#at a rate that gives her a living wage and pays for the materials. that's capitalism babey!!! and tou don't even recognize it!!!

[dwellordream]

“With more household technology available, women could have found themselves with more time to spend outside the house. Moreover, the birth rate had declined. In 1800, white women had given birth to an average of 7 children each; in 1900, the average was 3.56; and in 1929, it was only 2.4. Women of all groups were having fewer children. Birth control was still controversial, and it was even illegal in many states, but middle-class women were able to get birth control devices from their private physicians, and in large cities some clinics opened to serve working-class women.

However, this still left many working-class women without birth control. And even when they could get birth control information, in an era before the Pill had been invented and when diaphragms and even condoms were not always readily available, they often found their husbands uncooperative. Yet, even though they continued to have more children than middle-class women, birth rates among the working class also declined. No sooner were there fewer children in the home, however, that experts began to agree that mothers should pay more attention to each one.

As advertisements for a laundromat in Muncie asked, “Isn’t Bobby more important than his clothes?” And one ad selling electricity declared of the “successful mother” that “she puts first things first. She does not give to sweeping the time that belongs to her children… The wise woman delegates to electricity all that electricity can do.” Women who were involved in charitable work, social and political service, and even wage work--despite the fact that most working mothers took paying jobs only out of dire need--were attacked as selfish, as taking jobs away from men who needed them to support families, and as undermining the stability of the home. It was argued that having a woman in the home would keep a child off the streets.

…In an economy built around gratification rather than thrift, women’s activism outside the home was taken as a sign of an unfulfilled life. Women did not cease, of course, to rely on other women for support and intimacy. As with politics, however, the range of tolerated behavior shrank, and what had been acceptable before the war now was questionable. Some young women even feared to share apartments with each other lest they be suspected of homosexuality. And, in the same way that new fears of radicalism split women’s political organizations in the 1920s, new fears of homosexuality made it harder for women to form women’s groups whose purpose was women’s equality and independence.

Women’s focus was not supposed to be other women. According to the advertisers and the new psychologists, their emphasis was supposed to be on how to attract men. Women could find fulfillment, the argument went, only through marriage. In the 19th century, marriage was supposed to involve self-denial and self-sacrifice by women. Now, particularly for the highly educated middle class, it was supposed to prove sexual satisfaction and self realization. Marriage was supposed to be the gateway to a fuller life, not just for women with low-paying monotonous jobs but also for college-educated women. Sexual fulfillment in marriage, not a career, was depicted as the ultimate fulfillment for women.

…Despite the increasing availability of birth control, a new focus on sexuality, and a redefined concept of housework, marriage had a hard time living up to its reputation. Not all women found marriage a way to a fuller life. Tensions rose around consumption. Raising children became more and more expensive, and working-class women continued to have less access to money and birth control. Fears of conceiving another child they could ill afford affected these women’s sexual pleasure. And expectations of a way of life that did not materialize led to disappointment.

In a 1920s study of Muncie, Indiana, when working-class women were asked what gave them the courage to go on life when they had become thoroughly discouraged, not one of the women mentioned her husband. In difficult times, husbands became not so much individuals as the focus of their wives’ problems and fears about jobs and conception. The divorce rate rose steeply. From 1870 to 1920, the number of divorces in the United States increased by a factor of 15. In 1924, one marriage in seven ended in divorce. More wives than ever before had done paid work during marriage. They knew they had options other than staying in an unsatisfactory marriage. Life was not easy for divorced women, but no longer was divorce the disgrace it had been in the previous century.”

- Sarah Jane Deutsch, “Fun, Fads, and Family.” in From Ballots to Breadlines: American Women, 1920-1940

[adamwatchesmovies]

Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011)

The only thing preventing Atlas Shrugged: Part I from receiving the lower rating it deserves is its audacity. The first two-thirds are impenetrable and boring. The last third clobbers you with so many bewildering developments that when the credits tell you this is only Part I, you want to see what’s coming next. It's hard to believe even a dedicated Ayn Rand fan would like this film, though if they’re as nutty as this movie makes me think they are, they’d probably drop on their knees and worship anything tangentially related to her.

Set in 2016 (5 years after this film was released), gasoline costs $37 a gallon. Railroads are the only economic form of transportation but even they are in rough shape. Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling), Vice-President of Taggart Transcontinental railroad, defies her brother, James (Matthew Marsden), the CEO of Taggart Transcontinental, and begins replacing steel rails with Rearden Metal. Named after its inventor, Hank Rearden (Grant Bowler), this new metal is 10 times lighter than steel, but far stronger. Unfortunately, politicians, lobbyists and other industry leaders scheme against Dagny and Taggart; laws are passed forcing them to break up their companies and limit the production of Rearden Metal. The State Science Institute releases a report implying Rearden Metal is dangerous. Despite these obstacles, Hank and Dagny carry on. Meanwhile, talented and hard-working employees are quitting their jobs before disappearing entirely. All of these mysterious disappearances point towards the enigmatic John Galt.

I don’t know much about Ayn Rand or her philosophies. We're only judging this film on its own merit. Unfortunately for Atlas Shrugged, its psychopathic and delusional beliefs are obvious. This film is a contrived roundabout fantasy what-if scenario whose thinly veiled goal is demented. Atlas Shrugged has no idea how crazy it sounds - or perhaps writer John Aglialoro and Brian Patrick O’Toole, along with director Paul Johansson really believe what they’re selling. Everyone is conspiring against Dagny and Rearden. Why? The public is told Rearden Metal is dangerous. How? It doesn’t matter. The point is, people think it’s bad. Railroad workers don’t want to drive on it, everyone expects the bridge made from the adamantium-like substance to crumble. People are scared but our protagonists don’t take the time to dissuade their fears. Instead, they plow forward, cursing those union workers for trying to stand in their way.

Our protagonists hear about a factory whose management tried paying all their staff the same wage. They can’t understand why anyone would even try because all they care about is making money. Rearden admits it, he says “All I care about is making money”. This is our hero. He lives in a world of cartoon characters. His frigid wife hates him and his metal. She practically looks at the Rearden Metal bracelet he gives her as if it was made of tinfoil and dog turds and gets rid of it while he watches. You know it’s so Dagny and Rearden can “fall in love” - or whatever these two reptiles would call love - but you so don’t care. It’s hard to care about anything because the setup is so artificial. It creates this bizarro-world scenario where someone being able to make all the money in the world is a good thing, where someone having a monopoly is desirable, where fairness and competition are the worst things that could happen.

You can tell the people in charge of Atlas Shrugged were so busy padding themselves on the back for "telling the truth" they didn’t stop and think. We can buy that railroads are the only viable means of transportation due to fuel shortages, but the source material clearly took place like 80 years ago. Transporting it to the present day when we have the internet, television, cell phones and solar & nuclear power raises dozens of questions. When Dagny and Rearden leave their office, the streets are littered with “Going out of Business” signs and vandalized cars. People can’t afford anything anymore. Well, “normal” people can’t. These two fat cats are driving all over the country, looking for a mysterious engineer (whose identity you can easily decipher) as if gas doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Their road trip could've been done over the phone. Even in 2011, audiences must have thought “Couldn’t they prove Rearden Metal is good with TV specials and viral marketing strategies, or a demonstration?”

Over and over, the movie has to contort itself to make this world work. To its credit, it ALMOST does. You don’t understand why Rearden and Dagny are constantly being thwarted so you hate the same people and things they hate. There are split seconds where you actually sympathize with them, which means a lot considering how loathsome their ideals are outside of this very specific scenario.

I wish I could say that Atlas Shrugged: Part I was a fascinating mess but it isn’t even that. So much of it is political wheeling and dealing, a slow burn towards a “romance” you don’t care about or a quest to solve a mystery you could unravel in your sleep you will be bored for most of the picture. It does pick up towards the end, at the point in the story where any other film would wrap up, but this one just starts becoming interesting. That upward climb does make me curious to see what the next part will be like but that’s just me. I doubt anyone reading this would care. (On DVD, March 31, 2023)

[mangodestroyer]

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure my store would still be making lots of money if my wage was doubled.

Yes, I am aware that there is a fuck ton of labor that goes into running a clothing store. You have to pay the accountants, marketing team, upper management, truck drivers, customer service representatives, supervisors, and so much more. And sometimes, merchandise gets handled quite a bit. It needs to be kept neat, organized out onto the floor, go through price changes now and then, etc.

Thing is, I, a single employee, work with LOTS of merchandise everyday. Mere penny's worth of my labor goes towards a single unit, if even that. And the raw materials and labor that went into PRODUCING those clothes probably isn't as much as people think. It's pretty obvious these clothing items are being marked up at absurd prices so that you think you're getting a deal when you get a 20% off coupon or whatever.

Also, I wasn't even hired on as a service desk employee. And yet I often find myself working the till during a 4-8 hour shift. This isn't even the busiest time of the year for us, but it's really not uncommon for the place to be bustling with activity. And while working the register, I easily ring up tons of orders that are at least $50. Hell, I often find myself ringing up orders in the $150 to $300 range, with the occasional $500+ purchase. I'm also selling credit cards on top of that, which also earn the company lots of money because of the fact that these cards have a high interest rate and most people wait to pay them off when their bill arrives in the mail/online.

Not only that, but I also fill online orders sometimes. Whether that be through store pickup or through mail.

So I pretty much know how to do almost everything in the store. Aside from supervising and some operations tasks (even if I still help out with trucks and whatnot). I can do all of this fairly efficiently. ESPECIALLY since I've been working here two years. And within an hour, I can easily end up selling so much merchandise, that the money earned just from me alone ends up being far, FAR more than my weekly wage. Just in that hour.

So, yeah. How can you even justify giving the average worker a measly $12.50 an hour? Let alone one who is more experienced and efficient? With the cost of living these days, it just isn't ethical. Rent is insanely high, gas prices have gone up, and food isn't getting any cheaper. If my wage was doubled, I might actually be able to live on my own.

No, shit. Companies are greedy af. This is why I'm happy for the worker strikes and hope they do cause serious damage for the CEOs. The U.S. owns 25% of the world's wealth, so poverty shouldn't even be nearly as much of an issue as it currently is. And no one needs a billion dollars. Give me a break!

I've also become disgusted by how materialistic we are as a culture and try to cut back on frivolous purchases. I mean, I see people come here multiple times a month, buying so much dumb shit for their wardrobes that they really don't need. I once had a girl come in purchasing $400 worth of clothes. Admitting this wasn't the first time she'd done so that month. That she'll have to get a third job to support her shopping addiction when she already works 60 hours a week. Ngl, I kind of wanted to slap some sense into her right there and then. Just why??? She's already so busy, so she probably doesn't have much time to even enjoy the outfits she's wearing. And tbh, I doubt many people are giving it much thought either. And if you don't need to work more than 60 hours a week to survive, why the fuck would you? Wouldn't you rather, idk, pick up a hobby or something? Hang out with some friends? Spend some time out in the sun?

I guess capitalism isn't my thing.

[plglobal]

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN COMMODITIES

Advantages

Probably the greatest advantage of putting resources into commodities is the way that they will in general secure financial backers against the impacts of swelling. By and large, interest for commodities will in general be high during times of high swelling, which pushes up costs. It’s additionally a decent wage against the U.S. dollar, so when the greenback decays, commodity costs rise.

Beside the advantages of enhancement, there is the possibility to boost returns with commodity contributions. Despite the fact that commodity costs are dependent upon variances on the lookout—exchange rates, loan fees, the worldwide economy—worldwide interest is solid. This emphatically affects the loads of organizations that manage commodities, which can make an interpretation of to positive re-visitations of financial backers.

Commodity merchandise is crude materials. They’re exchangeable and can be purchased and sold in mass. Regularly these crude materials are the structure squares of fabricated items.

Sorts of commodities

Financial backers separate commodities into two classes: hard and delicate. Hard commodities require mining or are boring to discover. Delicate commodities are developed or farmed. There are four principle sorts of commodities.

Horticultural items: Soft commodities. They incorporate harvests like corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, and wood. 

Animals and meat: Soft commodities. They incorporate live cows, meat, pork stomachs, and milk. 

Energy items: Hard commodities. They incorporate raw petroleum, flammable gas unleaded gas, propane, ethanol, and coal. 

Metals: Hard commodities. They incorporate valuable metals, similar to gold and silver, and modern metals, similar to copper, aluminum, and palladium.

Here are the main three motivations to put resources into commodity markets for a wide range of financial backers-

1. To differentiate your portfolio

One of the key factors that decide the achievement of your monetary arranging is broadening. Expansion concerning venture portfolios implies putting resources into different resources that are not connected to one another of your portfolio in various resource classes.

The greater part of you would broaden your portfolio in five significant resource classes which incorporate money, shares, fixed pay protections, land, and gold. In the midst of expanded instability in the business sectors, you are either clutching money or putting resources into gold.

Gold is viewed as the most secure shelter for interest in tempestuous occasions and Indians will in general put resources into gold. Since it is considered as an image of riches and has elaborate worth. In any case, actually, the gold in your portfolio is your interest in commodities. Simply like the wide range of various commodities the profits from it are autonomous of the profits generates from stocks and bonds.

Much the same as gold, there are other commodity ventures whose profits are not dependent with values and security markets. The cost of any commodity venture is a component of interest and supply and by doing appropriate exploration and investigation you can make benefits from commodity market speculations.

2. To give a support against swelling

Expansion is the overall ascent in the cost of products and enterprises after some time. For any speculation to be productive, it is significant that the profits created beat the pace of swelling. Higher expansion successfully disintegrates the genuine returns produced by your interests in stocks and fixed pay protections.

Be that as it may, on account of commodities, higher expansion identifies with the greater cost of commodities. Along these lines, in contrast to different speculations, your commodity ventures will bring about a solid execution when expansion is high.

Given the current circumstance when swelling is continually on the ascent, putting resources into commodities will give a fence against expansion.

Read more, click here..

Website: https://plglobal.com/

Email: admin@plglobal.com

[kardulis]

never talking to my parents about anything i care about ever again xxx mwah

[justinukaegbu]

Coffee talk with Nigerian visual artist Anthonia Chinasa Nneji

“The complexity of Nature inspires my art. The beauty of the ‘African being’ inspires my art.” That’s how Anthonia Nneji describes her practice. “I pay attention to the trauma of the female body with which I struggle with and which I embrace in my paintings. I speak of struggles with menstrual cycles, weight, insomnia, depression and the agony of discovering meaningful diagnosis in the collapsed healthcare system in Nigeria.” 

This piqued my interest, so I proceeded to contact the University of Lagos graduate, who styles herself as Wallace Ejoh's protégé. She happened to be in London at the time, so we met for a cup of coffee and I asked her the topics I'd been thinking about. 

1. How do you make sure you have time to create? Do you have a set time or build it into your calendar? Well...its a full time job and I work according to mood.

2. What's your tip or best way you maintain a live/work balance? Do you struggle with it? When do you know you're lacking balance? I Currently struggle with my live/work balance. And I know I'm lacking balance when I stay indoor to paint for more than 2 days, without being out for my daily walks.

3. Has there been a specific time that you recall not having your voice heard? Yes. During one of my visits to the doctor. My body was feeling some type of way. But he kept insisting my body wasn't feeling some type of way.

4. Do you have a network of other artists you rely on - and what do you do to support each other?  I'm a less sociable person, I really don't have artists I rely on.

5. Do you have long-term goals? Are they written down or how do you revisit them and make sure you are moving along that path? i have long term goals, written down as well. I always work towards achieving them. When accomplished, I tick them on my list and give myself a treat for a job well done.

6. What's your biggest barrier to being an artist? How do you address it? Being told that art is not a real job and access to art supplies are my biggest barriers. There is little or nothing to be done because of the type of society I live and work in. For the art materials, I order from the US or UK sometimes and it still comes with the report of being delayed or some items stolen.

7. Who do you partner with to achieve your goals? Is it a formal network/agreement or fluid/organic? I have a gallery representation and it is a form agreement.

8. Have you ever said 'no' to an opportunity? How did you decide to say no? Yes I have. I did because it didn't serve my interest or humanity's.

9. What's your relationship with money? Have you made long-term financial plans? Yes, i have made long term financial plans.

10. How do you determine what to charge for your art or services? The demand, often gives us an idea of what to charge.

11. Do you advocate for a living wage and fair pay for your art/services? Not really.

12. How did you set your current rates? The demand gives us an idea. Then, the gallery management and I hold a meeting to discuss it. 

13. How do you cultivate your audience? I really have to rule for this, I guess it just happens. 

14. When do you talk about your art? Everytime. My art is a reflection of my life.

15. Do you feel that your art community challenges existing barriers and assumptions? Yes.

16. Is there something you do today that you wished you had known to do years ago? Maybe, started painting earlier. 

17. Are your goals driving you towards money and fame? Yes.

18. What does generosity mean to you as an artist? How do you emulate this? It means guiding younger artists and my fellow Contemporaries.

It was really nice discussing with you Anthonia. Good luck in all your future endeavours. I’m rooting for you and look forward to seeing you on the big stage.

References

Writer, F. (2018). Anthonia Nneji: Painting Her Way To History. [online] Tush Magazine. Available at: https://tushmagazine.com.ng/anthonia-nneji-painting-way-history/.

Spark, T. (2018). Painting by Anthonia. [online] The Spark. Available at: https://www.thesparkng.com/hub/painting-by-anthonia/ 

Vanguard News. (2017). ALERT! Female Visual Artists on the rise. [online] Available at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/alert-female-visual-artists-rise/

[ts4cyberpunk-followtherabbit]

( Send me suggestions for new roles!) 

LEGALLY EMPLOYED

Politician: is active in politics, holding or seeking office in government. Politicians propose, support, and create laws or policies that often include how much Corpo control is involved in the city’s government.

Attorney: There are lawyers for corporate law, international law, space law, entertainment law, warfare and military justice, and federal and local law. Rates vary on the firm.

Collar: Corpo Employees like Clerks, Secretaries, and junior Executives are commonly known as collars. Usually a low-level employee of a megacorp they don’t have much pull in Corpo biz but benefit from Corpo job perks.

Suits: Senior Corpo executives find themselves higher up in the ranks with more lucrative benefits and higher risk responsibilities usually involving shady Corpo deals. A suit’s front-line is still usually in an office.

Netcop: Sometimes they uncover Corporate treachery or deadly secrets. But that’s not why they Netrun. Working for Netwatch makes them equipped with very powerful software to move through the Net, every Netrunners dream.

Corpo Engineer: create profitable weapons, devices, security systems, and cyberware. They often have access to dangerous and expensive equipment that they can work with at their leisure for personal gain.

Consolidated Agriculture: direct ownership or leasing of farmland by major corp industry in order to mass produce the world with high quality food.

Social Worker: A particularly underfunded sector of the government, social workers are in charge of human resources and financial aid, most often in the form of kibble card distribution and foster care services.

Scientist: conducts research mostly funded by Corpo to provide corporations with the latest in  Cybernetics, Biotechnology, Systems biology, Nanotechnology, Synthetic Engineering, and Metascience.

Medical Technicians: doctors in a specific field. They could be general practitioners, cardiologists, dentists or more elite members of the Trauma team. Most are impossible to afford without a Corpo insurance plan.

Educators: demonstrate effective learning, teaches, informs, instructs, or inspires about general or specific subjects. Anyone with a marketable skill can educate on it.

Accountant: responsible for keeping Corpo’s or crime rings’ financial records. Most accountants are responsible for a wide range of finance-related tasks, but mostly its about making sure acquired income looks legal.

NCPD Badges: Underfunded police that stretches their authority and use procedural abilities as far as they can to get their job done. Most Badges want to make the city a safer place, others just like having authority to abuse.

MaxTac: sometimes referred NCPD Psycho Squad, they are a specialized sub-group of the Night City Police Department. As a cybersquad, MaxTac specializes in dealing with cyberpsychos.

Private Investigators: law enforcement that works for private clients. They interview people, conduct surveillance, find missing persons, and solve crimes. Wages earned vary by the investigator, some are famous, ergo expensive.

Bounty Hunters:  catches criminals and brings them to NCPD badges in return for a reward. Even though they are legally employed with NCPD and Militech corp. BountyHunters are not against working solo gigs to catch criminals.

Firefighters: a rescuer extensively trained to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the city. There is a recruitment drive in the armed forces, suggesting assault-style situations.

Dog Tag: Any individual on active duty with the United States Armed Forces, led by the Department of Defense. The D.o.D consists of four branches: the Army, Aerospace Force, Navy, and Marines. Inactive dog tags are called ex-tags.

Social Worker: A particularly underfunded sector of the government, social workers are in charge of human resources and financial aid, most often in the form of kibble card distribution and foster care services.

Construction Worker:  work makes up almost 70% of available work for civilians. Full body conversions like the NovelTech Samson make workers tireless, incredibly strong, and capable of surviving almost any accident.

Janitors: There aren’t enough janitors in Night City to clean the filth off her streets but all the same companies still hire people to clean their office buildings and shops. Its often nasty work for bad pay.

Binman: a worker who collects and hauls away garbage and municipal solid waste and recyclables from residential, commercial,  industrial for further processing and waste disposal.

Farmer: raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or gene-buddy livestock.

Owner: a privately owned business with a storefront where legal business is conducted. Many owners are under the protection of gangs depending on their location but some owners are perfectly capable of protecting their own store.

SPIRITUALISTS

Paranormal Investigator:  the paranormal is a lucrative business. Most gigs tend to be the work of tech being used to simulate experiences but they are paid to resolve the paranormal activity.

Cultist: A charismatic leader or a follower of an unorthodox cult who generally lives outside of conventional society. Some Cultists are prone to acts of terrorism or unorganized violence for their spiritual or religious cause.

Religious Leader: The duties of a religious leader vary from faith, but usually include encouraging people to make a commitment to their faith and live according to its teachings and explaining the meaning of scripture.

ENTERTAINMENT BIZ

Glitters: Doors open for Glitters that are closed for others because they can bring exposure and popularity. Public icons, fashion gurus, famous investors are all glitters whose only job is to write checks and shine.

Braindance Artist: An actor or actress that works primarily with Diverse Media Systems Braindance Studios. The artist is wired up with the neural feeds and starts recording. The BD artist usually has no script. The art of Braindance recording is spontaneity.

TV Star: From talk shows to “reality shows” TV stars still fill daytime TV channels with drama, action, and comedy. Braindance might be the next best form for the movie cinema and video game industry but TV stars still dazzle the small screen.

Rock stars/Lazrpop Star: Singers that are sponsored by recording companies or other Corp. and are paid to be apolitical so their music creates no discourse, They make beats and lyrics and their income is relative to the size of the audience that idolizes them.

Radio Jockey: A radio jockey hosts a radio show that may take calls from listeners; interview celebrities or gives news, weather, sports, or traffic information.RJ’s can be swayed monetarily to broadcast political leaning content. In between, they play music of preferred genres.

Performative Dancer: From Ballet to Kabuki Theatre, performative dancers are marveled upon in media by more artistic or refined members of society. Many performative dancers utilize cosmetic and athletic cyber to add authenticity to their performance.

Performative Musician: composes, conducts, or performs music on instruments. They are not concerned with conflicts of political interest since their music seldom includes vocals. They are still often sponsored by Corpo though.

Comedian: seek to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, acting foolish or employing prop comedy. Comedians get the most heat in the industry for crossing apolitical lines.

Writer: Most Corpo employed writers are writing scripts for TV stars, comedians, songs for rockstars, and speeches for politicians but some still work the competitive field of novels, they also compete with AI software in creative writing.

Preem Mannequins: Models that work their way up a brutal and competitive industry to stand out for their physical beauty in some way. Most get featured in advertisement billboards and high fashion magazines and most are obsessed with their physical appearance.

Superstar: do it all, record BDs, release songs, dance,and have had their face on billboards. They are masters of the entertainment industry and produce eddies and audiences where ever they go. Most Superstars are completely entitled.

Professional Athlete: Athletes compete in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed or endurance Most professional athletes have particularly well-developed physiques obtained by extensive modification, strict training, and dietary regimen.

Celebrity Agent: represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with Corpo sponsors. They handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients. They also headhunt for new talent to bring in.

Fashion Designer:  design clothing and fashion ranges. They may work in high fashion or designer ready-to-wear fashion, as well as in high-street fashion. Most fashion designers that achieve recognition for their designs assist Corpo techies in producing more creative code in Fashion Ai’s.

Aesthetic Artist: those in the entertainment biz are concerned about their appearances to the media and public. Aesthetic artists’ job is to make sure they look their best. Focused on make-up, hair, and outfit they keep those in the entertainment biz styling.

Creative Craft Artisan:  a very rare breed mostly replaced by 3D design and printing companies, CC Artisans create unique sculptures, woodwork, or pottery made out of the finest materials, and their creations are afforded only by the super-wealthy.

Illustrator Artisan: Illustrators are painters, sketchers, and digital drawers that create original images for a range of printed and digital products. They work closely with marketing teams to turn ideas and printed media into inspiring illustrations.

MEDIA

TV News Reporter:  always somehow on the scene in the thickest of action to get first hand news delivered to the citizens before other networks. It can be a high-risk job.

TV News Anchor: Once reporters work up in ranks they can earn opportunities to become a TV news anchor, a lower risk job with higher pay than TV news reporter. Many TV news anchors gain enough popularity to be considered a glitter media.

Journalist: Journalism in night city means gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information via screamsheets, magazines, or the net. Unlike TV news reporters, journalists are freelance, the job is high risk.

Combat Correspondents: provide perspective on what it’s like inside the U.S. armed forces. These soldier media gather information for news and feature articles much as civilian journalists do , often against military protocol.

Sensationalist: sensationalism is a type of editorial gig. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers.

Celebrity Hunter: Journalists that focus on the who’s who are usually found chasing down the hottest glitters for interviews that will produce the best ratings. They have a low-risk job but sometimes find themselves in high-risk situations.

Clicker: a freelance photographer or can be employed by photo agencies, magazines or local newspapers. Their job is to shoot the best photo for the best story. Journalists and clickers work as a duet.

Sport Jockey: to make sure you know every score from all the most important games worldwide. It’s a low-risk job with sports celebrity access perks.

Media Techie:In media, there is equipment like cameras, recorders, Braindance,  media techies are hired to maintain, repair or purchase and all equipment for best-produced media in the biz.  

Shutterbug: vagrants of media, shutterbugs are out to get any quote, photo, or story that will garnish any eddies for personal gain. They don’t care about truth or ratings, they simply chase whatever sells quickest.

STREET TRASH

Sharks: have eddies to give away, but interest rates are known to be extreme. consequences of defaulting on a loan shark is often a higher price to pay. only desperate people go to sharks, and they capitalize on it.

Bookie: a person whose business is accepting and paying out money risked on a particular result of something, esp. fighting, racing and competitive activities.

Black Marketeer: a person who trades illegally in officially controlled commodities such as illegally obtained Corpo weapons, Illegal cyberware, BDs, and extreme drugs.

Juicers: work for sharks almost exclusively and aren’t hired to kill but instead hired to squeeze eddies owed to the shark from poor s.o.b’s that are overdue on their debts. They are quick to use extreme force and torturous tactics.

Pushers: SynthCoke,Boost,Blue Glass,Smash,Dorph,Black Lace -pushers sell it all.Pushers only care about moving drugs for eddies. They are prone to using the drugs they push some can be dangerous.Ex-tags and joytoys are common customers.

Cookers: SynthCoke,Boost,Blue Glass,Smash,Dorph,Black Lace- Cookers make it all.They have a dangerous job just from being exposed to lethal chemicals during the cooking process to avoiding the ncpd Vice unit.Cookers use pushers to distribute.

Street Punk: Gang posers,dophers,zoomers, and dregs of society are weak nobodies that get themselves or other people killed during careless acts of petty crimes and gigs. They have a low threat level but are still a nuisance, mostly to the NCPD.

Scavengers: known for kidnapping people and forcibly harvesting their cyberware.Despite all of them pursuing the same distasteful trade, scavengers tend to operate in small groups with no official hierarchy to unite them.

Con Man: night city’s cheats and swindlers who cheat or trick someone by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe or buy something that is not true. Con man are responsible for a lot of disappearances and deaths.

Gangbanger: Gangbangers are the ultimate rules of the city streets. From small gangs like Moxes or Divine Dragons to mega gangs like Tyger Claws  each gang in Night City is as diverse as the street itself all thrown together in a lethal cocktail.

Street Scribbler: Wannabe street artisans take to scribbling opinions, quotes, and sig tags over public property as a form of protest and vandalism. Scribblers are not extremely creative and don’t respect gangbanger tags.

Street Artisans: create graffiti as form of activism and expression but follow strict code and respect gangbanger territory. This respect of code encourages gangbangers to protect some artisans’ artwork from scribblers defacing their work.

Buskers: the jesters of night city from acrobatics, drawing caricatures, comedy, dance, singing, living statue, poetry, street theatre, these citizens earn gratuities by entertaining the city streets on all corners.

Street Vendor: Offers goods or services for sale to the public with a mobile stall. Goods they sell are often second or even third hand, may or may not be stolen or salvaged.

Disc Jockey: DJs, play off the cuff or pre-recorded mixes at nightclubs and at private and public street events. They engage and entertain their audience and incorporate requests into their music line-up.

Fixer: Well-connected information brokers who apply their trade on the black market. They locate, acquire and sell info about desired persons, places or things within their areas of operation. Most gigs solos do come from Fixers.

Nomads: were once corporate wage-slaves, who got fired from employment, and now they roam the highways in motor-gangs.They maintain strong family bonds and have a hard time trusting anyone outside of the family. They despise Corpo.

Ripperdoc: is a medical practitioner who can install a variety of cybernetic prostheses. There are many that operate legally, but some conduct illicit deals, such as installing military-grade cybernetics for the right price.

Deckjockey: is an expert netrunner, usually a specialist at covertly accessing and stealing from corporate databases, buying, trading and selling their deepest secrets and information to Fixers and other Deckjockeys.

Techie: range from technicians to cybernetic specialists. They are usually introverted and “underground’ who do “off-the-record” work and make their living building, fixing and modifying anything from vending machines to weapons.

Bartender: Night City drags dangerous individuals in pretty much every bar, club and pub so many bartenders tend to be ex-gangbangers, ex-cons, ex-tags, and ex-solos.and are accustomed to violence and high-stress environments and how to handle them.

Bouncer:  tend to come from backgrounds of violence but also have the body and modifications to execute more aggressive methods of peacekeeping. A bar’s success can sometimes completely rely on how good the bouncer is at their job.

Smuggler: facilitate entry into a desired location and smuggle a package to be delivered at a predecided destination.They may traffic persons or merchandise and are quick to abandon a package if they suspect they will be caught.

Runners : a driver for hire that has three rules: all deals are final, no names, and never look at the package. Runners don’t abandon packages at the first sight of risk, This makes them more expensive.

Highrider: a pilot for hire who will fly anyone to their destination under any conditions as long as they get half their payment before take-off and the rest when they land. Most highriders die in a flame of glory.

SOLO

Solo Mercenary: is the jack of all trade in the solo biz not particularly a master in one thing a solo merc takes jobs From bodyguard to thief, to assassin. But the point is they get the job done, even if its a bit…messy.

Shinobi: trained shadow solos have finesse. Their proficiency is in katanas, martial arts and stealth so have a great skill-set suited for silent stings and assassinations. They get the job done quietly and you pay extra for it.

Solo Thief: have exceptional skills at stealing and have mastery over all kinds of lock picking and hacking.To the simple pickpocket to the most difficult heist, a solo thief always nabs their target possession.

Solo Assassin: don’t have time for petty thievery and are not in the biz of “protecting’ anybody. Their set of skills is good for one thing: finding and killing a target. Their contracts are usually very expensive.

Solo Bodyguard: are tanks, physically strong and unyielding they use their physical advantage to guard and protect persons or places. solo bodyguards often have contracts with fixers, celebs, politicians, and even Corpos.

Corporate Samurai : Solos that are hired to protect Corporation property and carry out violent and illegal gigs for Mega Corps.The Corporate Samurai will associate and  works for or possibly as a Corrupt Corporate Executive.

Ronin: Previously corpo Samurai are now freelance are called Ronin and are seen as untrustworthy in the solo bizz because of their Corpo past however this past gives them an edge in succeeding against Corpo gigs.

Street Samurai: fight against the Megacorps and follow their own personal codes of honor which is to bring down the society in which they live in order to make a better one so they take Any gig that sticks it to Corpo.

Shinobi: are elite trained and have mastery in espionage and deception hired by Corpos executives, celebs, and politicians for protection. Shinobi are usually against using cyberware and prefer to rely on their own strength.

EROTICA WORK

Joytoy: Licensed prostitutes that work the street.Their biz is selling sex.joytoys have a high risk gig so they often seek out pimps for protection which depending on the pimp can help or complicates a joytoys job and life.

Pimp: a joytoy’s manager. They sometimes bring joytoys clients and deal with problematic customers but mostly they hover around their joytoys and berate them for not bringing enough eddies.Most pimps only ‘manage’ a handful of joytoys.

Doll: A step up from street prostitutes Dolls use neural implants to remove themselves from the experience and implant a fantasy for the customer and the doll doesn’t remember the interaction when it’s over.Dolls are employed by dollhouses.

Caretaker: owners of dollhouses. They employ dolls, provide health care as needed as well as protection for dolls . Caretakers can employ dozens of dolls at one time and dolls work hard for them for higher positions in the dollhouse.

Mannequin: are a  dancer that perform in a window box, usually wearing a fashion brand they are hired to be still, poised, and perfect like a real mannequin, others are hired to perform lavish dances to sell the brand they are wearing.

Stripper: is a person who earns eddies by stripping their clothes off.However, its not as easy as just standing on a stage naked. They are excellent dancers and masters at visual teasing. Some strippers are also joytoys,but not always.

Erotica:  are a dancer that performs for braindances. synaptic acting a-listers. Pure bi-based ecstasy.All eroticas are in a catalog where you ask for their pre-recorded BD. Eroticas don’t generally engage in physical sexual activity.

Black Widow: has a more lucritive and lethal way to use their body .Black widows target Glitters use sex to get closer to the target and murders them before making off with an exceptional score of eddies or merch to sell.

Hooker: an unlicensed sex worker generally wants to avoid STD screenings which would make any sex work they do illegal if they fail the screening.Unlicensed sex workersoffer way cheaper services but with much higher risk of STD spread.

[tenpin-boleyn]

Performers Breakdown! Part 1

Just a little breakdown of things all actors/ performers should know! (Just a PSA I live in England, and some of the things may be UK specific, but I’ll try to be as general as I can!)

1. Headshots.

The most important piece of advertisement an actor can have, is their headshot. Headshots can be expensive, so make sure you make them you! Choose outfits that you feel confident in, but make sure they don’t distract from you! And try and showcase your natural hair! If you have curls, flaunt them! And if you have straight hair, embrace it! The casting directors want to see YOU, and who YOU are!

Also make sure you don’t schedule a headshot shoot before you undergo any major transformations, like any piercings, tattoos or changing your hair colour/style! Chances are you’ll need to get them redone again, so there’s no point!

2. Choosing audition material

Another staple for most auditions is a monologue. There are hundreds of monologues out there, so choosing the right one for you will be hard! Here are a few things you might want to consider when choosing a monologue!

The length. Is it too long? Is it too short? Do I need to fill a certain time slot? Most drama school auditions will have a set time of 1-3 minutes, whereas auditions for theatre and film and TV will have a more lenient time frame! (With most Film and TV auditions, you’ll be given a script to read for the panel, this could either be a side, or a cold read. I’ll try and go in depth later)

The character. How similar are they to you? Are they in your age range? Are they your gender? Can you relate to them in any way?

Do you enjoy the piece?? The panel want to see this story being told, and if you don’t like the piece, then neither will they. Embrace this character and make them fall in love with you! Choose a piece that excites you, and that you’re excited to perform!

The material. Is it suitable for what you’re auditioning for? Is it age appropriate? A casting panel aren’t going to be wanting to hear about a characters “first time”, so make sure you pick something appropriate! Also try and consider what you’re auditioning for. If you’re auditioning for a bold, fierce young woman, don’t use a scene from Romeo and Juliet, maybe try and find a similar character to that you’re auditioning for!

Check the guidelines! Most auditions will have some sort of guidance, so make sure you read that beforehand!

Try and find new material, but don’t avoid overused material. The number one thing I hear about auditions, is that you should never use a monologue that is overused. The directors want to see what you can bring as an actor, they want to see your interpretation of a character! So as long as you enjoy the piece, how overused it is shouldn’t matter!

Accents. Does it have an accent? Most auditions will want you to use your native accent, unless otherwise specified, so make sure you choose a piece that’s native to you. So if you’re from the UK, choose a piece from a brutish playwright, or if you’re from the US, choose a piece from an American playwright!

Try and avoid “best of...” or “book of Male/female monologues” because most of the material will be unsuitable and unoriginal. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a great starting point, but overall I would avoid them! Try searching for plays that feature characters close to your range! And when you’ve found a few start to google that play, and monologue. So (Ella Hickson Boys monologue) for example. And see where you can go from there!

A few plays I recommend good female monologues from are:

Boys Ella Hickson

Flatmates Ellen Dryden

When I was a girl Sherman McDonald

Bunny Jack Thorne

The oh fuck moment Hannah Jane Walker and Chris Thorpe

Mary Massacre Johnny McKnight

The Roaring Girl, Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton

The Murders at Argos David Foley

3. Sides and Cold Reads

When you audition for a Film and TV role, chances are you’ll be given either a side to learn, or a cold read to read from in the audition.

A side is a specific scene or monologue, usually from whatever you’re auditioning for, that you’re given prior to the audition. You won’t have to learn it off by heart, but you will be required to be familiar with it. Most of the time you’ll be required to perform a scene where the other character is one of the audition panel. You will need to be prepared for anything, the reader may be a trained actor who will do their best to help you, or they could be an intern that doesn’t want to be there. So you’re gonna have to be prepared to read with a blank actor. What I’m unsuccessfully trying to say is that your reading partner may be monotone when your character is supposed to be angry, or upset. You need to be prepared to receive no help from that other character, focus on your own acting. You won’t have any energy to bounce off of, so prepare for this.

A cold read, is a type of audition where you arrive usually an hour or less before you’ll audition, and you’ll be given a script to familiarise yourself with. This could be a monologue or a scene, but you’ll be expected to perform under the pressure of not knowing it. The panel won’t expect you to know it off by heart or know the character inside out, they just wanted to see your interpretation of the character, and how well you can work under pressure. So please don’t be afraid of cold reading, because the panel want to test how well you emote and how well you embody a character, rather than test you on how well you remember something.

4. Physicality

Something I’ve always struggled with is physicality. But unfortunately a large part of performing is based on physicality. You want to be able to tell a story with your body, and your movements, as well as through what you’re saying. So one of my biggest tips is just to follow your body.

Let your body guide what you do. If you’re performing a monologue, don’t just stand still, follow what you feel is right. If you feel like your character should move forward, move!

And this may be a bit controversial, but if you feel like you’ve been directed wrong, and it doesn’t feel natural to you, feel free to change it! If you don’t feel like you’re in charge, and you don’t feel comfortable, you’re not going to connect with this character. Whatever you’re feeling, they’re feeling too. So take initiative and so what you feel is right for you!

5. Touring Productions

If you’ve been cast in a professional touring company, there are a few things you should know/ be aware of!

Most agencies/unions will provide you with a “digs list”. This is a list of suitable properties to rent for a short space of time. They’ll be safe for actors and should be in safe neighbourhoods, and will be in budget!

You will get given a weekly allowance for “digs” and this will increase if you aren’t given breakfast as included in the accommodation. (£300 ish a week with breakfast, £400ish a week without breakfast)

You’ll also get a weekly food allowance, and this can range from £17 a day, to about £35 a day depending on where the tour goes and if you get breakfast for free.

You also get a transport allowance, which covers all of your transport to and from the theatres. You won’t usually get money beforehand for this, as you buy everything yourself and then send off the receipts and invoices to get them sent back into your account.

Your pay per month can change significantly depending on a few factors. If the production is an equity show, you’ll get paid more, and have more stability with pay as the union will secure a fair rate of pay. But if the show isn’t equity, the show can pay you significantly less, and more random as it will depend on the theatre capacity and how well the show has sold.

6. Living expenses

If you are performing in a show for a long period of time, such as a West End show, you get a travel allowance. When my drama teacher worked on the West End she received £72 a week for transport around London, but this might vary from show to show, as this is just one person and her experience!

The minimum wage for a working actor is roughly £450 a week, which might/might not seem a lot but considering the cost of living in places like London, and Los Angeles, and New York, this isn’t much. So you need to budget and expect to not earn enough. So make sure you have a some savings ready if worse comes do worse, but most of the time your wages will be above this mark. This is just the equity agreed minimum, so it’s likely you’ll be living on more than this figure.

I’ll try and get a Part 2 out soon but this post was getting pretty long, and I’ve got so much more to say! (My drama teacher being replaced was a BLESSING)

I hope this helps, even in the slightest, and it gives you an insight into the industry!

If you’ve got any questions, leave me an ask or pop up and I’ll try an answer them as best as I can! :)

[healthyworthyofficial]

Woman, 24, makes £30k A MONTH selling nude pics online after quitting her job

A GLOBAL jet-setter has revealed how she went from being a “skint student” to earning over £30,000 a month virtually overnight, by quitting her degree to sell nude pictures and saucy videos of herself online. Raking in 12 times the average annual UK salary of £30,420 each year, at just 23, singleton Kaya Corbridge owns her house in Lancashire outright, and holidays in far flung destinations such as Bali, Barcelona and Australia.

Kaya Corbridge makes £360,000 per year on OnlyFans selling racy photosCredit: PA Real Life Her luxury lifestyle became possible after she quit her degree course in international relations and global development at Leeds Beckett University in September 2017, after just four weeks, to focus on her OnlyFans account – a subscription service where content creators provide exclusive material to their subscribers, or “fans.” Kaya explained how her content  – which fans pay a fee to view – can range from naked pictures to videos of her feet. She said: “I set-up my OnlyFans account on a bit of whim.  I just thought I’d give it a go – I never thought it would change my life in the way it has. “In my first year I made £255,000 and now I earn about £30,000 every month – I’m in the top one per cent of OnlyFans earners in the world.”

Kaya now owns her house in Lancashire outright after joining the platformCredit: PA Real Life Life before her saucy endeavours was far from luxurious for Kaya – who also provides additional “favours” for fans, which can include rating pictures of men’s intimate parts. Her previous jobs have included being a “cash-in-hand” waitress at 14, working in McDonald’s, Lidl and as a part-time tour operator. But now Kaya, who has a brother and two sisters who she prefers to keep anonymous, says money is no object, adding: “Last year I bought my first house and paid for it outright. “It cost £125,000 and it’s lovely. It’s got two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a balcony and a garden and it’s made me want to buy a second property soon. “But I’m hardly there, as I spend most of my time travelling the world.”

Kaya now holidays in far flung destinations such as Bali, Barcelona and AustraliaCredit: PA Real Life She continued: “I love exploring and seeing new places and I love being my own boss, as I can still work from wherever I am in the world. “Since I started OnlyFans I’ve visited 20 countries, I’ve taken my mum to Paris, Poland and Barcelona, and I spent a few months in Australia. “I travelled in America, saw more of Europe, then went to Bali and now I’m travelling around South East Asia. I’m hoping to have been to 30 countries by the end of the year.” OnlyFans content providers like Kaya have a photo feed, like Instagram users, showing pictures but she also takes private requests.

Her previous jobs have included being a “cash-in-hand” waitress at 14, working in McDonald’s, Lidl and as a part-time tour operatorCredit: PA Real Life

She usually does one post a day  – a mixture of pictures and videos Credit: PA Real Life “For private requests people can pay for nude pictures and videos of me and some more naughty things, too, like strip teases. “There’s a function called Strip for Tip, and during a live video the more money my subscribers send me the more clothes I’ll take off. “I usually post once a day  – a mixture of pictures and videos – but the most time consuming part of the job is making sure I reply to everyone’s messages. I can get hundreds in a day and it can take hours to reply to them all.”

Kaya says money is no object now and she wishes she had joined soonerCredit: PA Real Life Despite her enviable curves,  Kaya says many of her fans – who are mainly men but also gets women and couples interested too –  just want to focus on her feet. She said: “People have a real thing for feet. I’ve made thousands from mine! “Sometimes, they just ask for pictures of them – or they’ll want videos of me rubbing oil on them, or of me just walking along in the sand. It’s easy money.” She added: “Men also pay me to rate their privates. They’ll send me a pic, then I’ll tell them what I think of it in exchange for money. “Plus there’s the girlfriend experience. Men ask me to speak to them as if I’m their girlfriend for one day and pay me for it. I chat through messages or voice notes. Usually, they’ll tell me what type of girlfriend they want me to be. “Honestly, it would blow people’s minds if they heard what some men ask for – but I just let it go over my head.” She has turned down some of her fans’ more lurid requests for items of worn underwear, to shave her hair off and, on one occasion, to put a slice of bread in her shoe, walk around on it all day and send a male admirer her crumbs.

Sometimes Kaya’s fans use their initiative and buy her surprise presentsCredit: PA Real Life She also has fans who want to “gift” items to her, which she says can be very useful. Kaya, who did her own poll to determine the profile of her fans, which she believes are mostly men in their 20s or 30s, said: “For fans who want to give me gifts, I have a ‘Wish List.’ All I do is add items that I want to it, so they can go and buy them for me. “I ask for all sorts, usually just boring every day items. My brother needed a new mattress recently, so I added it to my list and someone bought it. “When I moved into my house, I asked for things like a kettle and microwave, as well as candles and cushions – and got those gifted too. “I’ve also been given a phone, trainers, clothes, vouchers and books.”

Kaya did her own poll to determine the profile of her fans, which she believes are mostly men in their 20s or 30 Credit: PA Real Life Sometimes Kaya’s fans use their initiative and buy her surprise presents. “I get sent outfits that people want me to wear on camera,” she said. “I’ve been sent a policewoman and a nurse outfit before, as well as a tutu, fishnet tights and a corset. “I also had rope sent to me. I was just like, ‘So, what am I meant to do with this?' “The next day a book arrived which was called The Art of Rope Tying, so I’m guessing they wanted me to tie myself up in rope.”

Within the first month of Kaya being on the app, she had made £8,500Credit: PA Real Life Her fans can also help to maintain Kaya’s immaculate appearance. “There’s a function called ‘Adopt a Bill,'” she said. “Using that, people can pay for me to get things like get my nails or toes painted.” She continued: “Or if something crops up – like if I need to go to the dentist – they can pay for that, too. “I have extensions, which can cost a small fortune to maintain, so, sometimes, I ask for contributions for my hair.”

Her fans can also help to maintain Kaya’s immaculate appearance. Credit: PA Real Life Looking back to September 2017 when she first opened her account, Kaya’s life now is unrecognisable. “For those couple of weeks when I was at university I was as poor as hell and could barely afford to eat,” she said. “I was always worried about money, my parents didn’t have a lot, but they scraped together all they could to give me an extra £30 a week. “I remember being in tears because my laptop basically blew up and I couldn’t afford to fix it.” Her life changed in an instant, however, when, browsing Twitter one day, Kaya found someone with an OnlyFans account and decided to follow suit and start her own.

Fans have sent her a phone, trainers, clothes, vouchers and books Credit: PA Real Life

Kaya decided to quit her university course and concentrate on OnlyFansCredit: PA Real Life She said: “I set it up, then forgot about it for a while. “A few days later I uploaded a bikini picture of myself to see what happened. "When I woke up the next day I checked my account and I’d made £250 overnight – I couldn’t believe it!” After that, she continued to post intimate images and videos to the website. “Within the first month I’d made £8,500,” she said. “I knew I was on to something good, so I decided to quit my university course and concentrate on OnlyFans.

When Kaya was at university she was as 'poor as hell' and could barely afford to eat Credit: PA Real Life “To be honest, I only went to university because I wanted to get a charity job doing international aid. “Now I can volunteer for charities while still earning a wage through OnlyFans. “In January I volunteered at a dog rescue centre in Koi Samiu in Thailand for a couple of weeks – I loved it, and I hope to do some more volunteering soon.”

She said she can now volunteer for charities while still earning a wage through OnlyFansCredit: PA Real Life Meanwhile, Kaya’s online work is fully supported by her loved ones. “My family and friends are happy for me and so supportive of what I do,” she said. “I’ve been honest with them the whole time. As soon as I posted my first photo, I told them what I was doing. “And while my family would never expect anything from me, they know I’ll always look after them.” “I’ve taken my mum on countless trips, I bought my brother an electric bike and I bought my mum a new washing machine and a laptop. “My sister had a baby and when she got her own place, I put together a little moving in fund for her, so she could get everything she needed for her new home.”

Kaya’s online work is fully supported by her loved ones Credit: PA Real Life And Kaya certainly has no plans to quit her current role any time soon. “One day I want to have my own little empire,” she said. “Now everything is so much easier, I never worry about money. “Whatever I do next I’ll have to transition into, because right now the money I make is too good to give up. “This job has given me complete freedom to do what I want and, hopefully, I’ll never have to see my family struggle again. “My only regret is that I didn’t start doing this sooner.” Read the full article

[canmom]

virtual proletarian?

In the post I wrote yesterday, I said multiplayer games don’t usually have a proletariat - a ‘doubly free’ population who, by virtue of having no ownership of the means of production, have no choice but to sell their lives as ‘labour-power’ to a capitalist, but also are not specifically beholden to one particular capitalist.

Well, I remembered a possible exception to that story. Last year, I stumbled on a fascinating story by someone called Alice Maz, who played the market in a Minecraft server...

The story talks about a speculative bubble where the speculators were mostly selling to each other, and how Alice exploited another player who was producing and then selling wool at far too low a price to benefit from the speculative bubble. What struck me about that is that in some ways, it resembles wage labour. Not in the sense of not owning the means of production - that player owned everything they needed to produce wool. But in this case, Alice provided them a steady income, in return for taking a cut of the full value of the wool. For the player producing wool, it was a matter of “put in time, get money at fixed rate”... for Alice, she could treat her money as capital, use it to make more of itself: literally completing the cycle M-C-M’.

Rereading it, there’s another case in that story where there is more standard wage labour taking place:

Victoria did plenty of that kind of business too, but my favorite hustle of hers was her farm. She had on her land wheat fields, livestock pens, a tree farm, and various other such things. I mean, we all did, but she set up buy chests for all those goods right there at something like a quarter market rate. I was way the hell in the middle of nowhere, so it wouldn't have worked for me, but she also had the nether rail. "Take the white line to the third stop and you're right there!" And people would go work her fields, shear her sheep, chop down her trees, replant everything, and immediately sell her the goods at rock-bottom prices.

I find this pretty fascinating. In Marx’s understanding, a capitalist buys a special commodity, labour-power, whose value (like any commodity) is the amount of value (average proportion of aggregate social labour) needed to reproduce it, i.e. to obtain the commodities needed to maintain a certain standard of living, train up replacement workers in schools, support the ‘indirectly market-mediated labour’ carried out by the worker’s family etc. By combining this labour-power with means of production, labour can be performed, making new value... which allows the capitalist to sell commodities for more than the cost of the materials.

However, the fact that the capitalist is buying labour-power is obscured: it seems like they’re directly paying for labour itself. By making the payment for labour-power into an hourly wage, the capitalist enforces labour-discipline: in order to get enough to reproduce themselves, the worker has to do a certain number of hours of labour. Or at least, convince the capitalist that they’ve done that much labour.

Another way labour-power can be bought is a ‘piece rate’, where workers are paid not for the number of hours worked but for how much they produce in that time. This is generally hated and bitterly fought against by the workers, because it forces the workers to work at a particular, usually extremely gruelling intensity. As prole.info’s The Housing Monster puts it:

Another way for the company to keep us working hard is to pay piece wages. This is usually only done for jobs where it’s easy to measure how much work is getting done. Drywallers will often have part of their wage tied to the number of sheets of drywall they put up. This gives them an incentive to work faster. Where some drywallers are paid partially in piece rates and some on straight hourly wages, this creates a division between them. Some will try to go faster and others will try to go slower. The ones who want to go faster are often the more experienced workers and are often given some authority to supervise the other workers. Instead of being pushed directly, workers who get piece rates have an incentive to push themselves (and their coworkers) to go faster. The job is more stressful, since we have to worry about how fast we’re working ourselves. It doesn’t mean we’re working for ourselves. It doesn’t make the work less boring. It just changes the way that the pressure to work harder and faster is applied.

In this case, Victoria owns means of production - her farm - but she doesn’t have any formal arrangement with the players who come and work on her farm to pay them a specific wage. Rather, this is all handled informally: her ‘buy chests’ declare what she’ll spend on labour-power, as a piece rate, with no negotiation possible. Apparently she correctly judged the piece rate so that people who didn’t have capital would come and work for her.

Victoria in many ways has it easier than IRL capitalists. These workers have absolutely no protections or security: if Victoria decided she wanted to lower the rate on her buy chest, or close it, she could just do so and those workers would be fucked. Nor does she need cops to protect her farm from being seized by the workers, because her ‘ownership’ is encoded into the game (in this case, the economics mod the server was running). Moreover, her fixed virtual capital doesn’t depreciate the way a real life machine would... her trees will keep regrowing forever, without maintenance. Her buildings will never fall down. The only thing that ended it was (presumably?) the server reset.

So anyway, that post raises all kinds of questions... the author uses it to argue for some kind of inevitability of class stratification, because after the server was reset, she and her fellow capitalists (the ‘diamond cartel’ of the richest players, who rebuilt the economy after an item duplication glitch crashed it) were able to very quickly apply their knowledge of the game’s systems and the server’s dynamics, not to mention their apparently copious amounts of time to pour into Minecraft. At that point, she didn’t find it fulfilling anymore: to her, apparently, the joy is in learning, and ultimately breaking wide open, a complex system...

It’s reasonably easy to see the appeal of that, at least, but what I wonder about is the appeal for the “workers” who apparently regularly logged in to work on Victoria’s farm, or shear their sheep to sell to Alice. For them, working on the farm was surely just a means to an end: they wanted money to get materials to build whatever they wanted to build in their corner of the server (at all, or faster through diamond tools).

A few responses to my previous post point out that, in general, games thrive on restrictions: as @averyterrible commented:

w/r/t the point that as you remove constrictions, the game becomes less fun, this is an inherent property of games. imagine a version of golf where you don’t have to use the club to hit the ball somewhere, you can just drop it in the hole, or basketball where you can just carry the ball around, and the basket is on the ground, and no other players will try to stop you. a game is a willing constriction on your own choices in order to have fun doing something The Wrong Way, and when you decided those choices are on the whole not enjoyable you basically stop playing the game.

and @experimentalmeowsiclesbian made a similar point, and noted

I would probably point  to zachtronics games as ones that use very deliberately constrained mechanics not based on scarcity

which I think is a great example: it’s a game about efficiency and optimisation but not accumulation, which is very interesting! You’re just doing it for its own sake.

Anyway, it’s certainly true that like, the ‘game’ is in the struggle to like, overcome whatever restriction there is; the goal itself is pretty much nominal. Nobody cares about a ball going into a net on its own, but ‘getting ball into net’ creates a situation where you have to come up with all sorts of tricky strategies to beat the opposing players. My gf @baeddel mused that the accumulation grind came out of taking that oppositional model and making it single player:

But the Minecraft situation seems strange... Sure, for Alice Maz, it’s not about being rich in of itself, but in working out how to get rich. She could very well run a creative-mode server and build whatever she likes, but instead she finds it much more interesting to play virtual capitalist. But what about the players who go to work on Victoria’s farm? Is working on the virtual farm what’s fun for them?

I guess in Minecraft, there’s a few separate activities which different people might find ‘fun’. For some people, the fun part is in building elaborate structures, complex redstone contraptions and so on... I’d probably fall into this bit. Mining is just a speedbump on the way to that.

But some people seem to find satisfaction in the grinding, the repetitive part? I’ve lost the link and forgot the term, but I remember reading about a strange sort of Minecraft server which dispenses with the building element entirely. Instead it just spawns a large room full of stone, which the players have to mine out until the room is empty. There were a variety of paid rewards that allowed people to lord it over the others in this weird virtual prison. And I have to admit I don’t understand that at all! Once you’ve mined one rock, what’s the interesting in mining another hundred in basically identical circumstances? (Maybe it’s that not-formally-diagnosed adhd I think I have?)

To bring this back around to the real world... kind of... I want to believe if something deserving the name ‘communism’ is ever realised, it will be through the “self-abolition of the proletariat”, the ending of the compulsion to work for the sake of expanding value (ultimately) and to stay alive (proximally). As Marx said, for these things we do to instead be “life’s prime want”. Which, I’d like to believe, will come in a vast reduction in the amount of tedious repetitive work we all have to do... the people who go furthest with ‘anti-work’ theorising say that activities that are currently understood as work should become a lot more like ‘play’. I am not sure how far that can be possible for some things like cleaning, but anyway...

What seems so weird about all this is that we seem to like, without even really thinking about it, turn the thing that should be fun and done for its own sake into something that takes on a large proportion of the characteristics of ‘work’ under capitalism. Which, whatever you think of ‘anti-work’, work is generally held for most people as an unfortunate necessity... we go to work for as long as we have to, and then we have ‘free time’ to do what we actually want. (Of course, capital wants us to think of work as what we really love to do, but that’s generally recognised as bullshit you say at an interview I think?)

So we apparently go to ‘work’ in a game, and honestly, why do we do this to ourselves...

A ton of games that don’t focus on violence (or at least not directly) theme themselves around production and colonisation in some way. This might be like, a pastoral fantasy like Stardew Valley, or imagining organising a factory like Factorio or Infinifactory, or trying to grow a city with a functional set of infrastructure for growth, like in Sim City or Cities Skylines. And of course, the games that focus on being like, a general purpose small self-sufficient producer, Minecraft being the most famous. Even games where the primary focus is on something else will have a ‘crafting system’.

Maybe part of the appeal of those games is that they’re vastly simpler than the real, bewilderingly huge and global and totally opaque economy... they offer you a chance to do work that doesn’t feel like, pointless and arbitrary for the sake of saying alive, but clearly connecting to other factors, an understandable system. And of course, in comparison to running a real farm, it’s much, much easier and rewarding to run one in Minecraft or Stardew Valley...

I don’t know, I think I need to think about it more.

[leiascully]

Fic:  Between A Rock And A Hard Place (Part 5/5)

Timeline: Season 10 (replaces My Struggle in the All The Choices We’ve Made ‘verse - Visitor + Resident + etc.) Rating: PG Characters:  Mulder, Scully, Tad O’Malley, Sveta (established MSR) Content warning:  canon-typical body horror (mentions of abduction, forced pregnancy, etc.) A/N:  I’m collecting all the related stories that go with Visitor/Resident under the title “All The Choices We’ve Made”, because it felt right at the time.  This story is an alternate My Struggle that reflects M&S’ growth/change in the ATCWM ‘verse. I’m weaving canon dialogue into the stories in an attempt to keep the reframing plausibly in line with canon.  

Part One  |  Part Two  |  Part Three  |  Part Four  |   AO3

It's not a surprise the next day when they emerge from the Hoover Building, where they've been supervising the setup of all of the new computers, to see Tad O'Malley's gleaming black limo.  The door opens.  They get in.  

"Glad we caught you, agents," O'Malley says with a grin.  

"We're not hard to track down," Mulder says.  

"It's the chip in my neck," Scully says dryly, and Mulder isn't sure he's ever heard her joke about it before.  But maybe she's spitting into the wind too, reminded of how whoever is behind all this has tampered with her at a molecular level.  He admits it is easy to direct (or misdirect) that frustration at Tad O'Malley.  

"Hi," Sveta says, waving at them from across the car.  O'Malley hasn't brought out the champagne this time, but she's clutching a bottle of Perrier.  

Mulder leans back against the leather seat.  The car certainly is plush.  The perks of selling out, he imagines.  

"I didn't think you'd come, Agent Scully," O'Malley says.  "After all, your work is so important.  So I took the liberty of coming to you."  He opens a small fridge concealed under the seat.  "Perrier?"

"Thank you," Scully says, accepting a bottle.  "What are you doing here, Mr. O'Malley?"

"Exposing a global conspiracy that's crushing the soul of America," O'Malley declares.  "Agent Mulder knows what I'm talking about."

"You're ready to make a move?" Mulder asks.

"The Truth Squad with Tad O'Malley with a world exclusive," O'Malley tells him.  "The story to end all stories."  

"Why don't you give us a preview?" Scully says, settling into her seat.  

O'Malley leaned forward.  "We begin with a war.  The Civil War.  The United States splits in two.  A new government forms.  They mint their own currency.  They make their own laws."

"They perpetuate the enslavement and genocide of millions of people," Scully murmurs.  

"That enslavement creates the haves and the have-nots.  And the halves begin to believe, to truly believe, that they are above the law.  That they can meddle with the fates and lives of people they start to consider subhuman: black, white, Native American, and everyone else.  An experimental program to create a better person through a variety of methods, including surgical intervention and selective breeding."

Sveta shivers.  Scully looks at her compassionately.  She reaches for Sveta's hand.  

O'Malley doesn't seem to notice their discomfort.  "The shadow government continues to exist after the war.  The genetic engineering of a superior human continues in the shadows of the shadow.  And they have other secrets."

"It all sounds like a ghost story," Scully says in that even voice that immediately sends Mulder into full alert.  "Designed to scare children."

"Children should be afraid," O'Malley tells her.  

"Everyone should," Mulder says, and he sees the shiver in her eyelid that means she's trying not to roll her eyes at him.  "It's a conspiracy bigger and more secret than the Manhattan Project, with tentacles reaching back into the very roots of America."

"The metaphor is mixed," Scully says.

"All the more apt," Mulder tells her.  "The Civil War set the stage and World War I gave us access to new technologies, but it wasn't until victories in Europe and Japan that the drama really ratcheted up for the rest of the world."

"Political and economic conditions became perfect for execution of the larger plan," O'Malley declared.  "The success of the program in the former Confederate states had spread to the re-United States.  Agents of the conspiracy, swearing their allegiance to President Grant, had infiltrated the highest levels of government.  World War I and World War II had weakened the European powers that might have held the US in check.  As it was, they were delighted to accept the offer of help from the United States, and if it came with a price, they were happy to pay it.  Their scientists began working with our scientists.  The project stretched those insidious tentacles to grasp the entire globe."

Mulder grins.  This is his wheelhouse.  Even as much as he's been jerked around and lost his faith, it's still exhilarating to put together the pieces of the puzzle he worked at for half his life.  "Paper Clip.  Experiments in the aftermath of the atomic bombings.  The crash at Roswell leading to cannibalized alien technology and cannibalized alien corpses, all resources that furthered the project."

O'Malley breaks in.  "The bomb was the latest threat of extinction, but not the first.  The energy of the explosions acted as transducers, creating wormholes that drew in alien ships just like the one that crashed at Roswell, ships that ran using electro-gravitic propulsion.  Sacrificing those alien lives with their extraterrestrial biology and their advanced technology delayed our self-immolation on the altar of democracy."

"World leaders signed secret memos directing scientific stuff of alien technology and biochemistry," Mulder puts in.  "All in the name of furthering the project, creating a new species that could survive alien invasion or whatever else might wipe us out.  Classified studies were done at military installations, extracting alien tissue.  S4, Groom Lake, Wright Patterson, and Dulce: all part of a network of black sites where tests were conducted using advanced alien technology recovered from the ships."  He glances at Sveta.  She has one hand over her mouth.  "Tests including human hybridization through gene editing and forced implantation of the resulting embryos in unsuspecting human subjects."  He swallows and tries not to look at Scully, but can't help meeting her eyes.  "Embryos with extraterrestrial DNA."  

Sveta gasps.  "Why do such a thing and lie about it?  Our own government?"

"Aliens aside," Scully says, "the American government has conducted experiments on unsuspecting populations as a matter of policy.  The Tuskegee Syphilis Study lasted for years beyond the point where they could have cured the patients.  The scientists in charge chose not to inform their subjects because they were African-American.  They let them die horrible, preventable deaths, claiming it was all in the name of science.  Genetic material was extracted from a sample of a tumor taken from a black woman named Henrietta Lacks and used without her consent or her family's.  Other people have been sterilized against their will, or stolen from their families.  I doubt we'll ever understand the full extent of the violence done to the indigenous peoples of the Americas."  She exhales loudly.  "While I cannot substantiate all of Agent Mulder's claims, I have found evidence of anomalous genetic material being implanted or otherwise introduced into the DNA of numerous subjects, including myself.  And you."

"What are they trying to do?" Sveta asks.

"That's the missing piece," Mulder tells her.  "We've learned so much, but some part of this eludes us."

"But it's not hard to imagine," O'Malley breaks in.  "A government hiding, no, hoarding alien technology for seventy years, at the potential expense of all human life and the future of the planet.  A government inside the government, secretly preparing for more than a hundred years for the long-awaited event."

"The takeover of America," Mulder says, feeling sick to his stomach.

"And then the world itself," O'Malley says with an almost religious fervor.  "By any means necessary, however violent or cruel.  Severe drought brought on by weather wars conducted secretly using aerial contaminants distributed via chemtrails and high-altitude electromagnetic waves.  Perpetual war waged overseas, a drain on our resources and our energy engineered by politicians to create problem-reaction-solution scenarios to distract, enrage, and enslave American citizens at home with tools like the Patriot Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, and pure old-fashioned jingoism, abridging the Constitution and its promised freedoms in the name of national security.  Every dissident, every minority: a terrorist in situ.  Vietnam, but this time they're doing it right."

"Militarize the police forces," Mulder says slowly.  "Martial law.  FEMA building prison camps.  Mercenaries fighting under our flag, but not under our orders."

"The corporate takeover of food and agriculture," O'Malley says smugly.  "It's already begun.  Monsanto.  Dicamba.  They've got pharmaceuticals and healthcare in their pocket too.  An insurrection of men and women with clandestine agendas to dull, sicken, terrify, and control a populace already consumed by consumerism."

Mulder leans over to Scully.  "I didn't really like Wall-E," he whispers.  She shakes her head at him.

"A government that taps your phone, collects your data, and monitors your whereabouts with impunity," O'Malley says with a flourish.  "A government preparing to use that data against you when it strikes and the final takeover begins."

Mulder nods slowly.  There is a seed of truth in O'Malley's conspiracy-addled rant.  He's been seeking it long enough to know it when he sees it.  The nation is poised on a precipice.  All the rest of it is lies, smoke and mirrors, a way to turn the paranoid and the credulous into easy money.  But somewhere, under eighty mattress-thick layers of right-wing garbage, is a pea-sized truth, and he's the princess shifting uncomfortably.  

"The takeover of America?" Scully asks.

O'Malley leans forward.  "By a well-oiled and well-armed multinational group of elites that will cull, kill, and subjugate."

"Happening as we sit here in this car," Scully says.

"It's happening all around us," O'Malley tells her.

"It's been happening for years," Mulder murmurs.  "The other shoe waiting to drop."

"It'll probably start on a Friday," O'Malley says.  "The banks will announce a security action necessitating that their computers go offline all weekend."

"Digital money will disappear," he says.

Sveta looks startled.  "They can just steal your money?"  Scully squeezes her hand.

"While the banks are vulnerable,  they'll detonate strategic electromagnetic pulse bombs to knock out major grids.  Traffic lights, security systems, everything: gone.  Hospitals will be on backup generators indefinitely.  It will seem like an attack on America by terrorists or Russia."

"Or a simulated alien invasion featuring alien replica vehicles already in use," Mulder murmurs.  

"An alien invasion of the U.S.?" Scully says.

"The Russians tried it in '47," Mulder reminds her.  "Or they took credit for it, anyway."

"They'll take more than credit this time," O'Malley says.  "This goes worldwide.  Everything that has happened for the past seventy years has been engineered by this global conspiracy, these shadow players.  The structures they've built are designed to crumble, tearing America apart at the seams.  They'll build a new world on the ruins of our current one.  It will happen soon, and it will happen fast."  

Scully shakes her head.  "You can't say these things," she tells O'Malley.

"I'm gonna say them tomorrow," O'Malley says with an almost religious fervor in his voice.  

Scully frowns.  "It's fearmongering, isolationist techno-paranoia so bogus and dangerous and stupid that it borders on treason.  Saying these things would be incredibly irresponsible."  

"I hate to say this, Scully, but if this is true, it would be irresponsible not to say it," Mulder says reluctantly.  

"If it's the truth," Sveta says, "you have to say it."  

"It's not the truth," Scully says.

O'Malley grins that smarmy grin.  "Agent Scully, with all due respect, I don't think you know what the truth is."

"The only thing I don't know is where you're taking us," Scully says, ice in her voice.  "Except on a wild goose chase."

"It's lunchtime," O'Malley says.  "I thought you might want something to eat."  

It's clear from the look Scully gives him that there is a long, long list of people she would rather have lunch with before she deigned to have lunch with Tad O'Malley.  In fact, it might be approaching seven billion people long.  

"I think what Agent Scully is trying to convey is that we've got to decline your invitation," Mulder says.

"You believe me," O'Malley says to Mulder with certainty.

Mulder looks at Scully.  She looks back at him, her eyes tight just at the corners.  "I might have, back in the day.  My doctor says paranoia is bad for me."  

O'Malley sits back, disappointed.  Scully's shoulders loosen.  She glances at him and there's something between approval and gratitude in her eyes.  He smiles at her.  

There's a pinging noise.  Scully checks her email on her phone.  Her brow creases.  She scrolls through something, then flicks back to the top and reads through it again.  "This is strange."

"What?"  Mulder leans over.  

"Sveta, the lab retested your samples.  A new tech was running the machines, and a number of test results were compromised.  In fact, they retested your samples twice to be sure.  Your DNA shows no anomalies."  Scully looks up.  "Whatever's been done to you, it had nothing to do with this project."

"Nothing?" Sveta and O'Malley ask at the same time.

"That can't be right," O'Malley says.  "Retest her."  

"I don't want to be tested again," Sveta says.  

"You're my evidence," O'Malley tells her angrily.  "You have to."

"She doesn't have to do anything," Scully tells him.  "She's under our protection now."

"We'll see about that," O'Malley says.  He presses a button.  The driver pulls over.  He opens the door.  "Goodbye, agents.  Goodbye, Sveta."

"What will you do?" Sveta asks him as she climbs out of the car.  

"I'll do what I do," O'Malley says.  "I'll tell the truth."

The car door slams shut.

Truth Squad with Tad O'Malley the next day is a runaway hit: high ratings, viral content, memes, gifs, and a media uproar.  "I promised you the truth today, but that truth has come under assault," O'Malley says, looking into the camera, and they roll footage of Sveta confessing to reporters, accusing him of telling lies.

"I am so sorry if I misled anyone," she says tearfully, wringing her hands in front of her.

"They get her?" Mulder asks.

"She should be safe," Scully tells him.  "They'll work on relocating her."

"Material witness?" Mulder asks.  "That's a bit of a stretch."

"It won't be by the time all of this is over," Scully says grimly.  "I went to the hospital to collect the samples and had our labs run them again."

"And?" Mulder says.

"Sveta and I share a lot," Scully says.  "Including anomalous genetic material."

"O'Malley must be furious," Mulder says, propping his hands on his hips as he thinks.

"Rumor is they're going to pull the plug," Scully says.  "No more truth, no more Squad."

"To his followers, that'll feel like a sign," Mulder says.  "A shot fired across their bows."

Scully shrugs.  "Damned if you do, damned if you don't.  Either we embolden a liar, or we enrage his base."    

"Politics have never been our strong suit," Mulder says.  "You know, there's something called the Venus Syndrome."

"The plant, the planet, or something else I'm afraid to ask about?" Scully asks.

"The planet," Mulder says.  "It's a runaway global warming scenario that leads us to the brink of the Sixth Extinction.  Those with the means will prepare to move off the planet into space, which will have already been weaponized against the poor, huddled masses of humanity that haven't been exterminated by the über-violent fascist elites.  If you believe in that kind of thing."

"Honestly, these days it sounds almost plausible," Scully tells him, leaning on one of the desks.  Whoever has funded the untimely revival of the X-Files has been generous: they have two normal desks and four standing desks scattered around the office.  It's much too flexible a workspace for two people.  

Their phones go off almost in unison.  They both reach for them.

"Skinner," Scully says.

"Skinner," Mulder confirms.  He reads the message:  Situation critical.  Need to see you both ASAP.  

They look at each other.  

"Scully, are you ready for this?" Mulder asks.

"I don't know there's a choice," she says, but she sounds fierce and proud.

There are wheels turning somewhere.  He can almost hear the gears of the world grinding.  They won't get caught in the teeth this time, won't get torn apart.  Whoever is behind everything they've been through will be exposed, finally and totally, brought to light.  They'll have to open the wound to clean it out, but that's all right.  They've finally learned how to heal.  He opens the door for her and they stride toward the elevator together.

[reekierevelator]

The Face of Tomorrow

Sitting, eyes red and head drooping, foot almost glued to the pedal, feeding the coarse material through the needle.  At last, she moved her foot away and let her head fall. Another piece finished.  Twenty shirts, all exactly the same, already today.

But before Ode could take a few moments to rest her arms and have a sip of water the foreman arrived to snatch away the finished shirt, saying ‘Atta girl, plenty more where that came from’, and pushed a sewing pattern down in front of her tired eyes. This was quickly followed by ‘Here you go then, next piece’ as he thrust a pile of cut-outs on to the heavily scratched beech wood of her small work desk.  The new pieces were in a dazzling shade of almost iridescent blue with a subtle pattern of thin black lines running through them. Ode sat up and stared, mesmerised. The foreman couldn’t understand it. ‘It’s the same shirt dear, just different material’ he explained slowly, as if Ode was some kind of simpleton.

Since leaving school Ode had spent long hours working in the dilapidated red brick building only the boss calls the Golden Garment Company factory.  Her fellow workers called it the workshop. Her old school friends called it the sweatshop. Long hours and poor pay, but ‘it’s a job’. And without qualifications Ode felt lucky to be employed at all.  She knew it was only because her mother had taught her the basic skills required – through making her sew and mend from a very young age, - that she’d got the job in the first place.  In her own family, new clothes were a rare and almost unheard of luxury. It had been that way since they had fled to escape the fighting, arriving in Britain from Nigeria when Ode was a small child.  

She had never owned the kind of on-trend fashionable clothes that she’d seen on some of the city’s girls. And she knew anyway that she was plain and unattractive. Fancy clothes wouldn’t hide that. People had never been backward in coming forward to tell her so.  

Once, she’d gone with her friend to try on expensive clothes in a posh shop – it was what they did, try them on, admire themselves in the mirrors, and then return the clothes to the rails.  Sometimes Ode took even longer as she examined the textiles, the way a particular fabric had been cut, sewn, pleated. It was much more valuable to examine the actual clothes, see exactly how they had been treated, cut on the bias or whatever, than to read about them in the odd fashion magazine that came her way. She could understand why her behaviour could irritate the woman in charge of the changing rooms and how she might get annoyed.  When Ode emerged wearing a floor length sequined gown the woman had carped ‘You don’t really fit the modelling mould, do you love? Not got the required features: not thin enough, not tall enough, and your legs are too short.’ It cut Ode to the bone, but still she couldn’t shake the obsession.

In fact she became quite acclimatised to cruel humiliation. ‘Your cheekbones are too low, nose is too big, your mouth is too wide, the shape and colour of your eyes is all wrong.’ In a way it made her more resilient. ‘You can’t squeeze into that dress my girl, even the bust’s not right.  In fact, your whole build is all wrong for those kinds of dresses. To be honest I can’t see even spending a fortune on make-up and cosmetics making much difference.’ Even when it left her almost in tears Ode found she could cope. That was just how her life was and since it was likely to stay that way she better get used to it.  

Somehow she just couldn’t help herself.  She inevitably found herself starting conversations with workmates, family, and sometimes even strangers at the bus stop by commenting on their clothes. She offered them her ideas on what might suit them better.  But what she considered sensible suggestions were often received as rudeness; unwarranted intrusions, impolite, offensive, insulting. On the odd occasions when she had ventured to make such suggestions to her friends they had either laughed out loud, asked what on earth she was thinking, or stared at her as if they thought he was going mad.  

But at least the meagre wages she was earning allowed her the very occasional luxury purchase. The unusual blue cloth triggered her desire.  At the end of the day she noticed the scrag end of a roll abandoned on the cutting room floor. She picked it up and approached the foreman.

‘Could I take this home with me?’ she asked

The foreman knew there was not enough material for another garment and that it would only be swept up and put in the refuse with the rest of the rubbish. He barked back ‘Of course not, it belongs to the company,’

‘I could pay for it,’ Ode answered timidly.

‘How much?’

‘I have six pounds saved,’ said Ode, rummaging in her pocket then stretching out her hand showing him the money.

The foreman cast his eyes furtively around the now empty room. ‘Sold’, he muttered, quickly grabbing the cash from Ode’s hand.

With the dress-making skills her mother had somewhat forcefully bequeathed to her Ode intended to cut the material into embellishments for her existing clothes.  But then she struck on the idea of unpicking the stitching of her own dress and using her own quirky ideas to remake it in a wholly new style, one she imagined would show off the blue material properly. The dress she created was highly unusual, a peculiar variation on the traditional dress of her ancestors, a new take on the sort of clothes her mother wore as if she still walked the Nigerian countryside every day. A matching gele, or headdress, completed the effect.

At first her best friend, Uma, impulsive and beautiful, with big eyes and an impish smile, was the only one she would allow to see her new ‘African’ dress. Then one day Uma said ‘Is real neat, yah. But what you gonna do wit it though – just sit at home wearin it, starin at youself in the mirror like you famous?  Shu, no girl like you ever gonna wear that kinda thing on the street.’

But maybe that was just the challenge Ode had been waiting for.  The very next Saturday she wore her highly original new dress while accompanying Uma to Harlesden market, shopping for yams, plantain, and cooking bananas.  She drew admiring glances from other girls, saying ‘Stunna, innit’ and ‘You got an ankara buba now Ode?’.  Even some of the boys approached her, passing comments like ‘That’s a wicked colour’, and ‘Cool dress’.  A white boy mentioned her ‘Impressive kaftan.’

Ode’s girlfriends were quick to convert to a full appreciation of the new style. They found themselves re-thinking the fashion advice Ode had tried to give them, which they’d previously rejected as ridiculously outlandish. It didn’t take long before they were asking her advice on materials, and arranging for Ode to run up clothes for them at home after they brought her the lengths of cloth they’d bought.

One Saturday afternoon Ode and Uma passed the unimposing little shopfront of a professional photographer.  They paused outside for a moment before Uma, on the spur of the moment, marched in, her friend trailing behind, and asked him to take photos of her. ‘For a fashion model portfolio?’ the photographer had joked, and Uma surprised herself when, the idea having been put in her head, she replied ‘Well yes.’ When she asked him for the names and addresses of modelling agencies her Ode’s laughter became uncontrollable. But still, he’d gamely suggested a few names while keeping his grin in check.

Uma collected the big glossy photos the next weekend and posted them off to New Vision Models, one of the names she’d remembered.  Surprisingly, the agency, under pressure to demonstrate greater ‘diversity’, invited her for an interview. But when Uma arrived to speak to Zelda it was quickly clear that she wasn’t really interested. Uma was glad she’d gone alone and that her friend wasn’t there to hear Zelda’s casual, acerbic comments on her height, weight, and the size of her feet.

Zelda’s phone rang.  It was an urgent request.  One of their clients had put together a mail order catalogue that had to go to print next day and they’d only just realized all the models they’d used were white. They couldn’t afford to be depicted as racially biased and they couldn’t afford to re-schedule the printing job.  In fact, business was so bad because of all the new online retailers that unless the catalogue brought in a lot of sales they knew the company was going to collapse anyway.  As a matter of fact they couldn’t even afford to pay the usual going rate for models but they desperately needed someone within the hour.

So for a minimal fee, from which Uma would earn only ‘experience’, the agency sent her to wear cheap clothes for some quickfire photographs which would be included in a mail order women’s clothes catalogue that would be printed in great haste on cheap paper. In their hurry a shot was taken of Uma wearing the dress in which she’d arrived, a dress designed and stitched together by Ode. The photo was included along with an arbitrary price the catalogue editor had made up on the spot.

Inevitably, the catalogue’s readers hated the clothes and bought very little.  But even while the company was folding, comments proliferated across the social media about one of the models, how she was so different to the usual mannequin-like catalogue clothes-horses and actually looked like a ‘normal lively girl’ for a change. As attention was directed towards Uma, more readers also commented that the only item of clothing in the catalogue that was worth buying was one that she modelled – a sort of esoteric take on traditional West African dress. Unusually, the dress was in bright pink rather than the usual primary colours and its pattern was picked out in subtle, swirling crimson and gold.  Surprisingly, the cut was for a casual dress style, a chiseled cut and only knee-length, with a rectangular neckline. Equally surprisingly, the dress was still somehow unmistakeably African.

While casually flicking through Instagram discussions a young man linked it to a message he sent to the husband of Phoebe, a young aspiring clothes designer. ‘People are saying there’s someone, something out there, that is “different” ‘.

When the husband brought it to her attention Phoebe investigated.  She checked Instagram. The nape of her neck prickled. She tracked down a copy of the printed catalogue.  She phoned the catalogue company, then the modelling agency, and then Uma herself. When she discovered who had made the catalogue’s one outstanding clothes item her sense of excitement went into overdrive. She ran out of her office in Jermyn Street and was soon on the Bakerloo Line heading north to Harlesden.  When she found the flat in the high-rise she confused Ode’s mother by asking to talk to the girl with the perfect eye.

The social media hubbub also reached Zelda.  She was quickly back in contact with Uma, offering her more work, and insisting the company could live up to its name of New Vision.

Ode handed in her notice at the sweatshop. The foreman told her to stay, warned her she’d regret leaving, since his own pay was linked to production and he knew how hard Ode worked. But Ode began working with Phoebe.  With Ode’s ideas and Phoebe’s business contacts it wasn’t long before they were selling vast numbers of new garments, not only throughout the UK but to the near two hundred million Nigerians and to other parts of West Africa.

Within a year Uma’s cheerful face was on billboards and the cover of Cosmopolitan. She was following in the footsteps of Iman and Naomi Campbell.

But Ode’s face, despite the cheekbones being too low, nose too big, mouth too wide, and shape and colour of the eyes all wrong, was the real face of tomorrow. It was already to be found on the inside pages of Business Today as well as StyleWatch, Glamour, and West Africa Now.  The world had moved on. The face of Britain was multicultural and not only was the West African market online, but the whole face of Africa was changing fast. Given the respect accorded a top class designer, business couldn’t be better.

[weaselle]

THIS IS WHAT BOILS AWAY INSIDE ME EVERY MINUTE, MAKING THE TEDIUM OF EVERYDAY LIFE AN UNBEARABLE TRAP - THIS IS WHY I CAN NEVER STAY AT A JOB OR DECIDE ON A CAREER. EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT THESE THINGS IS BORING AND FRUSTRATING ________________________________________________

I have researched and want to write pre-historical fiction exploring my personal theories about early human development, which are wild but entirely possible within the total evidence we have available. I’ve done probably tens of thousands of words in notes on it over the years; finished, it would probably be at least a trilogy in length.

_________________________________________________

I have written some songs, and I want to get a couple of friends with a good voices to sing them, and then get some musician friends to write/play music for them on analogue instruments, pair that with the singing as whole songs that they perform live somewhere, then record and give those songs to some other friends to make like, an electro-funk remix album of it, and then get some DJ’s I know to spin that shit at a party, take footage of the whole process featuring the live band performance and the party DJ's strongly, ask some dancing/choreographing people I know to create a couple of kick-ass matching dance routines featuring all the people who worked on the project, reach out to some video and animation folks, and make a small series of music videos out of the whole dang thing.

_________________________________________________

I want to change how we experience death by creating a personal website for individuals featuring a kind of A.I. social media bot that users set up and activate which will, upon their death, continue to like and reblog things based on patterns of preference in their posts while alive. These bot/A.I.s would be able to be interfaced with, so, after I died, someone could get to know me - they could ask AfterKie “what movies and TV shows did you like?” and if I had set it up with access to my netflix/hulu/youtube info, AfterKie could tell you which movies and TV shows I rated highly, which ones I watched more than once, read you any positive reviews about them, read you my tweet “idc what anyone says, Ghostbusters is the best movie there has ever been” etc. And the reposting algorithms would A: let me reach out from the beyond to remind people “oh, true, Kie probably WOULD have like that tweet about caterpillars” and B: even if they were not perfect the reposting algorithms would allow for an approximate continuation and growth, so that I could even be seen as developing new interests after my death “Have you heard from Kie lately? He’s gotten super into Swedish architecture ever since he died, it’s like, most of what he talks about now”. I could map my face onto an avatar and use some voice matching software and put myself on a screen on my grave stone that would be linked, so you could literally walk around a graveyard getting to know the people who were buried there, asking them questions about their life. ________________________________________________

I want to build a Pet Mech, a small robot that could be controlled by small pets walking on a rollerball surface housed in the floor of the “head” with a sleeping/snacking den in the “body”. So your rat or guinea pig or ferret or lizard wakes up, climbs up into the control room, the floor of which is the direction pad. Which ever way the pet walks, the robot goes. Your pet is a little closer to your face, safe from the cat, won’t get lost under the couch, and can move around with you and to the extent of it’s capabilities be a social participant in the family it belongs to. ____________________________________________________

I want to sell puppies that owners will come visit in my facility for the first couple months, then take them home one weekend a month, then two, then three, then every weekend, then by the time they are a year old the dog lives with it’s person/people but continues to spend one weekend a month at the facility for an additional year. The facility would provide full socialization and training. A lot of dogs wind up in shelters because in one way or another their owners do not know how to teach them to be a functioning member of the household/society. Just the other day, I heard a lady talking about getting rid of her two year old dog, because "he's getting on my damn nerves, I don't know what to do with him" which A: it is our responsibility to teach dogs how to be an acceptable fit in our households, and B: having never been taught that in his formative years, this dog will have more trouble learning it from even someone who knows exactly how to do that. Modern Americans typically lack the resources and/or proper knowledge to accomplish what could best be done for them by trained professionals who went to collage to study animal behavior and development etc. This way, the dog would have a realistic chance of being a good fit for the owner, and the owner would have clear methods of achieving behavior they require, as well as having access to a support facility for boarding, exercising, trouble shooting problem behavior, etc. At first, it would be very expensive, and I would look into a pairing program, where every dog purchased and trained would pay for an additional dog to be available for families with lower incomes. Additionally, you could defray the cost by predetermining your dog to be trained and available for dog-jobs for hire from the facility as adult dogs, to pay for their early care and training; jobs such as visiting senior homes or hospitals, sniffing things in labs (like tumors) finding lost people, working with livestock at high school Agg programs, etc... so a few days a month until they paid for themselves, these dogs would have jobs, which is fulfilling for many dogs and would help a family afford one of these canines. As facilities expanded, costs would go down, and the facilities would make great shelter alternatives, eventually allowing kill shelters to be closed and possibly getting access to shelter subsidies. Then, as more and more dogs were properly trained and socialized, and more and more families with dogs had access to support services, less and less dogs would be given up, further reducing both the need for shelters, and the number of dogs euthanized each year. __________________________________________________

I have a plan that might allow minimum wage workers to build equity and become property owners while having more free time, in a communities designed as entrepreneurial incubators that allow small businesses to develop in extremely low-risk environments. I’m pretty excited about that one. __________________________________________________

I want to start a store that focuses on local sourcing, and competes with stores like Target and Walmart. This store features a permanent farmers market, a suplimentary onsite greenhouse and nursery, and a large industrial kitchen attached to a small bistro and bakery. The greenhouse and nursery would focus on any produce not represented by local growers. The unsold produce from the farmers market would be given to the store as a substantial portion of the farmstand rental fee, keeping the cost low for the farmers and letting them get value out of produce the public doesn’t buy, and the bistro would sell food made from it. Additionally the industrial kitchen would process the remainder into things like mustard, tater tots, microwaveable chicken pot pies, frozen breakfast burritos, bbq sauce, etc. Instead of buying new tools from the tool section, there would be a large tool library, and a 3-D printer for printing high density ceramic tools in case a specific kind is not available. The ceramic would break down faster than tools of other materials, but since it’s loaned and not purchased, that is fine, especially as the ceramic material can be broken down and re-printed into new tools. Instead of Hallmark and Harlequin novels and Homemaker magazines... cards, poetry chapbooks, works of fiction and independent publications all from local authors. Instead of new toys, franken-toys made out of second hand toys, with a build your own franken-toy workshop open to the public and staffed with someone to assist children. Instead of an electronics department, a repair shop that also offers lessons in electronic repair, and a workshop and tools for public use. Instead of clothes made in overseas sweatshops, a fabric and second hand clothing store staffed with local tailors and would-be clothing designers, doing repairs and adjustments on the second-hand clothes and using them with the fabric to create whole new pieces of clothing. Our offer to the public: bring in any item of women’s clothing from anywhere, and we will add two functioning pockets for free. It would be a club, like Costco, with a small monthly fee that would help cover things like the workshop tool use, as well as encourage regular patronage. __________________________________________________

I want a genetically modified cactus or succulent that glows from bio-luminescence, to use as a night light in the bedroom or bathroom. I don’t know how to make this happen, but I keep looking into it, because MAN do I want this to happen. ___________________________________________________

Instead of people going to big sales, I want to throw a Black Friday make-your-presents party, where instructors and materials are provided for DIY christmas present projects. Tickets are sold in advance, are specific to the project (functioning as a sign-up) and the ticket price covers your materials (costs are averaged so ticket prices are all the same). The idea is, you show up for a party, head to your project space, get taught how to make the thing, and you make like, ten of them in two hours. Then you spend another couple hours eating, drinking, and trading gifts with people from the other projects, giving you a selection of about ten different gifts. ____________________________________________________

I want to make a computer-assisted table top RPG that keeps track of all the numbers and equations character movement speed and position on maps, so you can focus on the role-playing aspect (you still roll dice, but on a mat with sensors that track the result and apply your bonuses etc) ___________________________________________________

I want to do all this and so much more. I have some really cool alien fiction ideas - not the stories, but the aliens themselves, designed the right way, by creating a set of planetary conditions and then hypothesizing lifeforms likely to evolve therein... I have some energy creation process designs that utilize combinations of natural forces (like gravity/solar/tidal plants, that use all three things in a unified power production technique) which I’d love to look into further. I have a line of small pet housing I’ve sketched out, featuring tunnels connecting small pet environments in each room of the owner’s house.  I have a video game I’ve outlined and done character development for that I’m writing up as an RPG sourcebook...

___________________________________________________ I'm not saying this is genius stuff (I’m also not saying it isn’t tho) I'm just saying pursuing these thoughts is the only thing in life that commands my interest.

What I’m super tired of is trying to make my brain do anything but run on at full speed about this kind of thing, because it pretty much refuses to do anything else anyway.

I don't even care if I make any money from any of it, I just want to make it happen. ... I mean, money would be nice too, of course.

So, anyway, now if I die in my sleep at least this much of any of it is out in the world in some form. Meanwhile, I’m just a few days away from going live with the website I’ve put together to showcase my progress on this stuff and help find funding for development. A central location all of it can live and get updated. I should probably get back to working on that, actually

[porkchop-ao3]

Hii prokchop, I have been thinking about requesting this for a while (Ur rick is my absolute fav) Rick and his girl have an argument, he is not in the right and he's all angry with everyone and everything. And then he goes to pick up reader at university and shes with her friends or something and they make up nsfw? Idk just want to see Rick as boyfriend material-grandpa trying to understand his younger gf

Why is it whenever I tell myself ‘okay THIS one will be a short one’ I end up writing 6k words?? Sigh. I think I’m incapable of keeping things brief…

Anyway, thank you for this anon! As someone who’s at uni, I could really emerse myself in this request, I hope you like it!

Contains throat fucking and sex with the parents in the house, how exciting!

Enjoy x

-

“… No. No, nononono…” I whispered, frantically searching my laptop, scanning through every folder.

“Hmm?” Rick questioned disinterestedly, sketching away at some blueprints beside me.

“No way. I haven’t just… did I really just do that?” I murmured, clutching the sides of my head, my heart rate rising along with the speed of my breaths. Panic clawed at every part of me, my blood running cold.

“What?” He turned to look at me, spinning in his office chair.

“My poster… the poster I’ve been working on all week.”

“W-what about it, did you finish it?” He asked, leaning over to stare at the blank screen of my laptop.

“Yes.” I said, then looked up at him with tears springing into my eyes. “Then I deleted it.” Rick looked at me gone-out, and I sobbed, covering my face with both hands.

“Wait, what- are you sure? Why would you-”

“I deleted the wrong fucking file!” I shouted, and smacked my palms into my face in anger, wanting to punish myself, to hit myself over and over for being so damn stupid.

“Didn’t you have back ups?” He asked, and I shook my head, wailing out in despair.

“I don’t fucking need this! I don’t fucking need it, oh God, what the fuck am I- I’m such a fucking cunt.” I yelled, smacking myself again, this time Rick grabbed my arms, pulling them away from my face. I cried freely, not caring about the state I was in as I looked at him. “This week’s been so shit as it is! This can’t be happening…”

“Relax, baby, I’m sure it’s- y-y-you can get it back from the recycling bin thing, right? I don't… I don’t use computers like this, all of mine have custom operating systems, l-let me look.” He said, turning my laptop to face him. I knew he wouldn’t find it, I’d searched everywhere.

“Nooo. No. Oh fuck. This project is due tomorrow. It’s the main piece to the whole fucking thing, I don’t have time to make it again!” I cried, wiping the snot and tears from my face, feeling everything crash and burn around me. The past couple of weeks had been littered with tiny little things, little problems that had been building up and up, and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, it was all I needed to have a full blown melt-down.

“This is precisely why I don’t like the education system; everything is based around deadlines, it has nothing to do with what you can actually-”

“I don’t care why you don’t like the education system!” I yelled. “I’m fucked, Rick! Absolutely fucking fucked!” Rick frowned at me, clearly pissed off by my outburst.

“Fuck you, then.” He said, pushing my laptop away and turning back to his blueprints. Something snapped in me, I dug my fingernails into my palms, feeling the anger bubble inside me, stewing and only getting worse the longer I stayed still. I slammed my laptop screen down and stuffed it inside my bag, kicking my chair out of the way as I stormed towards the garage door. “Go on, run away and sulk like a little girl.” Rick said, not even turning to look at me.

“Excuse me?” I asked, turning on my heel to stare daggers at the back of his head.

“I’m just saying; I could help you get it back, but… l-looks like you’d prefer to throw a tantrum, have a cry and feel sorry for yourself.”

“You could help me?” I squeaked, and Rick shrugged.

“Depends, are you gonna stop acting like your shoe size? Y-you know, some people have real problems. Like paying for a mortgage, putting food on the table.”

“What the fuck, Rick? What is this? Don’t make light of my issues, you have no idea what’s going on in my head.”

“What, nobody liked your profile picture?” He said, and I ignored his patronisation.

“I’ve been thinking of dropping out.” I admitted, looking down at the floor. Rick turned around to look at me at this, a look of surprise on his face.

“Really?” He asked, and I nodded. “Thank God.” He snorted. I frowned at him.

“Is that it? You’re not going to ask me why, or offer some support?”

“Why would I try to stop you? Y-you know I hate University. It’s just a place where rich, stuck up idiots go to pay other rich, stuck up idiots for a piece of paper that says they’re smart. But if they were really smart, they wouldn’t need to be at University.” He explained, waving his hand around as he spoke.

“I’m there for art. To have access to facilities I wouldn’t otherwise have, to learn new techniques and gain knowledge about the industry. Not because I think it’ll automatically make me smart.”

“Oh yeah, art. No offense, but that’s even worse. Have fun working at grocery stores for the rest of your life; maybe you’ll make it to management. Then you might have an office to hang your degree on the wall in.”

“Thank you.” I said, feeling more tears spring to my eyes. “For backing up my biggest fucking fears, Rick. That’s exactly what has been playing on my mind for months. I don't… I don’t know if I’ll even be able to get a job after this. I don’t know if I’m good enough, if anyone will want to employ me. I don’t know if I have the confidence to even put myself out there, I’m such an anxious wreck. And all this time I’m acutely aware of all the debt I’m putting myself in, owing thousands before I’ve even moved out of my parents’ house. So yeah, I’ve been considering jacking it all in. Getting that minimum wage job and skipping the middleman.” I admitted to him, scrubbing the wetness from my face as I did. Rick watched me with an unreadable expression, his lips parted just slightly.

“Th-that was… that was a joke, by the way.” He said, his voice uncharacteristically small. “I don’t really think-”

“Whatever. It’s not a joke to me, it’s very real.” I sniffed, cursing the tears still flowing freely from my eyes. Once I started crying, I couldn’t stop before it was all out. “Art… it means everything to me. It’s all I’ve ever been any good at, and if it doesn’t work out… I don’t know what I’m going to do. I have no other qualifications, really, I have all my eggs in one basket, and I’m fucking terrified, Rick.”

Rick moved to get up, but I held my hand up to him. “Sweetie?” He said.

“I’m going back to my dorm. I need to sleep; I’m so fucking tired. I’m just… I’m done.” I shook my head.

“Wait, you want me to drive you?” He asked, this time getting up despite my disapproval.

“No, thank you. I wanna be alone, the drive will give me time to calm down.”

“Alright… uhhh, you’re still going home to see your parents tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.” I sighed, the thought of it only making me feel worse.

“Okay. I’m still going to drive you back, okay? Wh-whether you wanna see me or not. It’s a long way, it’ll be half the time in my ship.” He insisted. I nodded.

“Hand in is at two, so… any time after that really. I’ll wait in the courtyard outside the photography studios, you know the place?” I mumbled monotonously, and Rick nodded his head. Call me crazy, but he seemed to look guilty. I took a shaky breath as he opened up the large garage door for me; and I was grateful that I didn’t have to walk through the house and risk bumping into the family looking like a mess. “See you tomorrow, then.”

-

I slept through from the moment I got back till midday; I hadn’t bothered setting an alarm. What was the point? I knew I wouldn’t be able to remake the poster, I’d probably fail the module, so why bother getting up early? I crawled out of bed and walked into my room’s ensuite bathroom and washed my face with cold water, rinsing off yesterday’s makeup that had run down my cheeks. I hadn’t washed it off the night before; I hadn’t had the energy. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth, dressing in something comfy for the long trip home.

I walked over to where my portfolio sat, and took a moment to organise everything before zipping it back up. I figured I’d leave now and hand in my work early, then I could grab something to eat before Rick arrived to pick me up. I glanced over at where my laptop bag sat on my desk; untouched since I’d walked through the door and dumped it down. I knew I should probably email my tutors to explain what had happened, maybe they’d go easy on me… probably not. But I wasn’t one to hand in unfinished work without an explanation, no matter how shitty that explanation might be. I wandered over to it, frowning as I noticed something sitting on top of it. It was a note and a USB stick.

There’s a bunch of dimensions where you didn’t delete your poster. I broke into your dorm room in one of them and got it back for you. I scared the shit out of her and I think she called the cops, but at least you can hand it in now.

Rick.

PS. This sounds like something you’d worry about; but it’s not plagiarism. Technically, you did the work, right? Just hand it in, I know what you’re like.

I lifted the USB and stared it with a slack jaw. I jumped into action, pulling out my laptop and switching it on, plugging in the USB and pulling up the single file inside. There it was, the finished poster; indistinguishable from the one I’d produced. I slumped in relief, slapping a hand over my heart. I sent it to the campus printers, figuring I’d stop by and pick it up on the way over to the studios. With that, I was out the door.

Once everything was handed in, I stopped by the food truck that practically lived at the side of the road outside the student accommodation area, and grabbed a coffee and a cheeseburger. I headed over to the courtyard with my luggage, taking a seat on one of the benches so I could eat my breakfast… well, lunch. A girl from my course spotted me and headed over with a beaming smile on her face.

“Feels good to be free, huh?” She asked once she’d reached me.

“Until next semester.” I smirked.

“You get everything done?” She asked, and I nodded as I swallowed a mouthful of food.

“Just. Though, I would’ve been fucked if it weren’t for my boyfriend. I deleted my final piece by accident, he’s smart and… he got it back for me.” I said, finishing off the last of my burger.

“How do you delete the main part of your project?” She laughed, taking a seat beside me.

“Sleep deprivation and not thinking about what I’m doing.” I explained. She nodded in understanding.

“You haven’t mentioned a boyfriend before, anyone I know?” She asked, and I shook my head.

“He isn’t at University. He's… he’s a little older than me.” I told her.

“You been seeing him long?”

“A few months.” I said, and she nodded. I felt a churning in my stomach when I thought of him, remembered everything he’d said last night, how hopeless he’d made me feel.  

“You okay?” My friend asked, and I shrugged.

“I don’t know. We fought last night. I think helping me get my work back was his way of trying to move on from it. He does that; does something to try and make me forget about it, never actually apologises.”

“Leaves you to stew over it as he pretends like nothing happened?” She assumed, a knowing smile on her face. I nodded. “Yeah, don’t let him get into the habit of that. It’ll only make you feel worse; some things just need addressing so you can get over it, you know?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I nodded, movement in the parking lot distracting me; Rick was pulling up. “I need to go. Thanks for your advice though, I’ll talk to him.” I smiled.

“You’re going home already? Me and a bunch of the other art kids were gonna go out drinking tonight.” She said disappointedly. I cringed on the inside at the idea, secretly glad that I was going home instead.

“Aww, I wish I could come… but my family are expecting me.” I said, glancing over at where Rick had climbed out of his ship and was glancing around for me. I gave him a wave, capturing his attention. He waved back, but didn’t approach, and if I knew him, it was because he didn’t want to have to speak to the person I was with.

“Who is that, your grandpa?” She asked, squinting at Rick in the distance. I laughed to myself, and shook my head.

“No. That’s Rick. And if he plays his cards right, he might still be my boyfriend.” I told her, and she spun around to gape at me in horror.

“No way. You can’t be serious, (y/n). He’s like, ninety.” She said, looking at me with an expression that could only be described as pitiful, as if she felt sorry for me. I rolled my eyes.

“Seventy, actually. But it’s not like that matters, he acts like a five year old most of the time, anyways.” I shrugged, gathering my things.

“Woah, I know you said he was older but I thought you meant like… thirty.” She snorted.

“I don’t see why it’s a big deal to you. He’s far more interesting than any of the basic fuck boys that this campus seems to be teeming with.” I told her, throwing my bag over my shoulder and standing up.

“Yeah but… Jesus. Does he throw his back out every time he fucks you? Does… Does dust come out when he cums?” She snickered, and I watched her laugh for a good few moments before I decided she wasn’t worth anymore of my time. I was probably having far better sex than she was, anyway.

“Whatever, fuck you.” I sighed, turning and heading towards Rick, I heard her call out an apology through fits of giggles, but I kept walking.

When I was close, Rick opened up the passenger door for me. He moved in, going for a kiss, but I ducked him and climbed straight into his car; thanking him curtly. He stood staring at me blankly, then slammed my door and walked around to the drivers side, getting in and looking over at me.

“Hey.” He said, but it sounded more like a question than a greeting.

“Hi.” I replied, looking straight ahead.

“You, uh… everything cool?” He asked, and I turned to raise a brow at him wordlessly. “Oh. I gue-guess not.” He grumbled, starting up the car and driving away from the University. “Still want me to drop you off at your parents’ house?” He asked me.

“If it’s no bother.” I answered, and he nodded.

“N-no bother.” He agreed. He was taking peeks at me as he drove, as if he wanted to say something but kept deciding against it. When he finally did speak, he sounded exasperated. “Look, I know you’re mad about last night.”

“Oh? Why would that be?” I asked sarcastically, and Rick sighed.

“B-because I belittled you. I came for everything that means something to you, and it was fucked up.” He admitted, and I was surprised by his honesty. I turned to look at him, my expression soft. “I know I’m an asshole, (y/n).”

“Not always.” I said meekly, and Rick chewed on his bottom lip for a while.

“Sometimes I-I forget that there’s such a huge age gap… I forget that you’re only young an-and still have ambition and dreams and all that crap, the world hasn’t sucked all the light out of you just yet. And I realised that me saying shit like I did yesterday, i-it’s only speeding up that process.” He explained, and I frowned.

“What, so you’re saying one day I’ll be joyless and dead inside?” I asked.

“Probably.” He shrugged. “That’s just the way the world works; it’s a grindstone, wearing everybody down until there’s nothing left to feel good about.”

“I don’t believe that.” I said, and Rick nodded.

“Well, that’s good. Keep holding onto that for as long as you can.”

“This is depressing.” I mumbled, looking down at my hands.

“I was intending to motivate you, but uh… but yeah, it seems to just be depressing at this point, you’re right.” He said, glancing over at me with sheepish smile.

“How is this supposed to motivate me?” I scoffed.

“Well, I said some shitty stuff. Stuff that wasn’t true; at least it won’t be, if you completely ignore everything I said.” He told me, and I thought back to last night’s argument, replaying the moment that cut me the deepest; that I was wasting my time and I’d end up working in a grocery store if I kept it up. “You’re an extremely driven young woman. I-I-I can see that, you work your ass off for everything, you want something and you make it happen. So if you wanna make a career for yourself, doing what you enjoy, then you’ll get there.”

“Thank you.” I whispered.

“It pains me to say it, but you shouldn’t drop out. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, it’d be a waste for you to call it quits now.” He said, and I smiled.

“I’m not going to drop out, I don’t think I ever really was.” I admitted.

“I didn’t think so.” He glanced over at me and smiled back. “You aren’t a quitter.”

“I owe you big time, by the way. You totally saved my ass.” I said, reaching over to place my hand on his thigh.

“Don’t mention it, you think I was j-just gonna let you fail after how hard you’d worked? Knowing that I could do something about it?” He asked rhetorically, and I leaned over to kiss his cheek.

“Thank you, Rick.” I said, and he cleared his throat casually. I knew he didn’t deal well with these kinds of things, so I let it drop.

“Am I gonna see you this week?” He asked me, and I groaned, leaning my head back against the seat.

“Not during the daytime.” I said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked.

“Well, my parents tell me they have something planned for every day I’m there. Basically, I can kiss goodbye to a nice relaxing week off.” I explained, then stroked my hand up and down his thigh. “But I can get away with going to bed at ten without arousing suspicion, so if you wanna see me…” I trailed off, biting my lip.

“Are you suggesting that I-I should sneak into your bedroom like a teenager?” He asked, and I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally. “Cause I’m down for that.” He added with a smirk. “You uh, you want me to come over and fuck you with your parents downstairs? You be-better keep quiet, sweetie, unless you wanna get us caught.”

“I can keep quiet,” I nodded. “can you?”

“Sweetie, I live with my daughter and grandkids, I’ve fucked pe-people in the living room without them hearing me.”

“How come you’ve never fucked me in your living room?” I asked in mock offense.

“Cause you howl like a banshee when I hit it just right, you’d give us away easily.” He shrugged, and I dug my fingertips into his thigh and narrowed my eyes. He groaned through a chuckle, licking his lips.

“Be there at ten, and I’ll show you.”

“Ten? You really want me to wait that long?” He laughed, and I glanced down at the growing bulge in his pants.

“Fine. I’ll say I’m going for a nap as soon as I get in, we can do it broad daylight.” I shrugged, and Rick groaned again, glancing over at me.

“Y-yeah, alright. Twice the risk, twice the fun.” He said, and I had to agree.

We made the rest of the journey in mostly silence, and I was simmering in my arousal the whole way at the promise of what was to come. My panties felt damp, and I squeezed my thighs together in a bid to get some relief, though it did little. I slid my hand farther up Rick’s thigh, brushing my fingers against the hardness I felt between his legs. I shuddered, imagining how he was going to feel inside me; wondering whether he was going to fuck me hard, like usual, or be a little more gentle to keep the noise down. I shifted my hand to cup him, giving his cock a squeeze, gaining a soft sigh from him. I let go shortly after, though, not wanting to distract him from driving and risk not getting home at all.

When we arrived at my home, Rick landed his ship on the driveway and climbed out when I did. He walked around to my side, helping me get my luggage out before turning to look at me; his eyes were clearly filled with arousal.

“Fuck, I can’t wait to portal into your room and fuck that sweet, tight pussy of yours. Feel your legs around my waist as I gag you with your own panties to stop you from making a sound. Would you like that?” He purred, backing me up against the side of his ship. My legs felt weak underneath me, and I felt positively desperate. Rick’s eyes flickered up to something behind me, and he chuckled. “We’re being watched. Your m-mother is at the window.” He told me, and I rolled my eyes.

“Ignore her.” I said, and Rick pushed forwards to capture my lips in a hungry, heated kiss. He rolled his hips, grinding his erection into my core, coaxing a whimper from me.

“Shall I say hi to the folks?” He asked, an amused smirk plastered on his face. He knew the answer to that. My parents weren’t exactly thrilled with me dating a seventy year old, and Rick seemed to revel in that fact, almost seeming to get off on it.

“The less you anger them, the more quickly I can escape to my room.” I told him, and he moaned, kissing me once more.

“Alright, baby. I’ll park a couple streets away, then I’m coming for you.” He whispered. I nodded, butterflies filling my stomach at the anticipation. I picked up my bag and headed towards the house, taking one last glance at Rick as he climbed back into his ship.

My parents, of course, showered me in questions when I turned up. Why didn’t I drive myself? Why am I still with that old creep? Is he just using me? Is he rich, and if so is that why I’m with him? I dodged every question, making a show of looking at them with drooping eyelids. Finally, I rubbed at my eyes and apologised profusely, explaining how much this semester had wiped me out and that I was desperate for a lie down. Thankfully, they let me go, and I plodded upstairs, dragging my bag with me. Once I was out of sight, I raced to my room, whipping off my sweater and baggy sweatpants, stripping out of my underwear, leaving it all in a heap on the floor before laying face down on my bed, crossing my ankles in the air behind me and resting my chin on my hand as I waited for Rick to turn up. I wasn’t waiting long, and soon a portal was opening up at the foot of the bed, and Rick stepped out, palming his cock through his pants. He looked over my naked body and smiled.

“Mm, look at you. So ready to take my cock. Good girl.” He said quietly, glancing over at my closed bedroom door. “Where are they, still downstairs?” I nodded my head and rolled over onto my back, parting my legs and rubbing my pussy as I hung my head off the edge of the bed.

“You know what I want you to do to me.” I said meaningfully, licking my lips and staring at his crotch. Rick caught on quickly and chuckled, unbuttoning his pants and dropping them to the floor. He removed his coat and shirt too, and he was just as naked as I was. He stalked towards me, closing the gap between us and reaching over to give my tits a squeeze. I used my free hand to grab is cock, giving it a few tugs before sticking my tongue out and rolling it around the head, gaining a deep, yet quite groan from Rick. When I let go of him and widened my mouth, he got the message and thrust gently into my mouth, only pushing about half of his length in at first.

“Yeah, baby. That’s my perfect angel, open wide for me, that’s it… fuck.” He whispered, rocking his hips slowly. I groaned at the sensation of him filling my mouth, going deeper with every stroke. I relaxed my throat, readying myself for him; I wanted him deeper, to feel him hit the back of my throat. “God, you’re so good for me. Letting me take what I need from you. Such a good girl, I’m gonna make you cum so hard baby, you deserve it.”

I moaned again in response, rubbing my clit faster, pushing a finger inside myself and rocking it back and forth against my g-spot. It wasn’t long before it just wasn’t enough, and a second finger was added. Rick held onto my breasts as he fucked into me faster, and I could feel his cock stretching my throat, and I breathed through my nose between thrusts, letting my eyes fall closed as his balls hit my face with how deep he was going. There was something extremely satisfying about being used in this way.

“Fuck, baby, where’d your gag reflex go? You been practicing, huh? Choking on one of your dildos while you rub that pretty pink pussy of yours?” He asked, and I moaned around his cock, hoping he’d take it as a yes. “God, that’s nice, baby. So fucking hot. Yeah, fuck yourself for me. I want you to make yourself cum with my cock in your mouth.” He growled, his tone sending a shiver through my body. He eased off a little, giving me a moment to pull in a few full breaths, then he was on me again, rougher. He fucked my mouth as if it were my pussy, letting out quiet little grunts as he did. I resisted the urge to gag and choke, relaxing and letting it happen, keeping my jaw slack.

I fucked myself fast, feeling my knuckles become drenched from my arousal as I sunk my fingers deep inside myself. I could feel myself drawing close already; the knowledge of what I was doing with my parents just downstairs becoming too much. Rick seemed to like it too, egging me on with his words, bringing me closer to climax with every word.

“I can see my cock in your throat, baby.” He told me with a satisfied smirk, reaching his hand down to cup my neck, so he could feel the bulge he made with each thrust. The lack of oxygen was making me dizzy, and only adding to the hot tingle between my legs that threatened to send me spiralling into orgasm. “Imagine if mommy and daddy walked in right now. Wonder what they’d say if they saw their precious little girl like this, you think they’d be mad?” He laughed, his hips moving quicker. His words sent shockwaves through me, and I moaned loudly around him, my eyes going unfocused as I felt myself teeter on that edge. Rick grunted rhythmically, and I could taste the head of his cock painting stripes of precum along my tongue, the flavour was the last piece of stimuli I needed, and I was cumming. I cried out around his cock, my vision dimming as my oxygen supply dwindled. Rick pulled out quickly and let go of my throat, my lungs filled with sweet, sweet oxygen and heightened the intensity of my orgasm tenfold. I bit down on my bottom lip hard in a bid to silence myself, but muffled groans still escaped.

Rick stroked his fingers through my hair as I came down, whispering words of praise to me in the softest voice he could muster. I swallowed hard around the ache in my neck, breathing heavily as I pulled my hands from myself, dropping them down against the mattress.

“Look at my pretty girl.” He cooed, running his thumbs along the sides of my face, wiping away the tears that had escaped my eyes. He bent down and gave me a kiss before walking around the bed and climbing on, kneeling between my legs. I lifted my head to watch him as he nudged the deeply flushed head of his cock against my pussy. I whined when he rubbed it against my over-sensitive clit, and he shushed me softly.

“Fuck, Rick… I need you to fuck me.” I whispered bringing my knees up to spread myself open for him, he groaned at the sight.

“I know, beautiful.” He said, stroking his hands over my thighs and shuffling closer to me on his knees. “You gotta keep quiet, remember?” He said, smirking at me before burying his dick in me real slow. I gasped and pressed my lips together, wrapping my legs around Rick’s waist when he leaned over me and kissed me, slipping his tongue into my mouth and dancing the tip against mine. He began moving slowly, easing in and out of me more gently than he had with my mouth.

“Mm, so good.” I sighed, stroking my hands up and down his spine, tightening my legs around him, anchoring him to me. He buried his face in my neck, speeding up. The bed started squeaking, so he eased off and cursed under his breath.

“You’re so fuckin’ wet, baby. You feel so good.” He told me, and I hummed in pleasure. “God, I wish I could plow you nice and hard, fuck, I gotta install a sound proofing field in here.” He said.

“If you fuck me on the floor, we don’t have to worry about the bed making too much noise.” I suggested breathlessly, and his hips stalled. He lifted his head to look at me, then down at the floor. I giggled as Rick pulled out and got off the bed, dragging the beanbag in the corner of my room out into the open, then he curled his finger at me in a ‘come hither’ motion. I grinned and moved over to him, plopping down onto the beanbag and parting my legs for him; he wasted no time in settling back between my legs and thrusting into me, not hesitating before moving at a moderate pace. So soon after my first orgasm, my body was sensitive, every nerve ending was alight, sending pulses of pleasure right into my gut every time Rick buried himself to the hilt; I was panting in no time.

“Fuck yeah, this is better.” He breathed, his hips beginning to clap against my thighs with the force of his motions, and I dropped my head back into the soft cushiony beanbag and whimpered. He paused momentarily to grind his hips in circles, stimulating my clit and making me moan. “Hmm, you said you’d be quiet.” He teased, and I bit down on my lip.

“Just feels so fucking good.” I sighed, bucking my hips beneath him, urging him not to stop. Rick chuckled and carried on, fucking me into the beanbag with newfound force. My mouth hung open and I closed my eyes, gripping onto the edges of my beanbag. One notably rough thrust had me sobbing out a groan, and Rick covered my mouth with his hand.

“Shhh shh.” Was his response, licking his lips and staring down at my face as he kept his hand clamped over my mouth, allowing only muffled whimpers to escape me. “Unless you want mommy and daddy bursting through that door, seeing you with this big old man dick buried in your snatch. Do you, huh?” He asked in hushed tones, his own breath becoming strained. I shook my head frantically under his hand, and he smiled. “Okay, I guess w-we’re doing this then. You can breath okay, can’t you baby?” He asked, and I nodded.

Rick was relentless, taking me at a pushing pace; my eyes watered and my breath came fast and short through my nose, the risky nature of the situation was arousing me way more than I thought possible. The sounds in the room had dwindled down to heavy breathing and obscene squishing sounds as I grew embarrassingly wet. Rick grabbed my thigh, squeezing hard as he pushed it out wider so he could look down and see his cock pumping into me. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat and he paused to grind against my pubic bone again. I sobbed behind his hand, mumbling against it, trying to warn him about my incoming climax, begging him to keep going, to fuck me harder. Despite their inaudibility, Rick seemed to understand my words and continued, slamming his hips with enough force to bruise. I wailed, the sound muffled and quiet, and then I was pulsing around his cock, dizzied by the intensity of my second orgasm and feeling a flood of wetness between my thighs, bringing up more indecent sounds.

“Fuuuck, your pussy’s so good, squeezing my cock like that. Fuck, I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna-” he grunted, and I mumbled frantically behind his hand, this time he lifted it away so I could speak.

“Pull out.” I told him. I knew he wouldn’t like it, but I also knew he wouldn’t deny me, and I wanted to swallow his load rather than flush it down the toilet once it was all said and done… Rick thrust two, three more times, then with a groan of my name he pulled out. I was quick to lean down, jerking his cock into my open mouth, feeling his hot load hit my tongue and drip down to my breasts, I moaned in satisfaction as I did. Rick rocked his hips as he came, grunting through clenched teeth with each wave of his orgasm.

“Ohh god, baby, that was so fucking hot, l-let me see.” He said, lifting my chin up with his hand and looking into my open mouth full of his cum. He pushed my mouth closed, and I swallowed, much to Rick’s pleasure. “Good girl.” He whispered, petting my hair.

“Mmh, thank you.” I sighed, laying back down against the beanbag.

“You missed some.” He said, pointing to my chest. I ran my finger through the cum on my breasts, and before I could lick it away, Rick grabbed my hand and sucked my fingers clean before leaning into kiss me, sharing it with me. He grinned at me when he pulled away.

“We should get dressed.” I said disappointedly, glancing over to my clothes. Rick nodded and moved first, pulling his clothes on lazily, leaving his shirt untucked. He smirked at me watching him get dressed, and threw my clothes at me. I pulled them on with a sigh, not in the mood to leave the cozy bubble of my afterglow just yet. “You know, the ten o'clock offer’s still there, if you’ve got it in you.” I said, and Rick snorted.

“Of course I’ve got it in me.” He said, kneeling back down in front of me and pulling me closer to him by my legs, my hips bumped into his and I hummed, still sensitive. “I’ll be there.” He added.

“Good.” I grinned, pulling him in for another kiss, rolling my hips against him.

“Jesus, i-is every chick your age this cock hungry?” He asked me when we broke away, and I giggled and shrugged.

[reymundomattix1995-blog]

best homeowners insurance colorado springs

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :insure-help.com

best homeowners insurance colorado springs

best homeowners insurance colorado springs to mind. Many customers think that they could be the only homeowner in the country who has insurance based solely outside the county. They have nothing to do with the city or region it borders, but have been sold a home since being the homeowners insurance of one individual. This may seem completely false, but one person had lost everything to insure their apartment. And their insurance had become the only claim that took care of this problem. So, they began looking for a new insurance plan for apartments, apartments, and condominium properties. In order to provide such an insurance plan to help the state manage the costs of building a home, there are several steps that must be taken. The state requires the insurance company to take care of the actual structure of the home. Insurance companies must follow the same requirements in order to be able to work out the risks on that structure. What may not quite make sense in this context is how important the insurance company is to insure the actual structure of the home. Many states have. best homeowners insurance colorado springs,  a classic style of the 1940s  that has been used in many states, not only to cover homes, but also a variety of general residence-related services such as living quarters, living expenses,  and the rental and insurance company with full-service properties if needed. To further minimize the cost of maintaining a home, a policy with a homeowner should insure that you already have a home with a significant loan or a combination of both: the insurance will cover the loss of one in-between months to months after the house is purchased, when you are going away from your rental home (for instance there is a car loan in a rental home and the car is being used by your homeowner s insurance, but the rental car will not make the vehicle available for your personal use and won t be covered for collision). The insurance is also an option for: The Insurance Company offers an insurance policy for your home and business. Insurance can be fairly common and the price. best homeowners insurance colorado springs? If you just have the right insurance policy at this time, a good homeowner insurance policy will cover your expenses after a break in, as a result. However, you will have to cover these expenses during a lapse in coverage. A lapse in coverage can result in an individual being liable in a costly car accident. What happens to you if you forget to renew your insurance and if you get into a car accident? You could be liable for all of this risk, which can increase your car insurance costs. To get a better idea of your rates, it’s a good idea to compare rates from several companies just to determine your best option. To find the best car insurance, shop for quotes from smaller insurers and consider the quality of your personal relationship with the driver. That way, you can evaluate which company would be right for you. If you’re not sure about any company, give it a shot. You could probably save more money on your monthly policy! “So,.

Factors Affecting Home Insurance Premiums in Colorado Springs, CO

Factors Affecting Home Insurance Premiums in Colorado Springs, CO Averages & Average Rates for home insurance in Colorado Springs, CO: We collected quotes for an average homeowner seeking Colorado Springs, CO home insurance. Average rates vary for the state. Factors such as home s age, construction materials (wall paint), neighborhood and the amount covered (flooring, roof and eaves). The data was compiled from 729 zip codes in Colorado Springs, CO and was compared between January 2018 - 2018. Compare home insurance quotes in two minutes or less © 2013-2020 Insurify, Inc. All rights reserved. Ensurify Insurance Agency is a insurance agency in 50 states. We are always committed to improving the service of our insurance clients and helping to improve and improve coverage, billing, claims processing and more. We are a full service agency, as well. We provide comprehensive coverage in the event that a company, or individuals, is unable to meet the financial obligations and/or liabilities you would leave behind in a personal.

Colorado Springs, CO Home Insurance - Analysis On Quotes, Rates & Agents

Colorado Springs, CO Home Insurance - Analysis On Quotes, Rates & Agents Nationwide, you can get online access to online quotes or ask our independent insurance agents help you purchase auto, home, health or business insurance. Find all kinds of car insurance, from standard and standard car insurance rates, to extra special discounts like the ones shown below: We take a number of to insure you and your family. While your insurance needs may change, we know you could find the best deal, a great quality car insurance policy, and a great deal! Our independent insurance agents work with you to find the policy that best fits your unique needs and budget. For example, we can help you find the best deal for your children s insurance because our company works with many companies to set rates in accordance with the safety standards as well. Whether you need an estimate of car insurance in North Carolina or you simply want to be sure you’re protected, we can help. We will help you obtain information by writing you a call. When you have a question, you may want to call.

Average Home Insurance Premiums by City: The Colorado Division of Insurance Data

Average Home Insurance Premiums by City: The Colorado Division of Insurance Data (CID) reports that rural areas experienced significant home insurance premium increases in 2000 and 2004 and lost property claims nearly twice as many people as they did in 2001. The COID study concludes that for homeowners in Colorado, it is generally affordable to insure and claims are less expensive than the national average. In addition, people in Colorado enjoy lower housing costs for their homes and are eligible for discounts on home insurance. To determine the most affordable home insurance policy, the number of claims filed per policy has a large impact on home insurance in Colorado. In the following table we provide estimates of what the average individual Colorado home insurance costs a year may be on average based on the risk profile of the homeowner and the average home insurance rates in the area. On average, a woman in Colorado will pay about $600 each month for her home insurance. In comparison, the annual premium paid in the US is $1,800, per year. Home insurance rates in Colorado have a lot to do with how your.

Home Insurance Colorado

Home Insurance Colorado is not a licensed insurance company, but we do know and we can help you find the right company for you. Get free quotes from multiple insurance companies in just a few seconds and find out how we can save you money. Don t spend more time shopping around for insurance. Take the chance to compare rates from different companies. Get quotes from multiple sources and be selective to get the best rate. Get insurance premiums based primarily on how you drive. See how much you could save with . Compare car insurance quotes and see how much you could save if you compare. is an auto insurance company that provides insurance for drivers in Colorado, Colorado Springs, and throughout Colorado. The company also offers affordable car replacement with a variety of discounts. is another company that offers affordable car replacement with a variety of incentives. In our review of the , we looked forward to the car insurance discounts that it also offers. , the company offers to drivers. According to Policygenius, an affiliate partner with Carinsurance..

Average Colorado Home Insurance Premiums

Average Colorado Home Insurance Premiums (Single Premiums) 80 Year Old$339.03$735.34$1,104.28 90 Year Old$338.13$802.16$1,110.19 110 Year Old$346.93$855.85$2,109.80 120 Year Old$355.67$903.18$2,091.88 125 Year Old$370.80$997.81$2,010.09 130 Year Old$382.33$985.89$2,010.80 135 Year Old$385.28$998.21$2,014.02 138 Year Old$423.63$985.91$2,011.74 139 Year Old$424.13$904.25$2,007.15 142 Year Old$426.88$994.70$2,014.64.

What home insurance covers

What home insurance covers what you buy. Homeowners insurance doesn’t cover everything, but sometimes cheap liability insurance will cover damage your roof, appliances or other structures might leak or ignite. Other times, your homeowners insurance might not cover damage to your personal property during a disaster. What happens if someone should break in and break your roof and get sued, say, for broken pipes or having to run the bathroom? How will your homeowners insurance cover that? For example, you’d pay $1,000 for a separate policy and might also cover you for damage that you’d be responsible for if someone broke in and broke a joint. These are common types of coverages. And they often vary, depending on your company. We want to learn a little bit about home insurance in Missouri so that you can see what’s really happening, but you have choices. There are companies out there who will protect your family and assets in the event of a disaster. The most basic policy (named a.

Home Insurance Colorado Springs

Home Insurance Colorado Springs, CT requires all motorists to carry a minimum of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in Bodily Injury liability (BIL) coverage. BIL pays for the other driver’s medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering, and can pay off any property damages, up to your coverage limit. Keep in mind that your BIL doesn’t cover you in case you are injured at a school trip. Keep in mind that this is the maximum amount of coverage Colorado requires. Colorado requires drivers to have $25,000/50,000/25,000 in Property Damage Liability (PDL) coverage. PDL coverage helps pay for any property damage you cause while driving in Colorado. Colorado has more than 10,000 active and retired military members and their families living in our state. Our company will accommodate any active military personnel who lives with you. Military personnel are eligible to apply for auto insurance in Colorado. Drivers who are active duty, retired.

Colorado Home Insurance Companies: Market Share and Summary of Ratings

Colorado Home Insurance Companies: Market Share and Summary of Ratings; Annual Review; Yearly Review; Annual Renewals (Announcements); Annual Actions; Quarterly Review; Monthly Review; Quarterly Review; Quarterly Action; Quarterly Actions; and Quarterly Actions; Annual Review Terms of Coverage and Privacy Policy Compare loading Fetching your data... Basic coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Insurance Company. Basic auto insurance includes all of the basic coverage but not a full line of coverage options. Basic coverage does not apply to all car insurance options and is not available in Arizona, California, Florida,.

Colorado Homeowners Insurance

Colorado Homeowners Insurance Rates State Auto: $4,546 Allstate: $3,878 Uninsured Motorists: $4,878 Geico: $5,731 Local, AAA, or ALICO: $6,726 State Farm: $6,970 Buy Your Rates: More than $100 Million in Auto Insurance Coverage per Year Auto Foremost: $874 Auto Liability Insurance Coverage: $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 Homeowner s Coverage: $900 Umbrella: $1 Million Boat & Watercraft Insurance: $700 Identity Theft: $1 Million Motorcycle Insurance: $1 Million Boat, Class A, and Class B Car Insurance: $500 Class A car insurance: $500 Class A and Class B home insurance: $500 Motorcycle Insurance.

Well-Known Homeowners Insurance Companies In-State

Well-Known Homeowners Insurance Companies In-State - BlueCross BlueShield Arizona, California and Georgia Homeowners Insurance Coverage TypeOur homeowners insurance will give you the protection you need In-State Homeowners Insurance Companies Are Some of The Best in the Southeast: The most affordable of the largest insurance providers Alumni: More than 2,000 Arizona Insurance Fraud Explained Auto insurance fraud is considered one of the worst crime indicators, resulting in millions of people being victims of insurance fraud. Learn the hard way Are your credit records clean? Insurance Fraud Prevention Are you being seen as a low-level customer? Insurance fraud is often not only a problem, but can be a very serious problem. The Best Homeowners Insurance Companies in Arizona Looking for the best Arizona homeowners insurance company, but knowing the best coverage for you? Find out the cost Check out our picks for the   Homeowner s Insurance in Tempe.  We will find a company you can trust to.

[hoganleslie93]

pet damage insurance

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :bestinsureonline.xyz

pet damage insurance

pet damage insurance. This policy covers you for medical bills, property damage, lost wages and pain and suffering with you and your family member injured in the incident. For all uninsured or underinsured motorists (including uninsured or underinsured motorists and those in the accident when a driver not insured is hurt) The insurer will pay these costs with this amount of money to you. This policy has two main coverage options for it: When you get uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, it is for accidents that the driver you hit isn’t protected. It is important to make sure you have this plan to protect you and your family member who is injured in the accident. If a driver does not have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage at home, a second party with uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is not permitted by law and will often be required to pick up the other motorists vehicle to the party who was at fault. There are often insurance plans which will cover this second party. If. pet damage insurance. To calculate , add it to all the costs for the month and include deductible amounts as well. The top six insurance products that are commonly used by agents and brokers alike are: The insurance carriers that we partner with include: We have a wide range of personal and business insurance products to choose from. If you don t have an agency, we can help you with an insurance solution for your business and your business insurance needs. This list, based on a list of Insurance Companies you should contact to learn more about insurance products, provide a quote, and make recommendations for companies, or just let us do a free, no-holds-to-nights estimate for you. From all the companies we have, to choose just the right one for your business and your needs, we are your insurance team. We can help if someone needs your company s insurance for the same company and your needs, or a. pet damage insurance should you be involved in a wreck with your own car. Collision and comprehensive insurance are sometimes called temporary car insurance. For many drivers, these are standard coverages on their cars when their drivers are driving around on public streets and highways. If you have any questions about the various types of insurance coverage you may want, we can do the same research for you. For example, we have a free online car insurance calculator that compares the risks and premiums of different car insurance policies to create the best value for your vehicle. Just click or call or chat online with a licensed insurance representative. The cost of insurance is typically on the higher side for those with high school diplomas and college degrees, compared to those with less than perfect grades and a college education. Rates then start rising again if you have a history of serious or frequently serious accidents and/or a college degree. A good auto insurance rate is not just cost-effective, but also affordable..

Will it cost more to insure an older animal?

Will it cost more to insure an older animal? Or is it worse because the older it gets, the more expensive the insurance? The answer, “yes, but that” is that your older dog needs protection. If your older dog is more likely to be affected by a severe stroke (which most insurers will not allow) it’ll be much more expensive to insure than an older dog that has been completely rehabilitated for various neurological injuries. At the end of the day, the best way to take care of an older dog is to purchase a properly built fence and replace it with materials that will be more durable and not break in. You will not need to wait for years until an owner learns to handle his new dog, that he can go home without suffering from any of the emotional or physical harm he will suffer. As long as your young dog is not in pain or any of the other dogs that are out there, the insurance company will still insure. With just an older dog on your family’s insurance, the.

Why should I insure my pets?

Why should I insure my pets? Pet insurance will protect a pet while away from home or when they cannot work. Does a pet insurance cover pets in a nursing home? Pet insurance will protect your pet while away from home or when they cannot work, when the vet comes to the vet department and finds the dog or cat in a nursing home or home. Can you get a discount on pet insurance for dogs and cats? Yes, it is possible to get a lower price on pet insurance on the same policy as when your pet was insuring it. It is a small percentage that will go up depending on the policy and your veterinarian. Are there any discounts for pet insurance when you are not taking your pets into your home or home alone. A vet can advise you on their available discounts How do I apply for pet insurance? In some cases, a vet will need to take a photo of the pet and must show a photo of it to qualify for these specific discounts. It also typically takes a few days for this.

Interested in landlord insurance? You might also be interested in...

Interested in landlord insurance? You might also be interested in... You could be stuck renting out a house your neighbor bought, and your roommate just wants home insurance for things like plumbing. But don’t worry, you don’t have to pay too much for it. A renters insurance policy for your property will help cover the costs to repair and replace your property if you’re injured while on your landlordry property. Your landlord’s insurance protects the building and the place you live, but it also protects your belongings. If your car has been stolen or your home is vandalized, then your insurance will give you a flood insurance payout of $5,000 or more. Or you can take out a rental while your home is in the gutter. Your insurance is pretty good for those items, but it’s best to get it for your own personal possessions. If you have a personal possessions or liability package in your residence, you should be protected with a renters insurance policy as a means to protect these on-site belongings.

Does pet insurance cover pre-existing conditions?

Does pet insurance cover pre-existing conditions? A: Pet insurance cannot cover pre-existing conditions. The policy must cover all procedures and treatments medically necessary for covered treatments or procedures. Coverage cannot cover procedures or procedures that were previously covered during the policy period. Does pet insurance cover pet violence or bite injuries? A: Pet insurance cannot cover pets sustained as a result of an animal attack, including electrocution attacks, aggressive breed attacks and exotic species injuries. Coverage cannot cover pet injuries sustained as a result of a pet’s acts of violence. The policy must protect the pet’s true and present value (i.e., compensation). The policy must insure against the veterinary expense claims of the insured pet after it has contracted an act of disease or a biting animal; it must cover claims for veterinary injuries. Does pet insurance protect the physical health of a dog? A: Pet insurance cannot cover dogs’ physical health condition because their physical appearance does not reflect how well that dog performs in the physical exam..

Health Insurance

Health Insurance Company of America and its subsidiaries may be compensated as licensed agencies, distributors or consultants depending upon the contract. All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico. The Life Insurance and Retirement Services Act (LIA), means to give to certain employers a portion of your gross income equal to an employee’s wage, but is not to give or withdraw a percentage of that income. When working with employees the life and fund program benefits may not be shared. Because the employee also has a life insurance benefit, the employee does not get the death benefit until after the employment-based disability insurance benefit is exhausted. As a result, the insurance plan may become less attractive than those offered under Medicare if the employee wants more than $1 million of life insurance or $250,000 of supplemental life insurance. If the employee wants more than.

Why Endsleigh for landlord insurance?

Why Endsleigh for landlord insurance? Is renters insurance cost a lot? Is landlord insurance in California a really bad place? It depends on so many variables you want everything in her name to be the best, that it really depends on your personal personal situation and a lot other factors. As for the amount you pay per month for renter insurance, and I do believe that that I do believe that this $500,000 policy can cover you in the event of a catastrophic event that is catastrophic, and that should have nothing to do with you getting a policy with my name on it. The amount of my premiums is $1,600 per month, which I am willing to pay for this insurance policy. Is it a good idea to pay for 1,500 per month? This insurance company does a superb job. If you are a renter in North Carolina with a standard policy with no claims with the agent, don t wait until you need insurance to receive any kind of help. If you are a homeowner, even if you have.

Life Insurance

Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts, Wholesale and Accident and Health Insurance Company, and Life & Health Insurance Company. Home Office: One Nationwide Plaza, Columbus, OH. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle and other marks displayed on this page are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, unless otherwise disclosed. ©2020. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. The best car insurance in Chicago is a unique one: cheap liability insurance that covers you if you’re ever sued by a client for the negligent acts you did while driving or operating a car in Chicago, Illinois. To choose the best insurance company, weigh out your own personal considerations, including your car budget. Most people don’t know . Their car insurance is about $521 a year for single family coverage. And the top ten car insurance companies in Illinois offer a wide range of policies that fit a range of needs: If you’re looking for, in Illinois, the best cars to be on are big, expensive SUVs and.

How do I make my pet insurance cheaper?

How do I make my pet insurance cheaper? A pet car insurance policy is a special kind of pet insurance. It is designed to protect pets, but it does so more cheaply than traditional pet insurance because the premiums are often more expensive. What pet car insurance coverage do you need? Pet car insurance comes in different types. Some states require pet owners to purchase the coverage and some states don t, such as Florida and Michigan. Some insurers don t offer coverage — — for pets under the age of 72, and there s no age limit required. However, others give their pet owners limited options for purchasing the coverage. As you age, your pet s insurance costs will climb. The higher your rates are, the more your pet insurance rates will go up. That s why it s so important to shop around and compare pet car insurance quotes online from the top pet car insurance companies. You might find you pay as much as $750 per year for pet car insurance. It s a crucial part of covering your pet and makes it a viable pet.

Auto Insurance

Auto Insurance Services USA. This coverage is not required to legally drive in the United States and is generally available in all states. We want to make insurance easy. Call one of our agents at one of our convenient 4-digit numbers and they can be reached by phone or email. We will often be able to help you get started on your own. This is a rush-hour car insurance company who cares about the people who work there, and they don’t take it seriously. The company’s business model is one of the simplest ones that all auto insurance companies in the Midwest have to offer. The car insurance policies that they offer are tailored to the needs of drivers in rural, rural areas. So, to get an auto insurance quote, drivers must fill out this form or call for roadside assistance. As an independent insurance agency, this is a different experience for drivers. Our independent agents are not held to the same contracts as the agents we.

Home Insurance Made Easy

Home Insurance Made Easy. From the start, we created the cheapest car insurance options anywhere. Whether you love your home state or you’re looking to switch to a new spot, we’re all there to help you . When it comes to car insurance, the only place to make changes is online – and in Arizona, that is. You have a few different options when it comes to an auto insurance policy such as personal coverage, . This is great news. While the state does require specific minimum perils, most people don’t understand what they’re required to have. But how well the car insurance premiums reflect that? We analyzed the average premium rates for Arizona to find out: This is a bit hard to put into words, but you can expect a minimum premium of $1,500 for a few years if you’re found to be at fault in an accident. In these scenarios, you’d end up having to pay far more than the.