#Warehouse Returns and Cancellations

[miamicommune]

not to sound like A Customer but is there anything more evil than dealing with customer support that refuses to communicate using anything but 5 preprepared templates.

[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.

[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."

[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.

[vatsalaishwaryaqmt]

Streamlining Transit Goods Received & Return in Logistics

In the logistics and supply chain ecosystem, the seamless handling of transit goods received and goods returns plays a critical role in optimizing operations, ensuring accurate inventory, and keeping customers happy. Unfortunately, these two processes are often overlooked or mismanaged due to manual tracking, lack of real-time visibility, or outdated tools.

With modern logistics software like QuickMove’s Digital Logistics Inventory App, companies can now tackle these challenges efficiently and gain better control over goods in transit and returns management.

What Are Transit Goods?

Transit goods refer to items that are on their way from one location to another—either between warehouses, branches, or from a vendor to the customer. These goods are not yet recorded in the receiving warehouse's inventory until they are marked as “received.” Managing this phase is crucial to avoid over-promising, stockouts, or financial discrepancies.

In traditional systems, tracking transit goods accurately can be cumbersome. But with a smart tool like the Digital Logistics Inventory App, your team can:

Log items in transit in real-time

Monitor expected delivery dates

Get notified upon receipt or delay

Automatically update inventory once goods are received

This not only helps avoid miscommunication between teams but also ensures full transparency across your supply chain.

The Critical Role of Transit Goods Received

The goods received process is where your records are either validated or challenged. Once transit goods arrive at their destination, they need to be verified for quantity, quality, and accuracy against the dispatch note.

A digital solution like QuickMove’s Inventory App allows for:

QR/barcode scanning of packages

Auto-verification with order records

Digital proof of delivery with time, date, and geo-tag

Real-time updates to the central inventory system

These steps ensure there’s no mismatch between what was sent and what was received.

Understanding and Managing Returns

Goods returns are a regular part of logistics—whether it’s due to damaged items, customer cancellations, or internal reallocation. This is where reverse logistics comes into play.

Without automation, managing returns can be chaotic, leading to inventory losses or delayed credits. With a robust digital inventory management system, you can:

Instantly record returns with reasons and images

Create return authorizations

Manage restocking or disposal workflows

Track patterns in return reasons for future process improvements

Your team can even generate return documentation and customer acknowledgements on the spot, minimizing friction in the process.

Why Go Digital?

The manual handling of transit goods and returns leaves too much room for error. By adopting tools like QuickMove’s Digital Logistics Inventory App, logistics companies benefit from:

Improved stock visibility across all locations

Paperless documentation and digital trail of activities

Reduced human error

Faster processing and turnaround times

Complete integration with warehouse and transport systems

When transit and return processes are digitized, your team saves time, your customers experience fewer delays, and your business runs leaner and smarter.

Final Thoughts

In today’s competitive logistics environment, gaining control over transit goods and returns isn't just an operational advantage—it’s a business necessity. Whether you’re dealing with inter-warehouse transfers or customer returns, having a robust, mobile-friendly system like QuickMove’s Digital Logistics Inventory App ensures you stay on top of every movement.

By digitizing your logistics operations, you're not just solving today’s problems—you’re preparing for tomorrow’s growth.

[sirspazingtonthefourth]

People Call Me Dingo: Chapter 6

CW: Hospital

It was less than an hour before the Vice President arrived. He was all smiles, accompanied by his bodyguard. He spoke briefly with the detective and the hero, thanking them ever so much for ensuring her safety, certain that she must have felt quite safe with the two watching over her.

Dingo didn’t trust him.

He talked like she did, and she knew exactly how trustworthy she could be when she had a goal in mind.

“And of course, the young lady of the hour. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?”

“Dingo,” she said, smiling her best smile while holding out her free hand. She’d redone the cuffs while waiting, more from paranoia than anything. “People call me Dingo.”

The Vice President shook her hand, eyes crinkling around the edges as he observed her. He wasn’t staring through her, not yet at least. But he was being critical, even if he didn’t want her to know it.

“A lovely name. I am Ito Gansei, Vice President of the Japanese Hero Public Safety Commission. I heard from Eraserhead that your quirk is… less than natural?”

“A forced quirk. She says she was kidnapped by the villain factory and experimented on for upwards of a month. The doctors think her lack of control is-” Gansei held up a hand, a warm smile still on his face as he glanced back at the hero.

“I think she can speak for herself, yes? I already know what you’ve told me, I’d like to hear what she has to say.” He turned back to her, watching from the foot of her bed and she looked towards the cuffs chaining her to the bed.

“I… What he said’s true. I don’t remember much about that place. I think it was a warehouse? And there was a bunch of stuff scattered around. I never heard or saw anyone else in there, just me and… and the doctor who’d come in and work on me.”

She let herself shrink as she talked, curling in a little to appear smaller and fiddling with the cuffs. The first step to releasing them deactivated the quirk-cancelling mechanism. Better safe than sorry, right?

“When I started… I don’t really know the right word here, but when I started using my quirk I just… I was so tired, and scared. I was going to get the police, I swear! But then I bumped into someone, and I freaked out, and… well, I guess you saw what happened.”

Short. Frequent pauses. A little more detailed than what she’d said earlier. She watched from her periphery as Gansei nodded along with what she was saying. Good. Let them think she trusted him.

“That seems like it was quite a lot for you, especially considering you were quirkless before all that. It must have been quite a shock.”

Grip the sheets. Don’t make eye contact. Curl in a little more. Use what you don’t have to your advantage.

She nodded.

“Well, there’s no need to worry, young lady. I already have some of the best geneticists at the Commission working on trying to reverse your new quirk. With any luck, they’ll be able to return you to normal in a few weeks.”

She allowed a hopeful look to come to her eyes. She told herself it was a lie, if only because it made it a little easier.

“Until such a time as we are able to reverse the effects of whatever was done to you, it has been decided that you will be in the care of the HPSC. This will ensure that the villains who took you are unable to find you. They have a habit of… tying up loose ends, if you will.

“Anyway, it’s best not to dwell on such topics. While you are under our supervision, you will receive the best quirk training we have to offer. For your safety, you understand; we’d hate you to have another incident because you lost control. Then, once your quirk is removed, you will be free to return home.”

He hadn’t technically lied, not once. But she saw the way his eyes shone when he mentioned quirk training, like he couldn’t wait to see what happened. Like it would be some wonderous spectacle he could watch for his own amusement. It was a trap, she could feel it.

But her other options weren’t great either. Getting re-kidnapped, dragged back to that lab, and experimented on further? Being tossed in a jail cell for “quirk misuse” during her panic?

“You mean it? I could go home?”

“Of course. As soon as we’re able to return you to normal.”

It was another two days before Dingo was able to be moved to the HPSC headquarters. With her leg fully healed, she was able to tour the building, see the various different floors where office workers of different divisions toiled away behind screens and on phones. So many people tracking so many different things, all to keep the idea of heroes as pristine as possible.

Every step she took jostled the quirk cancelling cuffs she wore on her ankles. They’d been modified, the chain removed to allow her to move freely while still keeping her quirk under control. Plus, it allowed her to look like anyone else. People rarely looked at ankles, especially those covered by loose pants.

“Ah, Miss Dingo! It’s good to see you up and walking about. I take it you’ve seen most of the upper floors by now, yes?” Gansei still looked friendly as ever as she stepped into his office, and she did her level best to match him, smiling from the doorway.

“I have. It’s kinda hard to keep track of everything going on here. You take a few steps and you’re in a completely different department with a completely different job. How do you manage to keep track of it all?”

“That is where the power of delegation comes into play,” he said, rising from his desk and motioning for the previous tour guide to leave. “But the tour is not over yet. We still have the underground levels to see.”

Gansei led the way to the elevator. It took a while, being some thirty floors up, but she filled the wait by asking various questions of the Vice President. How were the tasks distributed through the organization? Were there other locations? Did the HPSC really certify every hero program in Japan? Questions she knew the answers to, questions that would make her sound a little dumb.

Questions that played into what he thought of the quirkless.

Speaking of…

“How many quirkless people work here?” she asked as she finally stepped into the elevator. He chuckled, pushing a button for the basement level.

“Not a great deal, unfortunately. Very few have the kind of mental fortitude required to survive in hero work of any kind. We must keep our eyes on anything that could be happening, including things like national disasters, catastrophic villain attacks, and other gruesome emergencies. Coupled with the stress of keeping the Commission running smoothly so we can oversee the heroes of our country, few among the quirkless population are able to keep up.”

She’d heard that excuse a million times. It never got any easier to hear.

“Oh… I guess that kinda makes sense.”

The rest of the elevator ride was silent until they reached the basement and stepped out. It seemed standard for a basement, save the other elevator tucked away in a back corner.

“This is the entrance to our more classified floors. Only a select few know of these floors, many of which are heroes and those qualified to aid them in training.” It was a short ride from the basement to the next floor down, which seemed to be its own sort of lobby.

There were far fewer floors below ground than above, but they contained many more interesting things. Gyms and training rooms specifically to enhance quirk control or power. A control room managing every specialized Commission agent in the field, as well as watching through cameras likely hidden on the agent’s person. The labs, where she was required to give a blood sample so they could continue their research into the quirk.

She liked those people. They seemed like they wanted to help her, even if she hated getting her blood drawn for some reason. It reminded her of what she wanted to do, of her certification that was collecting more and more dust the longer she stayed here.

She needed to get back home so she could actually help people. Not with the quirk she’d been forced to have, or even with the Network. At least, not in the long term. Sure, she was kinda high up on her local ladder, but she was never going to stay there her whole life.

“And these are the barracks. We house heroes temporarily as needed, and you now, of course. For your safety, we will try and limit your time outside of the barracks to training and meals. While we have the best security in the country, it is better to be safe than sorry.”

She nodded as they walked along, pretending like she didn’t notice the keypads to unlock the doors on the outside, or how the elevators only needed verification to enter the lower levels, not leave them. She ignored the room they passed halfway down the hall, full of monitors showing the insides of various rooms.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t known this was supposed to be a gilded cage.

“And this is your room. Due to the nature of your quirk and how important it is that you not fall into the hands of villains, you will have a personal guard assigned to you. He will aid you with your training and check on you throughout the day to ensure your safety,” the Vice President said, friendly and fake as always. She’d heard enough of his real enthusiasm when he’d been talking about the business side of the Commission earlier.

“Go ahead and get comfy. It isn’t much, but with any luck you won’t be here for too long!” Dingo stepped inside, not even getting to turn and give a friendly smile before the door slid shut and clicked.

The walls were gray, just like the floor. There was a white desk with a white chair in the far left corner and a bed, perfectly made with pristine white sheets, in the far right one. Not that they were really far, the room was a rather cramped cube.

To the left of the bed was a white dresser, and a black digital clock sat on top, showing only the time, 13:27, in red light. Finally, to the left of the door, as a small area partitioned off that held a metal toilet and a sink, the kind you’d see in holding cells. She supposed it only made sense.

There were two cameras in the room, carefully positioned so they covered most angles of the room, save the toilet. Watching the clock for a minute revealed a slow blink in the center, betraying a truly obvious secret camera. A few spots on the walls looked like they’d been bugged.

She took a deep breath, trying to play her hesitation off on being nervous about a new space. She wandered over to the bed, sitting on it since it looked more comfortable than the chair at the desk. She didn’t sit still for long, going about a proper exploration of the room.

There was a small space under the bed, probably for suitcases for temporarily stationed heroes, but Dingo didn’t have anything to her name except the clothes on her back, which had themselves been donated by the Commission. She found a few more outfits in the dresser, comprised of white shirts and pants and, thankfully, undergarments and socks. The desk revealed a few pencils, pens, paperclips, and sticky notes, all in white.

The “bathroom,” if she could really call it that, had soap and toilet paper and menstrual products, which was another relief. She walked back to the bed, collapsing onto it so she could check the ceiling. It didn’t look like they’d put any cameras there, but she couldn’t be too careful.

After half an hour of checking the ceiling Dingo’s door slid open. She was quick to sit up, taking in the man in the doorway. He was tall and broad, with a few scars tracing his face. The frown he wore seemed carved into his face and he stared at Dingo as she sat on the bed.

“On your feet.” She was quick to obey, pushing down her fear as she stood before the man with her best posture. Fear never did her any good.

The man observed her, watching as she stared not quite at him and stood stock still. Finally he nodded in what might have been approval.

“I am Fudouyama Sekinin, your guard and personal trainer while you are here. You will not leave this room without my permission. You will not enter another room without my permission. You will follow my every order as if they came from God himself. Do I make myself clear?”

It was hardly a question.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Breakfast is at 5 o’clock, lunch at twelve, and supper at 6. Meals last 30 minutes. You are to be in clean clothes with your barrack clean and bed made before you will be permitted to eat. If you are not dressed, your barrack is untidy, or your bed is not made, you will spend however long it takes to remedy those infractions before continuing with your daily schedule. If it takes longer than the allotted meal time, then you will not be permitted to eat.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. I will be here at 5:45 to collect you for supper.” He took a step back and the door closed, leaving Dingo alone again. She checked the clock, 2:04. Enough time for a nap, she figured, as long as she set an alarm. It took some fiddling to figure it out, but she eventually got an alarm set on the clock for 5:30 to give her enough time to change and make the bed.

The nap was as restful as she could have hoped for, and entirely too short for her liking. She swatted at the beeping alarms clock and rolled out of the bed. She went to the “bathroom” for as much privacy as she could manage and changed into a clean set of clothes from the dresser. She didn’t have anywhere to put the dirty clothes, so she shoved them into one of the drawers. Then she made the bed and waited.

At exactly 5:45, Fudouyama opened the door. He glanced around the room before looking at her.

“Your bed is untidy. Remake it.”

“What?”

“Remake the bed.” Stifling her annoyance, she stripped the sheets and redid her work. By then it was 4:51.

“Remake it.”

“I just did. What’s wrong with it?”

“Strip the bed and remake it.”

“What? No, it’s fine, it’s made.” Fudouyama took a step into the room and Dingo immediately backed herself towards the desk. That’s where the pens were. But instead of going for her, he simply flipped her mattress off the bed.

“You will not be permitted to eat until you have tidied your quarters. Now, make the bed.” Dingo hesitated to move at first, until she saw the large man growing irritated at her inaction. She moved the mattress back onto the metal frame and remade the bed. She remade it four more times before he was satisfied.

“It’s past the allotted mealtime. Lights out is at 9.” The door shut behind him and Dingo was left alone in her room again, stomach growling and fighting back a snarl. She was being watched, and she would continue to be watched for as long as she remained here. She couldn’t let them see what got to her. That was always the first step to winning; getting under their skin.

She just had to keep them from getting under hers.

Masterlist

[dkaufmandevelopment]

Tariffs and Real Estate: How Rising Costs Will Impact Development, Investment, and the Economy

Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China—a move that will have significant ramifications for real estate developers, investors, and the broader economy.

While tariffs are often positioned as tools to boost domestic production, their immediate impact on construction costs, development feasibility, and economic growth cannot be ignored. With housing affordability already under pressure from high interest rates, rising labor costs, and supply chain constraints, these tariffs introduce another major hurdle for the industry.

What Exactly Are These Tariffs?

Trump’s executive order imposes:

• 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada

• 10% tariffs on goods from China

These tariffs directly affect key construction materials, energy costs, and consumer goods—creating higher costs across the board for developers, investors, and end-users alike.

How Tariffs Will Disrupt Real Estate Development and Investment

1. Increased Construction Costs Will Squeeze Margins

Developers are already navigating higher interest rates and costly debt financing, and now, tariffs will further drive up costs for critical building materials, including:

• Lumber, asphalt, and steel (Canada)

• Concrete, cement, roofing materials, glass, and windows (Mexico)

• Building stone, aluminum, and glazing glass (China)

With 25%+ price increases on these materials, the cost-per-unit of new development will rise significantly, making some projects financially unfeasible or reducing overall returns.

2. Delayed or Canceled Projects Will Reduce Housing Supply

The National Association of Home Builders has already expressed concerns that tariffs could stall housing developments, particularly in markets where affordability is already strained. This could lead to:

• Slower new housing supply growth in key markets

• Further pressure on rental markets, exacerbating affordability issues

• Reduced investor confidence in new developments

For investors, this means that cash flow-positive deals may become harder to find, as increased costs will either be passed on to tenants via higher rents or absorbed by developers through reduced margins.

3. Build-to-Rent (BTR) and Multifamily Developers Will Need to Adjust

For developers focused on Build-to-Rent (BTR) and multifamily housing, higher construction costs will force adjustments in:

• Project timelines – As material costs fluctuate, some projects may be delayed.

• Unit mix and design choices – Developers may need to explore smaller units or more cost-effective materials to offset tariffs.

• Debt structures – With construction loans already at elevated rates, higher upfront costs may limit financing options.

4. Rising Costs Will Create New Challenges for Commercial Development

Commercial developers—especially those in industrial, office, and retail sectors—will feel the impact of tariffs on:

• Steel and aluminum prices (affecting warehouse, office, and retail construction)

• Higher fuel and transportation costs (affecting logistics and supply chain efficiency)

• Energy prices (Canada provides 60% of the U.S.’s crude oil imports, and potential tariffs on oil could drive up operational costs)

For investors, cap rate compression in higher-cost environments could lead to lower returns, forcing many to rethink asset allocation strategies.

Tariffs and the Economy: Inflation, Interest Rates, and Consumer Behavior

While the real estate industry will bear much of the immediate financial burden, the broader economic consequences will also shape investment decisions.

1. Inflationary Pressures Could Keep Interest Rates High

Economists warn that tariffs will increase the cost of consumer goods, leading to higher inflation. If inflation remains persistent, the Federal Reserve may keep interest rates elevated, making financing even more expensive for developers and investors.

2. Higher Costs on Everyday Goods Will Reduce Consumer Spending

Beyond real estate, tariffs will increase the cost of essentials like groceries, gas, and electronics:

• Food and household goods – Mexico and Canada are key suppliers of produce, meat, and packaged goods.

• Gas prices – With potential tariffs on Canadian oil, energy costs could rise further, affecting transportation and logistics.

• Appliances, electronics, and vehicles – Higher costs on imports from China will drive up prices on consumer goods, impacting discretionary spending.

With less disposable income, consumers may delay home purchases, limit rental budget growth, or reduce retail spending—all of which have macro implications for real estate investors.

3. Potential Retaliation and Trade Uncertainty Could Further Disrupt Markets

If Mexico, Canada, and China retaliate with their own tariffs, U.S. exporters—including those in agriculture, technology, and manufacturing—could be hit hard. Trade instability could lead to:

• Stock market volatility, impacting investor confidence.

• Reduced corporate investment, which could slow economic growth.

• Supply chain disruptions, which could delay real estate projects further.

Investment Strategies in a Tariff-Driven Market

Despite these headwinds, real estate investors and developers can adapt by:

✅ Focusing on recession-resistant asset classes – Sectors like affordable housing, self-storage, and necessity-based retail may weather economic uncertainty better.

✅ Exploring domestic supply chains – Developers should assess alternative materials and sourcing strategies to mitigate cost increases.

✅ Locking in favorable debt terms early – With uncertainty around interest rates, securing fixed-rate financing could hedge against rising borrowing costs.

✅ Prioritizing value-add and cash-flowing assets – Investors may shift toward stabilized properties with predictable cash flow instead of high-risk development deals.

Final Thoughts: Navigating the New Reality

Tariffs are yet another variable in an already complex real estate and economic landscape. While some segments—such as U.S.-based steel and manufacturing—may see short-term benefits, the broader impact on development costs, financing, inflation, and consumer behavior presents significant challenges.

For real estate developers and investors, adaptability will be key. The ability to navigate rising costs, adjust strategies, and seize opportunities in a shifting market will separate those who thrive from those who struggle.

As Daniel Kaufman puts it:

“Real estate is all about anticipating and adapting to macroeconomic shifts. Those who can pivot in response to tariffs and inflationary pressures will find new opportunities where others see only challenges.”

What’s Next? Let’s Discuss.

Are these tariffs a temporary disruption or a long-term challenge for real estate investment? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

[digital-marketing-blogs08]

StockPro: The Best Inventory Management Software for Businesses

Managing inventory efficiently is a crucial part of running a successful business. Whether you operate a retail store, warehouse, or e-commerce platform, keeping track of stock levels, sales, and orders can be overwhelming. Mistakes in inventory management can lead to overstocking, stock shortages, and financial losses. This is where best inventory management software like StockPro comes into play. StockPro simplifies inventory tracking, reduces errors, and helps businesses optimize stock management effortlessly.

What is Inventory Management Software?

Best inventory management software helps businesses track, organize, and manage their stock in real time. It allows users to monitor inventory levels, generate reports, automate stock updates, and integrate with other business tools like accounting and sales platforms. By using a powerful inventory management solution, businesses can reduce errors, improve efficiency, and make better purchasing decisions.

Why Choose StockPro?

StockPro is designed to provide businesses with a seamless inventory management experience. It offers real-time tracking, automation, and smart analytics to help businesses manage their stock more effectively. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, StockPro ensures that your inventory is well-organized and optimized for maximum profitability.

Key Features of StockPro

1. Real-Time Inventory Tracking

StockPro updates stock levels instantly whenever a sale is made, a product is restocked, or a return is processed. This prevents stock discrepancies and ensures that businesses always have an accurate count of available inventory.

2. Barcode and QR Code Scanning

With barcode and QR code scanning capabilities, StockPro allows businesses to track products faster and more efficiently. This feature reduces manual data entry errors and speeds up inventory management processes.

3. Low Stock Alerts and Automated Reordering

StockPro notifies businesses when stock levels are low and can automate reordering based on predefined thresholds. This prevents stockouts and ensures that essential products are always available.

4. Multi-Location Inventory Management

For businesses with multiple warehouses, stores, or branches, StockPro enables centralized inventory tracking across all locations. This makes stock transfers and replenishment seamless.

5. Detailed Inventory Reports and Insights

StockPro provides valuable insights into inventory movement, sales trends, and stock turnover. These reports help businesses make informed decisions about purchasing, stocking, and pricing strategies.

6. Integration with Business Tools

StockPro integrates with accounting software, e-commerce platforms, and point-of-sale (POS) systems. This connectivity streamlines business operations and reduces the need for manual data entry.

Benefits of Using StockPro

1. Prevents Overstocking and Stock Shortages

StockPro helps businesses maintain the right stock levels by providing real-time updates and automatic reorder reminders. This minimizes financial losses caused by over-purchasing or running out of stock.

2. Saves Time and Reduces Errors

Manual inventory management is time-consuming and prone to errors. StockPro automates key tasks, reducing mistakes and freeing up time for other important business operations.

3. Improves Order Accuracy

With barcode scanning and automated stock updates, StockPro ensures that the right products are in stock and available for orders. This improves customer satisfaction and reduces order cancellations.

4. Increases Business Efficiency

By streamlining inventory processes, StockPro helps businesses operate more efficiently. Employees spend less time on stock-related tasks, allowing them to focus on sales and customer service.

5. Enhances Profitability

Optimized inventory management leads to better financial planning. Businesses can reduce waste, avoid unnecessary expenses, and maximize profit margins with StockPro.

How to Get Started with StockPro?

Step 1: Sign Up and Configure Your Business Profile

Create an account on StockPro and enter essential business details like store locations, product categories, and stock policies.

Step 2: Import and Organize Inventory

Upload product data manually or import it from existing systems. StockPro supports barcode scanning for quick inventory setup.

Step 3: Set Stock Alerts and Automate Reordering

Configure stock level alerts and enable automated reordering to maintain optimal inventory levels.

Step 4: Track Inventory and Generate Reports

Monitor stock movement, analyze sales trends, and generate reports to make data-driven decisions.

Step 5: Scale and Optimize Inventory Management

As your business grows, StockPro scales with you, ensuring smooth inventory management at every stage.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the best inventory management software is essential for businesses looking to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and prevent stock issues. StockPro offers a complete solution with real-time tracking, automation, and powerful analytics to help businesses manage inventory seamlessly.

With StockPro, businesses can streamline operations, improve order accuracy, and enhance profitability. If you want to take control of your inventory with a reliable and easy-to-use solution, StockPro is the perfect choice. Try it today and experience the benefits of smarter inventory management!