#but what’s $100 on top of FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS

[parsleymusic]

writing query letters is of the devil

[sindri42]

What is capitalism if private ownership and monopolization are out

This is about the insulin thing, right? Let me walk you through the steps.

The current situation is, there are three big corporations making insulin. They make it for super cheap, like $2 a dose or something including packaging and distribution and all that jazz, but they know that people need this stuff in order to not die, so there's no reason to restrain themselves as far as pricing goes. So they sell the stuff for like $500 a vial, earning a tidy 25,000% profit, because what are customers gonna do, not buy it?

In a capitalist system, this is a huge opportunity for anybody with a few thousand in seed money and a smidge of ambition. The process of making insulin is hardly a secret. I might not have the economy of scale going and I need a big up-front investment for equipment, but even if it costs me five times as much per dose to produce the stuff, that's still less than 2% of the current market price. So I start making and distributing the stuff for $10 a vial, and selling it for $400, and all the customers see that they can get the same product for $100 less so they stop buying from those three big companies and start buying from my startup. Then a month later, somebody else comes along with the same idea but undercuts me, and I lose all my customers to sombody willing to sell the stuff for $350, but that's fine I just change all my labels to sell for $300 and they come rushing back, and I'm still making $290 pure profit on every vial. Fast forward a couple years, and the market price of insulin is like, $12 a vial tops, because if you try to get profit margins any bigger than that you're the most expensive option and nobody buys from you. There was never any altruism involved in that process, no magic, no glorious savior who figured out a way to impose their will upon the world in order to save lives, just ordinary greedy humans fighting each other to make more money for themselves, but the end result is that the people who need this stuff to survive get it for a tiny fraction of what they used to be paying.

In the system that we're actually using, the three big corporations go to the government with three big suitcases full of cash, and the government passes a law that says anybody who tries to make insulin who isn't one of the three big corporations goes directly to prison forever. All the competition vanishes, and without the risk of somebody selling the same product for less they're able to keep raising the price as much as they want. I mean, if you get up to the point where the majority of your customers literally can't buy it anymore and they die then you have fewer customers, so going up into the millions per vial would be counterproductive, but as long as the majority of people who need insulin can just barely scrape together enough, you maximize your profits. And all it costs is widespread human suffering and a few surprisingly affordable bribes.

And then here's the really funny part: the corporations that benefit most from government interference in the market? They're the ones that fund all the media that convinces kids that the solution to all their problems is to give the government even more control over every aspect of life. They're the ones who pushed the narrative that 'libertarian' is synonymous with 'pedophile'. They're the ones who bury stories about corrupt politicians so you never question how a congressman can have a salary under $200,000 a year, go into the position with a net worth of a million dollars, and come out eight years later as a billionaire. Almost every "anti-capitalist" movement out there, if you follow the chain of evidence back, is funded directly by the corporations it claims to oppose, because shifting the balance of power further away from the individual and more toward the State means more profit for the people who are in a position to manipulate the state.

Now, this isn't to say that a free market is without problems. If there was zero regulation of the production of insulin, then a particularly unethical person could undercut the legitimate sources by making a loose approximation of the product people need for much cheaper by using dangerous or ineffective methods, and then sell it at prices that legitimate manufacturers can't compete with because the purchase price is lower than the manufacturing price. Which means that when you buy insulin, you would need to do your own research into who's got a reputation for quality, and there would be people who straight up die because they decided to go for the $4-6 "insulin" instead of the $12-15 insulin. But I'm pretty sure that would still be better than the only option being $500.

[thatbanditqueen]

The Late Night Dayton Gig

A One Shot Written for the Prompt: Do it again. Please.

From Elvis’ concert performance in Dayton, OH April 7, 1972

Warnings: Drug use implied and being fucked up described. Curse words. Angst. Somehow this is even less smutty than the last one. And I have a “at least one scene” general smut rule for my writing. What has happened to me? I wrote this very quickly and there are many typos.

Summary: Alex is helping her mom close up the family deli in Dayton, OH when they get a last minute rush catering order for a special VIP client.

Word Count: 2,788

Friday, April 7, 1972 5 p.m. Katz Delicatessen

Not far from the University of Dayton Arena

The cool air carried a loose piece of paper and it hit the window next to where Alex sat, startling her as she finished writing out the inventory she had just taken in the deli’s ledger. She stopped to clean her glasses with the hem of her simple, brown floral dress and looked up to see her mother lean against the office door way.

“I’m almost done, Mama, have you boxed up the cake for Ellie’s birthday yet? Think we should do it before or after I take her out?”

Mama sighed, wiping her hands on her dirty apron.

“You have to cancel tonight, tell Ellie we’ll celebrate tomorrow.”

Alex put her glasses back on, frowning.

“What? No, it’s all set, Randy is meeting us for dinner at home, then he got us on the guest list at that new night club down down, The Nitty Gritty. Ellie only turns 21 once. Why would I cancel?”

“Oy, because I just got a call from Stu.”

“Myerwitz?”

“Mhmmm. They have a rush catering order, and the hotel kitchen is already overwhelmed with two weddings and a Christening. And the party is tonight.”

“Tough titties Mama.” Alex stood, slamming the ledger shut. “Not our problem.”

Mama walked over, looking to Alex’s face, her hand on her shoulder.

“Oh babushka, I hate when you talk like that. It’s too much money to turn down. Stu won’t tell me who, but it’s a VIP client, very very VIP. Five thousand dollars.”

Alex’s face dropped. “Well, that should have been the first thing you said, I guess.” She sat down and took out a piece of paper. “How are we gonna prepare that much food in time for a dinner party? And who can I get to work it?” She started making notes on her piece of paper, writing the date at the top, and then “VIP River West Hotel Dinner Party.”

“It’s a late dinner, party, midnight I think. And who else, Sasha? You, Randy and Ellie.”

Alex looked back out the window, reaching up to adjust the messy brown bun at the top of her head.  “Ughhh, happy 21st birthday, and by the way, you’ll be spending it working with me and your boyfriend at a dinner party for some schmuck who can’t plan in advance.” She looked at her mother. “Please tell me that part of the five grand was the rush order, it’s not really five thousand dollars worth of food and wait staff?”

“Stu said 100 people, so I told him $50 a head.”

Alex smiled. “Good.”

***************************************************************************************************

“I’m not paying $50 a head, sorry lady, but that’s highway robbery.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed at the chubby, jowl faced bastard in front of her and she whistled at Ellie and Randall to stop plating the deviled eggs and the brisket appetizers.

“Um, that was the agreed upon fee when this booking was made, so unless I get a check for five grand right now, we are taking our food and walking.” Alex tucked her leather notebook under her arm, and smoothed her black, button down blouse before clenching her right hand into a fist. She was about to blow her top if this small, horrible little troll said another word to her that wasn’t yes. Ma’am. Right away.

“Lady, that wasn’t a part of any agreement I made. I’ll do $25 a head, no more. What are you going to do, throw this food away?”

Alex tightened her jaw, squishing up her mouth in contempt as she walked over to the side of the kitchen where food trays sat lined in three enclosed, steel carts, and began returning the food on the counter to them.

“OK, guys, start packing up, I’m done. I’d rather give this food to a homeless shelter than take any money from a two-bit, schister trying to hustle us on a last minute rush order for some mysterious VIP.”

Ellie swallowed a guffaw, grinning in disbelief at her sister, before nodding, and boxing the eggs back up. Randy stirred himself and followed suit.

Joe put his hand on Alex’s shoulder as she closed up a full trolley and moved to push it out of the kitchen area and back through the Presidential Suite.

“Now honey, listen, why don’t we —”

Alex nudged his hand off her shoulder with a scowl, the trolley wheels squeaking out as she began to push it out of the kitchen.

“Don’t you honey me, you snake. We received a phone call at 3:30 pm. That’s seven hours ago, ordering a full buffet dinner for a 100 people, with staff. The type of order I book months in advance. And I was told that if we could swing the rush timeline it would be a sweet five thousand. Now you’re trying to honey me into half of the agreed upon amount?”

Alex stopped at the large double doors at the front of the suite to shake her fist at Joe.

“Fuck you, fuck your VIP boss, and here’s a tip, if you want a woman to know you take her serious in any professional negotiation or discussion, don’t call her honey, ok?” Alex grabbed the door and pulled it open as she looked back at Joe. “Cuz I am not your —”

Just as she rotated to pull the cart into the corridor, Alex found herself lurching into the pale, sweaty, hairy chest of one Elvis Presley, who paused wiping his face with the towel around his neck to catch her by the shoulders as she gasped.

“Whooo there honey, you ok?” His lavender glasses were upside down, and he had been laughing with the group of guys snaking behind him into the hotel corridor.

Alex stepped back, dropping her clip board and then shaking off her stunned reaction to murmur a low “Fuck me baby Jesus,”  before knocking heads with the shaggy-haired singer as they both bent down to grab her things.

“Hey now, sugar, we keep meeting like this I reckon people round here ‘ll start to talk.” He smirked, grabbing Alex’s leather bound note book and clipboard, and handing it back to her with a dramatic flair.

She nodded. “Mhmmm, yeah, usually the slight graze of bare skin is quite the scandal here in Dayton, but since your business manager has been trying to fuck me since I walked into this joint twenty minutes ago, I think the newspapers will find that more titillating, don’t you think?”

Just then, Ellie and Randy emerged from the kitchen pushing the other two trolleys, and Alex held the door wide for them as she motioned them in front of her. Ellie’s jaw dropped as she recognized Elvis and tripped on herself as she moved through the door frame.

“Go right along kids, I’m behind you.”

“K Sasha!” Randy called back, as the sound of heavy trolleys moving over the hotel carpet echoed through the hallway.

One of the younger guys stepped forward to hold the door for Alex as she grabbed the her trolley and began to shuffle back wards, only to hit the white gaberdine fabric of Elvis jumpsuit, covered the arm he had swung down to stop her retreat.

“Now, hold on just a goddamn minute, what the hell’s goin’ on? Joe? Is that my food?”

Alex’s lithe body became a battering ram as she jolted into his arm.

“Oh, it’s just a classic failure to communicate scenario. Now,” she banged harder, dislodging his arm as he pulled it back in discomfort. “Thank you, we’ll be out of your hair in just a jiffy.”

Alex stuck a terse smile over her face, and turned to drive the trolley forward while Elvis looked back at Joe, then down at her, with a confused, hurt quizzical expression.  Two minutes later, she was pulling her cart into the freight elevator, only to see a long, wide hand grip the edge of the closing door and Elvis pushed his way in.

Alex looked up at him, pushing her glasses up at the bridge of her nose.

“No.”

“Honey, you don’t even know what I’m a gonna say.”

“Ok,” she sighed. “What are you gonna say?”

The elevator started to  move down and Alex got a better view of his taut, thick body, emphasized by the low  v neck cut of his jumpsuit that pushed up to his shoulders. Blotches of black eyeliner was smudged around his eyes, and Alex fought the urge to lick her thumb and lean up to wipe them away. She blushed as he grinned down at her, and then he fell forward over the top of the trolley toward her, resting his arms across it and then leaning his chin down in a pitiful sideways tilt.

“Don go, please sugar, bring that food back up. Joe’s getting your check ready right now. I told him six.”

Alex put her hand on her hip and quirked her mouth in a frown.

“Don’t do that. I just wanted the amount we had agreed on.” She looked up at the tiled, white lights above her, listening to the faint whir of the machinery lowering them to the bottom of the hotel.

Elvis had some how turned the tables on her, reading her like an open book that would respond to abject vulnerability as he leaned down on to the trolley and looked up at her with needy, pitiful eyes.

“OK, honey you the boss, just don’t let ol’ Joe’s repulsive manners drive you away. We are starving.  Got any food in there I could have right now? ‘fore I go shower?”

“Ughhhh. Ok.” Alex shook her head back up at the tiled lights, and looked Elvis in the eyes. The black eyeliner around them made them shine brighter and sparkle in the bright florescent light of the elevator.

“OK, you’ll come back up?” He grinned. "Or, ok Elvis I got something I can put in your mouth right now?”

“Both.” Alex exhaled exasperatedly.

When the elevator doors opened, Ellie and Randy were greeted to the sight of Alex giggling as she held out a mini quiche and Elvis smacked lips open, leaning closer over the metal top of the catering trolley. “Go ‘head, honey, throw it in. I don’t bite.” Then he gnashed his teeth as she put the quiche on his tongue. “Muuuck” he said, mouth full of food.

Alex immediately jerked back, her smile dropping to a serious look as she told the others to follow back upstairs in the next elevator because the gig was back on.

*****************************************************

It was well past 3 a.m. when they got to the van and loaded up the equipment. Alex held Ellie tight in her arms while Randy warmed up the car, squeezing her as she wished her a happy birthday.

“I’m sorry we didn’t celebrate your birthday tonight.” Alex smoothed Ellie’s beautiful blonde hair. At ten years older, she had a perpetual idea of her sister as a little kid, but she wasn’t, she lived with her boyfriend and worked in a daycare. Alex had wanted Ellie to get out of Dayton, have the life she hadn’t been able to pull off. There was still time.

“It’s ok, Sasha, we’ll go out tonight, and it was worth it. I got to meet Elvis, he gave me this diamond ring.” She flashed up a golden band with a square top covered in diamonds and black stones. “And, we made seven thousand dollars -”

“Oy vey, no wonder his manager is tight, I completely sympathize with that man now. Ok, well, we have some extra for drinks tonight then.”

Waving as Randy drove the big van off,  Alex went to her car, then kicked her tire as she realized she’d left her notebook upstairs. Standing up straight, she sighed and turned to drag her body back inside and up the elevator. She smiled at the young guy standing at the door of the Presidential suite, and he winked with recognition.

“Hey, um, everybody’s left - it’s just him, in there, and um —”

Alex pushed passed him, rubbing the boy’s arm. “Don’t worry, I just have to grab something quick, in and out.”

The suite was dark and she almost didn’t see the bodies on the living area couch as she quickly darted towards the kitchen.

“Hey, who’s there?”

Alex turned to see Elvis stagger up, a gun in his hand and a blonde reclining below him on the couch.

“Oh, god, fuck, I’m sorry, I left someth—”

Elvis wild demeanor softened as Alex walked closer and a grin radiated over his face. “Oh, it’s you, food honey baby. What wasss ya name….Satch ya, right?”

“Only my family gets to call me that. It’s Alex otherwise.”

“Sho baby, come here Satcha ya, come here! Come hang out…. this is, this is, what’s ya name honey?”

The blonde slurred as she fell back. “Cherrreeeeee.”

Elvis sat down, slipping his derringer into his black boot, and patting the seat next to him. “‘is is Carrie, Carrie baby, like the soong.”

45 minutes ago, as they had began packing up, Elvis had been alert and wide awake, demonstrating karate to his guests. She had smiled over at him in amusement at this and the other eccentricities he had participated in over the course of the night, including singing gospel music and lecturing people on his own interpretations of the bible. Elvis had particularly liked the brisket sliders and potato fingers they had made, and Alex had found him beguilingly charming when he snuck into the back area of the kitchen asking for her to feed them to him because they were so good he couldn’t bear to wait for her to re-plate them.

“Just slip ‘em into the old feedbag right here, darlin’. Hmmm. Ya pretty good with meat, aintcha? MMmhmmm MM!” Alex had shook her head with a playful grin as he flirtatiously sucked the brisket juice off her finger.

Now he was completely the opposite: subdued and lethargic. Alex came to sit by him, and he pulled her onto his lap while she watched the girl next to him fall over, passed out.

“Is she ok?”

Elvis looked at the woman next to him, and then back up at Alex.

“Oh yeaahhhhh, don a worry bout that chick, she jus took a sleeping pill. It’ll help her quiet down. Get closer to God”

Alex raised her eyebrow and shook her head, a knowing pull in her stomach told her this was probably a bad idea, but Elvis’ hands pulled her closer and she followed. She smoothed Elvis dark bangs across his forehead, thne parted her lips to blow some of the more stubborn hair wisps away. He took her hand and kissed it.

“Do it again. Please.”

“What?” Alex steadied her self against his shoulder, watching as his eyelips fluttered open and closed.

“Blow onnnn meEEE… baby, your cool breafff felt gooow…” he muttered, his eye lids became visible heavy and heaver, drooping half way down over his eyes.

Alex stood, pulling him behind her. “Hmmm, let’s get you to bed.”

He followed her as she led him back to the bedroom, his hands gripping her waist. Books and guns were scattered around, and a glass award stood on the top of the dresser. She wondered if he had been presented with something at the concert that night.

“Kneew it. Jus came back cuzz ya wanted ta see me neked…” he chuckled, nuzzling into Alex’s neck as she tried to politely create space between her body and his mouth. She felt the slight heat of attraction to him because Elvis was charming. And handsome. And funny. And totally fucked up. It made her feel as though she was taking advantage of a drunk puppy she had found on the side of the road.

“You got me. It was my plan all along” She pushed him back on to his bed and turned to go, but he grabbed her.

“Stay… stay baby, don’t make me sleep alone.”

Alex looked to the door, and heard the loud snoring came from the living room. At least I know she’s alive.

“What about… your friend out there?”

“Who?”

“Um, Cherry?”

“Oh yeah.” Elvis sat up, and pulled Alex by her waist to him. “You naughty girl, you wanna bring her in to bed too? Like for a three.—”  before he could finish, Elvis’ eyes closed, and he fell back on to the bed.

Alex sighed, pulling off his shoes, and putting the gun in his boot over on the dresser. She came back to drag him up further, and straighten him over the pillows. Unfortunately this roused Elvis again, and he grabbed her arm as she tried to unbutton the top of the paisley dress shirt he'd put on after his shower.

“Please baby, please. Don a go.” He kissed the palm of her hand softly, drawing her toward him. Alex nodded.

“Ok. But no funny business.”

Elvis bent his chin in assent, but then his eyes rolled back, followed by his head. Alex took off her shoes and her pants, and curled up on the bed, at first turned inward to watch the man she had grown up seeing in movies and television shows breath slow, labored breaths. At some point she drifted off her self from the exhaustion of the day, stirring slightly when she felt a pair of large hands grasp around her waist and pull her into the warm body behind her.

***************************************************************************************************

Thanks to my co-conspirators

@whositmcwhatsit​

@ellie-24

@missmaywemeetagain​

@be-my-ally​

@vintageshanny​

@from-memphis-with-love​​

[hongchenzhu]

Filler Chapter part 3.5

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Same deal as before

If you aren't what I describe you as then you can change it

this includes outfit

but...

The hair and six eyes won't be changed cause there plot-related

A filler one where the top five go sight-seeing in Japan and come across some curses and meet Y/n with Yuji

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

Another cold, sunning day in Japan. The top five soccer players are walking on the busy streets of Shibuya (no I’m not writing the Shibuya arc … At least not yet 😭)

This is after the day they easily won 100 million and 25 thousand dollars, so there rich 🤑

“Japan is such a vivid country!” Said Loki who had a smile graced his face as he looked around, busy streets, busy stores. 

Soon the hustle and bustles of the streets faded away as the five entered a shopping mall. 

“Is it just me, but why does the atmosphere in here different from outside?” questioned Luna

“Yeah, it feels almost” Cassabo rubbed his arms to soothe his inner turmoil “sinister” 

Thump 

Thump 

“Do you guys hear that?” 

“Hear what Luna?” asked Adam “There’s no one in this building but us!” 

“I think that’s the problem Adam” whispered Loki, with a scared face “There is no one but us in this building.” 

*CRASH* *BOOM* 

“What was that?” cried Dada, the mall’s pillar shaken almost like an earthquake. The boy was desperately trying to find something to hold on to. The ground continued to shake and a creature flew up from the middle of the mall, about 9 feet tall creature with abnormal skin colour, a disgusting creature with twisted arms. 

The top five looked at that flying creature “WHAT IS THAT!” 

“ADAM, WTF AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT THAT THING IS!” 

Yeah, the boy starts a shouting match. (does this end well … no) due to the shouting the creature noticed the 5 (dumb idiots 😒) which caused the creature to go their way. Out of nowhere, a shadow through itself into the creature crashing it into a wall. 

As the smoke disappeared a figure rose from the ground, the creature's head in its hands “Oh, it's you”

“Your that girl,” said Loki with a deep breath 

“Gojo Y/n, nice to meet you, again”  The five looked at her again, hand covered with purple gu. 

Today she is wearing a pair of black fitted pants and a simple white tunic that was free from stains and black silhouettes and a pair of black framed glasses. 

“Are you all right?” asked Loki 

“Me?” she pointed at herself “I’m fine.” 

“How? You crashed into that creature.” 

“I see.” Y/n pushed her glasses up “You guys are court in the crossfire.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“One moment Loki.” Y/n silenced Loki 

“Yuji, come over here.” Shouted Y/n into the other side of the mall. 

The sound of quick footsteps is heard 

“Y/n senpai, you called.” 

“Yuji, I need you to look after these troublesome humans.” Y/n pointed at the group of five, with absolutely disgusted and despite expressions. 

“Hey, Hey you have to give us a reasonable explanation of what that thing was.” 

Y/n glasses glided down from her nose, her six eyes peering into the souls of the top five 

“It’s best if you forget what just happened, after all this was just a coincidence.” 

“Do you think we can forget what we just saw?” Luna pointed at the creature that was dead on the floor “We saw you rip off that creature's head, and you're telling me that you do that on a day-to-day basis.” 

“I mean, that's kind of true.”  deadpan, the most deadpan expression they could give 

“Y/n senpai what do I do with them?” “Yuji, you stay here and make sure they don’t die and I’ll deal with the special grade.”

“OK”

“Stay here,” Y/n points at Yuji “he will protect you and make sure you don’t die.” Without waiting for a reply Y/n left. 

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

We finally get to see Y/n in action (yah)

after this chapter, I plan for a bit of a training arc before writing for the Japan-U20 arc

[somerandomg33k]

....So, my day at work on December 29th, 2022

I don't usually post about my day at work unless it is shitty. Well, I just had a shitty day at work. For context, I work in the Stock Room. Like a mini-warehouse for my company. Parts come in different parts of the plant.  I hold them in stock until they are ready to be kitted to jobs to further complete assembly and then ship out. I kind of fell into being in charge of almost 600 stock parts worth almost $5.5 million dollars. And that isn't even including the materials, which I am in charge of hundreds of.

Every month, I do end of month inventory. Do a count of everything. I have ways to make the actually counting quick with almost every part having labels with barcodes, allowing me to just scan the part number and than the quantity on the box. The program adds up all of the parts together and tells me which part I am off on. Sometimes it is because I forget to scan a box. Other times, the label wasn't updated and has the wrong quantity on it. But the part that takes the longest is going into the system and figuring out why I scan or count us having 2437 of one part when the system says we have only 1402. Some parts only cost a dollar because it is just adhesive and it is made in-house. Other parts are $200 each because they are LCDs we get from Sharp.

Very often, I am off on a lot of things. I wish I had the time to figure out the discrepancies for each end of month inventory. But because a number of factors, like Hot List jobs, poor time-mangament on my part, my usual duties in the Stock Room, I almost never have time to find the disrepancies or resolve them. It also gets complexed because one of the departments at my company cannot count parts as they are on the production floor. The leads refuse to so in the past. So if it is the case that I have given them more than I should of, I can't tell. So, often, I just said, "Yes, we have 1402 of so and so part. Like the system says we have." And I will just figure it out later.

Well, later has come because this time, it is Year end inventory. We need 100% accurate counts. We are having an outside auditor counts things with us. This one matters. And, I haven't really begin the Year end inventory process. Since I have to ask to be able to come in on Saturday and the weekend, that is what I did.... I was denied I can't come in on Monday (it is a holiday) or Saturday. I have to do the whole Year end inventory tomorrow. With 100% accuracy. "If you need help counting, we can give you some personal to help you with that."......The counting part is not the what takes a long time. Its the figuring out where we got 1000 more of these expsensive LCDs. But, the corporations that bought the company I work for wants to 'trim the fat.' "Cut down your non-billable hours. Cut down your non-billable hours." The last two meetings with my manager and supervisor, who I am now convinced has no idea about my job or what I do, but yet our now my bosses, was all about my "excessive hours" or my "efficiency." And if I do better on both, I will 'maybe' finally get that pay raise I have been demanding. Because my company is still "running a business."

But also today, I still had a hot list to do. Which I didn't complete all of the it. There were two huge jobs on it. I spend most of the day on one. And I still didn't finished it. But yet, my supervisor says my hot list is "manageable." "But if you are struggling to keep up, you can say so and so to help you with it." Yes, there is someone in Assembly that is trained some what on kitting jobs. But she isn't as experienced with the other huge job on the hot list. Which also usually takes a whole day to do as well. And she couldn't help anyway because she was busy with her task.

And this is on top of my supervisor wanting me to 'fix' the allocations with four different John Deere jobs. (There is a five ticket he also wants me to do that with as well but the ticket number doesn't exist in our system. So I don't know what that is about.) Because it is thousands of dollars in over allocations. But I just did a quick count of those parts in my stock. And if I did "fix" the "over allocations," it will throw off the counts of those parts even more. So, my Supervisor wants to fix a couple thousands of dollars of over allocations, but add to the hundreds of hundreds of thousands of dollars of way off inventory count. Which I won't have the time to fix let alone figure out as I can't come in on the weekend to do the inventory.

My Supervisor even wanted me to send an email on my "game plan" for year end inventory and how long it would take. So I spend an hour writing that email, over 5000 characters or more, I am sure, exhausting myself emotionally and stressing myself because they want me do the whole Year End in just one day. "It is just counting. It shouldn't take that long." Again, today's hot list was also "manageable."

On top of all of this, I am still only paid $18.28 for my job. With all of my responsibilities. And yet, they want me to "work less" because of the mandate from the top brass of "Cut down non-billable hours." THE CORPORATION PROFITED 1.13 BILLION OF DOLLARS LAST YEAR ALONE. IT CAN SURELY AFFORD TO PAY ME FOR WHAT I AM WORTH AND AT LEAST ONE DAY OF OVERTIME FOR ME! FUCKING DAMN IT!!!! But no, a supervisor and manager who doesn't know what my job intales is telling me to produce more work in half the time. And doesn't care about my inventory count because, "this one job is too expensive with over allocations." Maybe Assembly requested those parts to replace rejects. Happens all the fucking time.

And I am afraid that after the audit and I turn in my sheets, later in the week, I will be in a meeting with the chairman and I have to explain why we are over $500,000 of "missing" parts from our year-end inventory counts. I am just now praying that my supervisor and manager with be in that meeting too so that I am not only in facing the music.

Well, about 6000 characters about my day at work.

[bdgettravel2024]

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What is GlobeTrotterOnADime? GlobeTrotterOnADime is a YouTube channel devoted to making luxury travel accessible to everyone. We know that the term "luxury" often comes with a hefty price tag, but we’re here to break that myth. Our channel reveals the secrets of budget-friendly luxury travel, from scoring discounted flights to finding the best accommodation deals, gourmet dining tips, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences at surprisingly affordable prices.

We’re currently in the “shoulder season,” a time when tourist numbers drop and prices for flights, hotels, and tours become more affordable. If you’ve been thinking of traveling the world, now is the perfect time, and we’re here to help you make the most of it!

Top Travel Secrets You’ll Learn at GlobeTrotterOnADime Here are some of the top topics we cover on our channel:

How to Travel During Shoulder Season for Huge Savings

One of the key long-tail secrets of luxury travel is understanding the value of the shoulder season. Traveling during this period can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. On GlobeTrotterOnADime, you’ll find a complete guide on how to identify the best times to visit popular destinations. You’ll also learn how to find cheap flights, avoid the crowds, and take advantage of off-peak discounts on accommodations and activities.

With content like “How to travel during the shoulder season and save,” we guide you through destinations where prices drop and experiences remain top-notch.

Best Budget-Friendly Luxury Hotels and Resorts

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to stay at five-star hotels to enjoy luxury. In fact, there are many hidden gems out there that offer similar experiences for a fraction of the cost. On GlobeTrotterOnADime, you’ll find in-depth guides on the best luxury hotels for budget travelers, tips on how to get discounted rates, and even advice on getting free upgrades during your stay.

Whether you’re looking for affordable boutique hotels in Europe or want to explore all-inclusive resorts that offer value for money, we’ve got you covered. Long-tail keywords like "luxury hotels for budget travelers" and "how to get free hotel upgrades" will help you make the most out of your travel accommodations.

How to Fly First Class Without Paying First-Class Prices

Do you dream of flying first class but can’t justify the cost? On our channel, we provide valuable tips on how to find discounted business and first-class flights, how to use frequent flyer miles to score premium seats, and how to watch for flash deals that allow you to upgrade your flight experience.

Our video content on “How to fly first class for cheap” will show you how even budget-conscious travelers can enjoy luxury air travel.

Gourmet Dining for Less: Savor Fine Cuisine Without Overspending

Dining is a key part of any luxury travel experience, but eating at fancy restaurants can quickly burn a hole in your pocket. That’s why GlobeTrotterOnADime has curated videos showing you how to enjoy gourmet meals for less. From budget-friendly Michelin-starred restaurants to local food tours, we’ll teach you how to savor the best of global cuisine without going over budget.

With long-tail keywords like “affordable fine dining in Europe” and “how to eat gourmet meals on a budget,” we help foodies satisfy their cravings while traveling.

Luxury Travel Experiences Without the Luxury Price Tag

Who wouldn’t want to indulge in once-in-a-lifetime experiences while on vacation? From hot air balloon rides to private wine tours and exclusive spa days, we provide detailed guides on how to access these luxury experiences affordably.

Videos like “How to find affordable luxury travel experiences” will help you experience the thrill of travel while sticking to your budget. Look out for keywords like “budget-friendly luxury activities” and “affordable spa experiences” in our content.

Packing Tips to Travel in Style Without Overpacking

Part of feeling luxurious is traveling light and smart. Our channel offers expert packing tips for budget travelers, from versatile wardrobe pieces to how to pack for luxury travel without overpacking. We show you how to pack everything you need for an upscale vacation in just one suitcase.

Long-tail keywords like “how to pack light for luxury travel” and “what to pack for a luxury vacation on a budget” will help you prepare for your trip efficiently.

Why Travel Now? Shoulder Season Is Your Best Friend There’s never been a better time to plan your dream vacation! The shoulder season offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy luxury travel on a budget, with lower prices and fewer crowds. Whether you want to stroll the streets of Paris, lounge on a beach in Bali, or explore historic Rome, the world is ready for you—and GlobeTrotterOnADime will guide you every step of the way.

Subscribe to GlobeTrotterOnADime on YouTube Today! At GlobeTrotterOnADime, we believe that luxury travel should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget. By subscribing to our YouTube channel, you’ll gain access to expert advice on: How to save money on flights and accommodation - Top destinations for affordable luxury travel - Packing hacks and travel tips to make your trip more comfortable - Hidden gems and local experiences that won’t break the bank

We’re more than just a channel—we’re a community of savvy travelers dedicated to showing you that the world is yours to explore, without the hefty price tag.

Visit us today at https://www.youtube.com/@GlobeTrotterOnADime and hit that subscribe button!

Don’t miss out on the latest tips and tricks for making your dream of luxury travel on a shoestring budget a reality. Let’s turn your wanderlust into a luxurious journey—without the financial stress.

[newstfionline]

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Thousands in the dark as Hurricane Francine strikes Louisiana (AP) Hurricane Francine slammed into the Louisiana coast Wednesday evening as a dangerous Category 2 storm that knocked out electricity to more than a quarter-million customers and threatened widespread flooding as it sent a potentially deadly storm surge rushing inland along the Gulf Coast. Francine crashed ashore in Terrebonne Parish, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Morgan City, the National Hurricane Center announced at 4 p.m. CDT. Packing top sustained winds near 100 mph (155 kph), the hurricane then battered a fragile coastal region that hasn’t fully recovered from a series of devastating hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. Morgan City Fire Chief Alvin Cockerham said the hurricane quickly flooded streets, snapped power lines and sent tree limbs crashing down. Power outages in Louisiana topped 261,000 hours after landfall, spread widely across southeast Louisiana. Blackouts affected the majority of homes and businesses in coastal parishes nearest where the storm came ashore as well as their inland neighbors.

Tariffs, the Solution to Almost Any Problem? (NYT) It has been more than five years since former President Donald J. Trump called himself a “Tariff Man,” but since then, his enthusiasm for tariffs seems only to have grown. Mr. Trump has long maintained that imposing tariffs on foreign products can protect American factories, narrow the gap between what the United States exports and what it imports, and bring uncooperative foreign governments to heel. But in recent weeks, Mr. Trump has made even more expansive claims about the power of tariffs, including that they will help pay for child care, combat inflation, finance a U.S. sovereign wealth fund and help preserve the dollar’s pre-eminent role in the global economy. Economists have been skeptical of many of these assertions. While tariffs generate some level of revenue, in many cases they could create only a small amount of the funding needed to pursue some of the goals that Mr. Trump has outlined. And tariffs could actually backfire on the U.S. economy, by inviting retaliation from foreign governments and raising costs for consumers. The cost of tariffs tend to be borne by American businesses and households, rather than foreign companies. Consumers simply have to pay more for things they need or want to buy.

Tyreek Hill’s traffic stop revives discussion about the realities faced by Black drivers (AP) After his traffic stop in Miami on Sunday, Tyreek Hill talked about “the talk”—instructions passed down in Black families for generations about what to do when pulled over by police. Keep your hands in sight, preferably on the steering wheel. Avoid any sudden movements. Don’t talk back to the officer. And above all, follow instructions without error or delay. Heeding that advice in the heat of the moment can be hard, as Hill’s own experience showed when the star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins was stopped for speeding and reckless driving before the team’s first game of the season. His interaction with police—captured in a now-viral cellphone video and body camera footage—escalated and is yet again prompting a larger discussion about the realities of “driving while Black.” According to a national law enforcement survey, traffic stops of Black drivers are more likely to include the threat or use of force.

Americans lost $5.6 billion last year in cryptocurrency fraud scams, the FBI says (AP) Americans were duped out of more than $5.6 billion last year through fraud schemes involving cryptocurrency, the FBI said in a report released Monday that shows a 45% jump in losses from 2022. The FBI received nearly 70,000 complaints in 2023 by victims of financial fraud involving bitcoin, ether and other cryptocurrencies, according to the FBI. The most rampant scheme was investment fraud, which accounted for $3.96 billion of the losses. Scammers will often make contact through dating apps or social media to build trust over several weeks or months before suggesting cryptocurrency investing, the FBI said. Once the relationship is built, they convince the targets to use fake websites or apps to invest their money, sometimes even allowing the victims to withdraw small amounts of money early on to make it seem legitimate.

Mexican lawmakers flee protesters before passing judicial overhaul (Washington Post) Mexico’s Senate voted early Wednesday to abolish the current judicial system and allow citizens to choose nearly all of the country’s judges, a drastic change that U.S. officials warn could pose “a major risk” to the democracy of its top trading partner. The ruling leftist party, Morena, barely mustered the two-thirds of Senate votes required for the constitutional amendment amid furious protests by students and judicial workers. Eighty-six lawmakers voted in favor, while 41 voted against. Raucous demonstrators burst into the chamber during the debate, chanting “Traitors!” and shattering a glass door. Lawmakers escaped to a nearby colonial-era building that formerly housed the Senate, and resumed the session under heavy police guard. The amendment has already passed the lower house and is likely to be quickly ratified at the state level, after which it would take effect. Morena has a majority in 27 of the 32 state legislatures.

UK economy stagnates unexpectedly in growth challenge for new government (Reuters) Britain's economy stagnated for a second month running in July as manufacturing output dropped sharply, an inauspicious start for the new government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer who wants to accelerate the pace of growth. The country's shift towards a services-dominated economy is accelerating, pushing manufacturing's share of economic output to a historic low and setting the nation apart from its global peers.

Ukraine braces for hardest winter due to intensified Russian attacks on energy infrastructure (AP) Ukraine’s prime minister warned Tuesday that the country could be facing its toughest winter since the full-scale Russian invasion began, as airstrikes against the country’s beleaguered energy infrastructure intensify. Russian attacks continue to hammer Ukraine’s energy generation capacity, leaving the country heavily reliant on its three functioning nuclear power stations and electricity imports from European Union countries. “Energy resilience is one of our greatest challenges this year,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a news conference in Kyiv. According to the United Nations and the World Bank, Ukraine lost more than half of its power-generating capacity in the first 14 months of the war, with the situation continuing to deteriorate.

Ukraine woos the Republicans (Washington Post) As Trump looms, Ukraine is turning to its evangelicals to woo the Republicans. There is a growing realization among Ukraine’s leaders of the need to forge close ties with its evangelical Christian community, Europe’s largest, who number between 800,000 and 1 million. The government is betting that its own evangelicals can be a bridge to their counterparts in the United States, who are influential in the Republican Party and could assist in their lobbying efforts for more aid.

Afghanistan, 23 years after 9/11 (Washington Post) Just days after the attacks of 9/11, then-President George W. Bush went to Congress to lay out the scope of his administration’s response. Al-Qaeda’s unprecedented terrorist strike launched the United States on its sweeping “war on terror” and placed the Taliban regime in Afghanistan immediately in Washington’s crosshairs. But 23 years after 9/11, the Taliban hold sway. Their fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic doctrines is the law of the land. Their draconian edicts once more asphyxiate Afghanistan society. And Afghan women, as they were a generation ago, are yet again thwarted from school, restricted in all they can do and banned from revealing their faces and even their voices in public. Successive U.S. administrations poured in tens of billions of dollars into the reconstruction of the country, propped up a perennially fragile, frequently venal Washington-aligned government in Kabul, and presided over bloody insurgencies and counterinsurgencies more than two decades. When the resurgent Taliban swept aside the forces of the U.S.-backed regime in 2021, as U.S. and NATO powers telegraphed their plans for withdrawal, it was a brutal shock for Western policy elites. But for the triumphant Taliban, it was the inexorable redemption of their view of the world and their nation’s history. Unbowed, the Taliban have only entrenched their rule.

Flash flood sweeps away hamlet as Vietnam’s storm toll rises to 155 dead (AP) A flash flood swept away an entire hamlet in northern Vietnam, killing 30 people and leaving dozens missing as deaths from a typhoon and its aftermath climbed to 155 on Wednesday. Vietnamese state broadcaster VTV said the torrent of water gushing down from a mountain in Lao Cai province Tuesday buried Lang Nu hamlet with 35 families in mud and debris. Only about a dozen are known so far to have survived. Rescuers have recovered 30 bodies and are continuing the search for about 65 others.

Pope lands in economic power Singapore after a joyous visit to impoverished, devout East Timor (AP) Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world’s richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. After a brief farewell ceremony, Francis, the Vatican delegation and journalists traveling with him flew to Singapore aboard local carrier Aero Dili’s only aircraft, an Airbus A320. Francis wrapped up his visit to East Timor with a rally Wednesday morning of its young people, who make up the majority of the 1.3 million population. He urged them to work together to build their young country, using the foundations of older generations who formally secured their independence from Indonesia in 2002, to grow in peace, prosperity and reconciliation.

US says Israel should change its way of operating in the West Bank after American killed (Washington Post) Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israeli security forces to make “fundamental changes” in the way they operate in the occupied West Bank, the strongest comments yet from a U.S. official after the Israeli military admitted that it was “highly likely” it had “unintentionally” shot dead an American Turkish citizen at a demonstration last week.

Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian territories kill dozens more (AP) Israeli strikes on Palestinian territories have killed more than two-dozen Palestinians on Wednesday, according to local officials. They say an Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and at least 20 people, including 16 women and children, were killed in the Gaza Strip. Gaza’s Health Ministry says Tuesday’s strike on a tent camp in an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone killed at least 19 people. The Health Ministry says over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count. The war has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.

Polaris Dawn (Space.com) A commercial space crew has flown higher above Earth than anyone who has traveled since the last Apollo astronauts went to the moon. The four members of the Polaris Dawn mission, riding aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft "Resilience," climbed into an elliptical orbit with a high point, or apogee, of 870 miles (1,400.7 kilometers) on Tuesday (Sep. 10). They reached the record distance about 15 hours after lifting off at 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT) from Florida earlier in the day and circling the planet about eight times in an initial orbit of 190 by 1,200 miles (306 by 1,930 km). The crew's top altitude more than doubled the maximum height that NASA's space shuttle reached when it deployed the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 and surpassed the previous record for a crewed spacecraft remaining in Earth orbit of 853 miles (1,373 km), achieved by NASA's Gemini 11 mission in 1966.

[bettegreiner]

The Importance of Hiring a Kitchen Renovation Team

Hiring a kitchen renovation team is a good idea if you plan to make significant changes to your home. Hiring a team can make the process easier for you and help you finish the project in a shorter period. A kitchen renovation project typically takes five to seven weeks to complete, and a professional contractor will hire craftsmen and subcontractors to get the job done. It would take far longer if you acted as your general contractor.

Cost of hiring a kitchen renovation company

Before hiring a kitchen renovation company, it is essential to consider the total cost of the job. It includes labour costs and materials. The quote will also include any project management fees. Some general contractors do all labour in-house, while others hire subcontractors. Prices will vary based on the number of people needed and the extent of the remodel. Depending on the size of the project, demolition and removal costs can reach thousands of dollars.

The average kitchen renovation cost varies widely but is usually within the range of $100 to $250 per square foot. The total price depends on the kitchen's size, the materials' quality, and the layout changes. The lower end of the range includes more straightforward projects, while the higher end includes major components such as hardwood flooring and top-of-the-line appliances.

Choosing between hiring a kitchen designer and a kitchen remodeler

When it comes to remodelling your kitchen, there are many things to consider. Hiring a professional designer or remodeler will help you make the most informed decisions, whether you are doing a complete overhaul or just a few tweaks. This person will oversee the entire renovation and answer all of your questions. You can rest assured that they have the expertise and experience to make the best decisions, including colours and fixtures.

A kitchen designer can guide you through the entire process, from start to finish. They will also be able to reflect your unique personality in the final solutions. When selecting a kitchen designer, look for a professional certified by the National Kitchen and Bath Association. While state requirements for certification vary, finding a designer affiliated with professional organizations is essential.

Research before hiring a contractor for a kitchen remodel

Before hiring a contractor for your kitchen renovation, it is essential to do your research. Check out the work of contractors in your neighbourhood. Look at their before and after pictures. You can learn a lot about their skills and quality of work by comparing their portfolios. However, before you decide on a contractor, you should prepare for interviews.

The first step in the process of hiring a contractor is to determine the scope of the project. That will help you choose a builder who understands your vision and works in a manner that will achieve it. It will help ensure that the kitchen makeover goes smoothly. It is also essential to ask questions about the builder's design and build process. It would be best if you also asked about their previous projects. Please take note of how well they communicate with their customers.

Communication between homeowner and designer

The most important thing to remember when hiring a renovation team is that communication is essential. It means you should be able to communicate with your designer and contractor about your expectations and desires. You should be able to discuss all the details, including the materials you'd like to use and your budget so that you both know what to expect and what changes might need to be made to the project.

Having a personal relationship with your design-build team will make the entire process much easier, as homeowners will feel comfortable asking questions. During the design-build phase, you'll choose materials, set a realistic budget, and finalize a timeline. The next step is construction, which includes installing new fixtures and finishing the space.

[say-narry]

The Tonight Show

>> Versão em PT-BR

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Sorry, english isn't my first language! Hope you all like!

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"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our friend and singer Harry Styles and his friend and new Marvel's actress, Y/N Y/LN!" Jimmy raised his arms pointing to the stage entrance and Harry and Y/N entered side by side.

They smiled and waved to the audience, who returned the whistling and clapping.

Harry greeted Jimmy with a brief hug and Y/N did the same, giving kisses.

Jimmy pointed to the two dark armchairs next to his table and Y/N sat down next to Jimmy and Harry next to him.

The whistling and clapping ceased. They were both smiling for the cameras and sure enough, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon was scoring very high ratings.

"Great to have you here, everybody! " Jimmy started "We've been on this marathon interviewing friends in the business world and you're closing with a bang!" there was some applause "How long have you been friends?"

Y/N and Harry looked at each other and posed as if they were thinking.

"About three years, right?" Y/N looked at his friend, who agreed. "I wasn't so well known yet, I was participating as a co-star in This is Family, Harry was very nice to send invitations to everyone to his show. From that moment on, we started our partnership."

"Very nice that! And you must hear this question a lot..." a chill went through their stomachs, they knew what it was going to be "Nothing ever happened between you?" Jimmy let out a chuckle and their cheeks flushed.

It was more the discomfort of the question than the act that never happened. They were very close friends, nothing more than a tight hug and kisses on the cheek.

On social media, it was clear that Harry was the friend every woman would want to have, and to S/N fans, there was nothing going on between them since she had a few quick flings with Chris Evans, but only one person knew how much Harry was in love with his best friend, ever since he saw her in the sitcom she acted in, it motivated him to give input to the cast. He himself was that person. He wanted to see if the energy she conveyed on the small screen was the same, but it wasn't. It was simply much better. Y/N was Harry's fit, he had known that since they had spoken in person and Harry had already pulled strings to keep her around.

"No, we never had anything." Harry answered.

"Okay!" Jimmy joked making a funny face. "Kidding guys, it's uncomfortable this kind of question, but I think that just like me, your fans also think that you would make a cute couple."

"We see this a lot on twitter, I often take screenshots and send them to Harry, we laugh a lot, but we have a mutual respect. " Y/N tried to close the subject.

"And about your new song, Harry..."

"We are back with our guests, guys, and they agree to play our "hit the target" game!" Jimmy pointed to three dolls with the picture of himself, Y/N and Harry. There were scores written on part of each one's body.

"It's just a game, but we want to test your aim!" Jimmy continued "As you can see, there are points on every part of our body. Whoever manages to get the five arrows with the most points can choose a charity to donate 50 thousand dollars!" Harry and Y/N clapped side by side again "The loser will have to answer a question from our little box." Jimmy waved a dark red cube and his friends agreed.

The game began with Jimmy aiming at the head height of his paper doll. He fired all five plexiglas and accumulated 100 points.

The next player was Y/N, who ended up taking off her heels to make her move firmer, being assisted by Harry, who made the audience gasp for the act of affection when he held her to take off her shoes.

Y/N shot the first one, hitting the heart of her dummy, starting with 300 points. The next two missed, and the last one hit his dummy's forehead, adding another 100 points.

Harry just looked at her amused. She was good at this, sometimes you guys played this at his parties, it was a game that got on his nerves, because he wasn't good at it.

"Come on, Harry!" The host handed the little arrows to Harry and he positioned himself as Y/N did, maybe if he followed her way, he would be able to hit more points.

Big mistake.

The first arrow hit his wrist, starting with ten points. He made a snapping motion of his neck, drawing a few laughs from the audience. Harry shot two more arrows, one of which hit his arm, and the other fell before it hit the dummy.

"I think it's those rings." He complained loudly and took them off, giving them to Y/N who put them on, showing his fingers to the cameras, making a joke to the home audience.

Harry pointed to the heart of his dummy. If he got it right, he wouldn't have to answer the question.

And he shot. The arrow made a turn and unfortunately stopped in his arm, giving him another 50 points.

Harry would have to answer the damn question.

He groaned in despair as Jimmy and Y/N celebrated their victory.

The announcer walked away and picked up the red box and waved it at Harry. Who pouted in disappointment, sure all his fanclubs would be commenting on his cute expression.

"Take a little paper and read it to us, Harry." Jimmy held out the box and Harry put his hand inside, feeling some papers on his fingers.

He moved his hand a little and brushed at a piece of paper. He unfolded it and read.

His breathing had suddenly become heavier. It seemed as if he was out of breath, his fingers holding the small paper trembled.

"Er... Your challenge is: declare yourself to your crush!" The audience let out a few shouts and Y/N, always very expressive, opened her mouth and her eyes widened. Harry denied it with his head, laughing sideways, trying not to show his nervousness.

As close as they were, Harry didn't mention his girlfriends. She followed his fans that were also Harry's fans and sometimes she saw news about him dating some woman, but if he didn't say anything, it could be just his friends and if it was, she wouldn't invade his intimacy, she would wait for him to say something. Nothing had to be heavy in that friendship, she was aware of that, sometimes they would rather spend their time talking about random things like constellations and signs than their boyfriends and that was fine with her.

"Is this really necessary?" Harry asked in a playful tone.

Jimmy laughed and nodded positively.

They had formed a sort of open wheel on the stage.

"Come on, H! You can do it, because that's what I want to know too!" Y/N teased him.

He looked at her, closing his eyes as if she had failed in some secret plan of theirs.

"Okay... The person I like is very special..." He took a breath, playing with the paper in his hand "I won't say the name, but I will tell the situation we lived."

Y/N squatted down next to Jimmy, who hugged him in a friendly way while they listened to Harry.

"We were at a party among friends. We drank a lot, which we never did. It was on our friend's yacht, it was really an exciting day. I remember that we drank so much that this person... vomited a green liquid on my feet." Jimmy made a face of disgust and the audience murmured with disgust as well, Y/N remained static, because she knew this story. She had been there. She had vomited on him, which got a good laugh when she sobered up. "It's disgusting, I almost followed this person, but seeing this person so vulnerable, so sensitive in my arms... It made me see how much she was the perfect person for me, showed me how completely in love I was with her."

Y/N's heart soared, but as an actress who had conquered Hollywood, she made the best expression of curiosity, pretending not to know what it was all about.

"Do you have any idea who it is, Y/N?" Jimmy asked.

"I have no idea, I wish I could use my mind reading powers right now." She joked, referring to her character.

On the other side of the stage, there was an embarrassed Harry. His heart was tight, because he knew his best friend wasn't stupid and hadn't forgotten that day on the boat, when he took care of her, so much so that she slept on his lap and thanked him for it. He knew how spontaneous she was, he was dying for her to run out of Jimmy's side and jump on his lap and kiss him in front of everyone.

On the social networks, there was no other talk. Both of their names were at the top of the world trends topics, and in the news of the famous as well.

Y/N had donated the amount to the institution that cared for homeless people in New York. In a game of scenes, she returned the rings to Harry and didn't look at him, just went along with Jimmy's antics, leaving her friend completely out in the cold.

She didn't want to even think about it. Harry had never given the slightest sign of interest, he had gone out with a woman in the last few days... She was just another friend, no?

Jimmy thanked them both for their presence. They posed for some pictures with the host and the fans in the audience, both of them swallowing dryly and not looking at each other.

Soon the Y/N's accessory called her over and they left. She couldn't look at Harry, couldn't imagine that her favorite teenage singer, her current best friend, was in love with her, a foreigner new to show business.

It had been 15 days since the show had aired. There was still some murmuring on the social networks, Harry and Y/N had come in to check what they were talking about and most had picked up on Harry's words, they had even gotten pictures of them both from the day of the party on the yacht. It was clear from the whole thing.

But they hadn't exchanged a word, their friendship was shaken and Y/N couldn't stand it anymore.

On her day off in London, she took a coat since it was autumn and considerably cold in the late afternoon. She had always been a person who liked to dot the i's and cross the t's. Why was she running away this time? It was Harry there. It was Harry declaring that he was in love with her. What was the problem? She had been in love with him since she was a teenager, the Hollywood world was attractive and fantastic, but to whom could she be sincere, be herself, be the Y/N who left Brazil in search of opportunity and conquered the world? Except for her family, Harry was the only person fit for the job. Him. Only him.

Harry lived a few blocks away, she closed the apartment door and left the condo, there were no paparazzi, not that she had seen.

She pulled up her black hoodie and put her hair over her face, walking quickly through the cold streets of the chic neighborhood.

Braving some closed pedestrian signals, she arrived after a few minutes at the brown stone wall and black gate.

She had the key, they were so close at that point. They trusted each other.

Entering and closing it quickly, she saw some lights on. Y/N hadn't wondered if Harry was accompanied by someone else, his producers or his family.

Her finger slid between the detailed gold knob and opened the door, the wind and the smell of Harry's perfume went straight to her nostrils, filling her lungs.

She stepped inside and took a deep breath. Her heart seemed to throb close to her throat, and as cold as it was, she was sweating.

"Harry?" She called out. "H?"

No sound, no "I'm here!" The alarms hadn't gone off, he could be in the shower or in the studio composing something.

"Harry! It's Y/N, we need to talk!" She said a little louder "If you're with someone, I'm leaving..."

She walked to the center of the huge decorated room, there were some golden items, it was Harry's face. Y/N smiled as she touched a beautiful vase on the table. She couldn't lose him. She loved him, loved his way, his voice, his everything.

"Y/N." She heard Harry's husky voice, behind her between two sliding doors. It was his home office.

Harry was wearing a robe, his face had a sad, tired expression. His hair was not as she was used to seeing it. It was just the way it was. His nose was red, as if he had just cried.

That was it.

"Hazza!" Y/n murmured, walking slowly over to him, who bowed his head in shame.

"What was it?" Without denying his Aquarius side, Harry answered short.

The woman took a breath of air, until she walked more quickly in front of her best friend, stretching her hands until she held his face and joined their lips.

If you could see their stomachs, it would be something similar to fireworks in Copacabana on New Year's Eve.

Harry pushed the doors aside and took his best friend by the waist, pressing her against him.

How much he had dreamed of this. How much he wished it would happen. Their lips were warm, their tongues met, caressing each other, the sighs were audible, Harry couldn't help but smile at that.

"Forgive me." Y/N pulled away minimally whimpering, stroking between his best friend's jaw and neck. "I'm not afraid when I'm the superhero, but in real life... I'm a coward."

Harry shook his head negatively.

"I shouldn't have exposed us like that." Harry passed his hand over his girl's face "But I had to tell the truth."

Y/N agreed, putting her arms around her best friend's neck, hugging him tightly.

"I'm glad you came." Harry murmured. "I couldn't stand another day without talking to you."

"Not anymore, babe. I'm yours from now on."

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Any suggestions?

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To @leeroysdancer ;)

[tricktster]

i finally bought a new car, which required me to trade in my beloved old car. Now there was a lot that sucked about my old car, like, for example:

 the driver’s window seal leaked, so I had to hold a towel up to it whenever I went through the car wash or got caught in a thunderstorm, or in the alternative, appear places as my alter ego, Ol’ Wet Sleeve.

one day, for no discernible reason, the passenger door power lock made a metallic shriek for thirty minutes and then refused to ever work again

the windshield fluid reservoir was cracked, so I not only had to stop at every gas station to wipe the salt off my windshield all winter, but until the last of the fluid worked its way out of its system, every parking spot looked like my car had done a blue tinkle

something went terribly wrong with the anti-theft system which caused it to beep incessantly until the battery quite literally drained from the effort every time I locked my door and it was even mildly humid, culminating in the day its incessant wailing ruined a kishi bashi concert and then never deployed again

once there was a chipmunk on the windshield and I needed to get to work so I started the car and began driving VERY slowly in the hopes it would jump off, but it instead disappeared into a hole next to the wipers and I just had to hope it crawled out at work because i was late and surely that hole didn’t lead anywhere

the hole apparently led somewhere, and the chipmunk made a home somewhere under the hood

thereafter, the chipmunk, and I do not understand the mechanics here, figured out how to get into the cabin and left about 15 uneaten acorns, 30 partially eaten acorns, 100 acorn shells, and 1000 tiny poops on the floor

after i got the tires rotated last year, the right front wheel made an irreversible and humiliating squeaking noise whenever i went less than 50 miles an hour

it got stuck in very small amounts of snow with extreme, perverse regularity

there were inexplicable danger buttons on the steering wheel that made the automatic transmission turn into a manual - which I cannot drive. But don’t worry, they were incredibly easy to deploy accidentally and could only be fixed by turning the whole car off

the horn sounded like a clown nose

After five years without so much as a scrape, I told my mom about my intention to buy a better car and trade in the old one for a few thousand bucks. Approximately 17 hours thereafter, my mom accidentally backed into it with her car, leaving a huge dent and rendering the whole car worth literally dozens of dollars.

Three days later, my mom ran into it again, but this time with the rider mower. Although the rider mower cannot top five miles per hour, she claimed the collision was unavoidable because “the rider mower doesn’t have brakes!” although she was unable to explain how that prevented her from, you know, steering around the large stationary object. Also the rider mower has brakes. 

Now I know this all sounds very bad and dumb. However, there were three great things about my car that made up for all that nonsense:

1. it only had two seats. Examples of why this ruled:

 “oh, you guys need a ride somewhere? Oh sorrrrrry I caaaaaan’t, it’s a twooooo seater.”

 “you need help moving? SOOOOOORRRYYY I CAAAAAN’T FIT ANYTHING IN THERE AND I ONLYYYYY GOT TWO SEATSSS MANNNNN.”

“It’s my turn to be the DD? Sure, that only seems fa- OH SORRY CAN’T NOT EQUIPPED TWO SEATS IS THE THINGGGG.

2. because it was stupid small, I could go roughly 340 miles on about 20 dollars of gas (unless I pressed the red button that made it much less fuel efficient but made the engine noise go “vrmVOOM,” you know, to impress men)

Lastly, and most importantly:

3. the license plate that it was randomly assigned was absolutely incredible. Now I don’t want to get doxxed so this is a fake plate to protect my car’s identity, but it was, in essence, ORC-42069. It was fantasy creature + the funny numbers. It was so fucking choice. 

Anyway, I loved that stupid, selfish, garbage car, but it was time to let it go, on account of I Drive In Vermont And This Winter It Nearly Killed Me (On 3 Separate Occasions). So two weeks ago I agreed to trade in the Jerkmobile for, and this is no joke, ONE DOLLAR, I said goodbye to the funniest plates in automotive history, I put several thousand bucks down on a preowned car with only 8k miles and that sweet all wheel drive, and I settled in to wait for the NYSDMV to process the registration.

It took like fifteen days to get the registration settled, but because NYSDMV employees, like the rest of us, are dealing with a global pandemic, I wasn’t about to complain about the wait. And I like to think that my non-Karen energy reaped beautiful rewards. See, at the dealership this evening, I finally laid eyes on my brand new car. 

Look, I don’t believe in God. I have to remind myself sometimes that there’s nobody pulling the strings, that human beings tend to draw connections between unrelated points of data, that none of this MEANS anything. And yet, at the same time....

oh what intelligence

what divine providence

that my new randomly generated license plate should begin with a thrash metal band and end in 69.

[mercheswan]

“There you do Dad, everything settle for tonight’s big auction” Stiles said pating his fathers back.

The Sheriff’s office was holding a Valentine’s Day auction, in which the deputies auctioned for dates to raise money for the department. You know, fighting supernatural monsters every month was... expensive. The Sheriff put all the Pack to help, in fact, Mason was going to be the event’s host.

“I’m still not really convince about this” Jordan said joining the conversation.

“You have nothing to worry about... I bet you’re going to be the highes bid of the night” Stiles said. “I’m face I’m pretty sure that a very threatening readhead, is going to try and win a date with you tonight” Stiles whispered into the deputies ear, making Jordan blush. “Let’s see how you do old man. I’m sure some lady, or gentleman, will try and have a date with the Sheriff, there are many people into authority” Stiles teased.

“But I am not participating” Noah smiled mischievously.

“What are you taking about? You’re on the program, in fact you’re the last one of the night. See, here, STILINSKI” Stiles showed the program to is father.

“I am not the only Stilinski in Beacon Hills” Noah smiled.

What?

Oh no.

“Stop lying it’s not funny” Stiles looked at his father very serious.

“Why would I participate in this when I have a very young and handsome boy who can easily earn more money than me. Do not let me down, you’re representing the Stilinski men after all” The Sheriff said mockingly before leaving an astounded Stiles behind.

“You can ask Lydia to bid you for you too. But I’m sure you’ll be fine” Jordan added.

Dad... I’ll make you pay for this...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come one Stiles, stop acting like that.” Scott tried cheering his best friend up.

“Betrayed by my own father...” Stiles babbled words complaining about the situation.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad. And maybe you can get a Valentine’s Day date with someone interesting” Scott suggested.

“Gee that’s for reminding me that I was going to spent the day, alone, not like you lover boy...” Stiles groaned.

“Look I promise to bid for you okay?” Scott smiled encouragingly. Stiles smiled back.

The event was a success. They were all types of people. Families supporting their relatives, young and old people. They were all having fun and there really wasn’t an atmosphere of competitiveness, which helped Stiles to calm his nerves.

Jordan was going before him. Stiles tought that he should have closed the event but... he was the Sheriff’s representative so... he has to be the last one.

As Stiles predicted Jordan managed to ear a lot of money, 840 dollars, to be more exact. Stiles was pretty sure that Jackson and Ethan had helped Lydia a bit.

It was time.

“A last but no least, please a big applause for Stiles Stilinski. We all know him, he is the Sheriff’s son. A very handsome young men with a bright mind and tongue, so ladies and gentlemen don’t hesitate, he is totally date material” Mason introduced making the people on the room laught but at the same time, making Stiles die of mortification.

“What the hell Mason” Stiles hissed to his friend.

“Well start the auction with 20 dollars” Mason announced. Scott raised his hand and Stiles thanked him. “Excellent. 50?” Mason asked. Malia raised hers. “Great, 75?” An old lady from the first road raised her hand. “100?” A group of teenage girls shouted. Stiles breathed out, well it wasn’t so horrible.

“One thousand” a male voice said loudly causing the room to silence for a second of shock. Stiles’s heart started to beat out of control. What the fu-. People looked at the source of the voice, but Stiles found him before anyone else. Theo.

Mason composed himself from the surprise. “Oh wow, look at that... that’s big, okay... one thousand for Stiles. Does someone give more?” He asked.

Stiles was looking at Theo. The chimera was leaned on the wall with a stupid and confident smirk on his face. What was he planing?

“Well, finally someone with game” Another voice sounded in the room. Stiles turned to look at it. Peter Hale. “Two thousand” Peter said. Ah no. This was not happening. No, no, no. Beacon Hills top two psychopaths were bidding for him, what have Stiles done to deserve this.

Theo separated from the wall looking at Peter with a threatening glare. “Three thousand” He shouted.

The room was out of control. Everyone was gasping and clapping. Stiles felt dizzy.

“Five thousand” Peter said with a playful smirk looking at Theo. The Chimera looked ready to attack.

“Dad... dad do something” Stiles whispered to his dad.

“You’re doing great!” The Sheriff gave his son an encouraging thumbs up. What the hell. No!

“Make them stop!” Stiles hissed.

“All money it’s welcome” The Sheriff whispered back.

“Six thousand” Theo raised his bid.

“You don’t even have that money!” Stiles complained.

“I’ve just turned 21. I gained access to my trust fund” Theo claimed.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Are you going to waste all your money in getting a date with me!?”

Theo was on the front row now. “Maybe I think you’re worth it” Theo said seductively at Stiles. Stiles really goes that the light helped to cover up the little blush of his cheeks. Damn you Theo.

“Eight hundred” Peter laughed. Stiles bet he was enjoying taking something away from Theo. He wa evil like that.

Theo growled. Out loud. “Ten thousand!” He shouted. Stiles saw people recording the whole thing. Everyone was so entertained.

Stiles saw Peter smirk but before he could talk Malia. Literally. Sank her claws into his father’s arm. “No more. You’re not having a date with me ex boyfriend” Malia growled softly. Peter rolled his eyes but nodded.

“But you’re donating the eight thousand to the department Hale... you owe the Sheriff’s department a lot” Noah proclaimed.

So that meant...

“Oh! So it’s ten thounsand. Ten thousand, final bid. Perfect, Mr Raeken you won yourself a date for Valentine’s Day” Mason declared and the room cheered and applauded.

Theo wore a bright smile in his face. Did he really wanted the date that much?. Theo looked at Stiles winking him with a devilish smirk.

Omg I’m having a date with Theo Raeken.

~~~~~~~~~~

Stiles discovered really quickly that Theo knew him very well. He had prepared the date with detail and Stiles enjoined everything. It was romantic but not overwhelming. When Theo confessed that he had always had a crush on him. Maybe Stiles should have acted differently. He should have waited a little longer. Maybe it was the fact that he was alone and that Theo understood him better than many people. Maybe it was some stranger phantom of Valentine’s Day. Whatever the reason were Stiles kissed Theo and sparks flew. They ended up spending the night in Theo’s apartment. But Stiles has the feeling that everything’s was going to turn out just fine.

[infinitegalahad]

Borhap Boys As Sugar Daddies

(reposted bc it was disappearing from the tags😭)

hey guys!! I wanna apolgoize for the disappearance, school is ✨madness✨ luv. so I've decided to try something new. But I promise I'm working on requests (and a bunch of new ideas). I love all of the borhap boys (bc they are babies🥺) so this might become a little series of head canons! no major warnings, just lots of fluff and some suggestive material. also reader is gender neutral (boy, girl, whatever you what it my dudes!) why not mix my fav trope and boys all in...one fic😳😳 anyways hope you guys enjoy!! I would love some feedback for future reference

Masterlist (requests are welcomed!)

Rami Malek-

Number one that gif of him...need I say more? 🥰

I’m sick of how ya’ll sleep on Rami!! I’m gonna give him tons of love

He would be one of the most affectionate sugar daddy’s tbh

Certainly would spoil the HECK out of you

Whether it be paying off your bills or lavish trips to Greece, Rami always has your back

You never had to pay a SINGLE PENNY when you were around him

Being with Rami, you were a changed person

Your fashion game went UPPPP

Like chanel perfume, all designer clothes, nice handbags, you NAME IT

”Rami, I’m not buying a five hundred dollar shirt from Theory.” ”What do you mean? It would look so good on you, sweetheart.”

Yes, Rami bought you the shirt

You two were at a vinyl place and you saw a limited edition queen vinyl

He buys it (and basically 10+ vinyls you love)

SO RAMI MAKES A WHOLE ASS ROOM IN HIS HOME FOR YOUR VINYLS🥺🥺

This man is omfg i loveee him❣️

Little sneak kisses to your forehead

Seeing you smile as you shop and blush at his complaints makes him so freaking happy HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH

He would take you shopping at the best stores

“I would be fine at a target, y’know” as you look around a Gucci store

Rami would snake an arm around your waist as he cooed into your ear, “My baby deserves the best, and nothing but the best

What started out as an arrangement turned into a genuine relationship

When looking for a sugarbaby, Rami was simply looking for company (and someone to spoil the heck out of)

In all truth, he was simply a lonely guy who simply wanted someone to make happy, and made himself happy in the process

Wherever you guys would go, he would always wanna hold your hand and be close to you bc he’s scared of loosing someone he’s made a connection with

And i’m totally not crying as I write this

Both of you were in dark places when you first met

Rami showed how much he truly cared about you

If you called him all upset, he would SPEED over with whatever you needed whether it be pizza or emotional support

Sitting on your couch, his arm wrapped around yours as you vented about your problems

Rami had convinced you to drop your job and come live with him because he’s a KING!!

”Angel, you’re not gonna have to worry about anymore.” ”What do you mean?”

You ended up quitting your job and moving in with him

What turned into an arrangement became an intimate relationship

The sex between you to was AMAZING

it was VERY intimate

It started off slow but would get increasingly rougher god I hate what I said

Rami would always check up and you and NEVER go past your limits

It would end with the two of you cuddling in bed

Let’s just say you never had to worry about your bills ever again😎😎

I MADE MYSELF CRY WHYYY

Gwilym Lee-

my love for this man? ENDLESS

Seriosuly gwilym lee HAVE MY CHILDERN

anyways to the pLOT

Gwilym is the sexiest and cutest man alive

The sugar daddy that will bring you EVERYWHERE HE GOES

He’s such a gentlemen

Like all relationships start, it was more of an arrangement then a relationship

Your job was to escort Gwilym at all these events as “company”

Gwilym would send a bunch of nice items and a driver to bring you to the location

”Hope you like this ❤️ xxx”   “Treat yourself! 😘xxx”

Like mister I-😳😳

Gwilym is literally such a sweet person

Whenever you were spotted with him, you would get thousands of compliemnts/questions

”You’re with Gwilym! So lucky!”

”That necklace is to kill for! Did Gwilym give it to you?”

”Teach my your ways!”

Whenever you’re at these events all these people give you evil stares

Your like👁👄👁 “is Gwilym a playboy??”

Gwilym is all like “what do you mean?? 🥺Of course not! Your the only one that matters to me right now”

He’s such a king we LOVE HIM

Spontaneous trips to France and Italy

Gwilym and you grow super close

Also your dates would range from fancy galas for Gwilym’s works or peaceful book/poetry readings

He LOVES books and always takes you to bookstores and gives his best recommendations

He literally turns into an english teacher while overanalyzing books

”The greenlight in Green Gatbsy is such a crucial symbol”

”Jane Austen is one of the best feminist writers, she was so ahead of her time!”

You wanna be annoyed but can’t

i can’t I LOVE GWILYM LEE I’M NOT SORRY

The two of you would lie in bed together

You would be slouched against his body as he stroked your hair, reading to you in that accent

As much as you love your gentlemen, you get him into the wacky world of ninety day fiance

”This looks like trash...I’m going to watch every minute of it!”

You guys order chinese food and watch this obsessviely for six hours

I know this is meant to be fluffy but why not add some 🌶

Sex with you and Gwil is like ✨fireworks✨

He would make sure you wouldn’t be able to walk the next day let’s just say😉

He would have to carry you around and kiss your head, saying “You're so adorable, poppet” or “Don’t strain your legs, Cariad!”

Also ceo of AMAZING NICKNAMES

”My anwylyd” (Welsh for dearest)

Would 100% write you romantic poems (over text and in paper)

And yes he WOULD dramatically read them to you😤😤✌🏽

He would always greet you with the most over the top nicknames like “Good morning cariad!” or “Sit there and act pretty, my beloved”

hi mr lee please make me your sugar baby

Gwilym is your sugar daddy but also your sweet, book loving man

He loves seeing you happy so in return, you make him happy💓💓

Joe Mazzello-

This one is a wildcard ladies and gays!! 😌😌

Joe definitely does not strike you as a sugar daddy

He seems more like your boyfriend than anything else

The two of you were inseparable

After dinner Joe would take you to a karaoke bar or for ice cream

After the first date you started calling him Joey

Drunken duets to cheesy 80’s romance songs

The two of you would sing your hearts out before vomiting from the copious ammouts of ice cream and vodka

With Joe it’s eithier mcdonalds or Nobu in TriBeCa

Mr.Mazello has range😌✨

This dude is the ceo of cheesy nicknames

”Yes my little lover muffin!”

”What is it cutie patootie?”

”You look amazing buttercup!”

“What’s up, hot stuff?”

In public he calls you “baby” or “lover” dw he saves you from public embarrassment 

You know that meme of will smith and his wife? That is basically you and Joe

My love for his man is infinite

Joe is super clingy

Hand holding and lots of PDA

He wants people to know that your his sugar baby😤😤💓

he will always send texts like

”miss you baby💓💗💓💗!”

”can you grab milk from the store pls??”

”SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA WHERE ARE YOU😩😩🤯🤯🤯”

”Joe, it’s been a day.”

He has so many photos of you in his camera roll

You are his lockscreen😔💓

The ceo’s of amazing instagram photos, whether it be you wearing a burger king crown at Burger King or You guys kissing on a boat with the Italian sunset on a private boat

Captions would be could “my favorite fairytale is our love story” or “yasss queen slay it!”

It’s cringey but god Joe is so adorable

A combination of a child and gentleman ALL IN ONE

All of his friends are like “you guys HAVE to be dating!’

It’s suppose to be nothing more than an arrangement right?

I mean the two of you were living with eachother and he dropped all of this other sugar babies for you

The two of you are master chefs minus the one time Joe burned mac and cheese and set the stove on fire

Also not to get smutty but the sex between you two? Like

Straight up RAMMING to sweet pillowtalk

Anyways Joe being your sugar daddy would definitely not be a bad thing at all😘

Always exchange those “I love you’s” 💕✨

Ben Hardy-

When first seeing Ben on your sugar daddy app, you were 100% intimidated

But upon meeting him, this tough dude was a PUPPY🥺❣️

On the first date he bought you flowers and gave you a hug

“Y/n, right?”

“That’s me!”

“I just wanted to say you look stunning, love.”

You were wearing jeans and literally smiled so much

You know this date was going to go VERY WELL NOW😩✌🏽✨

Instead of a fancy restaurant, Ben took you to a stroll around London

Whatever clothes you wanted? He got it

Whatever cafe you wanted to stop at? Buy all the tea/coffee and pastries you want

Hotel? Trivago

The two of you walked around the city, hand and hand as you got to know eachother

You ended up walking around the city for five hours up until midnight

You laughed and talked about thousands of things

In confusion, you had to see Ben again

As Ben walked you back to your place, you smiled at him,

”I’d like to do that again.”

”Call me when you want, y/n.”

So your “dates” became more frequent

Ben had the best ideas for dates

Dinners at small Italian places, walking around a museum, or just sitting in his place and watching mindless television

He made sure to spoil you

With gifts, literally and figurreitly

Sex was a large piece in your arrangeemnt

But it was not the only thing in your relationship

And it was!! Amazing!!

”You’re so fucking beautiful” as he would kiss your forehead and dive straight into it 🥺😳

Not only could that man be A BEAST but an absolute sweetheart

Everyday you looked forward to not only getting paid by him, but just talking to him for hours on end

He would stay up for hours just to talk to you, whether it be about your lives or anything

and that ladies and gays is a dedicated MAN

No matter what, Ben always found a way to touch you

He always had his hand on the chair behind you or your thigh

You guys would have pillowforts and nerf fun battles together

It would always end with a cuddle session

Frankie would be skeptcial but love you!!

You guys got so close that he took you on a trip to the greek islands AND PROPOSED!! LIKE!! YES!!😌😌😌

LIKE YES POP OFF MISTER BEN HARDY

[esmealux]

Planning a Hell of a Wedding | ✓ purchasing attire

Drabble 05 / ?

Setting: Sometime after s5

Word count: 500 (+ 100)

Rating: T

Summary of the series: The Devil and the Detective make their way through the wedding planning checklist. One is more passionate about it than the other.  (Works as a sequel to this fic.)

Author’s note: Couldn’t help but include a little bonus something in this one. 

‘Twenty-five thousand dollars? On a tuxedo?! Lucifer!’

He looks completely unabashed as they stand in their kitchen, a crumbled and slightly stained receipt laid out on the counter—proof that he has spent more than twice her monthly salary on one outfit.

‘What?’ he asks innocently. ‘Did you seriously expect me to go off the rack, Detective? For our nuptials, of all occasions?’

Chloe shakes her head at him, not as an answer to his question but in response to how utterly absurd he is.

‘Speaking of,’ Lucifer says, returning his attention to the espresso machine and completely ignoring her obvious irritation, ‘have you talked to Carolina yet?’

He starts the coffee grinder, forcing Chloe to shout over the obnoxious roaring. ‘Lucifer, I am not having my wedding dress designed by Carolina frigging Herrera!’

The whirring stops and he offers her nothing but an unapologetic smile. ‘Well, you’re welcome.’ His eyes are focused on her as he tamps the grounds now in the portafilter, looking her up and down her.  ‘I just want you to wear something you’re comfortable in. Something that does your exquisite body justice.’

‘And I’ll find just that,’ she assures him. ‘In a store. To a price below 1,000 dollars.’

‘You know, the cost really isn’t an iss-’

‘I know, Lucifer. Thank you.’

His lips tug slightly up at the corner before he resumes finishing his coffee. For a second, they both just quietly watch the dark liquid spill into his ‘#1 step-Devil’ mug. Automatically, he grabs the bottle of brandy from its permanent spot next to the machine, adds a generous amount to his steaming coffee, and comes to join her by the sink.

There’s a fondness in his warm, brown eyes as he looks at her, his gaze softer than before. ‘Whatever you find, love, I’m positive you’ll look absolutely heart-stopping. I mean, at this point, I’m so far gone, you could show up in your sweats and that filthy rag you call a t-shirt, and you’d still take my breath away.’

He hands her the mug for her to have a sip, and she does, smiling at him over the brim.

‘Well, I’m glad,’ she says half-teasingly, brushing her fingers against his as she gives him back his (heavily) brandy-laced coffee. ‘I’ve heard it can be quite difficult finding just the right dress. It’s good to have a back-up.’

He looks genuinely conflicted for a moment, but then there’s a tell-tale glint in his eye and a smirk on his stupidly handsome face. ‘If nothing suits your fancy, you could always just wear, you know. Nothing.’  

She grins at him, despite herself. ‘Wouldn’t you like that?’

He lets out a low, lascivious chuckle and sets down his mug on top of the almost-forgotten receipt. ‘Oh, I most certainly would,’ he murmurs, lips pressed to her neck. His fingers start unbuttoning her shirt, and she has absolutely no intention of stopping him.

+

‘You clean up nicely,’ he whispers in her ear as her hand is placed in his. She knows he attempts at a playful tone, but his glistening eyes and his smile, more heartfelt than ever, get in the way. She leans close to him as their family and friends settle down behind them. ‘You don’t look to bad yourself.’ Her eyes glide over him, heat already prickling behind them. ‘But still a waste of money, I think. I still very much prefer your birthday suit.’

Their officiant clears his throat, and Chloe looks ahead, but not before catching the delirious grin on her very-soon-to-be husband’s face.

[bunkershotgolf]

Trip Advisor Community Votes Branson (Mo.) No. 3 in ‘Top Trending U.S. Destinations’ Category

Lakes, Golf Courses, Ozark Mountains, Family Attractions, Live Entertainment Theaters Fuel Popularity

For the 11th year in a row, the TripAdvisor community has voted #ExploreBranson in the top 20 US destinations, this year No. 3 in the “Top Trending U.S. Destinations” category.

That Branson is packed with visitor delights – many new and unique – aligns with what travelers want.

“As the world returns to travel, priorities are changing, and people want more memorable experiences on their trips. Three-quarters (75%) of Americans say that it’s important they ‘see new places’ when thinking about their future travel plans,” said TripAdvisor’s Steven Paganelli.

“Branson adds new activities and family fun every year, providing a virtually endless list of interesting experiences,” said Lynn Berry, Explore Branson Director of Communications. “We’ve been entertaining guests for decades, yet the number of visitors has been increasing annually, this is largely attributable to the fun and new things to see and do.”

Some of Branson’s most popular offerings are dozens of live entertainment theatres, iconic Silver Dollar City theme park, Ozark Mountains’ majesty, three pristine lakes, award-winning museums, shopping venues, scores of restaurants of every kind, and some of the best golf courses in the country.

Regarding golf, Branson is home to 10 courses including the recently awarded “Best New Public Course in America” by Golf Digest. Designed by Tiger Woods, Payne’s Valley is a fun and geologically astounding course, largely due to its bonus 19th hole – “The Big Rock.” The par-3 island green is surrounded by water on all sides at the surface level and towering limestone cliffs with waterfalls cascading down them. An amenity of Big Cedar Lodge, build by Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris, it’s no wonder the amazing natural elements steal the show here.

Five of Missouri’s top 10 rated courses – including the top three – are in the Branson golf destination. And three of those are ranked among the top 100 nationally.

While golf is thriving in Branson, it is made more appealing thanks to the destination’s plethora of complementary other attractions.  Three superb lakes offer boating and water sports. Astounding museums – Titanic Branson and Ancient Ozarks Natural History – showcase displays not found anywhere else. Hundreds of restaurants and lodging establishments beckon, along with a variety of live entertainment shows and outdoor adventures (zip lines, world-class fishing).

For more information about Branson visit www.ExploreBranson.com.

For more about Branson Golf, visit www.explorebranson.com/golf or www.facebook.com/bransongolf

About Explore Branson Golf

Ozarks National, 800.225.6343

Mountain Top, 800.225.6343

The Pointe, 417.334.4477

Thousand Hills, 800.487.0769, 417.334.4553

Buffalo Ridge, 800.225.6343

LedgeStone, 417.335.8187

Top of the Rock, 800.225.6343

Branson Hills, 417.337.2963

Payne’s Valley, 800.225.6343

Holiday Hills, 417.334.4838

About Explore Branson

Branson is a one-of-a-kind family vacation destination nestled in the lakeside beauty of the Ozark Mountains — and an incredible value — with dozens of live performance theaters, three pristine lakes, an international award-winning theme park, dozens of attractions and museums, a Historic Downtown district, a Town Center-style shopping complex, a full range of dining options, and a host of hotels, motels, resorts, RV parks, campgrounds and meeting and conference facilities. Branson is less than one day’s drive for one-third of America’s residents. With low-cost flights to the Branson Airport (BKG www.flybranson.com) and nearby Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), it has never been easier to access Branson. Call 1-800-296-0463 for help planning your next vacation, convention or reunion. See more at: http://www.explorebranson.com

[crossdressingdeath]

...I'm a little scared to look into how long each volume of the MXTX books is going to be and how much they cost, because like. I am pretty fucking sure that as long as it is there is no way TGCF (focusing on that one because I don't know the volume counts for SV or MDZS off the top of my head) needs to be eight volumes. Don't get me wrong, it definitely needs to be split because it is massive to the point of probably being physically impossible to bind as one volume, but I think you could fit that into three large volumes, or at most four or five smaller ones. I mean, maybe it's because I read a lot of high fantasy and so have a somewhat skewed view of what constitutes an unreasonably long book (I do love a good doorstopper), but the Stormlight Archive (as the most accessible example I've got) fits upwards of four thousand pages in four books, and while only the trade paperback copy of Way of Kings is small enough to easily carry (kudos to the publishers, they managed to fit just over a thousand pages into a surprisingly small space) none of them are unmanageable. Sure, they can be a little awkward to work with if you're trying to move around or read holding the book in your hands instead of putting it on a surface (big fucking books, very tall), but none of them are all that unwieldy to carry and read. Not the sort of thing you'd bring on the bus, maybe, but perfectly fine for reading at home, and there are always ebooks. And assuming the estimate of around $100 for the whole of TGCF I've seen floating around is accurate (if it's not I guess this doesn't necessarily matter, although it's still Interesting), the full Stormlight Archive series (again, that's four books of over a thousand pages each with illustrations, some of them in colour, and with at least one of them having a full colour foldout map in it) is barely more. Around $115, $116 according to the prices on mine, although one of them is a trade paperback and one of them is hardcover, which is probably skewing the total a bit. Oh, and that's Canadian dollars for the Stormlight Archive, while I suspect the TGCF price is American; Google tells me that $115-116 Canadian comes to around $91.60, $92.40 American. I don't know, I just feel like a single book should not cost more than a four book high fantasy series with over a thousand pages per book and illustrations in all of them no matter how long it is. Although I am now deeply curious about the page count, both per volume and in total. Hey, maybe it is hovering around eight thousand pages and it's totally necessary to split it into eight volumes! I seriously doubt it, but it's possible!