#composite floor market

[sports9885]

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the stone plastic composite flooring market was valued at USD 25.15 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 61.04 billion by 2029, registering a CAGR of 11.72 % during the forecast period of 2022 to 2029. In addition to the market insights such as market value, growth rate, market segments, geographical coverage, market players, and market scenario, the market report curated by the Data Bridge Market Research team includes in-depth expert analysis, import/export analysis, pricing analysis, production consumption analysis, patent analysis and technological advancements.

[chemicalresearchupdates]

Stone Plastic Composite Flooring Market: Technological Innovations and Product Development

Stone Plastic Composite Flooring: An Eco-friendly and Durable Flooring Option Stone plastic composite or SPC flooring has emerged as one of the most popular flooring choices today. With its ability to imitate the look of natural stone tiles but at a fraction of the cost, SPC flooring offers an elegant yet practical solution for homes and commercial spaces. In this article, we will discuss what SPC flooring is, its benefits over other traditional flooring materials and why it has become a preferred flooring option. What is SPC Flooring? SPC flooring, as the name suggests, is made from a mixture of crushed stone, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and pigments that give it a natural stone appearance. The crushed stone and PVC mixture is combined and calendared into thin sheets resembling stone or wood flooring planks or tiles. SPC flooring imitates the looks of expensive natural materials like marble, granite or hardwood but does not use actual stone or wood in its production. This makes SPC flooring highly affordable while providing the beauty and sturdiness of natural materials. Benefits of SPC Flooring SPC flooring offers multiple advantages that have contributed to its rising popularity: Durability - SPC flooring is extremely durable and can withstand heavy foot traffic and daily wear-and-tear in high traffic areas like kitchens and living rooms. Its water resistance prevents damage from occasional water spills or water leaks. Low Maintenance - Stone Plastic Composite Flooring are easy to clean and maintain. A quick sweep or damp mop is usually sufficient to keep them dust-free. They do not require waxing or polishing like hardwood floors. Scratch Resistance - The surface of SPC planks is highly scratch resistant due to the protective wear layer of aluminum oxide or silica. It can withstand scratching from furniture legs and is highly kid- and pet-friendly. Environment Friendly - SPC floors are considered eco-friendly as they are made of recycled materials like stone dust and use minimal raw materials in production. They also have low VOC emissions, making them a green home décor choice. Hypoallergenic - SPC does not support mold or mildew growth, making it a suitable choice for allergy sufferers. Its water resistance also helps manage allergens. Affordability - Despite mimicking luxurious natural stones, SPC flooring is very reasonably priced and more affordable than hardwood, natural stone, ceramic or porcelain tiles. Its longevity also makes it cost-effective over time. Wide Variety - SPC flooring comes in a diverse range of visuals from faux wood and stones to tile-patterns, embossing and colors. It provides for creative design possibilities. Resilience to Temperature and Humidity - SPC flooring remains unaffected by temperature fluctuations and performs well in both cold and humid climates as well as hot and arid conditions, making it suitable for any region. Conclusion To conclude, SPC flooring offers an eco-friendly and cost-effective flooring solution for residential as well as commercial applications. Its ability to reflect appearances of natural materials like stone and wood but without their maintenance woes makes it a top choice today. With wide format options, easy installation and longevity, SPC flooring has proven to be a reliable and popular flooring material for modern homes and offices worldwide.

[reportprime01]

Composite Floor Panels Market Size is growing at CAGR of 18.00%, this report covers analysis by Type, segmentation, growth and forecast 2023-2030

The Composite Floor Panels Market is expected to grow from USD 1.60 Billion in 2022 to USD 6.02 Billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 18.00% during the forecast period.

The composite floor panels market research report provides an analysis of the market conditions specific to this segment. The report highlights key market trends, drivers, restraints, and opportunities that are expected to impact the industry in the coming years. It provides detailed information on the market size, both in terms of value and volume, and gives insights into the market’s growth potential. The report also includes a competitive landscape analysis, profiling major players in the market and their strategies. Overall, the report serves as a comprehensive guide for stakeholders interested in understanding the current and future prospects of the composite floor panels market.

The objective of report is to define, segment, and project the market on the basis of product type, application, and region, and to describe the content about the factors influencing market dynamics, policy, economic, technology and market entry etc.

[gothhabiba]

The immediate impact of the Israeli occupation was to exacerbate unemployment: service jobs for the Egyptian army and UN forces vanished, trade with Egypt halted, and the port was closed. Moreover, since the combined GNP of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was only 2.6 percent of the Israeli GNP in 1967, they faced inevitable integration into the Israeli economy as the occuption continued. Furthermore, Israeli policies increased the Strip's dependency. These practices included permitting only certain Gaza products to be sold within Israel, flooding the Gaza market with Israeli goods, restructuring Gaza's agriculture, and encouraging Arab laborers to work in Israel.

The Balance and Composition of Trade. After only one year of occupation, 72 percent of Gaza's imports came from Israel; no imports were allowed from Egypt, and 1 percent of its imports came from Jordan (the balance came from Europe). This represented a dramatic shift, since all the prewar trade had been either directly with Egypt or with Europe and Asia through the Gaza port. [...]

A decade later the shift in trading patterns was even more pronounced. [...] 91 percent of imports came from Israel, and nothing was imported from Jordan or Egypt. [...] Dates, strawberries, and vegetables were also sold to Israel, and local industries engaged in subcontracting for Israeli firms.

Agriculture and industry were both hard hit by Israeli competition. Israeli eggs, poultry, and even vegetables sell at lower prices than local produce, and virtually all canned and bottled goods come from Israel. [...]

A 15 percent excise tax and soaring inflation erode the profits of merchants and factory owners. Gazans have no way to hedge against inflation, since the Israeli shekel is the only legal tender on the Strip.

Restructuring Agriculture. Israel has prevented farmers from exporting to Israel any items that compete with Israeli produce and has imposed restrictions on the planting of certain crops. As a result, the output of melons, onions, grapes, almonds, olives, and fish has decreased. Farmers need permits to plant trees and vegetables.

[...] The government has encouraged production of some specialized crops, such as strawberries and dates. Farmers in Beit Lahiya village say that they were ordered to grow strawberries and would otherwise have been prevented from using their land and well. These strawberries are marketed exclusively through Ashkelon port by the Israeli export firm Agrexco. No permits, however, have been given to farmers to plant such crops as mangoes and avocados, which are also grown in Israel.

Arab Labor in Israel. In 1970, 10 percent of the Gaza labor force was employed in Israel, but at present approximately 40 percent (35,000 persons) work there. This includes 25,000 workers who are registered with the official labor exchange and another 10,000 who work illegally. The high unemployment within the Strip and the fact that wages inside Israel were five times those in the Strip made such employment irresistible.

[...] Even those holding regular jobs face difficult conditions. For example, it is illegal for them to remain inside Israel from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. But employers and workers collude in circumventing the law so that the workers will not have to spend several hours every day commuting. Farmers let laborers sleep in huts, abandoned buses, or even in the open under the orange trees. In town, workers jam into hostels, sleep on construction sites, or spread out on the floor in restaurants. There have been cases of disasters when workers locked into factories at night were unable to escape when fires broke out. [...]

The overall impact of Israeli economic policy is to turn the Gaza Strip into a large labor camp. The Strip is a source of cheap labor for Israel and its internal economic base is continually eroded.

– 1985. Ann M. Lesch, "Gaza: Forgotten Corner of Palestine." Journal of Palestine Studies 15.1, pp. 43-61. Emphasis mine.

[ourtalechara]

Don't ask what I'm doing I'm not doing anything (VBS Data Stream guys look at it)

Kohane An Akito Toya and Luka

(actually nice and finished looking lyrics under cut)

Eventually, all walls meet demolition

So Wall Street had to keep the tradition

Their financial systems resigned to ignition

And out of the ashes, we have arisen

An empire is forged in the fire of ambition

In business, there isn't the time for attrition

Invest to suppress then ingest competition

Then each acquisition is new ammunition

When governments crumble and fall to the floor

That was paved with the graves of a corporate war

A fundament funded in blood just to shore

A foundation for founding our covenant

Born of a need for control of societal entropy

Enterprise at the price of your indemnity

Chart out the course and of course you were meant to be

Bent to the will of a corporate entity

Arasaka Security. You're in safe hands

We're the light in your screens, we're the lead in your veins

Then you wake from your dreams, so we can sell them again

In the light we distract with the shiny and new

So you're blind to the fact that the product is you

So let your brain dance and replay the dream

But don't drown in the data stream

'Cause we see where you are and we see where you go

'Cause we know what you own and we own what you know

From the top of all our towers, the corridors of power clearly need rewiring

Arasaka saw the spark and then embarked upon the path to turn that spark to lightning

There's no autonomous megalopolis so populous or prosperous you could reside in

And every citizen that's living in this city is a digit on the charts we're climbing

Political systems are too inefficient

They split like the atom and burned in the fission

Now every department and every decision

Defer to the herds of our corporate divisions

If you don't remember the ballot you cast

It's printed on every receipt you were passed

Each time you selected our products and services

We were elected in each of your purchases

What's left to do when you've got the monopoly?

Turn the consumer into the commodity

It isn't hard where you've hardware neurology

Honestly, do read the company policy

Take information and trade it for wealth

You pay it in each augmentation we sell

It's easy to cut out the middleman

When he's cut out most of himself

Arasaka Finance. Investing in your future

(chorus)

All that you say on the net we composite

To maps that go straight from your head to your pocket

Complain if you want, you're still making deposits

Of data — each day you log on is a profit

Society currently lists electronic

So isn't conducting resistance ironic?

We've plenty of skeletons locked in our closets

But yours are assembled from old-stock hydraulics

So lucky we know just the pieces you need

All plucked from your social media feeds

The places you go and the posts that you read

All snatched for a new algorithm to feed

Now, holding our gold isn't par for the brand

Our silver is sat in the palm of your hand

Quit whining and sign on the line in the sand

The supply does not get to make the demands

(chorus)

Arasaka Manufacturing. Building a better tomorrow

Name, age, qualifications

Race, faith, career aspirations

Political leaning, daily commute

Marital status, favourite fruit

Family, browser, medical history

Hobbies, interests, brand affinity

Fashion, style, your occupation

Gender identity, orientation

Lifestyle choices, dietary needs

The marketing contact you choose to receive

Posts, likes, employers, friends

Social bias, exploitable trends

Tastes, culture, phone of choice

Facial structure, the tone of your voice

If it's inside your head, we know

You can't escape the ebb and flow

(chorus)

When guiding the hand of the market

If it's holding a cheque or a gun

The fingers go deep in your pockets

And you can live under the thumb

You seem so surprised, what did you expect?

We're thinking outside of that box that you checked

The terms were presented in full to inspect

You scrolled to the end just to get to "Accept"

Arasaka would like to know your location

Arasaka would like to know your location

Arasaka would like to know your location

Arasaka would like to know your location

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Now or Never!

Game: Splatoon Series et al

Hi :3 Mod Cat Flopter here. I was too busy sleeping in a sunbeam to post until now, but I’m here with an oddball.

Now or Never! is an iconic song by the band Squid Squad, one of the first popular rock bands in the Splatoon world! Now or Never plays in the last minute of a Turf War in all three Splatoon games, as well as at other times in other forms.

The first hint of Now or Never! that world saw was at E3 2014, a weird boogie that helped show off Splatoon (for the Wii U console!!)

The Beta version of Now or Never! is unavailable in a clean quality. Most of the footage has ink flying everywhere! However, one intrepid fan recreated the sound on youtube :3

The original track goes for even more of a hard rock sound than the final Now or Never! This song REALLY tells you to Ink or Sink down the rankings, and Splattack the enemy to win! However, it doesn't quite sound like a Squid Squad song to me, with a lack of their trademark vocalist and the synthesizers Splatoon is known for. Overall, I like the finished Now or Never! betta, but the changes have me Kracken Up!

The finished Now or Never! by Squid Squad, which debuted in Splatoon 1, is such an iconic piece of Splatoon that it's hard to imagine the game without it.

The track is high energy and establishes lots and lots and lots of Splatoon's sound, from the rock influences, to the synths, to the inklish vocals and the energy! To quote a cool video, it's loud, bold, and Booyah! (please imagine a guitar riff!) I'm just a little guy and I don't know music theory so please watch this video instead https://youtu.be/38h8eudzy7k

it's only 11 Now or Never!s long, it's a good use of your time.

Squid Squad is soooo creative for soming up with this song all on their own :3

Next is the Squid Sisters’ splatfest cover of Now or Never!

With more of a Jpop feel, the Squid Sisters change up the sound immensely, going for MORE synths and a BUBBLEGUM feel! It’s so cool. I bet the original creators of Now or Never! Were so happy when they heard this cover by a famous band!!

The next iteration is a slightly altered live performance by the Squid SIsters from 2016!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxkKUbNnXKE&t=326s

The song is modified to be extended in this version, although i have to say- too much of a good thing :c. The new sections that aren’t just a loop of the original song are interesting evolutions, but they’re sadly a small part of the performance.

Next up is an era shift! The Splatoon 2 Global Testfire (2017) had its own version of Now or Never! This came with a shift in bands and an overall higher push for Splatoon marketing within other Nintendo games, such as Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! Its so cool that Squid Squad let Wet Floor cover their original song, and I'm excited to tell you about it!

With an obvious and notable shift in vocals, the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Now or Never! also brings a shift in energy from the Squid Squad version, slowing the song down and bridging the gap between the Squid Squad and Wet Floor versions of the song. It adds even more synths to the composition, pushing it towards a western poppy feel over the rock and jpop versions of Splatoon 1.

And here’s the finished version!

It pulls back on the synths to pre-splatoon 1 levels and boosts the crowd section, adding in a ska feel. The classic guitar and drum kit are even more prominent here than in the Squid Squad version, which has both benefits and drawbacks. For one, the Splatoon sound is a fusion of both rock and synths, so scaling it back to more conventional instruments for the genre it’s aiming for is to the game’s detriment. On the other, my cat flopther (father cat flopter) has made me a big fan of classic rock all my life, so I can’t be too mad at moving Now or Never! In that direction.

On the other hand, Off the Hook’s version of Now or Never is…

Oh. Oh no.

:c

It’s the same issue I have with the other version of Now or Never! In Splatoon 2, but it’s also I think a bad song for Off the Hook. Sorry to fans of lesbianism everywhere, but this just doesn’t sound like an Off the Hook song to me, and although the bubblegummy synth composition works for a Japanese pop band like the Squid SIsters, it doesn’t quite vibe for an American hip-hop, as well as pulling back on Splatoon’s unique sound. The brassy sound at the very beginning is cool, though, and the homage to Marina's inspriation is nice!

Although I’ve been speaking in timeline order up to now, I have to admit something.

I skipped two (2!) Now or Never!s. Actually, I skipped one Bouyant Bougie and I’m going to talk about Ebb and Flow as well in this section.

Being a story mode song, Buoyant Boogie appeared before the Splatfest exclusive Off the Hook Now or Never! on day 1.

Buoyant Boogie is a Now or Never!; it samples the Squid Sisters’ Now or Never! and even includes backwards vocals from Callie, hinting at her story mode fate, which is cool. :3 The song additionally only lasts one minute before looping. Also, Turquoise October ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Octo Expansion, the final battle is a Turf War on the NILS statue. For two minutes, Fly Octo Fly plays, then at one minute remaining, it transitions into Ebb and Flow. At the time, many people called this a Now or Never!

However, Ebb and Flow is NOT a Now or Never!. It’s an Ebb and Flow. Although it’s cool symbolically, it’s its own song and Off the Hook doesn’t need to be bound by tradition!! THEY GET TO MAKE THEIR OWN COOL MUSIC OK!!

sorry none of these videos are available btw

Okay so next is the first not a Splatoon game Now or Never!, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)’s Now or Never!

This song plays on the Urchin Underpass battle stage when one minute is left in the match. Interestingly, this is the only Now or Never that is shorter than a minute- The Final Lap jingle takes up four seconds, so the song itself is sped up to accommodate. It’s modeled after Squid Squad’s Now or Never, which is fitting for a Splatoon 1 exclusive stage!

In fact, it feels like a lot of appearances of Now or Never! are almost identical to Squid Squad’s Now or Never!. Here are the rest of them:

Tetris 99 (2019)’s Splatoon Theme’s “10 players left” music

Wait, that’s it?

Yeah! Surprisingly, Now or Never! Is usually remixed. Even though Squid Squad’s iconic and original cover of the song is the most popular, most appearances pay tribute to them instead of keeping their sound 100% the same. Take Super Smash Brothers Ultimate’s Now or Never for example. It’s worse than the original! I’m not even going to pretend to link to it! It’s bad!

The Splattack cover, though, is fresh and new! A jazzy, big band vibe that samples Now or Never! in the same jazzy style. Although it’s far from my favorite Now or Never! it’s something new, something that I’d be excited to see in a Splatoon game. Perhaps an Ink Theory cover? Regardless, it’s an interesting evolution of this Strange Splatoon Entity.

Meanwhile, the The Super Smash Brothers Ultimate remix of Now or Never! itself is……….

….

…

…

bad.

it’s so bad

Sorry, Spikey, do I have to talk about this?

“Yes, Sorry Mod Cat Flopter! You said you wanted to talk about all versions of Now or Never!”

Ok, fine :(

I will continue not even pretending to link this. It’s so bad. zero tension. only nominally a Now or Never!. An infinite Now or Never! would be a good thing, you would think.

Next is the Taiko no Tatsujin Switch Splatoon 2 Medley. A compilation of two original Wet Floor songs (Rip Entry and Turf Master) and their Now or Never! cover. It starts about a minute into the song, not a minute from the end, strangely enough! It’s the middle song of the three!

Off the Hook Live! at Polymanga 2018 This is one of the BEST versions of this song. Take a listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/-i9GTp3Mp30

With the Squid Sisters and live band members here, they use ACTUAL INSTRUMENTS along with the synths, the Splatoon style that I love so much. With a fresh new intro to the song and lots of extensions that continue to ramp up tension, this version of the Squid Sisters’ classic is the height of this song in my opinion!! it’s sooooooo gooooood!! The record scratches in the beginning to lead into the song itself, the electric guitar, the DRUMS!! that kick in at around thirty seconds in. Pearl dabs. THIS is how you extend Now or Never! to four minutes.

Okay, now the SPLATOON 2 FINAL FEST CHAOS VS ORDER NOW OR NEVER!

A second collaboration between Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters, this Now or Never! takes after the Off the Hook cover of the Squid Sisters’ cover of the Squid Squad cover, with both bands providing vocals. With the Squid Sisters here, this version of Off the Hook’s cover is… less bad. Not as good as the other way around, but still better than before. I like it when squids sing :)

Fast-forward three years to Splatoon 3! The third game in the series had, fittingly, three versions of Now or Never! At launch.

First of all, the Deep Cut cover. This chaotic cultural fusion combines the Brazilian, Middle-Eastern, Indian, and classic Japanese influences of the three members of Deep Cut! I’m only one of those things, so I will not comment on how well they pulled this off! All I know is that I really like this song, and that Shiver and Frye are lesbians as fuck. The same guy from before has a video on this one too! I’ll link that instead of posting a not available image. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ebqBmL53UQ

Now! Wham!

Flashback to when I posted about the Infinite Now Or Never in Smash Ultimate!

This one IS an infinite Now or Never! The Tableturf 3 turns remaining theme is a modified infinite Now or Never! In the Tableturf sound style, with Onward! cutting in multiple times through the song. If Now or Never! represents the Turf Warring denizens of the Surface, and Onward! represents the octarian army, this tune is perfect for the Splatlands, where both live in Harmony (tee hee! Get it? :3) and have for generations. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Last but certainly not least, but certainly not last-

C-Side’s Now or Never!

While writing this post (this has taken a long time!) New information came to light! Beika, the lead of C-Side, has claimed to be the first creator of Now or Never! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!! And it makes perfect sense! C-Side’s Now or Never! Is pure rock, a decision that sets it apart from other Splatoon music, which always involve synths!! This perfectly reflects the change in setting from the trendy high tech big city to the grungy desert! It’s SO GOOD!! Not the best Now or Never! (I do prefer Splatoon’s unique style!) But it’s hard to beat the original! But it’s also easy to beat the original! I love you C Side!!!!

Okay, this has been Mod Cat Flopter, Logging Off! :3 see you next week!!

p.s. ichiya is a stupid bastard

[neonblessing]

11.

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT! ⚠️ Click here to read Neon Blessing from the beginning!

Kurtz led her to a booth on the balcony, raised up on a dais to provide a view of the rest of the club. Gauzy red curtains offered some semblance of privacy. There were no bodyguards in sight, but Kurtz didn’t give off the impression of someone who needed guards. “I need to find someone,” Shiv said.

“You’ll be wanting to talk to Odie, then.” Odie, the panoptispex. Kurtz’s pet info mage.

“Yeah.”

“It’s gonna cost you. Its time is my money.”

“I can pay.” She made the sign of the bird under the table, silently thanking Ornarch for his help.

“The usual rate is one thousand credits a minute. Does that work for you?” Fucking hells.

“Yeah, that works.”

“Alright. Do you have an ID chip?”

“Yep. Untraceable.” Ornarch had taken her old one the day she met him, leaving a new one in its place. Whatever he’d done, it hadn’t even left a scar. 

Kurtz smiled. There was something perfunctory about it, about all of her actions, really. She moved and talked and smiled to get to the next thing, always to the next thing. She held a small tablet out to Shiv. “Transfer the money, and I’ll send you in to see Odie.”

Shiv tapped her card against the screen and transferred more money than she’d had at any one point in years, all to talk to someone for a minute.

“Basement. Second to last door on the left. Your minute starts when the door opens.”

“Thanks, Kurtz.”

“Mhm.”

Shiv wove her way through the dance floor, dodging elbows and flailing bodies as an electric guitar wailed with almost as much passion as the woman playing it. Now that Shiv was closer, the keyboardist, bassist, and drummer had the hazy, smoky look of holograms. Good holograms, sure, but it was undoubtedly a solo act. She absentmindedly wondered if anyone else had noticed.

The door to the basement was right of the stage, presided over by a woman cut from the same cloth as Headset and Scanner out front, who opened it as she approached. “Right this way, miss.”

Shiv smiled as she descended. The halls of the basement stretched off to both sides, all pristine and utilitarian, equally devoid of decoration and dust. Shiv turned left, and walked until she reached the door. It was obviously her destination. There were many rooms with many doors, but the rest were all sliding panels of white plastic, and this one was built like a vault door. The winking red light of a camera stared down at her, and a buzzer sounded as the door swung open, revealing a second door. An airlock.

Shiv stepped inside, and the huge door closed behind her. A voice came over a speaker as a portion of the wall opened up to reveal a shallow tray. “Turnoffyourphoneandputitalongwithanyweaponsinthetray,” it said, the audio remarkably clear in quality but the words were spoken too quickly to parse easily.

“What?”

The voice, with tremendous deliberateness and only slightly less haste, repeated the phrase, inserting each tiny pause between words as if it hurt. “TurnOffYourPhoneAndPutIt,AlongWithAnyWeapons,InTheTray.”

Shiv complied. “Does this count against my minute?”

“NoWorries.YourMinuteWillBeginWhenTheSecondDoorOpens.ThankYou.” The interior door swung open. “YourMinuteBeginsNow.”

The room was dark. Its only illumination came from dozens–no, hundreds–of screens that covered every surface. Each showed a different scene, each one cycling a few times every second: snippets of security footage, market metrics, news articles, primetime TV, and bird’s eye views of the streets of the Diluvian District.

In the middle of the room sat Odie. It was facing her, cross-legged on a mat on the floor, wearing a helmet which appeared to be composed of a single, shining obsidian surface. IV lines trailed from its arms and back to hidden reservoirs in the ceiling. Besides the helmet, it was naked, its body emaciated and pale from gods-knew-how-long spent without seeing the outside world. At a second glance, the helmet was neither helmet nor uniform in its composition: Odie had a thousand cameras set into its skull, a thousand unblinking eyes all fixated forever on the screens that surrounded it. It was a panoptispex, all-seeing and all-knowing.

“You’reLookingForSomeone,ShivGodschild.”

“Yes. For my…”

First Page – Previous Page – Next Page (⚠️COMING SOON⚠️)

[chaoticdesertdweller]

Castelnuovo Bormida, Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy c.1700

750 square meters/6 bedrooms/4 baths $182,885 approx USD

"Castelnuovo Bormida - Located within the charming setting that houses the medieval castle symbol of Castelnuovo (an imposing and ancient architectural structure at the foot of the Bormida river), this historic Renaissance residence that is spread horizontally with an L-shaped plan and vertical on four levels. The same retains the original architectural elements intact, a value that distinguishes it and makes it a unique opportunity in the high quality real estate market.

The prestigious house has a total area of 750 square meters spread over 4 floors:

Ground Floor -__________sqm 270

Here were the spaces dedicated to the activities for the management of the house.

This level can be accessed above all by two entrances: one under the main staircase and another very easy to loading and unloading is located in Via del Castello.

In the room used as a kitchen there is still the oven and the old stoves

A comfortable and large secondary staircase leads to the other floors.

Some openings lead into the fenced garden by a high brick wall.

This floor is therefore composed as follows: Entrance, basement, kitchen, living room, two woodshed rooms, two garages, cellar room as well as exclusive garden.

First floor ___________sqm 280

The main floor of representation.

Access to this floor is via a climbing up the beautiful staircase where you can not help but admire the ceiling embellished by the authentic coffered painting and preserved to perfection, you enter the living room where the nobles welcomed the guests. A disengaged sitting room the floor, from here there is access to the loggia, the bedrooms and the utility staircase. Now this floor is used as a main house.

The current composition is as follows: entrance hall, large living room, kitchen, 2 open spaces, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and veranda.

Second floor _______sqm 150

Plan that was made available for service or for a private residence, identical to the one under the summer in the layout of the spaces, more Spartan and as a whole more authentic.

7 rooms, two bathrooms and veranda.

Third Floor - Attic

From the loggia climbing a 1700s authentic wood staircase. You can explore the attic of 200 square meters. With truss, beams and original strips and 10 external views."- from the listing

https://www.gate-away.com/properties/piedmont/alessandria/castelnuovo-bormida/id/566315

📸 Source/Photos: Bracco Immobiliare

[solver002]

Eventually, all walls meet demolition So Wall Street had to keep the tradition Their financial systems resigned to ignition And out of the ashes, we have arisen

An empire is forged in the fire of ambition In business, there isn't the time for attrition Invest to suppress then ingest competition Then each acquisition is new ammunition

When governments crumble and fall to the floor That was paved with the graves of a corporate war A fundament funded in blood just to shore A foundation for founding our covenant

Born of a need for control of societal entropy Enterprise at the price of your indemnity Chart out the course and of course you were meant to be Bent to the will of a corporate entity

Arasaka Security. You're in safe hands

We're the light in your screens, we're the lead in your veins Then you wake from your dreams, so we can sell them again In the light we distract with the shiny and new So you're blind to the fact that the product is you So let your brain dance and replay the dream But don't drown in the data stream 'Cause we see where you are and we see where you go 'Cause we know what you own and we own what you know

From the top of all our towers, the corridors of power clearly need rewiring Arasaka saw the spark and then embarked upon the path to turn that spark to lightning There's no autonomous megalopolis so populous or prosperous you could reside in And every citizen that's living in this city is a digit on the charts we're climbing

Political systems are too inefficient They split like the atom and burned in the fission Now every department and every decision Defer to the herds of our corporate divisions

If you don't remember the ballot you cast It's printed on every receipt you were passed Each time you selected our products and services We were elected in each of your purchases

What's left to do when you've got the monopoly? Turn the consumer into the commodity It isn't hard where you've hardware neurology Honestly, do read the company policy

Take information and trade it for wealth You pay it in each augmentation we sell It's easy to cut out the middleman When he's cut out most of himself

Arasaka Finance. Investing in your future

We're the light in your screens, we're the lead in your veins Then you wake from your dreams, so we can sell them again In the light we distract with the shiny and new So you're blind to the fact that the product is you So let your brain dance and replay the dream But don't drown in the data stream 'Cause we see where you are and we see where you go 'Cause we know what you own and we own what you know

All that you say on the net we composite To maps that go straight from your head to your pocket Complain if you want, you're still making deposits Of data — each day you log on is a profit

Society currently lists electronic So isn't conducting resistance ironic? We've plenty of skeletons locked in our closets But yours are assembled from old-stock hydraulics

So lucky we know just the pieces you need All plucked from your social media feeds The places you go and the posts that you read All snatched for a new algorithm to feed

Now, holding our gold isn't par for the brand Our silver is sat in the palm of your hand Quit whining and sign on the line in the sand The supply does not get to make the demands

Arasaka Manufacturing. Building a better tomorrow

Name, age, qualifications Race, faith, career aspirations Political leaning, daily commute Marital status, favourite fruit

Family, browser, medical history Hobbies, interests, brand affinity Fashion, style, your occupation Gender identity, orientation

Lifestyle choices, dietary needs The marketing contact you choose to receive Posts, likes, employers, friends Social bias, exploitable trends

Tastes, culture, phone of choice Facial structure, the tone of your voice If it's inside your head, we know You can't escape the ebb and flow

We're the light in your screens, we're the lead in your veins Then you wake from your dreams, so we can sell them again In the light we distract with the shiny and new So you're blind to the fact that the product is you So let your brain dance and replay the dream But don't drown in the data stream 'Cause we see where you are and we see where you go 'Cause we know what you own and we own what you know

When guiding the hand of the market If it's holding a cheque or a gun The fingers go deep in your pockets And you can live under the thumb

You seem so surprised, what did you expect? We're thinking outside of that box that you checked The terms were presented in full to inspect You scrolled to the end just to get to "Accept"

Arasaka would like to know your location (In the light we distract with the shiny and new) Arasaka would like to know your location Arasaka would like to know your location (So you're blind to the fact that the product is you) Arasaka would like to know your location

.

[baolin-floor111]

What is SPC Flooring?

Introduction

Selecting the appropriate flooring at an affordable price can significantly improve both the visual attractiveness and practicality of your home.As a dealer seeking high-quality flooring solutions, it is essential to understand the intricacies of SPC flooring.SPC flooring has become a popular choice in the global market due to its durability and aesthetic appeal. Dive into the world of SPC flooring and beyond with this all-encompassing manual.

What is SPC Flooring?

SPC Flooring, or Stone Plastic Composite Flooring, is an innovative flooring choice made by blending natural limestone powder, polyvinyl chloride, and stabilizers. This special mixture results in a core layer that is extremely durable and strong. Also SPC flooring can be designed to provide an excellent combination of strength, durability, and visual charm, making it a popular choice for distributors aiming to provide their customers with dependable and appealing products.

Why should I consider SPC flooring for my inventory?

Distributors can benefit from this kind of flooring due to its durability, low maintenance, and diverse design options. Also its water-resistant characteristic allows for use in various settings, while the durable core ensures a long lifespan, making it a practical and economical choice for your product range.

Is SPC flooring easy to install?

Yes, This kind of flooring features a click-lock system that allows for quick and easy installation, reducing labor costs and installation time.Therefore this ease of installation makes it a popular choice among both DIY enthusiasts and professional installers.

More Questions About SPC Flooring

Is SPC flooring environmentally friendly?

This kind of flooring is environmentally friendly, as it uses recycled materials during production and minimizes waste. This eco-conscious feature can attract customers looking for sustainable construction materials.

How does SPC flooring handle heavy furniture and appliances?

Thanks to its rigid core, this kind of flooring can withstand the weight of heavy furniture and appliances without denting or damage. However, it is recommended to use furniture pads to protect the surface further.

What design options are available with SPC flooring?

This kind of flooring comes in a variety of designs, including wood, stone, and tile looks. Also this versatility allows you to offer a broad range of aesthetic options to meet the diverse preferences of your clients.

In conclusion

Additionally, SPC flooring offers a flexible and long-lasting flooring choice that blends the beauty of natural stone with innovative polymer technology.Its easy installation and low maintenance, apart from being waterproof, have made it the most sought-after solution both at home and in commercial spaces. Therefore, if you are thinking about replacing a new floor, SPC flooring can bring a host of benefits that will satisfy your needs and surprise you by exceeding your expectations.

If you have any questions or want to know about our this kind of flooring products, do not forget to contact us. All the members of our team will assist you every step of the way until you discover the ideal flooring for your project.

[thierry-facon]

@luxlit  2022 Year End Top 5 Photo Extravaganza. Many thanks to luxlit for continuing the tradition!

2022 has been less about pure photography and more about the composite images made of my photographs.

ROMA ANTICA - There are over 50 photographs from me series of tree barks hanging on the walls of the gallery, which is a reconstruction of a paining by Panini

BACK TO BUSAN - Dried frogs at the Busan fish market

DUOMO -10 versions of the DUOMO series, based on the floor plan of the Duomo di Siena

POOL 32 - TROUBLE DU PORTRAIT - A wind storm broke the trunk of a papaya tree in my garden. I had to throw the canopy into the swimming pool to photograph it.

ICON - based on an old Russian icon, displaying images form the A WORLD RELIGION series.

[aphroditestummyrolls]

Keep You Safe (part 2) 😊 😊

Hi there! ❤️

Dear Colm,

As always, I hope you’re well. Until quite recently, I would say that things were good here as well, but if that was still the case, you wouldn’t be receiving this note.

In the early hours of this morning (12 October), Jesper got sick again. It’s worse than we’ve ever seen, nearly as bad as the withdrawal itself.

Kaz and I have written to King Nikolai, and we are taking The Hummingbird to The Little Palace. In the hope that, between our two searches for an antidote, we might finally be able to get rid of the parem, and get Jesper back to himself again. Inej brings this note on our behalf, as well as the invitation to join us in Ravka.

We will all set out on board The Hummjngbird from Ketterdam on 16 October.

Jesper has been asking for you— and he’s not the only one who would feel better having you there.

Love,

Wylan

The house had changed so much since he’d last stayed there. In the front hall, the dark lacquered wood detailing remained, and so did the checkered marble floors. But, the whitewashed walls were now painted a rich, verdant green. The wide, circular area rug had a woven pattern that he recognised from Addy’s favourite old stall in the Weddle Markets. When Jesper had asked for its name in their letters, he must’ve placed an order.

The runner up the grand staircase couldn’t be said to match the rug under his feet, but at least it coordinated. The bright patterns of pink and blue, cream and green set off against the walls paint. The chandelier twinkled down over the space that had once felt so cavernous and cold, and now it felt like them— Jesper’s wild energy and passion for colour, and Wylan’s artistic eye for composition.

In the couple short months since Colm left for home, this place had become a home.

He only hoped his boys would show him around sometime. Give him the tour, show him everything they’d changed. But that would have to wait— they wouldn’t be staying longer than it took to pack this special ship of theirs.

They were going to Ravka. To see if they could save his son.

Thank you so much for playing! ❤️

[chemicalresearchupdates]

Market Insights and Growth Opportunities in Stone Plastic Composite Flooring

The growing construction industry presents an opportunity for the expansion of the stone plastic composite flooring market. According to the Global Construction 2030 report, the global construction output is projected to grow 85% to $15.5 trillion worldwide by 2030. Rapid urbanization in developing countries such as India and China is expected to drive the demand for new residential and commercial infrastructure. This will subsequently increase the demand for premium flooring products such as SPC flooring. Its advantages such as water resistance, affordability, ease of maintenance over traditional flooring make it an ideal option for applications across residential as well as commercial construction sectors. Hence, significant investments in construction globally are likely to propel the stone plastic composite flooring market during the forecast period. Porter’s Analysis

Threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants is moderate as the initial investments for production facilities and R&D is quite high. However, the availability of raw materials is fairly easy.

Bargaining power of buyers: The bargaining power of buyers is high as the stone plastic composite flooring market has numerous national and international players providing a wide variety of options at different price points to the buyers.

Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is moderate as the key raw materials such as stone, plastic and other additives required are available frommultiple suppliers globally. However, suppliers may bargain for higher prices due to rising input costs.

Threat of new substitutes: The threat of new substitutes is low as stone plastic composite flooring has a unique blend of attributes like durability, scratch and stain resistance which are not easily replicated by other flooring materials.

Competitive rivalry: is high due to presence of numerous national and international players.

SWOT Analysis

Strength: Stone plastic composite flooring offers attributes like durability, stain and scratch resistance along with ease of installation. SPC floors mimic the looks of other expensive flooring materials at lower costs.

Weakness: SPC floors require specialized installation techniques. Initial costs are higher than other alternatives like laminate and vinyl floors. Regular wear and tear may reduce lifespan eventually.

Opportunity: Rising income levels and changing consumer preferences towards low maintenance luxurious flooring drive the demand. Rapid growth of real estate and construction industries especially in developing economies offer significant opportunities.

Threats: Volatility in raw material costs especially of plastic inputs may squeeze profits. Introduction of new advanced flooring materials posing substitutes also poses threat to existing market share.

Key Takeaways

The global stone plastic composite flooring market is expected to witness high growth supported by rising construction activities especially in Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa regions.

The Asia Pacific region dominates the global SPC flooring market attributed to large population, rapid urbanization and increasing spending power in major economies like China and India.

Key players operating in the stone plastic composite flooring market are Shaw Industries Group Inc., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mannington Mills, Inc., Armstrong Flooring Inc., Tarkett S.A., Beauflor, Gerflor, Karndean Designflooring, Congoleum, and Novalis Innovative Flooring.

[honestlyvan]

Thinking about image model generated art and gifmaking is giving me some weird vibrations about how there really is some weird association of the virtuesvirtues of a medium with the virtues of the people working in it. Gifmaking being associated with KPop fans doesn't make the concept of frame interpolation racist, and someone marketing themselves as a cheaper alternative to some other artist doesn't make the concept of generative art inherently class antagonistic.

It's somehow reminiscent of CJ the X's distinction between "stupid art" and "evil art", how a medium that has a low skill floor can produce things that are very stupid and easy to perceive as low-effort but how that's not the same as them having something wrong with them. If you look at my animation tag, most of it is motion graphics done with AfterEffects, and while it's probably wrong to call it a low skill floor program the way an AI art generator is... there is still a world where instead of programmatically telling shapes to whizz by on a screen, a different Van would have drawn those same animations frame by frame, producing exactly the same animation.

And I don't think the fact that I did them programmatically somehow invalidates the artistic intent that went into them, y'know? I could open AE right now and produce a 250x250 looping gif of clouds and while I know how to do that quick, to make it look good and to make me like it, I would have to spend time considering how the various elements, colours, timings and whatever the particle system/noise generator I use spits out fit together. I would have to fiddle with seeds and levels and timings to make it look good. I would have to spend a long time just staring and thinking about what I'm making before I could make it good.

I don't know enough about generative art tools to know how much fiddling goes into them once they're taught and ready to go, but I do know enough about deep learning to know it's a haphazard, frustrating process that you as the artist have only limited control over, which is why it doesn't appeal to me. But I have made gifs in the past, and I know how that process requires an eye for consistency and composition, framing and colour that a lot of other visual artists don't have because they're not working with time as one of the creative dimensions.

And like... who am I, from my high horse as someone in possession of these skills, to tell someone who is still developing these skills or who has a different aesthetic concept of what is good than me, what they're making is low-effort. That's not my judgement to make. I didn't make it. Only the artist themselves can say if somehing was low-effort or not. I don't see why I should have so little faith in other artists to assume they have no interest in putting in any effort.

[m3rricat]

You Do Not Have To Be Good - Ch. 2

Story summary: Four months after the defeat of the Netherbrain, Astarion finds himself stuck in the mire of his past and all the anger and despair that comes with it. While wrestling with her traveling-companion-turned-lover’s misery, Cat makes an impulsive decision that sets off their first falling-out. This post-game short story is told alongside the full in-game story of the evolving relationship between Cat (the not-a-bard) and Astarion (needs no introduction) which varies from canon. Told from both POVs.

Chapter Masterlist

Chapter 2: Cat finds herself at the dark heart of it; then, bite night re-imagined, in which Astarion accidentally gives almost as much as he gets.

Pairing: Astarion x female Tav

Chapter Content Warnings: gore, brief description of flaying

Word Count: 4572

Read on AO3

No matter where Cat stands in this heap of a city, she always knows where it is. It presses just barely on the base of her skull when she picks through greens at the grocer stall. When she winds through the market-day throngs on her way back home. When she lays her head down and tries to sleep—it tugs at her from where it squats to the east.

Cazador’s former palace is a certified ruin now. A strike from a nautiloid during the last battle had sheared through the roof of the main structure, disintegrating much of the dilapidated attic space and exposing the floors below to the elements. No distant relative of the Szarrs, if they still lived, had sought to claim it, and no one else seemed keen to try. Standing as it does practically within the wall between the upper and lower city, it is far too close to the unwashed masses to be at all attractive to anyone who could afford it. And so it sits, empty. Patiently moldering.

The structure haunts her subconscious because the horrors that were inflicted within it consume Cat’s waking mind. What an idiot she had been to think that Astarion had left it behind. At all. To think that he could just slough it off like dead skin and be reborn perfectly content. This past month it feels like she has been living with two of him, and neither the one stuck fast in 200 years of torment nor the one who sometimes manages to dig his way out is happy. More than wearing on her patience, it is wearing out her heart. Which makes her feel more guilty.

Because Cat knows. She knows that the place that makes you gets its claws in you, and they’re forever. She’s had a couple decades to learn to live with them. Most of the time she can ignore where they’re hooked into her, but now and then something will jerk them under her skin, and it all comes flooding in, like high tide on the marsh. And in all her senses she is thrown back there: the ubiquitous perfume of decay in her nose, and in her ear, the seabirds’ cries mingled with her father’s drunken sobs.

The past that dogs Astarion is not hers to claim. And yet, Cat feels it dogging her all the same. Dragging his mind away from the present, from her, more and more. She hates it with a sharpness that sticks in her throat. She wants it to manifest before her, for that sneering terror Cazador to re-form so she can beat him to death again with all the rage and despair that has built up like grit in her body since they had killed him. When she thought they had killed him for good.

Cat wakes directly from her fantasy of snapping the vampire lord’s skinny neck to find herself staring up at the pockmarked doors of his palace, grocery basket still hanging on her arm. The massive doors sit at crooked angles, half off their hinges, forming a slim gap only just large enough to slip through.

She doesn’t remember how her feet carried her here. How she must have veered from her weekly shopping run a good half-mile away to this ruin, which stands behind an abandoned guard post and wrought iron gate. Really, she should get back—she has some fresh crab in her basket that would not keep, and a composition waiting for her that she must make some progress (any progress) on, so she can finally bring some income.

Cat’s eyes continue to range over the blunt edifice of the palace. What gestures towards greenery the groundskeepers had maintained around the entrance were long dead. Four months ago, the only other time she had been here herself, the plants here were already withering. Because the master within had better things for his servants to prepare.

But she had seen this place, too, when it had been meticulously maintained with flowers for every season. She had seen it through his eyes that time Violet and Aurelia had dragged him back screaming his throat raw the morning he had been caught trying to save that one man from Cazador’s clutches. They had shoved him out of the shadow of the doorway to let the rising sun start the torture he would endure for as long as his master willed. He remembered seeing the colors of the flowers by the stairs, emerging in the dawning light as his extremities began to crack and crumble. There was one, a morning glory, which twisted open just as his eye alighted on it. The deep, almost electric indigo of it seared itself into his mind, and he clung to the memory of it when he was sealed in the smothering dark for that next year.

Cat wipes her eyes and plunges through the gap.

~

In Cat's dreams that night, the marshes are filled with blood, which is not unusual. But this time the metallic stench of it in her nose almost makes her wretch. She is about to wade out into the red-tinged blackness when she feels a prick on her neck. Her first thought is that a bird had alighted on her shoulder, that it's pecking at her—

Cat jerks awake. Something next to her jerks.

Before her mind can fully register anything, her body manages to teleport several feet away on all fours, like a spooked horse. The thing does not follow. It stays wallowing in the dirt by her bedroll which is laid outside tonight, Cat having to forego the shelter of a tent since they do not yet have enough for all.

Cat’s heart is beating clear out of her chest as she scrambles to her feet while her eyes adjust with her smidgen of darkvision. She peers at it. It looks like a mangled corpse huddled on the ground. Without warning, it groans. And then it speaks.

“Ca—at…please,” Astarion’s voice wheezes out of its throat as if through a punctured bellows.

The second thing Cat recognizes is the shirt. Those insipid frills that he so very casually leaves untied (revealing what? A pale, skinny chest?). Only half the shirt still clings to him—the right half is gone completely, torn off, and a good chunk of his right arm with it. Or—eugh. It isn’t a clean chunk of it gone. It has been gnawed on, bones crunched, splinters poking through the gore that remains. The whole thing hangs at a sickening angle from the few tendons that still connect it to his shoulder. Her eyes drag to his torso, which is black with blood, slashed to ribbons through his shirt—and then his face. She does not want to look. His one remaining eye glints in the darkness. The other side of his face is a red ruin, cheek torn clear through. Her stomach roils.

His mouth lolls open, revealing what she has been strongly suspecting since the beginning—fangs gleaming like a beacon amidst the wreck of his form.

Cat had of course noticed his pallor when they met. His eyes. That what little of his canines she saw seemed unusually long. But after he threatened and cajoled her on the beach by the smoldering wreckage, she had still decided to keep him on. Maybe wandering through clouds of smoke from burning, rotting ship-flesh simply did not allow one to think straight, but she vaguely remembers wanting to stick with other tadpoled folks for safety. And to observe them for early warning signs.

Astarion had been standing on that beach under a cloudless sky in the afternoon sun. That had to rule vampirism out. Didn’t it? Cat had put her questions aside, but evidence to the contrary continued to pile up day after day. They lived cheek to jowl, and yet she never saw food pass his lips. And on a couple early mornings, she had watched him saunter into camp and, on closer inspection, noticed a few rust-colored specks on his otherwise spotless self.

Cat has pondered what to do—clearly, if Astarion was a vampire of all things, he had decided to keep his feedings away from the group, which seemed to indicate he meant no harm. But before Cat could resolve on anything, her plan to get a quick cure from the Gith crèche was dashed by a squadron of Gith and a red dragon (mostly the dragon), so she scrambled to begin plotting a Plan B.

The animated corpse that is Astarion lurches toward Cat, startling her back to the present. A nauseating gurgle sounds from his throat. It seems whatever air was in his lungs has leaked out, and they are too perforated to hold more.

Cat shivers in her loosely-tied stays and shift against the chill of the night as her mind tries to wrap around what is happening, tries to decide what the hells she should do. Astarion flings his good arm out, levers on top of it, and tries to crawl. His face is canted up toward her, his mouth working wordlessly.

That is when she feels the tadpole tickle at her brain. After a moment it starts to thrash, sending a painful jolt through her skull down into her spine. She hears words in her mind, but they sound too far off to make them out. They echo, and then stop. Astarion continues to stare up at her, body trembling with the effort. Now his teeth clench in something like frustration. He bows his head. Then, with no build-up, the worm in Cat’s brain lashes ferociously, flinging her into the abyss.

Eyes. Red, glowing balefully. They are your universe. The impulse in your limbs, your dead brain. There is nothing that came before them. Nothing else that will come after. And as they commanded, you bite down with an unfamiliar mouth into a writhing handful of fur and bone and muscle. Your tongue laps greedily at the rivulets of blood you manage to squeeze—

—squeeze the scream from your mouth as your master unhurriedly peels the skin from your fingers, then fillets them to the bone as the flesh tries to grow back against the relentless violence, all the while murmuring praises for the sweetness of your sobs—

—sobs that tear from your parchment-dry throat as your mind tries to recall color, any color; it has been years, surely, that you have been in the close press of the dark, and you shiver as your splintered mind conjures up flickering images of the most vibrant blue-purple, so beautiful it must have been a dream—

—dream, no more than that, your mind so used to the leering stares raking across your perfect skin that will soon turn to pawing and groping and pulling and penetrating; the violations that cannot reach you, you tell yourself, not matter how deep they get—

Cat falls down and down, her mind catching on the random spikes of horror that stab through him like lightning. A handful are scenes so clear she shudders from the sharp immediacy of their feeling, but nearly all are mere scraps of images or sensations she cannot make sense of. The tide of deep, aching misery is ever-present.

Just as Cat feels she is about to hit the bottom, she braces herself. But the impact doesn’t come. She opens her eyes, finding herself on her own two feet. She stands in the morning mists of the group’s campsite from several days ago, on the cliffs overlooking the beach. Where Astarion had called her dour. He is in front of her, standing, looking east at the sky just starting to lighten. She does not stand in his place now, but she feels the tightness in his chest as if it is her own. The refusal in his mind to let himself hope for anything, but the inability to deny the joy he feels at seeing this for the first time his body can remember.

Cat steps towards him. He whips around—his expression quickly turns from wide-eyed wonder to narrow annoyance as he sees her.

“I need your blood,” he snaps.

Cat’s mind races. Blood? Why would he—and then she remembers exactly where she is. It feels like she has been buffeted through his mind for ages. But no, the real her was standing in front of chewed-up him somewhere outside of here.

Cat tries to form words. “But—healing. I’ll get Shadowheart—”

“No,” he retorts like a whip. “I need to regenerate—but this damn tadpole is slowing it down. I haven’t gotten enough blood, between the fighting and everything else. Please,” he says through gritted teeth. The crest of the rising sun throws him into relief, blinding Cat—

—the chill of the night and the bloody smell of Astarion’s body come rushing back as Cat opens her eyes. She has fallen to her hands and knees. Astarion is where he was, and he is looking back at her, but he can barely keep his head up.

Cat swallows. She tries to make her mind work. Despite his protests, Shadowheart should be able to heal him, surely? But then a thought occurs to her—but can healing spells heal him, being as he is… undead? She can’t recall if she ever saw anyone use one on him before now. And Shadowheart herself also said that her own powers have been severely weakened by the worm. And Astarion needs something powerful—

… Fine.

She sighs. This is about to top the list of gravely stupid things she has done in her life.

Cat half-rises, takes the couple steps to her bedroll, and sits down in front of Astarion. She looks at her wrist. It is the first spot she thinks of to... donate. But her head suddenly fills with visions of an over-eager Astarion chomping down on the delicate tendons and mutilating them, rendering her more useless than usual without the ability to perform.

Where else? Elbow? Same problem. Where were other major veins, close to the surface? She can only think of her neck. Gods damn it all to hell.

She hardens her voice as she speaks at last. “Fine. I’ll give you some. But take more than you need, or try to bite without asking again—and you’re done.”

Astarion can’t say anything, but Cat decides to take his blink—one eye, like a morbid wink—as confirmation. Now comes the messy part.

She is not going to lay down for this. No way, no how. So she goes about gathering him upright as she kneels on her bedroll. Despite how excruciating it must be, he doesn’t so much as whimper. Not even when, trying not to hurl, she picks up his ruined arm to keep it with him out of fear that the bit of his shoulder still clinging to it will give way. She moves it slowly onto his lap. Then she puts her arm around him, pulls him toward her, then decides to shift toward him instead after she finds that easier. In the end she holds him against herself in a sticky embrace.

Then she sets about maneuvering his head. First he lolls it to her left side. “N—nuh-uh. Not there. That side—that side’s for violins only,” she half-whispers. Her inane words almost makes her laugh.  Except they don’t, because what she doesn’t say is also he can’t feed from that side because it would leak out of the side of his face where he has no face.

So she lays his intact left cheek down on her right shoulder. She half-expects to feel his breath, but of course there is none. She’s holding a dead body, after all.

He just sits there in corpse-wrong stillness. She half wonders if he has, well, died-died. So she ventures, “Go on, then. Get this over with.”

The sudden tickle of his nose sends a shiver through her. It’s searching, sounding for the vein. And then the touch of his lips, almost shockingly soft.

Well, this is it, you stupid girl. This is when you have to fish or cut bait.

Her arms clutch at his back at the same moment his fangs slide so easily into her neck.

It’s like plunging into a cold ocean, but after the initial shock it turns to deliciously warm bathwater. She hears herself let out a moan that if she was in her right mind would have made her die of embarrassment on the spot.

But she doesn’t. Because all the tension Cat has been carrying for eight damn years is leaking out her neck with the blood. She feels fuzzy, like the edges of her are melting into Astarion whose attentions are getting more and more forceful as her blood wakes him up. There is a twinge of panic deep in her mind, but the signal from it is taking its sweet time hitting her consciousness. So instead she wraps her arms around him tighter, greedy for the irresistible comfort suffusing her body. She feels as if Astarion is melting into her at the same time, the sense of him as something separate beginning to tangle with herself. She sighs contentedly.

Cat doesn’t know how long it’s been when she finally feels the spark of fear surface, the flood of adrenaline as she realizes what is happening. Her first instinct is to wrench her body away, but Astarion feels very latched on, and she fears that if she tears him off he will come away with a chunk of her neck.

So she winds one hand in his hair and says as loud as she dares, voice cracking right in his ear, “Astarion, enough—”

His sucking falters. She tugs as sharply as she can with her weakening arm. “Off. N-now.”

He groans, and for a moment Cat fears he is about to bite deeper. But his jaw hinges open. He goes to raise his head, then sets his forehead on her shoulder instead, breathing slow and shuddering, blood dripping from his mouth.

Cat is hit with a sudden wooziness and sways, clutching at him for balance, setting her own head against his shoulder out of necessity. In the haze of her blood loss, everything seems barely real.

“Are you all better now?” she mumbles into his collarbone, suddenly giddy.

With effort, he raises his head. Cat tries to do the same, but her skull is still too damn heavy. She turns it against his shoulder instead, looking up at him. Her blood coats his mouth and his chin, black and glossy. Looking at it gives her a strange feeling she can’t place. From her vantage point, she starts to see muscle crawl back over his cheekbone and jaw, followed by a layer of pearly skin. Her hand raises unconsciously to touch the new cheek, but thankfully her sane mind intervenes in time to stop it.

“Y—you seem. Unruffled,” he manages to cough up. His face is blank as his newly-mended eye rolls down to look at her. Cat feels him stiffen under where her cheek lies, but he does not attempt to push her away.

“Oh, well. You’re not my first dead person—I mean,” she shakes her head against his shoulder. “You’re not the first dead person I’ve seen. May be the nicest-looking, though. Not so bloated.” She shrieks inwardly at her daft babbling.

He finally makes an expression, blanching. “Bloated!? I’m bloated—?”

“Nnno, you’re not,” she practically wails, jerking upright. She sways where she sits, her head pounding. “It’s—my mind is. A bit blurry. I mean not bloated. Not waterlogged at all.”

He glares at her as he shifts back and sits on the ground. Cat notices his arm. “Oh! Thank gods, I was worried about that.”

Astarion clutches it to him and hisses, “and it almost was as good as gone thanks to you needing so much hand-holding!  In my state I could barely control that damn tadpole to send you a simple message, and instead you—” He cuts himself off. His eyes rake her face. “What did you see?”

“Where?”

“Don’t play dumb. In my—head. I could feel you snooping all around before I finally found you. What did you see?”

The giddiness has fully worn off now. Cat regards Astarion tensed before her, looking less dead but still a mess. She tries to choose her words carefully, fighting the clearing fog in her head. “I—I saw a lot of. Of pieces. A few longer, but most were just snatches, things I couldn’t—” she stops. Starts again. “I can’t put it all together. I know he—Szarr was your master. Guess those old rumors were true, huh?” she mutters as the thought occurs to her. “You’re his… spawn, right? And he tortured you. Made you… eat rats.”

Astarion’s glare is still wary. “That is the short version. Yes. But you saw more than that. I know you did.”

“Yes,” Cat begins slowly. Astarion feels like a cornered animal in front of her, angry and terrified by turns. She doesn’t want to voice them, but… “Do you want me to tell you? What I saw?”’

He grits his teeth, looking away. “I—no,” he says bitterly, in the end. “The only thing worse than you seeing my memories would be to have you recount them to me.”

Cat is at a loss. Astarion appears to be as well; he still won’t meet her eyes. At last, she says, for want of anything better to offer: “Astarion. I won’t tell anyone. It’s your business, and I didn’t mean to pry.”

He looks up at her. The edge of his anger has abated slightly. But he is still irritated. “Well—fine. I suppose there’s little else I can do short of. Well.” He stops abruptly. Then something seems to occur to him. “And. I suppose I should thank you, anyway. For this.”

Cat quirks a brow. “You mean me letting a man I just found out was a hungry vampire bite my neck with no idea if I’d make it out alive? Yeah. Probably.”

“Exactly. There you go then,” he says breezily, waving his hand in dismissal.

Cat feels a prickle of anger, but it is somehow trumped by amusement. She snorts. “Gods but you are stingy. What the hells happened to fuck you up so bad, anyway?”

“Oh, it was—a bear. Set my sights too high.” He shakes his head, annoyed. “Like I said in my—my head, I’ve been starving. It’s one thing to live on rats when you’re… more sedentary. But all these battles day after day—what I could scrounge in the woods hasn’t been enough.”

“So you went after a damn bear?” Cat gapes. “Why didn’t you just say something to me?”

“Oh, you think we had something special, did you, bonding over Cazador?” Astarion retorts, spitting out his master’s name. “When you didn’t even know what he really was. Please. I had no reason to believe you wouldn’t kick me out right there. Or stake me.”

Fair enough. Maybe. Cat drops it and moves on to her next burning question. “So how did you manage to get away from it, then?”

“It,” he pauses, and something like embarrassment flits over his face. “it chewed on me a bit, but it seemed to decide I wasn’t worth the trouble. Ultimately.”

Cat grins. “Ah. I guess a vampire wouldn’t taste that good.”

“I’ll have you know I taste delightful,” Astarion snaps back, with a slight sultry lilt. Something in it triggers Cat’s brain to recall that memory—when he was… presented, and hungry eyes appraised him.

“What’s that look for?”

Cat blinks. “What?”

“That stupid sad look. I don’t want your damn pity,” Astarion practically snarls, his hackles back up again.

Cat tries to settle her face. “I… can’t help it. Anyone with a heart would.” His eyes burn with hate. It’s hard for Cat to keep his gaze, but she does, and says as evenly as she can, “but I don’t think you’re pitiable.”

“There’s no difference!”

“Yes there is! The fact that you still have your—your sanity after that? How long has it been?”

 He looks at her sullenly. “…200 years. Give or take.”

“Hells,” she breathes. “Not pathetic at all.”

Astarion shifts his seat irritatedly and looks away. He is quiet for a moment. Then he swings back toward Cat. “I still don’t like this. You know too much about me and I barely know a thing about you. Where in the hells are you from? This place where harpies abound and apparently bloated corpses as well?”

Cat’s jaw sets. After a few moments, she says, “on the Winding Water.”

Astarion clicks his tongue. “The river that’s five hundred miles long? More specific, if you please.”

Cat sighs. “The end of it.”

“The—oh, you mean the Delta?” he cackles with a jarring shift of emotion. “Oh, that explains the drawl as well. My dearest Cat, approximately how many blood feuds are you involved in right now? Ten? Twenty?”

He likes having something on her, Cat can see. She feels irritation at his sudden smugness. She might snap back at him with any one of a hundred things. But that would be conceding he had gotten under her skin at all—and Cat hates admitting defeat at the best of times. So instead she sits back on her hands and retorts with a pointed drawl, “Oh, darlin’. I know you can do better than that.”

“What?”

“Come on. Hit me. I’ll let you know if I haven’t heard it before.”

Astarion smiles with all his teeth and leans forward. “Well, that delicious moan you let out when I bit you made me think you might be attracted to me, but I now know that cannot be the case, sadly. Since I’m not your cousin.”

Cat smiles crookedly despite herself. “Better. Unoriginal, but better.”

“Tough crowd, I see.”

“Discerning.”

Astarion concedes with a nod. “Discerning. I shall endeavor to improve my material for you in the future, Cat of the Delta. Now, if you’ll excuse me—I look a horror, and I should probably wash off before we tell our fellows the good news in the morning.” He stands up carefully. Turns. His words were light, but his body is all tension.

As he moves, Cat’s eyes absently notice his half-exposed back. A partial wheel of a pattern drawn on it. Scars. A sensation flickers through her, one that had been a brief screaming flash—a careful, dragging slice near his spine, while the rest of his back felt as if it were aflame.

 Her eyes water with the echo of the pain. She looks up at him, a few steps away now. The impulse grabs her. “if anyone has a problem with you, they can leave,” she blurts out.

Astarion turns around. Looks at her silently for a moment. “Thank you,” he says at last, curtly, and then walks away in the direction of the river on the other side of camp.

[mr-huntington-beach]

2023 Cost vs. Value Report: 5 Best and 5 Worst Home Renovations ROI in the Los Angeles area

When it comes to home renovations, it's important to consider not only the immediate benefits of the project but also its potential resale value. The annual Cost vs. Value Report by Remodeling magazine analyzes the average cost of various renovation projects and estimates their potential return on investment (ROI) in the current housing market. In the Pacific region of the US, Los Angeles is a particularly popular area for home renovations. Let's take a look at the top 5 home renovation projects with the highest recuperation rate and the bottom 5 with the lowest recoup rate in the Los Angeles, CA area according to the 2023 Report. Some of these projects may be confirmation of what you know and some may shock you. If you have questions about a Huntington Beach home renovation call me.

Top 5 renovation projects with the highest recoup rate:

Manufactured stone veneer: The project involves replacing the existing vinyl siding on the bottom third of the street-facing facade of the house with manufactured stone veneer. The average cost of the project is $12,989, and it has an estimated ROI of 109.8%.

garage door replacement: This project involves replacing an existing garage door with a new four-section garage door with heavy-duty galvanized steel tracks. The average cost of the project is $3,776, and it has an estimated ROI of 107.3%.

Entry door replacement (steel): this project involves replacing an existing entry door with a new 20-gauge steel entry door with clear dual-pane half-glass panel, jambs, and an aluminum threshold with composite stop. The average cost of the project is $1,981, and it has an estimated ROI of 94.5%.

Minor kitchen remodel: This project involves replacing cabinet fronts with shaker-style wood panels and drawer fronts, installing new hardware, replacing laminate countertops with new ones, and installing a new stainless steel sink and faucet. The average cost of the project is $27,772, and it has an estimated ROI of 88.4%.

Siding replacement (vinyl): this project involves replacing the existing siding with new foam-backed insulated vinyl siding, including all trim. The average cost of the project is $18,929, and it has an estimated ROI of 84.9%.

Bottom 5 renovation projects with the lowest recoup rate:

Backup Power Generator: This project involves installing a new standby generator to provide backup power during outages. The average cost of the project is $17,500, and it has an estimated ROI of 41.6%.

Home office remodel: This project involves converting a spare bedroom into a home office with custom cabinets, a laminate desktop, and recessed overhead lighting. The average cost of the project is $38,582, and it has an estimated ROI of 43.5%.

Sunroom Addition: This project involves adding a 200-square-foot sunroom with a new foundation and footings, vinyl windows with insulated glass, and a sliding door. The average cost of the project is $113,238, and it has an estimated ROI of 47.4%.

Major kitchen remodel: This project involves gutting the kitchen and replacing everything, including cabinets, countertops, appliances, flooring, and lighting. The average cost of the project is $81,700, and it has an estimated ROI of 47.5%.

Bathroom Addition: This project involves adding a new 6-by-8-foot bathroom to an existing space, including a fiberglass shower with a glass enclosure, a toilet, and a vanity with a solid-surface countertop. The average cost of the project is $49,782, and it has an estimated ROI of 52.4%.

When planning a home renovation project in the Los Angeles, CA area, it's important to consider not only your personal preferences and needs but also the potential resale value of the project. As seen in the 2023 Cost vs. Value Report, certain projects tend to recoup a higher percentage of their cost than others. This doesn't mean that you should always choose the highest recoup rate projects, as personal preference, location, and other factors may also come into play.

However, it's always a good idea to weigh the potential return on investment against the upfront cost when deciding on a renovation project. It's also important to keep in mind that the cost and ROI estimates provided in the report are just averages, and your actual cost and ROI may vary depending on factors such as the size of your home, the quality of materials used, and the contractor you hire.

Therefore, it's always a good idea to get multiple quotes from licensed and experienced contractors and to do your research before making a decision. With careful planning and execution, a home renovation project can not only improve your living space but also add value to your home.

Also don't forget to call me for what your Huntington Beach home value is to see if it makes sense to sell now with these upgrades and remodels.

Mr. Huntington Beach Real Estate

315 7th St D Huntington Beach, CA 92648

949-310-4110