#but ofc lower price lower quality

[general-george-washington]

I'm looking at trail camera rn since another one Fucked itself bc of the rain and I'm kinda like. If these are just gonna die every year, maybe I should get something cheaper

[deathberi]

this batch really said eri hasnt been buying bnps in a while lets release all her favs together

[colorsunimaginable]

Bought by a Death Eater - the spare dark au // death eater ! tom hiddleston oc x plus size ofc // part one

summary // Melisa Alder is an American witch caught in the Death Eater's clutches after Voldemort wins the Battle of Hogwarts. The Death Eaters hold an auction of mudbloods and bloodtraiters. After no one bids on her, she thinks she's stuck with her original handler, Goyle, Jr., but a masked Death Eater buys her at the last minute. What are his plans for her? Will she ever find out who's beneath the mask?

this is a darker, alternative version of my fic The Spare. It's mostly going to be smut.

word count // 2.6k masterlist

warnings // mdni, 18+. this fic will fetishize/body worship a fat female body, so if that offends you, please dni. this fic will have non-con/rape elements, bondage, light bdsm, sexual slavery, sterilization, and loss of virginity. caution advised or enjoy ;)

part one //

My life is over. And I’m laughing.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, I woke up in a hospital bed at the Ministry of Magic. They’re treating my injuries and I find out I’m not the only one who has been captured. Nearly a hundred of the young witches and wizards who’d been fighting against our world’s greatest evil had been rounded up like cattle after our brutal loss. There are more girls than boys and as they prep us - cleaning and sterilizing us - it becomes clear what they, the Death Eaters, have planned.

An auction.

The fucking idiot who captured me, Gregory Goyle Jr., really believes he’s going to get some decent money for me. It’s true, I’m a virgin, a supposed extremely valued quality, but that’s where the similarities between me and the rest of the “Lots” end. I’m a good 5-6 years older than all of the girls. I’ve got bright pink hair, and on bad days, I’m convinced I’m actually a whale pretending to be a young woman. Plus I’m not even British or very pretty. 

Sure, statistically, I know someone out there has to like what I look like. But when I’m being compared to the others, the idea of being the preferred one is laughable.

My predictions come true when no one bids on me. I’m the first female lot and the grand theater they’ve commandeered from the No-Majes is silent, despite Ludo Bagman’s best salesmanship effort. No one wants an ostentatious American cow. I guess the lure of my novelty and virginity isn’t a strong selling point. 

Granted, the literal blood on my hands from killing a guard backstage probably doesn’t help either. 

Bagman tries to lower my base price of five grand - the minimum for virgins - but Goyle isn’t having it. He takes it upon himself to demonstrate my worth, starting with hopping on stage. He pushes me to my knees while he stands before me. As he fumbles with his belt and jeers with the crowd, I quickly put two and two together to realize what’s about to happen.

In front of everyone, he’s going to humiliate me.

But I humiliate him first.

In front of everyone.

He’s gotten what he wanted - my head in his crotch, just not the way he intended. 

Before I can figure out what to do next, guards grab my arms and yank me to my feet to take me backstage. I expect some kind of blowback for what I did, but it doesn’t come.

When Goyle finally appears, he demands to know why I was taken off stage before I’d been sold. Yaxley, the Death Eater in charge, only points out the obvious. No one made a bid. Therefore, they aren’t going to waste time on me.

Eventually Yaxley gives in to Doyle’s annoying pleas, and agrees to let me go back out, on the condition my price be reduced by half. I was also supposed to wait until the very end. 

I listen as all the other girls get sold, their galleon numbers in the thousands. Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley’s are in the tens of thousands. I try not to think about it too much, because I know my worth as a person isn’t tied to physical money, but it still gets to me. I’ve basically been put on clearance.  All I can do is sit and spiral into self loathing while I wait until the end. 

When it’s finally my turn again, they bring me out to the half-filled, steadily emptying theater. The main event is over so no one’s really even listening to Bagman’s sales pitch.

And again, no one makes a bid. 

By this point, my self worth is on the floor in the orchestra pit.

I can tell Goyle is scrambling for what to do with me. His get rich quick scheme hasn’t worked and I’ve become a burden. He binds my wrists together in front of me and guides me to the opulent lobby. He’s muttering curses and threats while we wait in line for the floo. I find him pretty easy to tune out since it’s obvious he’s still a teenager and there’s no way he’s an actual threat to me. Especially once this damn magic suppression potion wears off. I’m relieved to not have been bought by anyone else. Maybe I’ll be able to find a way to escape. 

My eyes catch on a group of Death Eaters huddling by the main door. Some of the metallic masks are clearly meant to be scary, but they’re so elaborate they look more silly than threatening. The ones that really unnerve me are the simple, expressionless ones. With magic, the empty eye and mouth holes are pitch black and bottomless. 

My focus centers on one such mask. In that group he stands taller than all the rest. His black robes look militaristic right down to the calf-high boots on his feet. His companions have their heads huddled near and their indistinct whispers add to the solemn hum to the room. This Death Eater appears to be half- listening to this conversation, his mask partially turned towards the window. 

Goyle steals my attention when he pulls me forward, his foul breath close to my ear. “I ‘spose I’m the one that gets to break you in, don’t I?”

I silently huff as he keeps rattling on. My eyes go back to that tall Death Eater and I freeze.

He’s looking right at me. Like, I can see the entirety of his mask as he stares over his companion’s head.

I blink and look around me, checking to make sure it’s me, and not someone else he’s staring at. But when I peek back, he’s not even looking at me anymore. 

We’re two people away from our turn for the Floo when the masked Death Eaters all cut in line. I happen to glance back at where they’d been meeting and my heart skips a beat when that same Death Eater is still standing there, all by himself. 

Still looking right at me.

I pretend I didn’t just look back and make direct eye-to-empty socket contact with him and step towards the fire before Goyle does when it’s our turn next. It’s just the three of us in the lobby at this point.

Goyle reaches his hand into the Floo powder pot on a pedestal next to the fireplace just as a gloved hand comes down heavy on his shoulder.

And then he’s suddenly there. God, standing next to him, he feels so much taller than me, and I’m not short at 5’8”. 

“What do you want?” Goyle grumbles, seeming annoyed that this guy is bothering him. He hasn’t said a word and yet Goyle clearly knows who he is.

The masked man slips a hand into his pocket and pulls out a small bag of what sounds like coins and tosses it to Goyle. The boy fumbles it and it falls to the floor. While he’s picking it up, the Death Eater places a heavy hand on my own shoulder and maneuvers me so he’s standing between me and Goyle.

Maybe Goyle’s not a complete idiot because he understands what the man wants before I do.

He glares up at him. “You can’t be serious. Like, this has to be a joke. There’s no more than 50 galleons in here.”

… Fifty galleons? I immediately want to cry, so I take a sudden sharp breath, but the exhale is noticeably shakey. I keep going until I’m not on the verge of a freak out.

The man just stays silent, staring at him. 

Goyle looks between me and him briefly before deciding a plan of action. “Alright, we’ll find a room. Fifty’s enough for a blowie I think -”

The man shoves Goyle backward and he almost falls into the fire. I guess that’s his answer.

He turns me to face him and produces some rope with a loop on one end. He hangs the rope around my neck, pulling the long end through the loop, and I feel it tighten against my throat immediately. The harder he pulls, the tighter it is. 

Shady transaction over, the man turns for the door, leash in hand, and I’m forced to follow him or get strangled. Goyle starts to protest, but one look from the Death Eater over his shoulder shuts him up real quick.

~*~

My new owner leads me out into the night. We’re somewhere in London, and it’s so late the streets are empty. Which is good, because the last thing I want is a continuing audience to this nightmare. 

The asshole has longer legs than me and that means he’s taking strides I could never dream of matching. My thighs have always been monstrously thick and the friction always slows me down, especially right now when I don’t even have any underwear on. The rope around my neck is coarse, it’s fibers scratching my skin raw as we walk. I keep my hands clutched to my chest, a couple fingers shoved between my neck and the rope. When he finally stops, he grabs my forearm and pulls my fingers out for Apparating. 

We pop into a dark, overgrown yard. The man is quick to yank on the leash, pulling me behind him. He’s released my arm, so my fingers immediately go back to protecting me. He uses his wand to illuminate our surroundings and I can make out that this cottage we’ve arrived at is abandoned. Holes have been blasted through the walls and the thatched roof is rotting away, chunks of it already fallen. He leads me around to the back and shoves open a crooked door with his shoulder. 

I’d hoped that the exterior would just be a cover, a ruse for an actually decent place, but no, it’s just as derelict on the inside. He makes sure I’m inside the dusty kitchen before he magically shoves the door closed. The light from his wand reveals a particularly clean section of the tiled floor. If it weren’t for all of the dust and debris surrounding it, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. He crouches, tapping his wand against several of the tiny tiles. They immediately fall away, creating the walls and steps for a hidden entrance below our feet.

I’m dying to know what lies ahead, but I’m also fucking terrified. Is he gonna keep me in a fucking dungeon?

After we begin our descent, the floor above us closes. We take the steps spiraling down at least two flights and at the bottom reveals another door. This one is heavy and wooden with a few serious looking locks. 

The final room we enter is what I’d call a studio apartment. A rather large, imposing bed on one end of the room, with a bathtub in the opposite corner and a little kitchen in a carved out nook. There’s a wardrobe, an armchair sat next to a small table, and a doorway where I can see a toilet. It’s lit with sconces on the walls, burning bright candle light. 

But the most eye-catching thing? The night sky above our heads. The ceiling is taller than normal for a basement. Which, in combination with the enchanted ceiling, makes the room feel twice the size that it is. Though I suppose that’s by design. 

After I enter the room fully, he closes the door behind me, and I hear the lock click. He turns me back to him and takes off the rope, tucking it away into his pocket. He seems to consider taking off the rest of my bindings before deciding to remove them.

I’m not sure what I expected him to do, now that he’s gotten me here, but just sitting in that armchair staring at me, wasn’t really on my list. His posture is relaxed, his wand loosely gripped in his hand. And he’s just staring at me, again.

All the nerves that have been building since the moment I laid eyes on him are almost at their breaking point. I can hardly bear to look at him, so my eyes stray to anything else, but I’m not really seeing.

“Strip,” he says, and my eyes snap to him. His voice is so deep, a perfect baritone. 

But surely, I couldn’t have heard him right.

His creepy, masked head tilts a smidge. “Strip,” he orders again, enunciating a little more forcefully when I don’t move. 

My eyebrows are together and my pulse is thudding in my ears, but I somehow find my voice. “No,” I say softly, my arms tucking into my torso. 

There’s an uncomfortable long silence as we stare at each other. I don’t move and he fiddles with his wand. Then he sighs heavily and stands to his full height. I can just barely see over his shoulder.

“This will be your only warning,” he says. “I do not reward good behavior. If you are disobedient and misbehave, you will be punished. Severely.” His cold, emotionless tone only amplifies the authority to his words. He doesn’t continue, leaving it up to me to decide my fate. 

Tears start to brim my eyes and I cannot imagine, after the day I’ve had, actually showing him my naked body. I’d genuinely rather face whatever punishment he has in store than that. 

Instead of words, I just shake my head, my feet automatically moving me away from him. 

“Very well,” he simply says, and raises his wand at me. “Crucio.”

The moment the spell hits me, I collapse to the floor, helpless to the pain striking every square inch of my body. I’ve been Crucio’d before, but every time there’s absolutely nothing to prepare you for it. By the time it’s over, I’ve curled up into a ball, barely managing not to sob. 

The Death Eater kneels, hovering over me, getting so close that his mask fills my view and I squeeze my eyes shut.

“No matter how benign your crimes, that will be your punishment,” he says. “Every. Time.” His hand suddenly grabs my jaw, turning my head to face him. “Do you understand?” 

Staring into his black, empty gaze, I nod. 

But that must not be enough for him because he rolls my head back and forth. “Use your words.”

To force them out, I have to swallow, and I know he can feel it. My voice is only a whisper, but the words are clear. “Yes, I understand.”

He stands, literally towering above me. Then his face starts to get closer and I realize it’s because I’m the one moving. Fully airborne, he maneuvers me into the bathtub, and the faucet immediately starts running. 

The water’s freezing at first and I gasp. Luckily, the cold clears my mind, numbing my emotions, and bringing in enough rational thought to slide off the mary jane shoes they supplied us with. I keep the white dress on. After all, they didn’t give us anything to wear underneath it. 

The water slowly starts to rise and warm, and instead of clutching my chest, my hands drift in the water. There’s so much blood on my hands the water has already turned pink. Because I’d… killed somebody. 

In one short week, I’ve been stabbed, tortured, kidnapped, half-sterilized, and my magic stripped away. And now, I’ve killed somebody. 

Oh, and I’m the property of a literal Death Eater. 

And, worst of all, he's fucking hot.

The absolute absurdity of that last thought has me laughing, like actual manic giggling. My life is over and I’m laughing like a fucking psycho. 

Thankfully, my emotions catch up with me and that laugh turns into full sobs. 

And that fucking Death Eater watches me the entire time.

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Hey there, so first time asking and hope I do it right.. and sorry for the grammar erorrs, I'm not sure ur ok with the scenario but I'mma give it a shot

so! It's based on a dream I had last night lol, a crocodile x fem reader in Victorian era🌚 crocodile is in his late 20's and ofc the richest of them lords, all good and ready to get married, it's most likely an arranged marriage and he has to choose between a few number of fine ladies who are chosen and well suited for him, but he already has a secret lover, she's a petite young lady, years younger than him -not so rich- and kinda weak due to her physics(yes I got daddy issues), who would never come up to his marriage standards so when she gets aware of the arrangement thing she's heartbroken inside and eventho she's so attached to him in all ways still tries to cut ties w him so he can achieve what is meant for him, things get kinda angsty here lol, but crocodile already knows it so he comes to the rescue and express his passionate love and respect(I'm dramatic and I know it) to her and say that he would never do such thing to her(the make outs and touches💅🏻)I just know he is oh so romantic with his one. It's extra romantic and a lil angst you can also add anything u want, a bit suggestive maybe, oh and he calls her doll🗿

I love ur writings sm I hope this helps u to make smth out of my miserable explanation lol, and thanks:>

Warnings: Victorian era setting, slight angst, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 1140

     He was the most eligible lord of the decade, literally mr. tall, dark, and handsome. Even the scar across his face could not diminish his good looks. As the richest man in the city on top of his looks, the only things that he could not have as his own belonged to the royal family, and even much of those could be bought for the right price. Despite the ladies that lined the edges of each gala, awaiting for a dance with him, he only cared for one. A lower born girl, barely considered a lady in most circles. With no manor to speak of, only a single butler and maid, and little wealth, you were often the subject of humiliation by the higher born ladies. Still, though, he cared for you. A chance meeting at one of the many parties he attended, dressed humbly in a simple, yet beautiful gown with no extravagant jewelry to speak of. Immediately, he’d been drawn to you, asking you for a dance, despite your place at the far walls of the ballroom. While your status often forced him away, he was still adamant about meeting with you as often as possible, bringing extravagant gifts whenever he visited. Expensive jewelry, rare flowers, and exotic fruits, he treated you to them all. Even as he was pushed to marry, he fought against it as often as possible, insisting that there was only one lady that he desired and none of the women brought before him were her. But his borrowed time was up and his family fed up with his excuses, he would marry a proper lady befitting his status! They’d already chosen a girl, rich and well bred, her family well known and influential. Both families had agreed and the lady ecstatic as they announced the engagement.

     Looking at the announcement, tears began to fall down your cheeks. He was engaged, and to a high born lady. Someone infinitely more well suited to him. She was someone with wealth, influence, good pedigree, and good health. In comparison, your family was only barely counted among the lords and ladies, your family tree in question, few riches, no influence, and your health was of poor quality. She would make a much better bride than yourself. Even still, you couldn’t stop the tears that continued to dot the paper in front of you. Your lover was marrying. It might be clearly arranged, but that didn’t change the fact that she was better for him than you. 

     Knocking on your front door, Crocodile growled slightly. He hadn’t seen you in days, not since the announcement. He could only think that you must have misunderstood. He didn’t want her, he wanted you. Part of him feared that the shock of the announcement would affect your health, that your already weak body wouldn’t be able to handle such a thing. He had to see if you were alright. Finally the door opened, revealing your butler, the man standing there rather than letting him in like usual.

     “Lord Crocodile. It is… it is a pleasure as always.” the man said with a bow, though he still stayed where he was.

     “I’m here to see Lady Y/n. I haven’t seen her in days. Is she unwell?” he asked, trying not to show just how concerned he was.

     “I’m sorry, my lord, but Lady Y/n has locked herself in her room and refuses to come out. The only person allowed to see her is the maid and even then, only for meals.” the butler said, concern evident on his face. A similar expression crossed his own as he glanced up at your window, the curtains drawn. Why had you locked yourself in your room? Was it the engagement?

     “Tell her that I did not want this engagement. That she is the only one I desire.” he said before walking away, glancing back once more before heading back for his manor. He would have to have a talk with his family, he absolutely would not marry that woman. 

     Despite his message, he still hadn’t seen you in days, by now it had been 2 weeks since he’d last seen you and he was growing ever more agitated. At this point, he’d simply given your butler a large case of money before storming up to your room. It didn’t take much for him to knock your door in, startling you as you looked up at him. You sat on your bed in a nightgown, your cheeks tear stained and eyes blood shot. 

     “L-lord Crocodile, w-what-” “I have not seen you in weeks, your butler says you have locked yourself in your room, and your maid claims that you have been crying! Did you truly not expect me to come?” he asked irritably. More tears filled your eyes, even as you wondered how you still had more to shed.

     “L-lady Veronica is much more well suited to a man such as you. Great wealth, influence, and family, a healthy body to give you as many children as you desire. Such a lady is-” “Not who I desire, doll.” he said, much more softly as he sat on your bed, caressing your cheek. You couldn’t help but lean into his touch, enjoying the feeling of his large hand on your skin once again. 

     “I… wouldn’t you be happier with her?” you asked, staring into his eyes in worry. Crocodile chuckled as he kissed you softly.

     “No. She could be the next in line for the throne or a literal angel and I would still desire you over her. I will always want you over any other. Whether my family approves or not, I will only have you as my bride.” he said, pulling you in for another kiss, then another. Pushing against his chest, you breathed hard.

     “Crocodile, someone could see us kissing like this. It’s…” you blushed as you looked away, making him chuckle.

     “Then one last one and I’ll stop for now, doll. The day you and I wed, however, you can not stop me. As my bride, my wife, such things will no longer cause a scandal and I will be allowed to have you as I please.” he said, giving you one last passionate kiss. He was reluctant to leave you after what had happened over the last two weeks, but he knew he had to sort things out with both families, so he would before asking for your hand. He almost didn’t let go of your hand, leaving you sitting there smiling, your heart pounding. Peeking out your curtain, you watched him leave. Despite how he tried to hide it from you, you could see the fury in the way he walked. He would ‘amend’ things with both parties and he would have you, no matter the cost, his family be damned.

[statementlou]

I think it depends on what you’re used to in prices. As a Canadian clothing prices are usually higher just because a majority of clothes are import from the US. So his prices aren’t that far off from what I’d pay for say Nike or Adidas. Of course we haven’t seen the quality of the garments yet, so it’s hard to make a determination if the clothes are over priced.

I'm aware that it's industry standard, just as I was aware at least one person would unfollow me for daring to say anything other than pure simping (✔ I was right lol) but industry standard is bullshit and is fake. Those items, like all fashion, cost a tiny amount of that to manufacture. Occasionally brand stuff costs more because it's actually made of higher quality materials or manufactured in more expensive conditions- all I said was that we can see that neither of those things is at play here (no one goes out of their way to use union labor and doesn't mention it as a selling point though yes future defensive anons, ofc anything is possible) so, like Adidas and Nike (who are notorious for their use of sweatshop labour so maybe not the ideal example actually), these items are priced to a standard that is made up and not tied to physical value, by which I mean they could still make a profit at a lower price, even if they're very good quality manufacture (which I would guess they are given Louis' attention to detail generally and the fact that we have seen him wearing them and he is fussy about his own clothing quality and would have for sure noticed if they were shoddy, plus the honestly remarkably high quality of his general merch). Whatever- it's not some huge deal. That's how fashion works and it could be MUCH WORSE. Louis is a businessman who is good at launching profitable enterprises and this is one, me saying that it's that and not an exercise in making streetwear more accessible to poor people isn't that big a deal. And honestly, for me, acknowledging that he is focused on the fashion end rather than the supply end isn't some huge callout- I would celebrate him paying attention to that and thinking about the workers, but him having his hands in only 80% of the details of all of the 28 or so projects he's currently juggling is plenty impressive enough

[icantalk710]

This "to rent, your gross income should be 40x the rent" idea feels a bit iffy to me when practically I've gotten around 40% of each biweekly gross paycheck deducted for taxes and benefits... (is it that much for other people I wonder [also a shame what those taxes do and don't go into but that's another convo])

Though with what I've saved up as backup, that should still theoretically work for me; doing some math accounting for a recent raise I'm getting at work, assuming two paychecks a month (and no more than 30% spent on rent), I think my rent budget ceiling would be around $1300/month, but ideally would be around $1000 as a max (lower for a good-quality place if possible would ofc be nice)--then I could be smart about withdrawing half the total with each check [along with utility/etc splits] and factoring in spending on other things that way. Just spent some time tracking how much I've saved from each of my last paychecks and it kinda seems feasible enough to do. Hmm...

Also, any NYers use Roomi/etc for finding good roomies? Trying to get around to a profile on Roomi, since I've heard some good things about it/seems promising from some listing browsing, and get a handle on this whole moving-out thing [which tbh feels like I've been overthinking on some level but have been trying to take some time to browse some listings and see what prices look like/etc]

since i'm turning 33 this year, it'd be nice to be able to quit just talking about wanting to move and actually do it with the savings effort i've put into it [assuming i also get to hold onto my student loan refund check for extra assurance biden]

[atplblog]

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[m1shka-moon-bear-feelings]

I'm Back!

At long last, I've returned from my flight across the U.S. It was long, grueling, and the air quality in Nevada is actually worse than where I am (east coast, no offense to the good people who live in NV btw). When I flew back into the east coast, I was greeted with plentiful public transportation picking people up, everyone being pretty direct with you without any fake niceties, and ofc, no west coast smugness (again, no offense to people who live there, California, Oregon, and Washington are all lovely and have things to do and diverse populations). In Nevada, I saw nothing but a bunch of hicks and white trash, unsurprising since once you get on the one freeway that it has in the entire state (possible exaggeration, I should specify northern NV), you see trailer park on top of trailer park on one side, and suburban hell on the other. In the suburbs of Reno, everything is a 30-45 minute drive away, absolutely no walkability. It's sad since there's so many homeless in the city because of astronomical prices and little opportunities in terms of education, and lower average incomes. People were also more likely to road rage and brake check in NV as well from my observations. In my east coast state, you only had to deal with inexperienced, scared, or lost drivers, with the occasional aggressive twit, all of which stem from just stupidity or irrationality, but NV drivers fall into wither being overly passive (hogging the left lane and going under the speed limit) or cutting in front of you to brake check you just because. It's much scarier since people here carry weapons on them often. While east coast life moves fast and can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, I always make sure I treat the people who help me out right. To my surprise, my family was the only one out of three parties in the airport transit van to tip the driver. I found it trashy not to tip the driver (though it may be American tip culture talking), though it seemed like a valid service that he provided, plus he has to deal with crazy highway traffic. Anyways, I conclude my rant with saying that, in my opinion, east coast>west coast, I love my four seasons.

[releaseholiday]

Ik you said you dont care about concert tickets but I need to say that it wasn’t larries that were complaining about free tickets being given away last night or the night before, it was hardcore harries being mad that they weren’t in LA so they couldn’t get them or they paid insane amount of money for theirs, so it is unfair to insinuate some larries who are wishing failure upon hshq were making things up or seeing things that weren’t there.

Yeah that photo was taken minutes before the show but forum being full obviously don’t tell the whole story behind it. There is this kinda big twitter account helping fans with concert tickets, even they said that what is happening with LA residency -low priced, unsold and free tickets- hasn’t happened with any other of his residencies so far even when ticketmaster released unsold tickets right before the concert or sold them outside of the arenas. Calling all his forum dates sold-out is a marketing line underlining the high demand he has had, but it was literally not the case with night 1 and 2. Ofc hshq won’t wanna disturb that illusion of H being so demanded that you get to be a part of an exclusive club if you attend his shows (why do ppl think harries are looking down on Louis’ prices bc they think it is not something elite and show the quality of his crowds or smth lol) bc that is the most alluring part of being a het H fan, so they gave out free tickets and lowered the prices. Btw there were still unsold tickets on websites when he was on stage, so 🙇🏻‍♀️

Yeah, thats what I’ve heard/seen as well. Idk it’s pretty obvious to me that harries are losing interest. They loved being fans of the Harry that everyone loved bc they looked cool, now they’re even embarrassed to say they’re his fans lol. Let’s see how the new mv or whatever this Gill lounge thing is goes (bc I haven’t seen that much hype over it either tbh)

[bastsoldtrollblog]

I HC that technically lowbloods have access to most things that highbloods do, with the apparent main hurdle being money.

Many services or goods are priced by caste, with lowbloods being charged way way more in some cases and highbloods being charged a normal price. Online services probably use gratuitous ID checking to assure you are the caste you say you are, down to checking the system you’re buying from. Nearly every device and necessary parts (i.e. motherboards) have heavily integrated Fleet tracking systems and oftentimes your information as the buyer is planted in that chip by a third party who has confirmed your caste.

This makes it very difficult for hemoanons to do so much as buy a phone on their own. They’d have to send a friend in with the money to buy it for them or use a friend’s device to order one online.

The chip is also used for surveillance and tracking. Personal devices are used a lot by the Fleet and Legislacerators to track down criminals who aren’t smart enough to ditch their phone.

Hacking your own system can be a massive pain, but it’s common to use stolen or borrowed devices. Of course, devices like laptops or phones- Especially for highbloods- Might have pinprick blood testers to unlock, and brick if a lower caste tries to use it. (Highbloods usually have automatic data backup set up for them when buying a phone and buying a new one is the easiest thing in the world.)

This makes it so having a highblood quad gives you that much more access even if you’re using your own money. You can buy a video game for $50 (highblood price) instead of $100 (lowblood price), for example.

Ultimately there’s a line between high security and highblood convenience, and you can exploit the latter, but there are still systems in place to make that as difficult as possible for lowbloods.

BUT I digress. This isn’t used to completely lock lowbloods out of certain goods or services (unless your business is particularly bougie and you don’t sell to lowbloods), it’s typically only used to charge them more.

Then there is, ofc, social stigma. It’s flat out dangerous for a lowblood to walk around wearing gold if they aren’t obviously protected by a high caste.

Generally speaking, buying shit means having to prove your caste if it’s online or not immediately obvious. Buying things in certain caste colors especially. Buying “luxury” or just higher quality items. Entering some bougie highblood establishments like fancy restaurants.

Mid-to-lowblood establishments and online stores are a lot more lax with caste-checking, so hemoanons can get away with most night-to-night shopping without risking having to prove their blood color, with the main exception being purchasing devices bc Fleet loves those trackers.

[scientologisabethmoss]

Hi!!! I'm asking this publicly so you can make a post (when you have time ofc). You gave me such a good rec last year with my riding boots so I'm wondering if you have any good recs for ankle/chelsea boots under $200? I'm also a 5 in women's so if the sizes stop at a 6, I'm screwed lol. Thank you so much in advance!!

Hey @dhaaruni! I'd love to help you out in this regard!

Everything I wrote in my post last year still applies this year, meaning that all the websites and brands I mentioned in my previous post are still my go-tos. So rather than repeating all of what I’ve already said - that I love La Canadienne, that 6pm is a bomb option for finding discount leather boots, that Zappos/Nordstrom Rack/Shoes.com are also excellent, etc. - I’m just gonna go forth and list some of the specific boot options I’ve found for you in my search.

A couple of things I want to address before I do that, though:

1) Something I didn’t mention last year: Poshmark, eBay, and Depop are your friends!!!! I’ve found some beautiful, lightly used boots on those websites for a fraction of their original retail price. I didn’t go searching for boots on those websites for this specific ask, but I’d highly recommend that you take a look, especially on Poshmark and eBay, to see if there’s anything appealing in your size. My guess is that there will be!

2) All of the options I’ve listed below are carried in your size, a US women’s size 5. In my search, though, I was disappointed to find that Blundstone, one of the quintessential makers of chelsea boots, doesn’t really carry below US women’s size 6 in their adult boots! HOWEVER. What I’ve realized - which is something you’ve probably already thought of - is that you could probably fit into kids shoes from certain brands! That’s an advantage because often times, kids shoes are the same quality as their adult counterparts, but they’re just priced much lower. I don’t know how kids sizing works, especially for Blundstone, but I do know that the brand does carry youth chelsea boots. If you’re interested in any particular model, I think it’s totally worthwhile to send an email to their customer service to see if they carry what is the kids equivalent of your size. (Here’s a helpful page on Blundstone sizing.) Lastly, this work around of buying in a kids size would absolutely work for Dr. Marten as well. Although Dr. Marten does carry a US women’s size 5, their children’s shoes are about half the price of their adult versions, and I know that the kids version of their classic lace up boot has a nifty zipper on the side too!

You didn’t specify heel height or boot color in your ask, so most of my picks happen to be black with little to no heel! I did try to add in some color where possible, though. I’ve commented on some models I’ve listed here; for others, I don’t have anything to say, so I’ve just listed the information about the boot. Also, $200 is a really generous budget for ankle boots, so there are many different options at your disposal. Because this is such a long list*, I’ve put it under the cut. I’ll get on with it then!

*Make sure to read to the very bottom because at the end, I’ve added a glorious pair of tall boots that don’t match any of your criteria but that I just had to add anyway. :-)

Mackay by La Canadienne - $149.05

Probably my top pick for what you asked. These guys are beautiful chelsea boots with a stylish chunky heel/slight platform. I really love them, personally speaking. Also, very importantly: they’re WATERPROOF! All La Canadienne boots are waterproof, which is a huge, huge plus for me.

Calahan by La Canadienne - $214.50

I actually own these boots and love them, LOL. They’re a bit higher than ankle boots, but I thought I’d include them as well because I think they’re gorgeous and badass and very, very comfortable. They’re a little out of your budget, but I thought that if you loved them, the $15 difference wouldn’t necessarily make or break your decision to buy them.

Sailor by La Canadienne - $125.10

My last La Canadienne pick, I promise! I just think these are really cute, and I like the stud details.

Cate Buckle by SOREL - $92.50

I love the SOREL boots I own, and these are another pair that are also waterproof! I think the stacked heel is very cute without being too high and therefore uncomfortable, and I think the light tan color is a nice change from all the typical dark colors of winter boots.

Wylie Bootie by Cole Haan - $190.00

These stunning, water-resistant boots are available both on the Cole Haan website (in the link above) or on Zappos. Check out both links to get a sense of which colors are carried by which websites! I think they’re very elegant.

Addie Bootie by Cole Haan - $110.00

When suede is done right....... [chef’s kiss x 1000]. Alas, I don’t think these are waterproof or water-resistant, and if you’re dealing with inclement weather, you need to be careful with suede. (You can buy waterproofing sprays for your suede shoes to help you out in that regard.) Also, I’m a total sucker for burgundy boots, and these guys definitely scratch that itch.

Royal W4D-8614 by Pikolinos - $210.00

Another pair that are slightly out of your price range, but I thought to include them anyway. I don’t have any experience with Pikolinos shoes, but the reviews look promising! I also appreciate that they’re water-repellent.

Aspe W9Z-8699 by Pikolinos - $100.50

These guys come in either burgundy or dark green, and I’m not sure which I like better. The Pikolinos sizing looks to be a little bizarre - they’re European size 35, which is supposed to translate to a US women’s 4.5-5 - but if you know which European size you most often are, that would clear things up a bit.

Cate Pull-On by SOREL - $174.95

These SOREL boots are really cute and have a slight cowboy feel to them, which is very in style this season! They’re also waterproof!

Catria by GEOX - $180.00

I LOVE GEOX boots! The stock that is available in the United States is kind of limited - I’ve gotten most of my GEOX boots either from Canada or Europe - but they’re a great brand. And this particular model, which is available in the US, I find to be really cool! Because these boots are part of their Respira line, I think they’re also waterproof. 

Godiva Chelsea Boot by David Tate - $119.99

Bethany Bootie by Vionic - $159.99

This guy is also waterproof!

Happily Bootie by Franco Sarto - $99.99

Becky Bootie by Musse & Cloud - $79.99

Again, I am an absolute sucker for a burgundy boot!

Bowery Chelsea Boot by Coach - $134.98

These guys don’t look remotely waterproof or water-resistant, but God they’re beautiful.

Lyden Bootie by Coach - $195.00

Halford Ankle Boot by Franco Sarto - $69.97

Camden Leather Ankle Bootie by MADEWELL - $119.97

Flora Chelsea Boot by Dr. Martens - $119.97

The Citywalk Lugsole Chelsea Boot in Leather by MADEWELL - $198.00

The Ainsley Chelsea Boot by MADEWELL - $198.00

The Regan Boot by MADEWELL - $178.00

Legend by Thursday Boot Co. - $160.00

It’s definitely worth checking out all the designs at Thursday Boot Co.! I don’t own any boots by them, but I have been eyeing them for years.

2976 Smooth Leather Chelsea Boots by Dr. Martens - $90.00

2976 Alyson DM’S Wintergrip by Dr. Martens

Rometty Faux Fur Leather Chelsea Boots by Dr. Martens - $170.00

Rometty II Vintage Smooth Leather Chelsea Boots - $160.00

Cadence Leather Heeled Chelsea Boots by Dr. Martens - $160.00

BONUS BOOTS:

Ombre Heel Boot by Coach - $159.98

Okay, okay, these are absolutely not what you’re looking for. But they’re so pretttttttty!!!!!!! That color! That suede! That price! And because you’ve had good luck with Coach boots in the past, I couldn’t resist adding these to the list. If you’re in the market for a pair of absolutely stunner dress boots, and you can walk in a 3.5 inch heel, I would jump on these immediately.

[juni-ravenhall]

the thing with the sc cost of running pets (and clothes! and tack! and possibly horses!) in sso is just that compared to “other games and other stuff you could buy for the same irl value” it doesnt seem worth the cost. it seems overpriced.

i dont care about the cost of jorvik ponies or anything else in-game. i care about the exchange rate of irl money to sc, and comparing what you get. there is obviously an aspect of “sse needs to earn back the work they put in” - but we don’t know where those limits are (without finding out how many of each pet, clothing item, etc, that they sell, and whether they would sell fewer or more if they lowered the costs, etc) and can’t say anything about them. afaik, there is no evidence that the only way for sse to earn back their investments is to sell a low/medium quality 3D pet for $10, or a decent quality 3D horse for $20. we DO know that the company is doing well, paying its staff well and treating them well (seemingly - ofc i dont work there), and can afford upkeep on many servers, just as a note.

for a comparison of something i also think is a dumb cost, is horses in rival stars horse racing (mobile), another game i enjoy! $30 for a coat recolour and some stats (horsey go brrr). there is only 1 horse model in rival stars. no different model or animations or anything whatsoever - literally just a different coat, with the added bonus that you can breed horses so the coat and stats matter. however, i dont think that makes $30 a reasonable cost for a recolour and some numbers, in my personal opinion that im allowed to have about any game. an interesting difference is that rival stars probably has a slightly older target audience than sso (which is interesting just bc adults are supposedly able to make more informed decisions and have their own money, and kids don’t).

obvs, when you sell any product you have to calculate what the expected monetary gain is, and what the expected production costs are, and whether those things will make it worthwhile or not. but you also should think about the actual quality of the product, who your customers are, etc etc... and... there is a point at which, even if “this item took this much work/time/money to make”, if the end result seems more costly than what a reasonable price is, maybe you’re going about the work the wrong way. maybe theres inefficiency in the work methods or poor prioritising if low/medium quality items are costing that much to produce. 

and yeah, anything in sso is a luxury item, playing sso is a luxury, etc, no “extra” sc payments are necessary for gameplay aside from being star rider, etc, all true but not really relevant to my opinion. i also criticise other non-essential digital goods for being overpriced when i see them whether game related or not, and ofc physical goods but less relevant to the topic since they have a different production cost (digital goods have no material or shipping cost and no supply limit).

just my personal opinions and why *i* have issues with the costs of sc (and therefore most, but not all, sc prices in the game). coming from a game dev, artist, and very poor person who thinks a lot about economy without feeling entitled to anything.

[vanikolya]

going to the cinema - allies (minus france)

america / alfred

he says it’s a day out for both of you, but in reality you’re acting more like his parent than his friend

“omg omgggg i’m gonna get the limited edition merch from the new film” “alfred, no”

buys too many of the overpriced snacks, you still have stuff left by the time the credits roll around

you have to shush him sometimes

says you should go watch all the preview films together when they come out, even if they look baaaaad bad he still wants to go

you making quiet comments and jokes about the film, but he laughs way too loud for someone who’s sat in a cinema

oh and ofc you have like, the best seats, “it’s cooler that way”, i’m talking about those high. quality. top row seats.

if the film is available to see in 3d, you’re seeing it in 3d. no question, alfred wears the 3d glasses on top of his usual glasses, he doesn’t even give one about the physical inconvenience

it’s most likely a new action film, or a re-showing of a classic kids’ film like toy story or something

mcdonalds afterwards. you have to walk past one on your way home so it was kind of expected ngl

film review time over your mcdonalds, whether you sit in or take out there’s no avoiding impromptu film review time

walks you home if you ask, but generally you can both just settle for walking together and splitting up when you need to go different ways

england / arthur

he doesn't like cinemas so much (why go to watch a film sitting with random people when you can watch it in the comfort of your own home?) but he'll go, if you ask nicely

or bribe him. he takes magic spells and easy recipes

probably a paranormal horror film, or a romcom. nothing overly flashy and american, like an action film or slash horror

you bring your own snacks and drinks, why waste money on cinema snacks when you can buy the same thing from a normal shop for less?

arthur's special move is "instantly become a film critic when the previews start"

"we should watch this one when it comes out" "this one looks like utter rubbish"

if he doesn't like the film, he'll pretend to like it until you've left the cinema and he can proceed with shit talking the film

he's a little critical like wow arthur give the thing a chance

you don't go for takeaway/fast food after, not a fancy restaurant either, just something inbetween where you can have a quick meal

that being said, if the cinema was a spontaneous decision, then you're defo on fish and chips or a pub dinner

walks you home, either fully or halfway. whether you're on a date or just a platonic day out, he still wants you home safe, and it's the nice thing to do either way

china / yao

you only have to ask once, because it seems like good fun, he's willing to go

your own snacks or no snacks, take it or leave it

any film goes really, though he will comment over large portions of most of them

a live movie review so to say, not one afterwards like alfred does

"yao. yao please omg shush there's a film"

get him quiet before someone else shushes him first, christ he's not happy with it when that happens

he's not blunt about it but if he didn't like the film, then you're gonna know

same if he likes it too, you're hearing all about it

ci v i li z ed conversations about the film, rather than just how alfred and arthur would rant or info dump about their opinions on it

your house or his house afterwards? either way he cooks for you both, no restaurant or fast food needed

maybe a few street food snacks on the way, if available

(if you went to his house) he lets you walk home alone if you want to/don't mind, but defo the type to like double double check you're okay with it if you do

canada / matthew

very willing to go to the cinema, it's a nice place to spend time together without necessarily having to have a big conversation or be loud

prefers calmer films to action films, likes adventure films at a push

simple snacks, low amount, "less is more", plus it leaves less chance of either of you feeling sick afterwards

looks for positives in the film if he doesn't like it, but quietly glowing if he does like it

mostly just likes being able to spend his time with someone who doesn't leave him behind and who takes notice of him

he wants to hear about what you thought about the film, he'll add things in from his own opinion if he feels the need

you go to a cafe afterwards, for hot drinks and something sweet, unless you're hungrier than that

if so, going to a small restaurant or fast food place is fine

walks you home all the way; enjoys the company, and wants you to get home safely too

quite preoccupied with making sure you're happy and enjoying yourself

"you're not thirsty are you, i can buy you a drink?" "are you sure?" "okay then, just tell me if you want anything"

probably brought a small present for you, whether it was a platonic or romantic day, he wants to thank you for caring for him and being nice

russia / ivan

yes, he'll go with you!

it makes him happy to have been asked, finally someone's not so scared of him, enough that they would ask him to go somewhere with them

cinema snacks, though the prices did annoy him slightly, on both of your behalves

and safe to say your snack quantity is on the lower side, due to said prices

any horror films, but he's still oddly cheerful after leaving the cinema

blunt with his opinions on the film, but whether he liked it or not he still says everything with a smile on his face

surprisingly good listener when you're talking about your own opinions on the film

it's his own cooking, or a restaurant, though he would prefer baltic/russian food so you could try the types of food he likes

insists on walking you home, to make double sure you get home safely

and let me tell you, no one is messing with you while he's by your side, he can disarm them from their intentions with just one glare

thanks you for inviting him to go with you, like, you could have picked another friend but you chose him instead

made clear that he'd like to do something like this again, and would say yes if you asked him again

[fangirlxwritesx67]

May Be Home, Chapter 5 Word count this chapter: 1150 Catch up here: Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4 Characters: au rockstar!Dean Winchester x OFC Sasha. cameo by Jody Mills in this chapter Song: Sounds of Someday, Radio Company Music

Tags: 18+, sex, smut, lots and lots of m/f sex in different ways (fingering, oral, penetrative) in different places (bed, table, car, shower), no condoms ever, enthusiastic consent, Daddy kink, language, lots of alcohol, sexy eating, etc

It was long past midnight when Sasha returned to her room, so she was surprised when the phone rang at 9 am. 

“Mr. Winchester wants to take you shopping.” Sasha recognized Rowena’s voice without an introduction. 

“Be ready out front in 20 minutes. Oh, and Sasha? He’s not much of a morning person. Give him time to have his coffee.”

Sasha wasn’t a morning person either, but she hurried to get dressed and pull her hair and makeup into decent shape. She was ready out front when the black SUV pulled up. 

Dean was in the back seat already, his driver behind the wheel. Sasha opened the back door and slid in next to Dean.

He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. A baseball cap and aviator sunglasses covered most of his face.

Wordlessly, he handed her a paper cup of coffee and let his hand fall on her thigh. She took a big gulp. The coffee was warm and creamy. She reached over and laid her hand on Dean’s. He laced his fingers together with hers. They sat in comfortable silence until the car pulled up outside a row of shops.

“Come on,” said Dean, his voice still rough and sleepy. 

He helped Sasha out of the car and led her to the door of a boutique clothing shop. The sign on the door said JODY’S. Below that, the hours indicated they opened at noon on Sunday, but a leggy dark-haired woman opened the door for them. 

Dean greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks. She was clearly an old friend or, Sasha thought, maybe a former girlfriend. 

The store was tastefully full of beautiful things - clothing in rainbow colors and varied textures, costume jewelry, and accessories. 

Sasha looked at a few of the blouses and cringed when she saw the price tags; nothing was less than a few hundred dollars. She turned to a table displaying scarves and bracelets. They were beautiful, but still way beyond her price range.

Sasha felt Dean walk up beside her.

“See something you like, sweetheart?” he asked.

“Dean,” she murmured, embarrassed. “It’s all so expensive.”

He chuckled wryly. “I brought you here because I want to treat you.“He slipped strong arms around her.  "I want you to have something to remember me by.”

Sasha turned to face him. “As if I could ever forget you, Dean." 

They kissed each other happily, forgetting that they weren’t alone, forgetting everything but each other in the moment. 

Dean led her over to the back wall, which was hung with dresses. They looked simple enough, but they were of high quality. Sasha ran her fingers over the shoulders, feeling the knits and velvet and lace. She couldn’t possibly choose.

Dean pulled out a sweater dress, deep crimson with a wide cowl neck and held it up.

"You’d look so sexy in this,” he said. “Come on, Sasha, just try it on." 

The shop owner led them to a dressing room and unlocked the door. Dean followed Sasha into the small room. He sat on the bench against the wall while she changed. 

Once she had the dress on, she turned slowly in front of him. There was no mirror in the dressing room, but she knew she looked good. The low cowl neck offered a peek at the top of her soft breasts. The thick knit skimmed her stomach and hugged the curves of her ass and thighs. 

It was obvious Dean thought so, too, because as he looked at her, his eyes lit up. 

He stood up and drew her into a deep kiss, backing her up against the wall. He leaned in close and whispered, "Let’s see how it looks without underwear.”

Sasha looked at him, baffled. “I’m sure it’s the same?" 

Dean gave her a hard look, raising one eyebrow. 

A hot flush rose up Sasha’s cheeks as she realized what he meant. She shook her head slowly. 

"Please?” Dean’s tone dropped low. “C'mon Sasha, do it for Daddy." 

She shivered at the sound of his voice then nodded. 

She reached out and undid first his belt and then his jeans. Dean slid his hand up her leg and pushed her panties down over her hips and to her ankles. He cupped the back of her knee and lifted one leg onto the bench. Then he slipped his hands back under the dress around Sasha’s hips. He pressed against her and she whimpered. 

"Listen,” he told her, “I know you don’t like to, but you’re gonna have to keep it down.”

Sasha grabbed his neck and buried her face in his shoulder to muffle her moan as he plunged into her. Dean supported her ass and thigh with his hands, rocking her against him. 

Sasha was too nervous to get fully aroused but enjoyed the thrill of what she was doing. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined any of this. She enjoyed how much Dean wanted her, how much obvious pleasure he was getting from this.

Dean slipped his hand in between their bodies, started fingering her where she was wide open. 

Suddenly Sasha forgot about being nervous. She forgot where she was entirely. All she could think about was Dean in and on her and how good he was. 

Her breath came in short, loud gasps, so Dean pressed her face into his shoulder.

“Be a good girl and come for me,” he murmured.  “But come quietly." 

She bit her lip and curled against him, shaking hard from her orgasm and the effort of staying quiet. 

Dean pushed her harder into the wall as he came. Eventually, he eased off of Sasha and she lowered her foot to the floor. The dress was a sweaty mess.

"Dean,” she giggled.“Now you have to buy this dress.”

Dean shook his head. “I was always gonna buy you the dress. Change back and come pick out some jewelry to go with it.”

When they were ready to check out, Dean dropped a whole pile of things on the counter - the dress, another top, a scarf, and several different glittery bracelets.

The shop owner took in his smug expression and Sasha’s flushed cheeks. She raised her dark brows. 

“Dean Winchester.” She scolded.  “Some things never change.”

“Aw, Jody, come on,” was all that Dean could say. 

The total at the end shocked Sasha, but Dean paid it without blinking.

When they got back into the car, she sat close to him. He threw his arm around her.

“I don’t want this weekend to end,” she finally confessed.

He looked deep into her eyes, a soft smile curling his lips. He kissed her, drawing her close into his arms, as the car pulled up to the hotel. 

“I’ve gotta go, baby girl, and you need to go home. But thank you for a good weekend.”

Sasha closed her eyes and let herself enjoy Dean’s embrace. She gave him one more kiss before she whispered, “Thank you, Dean.”

… This weekend is over but the story isn’t! Chapter 6, coming soon. … All the thanks in the world to MJ @thoughtslikeaminefield​ , my beta reader, my friend …  SPN First Last and Always: @dawnie1988, @divadinag, @flamencodiva @fookinghelljensensthighs, @idreamofplaid , @onethirstyunicorn , @the-chocolate-moose , @there-must-be-a-lock , @tloveswriting Dean Curious: @adoptdontshoppets, @deangirl7695 , @wayward-gypsy

[knifefightscene]

hi i was wondering since u are an econ major how or what u think about the idea that you can’t raise wages bc that will lead to jobs requiring more from potential employees (edu., exp., etc) ? like ofc min wage should be higher than it is now but i remember learning (in a basic econ class) that u can’t really raise it w/o raising the requirements of the applicants so as some1 with more knowledge what are ur thoughts? 😅

I don’t think i have more knowledge because I’m still a first year but basically in microeconomics we learn that the more you have of something, the less satisfaction it gives you. And they talk about examples like eating pizzas but what’s about money? Can you have too much money? Is hoarding money a real thing? When i signed up for econ I didn’t expect to be even more anti capitalism as it goes but now i am. I think that economics development without taking into account which factors this, is dangerous. Nobody likes to talk about how underpaying working class prisoners, working class people fr 3rd world countries is the main reason leads to economics development in 1st world country. So like i think everyone is focus too much abt economics efficiency without caring about quality of lives. Which means one’s wealth is traded with another’s. With the economics on the rise, food production made enough to feed 10 billions yet we still have starving people, tons of vacant houses and still homeless people exist. Government tries to “solve” homelessness by throwing them in prisons. There’s this obsession with economics development and no consideration to ethnics. With all the technology we have right now, people should get to work less since we’re already making more progress than we would’ve fifty years ago. But employers see working robots as “innovative” bc they don’t have to pay these robots. Buy them pay to fix them and they’re done. So yeah, if you raise hourly wage, which means production cost will rise, which makes the company in turn raise the price of the product. But if it’s unnecessary products or luxury items, people would just stop buying them and going for cheaper products. That’s the thing with mass production to make sure the production cost is as low as possible. With the obsession that money = success and there isn’t too much money, companies will abandon ethnics in favor of profit. If they cannot raise the price of the product itself, they still have to figure ways to lower production cost. So i think if yes you can raise wage without asking more fr employees but the entire obsession around profit has made it an upper class war in who is the most successful, who paid the least and got out the most.

[wintergotham]

guide to improve/build your skincare routine for good results; (+ without ruining your wallet!) @wintergotham on twitter

➡️⚠️ what matters most is the way & order you use your products + what ingredients they contain. you don’t need to buy new products for your skincare to work better. but including new & better things slowly will help tremendously ofc. & price doesn’t mean quality

the first most important things that help without buying new shit:

- hygiene (clean sheets, hands, face, towel ect..)

- being gentle (tapping, rubbing softly upwards motions, ringfinger under eyes)

- the order in which you apply your products (from thinest to thickest + you need to layer products bc one will never help your skin enough to improve)

- exfoliation for better results (explained down below)

↪️ then, you need to figure your skin out:

- what skin-type do you have (oily, dry, combination?) also your skin-type can change through the years or for different reasons like the weather or traveling.

- what are your main issues? (moisture, hyperpigmentation, acne, blackheads, blocked pores, wrinkles, dry patches, rashes etc..)

- do you have health issues + other factors that might affect your skin? (hormones, diet, or just a health problem) -> speak to your doctor about it. hormonal acne won’t be treated by products!

finally, the types of products/ingredients that you should use/include in your skincare:

— include ACTIVE ingredients (some are known as acids): depending on what you need to achieve YOU NEED to have some actives most commonly found in serums but also moisturizers & toners. some of these are:

⏩ hyaluronic acid: helps the skin retain moisture, is anti-aging and just overall plumps the skin and brightens it a a bit -> suitable for ALL skin types

⏩ glycolic acid: is an exfoliant and deep cleansing acid that often comes into toners of different strengths (7-8%). helps with a number of things

⏩ salicylic acid: helps with acne, cleaning the pores, soft exfoliation ect...

⏩ others that are exfoliating but in different ways are lactic & mandelic acids. mandelic is softer and better for sensitive skin.

⏩ vitamin C: brightens the skin are reduces hyperpigmentation & dull skin, also helps you spf work better in the morning.

⏩ retinol/retinoids (vitamin A): is a very strong active that can be irritating if used in a high percentage (2.5%). is one of the only ingredient actually proven to help with wrinkles & acne. so it’s def a must for more mature skins & must be used at night or followed by an spf because it makes the skin sensitive. (i have yet to try this!!!)

those acids and any other actives can be mixed in products for example a lactic + hyaluronic serum or a cream with glycolic & HA.

⚠️ there are many other active ingredients & acids that do other things (like niciamide + zinc that i use for acne & blocked pores or caffeine solution for pigmentation & de puffing.

they all do a lot of different things that i didn’t fully explain here so just look it up & refer to the instructions or ingredients of the products you bought. a good brand & affordable one for actives is the ordinary! they explain what each product does but most brands have more and more actives nowadays! also some of them make the skin sensitive to the sun so always use sunscreen afterward (part below of why sunscreen is important) ⚠️

▶️ acids can also come in stronger forms that will be used as peeling solutions aka stronger exfoliants aka chemical exfoliant whereas physical exfoliant would be something like a scrub ->

🍓 why exfoliation is important

it will take all the dead skin off the top layer of your skin which will:

- reduce dark spots/hyperpigmentation

- reduce textured skin

- keep your pores clean

- & MOST IMPORTANTLY will help your products sink it better & WORK better. so it will help for everything along the way.

acids are the most gentle way to exfoliate but some physical scrubs are also good. sugar & olive oil is a good DIY version! just always keep it gentle & avoid walnuts type scrubs as they are abrasive & create micro-tears into your skin because they’re not perfectly round.

— include vitamins! (based on what you need, mix them, find them in products, use some in the AM or PM ect... )

- vitamin E: hydrating, anti-aging ECT.

- vitamin C: brightening, helps with hyperpigmentation & protection to the sun

- vitamin b5: helps the skin retain moisture

- vitamin A: also known are retinols/retinoids: helps for many things and is proven to work for acne, anti-aging ect (i still havent tried it but i hear it’s quite strong so you have to start slow by diluting it or getting low percentage)

- ECT. many other ones— look it up also EAT your vitamins: in food or supplements depending on what you’re deficient in= see your docor

☀️ SUNSCREEN:

the sun is the most damaging, drying thing. it causes wrikles and makes every skin issue worst or creates it. look it up for further research but any dermatologist always recommends using spf in the AM. your skincare won’t be as effective or even work if you don’t protect your skin ESPECIALLY while using actives. spf can be included in moisturizers, foundations, powders, sprays ect so take advantage of that and still use it when there is no sun/winter time just at a lower SPF! 30-50 is good for summer and 15-30 is good for winter. just look & test & see what works for you. make sure that your SPF is both UVA (aging rays and present all year) & UVB (burning rays and less present in winter) protective.

natural ingredients:

- oils (literally all of them are amazing and they all do different things and some are better for different skintypes): some of my favorites are olive, rosehip, almond, grapeseed, squalane, jojoba, ect.) but it depends on the person & some are better for hair (like coconut)

- essential oils (tea tree)

- butters (shea, almond ect.)

- plant extracts (aloe vera)

- floral waters (rose water, orange blossom)

- ECT (i’m lazy to elaborate rn but these are often in creams and are the absolute best.) you can also DIY your own cream/oil (i always do my oils depending on how my skin is/needs so i switch up the ingredients or increase/decrease)

- glycerin & silicones are good and help for moisture retention

these are all good for you so just look at the ingredients and see if it has some of those.

extra little tips:

the order of skincare should be:

- removing makeup & dirt of the day (oil cleansing or micelar water is best. wipes are bad)

- clean with a soap (there’s bar soaps (my fav is black african and the illumination from aroma-zone aka a french brand but there’s also gel, cream, foaming cleansers ect... )

- perfect time for a clay mask or exfoliant (2-3 times a week)

- toner

- essence/sheet mask

- serum or active/treatments: i either use one or layer a couple or even mix a couple.

- moisturizer (gel-creams first then thicker ones later)

- and finally oils or butters last.

- lipbalm/lipcare n little extra steps

you don’t have to do all these steps or even can do several of the same one (for example use 2 toners & two creams n skip the rest as long as the ingredients and results are these) or you can use only a few ect. but always make sure to clean, moisturize, protect & treat with any of the things on top. don’t change/include all at once and work on making work/understanding the products you already own.

⚠️⚠️ DISCLAIMER: i’m not a professional but learned all of this from professionals. i havent spoken of every single ingredients of product just the « in depth basics » that work so if i didn’t include sometime i’m SORRY but you can still ask me or a professional or look it up.

🥀🌻🍊 THE END. hope it helps. love, nada. x @wintergotham on twitter.