#detailing for resale

[techdriveplay]

DIY Car Detailing Tips for a Professional-Looking Finish 

With the right car detailing tips and a bit of effort, you can elevate the appearance of your car, enhancing its beauty.

Achieving a professional-looking finish on your vehicle doesn’t always require the hands of a pro. With the right car detailing tips and a bit of effort, you can elevate the appearance of your car, protecting its value and enhancing its beauty. This comprehensive guide provides essential car detailing tips to help you achieve that sought-after professional finish, from interior to exterior…

[abbaswift]

daily searching for taylor tickets on ticketmaster and axs, trying not to remember when i almost got two centre middle bowl tickets for the price of one nosebleed resale ticket 💔💔

[ecoverdevaletingco]

Uncover how professional interior detailing in London preserves your car’s value and comfort. Listen to our podcast to learn why it’s a smart investment. Read More: https://www.articleezines.com/interior-detailing-london/

[giasmashrepairs]

Beyond the Wash: Exploring the Different Levels of Car Detailing Services

Are all car detailing services the same? Explore the different levels of car detailing services with GIA Smash Repairs.

[sirfrogsworth]

Smartphone cameras are NOT getting worse. (See below for phone photography tips)

I've now seen 3 pro photographers reviewing the iPhone 16 and complaining the cameras are "worse" and blaming Apple for not including revolutionary new camera technology.

And I suppose this is partly Apple's fault. Their marketing and hype machine always goes overboard. But also, that's just how marketing works. Samsung has a "200 megapixel" sensor and Sony has a "Zeiss" lens. And I think it is unrealistic to expect smartphone companies to say "This product has entered the iterative phase and each new model will only be marginally improved over the last one."

Smartphones (from any brand) have become an appliance. You don't buy a new model of microwave every year. And you don't expect every new model of microwave to have new revolutionary technology. And that is pretty much the expectation you should have with most computer hardware from here on out.

And in some ways, that is a good thing. That means the design of the phone has pretty much been perfected and it will last you a long time if you take care of it. You will not be left behind and your phone will be able to handle any new software for most of its lifespan.

So, is Apple getting lazy or is there a reason their hardware is stagnating?

It seems that neither money nor marketing can change the laws of physics.

They cannot make transistors much smaller. Phones and computers are about as fast as current hardware designs can make them (unless there is a shocking scientific breakthrough). From here on out, heavy compute tasks that are beyond your phone or computer will be done in the cloud on giant computer clusters. Thankfully computers and phones seem to be plenty fast for the majority of tasks we ask of them.

I remember Katrina telling me her new computer didn't seem any faster. And I explained the computing tasks she does regularly were not really affected by the increased power and speed of her new computer. If something took 0.1 seconds before and now it takes 0.05 seconds, that is twice as fast. An increase in speed that looks fantastic in advertisements. But it is hard for our brains to perceive. She just didn't do anything on her computer that took it long enough for her to notice. But having a faster and more powerful computer/phone will increase its lifespan and resale value, so it is still prudent to get the best things you can afford at time of purchase.

And I'm afraid smartphone cameras are hitting their own hardware limitations. They can't make the sensors much larger to get better depth of field and low light performance. And cramming in more megapixels doesn't actually add much more detail, if any.

It's physics.

Again.

You cannot get any more performance out of a small plastic lens. Why do you think pro photographers haul around 10 pound lenses still?

There is a formula for detail that never seems to be explained in any camera marketing.

Here is the simplified version...

Detail = Sensor x Lens

Let's say 1 is perfection. You have a sensor that performs at 0.5 and a lens that performs at 0.2.

The total detail will be 0.1.

But in the new model you increase the performance of the sensor to 0.8. WOW! That's so close to 1!

The total detail will be... 0.16.

Now let's imagine we've discovered a magic, physics-defying tiny plastic lens that performs at 0.8 as well.

The total detail jumps to 0.64!

But we all get sucked into a wormhole because we violated the laws of the universe.

Even if you were to design a near perfect (perfect is impossible) sensor that scores 0.99.

Without that magic plastic lens... 0.198

This is why I put Samsung's "200 megapixel" sensors in quotes. Because when paired with the same tiny plastic lens, there isn't much improvement. And that's why a 12 megapixel DSLR from 10 years ago with a giant honking lens can still capture more detail.

Most of the quality from smartphone cameras comes from the computational software processing. Phones actually take many photos at once and combine them to get you a decent image.

While that is still improving a little bit each generation, those improvements are stagnating as well. Until image processing can do a better job of inventing more detail realistically, smartphones are going to have to obey the laws of physics.

So... why are photographers saying the iPhone cameras are worse?

First, the ultra wide angle lens looks softer in low light.

And if you zoom between 1x and 5x, the images look less detailed.

But neither of those things make the cameras *worse*. In fact, the cameras are better for the most part. It's just that Apple decided to compromise on one aspect to improve another. Probably due to market research telling them most people prioritize certain things over others when taking photos.

They increased the resolution of the ultra wide angle sensor to match the detail of the main sensor, but that seems to have lowered the low light performance of the ultra wide. So in good light, you will see an improvement in sharpness. But they could not increase the sensor size to compensate and smaller pixels can have trouble with dim conditions. They probably discovered that people mostly use that lens in good light and they would appreciate the bump in detail more.

But pro photographers often photograph in more challenging lighting conditions because you can capture a more artistic shot. I don't think I could have gotten this shot on a smartphone.

But photo normies are just taking pics of their kids doing weird kid shit.

They aren't really trying to push the limits of their ultra wide angle lenses.

And they increased the zoom of the telephoto lens to 5x from 3x because most people never used the 3x. So images at 5x look great now, but unfortunately if you use anything between 1x and 5x, your image will be *digitally* zoomed. Which is never as good as optical zoom. They basically crop the photo, zoom in, and add sharpening.

So they prioritized people having longer reach and more zoom at the expense of that middle zoom range. Every camera system makes tradeoffs and compromises.

And I hate that I always feel like I am defending Apple, because they do have misleading and dishonest marketing regarding a lot of aspects of their tech. But hating on Apple gets more clicks so content creators also make misleading and dishonest claims.

And so we are just surrounded in a circle of hyperbole from all sides.

Now, if you know these limitations, you can change your approach to photographing stuff to keep them from being an issue. You can reap the benefits without dealing with the new compromises.

Here are some tips to help owners of the new iPhone, but also everyone else too.

Smartphone Photography Tips

Whenever possible, try to use the main 1x camera at only 1x zoom. This has the largest sensor with the most detail and works best in the lowest light. Only use the ultra wide or telephoto if you cannot get the photo otherwise. If you aren't sure you have enough light for ultra wide, take the photo, and then as a safety, take two photos with the main camera side by side and stitch them later with a pano app.

"Zoom with your feet" and don't use "in-between" zooms. Let's say your lenses do 0.5x, 1x, and 5x zoom. Even though you have the option to use other zooms, like 2x or 3x, that is going to compromise your picture quality. It is essentially going to crop your photo and enlarge it, which causes a loss of detail. If fact, if you use 4.5x instead of 5x, your picture will probably look like trash. You are always going to get better results if you can move closer or step back so that you are using the native focal length of your chosen lens. For example, let's say you are taking a photo and you judge the best framing to be at 4x. But you still have 10 feet of space behind you. If you back up and then zoom in to 5x, the phone will switch to that lens and you will get a much clearer picture.

Rule of thumb...

1 to 3x... try to move closer.

4 to 5x... try to move back.

If you hit a wall and end up at 4.5x, you might see if you have a panorama mode and try that instead. Switch to your 5x and do the pano. Or you can take two photos and then stitch them together with software later on. (Stitching panos with an app later will give better quality than pano mode, especially in low light.)

Low light needs stability. Get some sort of stabilizing device for low light photos. Either a phone case that lets you stand up the phone on its own or a mini tripod.

This thing folds to the size of a credit card.

Your phone will detect when it is stable and not being handheld. It will then automatically extend its shutter speed allowing it to drink in more light and give you a better picture.

Tripods are photography magic and will improve your low light photos quite a bit. Motion blur of moving subjects can still be an issue, but photos of a cityscape or landscape will look great.

For selfies, shoot a little bit wide and then crop in. This goes a little contrary to my earlier advice saying cropping lowers detail, but this is specifically for shooting a face. The 0.5x and 1x lenses on smartphone cameras are fairly wide angle. This can cause unflattering proportions with human faces. Wide angle lenses exaggerate distance. Near things look very near and far things look very far. To a wide angle lens, the tip of your nose looks like it is super close but your ears seem like they are a mile away. And that's why you may look a bit "alien" in your selfies.

People's natural instinct is to "fill the frame" with a face. The outer edges of a wide angle lens are more distorted than the very center. So try to keep faces away from the edges of the frame.

And one other trick you can do for selfies and pictures of faces is step back a few feet. Sometimes this is hard, especially with selfies, as your arm is only so long... but if you can take your face photos from just a little bit farther back, you will almost entirely eliminate unflattering distortion. In some cases, just stretching out your arm as far as it will go is enough.

Then you just crop the image with the framing you originally wanted, and your facial proportions will look great.

An example...

Here the distortion is bad because I am not in the center and the lens is too close to my face. The lens thinks my nose is really close and my ears are in Canada.

But when the lens is farther back the edge distortion is less prevalent and my nose and ears (relative to the lens) seem roughly the same distance away. So my proportions look great, but I don't quite have the framing I want.

But with a little cropping...

For social media there is still plenty of resolution to crop in. Cropping isn't bad, it's just always better to use it as a last resort or in a special circumstance like this. I get roughly the same framing as in my wide angle shot, but I don't look like I'm behind a door's peephole trying to sell you the Good News.

I wish they made a "mini" selfie stick that only extended a foot or so. With the main camera that is usually all people need to undo any wide angle issues. I have one of those mini tripods and that works well, but there is no activation button so I have to do a timer. Mirrors work great to help you get some selfie distance.

In any case, all cameras have limitations and compromises. Clickbait titles saying something is WORSE THAN THE OLD ONE are frustrating and wrong.

And people upgrading phones every year are silly. All current name brand smartphones have promised at least 5 years of software updates. I think Google and Samsung are offering 7 years on some models. And Apple has always just let you use your phone until it literally will not work with new software. Which has worked out to 8 years in some cases (with a battery swap).

Phones are now appliances. For now, hardware will improve 10 to 15% from generation to generation until physics breaks. So if you want a 50% improvement, wait 5 years and you'll think your new phone is awesome. If you upgrade every year, it is going to be difficult to see the change.

I hope to be starting a little course on smartphone photography in the near future. All modern phones are capable of taking amazing pictures. And as long as you understand their limitations you can mitigate or avoid them. And that is what I plan to teach.

[monst]

Go for a drive?

Tim Drake X Gn. Reader

Extra: Fluff, Fairly Suggestive. Established relationship, A meandering conversation with your bf as he takes you on a drive. Don’t be a Tim & Please drive safely!

WC: 2.1K 

      You were clutching at the shades Tim had chucked at you earlier; Desperately trying to keep them from flying off your face from the high-speed winds. The grey pavement was never-ending as the car Oh, excuse you as the ‘It’s a Lexus LFA 4.8liters v10 god this car’s a beast! Shame, that they only made so many before production ended’ roared down the Jersey countryside. The meter read 160mph, and climbing. With your death grip on the lens and arms of the shades, you turned to Timothy. “Do we really need the windows down?” 

    “Nope.” He rolled them up, while his right hand reached out in a grabby motion. Releasing your grip on the shades you linked your fingers with his cold ones. When Tim asked you to go on a drive with him you weren't expecting him to keep to the speed limit however, you did expect him to stay near Gotham. You should’ve expected the longer drive once he pulled up to your street with ‘his baby’. 

     “Sounds nice.” You commented after a couple of minutes of silent hand-holding. 

     “Doesn’t it!” He grinned, “It’s designed this way so that you can hear the v10 tone inside the car.” His obvious enthusiasm for the car was infectious! “Right now we’re listening to nine-thousand rpm! Uh that’s how fast the engine’s spinning it’s why the” He pauses suddenly face flushed, pretty blue eyes averted. “Sorry, I’m rambling.” 

    “No, it’s cute!” You insist. “I like hearing you talk about your interests even if some of this car stuff is kinda going over my head.” You squeeze his fingers, urging him to continue. His responding okay is small but he clears his throat to continue. His eyes shift to you briefly before crinkling at the corners when he faces the road. 

     “Right, I think that my favorite part about this car is how I got it.” 

     “Spill, what’d you do?” you tilt your legs, leaning your torso towards him like a sunflower. 

     “Nothing devious.” he rolls his eyes. 

     “That’s surprising knowing you.” You tease. “Didn’t win it by finding the key to the fifth dimension or something?” 

     “No, nothing that exciting.” He bit back a smile, happy that you're poking fun at his frankly ridiculous escapades. “Um, I was maybe fifteen when Bruce brought her home.” He ignored your giddy ‘her?’ with a huff. “Yes her, It was one of the last ones made and I wasn’t supposed to drive it, but you’ve seen her!? I just had to!” 

     “I took her out a couple of weeks later.” You felt the car slow, Tim’s hand briefly leaving yours to mess with the GPS. 

        “With permission?” 

    His pink flush was enough of an answer. He clears his throat again, a little habit you’d begun to associate with him doing when he was feeling sheepish. “Well, Bruce did say I could use any car I wanted if an emergency presented itself.” You were dying to ask. 

       “What emergency?” You interrupted yet again. To be fair to you, you knew Tim would skim out details he thought were unimportant if you didn’t practically interrogate him. 

      “BatBurger’s limited addition Gotham Knights’ Nightwing toy…” 

    “A battymeal!?” You laughed. 

    “Yeah, yeah laugh it up. The resale is about thirty thousand.” You choked on your laugh, eyes wide. 

    “For a five-dollar meal toy?!” 

    “Mhmm. And mine still works. It was one of those toys that say phrases.” Out of your peripheral, you see a car pull out into the road in front of you. Tim slows. “So he still says “Let’s go Knights!” and “Strike out!” it doesn’t sound like Dick at all!” He chuckles. “The Knights were in the playoffs that year!.. And that year alone.”  

     You snort, eyes fixed on the road, still trying to glean where you're going. “I knew it was bound to be a novelty item one day. So, I just had to snatch it up, and if my car just so happened to be the only one with gas to get me there~”

     “Two birds one stone?”

     “Two birds one stone.” He affirmed. “Alfred was picking up groceries that morning, Bruce was in a meeting and Dick was working at the BPD at the time.” Your eyes met once more before he continued. “And since it was early, that meant everyone else was occupied so I drove the sickest! car through the drive-thru that day. Unfortunately, I did get caught.” 

     “Seriously?” 

     “Yup, Kevin���s dad was picking up some coffee right across the street, ‘said he recognized my hair when he blabbed to Bruce.” 

    “Kevin?”

    “Hudman, we used to play Wizards and Warriors together.” He rolled his eyes when you called him a nerd. “I’m pretty sure you said you loved me the other day so what does that say about you that you love a nerd?” 

   “That I have good taste” You saw his smile pull at his cheeks and decided to add. “So roleplay huh?” 

   “Get your head out of the gutter.” 

   “Oh, so you only like the tabletop role-play?” He groaned, cheeks pink as he narrowed his eyes at you. 

   “You're lucky I’m driving.” 

   “Kinky.” 

   “Are you gonna let me finish?” he sighed. You bit your lip at the wording, omitting words to nod while raising your eyebrows suggestively. He cleared his throat, brain catching up to his words “As I was saying, He called Bruce and I got in trouble. He didn’t let me knowingly touch the car for months. Then one day it was gone.” You felt the car turn down a new path, scattered farms and homes on either side of the road. 

    “Thought for sure he used it for a cover story but I looked through articles and no Lexy-” You cut him off once again. 

    “I’m sorry?! You did not name the car Lexy.” 

    “Don’t listen to her Lexy it’s a good name.” “Oh my god” “I checked the lower levels of the cave, nothing. I even asked Bruce and he said that he could’ve sworn Jason took it. So obviously I hunted him down”

     He paused his tale to check the map. “We're almost there. So, I found him in Ibiza. He said he didn’t take it, but that Dick had mentioned something about "hot new wheels". I called him right there! On the beach and got the worst sunburn of my life. The third worst sunburn of my life. Regardless. I wanted to make sure. Dick didn’t have it. I was this close to losing it but that’s when B decided to take a spontaneous leave of absence. And I had to go back. Oh, here we are.” 

      He pulled into a semi-filled lot, at the center was an old building a decent line leading up to it. “Ice-cream? This far out?” You were skeptical.

     “Wait till you try it~” His car drew more stares than the Tim Drake-Wayne. Said ‘Wayne’ taking your hand in his as he walked you to queue the line. You eyed the menu from your spot, nudging Tim with your elbow. “What happened next? You said you had to go back to Gotham?”

     “Mm.” He replied. “He was gone for a while.”

     “You missed him?” He squeezed your hand. 

     “A bit.”

     Tim’s arm settled across your shoulder as you waited, the sunlight glowing gold-orange as each person in the line received their icy treat. “Hey Joe, my usual, and what are you ordering honey?” You told ‘Joe’ your order, cuddling into Tim’s side as the cooling wind nipped at your nose. Tim chatted with the man, introduced you, and promised the man a ride during the time it took for him to make and hand over your ice cream, 

     You waved at Joe before hopping back into your seat. Peeking into his waffle bowl to see Nepoliation ice cream topped with a gooey-looking brownie. “You seem to know everyone.” He shrugged, his blank expression morphing into a concerned pout. You smirked watching as he struggled to figure out where best to place his bowl. “Just give it.” 

     “You sure?” You opened and closed your palm, and he handed it over with a quick thanks. Once the engine roared to life you were off again. Where? Tim had said both places were a surprise. You hummed while you lapped at your ice cream, Tim fiddling with the buttons on the wheel. He shot you an apologetic look as he pulled out his phone to drive one-handed. 

     “If we die I’m going to kill you.” 

     “We’re not gonna die, and your hands are full.” He protested. “I have a playlist.” 

     “Great so my death will have a soundtrack.” You paused. “Oh my god did we drive all that with no music!?” Were you that into him? Oh. You felt your cheeks warm glad for the music notes that left the speaker. Only that- “Wait? So where was the car in all of this?”

     “Well, apparently he had Clark move it.” “Huh?” “Yeah! Caught me off guard too, When he came back I told you how he adopted me. And then not long after, Damian turned up and everything got hectic.” His knuckles were white against the steering wheel. “The cave blew up and I wasn’t even thinking of the car. I think it was years later when I thought of it again, saw one at a show. I figured that it was still down there in pieces.” 

    “But Clark had it?”

    “Getting there baby, It was my twenty-first birthday. Legal to drink and I know that’s why he gave it to me on that day.” Tim was smiling glancing off to the side mirror before making another turn. “It was Dick’s idea to wrap the car in car shape. I was really excited! At first, I thought it was a different car. But the air freshener was still the same. My name on the little tree!” Your cheeks hurt from your smile. “Bruce told Clark to hide it. Still can’t believe it!

     “That’s so sweet.” Tim ducked his head a bit, ears rosy. “So your favorite part is that it was a surprise or a gift?”

     “Both,” He hummed. 

     “Hm.” You looked down to your ice cream and then eyed his bowl. “Your ice cream is melting.” 

     “Shoot! Uh, Feed me?” You sputtered, floundering for a bit before sighing, face hot as you mumbled a strained sure. You still haven’t figured out how he distinguishes what he considers embarrassing. You lifted the plastic spoon to his lips watching with amusement as he twisted his mouth to eat. Tame Impala played in the background when he turned down what looked like an abandoned road. 

      “I’ve got it from here,” He said around the spoon as he drove up to the precipice. You let him turn off the engine before handing him his bowl, turning back to finish yours. 

      “So where are we?” 

      “We are currently sitting at the best place to watch the meteor shower in all of Jersey.” 

      “That’s today?” 

      “Yes. At least I’m pretty sure it’s today. I made sure to double-check to see if anything was gonna throw them off their planned orbit.” He turned to his watch. “Yup should be good, in about an hour or two.” He tipped the bowl up to his lips to drink the remains of the ice cream. 

      “An hour or two?” 

      “Maybe two..” He began to chew at the sides of his bowl. 

      “Tim.” You pressed. 

      “We’re a bit early.” You rolled your eyes. “I timed it right, we were only supposed to wait about thirty minutes?!”

      “Tim, Darling” He frowned at your tone. “Did you account for your speeding?” His wide-eyed stare was as cute as it was frustrating. “So what we just sit here?”

      Tim looked out the driver's side window, the overgrown grass giving him pause in asking you to take a stroll. He mulled over his options as you finished up your ice cream, pink tongue peaking out to catch all traces of the sticky treat from your lips. You perceived his stare, his heavy lids narrowed down towards your lips. “We could do something else.”

      “Like what?”

      “Maybe..." He pulled his seat as far back as it went, dark eyes locked onto your form. "You can come over here and find out~”

      “In the Lexus LFA 4.8liters v10?! Timothy!" You gasped, mock scandalization dripping from your tone, your hands quickly undoing your seatbelt. Your body practically materializes onto the driver's seat, your weight settling against Tim. You feel more than you hear Tim’s 'harumph' and you can’t stop your grin against his lips as you ask just for kicks “In Lexy?!” 

[xamaxenta]

Details of the Two Pirate Kings preorder goal charm I did for @oppokezine (resales open rn!!!)

The concept was utilising the nostalgic pokemon red/blue GB game cartridges as the frame and having Roger and Luffy reflect each other

I felt Koraidon was a very fitting Pokémon for The King of Pirates 🔥

[citylawns]

what are those websites you recommended? sorry if you already answered this but i cant find it - also! do you know the name of the docs you posted? i love the stitch detailing on them

The Docs are the Church/Monkey Boots! There will be loads secondhand, don't pay full price for them. Take it from someone who worked for that company for 4 years lol. They're my fave style of docs I wish I had taken a lifetime supply when I was there.

eBay is the best secondhand website! I use it for so many things it's really worth it once you figure out how the filtering and search system works. I love it because you get high quality for cheap and it feels like a treasure hunt :')

the next one I use is depop - it's great for curated secondhand and vintage. I look for shops that sell styles I like rather than using the search function, when you 'like' items the algorithm shows you more of that kind of clothing and there's a 'suggested for you' page that works really well. it's more expensive sometimes but it's worth it imo because you're paying for people to curate selections for you which is the labour you would do by hunting yourself, just depends on whether you enjoy that or not!

another great one is vestiare collective. some people have issues with it because they have apparently purchased fakes even though the platform has an authentication system but I'm not the kind of person who buys high resale value designer so I'm never worried about that lol. you can set up saved searches for wishlist items like 'Ann Demeulemeester Boots (filtered by size, country it ships from, colour, etc)' and then every time there's new items added you can scroll through. It works best for me when I'm looking to buy from a specific designer and get inspired rather than searching for a specific item. Here are the brands I love searching for on there:

one I would use if I lived in the USA is the real real! this is the goat. insane clothes for dirt fucking cheap but only if you live in the US because shipping and customs to the UK is prohibitively expensive, like over £100 so it's not worth it for me to buy an £18 designer dress. although I've been considering it recently for an item I'm really in love with.

the other ones I browse through but haven't purchased from yet are vinted and thred up. the search function on vinted was a little annoying for me to use but its good once you figure out how to filter out all the SHEIN and H&M and fast fashion. it's another one that's good to search by brand/designer but people can be really lazy on there and size and list things incorrectly, rip labels off fast fashion items and market them as "x style or x inspired" to put them in the mix of results when you search for a specific designer.

my personal tip is when you're out shopping and see something you like, make a note of the brand/designer. do this on depop too when browsing through shops that sell styles you like, then take that designer/brand and search for it on the other platforms. for example I found one of my favourite brands Costume National that way, so I always search for them on ebay, vestiare, etc

btw if you want a link to any of the items you see here just let me know bc I'm not gonna purchase any of the stuff I have shown

[iwanthermidnightz]

✨ERAS TOUR NOLA N1✨

my eras tour search started the moment she announced in november 2022. we all frantically signed up to make sure we were verified fans to *possibly* get a code to buy tickets, but for many of us that never happened.

I didn’t think it was in the cards for me to make it to eras tour after not being able to go to any shows, but in the last few weeks I manifested any positive vibes I could and searched tirelessly for tickets. I followed resale accounts for info on the tickmaster drops, and spent literally days refreshing the queue in case it opened up for those of us previously waitlisted. the second the queue opened I tried to enter but wasn’t let in. same goes for family also trying to get tickets. I told myself if it was meant to happen it would and focused all of my energy on some sort of miracle happening the day of…. and it did.

with the help of literal ticket fairy @9w1ft I was able to secure a ticket friday morning for the first nola show that night, and I spent the rest of the day grinning like a little kid. even though i was suffering (and still am) from an ear infection, go figure, I felt so relieved. so my sister and I decided to try to get some merch that morning, but the lines were so long and sizes were running out so we walked around the city.

i have never seen a city go all out for taylor like new orleans. from a swiftie welcome center at the airport, to hotels, small businesses selling merch, the zoo, friendship bracelet stations everywhere, local bars, restaurants, city wide eras themed events, to taylor’s music being played everywhere. the stadium even hung a two huge friendship bracelets on the outside. the preparation and anticipation from everyone everywhere did not go unnoticed.

it was incredible, and the pure joy in the streets was palpable. everywhere you looked there was glitter, sparkles and happiness. it made me so happy!

it didn’t truly sink in until i got to my seat and took in the view (@9w1ft pat yourself on the back girl!) i know it sounds weird but it felt like all the hard times i’ve gone through for the last year and a half disappeared. what did it for me was being around 65,000 people who were experiencing and spreading copious amounts of pure joy because of taylor and her music. you could feel it. THIS is what she does for people. and it was powerful. to think of everything going on in the world, and then going to this place that felt safe and happy and carefree. it’s an irreplaceable experience. and I wholeheartedly take back what I said about people going to 3+ shows. I would go every chance I got too if I knew it would feel like that.

the thought and attention to detail taylor put into this show is mind blowing and is a masterclass of artistry and the impact she’s had on pop culture and music for the past 18 years. the stamina and ability to perform for three hours every night is also insane, and she does it so effortlessly. I could go on and on about how truly magical it was and how grateful I am to have had the chance to finally experience it. it was a long time coming. i’ll always remember what it felt like to attend the iconic eras tour! it’s a love letter to her fans.

thank you taylor, we love you!

💚💛❤️🩵🖤🩷🩶🤎💙🤍

[bluerose-sims]

Big Valentine Collecion 

New meshes

Custom thumbnail

All lods

All maps

Compatible with HQ and Base Game

Collection of 12 garments

Hyun Jacket Acc in gloves category

Harness Acc in wrist category

DOWNLOAD

I have worked a lot for this collection, detailed so that it has the highest quality in the game mainly, low poly, with specular maps for better detail in the textures

So please don't redistribute, respect the work that has led to doing this, hours of creation, if you don't like you don't use it, you can continue playing without it, but respect the work of others

NO CONVERSIONS FOR RESALE IN OTHER GAMES 

[oozeandgoo-art]

Adoptable - Cordyceps Archer

Do you want to take over this character?  I'm selling this design! Auction starts now and ends midnight (EST) 3/8! Bid here: https://forms.gle/rqa4ptksAtPxvDTM6 (You can also view current bids by following the linked spreadsheet in the form!) Starting bid is $200; autobuy (if you're not about all that) is $400.  Piece is a standard-sized mixed-media (primarily watercolor and ink; some glitter gel pen, acrylic marker, and food dye as well) piece painted in pink, orange, blue, and gray. The full piece includes one full-body back ref, one partial-body full-color illustration, one partial-body partial-color illustration, and several detailed "design notes" in fine black ink! Please be aware: colors are a little different in person due to the nature of photographing a painting; there may be some differences between digital and traditional versions. The piece was also ripped and has been glued back together and securely reinforced from the back with another piece of watercolor paper, unfortunately; I have dropped the price from my intended starting bid accordingly, and will not be charging any additional fees for the original artwork, in deference to the fact that it's damaged goods.  Final owner of the character can request two rounds of adjustments (ie: modifying colors, retouching stains and dingy spots, etc) from me for free and other rounds for small flat fees worked out between the two of us. The final owner can also request glitter on the traditional ref sheet if they so desire, at no additional cost! And final purchaser gets all final rights to the character and art, including resales and merchandising - once you've paid for the character, they're all yours. 

[n7punk]

She-ra (2018) Official Merch

I've made a loooong post about She-ra merch and its weirdness, but I wanted to summarize it in the most comprehensive list of official merch for the 2018 Netflix reboot that I could assemble. I'm sure I've missed some stuff, though, so I'll update this if I find anything. Thanks to everyone who contributed, especially Clare and Tippen.

I did deep dives (with pictures and details) on con exclusive and promotion exclusive merch. Basic info on those is included below the read more of this post.

Everything with [L] at the end of its bulletpoint - or an * inside one - has a photo in the long post. I provided links to official photos/listings when possible, but most of them are defunct.

Pins/Accessories/Clothing (active):

A bunch of jewelry (necklaces, rings, earrings) and enamel pins from Han Cholo (+ one iron-on patch). I've seen resellers claim the chibi pins were exclusive to a convention, but they're up on the website. The long post* has pictures of these if they ever go down, and the actual convention-exclusive ones can be found in the con post.

Amazon print-on-demand clothing (+ tote bags and pop sockets) with a lot of different designs that are hidden on the site but still purchasable, see this post for details, and here's the direct link. Once you find a design you like, you can search its name in the regular search bar (for instance, there's a shirt design called "Power Stripes Catra," for that one you have to search just "Stripes Catra") to see all the kinds of items it comes on, usually a variety of tops/outerwear, maybe a tote, and sometimes pop sockets.

Bioworld also had licensed merch, but some designs are hidden on their store page, so the link shows everything available but includes both the reboot and the 80s original. As of writing, they have one lunchbox, two adult t-shirts, one adult crop top, and two youth shirts for the reboot.

Media (active):

A DVD of just the first three seasons (there's a box sleeve version that includes stickers and it's never clear in listings if this is the only version and they just don't show the sleeve or if they're two separate things). This is still for sale at multiple retailers, but there's no way we're ever getting a full boxset.

There were a couple of books: the Rebel Princess Guide, the Legend of the Fire Princess graphic novel, and then some small "novels." These are still available at multiple retailers, but the novels weren't made by the crew and at least some of these contradict basic facts from season one, so they're less canon than many fanfics despite being licensed.

Everything from this point on is out of production and only available via resale.

Toys/Figures (defunct):

Eight fashion dolls. The line had Adora, Glimmer, Bow, Catra, and She-ra (season one version), Battle Armor She-ra (2-pack with a model of Swift Wind featuring their Battle of Bright Moon looks), and a deluxe She-ra & Shadow Weaver 2-pack (SDCC 2019 exclusive). These dolls were supposed to be Target exclusive, but the rollout was botched and now they're collectors' items. There were also four cancelled dolls that were supposed to be part of the line.

Two Super7 action figures in a Catra & Adora 2-pack with limited articulation. They're rare collector's items too, though this time it's just because they were a limited run. [L]

A plastic toy Sword of Protection and shield sized for children. The sword lit up and said "For the honor of Grayskull!" when you lifted it. The gem was semi-transparent and had a picture of She-ra under it. This was a Target and Amazon exclusive (Mattel & Target are always holding hands 🤝). [L]

Clothes/Dress-up/Accessories (defunct):

Four licensed She-ra costumes (season one version) of varying quality: a Target-exclusive one in limited sizes, one from Disguise in a wider range of sizes, one from Party City (as well as a wig and Sword of Protection prop licensed under Classic Media) for children, and one from Rubie's Costume Company (with a season one Catra costume to match, as well as separate accessory packs and wigs for both characters) that was also available at Party City. [L]

Her Universe used their Netflix license to make three shirts, two jackets, an earring set, and a wallet. Photos in the long post* if these links go down (they are discontinued, after all). Bioworld (remember them?) are actually the producers of the earrings with their name rather than Her Universe's branding being found on the backing card.

Hot Topic made a few shirts (like, three. I don't have the primary link for the third design). [L]

Misc (defunct):

Zaks Design-A-Tumbler, a plastic see-through drink tumbler with a sticker sheet provided so you can place the character graphics inside as desired. Features the key character art seen on most other merch for the Best Friend Squad as well as the sword, the moonstone, Swift Wind for the horse girls, and some random sparkles and hearts to fill space. It was available via Amazon and Walmart.

Comcanroll made a Sword of Protection keychain, also defunct. [L]

Beneath the cut are con exclusives and promotional items that were not for sale (at all, or at least by themselves) but that you can still probably hunt down online. Also... still available apps.

I can't believe this is real but there are two apps. She-Ra Stickers is available on iOS and Android and is exactly what you expect: "stickers" (pngs) to send in texting conversations. She-ra Gems of Etheria (also still available on iOS and Android) is a match 3+ game. It doesn't have micro transactions or ads (since, you know, the whole thing is an ad) so it's actually better than most things on the app store.

@tippenfunkaport also made a post about "digital merch" (backgrounds, printed papercrafts, etc) that Dreamworks posted online.

Promotion Exclusives:

I made a separate post for promo-exclusive merch. Things marked with an [L] still have photos in the long post, but photos are better gathered for all of these things in the promo-exclusive post, so please look at that one if any of these interest you.

Lootcrate/Lootwear made a pair of socks, a notebook, and a tumbler all featuring the season one She-ra silhouette. These were only available as part of their subscription service and not for individual sale. [L]

A Sonic kids meal tie-in that featured: magnets of the characters, funko-esque She-ra and Hordak figures, Swift Wind & Imp "straw buddies," and a small inflatable toy Sword of Protection. [L]

The following is promotional material that was never available to the general public:

A statuette of She-ra sent out to family bloggers to promote season four. Very limited due to the tiny production and being fragile. [L]

An equally rare metal lunchbox was sent out exclusively to influencers to promote season one.

Media press kits included a number of items that made it to the public as con-exclusives (see below for more details): collectors cards, buttons, and a foam tiara.

Stickers plugging the Dreamworks Careers' socials were also produced, likely for recruitment. [L]

Gray zip-up hoodies with a small sword on the front (pocket area placement) and a larger logo on the back were made for the crew and never available outside of Dreamworks.

A shirt featuring a graphic of She-ra riding Swift Wind with the She-ra logo in the corner - distribution & source currently unknown. Looks similar but is distinct from an existing Amazon POD design. Best guess is it was given out at an event (con, reviewer promo, employee event, etc), but I'm putting it here since I have no clue where it was from.

Con exclusives (defunct):

I made a separate post for con-exclusive promo items. Some of these still have photos in the long post, but photos and details about which cons they were available at and such are gathered in the con-exclusive post.

Button pin sets (4 sets, 4 buttons each) were at comic cons. These were possibly also available on Amazon for a time but I can't find confirmation on that beyond a backing card logo that could just mean the backing card itself was produced by Amazon. They aren't for sale now either way.

A foam She-ra crown and flat plastic/foam Sword of Protection, handed out at multiple cons.

She-ra socks designed after her uniform (including a cape on the back) seem to have been given out at cons. Photos are only in the long post* because they aren't good and I ran out of room.

There's a number of official poster designs that were handed out (mostly as mini posters) at cons, but most listings online are reprints.

Collector's cards were handed out at cons, probably SDCC.

Temporary tattoos, stickers, bookmarks, and coloring sheets were handed out at Power-Con (years unknown) and possibly other locations, likely those that sold the Scholastic books. [L]

A plastic shopping bag, made to be a disposable advertisement, exclusive to Anime Expo 2019. This one also don't have a photo in the con exclusive post because it's just one of the poster designs already in there, but there is a (wrinkly) photo in the long post*.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not telling a close friend about a concert?

(🥀emoji to find this)

I (16F) have multiple different friend groups at my school, and of these groups, the two girls I’m closest with are “Rose “(18F) and “Gale”(16F). As long as they've known each other, Rose and Gale have never really gotten along due to their personalities clashing. (Gale thinks Rose is bitchy and Rose thinks Gale is overbearing. There’s other, more minor stuff, but that’s the general summary.) They don’t talk or hang out unless I ask both of them to be at an event with me. It’s also important to note that Gale is in my grade(HS junior), but Rose is a senior, and this is the last year that I will be going to school with her since she has college next year.

Last summer, the three of us went to a concert together for an artist we all love, and while it was really fun overall, there was this constant underlying tension between the two of them. At the end, they nearly got into a stupid fight (I was waiting in a merch line alone and don't know the details), but the majority of the time they were civil. They both told me privately afterwards that while they had a really fun time, they wished the other person hadn’t been there. I understand that they’re both entitled to their own feelings about the other, and while I wish they got along better, I know there isn’t really anything I can do to get them to get along, so I’ve tried to limit the occurrences where the three of us might all be at the same event.

It just so happens that the artist we went to see is doing another tour next summer, and Rose and I were hanging out at school when the announcement dropped. We immediately went to check out where the nearest venue the artist was playing at was, and it’s a stadium tour. This is important because the last time we saw this artist, they were performing at an outdoor general admissions space, so tickets were significantly cheaper. The stadium tour cost roughly double the amount we paid last time for our general admission tickets ($62.50 each for the first concert and ~$130 each for this one), and it was much harder to get tickets in a good section that were next to each other without going broke. We also had to keep prices in mind because I was going to be buying the tickets for us with my parents' credit card, and Rose, who only carries cash and doesn't have credit card access, would be paying me back in cash. My parents warned me ahead of time that they'd be annoyed if we spent too much on the tickets, so we had to make sure we didn't overspend.

Because of this, Rose and I made the decision that we would only get tickets for ourselves and not tell Gale, with our decision being motivated half by the cost and half by the fact that Rose does not want to go with Gale. The concert is now almost entirely sold out, and resale prices will cost you a minimum of 300 bucks for one ticket in our seat section. We haven’t told anyone we know about this except for the other three people in our friend group and two seniors we are casual friends with who got tickets to the same concert. Gale wasn’t at school that day, so she didn’t hear any of the conversations Rose and I had about the concert at school. Since this concert is over the summer, it’s also probably going to be one of the last major activities Rose and I will be able to do together before she goes off to college next year.

I might be the asshole in this situation because I know Gale would have LOVED to come to the concert and has expressed wanting to see that artist again in the past, but I intentionally didn’t tell her about it because of the money and her negative relationship with Rose. AITA for not telling Gale?

What are these acronyms?

[snoopyrpc]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES FOR WHEN I FEEL STUCK OR BORED. most people, myself included, are prone to writer's block, and while this can be an extremely frustrating process to get to, i try to use this as an opportunity to approach it in a fun way. i thought i'd share some of my favourite activities that might be of use to other people.

create a movie library. if your muse is someone who likes movies, make a list of their favourites on letterboxd or imdb, or even serializd for those that prefer tv. you can make lists for ones they've seen and enjoyed or haven't seen but would like. i use letterboxd for this quite a bit and sometimes even add some notes within my lists detailing my muse's thoughts and reviews of the movies.

make a sideblog. i know that many people do this already, but aesthetic sideblog for your character can be extremely helpful and fun to maintain. you can build these however you like! i like to use mine to post photos that my muse would like, faceclaim content, playlists and songs, ships/dynamics inspo, headcanons, silly text posts, and a variety of other things. if you're unsure where to look for content you can post on your sideblogs, @museinspo has a variety of things for many types of characters and is a really helpful place to start. they have a great detailed tagging system to make it easier to find content best suited to your muse. some tags that you can also look through could be #character inspo, #ship inspo, and #muse inspo.

play a barbie dress up game. most people who know me can attest to how much i love this — building a closet for my characters' style. every muse is different, so this can be a fun exploration activity. pinterest is a frequently used resource, but what i like to do most often is browse resale websites like depop or poshmark because i like the variety of styles and the fact that you can find some things you might not see in every store! i have many muses who like to wear silly graphic t-shirts, handmade, vintage, and eclectic styles, so this tends to be the best place to search. you can also do this with any website that sells styles you like for your muse. i like to think of this as a dress up barbie game since that helps me maintain the fun aspect of it all.

build and decorate a barbie dreamhouse. on the topic of barbies, you can do the same activity with furniture, homewares, trinkets, toys, art and decor. build your muse their barbie dreamhouse, fill it with things they would collect and feel at home with. browse furniture websites. ikea, crate and barrel, pottery barn, anthropologie, and west elm are all great places to look for ideas. if you really want to get into it, architectural design (i particularly like this article listing recommendations for furniture retailers) and dezeen (has the added bonus of being able to search for things based on location, if you're looking for example of interior design specific to your muse's city of residence) have extensive articles on both exterior and interior design. etsy is also a great place to look for antiques, vintage style, and more eclectic items.

feed them. if your muse is a foodie or likes to cook, come up with a menu for them. read food blogs and restaurant menus, think of what they'd like if they went out for dinner or what they'd cook at home. i will sometimes make up an imaginary dinner party for muses when its applicable and plan out what they'd like to serve or be served in that situation. food can be a great way to get to know your muse because it can tell you so much about their personal tastes, their current lifestyle, and their cultural background. while food is something that is prevalent in everyone's life, different people will have different approaches to it. this can be especially fun if you look at the menus for restaurants and shops local to your muse's area! read about what's popular in their neighborhood, take the specifics of that culture into consideration.

consider history. think about the time and place in which your character was born and raised in. how would things like pop culture, trends, media, neighborhood, and society affect them? this will differ with every character's upbringing and background, so take all that into consideration as you explore resources. for example, say that your muse is inspired by something like punk subcultures in the 1990s. what music, movies, and clothing styles would have been prevalent at the time? try looking into the history of the underground scene, you can even look further back than that particular decade to understand its roots and how the subculture go to that present moment. how would current events of the time affect what's being put out there and how would the changes within the world cause your character to evolve in their mindset or interests?

study movement. often times we study physicality in terms of what the character looks like as a static image (their hair colour, face shape, clothing, etc) and less about what it looks like when they look like when they are in movement. consider things like their gait, posture, facial expressions, or even specific tics. how do they move when they're on the go and in a rush, compared to when they're confined to a room? how do they position themselves in a bed or on a couch? what does their face tell you about them when they speak? what does it not tell you? a lot of behavior and emotion is not limited to dialogue, but rather how a person composes themselves through body language. you can learn so much about someone by being observant of them even without dialogue. it can be helpful to watch videos or movies and study an actor's movements with all this in mind. i often find myself watching videos with the sound off, just to pay closer attention to body language and try to understand what they are saying without verbal communication.

feel free to reblog if any of this is helpful to you. i maintain the belief that roleplay should always be fun and the best way for me to do that is to treat it like a barbie game. remember that not all character development revolves solely around written words, but rather the environment and details you put into them.

[lawleon]

Complete FuniFuni Collection!

After many years of hunting I was finally able to complete my FuniFuni collection! I almost never see these plushies discussed in comparison to Fumos so I thought I'd talk about what I understand about them since the Circle that made them, Phantasm Screen, seems to be completely defunct. The initial run of Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae first showed up in July 2009 and the most "recent" additions, Satori, Orin, Remilia, and Flandre first showed up in August 2010. The only record of legitimate online sales of these plushies I can find is an old entry on Melonbooks for the hanging strap version of Orin from 2010. Some evidence suggests they were sold on Toranoana and at IRL events as well. They were most likely distributed at a few more events and probably at IRL bookstore/doujin shops after the final set was made before the Circle closed up shop. I would reasonably expect that all of these plushies are roughly a decade old, and no more new ones have been made since then. As time has passed it has obviously become more difficult to find online auctions for some of these, you can still find auctions for Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae somewhat often, but the plushies released later don't show up as often since there were fewer distributions of them. The full sized version of Satori was particularly difficult for me to locate, I think I won the only auction for the full sized Satori plush I had seen in 5 years? (For the absurd price of $12 plus shipping.)

These plushies are smaller in comparison to Fumos.

In my opinion the Funis are generally a bit more detailed than Fumos. More fabric types are used, with a lot of the frills Touhou outfits are known for are made of lace on the Funis versus the satin ribbons that Fumos use.

Additionally, if you'll forgive me for talking about plushie tooshie, Fumos generally stick with the exact same basic design for the area where the plushie sits, but Funis are willing to go into detail even down to the footwear. The bloomers are modeled like actual clothing, and look at Satori's socks and house slippers!

Let's talk about tags. In a world with bootleg Fumos, the presence or absence of a visible tag was probably the first thing people attempting to obtain one were taught to look for. Scalpers are not trying to duplicate Funis for fat stacks of cash so whether or not a Funi has a tag is more of a personal preference, or for a feeling of reassurance. I was able to obtain 12/13 of my Funis with tags, pictured below. (Did you think I was going to let the absence of a tag prevent me from buying the only Satori I had seen in like 7 years?)

Anyways, I've been hunting these for a long time and I'm very happy to have completed my collection. If you also enjoy Touhou plushies and are annoyed/infuriated with the resale market Fumo prices, and a character you enjoy is available in the limited selection, consider a FuniFuni instead. They are a highly detailed alternative plushie that generally sell for a fraction of the price of a Fumo. If you're interested in picking up any of these cuties you'll have to hunt on auction sites, but with the existence of Buyee now making proxy services easily accessible to most people, it's easier to get Funis for decent prices from JP Yahoo Auction. If anyone else out there is hunting for these I do wish you luck. Anyways, I need to get back to being mad about the fact that there aren't any Shinmyoumaru plushies, or goods in general. See'ya around!

[luxurysystems]

Irwin before his life of crime in the Vice City AU

"The Destroyer"

[Money Inc. x Vice City Au- 1391 words]

Synopsis: Irwin's life was planned out: work at the same accounting firm in upstate NY for most of his adult life, retire in his mid-60s , enjoy his pension, die quietly and hope to be in St. Peter's book of names when he steps into the afterlife. By joining Mr.B's firm right out of college, he was hoping to get a leg up on the first part of his plan. Little did Irwin know at the time that his boss had other plans for the youngster...

[Little Havana, Vice City, 9 a.m.- Outside of the Printworks factory]

"Shoot him, c'mon kid! We haven't got all day!"

Sitting in Ted's off-white Admiral, Irwin had a moment to take a breather. Listening to Ted chat his mouth off so early in the morning was the catalyst needed to drum up a headache right between Irwin's eyes.

"God, I need to smoke..."

He was still technically working— Ted just happened to step inside to talk with the owner, Earnest Kelly, to iron out some details. You could call "stay inside the car so that it doesn't get jacked" Irwin's portion of the job. Starting to get bored with the talk radio topic that was on, Irwin reached towards the backseat to retrieve his briefcase; there must be something in there that he could review to keep his mind occupied.

Opening up revealed his usual wares:

glasses case

a pack of Marlboros

His favorite zippo lighter- it was quite old, with scratches on the black paint exposing the metal underneath. There were initials engraved near the bottom that read: "D.B"

A Colt M1911 Pistol + extra mags

Packed light today. Well shit, nothing to look over. He sighed, and grabbed the pack of cigarettes intent on repacking them by smacking the top, just to keep his hands busy. Or he could-- no--

The last time he tried to smoke in Ted's car, the blonde man wouldn't shut the hell up about "the smoke ruining the resale value", so Irwin had to threaten to shoot him as a friendly "yeah ok, I got it."

Sinking into his seat, he started to shake the cigarette box, striking it against the palm of his hand....

[ Upstate NY- 1978]

Richard Beyer ran a corner accounting firm that he built from the ground up on his own, according to Irwin. "Mr.B", they called him; few knew or referred to his actual name. He was ruthless, no nonsense- a man who by all accounts earned and demanded respect wherever he went. Mr. B did a damn fine job, as well. He was a complete whiz with numbers, barely needing a calculator when he worked. While staring at a form, he could tell you all of the adjusted amounts as he was handing it back to you. His business was a well-oiled machine free of blemishes, which intimidated the then 20-something Irwin...

The first thing Irwin noticed after accepting the job as Mr.B's assistant was the cloud of smoke that would fog up the room as they worked. Mr.B was THE definition of a chainsmoker.

"Helps me think." The man coughed and smiled through crooked teeth. "I see."

Irwin wasn't a smoker during his time with Mr.B, at least not when he first started. He sure as hell wasn't going to complain to his boss about how he found it difficult to breathe sometimes- Irwin was just happy to have a job. Although, Irwin didn't really like how the smoke would linger in his long, curly hair... He did eventually learn to..."appreciate" the smell as his 1st year work anniversary was creeping up.

One day as the two were working, Mr.B's phone rang -once- then it stopped, prompting the men to look at the phone together. 5 seconds passed and then the phone rang again, -once-, then the same thing happened afterwards- silence. Mr. B's eyes never left the red rotary phone; Irwin noticed this as his eyes traveled from the phone to his boss' face.

The phone rang once more- this time ringing out normally.

"I better take this." Mr. B said in a monotone voice, picking up the receiver. "S-sure, sir."

The phone call was brief. Irwin could only make out a few words: "Dicky", "a job", and strangely, "...Destroyer."

"Starting to get a little too old for this, y'know. But, shit, I'll see what I can do."

Once Mr. B placed the receiver back, Irwin quickly turned his attention over to his papers to make it look like he wasn't trying to eavesdrop on his boss.

"Kid..." He started. "Put that away. It's time I bring you along with me."

Irwin found himself in the woods, miles away from the office, with Mr. B beating the living shit out of some poor guy in a tattered suit. Something about "ratting on someone important, biting the hand that feeds you, you ungrateful shit."

Irwin couldn't believe his eyes- his boss turned this poor guy's face into a bloody pulp with his fists- he never knew his boss was that strong, or that he was a hitman....

Not wanting to get in the way and draw attention to himself, all Irwin could do was stand there, shovel in hand...his palms raw from being ordered to dig a hole fit enough to hide a body.....

"p--please!!" The pitiful man begged, spitting blood as he enunciated words. "I know nothing, honest, I d-didn't snitch on nobody!!"

The man was on his knees practically begging the old accountant for mercy. Mr. B, with a strange finesse, took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew the smoke in the guy's eyes, blinding him....insult to mass injury.

"Those words don't mean nothing to me, pal. It's just business."

With a swift uppercut, Mr. B sent the man flying backwards into the freshly dug dirt hole. The man at this point was incoherently babbling, wailing, making sounds that could only mean death was around the corner...sounds that would haunt Irwin's ears for a long time.

Digging into his back pocket, Mr. B threw Irwin a pistol, which he clumsily caught.

"Alrighty kid, right between the eyes, I know you can do it." "Sir---?? I---I-" Irwin stammered, fully in flight or fight mode. "Shoot him, c'mon kid! We haven't got all day!"

Something possessed Irwin that day he took that man's life. Maybe it was the man's blood that splattered on his face, clothes, his hands...

Irwin watched as the man drew his last breath, his eyes rolling in the back of his head.

What drove him to do it? Was it really the fear of his boss that caused him to pull the trigger? Was Irwin really that predisposed to blindly following orders? Time was a blur; he found himself shoveling dirt, making sure to cover the corpse that was starting to stink. Irwin didn't feel like he was in control of his body-autopilot- his brain refused to register anything except the stench of the dead man's body, making his stomach turn. Mr. B took notice of his protege's change in behavior. He took out another cigarette from his shirt pocket and lit it using his signature black zippo lighter that he always took with him.

"Irwin, take it." He said, offering the lit cigarette to the young man. "Out here, it'll help you concentrate, masks the smell, too. Don't make it a habit..."

Without hesitation, Irwin took it and started puffing. The smoke helped obscure the dead man's face long enough for the dirt to fully mask it. One last shovel full of earth and he was gone. Out of sight...

"Good job, kid. You're a natural."

Irwin reminisced on those words and how his 8 years in "the business" was coming up. He wasn't too sure if Mr.B would be proud of who he turned out to be, God bless him...that old bastard, Irwin was certain he'd see him again in Hell.

Maybe he'd share that tidbid with Ted and they'd celebrate at the Malibu later. Maybe. Er-- on second thought, no. Ah fuck it, Irwin could use an old fashioned, what better excuse for the occasional cocktail than this?

"H...Hey are you smoking??" Ted banged on the roof of his car, snapping Irwin back into reality. "Fucker, put that OUT, goddamn it."

Shoot, autopilot seemed to take over again as Irwin didn't register for a moment that he was smoking.

"Sorry." Irwin replied as he put the cigarette out on his tongue, flicking it out the window. "Just really needed it."

Ted started the car and rolled down all of the windows trying to air out the vehicle, blasting the AC to help speed up the process.

"Yeah well, ugh whatever. Listen, we've got some work to do, hope you packed--"

"I always have it on me."

[x]