to figure out the best option. Regardless of his choice, the boy would go through the Showing and it would be a sight to behold. 

After several minutes, Sparrow let out a sigh, his gaze not moving up from the floor, his head hanging in defeat. “The second one,” he mumbled, his body slowly going lax in his seated position on the floor. “Just get it over with.” 

Damon’s eyes widened at the choice, the Keeper pushing himself up to his feet as he smiled down at the other. “Second option it is.” 

Sparrow clenched his jaw as he heard Damon leave the office, flinching as he heard the door shut. 

It felt like he was giving up on everything he had fought for up to this point, but all he truly wanted was a break. A true break from everything he was going through. Once it was all over, he’d be back to his normal, fighting self and things would resume as normal. 

Sparrow couldn’t help a tiny part of himself hoping that Damon would keep him in that state forever so he’d never have to remember any of this again. But that was wishful thinking. The Keeper would never be that merciful. Might as well take the small mercy while he could. 

Taglist: @mannerofwhump, @honey-is-mesi, @painful-pooch, @whumperfully, @hiding-in-the-shadows, @flowersarefreetherapy, @goronska, @blueyellow8green, @oddsconvert, @darkthingshappen, @whumpcereal, (If you want to be added, let me know!)

[chilope]

im going to lose my fucking mind

we ran out of biohazard bags, 1 week left before our next scheduled drop

i ordered more on amazon because we have business prime so i could have them delivered next day

they attempt the delivery after hours, so we dont get them

next day it says they wont be delivered until saturday

we're closed on saturday so obviously the delivery will fail again

start scrambling to figure out how the hell we're going to manage the rest of the week with no biohazard waste

the company we use for biohazard stuff has next day shipping, its just expensive, but i figure its probably more reliable, so i figure ill cancel the amazon order and use them instead

refresh the order tracking page one more time just to be sure, it still says its getting delivered saturday, click the cancel purchase button, page refreshes and lets me know the driver has been sent a notification to return the package to the warehouse because apparently it WAS out for delivery, they just fucking lied i guess??? or it went out literally as i clicked the cancel button

anyway im at my wits end

[princemordecai]

@ikarosx

Word had spread about the chaos that had erupted from below Ilythia's warehouse, the creatures that escaped sent the city and the magisterium into a frenzy but they were conveniently prepared. The more violent creatures were sent back to their plane, and the fey were returned to the Silverlands. Some reparations needed to be made, which Lady Ilythia was held financially liable for. Wasn't quite the ending that Leander wanted, but he'd make do.

"Lady Ilythia is in a frenzy, her Primus has been canceled - at great personal cost." All those tickets, purchased and refunded, are quite an embarrassment for someone of such high esteem. Leander smiled as he clapped Ikaros on the shoulder, his hand probably the size of Ikaros's head. The prince didn't wish to know where the eggs had come from, or where the dracodile had gone, but he assumed that Ikaros would make sure they were safe. "I feel I have to make it up to you."

[daisychainsandbowties]

reading through your post on autistic beatrice hcs, and first of all, love it amd everything about it so damn much, second does beatrice hating rain + the sound of thunder unless there’s a predictable pattern means she hates thunderstorms? because i am 🤝 autism solidarity with her over that

thirdly “also HATES being rained on. fully sulks about it.” has given me the glorious & adorable mental image of sad wet cat beatrice, thank you very much /positive

oh yeah Beatrice is not remotely fond of thunderstorms. on several occasions Bea & Lilith were on stakeout in the OCS van in the middle of a thunderstorm and it was lowkey the worst.

one time in particular they're parked in an industrial estate and it starts to absolutely bucket down. with the rain making it impossible to see out the windows, Lilith volunteers to go and find a place outside to keep an eye on whatever warehouse or building they're monitoring, leaving Beatrice on the radio in the van.

by the time she gets back - drenched and shivering - she finds Beatrice sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, a little wide-eyed.

Lilith knows what shock looks like and know this isn't quite that, but she does take Beatrice by the jaw and make her stop staring into space.

she does realise that Beatrice is kind of shutting down and climbs - muttering and complaining all the way - onto Bea's seat, squeezing in beside her, half-tipping Beatrice onto her lap so she can wrap both arms around her the way Shannon demonstrated once as a way to help with panic attacks.

this isn't a panic attack, but it's something, so she sits there with this tiny creature wrapped inside her arms, rocking a little from side to side, still watching the building outside as rain moves in streaks and dribbles over the windshield.

next time they're on stakeout it starts to rain again, and there's a clap of thunder that makes Beatrice jump - in quite a painful way - and then sink miserably back into her seat, fussing with her belt.

Lilith doesn't say anything, but she reaches under her seat and pulls out a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, links them into the radio frequency, and leans over to place them very delicately over Bea's head. deftly ignoring the astonished stare she gets in return.

and i think that's probably the first time Beatrice realises that it is possible for a human being to notice you so fervently that they not only perceive your needs, but move to accommodate them without being asked.

and Beatrice doesn't know how to think about love and she doesn't dare to think of it as love but when the rain gets so heavy again that she can feel the drumming of it in her chest she climbs silently over to Lilith's seat, feels arms close around her, and buries her face against another heartbeat, counting each contortion of the cardiac muscle with an old, half-remembered poem rolling around in her head.

'the storerooms are full of hearts

this is the city of spare parts.'

-plath, the stones

[alldollsarevalid]

Prayer circle time.

I was randomly browsing barbie movie dolls on amazon and there was one President Barbie doll in stock. She was one of those amazon warehouse deal purchases so she was discounted.

I threw her in my cart and checked out.

Fingers crossed that they don't cancel my order bc someone else beat me to checking out.

Also, if she actually arrives that it's the correct doll and she's not all messed up.

I've never had trouble getting an open box or returned doll from Amazon but I've heard some horror stories 🤞🏿

[beardedmrbean]

The "Lukoil - Neftohim" refinery in Burgas has promised Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov to pay over 500 million leva (250 million euros) in taxes, and in return the state will keep the derogation (exception) from the European ban on the import of Russian crude oil. This was announced to the media by the co-chairman of the DPS parliamentary group, Delyan Peevski, after a meeting of MPs and members of the cabinet on the subject.

Cancellation of the derogation was requested by GERB last week, and DPS supported the idea. According to Peevski, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, the co-chairmen of the "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" group Kiril Petkov and Atanas Atanasov attended today's meeting, and Finance Minister Asen Vassilev participated online.

The deputy added that if the money is not paid within a week, GERB and DPS will submit a proposal to parliament to cancel the derogation for the import of Russian oil. "Let Lukoil hear us clearly on this, not to think that they will not pay their taxes in Bulgaria," said Peevski.

The chairman of the energy commission, Delyan Dobrev (GERB), added that parliament will demand that the executive power collect another 1 billion leva from Lukoil, with which to compensate fuel consumers. He recalled that according to the law adopted in January, 70 percent of the difference between the price of Russian oil of the Urals type and the Brent type should enter the energy security fund and be returned to consumers in the form of compensation. Dobrev said that at the beginning of August, a calculation was made of how much leva Lukoil did not contribute, because the law was not implemented by two successive cabinets, and it turned out that the amount was 622 million leva. Divided by fuel consumption in the country it makes 0.73 cents, which people should have received for every liter of gasoline or diesel since January, Dobrev calculated, quoted by BTA.

Peevski announced that GERB and DPS will introduce a legal amendment to place Lukoil's fuel storage bases under the management of the State Agency "State Reserve and Wartime Stocks". "We want to free Bulgaria from the monopoly on Lukoil's storage facilities," commented Peevski.

In April, the Commission for the Protection of Competition fined the oil company 195 million leva for abuse of a dominant position, because it did not allow other companies to the fuel warehouses.

Until recently, "Lukoil Neftohim" did not pay taxes in Bulgaria, reporting a loss, and since the beginning of 2021, it has been working "at the customer's request", which made it profitable. At the beginning of last summer, it became known that the company had paid profit tax for the first time in 15 years.

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY’S THIN BLUE LINE

Lucy and Law Enforcement ~ Part 3

On “Here’s Lucy,” Lucy Carter not only had multiple run-ins with the police – she actually became Sheriff for a day! Here’s a look at Carter and Cops!

“Lucy’s Impossible Mission” (1968) ~ In this “Mission:Impossible” spoof, even the police are in on the caper. John J. “Red” Fox was best known for playing policemen, which is what he did on five of his eight appearances on “The Lucy Show” as well as three of his five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” The policeman has no lines, but is kicked by Lucy to get his attention and says “Ouch!”  

“Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1969) ~ Van Johnson plays himself and his evil doppelganger.Orwin C. Harvey plays the Security Guard (right). Harvey has one line, spoken off screen. A second Security Guard goes uncredited and has no lines.

“Lucy and the Ex-Con” (1969) ~ Lucy and a safecracker (Wally Cox) go undercover as Little Old Ladies at a dive bar. Vince Howard played the policeman on the extreme left. Many of his 125 TV and film credits were as law enforcement officials. Howard also played a policeman on “Lucy and Mannix are Held Hostage” (1971). Larry J. Blake (policeman on right) is making the first of his eight “Here's Lucy” appearances.

“Lucy Goes on Strike” (1969) ~ Harry refuses to give Lucy a raise so she goes on strike with the other secretaries in the building, including Isabel (Mary Wickes). John J. ‘Red’ Fox returns as the cop on the beat in front of the Bradshawe Building. 

“Lucy and the Great Airport Chase” (1969) ~ Government Agent Bill (Morgan Jones) appears to investigate international epsionage in an episode shot on location at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The G-Man is never addressed by name but listed in the end credits.

"Lucy Helps Craig Get His Driver's License" (1969) ~ A motorcycle cop (Ray Kellogg) faces off with driving test examiner Wibur Hurlow (Jack Gilford).  

Inside the police station, the officers issuing licenses are played by (left to right): Herkie Styles, Joseph Mell, and Sid Gould. 

“Lucy's Burglar Alarm” (1969) ~ Detective Harvey Gaynes is played by Elliott Reid, who also appeared on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.” 

“Lucy, the Cement Worker” (1969) ~ Lucy disguises herself as a street construction worker to find a valuable ring she’s lost. She encounters the cop on the beat, played by Harry Hickox in the first of his three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

“Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” (1970) ~ At the border, Harry is questioned by a customs officer played by Don Megowan in his only appearance with Lucille Ball. He is perhaps best remembered as the Sheriff in The Wolfman (1956). His final role was as a police sergeant in the 1979 TV movie Mrs. R’s Daughter. 

“Lucy and Wall Cox” (1970) ~ Lucy helps Wally Manley (Wally Cox) get a job as a warehouse security guard where they encounter armed criminals. 

“Lucy and Ma Parker” (1970) ~ Carole Cook plays a master criminal. The police convince Lucy to take her place in order to nab her associates. Harry Hickox (Lieutenant L. Hickox, left) makes the second of his three episodes of “Here’s Lucy,” all as policemen. Stafford Repp (Police Detective Halloran,  right) made a career of playing policemen even before he became famous as Chief O'Hara on TV’s “Batman” (1966-68). He played two different officers of the law on “Dennis the Menace” in 1962 and 1963, alongside Gale Gordon. 

“Lucy and the Raffle” (1971) ~ The Baliffs in the courtroom are played by Emile Autuori and John J. ‘Red’ Fox. 

“Lucy and Carol Burnett aka The Hollywood Unemployment Follies” (1971) ~ Lucy and Carol stage a musical revue featuring a tribute to the operetta Rose Marie (1930 & 1940). Four Mounties (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) sing “Stout-Hearted Men”. From left to right: Sid Gould, Kay Kuter, Johnny Silver and Mike Wagner.

“Lucy and Mannix are Held Hostage” (1971) ~ In this cross-over with the Mike Connors private eye series “Mannix” (saved from cancellation by Lucille Ball), the policemen are played by Vince Howard (left) and Robert Foulk (right). 

“Lucy and the Celebrities” (1971) ~ Sid Gould plays the Security Guard at the gate of Morton Pictures. Impressionist Rich Little stars with Jack Benny. 

“Lucy and the Candid Camera” (1971) ~ Allen Funt plays himself and an evil imposter, getting the Carters to participate in criminal capers under the impression they are on “Candid Camera”.  Law enforcement is played by (left to right): Peter Leeds, Robert Carson as Sergeant Lou Holmes, and Paul Sorenson, who played policemen many times during his career. 

“Lucy and the Chinese Curse” (1972) ~ When Lucy saves a laundry owner (Keye Luke) from a safe falling in the street, reporters and the police are on the scene. Frequent background performer Walter Smith plays the policeman. He had appeared with Lucille Ball in Forever Darling (1956), as well as in Desilu’s “The Untouchables” and “The Lucy Show.” 

“The Case of the Reckless Wheelchair Driver” (1972) ~ Lucy, in a wheelchair due to her broken leg, is set-up by a conman (Jesse White). Law enforcement officials are (left to right): Officer Rafferty (Robert Foulk), Sergeant Montgomery (Hal Hickox), and Officer Egan (Ed Hall). 

“Dirty Gertie” (1972) ~ Lieutenant Egan is played by Craig Stevens, who is probably best remembered for playing the title role in the private eye series “Peter Gunn” (1958-61). Egan questions Lucy and says he's “just trying to get the facts, ma'am.” This is a paraphrase of a quote from another famous TV detective, Joe Friday on “Dragnet.” The role of Lieutenant Egan was originally written with Webb in mind. Stevens even imitates Webb's deadpan delivery.

“Lucy Goes to Prison” (1973) ~ When Lucy goes undercover in jail to discover where Mumsie Westcott (Elsa Lanchester) hid her stolen loot, Matron Wilson is played by Jody Gilbert, who also played a prison matron on “The Lucy Show.” 

Two uniformed policemen are played by uncredited actors and have no lines.

“The Big Game” (1973) ~ Jerry Jones plays a policeman on the prowl for ticket scalpers at the stadium. Prior to this, Jones played a policeman on “The Doris Day Show” and “The Brady Bunch.” 

“Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers” (1973) ~ On the side of the law are Officers Spencer and Riggs, played by Dick Sargent and Gary Crosby. Rumor has it that the police officers were supposed to be played by “Adam-12” (1968-75) co-stars Martin Milner and Kent McCord. Like “Here’s Lucy,” the NBC police drama was filmed on the Universal lot. Gary Crosby played a recurring role on “Adam-12.” In the script, one officer says to the other “I think we’ve been riding together too long” which would have been even funnier had it been an already famous pair of policemen like Milner and McCord. The episode features Al Lewis, who famously played Officer Schnauser on “Car 54 Where Are You?” (1961-63). 

“Lucy the Sheriff” (1974) ~ Lucy finds out that her grandmother was the first woman sheriff of a Montana town that is celebrating its centennial. She is asked to play her grandmother at the celebrations, which include the recreation of a bank robbery. Lucy is enjoying playing lawmaker until a couple of genuine robbers interrupt the celebration and take her hostage!

Flora Belle Orcutt (the fictional one) is supposedly the first lady sheriff in the West. In real life, the distinction of first woman sheriff has been disputed. Some say it was Texan Emma Banister (1918), but others claim it was Mary Roach (1922-27) because Emma had inherited the position from her husband. Still others believe the title belongs to Kansan Mabel Chase (1926). Mrs. James Latty of Burlington, Iowa, was known as the first “Unofficial Woman Sheriff" as far back as 1870.

Lucy the Sheriff meets Sheriff Bart Thomas, played by Orwin C. Harvey. 

“Lucy Calls the President” (1977) ~ In the CBS special, Lucy Whittaker (Lucille Ball) is scheduled to get a visit from President Jimmy Carter. In advance of the visit, the Barker home is visited by Secret Service Officers Thatcher (Joey Forman) and Stockley (Stack Pierce). 

Stone Pillow (1985) ~ Lucille Ball plays a homeless woman living on the streets. When another homeless woman dies on her corner, the police are called. Pat McNamara (Officer Daggett) played Sheriff Perkins in Silence of the Lambs (1991).

“Lucy and the Guard Goose” (1986) ~ This unaired episode of “Life With Lucy” was originally scheduled for broadcast November 22, 1986. When crime hits M&B Hardware, Lucy enlists the help of a guard goose. Charles Levin plays Pasadena’s finest Sergeant Green. Green played a policeman on two episodes of “Punky Brewster” (1987-88). 

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Scammed by Low-Cost Freight Forwarder! Sunny Worldwide Logistics Ensures Customer Interests – Freight Forwarder China to Saudi Arabia

Scammed by Low-Cost Freight Forwarder! Sunny Worldwide Logistics Ensures Customer Interests – Freight Forwarder China to Saudi Arabia

A-Chun, who runs a cosmetics business, sent a shipment to Saudi Arabia but was told by the freight forwarder that it was confiscated locally. In reality, it was scammed by the freight forwarder!

A-Chun was initially attracted by the low quote from this freight forwarder. He had some doubts, but the freight forwarder's attitude was very good, assuring everything would be fine. A-Chun decided to give it a try and cooperated with the freight forwarder. The first three shipments arrived at the designated location in Saudi Arabia smoothly, but for the last one, the freight forwarder's attitude changed completely, becoming tough, and eventually informed A-Chun that the shipment was confiscated locally. Later, they didn't return calls and couldn't be reached!

A-Chun realized that the logistics company had scammed both the goods and the freight. These freight forwarders China to Saudi Arabia had the intention to scam from the beginning. After scamming, they would immediately cancel the company and find ways to register a new one to start over.

With freight forwarders everywhere, how can you find a reliable one? First, check the freight forwarder's basic qualifications: business license, company, warehouse, etc. For example, our company is not a rental office or a small freight forwarder in a village-in-the-city. Instead, we have a Grade-A office building with 1,800 square meters in Shenzhen's commercial business district. You can have a video call anytime to see our office space. We possess a dedicated foreign trade warehouse at Yantian Port, where goods are managed in a standardized way, allowing us to have full control over the entire logistics chain. We are one of only three companies among 60,000 peers in Shenzhen to achieve this.

This morning, I saw an old news story about a former employee impersonating his former company to ship goods. The consignee refused to accept them and they were returned. Ultimately, there was a messy account of over 300,000 yuan. In April 2020, Xiao Huang, a freight forwarder from Guangzhou, found a freight forwarder in Shenzhen to ship goods, using a business card as the sales manager of a Guangzhou freight forwarder company.

Because it was just an ordinary shipment by express delivery, the Shenzhen freight forwarder accepted the goods, passed them through Hong Kong, and handed them over to UPS in Hong Kong with a freight cost of 246,906 yuan. Xiao Huang paid the Shenzhen freight forwarder privately. However, after the goods arrived at the destination port, the consignee refused to accept them for certain reasons. But before returning the goods to Hong Kong, the Shenzhen freight forwarder failed to inform Xiao Huang in time and ask for his and the shipper's handling opinions. Xiao Huang and the shipper were only informed when the goods were already returned to Hong Kong, causing them to lose the opportunity to choose on-site destruction instead of transporting the goods back to Hong Kong. Ultimately, it ended up in court. Among this, Xiao Huang impersonated his former company to do business, and the Shenzhen freight forwarder operated irregularly, etc. The result was that all parties' interests were damaged and they were deeply involved.

The essential reason for this typical case is the irregular operations of individuals and small freight forwarder companies, ultimately leading to an uncontrollable situation. We must learn from this lesson. If nothing goes wrong, it's fine, but if something unexpected happens and there is no legal protection, it will be uncontrollable, and the interests of all parties will be damaged. Like our company, we are not only fully transparent when quoting, listing all fees, but also assist customers in handling all procedures at the destination to avoid any hidden costs. I will list in detail all possible expense items, including packing and port fees in China, as well as customs clearance and delivery fees at the destination. During the transportation of goods, we track the whole process, stay online during holidays, and provide timely feedback within 24 hours if there are any issues. Many customers can't do without us after cooperating with us once.

Also, because customers are not professionals in logistics, they often overlook important aspects that require accurate information, thinking they are not important. As senior international freight forwarders, we know what is important and what is not. Therefore, we won't overlook the important aspects that customers ignore and will check them one by one. Doing international freight forwarding requires that key aspects cannot be careless at all. Although this may seem troublesome, it actually prevents problems before they happen and can improve the efficiency of the entire process.

So as an experienced freight forwarder China to Saudi Arabia, cooperating with our company means the entire process is operated formally and has rules to follow. Except for force majeure, we have avoided all risks in advance.

If you also need logistics services from China to Saudi Arabia or services for other destinations, I will be your reliable logistics partner. To know more about me, read my blog, which records more details about being a freight forwarder China to Saudi Arabia for 26 years and the warm and touching stories between us and our customers. If you have any needs, feel free to contact me.

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Accounting for Ecommerce Business: A Guide to Financial Success

In the fast-paced world of ecommerce, managing your finances effectively is key to ensuring long-term success. As ecommerce businesses grow, the complexity of financial operations also increases. From tracking income and expenses to managing inventory and handling taxes, the need for accurate and timely accounting has never been greater. This blog will guide you through the essentials of accounting for ecommerce businesses, focusing on the importance of professional accounting services for small business in USA, and how it can benefit your ecommerce venture.

Understanding the Importance of Accounting for Ecommerce Business

Accounting for ecommerce business is a crucial component that enables entrepreneurs to make informed financial decisions. Ecommerce businesses, unlike traditional retail businesses, face unique challenges such as high transaction volumes, varying product costs, and the complexity of managing multiple revenue streams (online platforms, marketplaces, and direct sales). Without a solid accounting strategy, it can be easy to lose track of cash flow, profit margins, and tax obligations.

Proper accounting ensures that your financial statements accurately reflect the health of your business. It helps you track performance, manage expenses, and stay compliant with tax regulations. Furthermore, accounting provides the foundation for making informed decisions that can shape the future of your ecommerce business.

Key Areas of Accounting for Ecommerce Business

Ecommerce accounting involves several core areas that need to be managed properly for a smooth operation:

1. Revenue Tracking

Revenue tracking is the cornerstone of accounting for ecommerce business. Ecommerce businesses typically deal with multiple revenue streams, including direct website sales, third-party marketplaces, subscription services, and affiliate marketing. Each of these revenue streams may have different payment terms and frequency, making it crucial to track them separately.

For example, if you sell products on platforms like Amazon or eBay, you need to keep track of commissions, fees, and other deductions. Similarly, managing subscription-based revenue requires careful attention to recurring payments and cancellations. Proper accounting services for small business in USA can help automate the process and ensure that all revenue is accurately tracked and categorized.

2. Inventory Management

Inventory is a significant aspect of ecommerce accounting, especially for businesses selling physical products. You must account for the cost of goods sold (COGS), track inventory levels, and account for returns. Understanding the value of your inventory is essential to calculating your profits accurately.

Many ecommerce businesses use automated inventory management software to track the movement of goods in and out of the warehouse. However, this data must be integrated into your accounting system to ensure that the financial impact of inventory changes is accurately reflected.

3. Managing Expenses

Expenses are an inevitable part of running an ecommerce business. These can include product sourcing costs, marketing expenses, shipping and packaging, salaries, and platform fees. Accurately tracking and categorizing these expenses is essential for understanding your net profit and maintaining healthy cash flow.

Accounting for ecommerce business involves organizing your expenses into categories, which will help you identify areas where you can cut costs or allocate more resources. Working with professionals who offer accounting services for small business in USA can ensure that your expenses are documented correctly, which in turn simplifies the process of calculating your business's profitability.

4. Taxation and Compliance

Taxation is a complex area for ecommerce businesses, especially those selling across multiple states or countries. The tax laws governing ecommerce transactions are continually evolving, making it crucial to stay up to date on the latest rules and regulations.

In the USA, ecommerce businesses are required to collect sales tax in states where they have a tax nexus. Tax nexus can be established through various factors, such as the location of employees, warehouses, or even the volume of sales in a particular state. Ecommerce business owners need to ensure they are charging the correct sales tax and remitting it to the appropriate tax authorities.

Additionally, ecommerce businesses must comply with federal income tax regulations. Filing taxes incorrectly can lead to penalties, fines, and even an audit. Professional accounting services for small business in USA can help you stay compliant, ensuring that you meet all federal, state, and local tax requirements.

5. Profit and Loss Statement

A profit and loss (P&L) statement is one of the most important financial documents for an ecommerce business. It summarizes your revenues, costs, and expenses over a specified period, typically monthly or quarterly. A P&L statement gives you a clear view of your business’s profitability and can be used to identify trends, track performance, and make adjustments as needed.

In accounting for ecommerce business, creating a reliable P&L statement requires accurate data on both income and expenses. With the help of accounting services for small business in USA, you can ensure that your P&L statement is prepared correctly, giving you the insights you need to make data-driven decisions.

Tools and Software for Ecommerce Accounting

Managing accounting for ecommerce business can be overwhelming without the right tools. Fortunately, there are several accounting software solutions designed specifically for ecommerce businesses. These tools help automate financial tasks, integrate with ecommerce platforms, and generate reports that can simplify accounting processes.

Some of the most popular accounting software solutions for ecommerce businesses include:

QuickBooks: QuickBooks is one of the most widely used accounting platforms for small businesses. It integrates with various ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Amazon, enabling you to track income and expenses effortlessly.

Xero: Xero is another robust accounting solution that offers integrations with a wide range of ecommerce platforms and provides real-time financial reporting.

FreshBooks: FreshBooks is a user-friendly accounting software designed for small businesses. It offers features like invoicing, expense tracking, and time management, making it ideal for service-based ecommerce businesses.

Wave: Wave is a free accounting software that is particularly useful for small ecommerce businesses. It offers features like invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting without any subscription fees.

Using the right accounting tools will save you time and reduce the chances of errors. Whether you choose a cloud-based solution or a more traditional accounting method, having the right software in place is essential for maintaining financial accuracy.

The Role of Professional Accounting Services for Small Business in USA

For many ecommerce business owners, especially those running small businesses, managing finances can be time-consuming and complex. This is where professional accounting services for small business in USA come in. By outsourcing your accounting needs to experts, you free up time to focus on growing your business while ensuring that your financial operations are in good hands.

Professional accountants with experience in ecommerce understand the unique challenges faced by online retailers. They can provide services such as:

Setting up an efficient accounting system

Providing tax planning and advice

Assisting with bookkeeping and financial reporting

Analyzing financial data to help you make informed decisions

Offering advice on cost reduction and profitability improvement

By leveraging expert accounting services, ecommerce businesses can ensure that they are compliant with tax regulations, minimize financial errors, and make strategic decisions based on accurate financial data.

Best Practices for Accounting for Ecommerce Business

To ensure that your ecommerce business thrives financially, it’s essential to implement best practices in accounting. These practices will help you stay organized, improve cash flow, and avoid costly mistakes. Here are some key best practices:

Automate Financial Processes: Use accounting software to automate invoicing, payment tracking, and financial reporting. Automation reduces the risk of human error and saves you time.

Separate Business and Personal Finances: Always keep your business and personal finances separate. This will simplify your accounting process and make tax filings easier.

Track All Expenses: Ensure that every business-related expense is documented. Even small expenses add up and can affect your profitability.

Reconcile Bank Statements Regularly: Reconciling your bank statements with your accounting records will help you identify discrepancies early and prevent accounting errors.

Plan for Taxes: Set aside funds throughout the year to cover tax obligations. Tax planning is an essential aspect of accounting for ecommerce business and ensures that you are not caught off guard during tax season.

Conclusion

Accounting for ecommerce business is a critical component of your overall business strategy. With accurate financial tracking, effective tax planning, and the right tools, ecommerce business owners can streamline operations, stay compliant with regulations, and ultimately increase profitability. By investing in professional accounting services for small business in USA, you can gain the expertise needed to navigate the complexities of ecommerce accounting, allowing you to focus on growing your business.

At ProfitSpear, we understand the challenges that ecommerce businesses face, and we are here to provide expert accounting services that can help you succeed. With our tailored solutions, you can ensure your ecommerce finances are in good hands, giving you the freedom to focus on scaling your business and reaching your goals.