#like it’s so cheep and affordable.

[gothamdorkthoughts]

The rent is cheep. But at what cost?

[dresshistorynerd]

How to see through the greenwashing propaganda of the fashion industry - 1

For some background info I made an overview about the impact of fashion industry.

In the light of the Shein brand trip nonsense, I was thinking about how literally every clothing company now engages in greenwashing, even when it's such obvious lie like with Shein. And while most people are not fooled in such blatant cases like that, most cases are not as blatant. To see through the less obvious propaganda often needs a lot of knowledge of the clothing industry, which the average person doesn't have, yet the average person still needs clothing. So instead of trying to expose every company for their bad practices, I thought it might be more helpful to make a post on how to detect greenwashing. I'm going to use four examples, all in the different levels of honesty and responsibility, Shein, H&M, Burberry and Tentree. First I will go into frankly unnecessary amount of detail on Shein, because I fell into a horrifyingly fascinating research rabbit hole and I think it's excellent example on how companies can get away with blatant crimes (allegedly of course). In this first part we will just look into Shien, it's propaganda and reality behind it.

But before I go deeper into this, I want to stress one thing: this is not to say that you can never buy from any brand engaging in dishonest greenwashing, because then you couldn't buy almost any clothing, and you do need clothing. Though I will say, please don't buy from Shein if you in any way can afford not to. There is levels of how bad business practices can be, and they can't be much worse than Shein's, and even beside that, even when super cheep, it's not worth your money. There are other cheep options too. Though I won't hold it against anyone if they buy individual pieces from Shein from time to time, but I would implore at least to considerate, if they really need it and if it might be possible to get something similar from somewhere else. But my point in this is not necessarily to help you make better consumer decisions, because consumption will not save us, but to see through the corporate propaganda and not become complaisant after hearing comforting lies. The corporations are doing everything they can to make you believe they are already fixing the problems within the industry and there's no need for government intervention pinky promise, just keep consuming. But that's all bullshit and government intervention is exactly what is needed.

Before taking a look at our cases, I'll outline the key things I think are good to look for, when presented with sustainability PR.

TRANSPARENCY - Companies are not required to publish much of the information about their practices, but as it has become clear to everyone that the whole fashion industry is a massive problem, opacity has become rightly seen as suspicious. It has become also a sort of marketing method to disclose any evidence of good practices, so when a company is not doing that, and missing out on well working marketing, it raises the question, what are they hiding. Companies may try to give the appearance of transparency, without actually disclosing information. They might write in an easily accessible page about all their lofty goals, promises and achievements in a very vague language, they might talk about being transparent and publishing their data, but that data might be buried somewhere, where it's not easily accessible. Good sign on the other hand would be for example providing supply chain information for a product in the product description.

RELIABLE INFORMATION - Usually it's safer for a company to be vague or silent than to lie, because that might lead to legal consequences, but by cherry-picking and subtly twisting data, it can be turned to be flattering for them. Small companies might provide raw evidence of their facilities and supply chain, like photos, locations, contractor names etc. to give proof for their word. For bigger companies this is not of course possible as their supply chains might be massive and they might have thousands of facilities. However, there are many different independent and governmental organizations that give different kinds of certifications. The certifications are meant to give some reassurance of quality and/or accurate information. However not all certifications are made equal. Most reliable certifications don't have ties to the industry (aka are actually independent, not just in name), have governmental oversight and are given access to the data, from which they do the research themselves.

SUPPLY CHAIN - Giving the origin country of the final product is nowadays standard information to give, as it's required by law for example in EU. It's a red flag, if it's produced in a country, that has lacking environmental or labour laws, poor oversight and/or little protections for people. However, this does not mean that all production in those countries is unethical or questionable, but the risk for that is higher and the need for evidence of the working conditions is also higher. This is however just one part of the production. Before clothing can be sewn, the raw material for fiber must be made/acquired, that material must be turned into fiber, which must be turned into yarn and then the yarn must be woven into fabric. All of these steps in the process need workers, who deserve good working conditions. And depending on what fabric is in question, there's potential for major environmental issues in the different processes. This is why it's important to know more than just the country where the clothing was sewn. There could be certification for ethical sourcing of the fabric for example. With supply chain it's also better if the materials are sourced as locally as possible, to avoid a lot of extra carbon emissions from transportation. Best case scenario would be if the company manages the supply chain themselves locally, so they can know for sure where their materials come from and also avoid middlemen.

BUSINESS MODEL - The reason why it's often so hard to get information on the supply chain is that many companies, especially the large ones, outsource as much as possible. This might seem unintuitive, as the middlemen make production less efficient and costly as everyone takes a cut. However, they do it to outsource risks and responsibility. They don't have to invest into factories or raw material production and they have plausible deniability, if and when there's issues in their supply chain. The complexity of the supply chain provides opacity that is impossible and unreasonable to monitor, which allows the company to buy materials that are unreasonably cheep, while feigning ignorance of worker exploitation. How much the clothing cost can also give some idea on their business model. If it's super cheep, the only way for it to be that cheep is if workers are not payed enough and everything is poorly made. Cheep is always a red flag, though, if it's fairly cheep and I mean basic clothing is not much more than 100 eur (little more in USDs) but not much less than 50 eur, it can be okay or even good quality and with proper pay for workers, if the company doesn't take massive margins and don't have a ton of middlemen in their supply chain. However, expensive is not insurance of quality or good pay for workers. Many expensive brands take massive margins while their production has little difference to fast fashion and their products are poor quality.

CASE STUDY 1: SHEIN

Let's start with the propaganda. In Shein's About Us page, they say:

"SHEIN is a global fashion and lifestyle e-retailer committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to all."

You see, their goal is to make fashion accessible to everyone, not just privileged few. They back this up by informing how they work in 150 countries, have very wide variety of clothing, are one of the most popular shopping apps, connect with the customers on where they are - social media - and, of course, have ridiculously low prices. Their team of nearly 10,000 employees (of which 58% are women for your information) loves to serve their many many customers, who are most important for Shein. They use "cutting-edge technology" and digitized agile supply chain to track sales and demand and adjust their manufacturing in real time. When they notice a new trend, they immediately put something trendy on sale, make prototypes and order small batches from factories. This is how they keep their inventory waste low and get products quickly to their customers. In their own words:

"By developing proprietary logistics and ecommerce technology, we are disrupting the fashion space and improving outcomes for manufacturers, suppliers and consumers."

We will see, if the "outcomes" are really "improved".

Shein group's website has very extensive information about their sustainability goals and efforts, giving the impression of transparency. It's pretty clear this is in an effort to combat all the allegations towards them. To make their business sustainable in addition to their reduced inventory waste they are "accelerating their transition" to use recycled polyester, promoting their "peer-to-peer resale platform" for Shein products, "eshtablishing" a recycling program for end-of-life products, tracing the material supply chain through their own material tracking platform and conserving forests by replacing viscose with "next generation fibers".

Most of the information they provide is fully meaningless corporate speak and should be taken with the biggest bucket of salt, so let's ask some questions.

DO THEY PROVIDE SPECIFIC DATA ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTION? Surprisingly Shein is much more transparent than I expected. (Though of course the info is in different website than where the average consumer would go.) Shein hasn't taken the standard route, which is to provide as little information as possible, and keeping it vague too, se they could just keep feigning ignorance. As I said, I think it's pretty clear they are providing this much information because their reputation is so bad. Their lack of transparency has been taken as an admission of guilt, so it's not working anymore, and they have taken a new approach into maintaining their plausible deniability. In their website, they provide a sustainability report from years 2021 and 2022. I took a look at the latest one. In it there's a lot of fluff, but they show actual numbers of how many code of conduct violations have been found in audits to supplier facilities, the carbon emissions of their supply chain and the amounts of different fabrics they have used during 2022. That's not nothing, so we have a relatively good start here.

WHO DID THE RESEARCH? The research is not at all independent, but done in-house. They have all the financial incentives to cherry-pick and frame their research in a way that shows them in the best possible light, even if we assumed they would not tamper with their own evidence, which I don't think we can fully assume either. There's an attempt though to convince us to believe the data they are showing:

"We have reported with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 2021 standard for certain sections of this report. Selected information in this report was assured, to the limited assurance standard, by an external independent assurer as per ISAE 3000."

Emphasis by me. So even if they did the research themselves, they did get it independently audited to get an assurance that they did follow the GRI standards in their reporting and that it doesn't contain lies. However, the "certain sections" and "selected information" with "limited assurance" does not give me much assurance, in fact, my assurance is very limited. To understand what does this actually mean, I did a bit of googling and delved into the annex of the report.

ISAE 3000 is a standard for auditing financial information issued by International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, which an independent body that has governmental oversight. Financial information can get either reasonable assurance or limited assurance. Reasonable assurance is the most assurance this standard allows. Limited assurance is given, if the information provided to the assurer, time or extent of the procedure is lacking, but from those limited resources the assurer doesn't find anything that suggests "the subject matter information is materially misstated" aka that the company is lying. GRI is the most used reporting standard for sustainability for businesses and other organizations. I'm a bit suspicious of how effective their standards are, if they are most widely used, since most companies are absolutely terrible about sustainability yet they all claim they are great with it. So I decided to check who is in the board. Unsurprisingly it's mostly representatives of massive corporations, including Coca Cola and DuPond, a professor of accounting, national research director of Australia's Mining and Energy Union and one (1) environmental scientist.

The annex revealed quite interesting details. The only information that was AssuredTM (in a limited manner) for accurate information was the data on Shein's emissions and that of code of conduct violations. Only the report on emissions was AssuredTM (in a limited manner) to follow GRI standards. Shein got to select and prepare the relevant data for the audition, which was according to it, lacking. Crucially the audition report states that they didn't verify the results of supply audits or any potential violations of labor law found in them, rather they just checked that the math on the grading of the audits matched with Shein's stated criteria and that they actually did the audits. So if you really think about it, the (limited) assurance is that they graded themselves like they promised they would, not that their reporting of the amounts of violated labor laws or even just their own code of conduct was accurate. Additionally assurance of the accuracy of the emissions was only of Shein's own facilities, which do not produce any of their products, but not of their supply chain. 99,7% of their emissions come from their supply chain. So keep all this in mind when we look at the data itself.

WHAT ARE THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS AND HOW ARE THEY CALCULATED? Shein's emissions were 9,17 million tonnes of CO2, or 9,22 million tonnes if we don't count them purchasing Renewable Energy Credits. To put it into perspective that would be around 0,27-0,3% of the estimation of the annual emissions of the whole textile industry. Now that would be pretty low. In fact, suspiciously low. The fact that they got their own emissions auditioned, but not the emissions of their supply chain, suggests to me that perhaps, their numbers don't hold up to scrutiny. They also don't disclose their methodology for the numbers of the supply chain, like they do with their own facilities. Of course their response would be to say it's so much easier for them to calculate their own emissions than their suppliers. But I say that's not a bug, that's a feature.

Though looking at the methodology of the emissions from their own operating sites, which includes warehouses and offices, they don't take into account at all any emissions from building anything. They grew massively between 2021 and 2022 and I find it hard to believe they didn't built any of the new offices or warehouses they gained. Certainly they would have bought a lot of new equipment even if they moved to existing buildings. But none of this is taken into account in their calculations. And I must assume, it's not taken into account in their supply chain calculations either.

Even if we took them at their word, by their own admission, their carbon emissions have grown from 2021 to 2022 52%, which is alarming. (Interestingly they use the 2021 numbers in their actual website, which I think is so misleading that it's basically a lie.) They write it off as just side effect of their massive growth in production volume, which had 57% increase during the same time frame.

"We are at the beginning of our mitigation journey and began implementing decarbonization programs at the end of fiscal year 2022."

So they first scale their business as fast as they can, having absolutely no care of the environmental effect, so that when they have massive market share, and they reduce their massive emissions slightly, they can be like "oh look we did something!" They can then moan and wail how hard and time consuming it is to reduce the emissions of an existing supply chain, when they were the ones who decided to not take that into account from the start. Their "science based goal" (which they repeatedly stress in their website) is to reduce their emissions 25% by 2030. It's nothing. Less than nothing. They scaled without care their production in a time, when our ecology is collapsing, and then they claim that it's just science we possibly can't do anything about it. Apparently it's a natural law that they just have to make more and more money, like gravity.

WHAT MATERIALS DO THEY USE? Last year 64% of Shein's clothing (measured in weight) was polyester. Production of polyester is estimated to count for 40% of all carbon emissions of the textile industry. It's also a plastic made out of oil, so we have to take into account the fracking and refinement of oil and the eventual release of the CO2 from the oil that would have been secured in the ground otherwise. This most certainly is not counted into the supply chain emissions. Shein loves to pay lip service to the idea of circular economy, but they don't actually think about it. Because if they did, they would have taken into account the microplastics polyester fabric sheds when it's washed. When microplastics get into the soil and freshwater, they get into the organs of animals, including us, and they don't easily come off. Already it has been shown that they have led to the decrease of small soil fauna, which are very important for the fertility of the soil. Over time microplastics also break down further into nanoplastics. There's already evidence of nanoplastics being small enough to pass through veins into the brain, and that causing behavioral changes in fish. We don't know the long term consequences off this micro and nano plastic pollution yet, and we're just seeing the effects they have on small animals, but as they built up over years and decades inside our organs, we well likely see much larger effects.

Important for the lifecycle thinking is not just focusing on how much burden the production puts on the environment, but also how long it lasts and how can it be reused and eventually the impact of the end of it's lifecycle. If you remember from the beginning, Shein claims to take all this into account by having a resale program, somewhere in the future establishing a recycling program for unusable old clothes and increasing their share of recycled polyester. This is nothing. Again it's less than nothing. Polyester is not only bad fabric because of the things I've already said, but it's also just as a material for clothing very weak. It's not warm or breathable, which makes it at the same time sweaty and cold. It has no anti-bacterial qualities at all (which basically all natural fabrics have at least to small extent), so when you get easily sweaty in it, it starts also smelling very easily, and so needs washing very often. On top of washing releasing microplastics, it also weakens the fabric, because polyester doesn't get stronger when wet unlike plant fibers, like cotton and linen. Other synthetic fibers even get weaker when wet. Polyester is also very hard to dye effectively and has bad color retaining properties, so it needs chemical treatments and strong industrial dyes, all of which adds to it's carbon footprint and toxic pollution. Bad color retaining properties though also mean it looses it's color quite easily when washed. All of this makes it's life span significantly shorter than natural fabrics. I mean with some natural fabrics like wool and silk we are talking about multiple decades, with polyester it's easily in the low one digit years. These are inherent issues with polyester, but Shein clothes have repeatedly got complaints of their poor quality in general. This makes the resale program frankly meaningless.

On the surface the recycling program for polyester sounds good, right? You don't have to use more oil and use as much energy in making of it (according to Shein themselves, which again not a trustworthy source, it saves up to 70% emissions). Shein has promised to increase their share of recycled polyester to 31% of their polyester usage by 2030. Currently less than 1% of their production is recycled polyester. This is however a terrible solution. It still sheds microplastics and it's even worse as a fabric than virgin polyester. It is weaker and stiffer, making it impossible to use on it's own in fabric but when mixed with other fibers in a fabric significantly shortens it's life span. When we take into account the lifecycle of a clothing, the length of it and it's lifetime emissions become much more important than the production emissions. If you have to produce from scratch new clothing three times, in the time you could be using another clothing, it doesn't really matter if the emissions during the production were somewhat lower. (There's little reliable and comparable data available on production emissions of different fabrics, so I don't know how exactly recycled polyester compares to different natural fabrics.) Especially when we take into account the consumer use emissions, which in the case of polyester are 30% of it's lifetime emissions. And wast majority of it comes from washing, which you have to do more with polyester (how much more depends on what fabric you compere it to). Any responsible disposal of polyester at the end of it's lifecycle, especially any attempts at recycling it, cause additional emissions, unlike with natural fibers, which naturally degrade.

WHERE ARE THE SUPPLIERS? Shein boasts having fully integrated digital supply chain and with it they can track the whole supply chain of individual product. However they don't reveal any of that information publicly. Or rather only thing we know is that their factories making the end products are in China. But the question is, where does their fabrics come from? There's no countries listed in their report in any capacity and none of their products have any information of their origins nor the origins of the fabrics. This is very suspicious in my opinion. We can get no indication on how fibers might have been produced and made into fabric from the labor and environmental laws and practices of different countries. However, there is an interesting bit in the report about cotton:

"For cotton products, to further enhance our compliance with US laws, we request that our manufacturing suppliers only source cotton from Australia, Brazil, India, the United States and other approved regions."

This sentence is there pretty obviously because they have been caught selling clothing with cotton grown in Xinjiang in US markets, which US has banned. This is because Xinjiang, the Autonomous Uighur region, where 90% of China's raw cotton is grown, has been accused of genocidal oppression of the Uighur population, including having massive forced labour camps for Uighurs. Because of the police state nature of Xinjiang, there's no reliable numbers on how much of the cotton is produced with forced labour, but presumably most of it. Moreover, China limits the imports of cotton, which is why only 20% of cotton used by the textile industry in China is imported. Shein claims they know exactly where their fabrics come from, but the wording of the sentence above makes it clear they don't even plan on enforcing any policy to use imported cotton by their suppliers. Cotton is just 10% of fabric they used last year, but given their massive production volume, it's still a lot. This gets us to our next question.

IS THERE PROOF OF GOOD WORKING CONDITIONS? Shein reports doing in total 2 812 audits into 1 941 of their 5 400 contract manufacturers. According to them it accounted for 84% of their Shein branded products (so not their other 10 brands). This information, if you remember, was given limited assurance, by the audition into their numbers. However, we are to trust Shein alone that the reports of their auditions are accurate. I'm not really willing to trust them, but let's sustain our disbelief for a moment to look at their findings. From their report:

"A: 90 points and above: minor flaws. Continued improvement is advised. B: 75 to 90 points: some general risks. Continued improvement is advised. C: 60 to 75 points: 1-3 major risks. Corrective action is required. D: below 60 points: >3 major risks. Corrective action is required. ZTV: Zero Tolerance Violation detetected. Immediate corrective action is required."

Even without knowing what do these things mean in practice, I don't think this paints a pretty picture. Only 4% of their manufacturing facilities had minor flaws and 82% of their facilities have major risks or worse? Does that mean none of their manufacturers fully comply with their Code of Conduct? They try to make it sound like it looks this bad because they have tightened their criteria and still the numbers are better than last year, but even with all of that, this is imo unacceptable. But it gets worse.

The report shows the amount of each ZTV found in the audits. This was explicitly not assured in any way by an independent party, so considering this information is given despite the lack of oversight and the interests of Shein, it's grim. Most of the 11% of ZTVs were gross safety violations. For example 4,2% of the audits, which means 118 facilities, found lacking emergency exits. However, they also found child labour in 6 facilities and forced labour in 3 facilities. So according to their own reporting, their manufacturers have used child labour and forced labour. And just to remind you, this is covering just 36% of their contract manufacturers. What I found interesting (read disturbing), was that violence or sexual misconduct against workers were not among Zero Tolerance Violations. I know it's not a situation, where they don't consider it violation of Code of Conduct, but rather just calls the police and let them handle it, because the violations counted here are based on their CoC, in which there's an item 7 named "No harassment or abuse of employees", which explicitly forbids physical, sexual, mental and verbal abuse. They don't however breakdown the make up of the non-ZTV violations that have occured, nor do their reveal how are they graded the ratings, so there's really no way to know what the 71% of their manufacturers have done to warrant their low (C or D) grading.

Would you at this point be surprised, if I told you it gets worse? Yeah, their so called Zero Tolerance Violations are not very zero tolerance after all. You might think zero tolerance means, that if manufacturers are caught doing it, their contract is immediately terminated and they are reported to authorities? Well, let's look what is the "immediate corrective action" outlined in their Responsible Sourcing Policy. Among the ZTVs they define even more zero tolerance violations, let's say negative tolerance violations. These are 1. forging documents, bribery or refusing to get assessed 2. child labour and 3. forced labour. Surely these lead to immediate contract termination and reporting to authorities?

So if Shein encounters slavery or probable coverup of it in their facilities, they stop placing new orders until the enslaved people and children are taken somewhere else or otherwise their contracts are fixed (at least for now), so there's no more slavery in sight, when someone comes back to assess them again and decides it's all good to continue business as usual. They have 30 days to make everything look like there's no issues, which sounds pretty easy task, and after that they can grab the kids and the slaves back there like nothing happened. Also notice how they didn't say they demand stopping the work entirely in the facility, just that they'll stop placing orders? Yeah, they don't stop production even if they find literal children or enslaved people producing them. Gotta get those dresses to the customer.

If they find any other ZTV, they come back in 30 days, and if the violation continues, they give a warning, come back again in 30 days, and if still the issue is there, then they stop placing orders. After that it continues like with child or forced labour violations. If after another 30 days it's not fixed, the contract is terminated. If a supplier gets two ZTVs within two years, they go straight to the even less than zero tolerance model straight away. If they get three ZTVs in two years, then their contract is immediately terminated. Nothing different happens though, if you get caught doing child or forced labour two times in two years, so you can just get caught once a year as long as you always pretend to stop doing it. But even if you do get caught third time in two years, or fail to pretend you fixed it, it's fine, you'll just have to do other stuff for the next year, and then you can apply again to work with Shien. Also the policy does not at any point require reporting these alleged crimes to authorities. If they at some point stop placing orders for a supplier (for example because of child or forced labour), they have to just sent all the files and documents of the goods that are produced by that supplier during the time they aren't giving them new orders to the relevant tax and customs authorities.

To answer the question I started this section with, sounds like Shein provides more evidence of bad working conditions in their suppliers' facilities, than they provide evidence of good working conditions. They even give evidence that their monitoring of those conditions is just a joke, and they have no mechanisms to actually get rid of suppliers who have inhumane working conditions. Elsewhere they try to give very weak evidence of good working conditions. The influencer brand trip to their facility in China was a PR stunt like that. However, it's easily dismissable, as the facility was not at one of the factories, where their clothing is made, all of which are third parties, but Shien's own facility they call Innovation Center. There they innovate new technologies, train their suppliers to use their new technologies and consult their suppliers on how to make new factories, which I assume means they have factory templates to give to their suppliers.

However, independent sources give much more reliable evidence of terrible working conditions in their factories. Like when undercover operation into one of their factories found employees working 18 hours a day earning 2 cents per item. When asked for comment, they answered: "Any non-compliance with this code is dealt with swiftly, and we will terminate partnerships that do not meet our standards." This is not severe ZTV, so what they mean by "dealt with swiftly" is "told to stop breaking labour laws, given some time, given warning, given more time, stopped giving new orders, given even more time and if after three months they have not stop then they gotta go". Because yes, they do terminate those who don't meet their standards. Their standards are just in the gutter.

HOW IS THE COMPANY STRUCTURED? While falling down this rabbit hole I came to the realization that Shein is the Uber of fashion. It's just the gig economy all over again. Let me explain. Unlike traditional fashion companies, Shein has outsourced even the sewing of the clothing. Shein itself is an app company, like Uber, though they technically do design their own clothes. I say technically because they have been repeatedly accused of copyright infringement to the point where they are now sued for racketeering. Allegation from the lawsuit:

"Shein has grown rich by committing individual infringements over and over again, as part of a long and continuous pattern of racketeering, which shows no sign of abating."

It relates to the other reason why I say their only technically design too, because a huge amount of their designs are also outsourced. In their sustainability report, they boast about how their SHEIN X program is meant to "empower" young designers to get their business off the ground, by taking their designs and using them for their clothing productions. This sounds a lot like SHEIN X designers are gig workers. They are basically just designers for Shein, but oh no they are not workers, labour laws won't apply! Shein specifically targets young designers, even students, so it's clear that they really just want impressionable people desperate for money and work experience. Obviously they won't get much money for their designs, since there's such a massive flood of products and designers, Shein says they have 3 000 designers in SHEIN X, and the products are so, so cheep. It's the exact same thing as with Uber and the like, they put their "workers" into competition with each other. To tie it back to the lawsuit, they use these third party designers as fodder against accusations of copyright infringement. They did not steal the design from the independent artist, they are just the platform provider.

This is also exactly how they operate with their factories. When their massive production is spread across all the 5 400 small separate suppliers, they are forced to compete for scraps. They can't organize together to demand better pay or better working conditions, and Shein can act like they have no part in them. Moreover, due to their extremely low prices, Shein has to offer only really low rates for the production of their clothing. On top of that because of the contractor structure, the actual fanctory owners taken an extra cut from those low rates, leaving extremely little for the actual workers. The prices are so low, they demand inhumane working conditions. It's impossible to sell clothing in the prices Shein does and pay well for the workers, especially with their business structure. All the talk about technological innovation is also bullshit, because this gig economy competition model ensures that most of the gig workers (in this case factories) will stay poor, so they can hardly invest in the new technologies.

This model is also what Shein holds as their most significant sustainability claim, because it allows them to cut most inventory waste. Traditional fashion companies always have a significant overhead, because their supply must always be higher than demand, otherwise, they would loose customers to their competitors. Because Shein orders small batches from large amount of factories, they can change their production in real time, adjusting to the demand much quicker than any competitor. Yes, it means they have minimal inventory loss, but it's not actually efficient. Or rather not efficient in any other way than for maximizing profits. There is a massive amount of overlap of facilities, machinery, organization structures and bureaucracy, if we look at Shein's whole production, because the small factories are all producing same things, but because Shein drives them to compete with each other, they don't have to pay for that overlap. More than that, it's extremely inefficient way to maximize people getting clothed while minimizing materials. And I don't mean producing as much clothes as possible while minimizing materials, because that is what they are doing, but the goal shouldn't be as much clothes as possible, but maximizing everyone having enough clothing, which is much less that what we produce today. And if clothing was made to last instead of making as many of them as possible, even less could be made and still everyone would have enough clothes.

Shein's extremely quick rise to the top of fashion markets was due to how effectively they managed to use the pandemic for their advantage. During the lock-downs around the world, people spend increasingly more time on their phones and social media, which Shein managed turn into their profit. They utilize social media and influencers effectively for marketing. Their platform also uses many of the same psychological tricks social media uses to keep customers scrolling and consuming. This is on itself is not at all new, but because of their business model, they turned attention into sales and sales into more attention. All that combined with their ability to response in real time to new trends and scale production extremely quickly, turned any new trend in social media into hype and micro-fashion cycles, which they would burn through increasingly fast. Their competitors wouldn't even have the time to get into that trend before it would be replaced with a new trend. Then all they needed to do was to contract new small factories, they didn't even have to spend time and money to built them, and they could take over the fast fashion market.

Shein's effect won't stop there though. Their competitors will and are already starting to adapt their methods. It means quality of clothing will keep getting worse, the whole industry will keep increasing their carbon emissions and the working conditions from cotton farmers to designers will get worse as gig economy spreads in the industry. I'll talk more about this in the conclusions of the second part, but to fix this, there needs to be government intervention. It's good that there's a lawsuit over their wider practices, not just a singular act, but it won't be enough. If they don't face significant consequences, every other company will take note that they can profit off of (allegedly) systematic crimes.

IN CONCLUSION Shein as a company is a glorified optimization algorithm which only real function is to drive up consumption and in exchange take all the profits from everyone else's labour. They use the modern classic Uber model to take the neoliberal principle of outsourcing risks and responsibilities to it's logical conclusion. Their extremely exploitative business model only works if their designers and factories and other gig workers break laws. They do the absolute bare minimum to comply with law and (allegedly) not even that when they believe they can get away with it by blaming others, which is fucking bad indictment of those laws, since my god they are terrible. Their greenwashing propaganda is honestly laughable, it's a joke and they must know it. It feels more like gaslighting than propaganda.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Amnesia (KidKiller X Reader) P12

Plot: After an explosion reader wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the past few years, her parents want to take her home so she can recover and get back to a normal life while the Kid pirates want her back on the ship where she belongs.

Warning: Bad language, Medical stuff, family issues, abuse and Violence.

Reader is Female, Poly Relationship, established relationship, Kid X Reader X Killer, Reader is a member of the Kid pirates and is in charge of the money, Budgeting and negotiating the best price.

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A voice calls out to you, the voice of your mother sounding concerned and slightly panicked soon turning into anger when another voice, Kids voice speaks up, you can't make out what their saying until the room becomes clear. Its only been a few seconds since you zoned out but it feels like you've been out for days by how groggy you feel. "Y/n, sweetie, there you are" Your mothers smile comes into view as her hand gently guides your face to look her way, blinking a few times to get yourself to focus, reaching up to place your hand over hers thats presses on your cheek your relieved to feel she's real. "Hay, you ok?" Kid asks still leaning on the bed with one arm this time making no attempt to touch you or even lean your way, your eyes travel over to look him over with suspicion, that memory although pleasant sparked alarms bells in your head. They needed your skills, thats what your father said, is this what he meant? They needed your smarts? "Y-you let me handle the money?" You ask looking at Kid with knitted brows, when they first told you about being in charge of the money you thought they were lying but its clear now that it is the truth, there's a couple of problems with this though, it still doesn't confirm weather you stayed by your own will or not. Why did Killer let you do it? You were a stranger, sure you helped them out and did work around the ship but looking through someones fiances is different,your suspicion grows wondering if thats why they kept you around.

They were struggling with money at the time and having someone do the work for them and having a rich man's daughter on board would benefit them but how did they know? Did they figure it out or did you let something slip? Its clear from your actions that you had a good education especially in business, you should have realized sooner, in the south blue education comes in two forms, the cheep version, which only the average person can afford, only contains basic Reading, Writing, History and Geography, anything more than that the price goes up so only the Rich can keep climbing the ladder, maybe that's how they knew. "Yea, like we said your in charge of the money and how we spend it" Kid states his look of concern soon turning into a frown since your face hasn't changed, he thought this realization would make you believe him more maybe even agree to come back but it seems to have the opposite affect making you grow suspicious of him "See i told you" Your mother growls wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into her with no resistance, in fact you uncontinuously move closer to her trying to get your mind to make sense of it all, Kid's shoulders slump as his hand grips the sheets, seeing the look of dread on your face makes his heart break "W-what? What the hell are you talking about? What did you tell her?" Kid growls slowly becoming angry and turning his gaze to your mother who strokes your hair holding your head close to her shoulder "The truth, you only wanted her for the money and her brain. You took my daughter away from me, from her family who love her and appreciate her" Your mother growls making Kid see red, the captain goes to yell at your mother only to hear a small laugh leaves your lips leaving both of them looking at you confused.

Pushing away from your mother she lets you go while raising an eyebrow unsure of what your doing or what your thinking and in truth neither do you but you can't help it. "You can't be serious?" A strange smile forms on your face one that portrays disbelief, something brews inside of you but you can't tell what it is, all you know is what ever is about to come out of your mouth is something that needs to be said, no matter how cruel or rude it is. "Love me? Ok maybe i can believe that but… appreciate me? I've been nothing but a disappointment from the start, you and father have made that perfectly clear" Your mothers face drops but her brows knit together in hurt and anger, she goes to say something but you cut her off by holding up at hand showing your not done yet "I did everything i could to please you and it wasn't.. I will never be enough, I'll never be pretty enough, skinny enough, fair enough for you. I was cast aside the moment you found out i was girl, for god's sake mother, Do you realize how insane you are? How far you went? What you did to me? You hurt me, held me down, watched me bleed and beg for you to stop and at the end of it all, all you could say was how pretty i looked in earnings. You know maybe, just maybe if i was captured by pirates it would be a better life than coming home to you" Your voice shakes as it gets louder unable to control the words flowing out of your mouth and the tears forming in your eyes, Kid's eyes widen taken aback by your words, he heard it was bad but this was some psycho shit, he's proud of you though seeing you stand up to your mother, this whole time you've ether been too scared to say anything or acted prim and proper, your acting more like the woman he knows which brings a smirk to his face.

Your mother's mouth opens and closes a few times a look of shock covering her face as tears form in the corners of her eyes, you can't tell if she's sad about what she's done to you or that you've outed her. A huff of a laugh makes you turn your attention to Kid, your eyes glare at him as your face twists in anger seeing that stupid smile on his face, a proud one, as if he's won something "What the fuck are you smirking at? Your no different" The smile instantly drops from the captains face, its very rare that you get angry and sometimes your anger can rival his so it unnerves him when you direct that anger at him. "Storming in here, demanding things, taking over just like they do. I may like having you and Killer around but for all i know it could be some form of Stockholm syndrome. I mean i shouldn't like having you around, all you do is argue and fight with everyone around you, resorting to violence when you don't get your way, you know the names fitting. Just a Big Kid who throws a tantrum when ever his toy get taken away" Your yelling gets louder as you slowly get up from the bed standing in front of the tall red head with your fists balled up at your sides, you don't know where this anger is coming from but its overwhelming and the need to hit something is strong but you won't hurt either of them. "I'm trying here N/N, I've held back for you and your not a toy, Y/N i-" Kid growls threw gritted teeth his anger starting to boil over at your words, you've never spoken to him like this before, yes you've had your fair share of arguments and fights but you've never insulted his character before, you've called him hot headed once or twice but nothing like this, he also can't believe you'd think of yourself as his toy or his property.

Stepping closer you poke his chest stopping the captain from continuing, but he makes no move to stop you or throw hands with you "Trying? You call this trying? Even with a compromise you still find something to fight about, to yell about. Heck neither of you nor the other two even considered what i would have wanted or maybe waited until i was wake to talk with me about it, you only thought of yourselves" Pushing past him you grab your sling and wrap it around your arm and neck making sure its tight enough before heading to the door "Where are you going?" Kid turns anger and worry mixed on his face while your mother quickly stands up taking a step closer to you "Sweetie please, your hurt, you can't leave" Gritting your teeth you turn to the two a warning glare in your eyes making the two stop in their tracks "I'm going for a walk, I'll come back when you both short your shit out. Leave me alone" You sneer glaring at the two before leaving the room and slamming the door behind you, those two are doing your head in, fighting over every little thing even with a compromise in place and it's a stupid one too, what you don't get a say in the matter? You don't get to make a decision in your life? With a sigh you stop walking and take in a breath trying to calm yourself down, it felt good getting all that out but at the same time your heart feels heavy and your mind is still all over the place, taking in deep breaths you managed to get your breathing back to normal and your shoulders to relax, your surprised that with all the tension your shoulder isn't hurting but that could just be the adrenaline.

Looking around the dim corridor only being lite by a few small lights on the wall and the moon light coming through the windows of open rooms you start to notice that all the room are empty, its strange but then again it is a privet hospital on a resort island, it must cost a lot to get here and then even more to get treated. The halls don't look all that different to your room, same color scheme, paintings and a few tables outside rooms, each room is an exact copy of the one your staying in and its at that point you realize how lost you are, you didn't look where you were going and don't remember how many turns you took or how long you've been gone. The sun was almost set when you woke up and now the moon is out "Whatever, just keep walking, i'm sure I'll hear their yelling soon and it'll guide me back" You mutter to yourself starting to walk down the halls wrapping your arm under your sling as a way to comfort yourself, you don't want to go back to your room but maybe you can hang around the area until they leave. How did things get so complicated? You believed your parents, then you believed the pirates and now your stuck in the middle trying to figure things out. You don't know who to trust, you can't trust your parents because their known to lie to get what they wan, you can't trust the pirates because well… their pirates and you can't trust anyone who works for the hospital since your father differently owns a part of it. There's no one else you can turn too, well maybe the nurse, she seemed ok with telling your farther off and standing up against the pirates, she doesn't seem like the other doctors here, and she has your best interest in mind.

Speaking of the angle in white her voice calls out to you from down the hall making you turn to see her running over to you "Y/n, what are you doing out of your room and alone? Are you in pain? Do you need anything? Come lets get you back" The nurse whispers with concern placing her arm around your waist lightly guiding back down the hallway not waiting for an answer, you don't resist instead walking alongside her starting to study her face and body language. Its strange you don't even know her name but you trust her "Can we talk? In privet" You ask stopping in your tracks suddenly, the nurse looks at you with confusion but nods guiding you into an empty room and helping your sit down on a chair before pulling over her own to face you "Let me guess, their arguing again? I'm sorry Miss Y/n i really thought a compromise would help" The nurse sighs her eyes glazing over with a sad look, you don't blame her for suggesting a compromise, it's a good idea just too bad it didn't solve the arguing problem. "It's ok, i just had to get away, try and figure things out.. also, please just call me Y/n, i never got your name, I'd like to call you something other than nurse" You ask letting out a nervous laugh feeling bad for asking since you've seen her everyday since you woke up and don't even know her name "I'm Melody Blackburn but everyone just calls me nurse, even the staff, I've honestly just started introducing myself as such" She lets out a laugh while rubbing the back of her neck seeming shy about it, which is strange for someone who seems so confident. "So what is it you want to talk about, i promise what ever you say will stay between us, patient confidentiality"

You nod explaining what happened before and how angry you got, she listens close nodding along giving you reassuring smiles when you look up at her from playing with the fabric of your shirt "I'm no psychologist or therapist but i can try and help you sort out your thoughts, even if it doesn't solve anything i'm sure it will at least help you to relax" with a small smile you nod feeling tears starts to form in your eyes but you hold them back refusing to cry at her kind gesture and hope of relief. "Thank you but I don't know where to start" Your heads a mess of concerns, facts, feeling and something else you can't quite describe, its like your mind and heart are fighting each other while also fighting themselves making you even more confused. "How about we start with feelings, leave facts out of it or actions just… tell me what you feel towards your mother" The nurse smiles hoping to bring you some comfort, at first you shrug feeling unsure of how you feel but Melody gestures with her hand for you to take your time. "Dejected, Regretful but hopeful that she can change" You sigh unable to think of anything else, it's hard to put words to your feeling towards her. "And your farther?" The nurse asks but is slightly taken aback at how quickly and easily you respond, its easy to describe how you feel towards your father even though you hate yourself for feeling that way "Hate but I admire him and there's this need to please.. i hate myself for it" Your words come out as bitter practically spitting them out behind a clenched jaw.

Melody nods taking in your words before asking about the next person "Ok.. Captain Kid?" She's almost hesitant to ask, words pop into your head but their not the right ones to describe what your feeling, maybe what your feeling doesn't have a word to it "Nervous yet safe, excited and there's something else but i don't know what its called… I feel it around Killer too, he makes me feel calm, protected but cautious along with that other strange feeling" Melody nods thinking for a second before leaning forward looking you over with conflicting emotions "Could you describe it to me?" Gulping you shrug unsure of how exactly to describe it but there's no harm in trying so you try your best to answer "I feel my chest tighten but its warm and it doesn't hurt, my stomach feels weird and sometimes i hear my heart pounding in my ears… some times i can't look away, I end up studying their faces or mask" A smile forms on your face as a laugh escapes your lips thinking about the two, its strange, you were and still are mad at them but the thought of them makes you happy, the nurse leans back with a smile admiring your face as the sadness and anger it once held disappears. "Your memories may be gone but feels can still remain, i'm hesitant to tell you exactly what your feeling only because i don't want to freak you out. Do you want me to tell you?" Thinking for a second you take in her words wondering whether you should know or not, is it something you should figure out on your own or is it better if you know? "Once were done I'll decide, is that ok?" You ask still not sure yet.

Melody nods giving you a reassuring smile before continuing on "How about you tell me what their like, for example how your parents used to be and how they are now" It doesn't take you long to get going on that, you remember the time with your parents, well except for your 18th which is still a mystery "They have changed but flip back and forth between the new loving version and their old selves. My mother can still be her controlling self, make comments on how i look and not care if something is causing me pain, only prioritizing my face and how i look, but now she hugs me, hold me, cry's over my injuries, tells me how much she loves me and misses me, she's always quick to be at my side at the slightest flinch of pain, she's never done that before." It brings the tears back just thinking about it, despite all the things she says and the fight's she starts with the pirates she still seems to care. "My farther still doesn't seem to care, always reading his newspaper and ignoring me, but he fights for me and stand up to pirates for me, he got the marines to drop the charges and brought me here to a privet hospital on some resort island, he even forced a smile for me, not even my mother gets that" You sigh trying to catch your breath after the long rant, leaning back in your chair you look out the window at the still rising moon "But i don't know whether all of it is real or put on, their good at acting like everything is great and amazing when it's not. They've lied in the past and i still can't tell when they are and when they aren't so i don't know what to believe" You whisper almost scared to say your thoughts and feeling out loud but you have too in hopes to actually get somewhere or get some help.

The nurse listens on keeping quite until she thinks your ready to move on, her face doesn't show any disbelief, in fact it shows more of a hidden understanding making you wonder if she's gone through something similar but before you can think too much she's asking about the pirates "I know you don't fully remember Captain Kid and Killer so just tell me what their like now" a slight frown forms on your face while crossing your arms over your chest the argument from before coming back and what you said to Kid, you still feel bad for saying those things but to be honest it was something that needed to be said. "Their pirates, and like you said their ruthless, its easy for them to lie and get what they want. Kid always picks a fight with one or both of my parents, he's abrasive and rude, he hovers over me like i'm gonna up and run at any minute and yet… i find myself leaning into him, he's careful when touching me and lends me his coat when i'm cold, today he held my chin and when he pulled away i had to stop myself from pulling him back." A sight leaves your lips as you run your hand through your hair trying to get your head straight, you shouldn't want them around but you do, you want them to hold you but you shouldn't, its starting to make you dizzy as your mind goes round and around in circles. "Killer's sweet, he seems the calmest and is the first to notice when something is wrong, weather it be physical or mental but its easy to lie when the person can't see your face, I don't know what he's thinking or feeling, he's seems smart and calculated, what if he's making all this up? Making it seem like my parents are the bad guys, and he's just the sweet caring boyfriend? He may be calm but i can sense he's just as bloodthirsty as Kid"

Thinking your finished Melody goes to say something hoping to help only for you to look down at your hand and continue in a whisper, she has to lean closer in order to hear what your saying "I'm scared of making the wrong destitution. Once i'm better i have to decide weather to go with my parents or go with the pirates." You didn't mean to say it out loud, not wanting the fear to be true but it is and you'll have to deal with that, the nurse scoots closer being careful not to touch your legs with her own while taking one of your hands in hers, she squeezes it gently prompting you to look up at her seeing the sweet smile on her face "I understand your scared and there's no problem in being scared but you still have time to decide on what you want to do. I honestly think your thinking too much about this, trying to make everything fit perfectly into place and its just going to make you more stressed. I know you want hard facts, i can see it but trust me when i say your gut knows more than your head" Squeezing your hand she stands up making you raise an eyebrow, her kind smile never leaves her face as her other hand reaches up to wipe away a stay tear you didn't even know had fallen "Trust your gut, trust your feelings and thinks will soon become clear. I will make sure you have a day off tomorrow, no visitors, no conflict, just time for you to rest and let your mind settle. Wait here until i come back, I'll make sure everyone is gone so you can rest" With a nod of approval form you, the nurse removes her hands from your heading to the door only to stop when you call out to her "Wait… What's that feeling called?" You ask finally deciding that you do want to know, the nurse turns giving you a much bigger smile making her eyes shine in the moon light "Love"

[peaches2217]

All the Gold in the World

This was my very first Mario fic, originally published June 22/23, 2023! As the original Tumblr publication was on a burner account, in celebration of its (belated) anniversary, I figured I'd give it its long-deserved place on my main blog. Please enjoy this throwback! And here's the AO3 link.

~~~

There it was again, that telltale sparkle in those big, blue, beautiful eyes. It was just as Peasley had hoped: an invitation to sneak away from the dreary duties of the palace in favor of strolling an upscale shopping pavilion arm-in-arm, a bit of light conversation about how worn his favorite tunic was becoming and won’t you help me choose a new one today, my love?, and a break for coffee that just happened to see them seated across from a display of some of the finest, most colorful, undoubtedly most expensive gowns in the kingdom, all efforts to disguise (and eventually expose) his true plan.

Seeing the awe in his Luigi’s eyes as he cast longer and longer glances at the display, watching the corners of his lips twitch beneath his mustache as the subtle spark of innuendo grew into a flame of yearning… he’d known it, oh, he’d known it all along!

Now, Peasley was very clever, and his consort had the loveliest of tastes, so how this knowledge had eluded him for so long, he was ashamed to say he wasn’t certain. But it didn’t matter now. The only question that mattered now was—

“Which of those gowns are you eyeing, my pet?”

Luigi sputtered so hard that a small mouthful of coffee forced its way past his lips.

“Wh— gowns? What gowns?” he stuttered, wiping the coffee dribbling from his chin with the back of his hand, a shamed blush overtaking him. “I don’t see any gowns!”

Peasley, unfazed, handed him a paper napkin. “I was thinking the deep green A-line with the bell sleeves, personally. The color’s a given, and the silhouette would compliment your form exquisitely. Perfect for the upcoming Edamame Extravaganza.”

Luigi hastily wiped his glove and the table clean, his mouth opening and closing in a way that wasn’t unlike a Cheep Cheep caught on dry land. Assorted sounds came out, but nothing coherent. 

Peasley couldn’t help but chuckle. His Greenie had a number of interests he’d tried to hide, offering up such excuses as “It’s embarrassing!” and “It’s really nothing, just a dumb pastime, you know?” when he was inevitably discovered. Yet every last one of those interests enamored Peasley, and perhaps none more so than this. Oh, how proud he was of his own detective work.

“I— I-I just couldn’t pull off a dress that well,” Luigi finally managed, “you know?”

“Nonsense! You once pulled off a more stunning Peach than the real deal. You didn’t hear that from me, of course.”

Luigi simply hid behind his coffee, humming nervously. His Starbeans order was always the same: a medium-roast Hoolumbian with so much nutmeg that the air around them smelled like a winter market. Watching him sip and hum and blush, Peasley found himself craving pumpkin spice.

“But they’re so… expensive, right?” Luigi eventually said into his near-empty cup. “I-I could never! I’d never ask for something like that!”

Ah, of course! His Luigi had come from a commoner’s background, after all. Little had changed since he’d become Prince Consort of the Beanbean Kingdom. He was still more comfortable in cotton and denim than the tunics and robes of the palace, he still preferred tinkering with pipes and assorted machinery to sitting in committees or kissing babies as adoring citizens fawned over him, and, so it would seem, he still worried about money, as though an entire royal family’s wealth wasn’t his to partake in.

“You needn’t concern yourself with such matters!” Peasley’s right hand met Luigi’s left, their fingers lacing together. Luigi’s hands were larger, quite a bit so, and yet they fit Peasley’s like a lock and key. “I would never offer something I couldn’t afford to give.”

That statement wasn’t entirely true — he’d promise his love a five-course banquet if all he had was a single loaf of bread, and by the stars he’d make it happen — but he could most certainly afford this, and that was essential to reinforce. For weeks now, he had been privately swooning to thoughts of Luigi strolling through the lush gardens of the palace, clad in silk and velvet that swished at his feet with every step, a crown of matching roses in the place of his favorite hat. He was one step closer to bringing that image into reality, and that was worth all the gold in the world.

And yet the reassurance didn’t seem to quell any of Luigi’s worries — in fact, he only looked more stressed, more uncertain. He stared awfully hard at some spot on the table that Peasley couldn’t see, and his fingers had gone rigid in Peasley’s hold, and— was he… trembling?

Dread blossomed in Peasley’s gut. Had he done something wrong?

“Luigi.” His opposite hand reached out to touch his face, offer comfort, but he stopped himself. Right. He typically preferred not to be touched when he was like this. “Luigi, my darling, what’s wrong?”

For a long moment, Luigi didn’t respond. And so Peasley waited, patient, ready to offer whatever words of comfort he needed.

“I can’t wear a dress,” Luigi finally said. It wasn’t a bashful excuse. It was a lament.

Confusion clouded Peasley’s rationale. Normally, he would drop the topic, see to Luigi’s well-being, and then ask questions when his beloved was in comfortable night clothes with a mug of hot chocolate in the privacy of their chambers. But that deadly mix of confusion and curiosity compelled him to squeeze his hand and ask, “Whyever not?”

At that, Luigi shook his head. “It’s so silly.” He cast a rueful smile to the side, but he did squeeze Peasley’s hand back, so that was progress, at least.

“‘Silly,’” Peasley said, scooting his chair in as far as it would go without crushing his midsection, “is Desi showing up drunk to Chori’s beanceañera on last night’s episode of The Mung and the Restless. What’s not silly is anything that causes you distress.”

Luigi laughed at that, quietly, but genuinely, and his eyes briefly met Peasley’s. They still sparkled, but with something new, something much more melancholy.

“It’s… it’s kind of a holdover, I guess.” He looked back down as he turned Peasley’s hand over, gloved thumb tracing aimlessly over his palm. “From my old world.”

“From Bruck-Len?” Peasley confirmed, watching Luigi’s thumb travel its idle path. “Did something happen there?”

Luigi set his lips into a thin line, and a short but not uncomfortable silence fell over them while he gathered the words he needed. “Nothing one-off, it was more… In Brooklyn, you couldn’t… guys really couldn’t wear those sorts of clothes, you know? If you do, you get made fun of, called names, roughed around, ‘cause you’re not, you know, not a real man.”

Peasley blinked, looking back up. Luigi didn’t meet his gaze.

The quality of one’s character based on the fabric they clad themselves in. The notion made little sense to Peasley.

“Well, what constitutes a ‘real man’?” he wondered aloud. Surely it wasn’t really something so inane as what clothes a man might wear. He, for example, was about as manly a man as they came — he was powerful, intelligent, skilled in combat, exceedingly good-looking — and yet he wore tunics while attending to political affairs or missions and Luigi’s oversized shirts at night, all dresses in all but name.

Yes, he knew well the typical fashion norms and how they differed between men, women, and those who lay in another plane of identity altogether, but never had he heard of such controversy in response to those norms being altered.

Luigi, his beautiful and equally manly Luigi, shrugged in response. “Someone more… rugged, I guess? Definitely not someone who wears a dress. And real simple clothes aren't enough either, oh no. Gotta be macho, hot-headed, tough, athletic, ready to throw down at the drop of a hat…”

“...perhaps with unkempt hair, lighter overalls, a red shirt, maybe?” Peasley guessed, half-joking. And to his delight, that got another laugh out of Luigi, a much lighter, heartfelt laugh. 

“Oh, no,” he said, “even Mario wasn’t man enough half the time!”

“Really? But he fits your description perfectly!”

“Yeah, but he had one liiiiiitle tiny problem: he supported me.” Luigi’s smile diminished again, not into a full frown, but his eyes seemed distant, wistful. “He was the only one I could really be comfortable around, you know? He hates shopping, but he’d always take me to the mall during sales because he knew I didn’t have the nerve to go without him. Sometimes he’d buy whatever I bought in his size and wear it out with me, and then he’d act like a goof so everyone stared at him and not me. Those were the only times I ever got to feel… well, good about wearing girly clothes.”

A feeling like warm nostalgia creeped into Peasley’s chest. Yes, he could picture it well: a shorter, smoother-faced Luigi, in the light fashions of city youth, perhaps a simple skirt and blouse. His matching elder twin, striding alongside him with twice the confidence and none of the elegance, going out of his way to make his gait as clumsy as possible with the biggest smile on his face.

Luigi smiling too, a younger and shyer smile, a boy becoming comfortable in his own skin, in the clothes he felt suited him best.

How could anyone envision such a sight, much less witness it for themselves, and not be besotted? How could anyone see that and mock him?

Peasley’s left hand moved to his opposite side, and he realized with a start that he was instinctively going for his rapier. But his rapier was back at the castle, and the threats which his beloved recounted were all in the past, unchallengeable, unchangeable. Something about that thought left a bitter taste in his throat.

“But I… still got the worst of it,” Luigi continued, and a heavy emotion like woe dimmed his features. “Mario, no one really cared what he did. He was a normal kid where I wasn’t involved. But me? No, I had enough going against me! You take a boy that likes other boys and wearing dresses, and you get…” He cleared his throat. “You get Mario getting grounded a lot. I think he’d beat up like, six different kids by the time we got out of high school?”

The bitterness in Peasley’s throat eased, and he washed the last of it away with a swig of his chuckoccino. He would have to give his gratitude to the elder brother next they met. He hoped little had remained of those vile perpetrators when he was done with them.

Luigi sighed heavily, leaning his cheek into his free hand. “Sooooo… yeah. Wearing dresses still scares me I guess. It shouldn’t, not anymore, I know that, but…”

But you’ve been scared your whole life, haven’t you?

An ache resonated deeply within Peasley, a hurt the likes he hadn’t felt since his favorite character’s untimely death in Days of Our Limas. 

“Oh, my love…” He finally gave in; he couldn’t help reaching forward to stroke Luigi’s face where his hand didn’t obscure it, and the ache lifted slightly when Luigi relaxed against his touch. His sad eyes grew warm, and Peasley could feel the blood rising beneath his skin. So warm, and so responsive… “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to bring up such distressing memories.”

Luigi lifted his head, just enough so that Peasley could cup his cheek. He graced Peasley with a smile so gentle and trusting and grateful that Peasley was sure he could drop dead on the spot from the crushing weight of affection alone.

“Honestly? It felt kinda nice to talk about it. Finally off my chest, you know?” Luigi’s right hand pressed Peasley’s palm deeper against his skin, and for a moment, he said nothing else. But his gaze caught some grounded nothing, and the corners of his mustache twitched, and was he blushing? Yes, he was absolutely blushing, a gorgeous scarlet growing in intensity against Peasley’s touch. “Kinda makes me feel like, uh... l-like it's... time to try again?” he finally found the nerve to say, quietly, but steadily.

Peasley, sagacious as he was, knew that this was his cue. Oh, his brave darling! He would gladly meet such bravery halfway.

“Then— then will you accompany me to that boutique across the street?” His eyes flickered briefly to their conjoined hands as he laced their fingers together once more, his right and Luigi’s left. This whole time, in one form or another, they’d remained connected. Truly like lock and key. “Will you choose a lovely gown and wear it for me, my dear?”

That luminescent shade of red burned hotter still, and as much as Peasley normally enjoyed such a sight, he considered backing down this time, truly considered it. But Luigi nodded, pulling Peasley’s hand towards himself. “As you wish,” he said, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Peasley could feel his lips curl into the smallest of grins. “Mio principe.”

~~~

It took a week, several trips to a handful of the kingdom’s finest shops, and many hours of compliments and sugary-sweet assurances, but by the time the Edamame Extravaganza rolled around and two very important guests arrived at the palace, Luigi stepped out to greet his brother clad in gentle slopes of deep green and gold, a simple but elegant gown that only served to make the handsome prince that much lovelier still.

Mario’s first reaction was shock, followed by what Peasley could best assign as glee. The words the twins exchanged in their native tongue flew by too quickly for him to catch anything of substance (he was, though he would never admit it, a bit slow in learning the language), but the gestures and laughter and the way Mario clapped as Luigi twirled to demonstrate the gown’s billowing skirt told him everything he needed to know: the elder sibling’s taste wasn’t as benighted as he’d feared it might be.

But most importantly, Luigi, his Luigi, was beaming. He was no towering monolith of self-confidence, but he held his head a little higher, and he walked with a sort of grace Peasley hadn’t seen from him before, and the golden embellishments of his attire looked comparatively dull next to the sheer joy that radiated from his countenance.

How much more brightly would he beam tonight, Peasley wondered, when he revealed he’d purchased every single gown Luigi had tried on during their venture, all thirty-seven of them? Surely he would outshine the sun itself.

“You’re going to send him to the hospital,” Peach sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as they stepped away to let the brothers chat. “If he was worried about how expensive a single dress is…”

“I already assured him I wouldn’t do anything I couldn’t afford.”

“I’m surprised you could afford that.”

Peasley tapped his temple in response. “Pragmatism, dear,” he teased. The humble Mushroom Queen was above using her title and benevolent reputation to obtain favors from her citizens. Peasley was not.

Peach shook her head and sighed again, but she couldn’t disguise the fond grin that found its way onto her face.

Turning to watch the brothers once more, Peasley followed suit.

Luigi was the rare sort who possessed no unflattering angles; he looked just as good in a gown as he did in overalls as he did in nothing at all. But he was most beautiful, Peasley decided, when he was unabashedly himself, when he lost sight of the eyes that followed him and simply let himself be, with no pretense  — in those rare instances, he could finally see himself the way Peasley saw him.

Showering him in fine clothing and helping him overcome an old emotional wound wouldn’t miraculously dissolve all of his insecurities. But if it helped even the slightest bit, then that was worth all the gold in the world.

[fangirlstorycreator]

Can I make a request about the last night of season 5, when Johnny and co. break into Terry's house to confront him? Maybe he sees them coming and puts reader in a panic room or hides her away somewhere where she's watching everything through security cameras, and he gives up the opportunity to kick ass or go check on the dojo to come find you, knowing that you're panicking and worried sick about him? Maybe ending in some spicy along the lines of "I'm so glad you're alive please take me now"? Thanks! :)

Thank you so much for the request! I will certainly try my best 🤗💚

You and Terry are sat on his black sofa infront of the fire place, cuddled up together and sharing some wine. "Hows your wine sweetheart?" "Very nice thank you babe, is this the one you bought on our trip to Italy?" "Is very much is, from the man who owned the best vineyard in the whole country. I only get the best for my girl" "I know you can afford the best Terry, but you know very well that it could easily be a cheep bottle of wine from the corner shop and I'd be happy with it" "I know that sweetheart, I know that money isn't something you need, but just think of it as a way for me to show you how much you mean to me" "Oh...I can think of many other ways you do that babe..." "(chuckles) I certainly do..." His hand reaches to your chin as he leans down and gives you a sweet kiss on the lips. It almost turns more passionate before Kim walks back in from the kitchen. "So are we going to go back to discussing business Terry? What more was there to do for the upcoming dojo's?" Kim asked as she sat on the other black sofa opposite us. "Well Kim, it seems that-"

"Babe? Did you hear that?" "No? What's wrong sweetheart?" "I thought I head a crashing noise from outside" Suddenly the sound of car tyres was heard outside and Kim picked up the I pad from the table showing the security cameras. "It seems we have company. Kim, I need you to go to the dojo, the camera in there is showing something too. You go and sort it out" "Yes Terry" Kim leaves through the back of the house and Terry turns to you, still holding the I pad. "Babe who is that? Whoever it is, they can't drive very well. And is that a limo? Who drives a limo into someone's home?" "I have a feeling I know who this is, come with me sweetheart" He puts the I pad down and takes your hand, guiding you up the stairs and down the hallway "Terry, what's going on?" "Sweetheart, I have this feeling that it will get dangerous down there, and I need to make sure your somewhere safe. Come in hear" He opens his office door and leads you inside. "Please stay in hear until I come and get you ok? The door can only be opened from the inside and out with the code on the door, the code is your birthday. Whatever happens, promise me you'll stay in hear, nothing is going to stop me from getting back to you but you must stay in hear"

"Is this because I don't know how to fight?" "Partially, but I also wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you. I love you" He gives you a quick but romantic kiss before looking into you eyes with a serious look. "Please sweetheart, promise me" "I promise Terry" He looks just a little calmer before giving you another kiss, and leaves the door closing the door behind him. It locks automatically and you hear his footsteps going back down stairs. You were experiencing a mixture of feelings, safety for being in hear away from danger, but also worry because you had never seen Terry get like this, when he got this serious about your safety, something bad was about to go down. If Terry was this worried, was HE in danger this time? Not knowing what else to do, you sit at Terry's computer desk and open up the camera page, where there are several cameras around the house. You look at the front door camera and see...is that?...Mike? Johnny and Chozen? They are barely a threat? And what are they doing? Are they deciding to break the door dow-oh! oh no it seems Chozen had just pushed it.

Are they drunk? They certainly look like it. They enter the front door and you can see Terry is sat on his chair, but the camera isnt playing audio, so you can't hear what they are saying.

Mike looks confrontational, is he about to go for Terry? Oh wait? Is that one of the new sensei's from cobra kai? Oh my God! Mike has gone for the sensai! And Terry has left heading towards his weapons room! More sensei's enter the room and go for Johnny...but where's Chozen gone? You cant see him on the camera. You keep looking everywhere until you see that Terry has frozen in his weapons room, Chozen is in there with him. There was barely any time before you could see Terry removing his jewellery and start fighting Chozen, you wished this wasn't happening, you didn't want anyone to get hurt! You could see on the other camera that Mike was knocked out, Johnny was still fighting more of the sensei's and....oh no....Terry no, no don't pick up the sword!

Chozen has sai swords too?! This cant be happening, you promised Terry you wouldn't leave, but this was getting dangerous! You could hear your heartbeat in your ear and feel it in every muscle of your body, you were so tense and all you could do was watch.

You knew if you left you'd have to go through Johnny and the sensei's, there was no way you could leave if you wanted to. You see Terry and Chozen move towards the pool, oh god Terry don't taunt him! But it was too late, Chozen struck and they were both fighting with their weapons, Chozen even managed to punch Terry in the stomach at one point, just before they edged into the shallow water next to the pool.

Terry had this wild look in his eye, you had never seen that before, and neither have you ever seen anyone manage to fight Terry so successfully, Terry looked like he was in trouble.

They struck at eachother again, it all moved so fast, and just as quickly as it started, Chozen hit Terry and bent down to sweep his legs! Making Terry fall onto his back into the water, dropping his sword with Chozen stood above him pointing his sai.

"No! Chozen please stop! Both of you stop!" But no matter how loud you shouted, neither of them heard you. You were in tears and clutching your chest as you looked down on what you thought were your soulmate final moments, when a loud noise make Chozen turn.

And that's when Terry struck! When Chozen was distracted, Terry reached for his sword and sliced right up the left hand side of Chozen's back, making him fall into the water below.

"Oh my god!" You shouted once more, so worried for both Chozen and Terry, Terry looked weak as he limped back into the house, where he sees Johnny being held down by the sensei's. Again, you can't hear what they're saying, but Terry looks angry. He grabs Johnny by the hair and let's his sensei's deal with him as Terry himself looks like he's heading your way. As he did that, Mike woke up from consciousness and helped Johnny, and they both ran outside and helped Chozen out of the house before anything else could happen. You felt a whole mixture of emotions, worry, fear, confusion, sadness, concern. Terry pressed in the code and entered the room, where you ran straight over to him and hold eachother in your arms. "You didn't leave...thank you sweetheart" "Terry! My god your bleeding! What the hell happened down there?! All three of them broke in and-Johhny was fighting the sensei's-You and Chozen! Terry you two could have killed eachother! Why did you pick up that sword you idiot?! What did you do to Chozen?! You could have-"

"Sweetheart just try to breath for me ok, calm...Chozen will live, he'll just remember it for the rest of his life" "Terry I could see everything through the security camera! You scared me, I thought I was going to loose you, you stupid idiot! Why didn't you just call the police instead?!" "They broke into our home Y/N, and I'm going to defend it" "Not with your life Terry!" "Sweetheart it's ok-" He tries to put his hands in your shoulders but you push them away in a tearful state and walk towards the window away from him. "No it's not ok!.....You frightened me Terry....I thought I was going to loose you, I thought Chozen was going to kill you, and your seriously expecting me to just calm down?! F#ck!" Your uncontrollably crying and hyperventilating as you run your hands through your hair, desperate to feel something as it all pours out of you. Terry has never seen you so heartbroken, so frightened, he didn't know what to do. "Y/N I promise it was never my intention to frighten you, I never want to make you feel that way. I was just trying to defend my home, myself, you" "There are other ways you could do that Terry! Ones that don't involve you starting a fight with a f#cking sword! I can't....I..."

You press your back against the window and slump down to the floor as the tears keep coming, this was possibly the worst night of your life. Terry was heartbroken seeing you like this, he instinctively sat beside you and pulled you into his arms as he held your crying and shaking body. "I love you so much Y/N, and I am so so sorry for everything that's happened. I never wanted this to happen, please believe me. Oh god I'm so sorry" You look up at him and he wipes away some of your tears. "Does it hurt?" "Does what hurt?" "Your cut Terry, on your face" His hand moved to his cheek, its only then that he realises that he's hurt from that fight. "It's nothing sweetheart, it's ok"

"Terry it's not ok, I need to help you with that" You stand up out of his arms and walk over to the desk, still upset and a little shaky, and Terry can see that. He stands up and walks towards you "Y/N its alright, your shaking. You just need a minute to calm down" "I can't Terry-I can't-you've hurt yourself and I need to-" He gently takes your hand from where it was trying to find a first aid box in his desk drawers, and brings it to his chest so you can feel his heartbeat.

"Shhhh Y/N, it's ok....I promise....just stop...." You know he's right, you just feel so deflated, your head just falls onto his chest as he gives you a comforting hug with his big strong arms. "Terry, what's going to happen? What's going to happen with the dojo? The break in, you?" "Shhhh, let's not worry about that now, whatever happens will happen. I don't know what's going down at the dojo with Kim, but whatever it is, I'll sort it out. I have more lawyers in my back pocket than I can count" "Terry, don't ask me why, but I just have this feeling that something worse is going to happen tonight. I feel like this it my last time in this house with you" "I'm sure it won't be-" "But you don't know that Terry, I don't know I just, I have this feeling in my gut that something else is going to go wrong tonight, something to do with the dojo. Terry please don't go to the dojo tonight, please don't go" "I'm not going anywhere sweetheart, I'm not going to leave you. Your my only priority" He delicately holds your face in his hands, but after all these emotions that have poured out of you, you were in desperate need of physical touch.

You love him so much, and right now, you just need him. You lean up and almost crash your lips into his with that much desire, your hand holds onto the back of his neck pulling him in closer, needing to feel him. Your other hand pulls at his collar as he kisses you back just as needy, lifting you up and placing you on his desk as he stood inbetween your legs. Neither of you stopped the kiss, there was a deep hunger from within each of you, it needed to be fulfilled. You ripped his shirt and pulled it away from his chest, revealing his beautiful body, he pulls your shirt off and uses his hand to press against your chest, pushing you down so your flat on the desk. He pulled his belt away as you removed your underwear, seeing Terry's rock hard cock bounce out of his trousers once they fall to the floor. It all happened so quickly, he grabbed your legs and pulled your hips right onto his groin, he grabbed his girthy cock and started sliding the tip up and down your sensitive area, making you feel a shiver through your body. It was only for a moment though, you both were desperately in need to f#ck.

He pounded right inside of you making you gasp at the feel of him, he grabs your legs and holds them against his chest as he mercilessly f#cks you against this desk, so hard it's making white lines on the floor from the desk legs scratching the surface. There was no talking, just the sound of skin slapping on skin, Terry's grunts and moans, your whimpering and crying out in pleasure, the room was filled with it. You begged him not to stop, and he didn't. He kept f#cking you more and more, until you were literally screaming and your body felt like it was vibrating with this orgasm. You were trying so hard to catch your breath, but Terry wasn't finished with you. He put his hands under your hips and pulled you up so you were now holding onto his shoulders, and he started going faster, thrusting harder and deeper, you honestly thought the desk would break with how hard he was going, but you loved every single f#cking moment of this. His moans were so delicious to listen too as he buried his face in your neck, kissing and sucking at your soft tender skin. All you could do was dig your nails into his back and hold on for dear life as another orgasm was building, with Terry holding onto your hips in a tight grip and f#cking you relentlessly.

"Oh f#ck Terry- Oh yes-yes-!" "F#ck! F#ck!" You both shouted at the top of your lungs as you reach your ultimate climax at the same time, your body was uncontrollably shaking and even though he stoped thrusting into you, the feel of him agaisnt your tender swollen clit was still making you shudder. It appears it was so strong that Terry was shaking a little too, still holding you and having a bead of sweat in his brow. You both look breathlessly into eachothers eyes before sharing a smile and a little chuckle. "I uhh...think we destroyed your desk babe" "It was...so worth it... I can always get another desk" He makes you giggle, he also plants a sweet kiss in your lips as he still holds you. "Listen sweetheart, I don't know what's going to happen tonight, or tomorow or anytime after this night ends. But I promise I will always love you and I will always be there for you, no matter what" "I love you too Terry, and I'll always be there for you too...so? Shall we try to tidy this mess up at all?" "Why bother? I don't see any reason in cleaning up when we haven't even got started on round 2 yet" "Round 2?" "Or 3? Maybe 4?" "This is one of the reasons I love you Terry Silver"

[akitoscorpio]

So Fuck Rooster Teeth

Lets be real here, they want you to work for them for free. They already shit-caned the majority of the animation team they had working for them, they can't afford to advertise Rwby anymore without tacking the ad for their fucking crossover movie to the end of the last episode of the season. They had to damn near kickstart the JNPR plush set.

Oh I'm sorry, Did I say "Damn near" They absolutely are running a pseudo Kickstarter to sell merch that issn't a fucking cheep as shit shirt with a Jpeg ironed on to it.

At this point, I am so far against the idea of "Greenlighting V10" it's not even funny. Not because I don't want to see a V10, but because at this point the company is clearly so fucking broke that shit is going to be produced by Child AI's in a Chinese sweatshop. You wouldn't think that RT could even sweatshop some fucking Stable Diffusion AI thing, But RT issn't going to let something like "Non Corporeal existence" stop them from finding a way to abuse the shit out of their virtual staff just like they have a history of abusing their real staff.

"Thanks for the Kickstarter money to fund V10 bitches" - RT when they drop a whole volume of the ugliest fucking shit they could make with the budget of your average flash video from the early 2000's

Seriously, You all are begging RT to greenlight the next season of Rwby while they are standing in front of you, and all your hard work as fans to prop up the IP with their dicks out and telling you to blow them and give them your hard work for free.

Fuck these guys, we know how they treated their LGBT staff. We saw how hard they had crunched their staff for Literal years, we all read the stories from former staffers and read the glass door reviews showing how absolutely crap they were to work for.

At this stage in the game, the only way I'm going to accept a V10, is in the hands of a completely different studio not owned or operated by anyone connected to RT.

[disabled-disaster-king]

I am kinda concerned about people talking about getting service dogs and how they can't afford to do so but do anyway. A dog requires regular vet check ups, food, toys, and so many other things not even touching on service dog specific costs. What are you going to do if your dog gets hurt or sick? Especially seeing as many of these people skimp on the cost of a well bread dog for a cheep backyard breeder or rescue which are much more likely to have unforseen health and behavioral issues. I get that having a service dog might help you but not if they are going to put you in a financial crisis it's not fair to you or the dog.

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Madrigal Kids playing Mario Kart 8

Or another random headcanon dump.

Mario Party is coming next!

Isabela:

Was really excited to play for the first time, then she lost and threw her controller across the room in a huff because it was “rigged”

She’s a sore loser

Always enjoys a good family game, even if she won’t admit it

Tries to push other players off the edge of the map

Occasionally falls off herself in the process

Plays as Petey Piranha because ✨carnivorous flower✨

Usually places fifth or sixth

She and Luisa are in their own internal competition, given how close they are in skill

Her favourite track is Royal Raceway

Solely for the cherry blossoms

Dolores:

She has gotten better over time

Has secretly spent nights practicing and watching tutorials to get better

Knows all the secret passageways like the back of her hand

Is also very ruthless with taking people down with power ups

She enjoys the time trials the most and has very good records

Plays as Peach usually, but will swap her character every so often

(She’s not as strict with who she is as the others are)

Usually places third or fourth

Her favourite course is 3DS Music

She was very impressed with all the musical elements in both the physical and sound design

Luisa:

This is honestly one of her favourite games, just for the family fun and chaos it brings

Is usually the one to initiate the game

Has the best aim when it comes to green shells

Will go out of her way to stop a blue shell from hitting Mirabel

Plays as any of Bowser’s children, just cycles through them on rotation

Usually fourth or fifth

She and Isabela are in their own internal competition, given how close they are in skill

She is just a little bit better and can afford to even get a bit competitive with Dolores too

Her favourite course is Athens Dash

Probably spends a lot of time looking at the scenery in races, it’s the architect in her

Camilo:

He’s really bad at it

Constantly crashes into walls or falls off the edge

Is really slow, the others have to wait ages for him to finish

Has definitely had friends over and shown them the trophies Mirabel has gotten and claimed them as his own

Whether or not his friends actually believe him is up for debate

Plays as Tanooki Mario because he thinks it’s cool

Usually places eleventh or twelfth

Makes a big song and dance out of it if he places any higher, not that he ever get more than tenth at best

His favourite course is Cheep Cheep Beach

Mirabel:

Like the one video game she can play

She is insanely good at it, nobody knows how or why, she just is

And nobody was more surprised than she was when she placed second in her first race ever, while the others were dead last

Is probably the only one who knows how to drift and can do it successfully

Is also an excellent shot when getting people out of her way

Plays as Rosalina (it’s the closest to teal)

Usually places first or second

She can be a little very smug about it

Her favourite course is N64 Rainbow Road

She regards it as the prettiest of the many rainbow road variants and it’s the only one she likes to race on

Though, when you win as often as she does, the track doesn’t really matter, does it?

Antonio:

He isn’t too interested in racing, he just likes playing with all together with his cousins and siblings

Is probably the only one playing for fun

He also prefers the mini games as oppose to the actual races

Mirabel probably spends time teaching him how to drive better

Plays as Yoshi, but changes the colour each time

Usually places around sixth or seventh

Which he is always really happy with and the others all encourage him

His favourite course is Moo Moo Meadows

Sometimes he stops, just to look and “hi” to the cows

[cryptidclaw]

Introducing my Wolvden Pack!

I thought I would make a post introducing my pack in Wolvden so far (mostly so I can show off all me wolves ehehe)

For those who want to know who I am on Wolvden: My pack is "Cryptids Eye Pack" and my player name is ClownCryptids ! my user number is #119087

I currently have like 20 wolves in my pack (despite the fact ive only been playing for a few days) so this post is gonna be loooonnggg

Some basic info on how I've been playing so far:

I've decided to go with a "Pagan" (mostly Gaelic) name theme for my wolves, bec I feel like those kind of names fit wolves really well! (I've just been using a Pagan baby name site to name them heh)

I don't really care about how "rare" a wolf's genetics are, I just like the ones that are pretty (though if they have special genetics too that's a bonus!)

I really like cool eyes and I want to collect lots of them! Hence the "Eye" in my pack name!

I have been impulsively buying wolves left and right and the majority of my pack have been bought from the marketplace hehe

My pack's name used to be ClownCryptidsPack but thanks to @oakdrawss gifting me some GC I was able to afford changing it! Ur so epic Oak <3

Now onto my Wolves!!

This is my Pack Leader, Eun (was origionally named Magpie but i changed it to fit the theme, Eun means bird in Gaelic!), I would love to give him a base change but I defo cannot afford :P he would look cool with a Airglow base or somethin..

Onto my first Den: Dogs with Jobs

Darragh, Geir, Lachlan, Imogen and Eirene are my hunting party! Eirene is my second wolf from the tutorial and everyone else I found for cheep on marketplace! They have high levels and stats and are already proficient in their hunting roles so I snatched em up!

for some reason Darragh, despite being at a high level and max Finisher proficiency is terrible at her job. I have no clue why. She has lost so much prey, I let Imogen be a finisher a few times and she actually caught prey! If anyone has any answers as to why Darragh is trash at her job plz tell me, I think she's having a crisis.

(Also ps. Imogen is one of my top faves in the Pack she's so prettyyyy)

Muir and Vireo are my Scouts! Muir has always been a Scout but Vireo used to be a Pupsitter, I was going to sell or chase him bec I bought a better Pupsitter but I needed a new Scout after I had to make my other one a Herbalist! So Viero gets to stay... for now...

Both of these guys are NBWs so I will probably eventually get rid of them

Finally we have Orrin who is my current Stud and Herbalist!

I dont think hes actually super special genetically seeing as I bought him at a very affordable price, but he is so PRETTY look at himmm <3

Imogen is currently pregnant with his pups!

I have him open to Studding I have no clue if anyone will actually want to breed their wolves to him but I will take the chance for some more money ...

Oh! also there's Eirene's puppies but they aren't important I'm going to sell them as fodder they have like 0 markings.

Speaking of puppies, onto the Puppy Horde + Eskel

I have so many puppies and I bought them all (accept Larimar I got them as a gift <3)... I have a problem.

Before the puppies, we have Eskel, hes one of my faves, he's so pretty. Hes also a maxed out Pupsitter, which is good bec I have so many puppies. I bought him, he was affordable, that's all I remember, I almost bought his sister too but I used restraint.

Now Puppies!

Larimar was a gift from Oakdrawwss bec Oak is awesome!!! I wanted him for the cool eyes ofc!

These are the near identical twins Seila and Sloan, I bought them together in the same trade, I mostly just wanted Sloan (the eyes plus pelt looks so cool together) so I may sell Seila at some point... tho she does have a better base (Pewter) than her sister.

Wraith and Daemon were the first wolves I bought, I bought them for the eyes... Wraith's pelt is also very pretty despite it being simple. Im hoping to breed some 3 eyed puppies from Daemon that actually have markings too!

Annnd onto the 4 pups I bought in the middle of last night for 1 SC each bec the seller was doing a give away I think??

The sisters Eirlys and Aoife who look very similar but have a few different colors!

here's what they will look like as adults!

I may sell Eirlys eventually bec I like Aoife's look more ... Maybe i will chase her so someone else will get the chance at having her!

The other two pups are Sigred and Quillan

They are more natural colored and I think they look really pretty as adults!

annnd I think thats all of them... until I buy more HEHEHEHE

I will probably just post updates and stuff, especially if something cool happens!

[hollyhomburg]

maybe i'm just european but 27$ for TWO metro rides is CRIMINAL

Bruh it is an hour and ten minute long ride not a metro ride! American public transportation is not affordable because of car lobbyists! But even if I took my car car it would be 15$ in gas, 9$ for tolls, and then maybe 20$ if i was lucky for parking. So yeah- it’s not cheep by any standard but it is kinda like- you either pay and do it - or don’t pay and don’t do it.

[captaindibbzy]

I think there's a certain standard of living and luxury that everyone should have access too that is currently only obtained by middle class and up people.

Like obviously there's stuff like living wage, affordable shelter, food, etc. Then you have things like sustainable working life, enough time off, ability to have a family if one wants it without the threat of poverty. Healthcare, both professional and access to things that make health better like space to exercise, healthy food, etc. Security for the disabled, elderly, and youth.

But then there's things like the ability to go on holiday, both the money to do so and the time for it. The ability to do recreational activities and have hobbies. The time, space, and resources to have a bit of luxury in your life, whatever that means to you. To go to concerts, or theatre, or hotels, to drink something fancy on a special occasion, etc. And it's not that these things should get cheeper, cause the people providing those services should also be allowed to have the luxury. The cleaners and wait staff at hotels deserve to be secure enough to be able to do things like this too, which means they need good pay, which means income needs to cover that cost, which means the price shouldn't drop. People who make bespoke products should be suitably compensated for their labour.

Idk. I'm very much enjoying my holiday and the staff here are all wonderful, and this was not cheep. This is a holiday I have been saving up for for a while and it was a decision to go for somewhere quite fancy. But I really hope that the staff here get paid properly, and they too can afford the kind of holiday they want to go on when they take their time off, be that staying somewhere like this and recieving the support they give out, visiting different countries, going to big concerts, or just having the time to drink nice wine in the sun and eat good food.

[starrystrawb]

Peaceful Mother Nature

1. Reusable cups are a great alternative to things like single use water bottles and single use cups! Reusing or refilling these single use items is also an option! Reusing single use products is a great way to cut down on waste. Refilling a plastic water bottle or using an old coffee-shop cup as a pen/paint brush/makeup brush/pencil holder on your desk is a great way to try and help reduce the use of single-use plastics. Remember! It isn't single use if you use it more than once!

2. Have clothes that are falling apart? Don't we all! Fast fashion sometimes feels unavoidable, so don't feel bad! Youtube and google are free! If you have some clothes that have holes, tears, or fraying seems, hop online and teach yourself how to fix them. There are lots of places that sell/give out inexpensive or free sewing kits! This also works for blankets and sheets! 

3. Unpaper towels have risen in popularity recently, and I think that's great! But let's face it friends, not everyone can afford to spend upwards of $15 on what is essentially a single roll of paper towels that you have to wash in order to reuse, especially when paper towels are more convenient than having to do laundry every day or two to make sure you have a full roll. Lots of stores like Walmart or Target have large packs of rags you can buy for relatively cheep! Some stores have 5-10 packs for $5-$10! Rags are the same dang thing as unpaper towels, friends! Also, paper towels are made of paper. Paper is soluble in water and, aside from glossy or colored paper, is compostable! Throw those used paper towels into a compost pile or a bucket with food scraps, and you're set!

4. Speaking of composting! Let's talk about accessible composting. Not everyone has the space or the time for large compost piles, big rotating compost bins, or giant barrels to dump their compost into. It may seem daunting, but composting is much easier than some companies and some people make it out to be! As always, google and youtube are free! Look up your options! Countertop compost bins can be anywhere from $5 to $500! More advanced ones obviously come with more advanced settings, but a $5 plastic compost bin from Target is just as valid as a $400 Lumi smart composter! Shop online for a counter top bin, or go to a gardening/hardware store and get a cheap plastic bucket with a lid. Most food scraps and paper are compostable and you can use your own compost as fertilizer for plants, offer it to local gardens and neighborhood gardens, or let friends and family use it in their own gardening endeavors

5. Lastly, contact your local, state, and federal government about legislation and requirements for massive companies and millionaires/billionaires to be liable and responsible for their own environmental impact. We as individuals can do all we can in our day to day to reduce our own waste, but the problem does not fall on us alone. Massive companies, the oil and gas industry, and our own governments have a giant role in this. Keep the pressure on the government to push for stricter laws and regulations. Pressure companies to move towards more eco-friendly methods of production and distribution. Make billionaires and their friends face repercussions to the direct impact they have on the planet. Companies and the people who run them must be held accountable for their hand in the destruction they cause and benefit from. Remember friends, we are not the problem. But we can try our best to help. Sign and share petitions, donate when you can, and make your voices heard. 

Base

[scooplery]

omg so your eyeshadow is always BALLER please share your secrets. do you use primer? have brush opinions? favorite brands?

OMG YES i love talking about makeup. just ftr I used to work at Ulta and part of the dress code was a FULL face of makeup so i got good cause it was literlaly my job. ok

yes I use the Smashbox eye primer in the silver tube, it's been my holy grail primer for years, it's GOOD and worth the money. after i prime i let it set for a sec and then i set it with translucent powder. then i apply my shadows on top of the translucent powder (my fav rn is the Laura Mercier one in the sephora birthday gift last year lol)

I have a billion brushes from many brands but my go to is Real Techniques cause they're cheep and readily available at drugstores. they're soft! my rich person dream is to have a full set of Hakuhodo brushes tho. theyre insane.

if u are just getting started with eyeshadow i really recommend Colourpop; they have a palette for every occasion and they're super affordable and their formula is nice and soft and blendable.

THANKS FOR LETTING ME INFODUMP ABT MAKEUP!!!!! SEND ME MORE MAKEUP QUESTIONS IF U FEEL LIKE IT :3

[darkseraphscorner]

King's Row

Seraph's house.

Neph looked up from playing with Spike, seeing an exhausted Noelle and Gir walk in. "You two look like shit, hard day heroing?"

Gir looks away, but Noelle squeezed her shoulder. "Her first therapy session, Vanguard offer it to all Preatorians, to deal with the temporal slip and the stress of a new world, Gir also has some issues to get over, don't you Gir."

The Olympiad Guard nodded. "My brain is broken, the Therapist thinks it is a detach, as my body was grown fast, the brain struggles to keep up with all the input."

Neph's face softens. "Sounds like you need something to take your mind off it, like a therapy pet."

Noelle gasps. "Oh I could never afford to get government clearance on a companion animal."

Neph blinks, them remembers, Preatoria was extremely strick on animal ownership. "Guys, this is Paragon, you don't need to fill in government paperwork to own a pet."

Gir and Noelle look at each other, the lightbulb clicking on.

"But how would we even star-" Gir started, but was cut off as Caroline ran into the room.

"Wegoingpetshoping?" The teen said breathlessly, before grabbing Gir and Noelle's hands and dragging them to the door.

"Well that solves that Spike." The cyborg chuckles as they leave, patting the Bulldogs head.

Atlas Park

Spencer's pet emporium.

Caroline practically bounced as they entered the pet store. "I love this place, it is like a mini zoo, all sorts of pets from around the world, even digital pets for the tech savvy."

Gir and Noelle follow her, looking around in awe, there where more animals here than the two had ever seen in Pretoria combined, animals hooting, hollering and cheeping.

"It... It is a bit loud." Noelle said, rubbing her ears.

Caroline waved a hand. "That's just the animals asking you to take them home, now I'll let you wander and see what you like."

Gir found herself gravitating to the reptile and amphibian section, marveling at the root of colours on display, in her short time being alive, she had never seen anything like this.

Meanwhile Noelle was examining the birds, smiling at their songs as they flittered in their cages.

Caroline smiled as they wandered off, the look of wonder on their faces amazing. Eventually both came back. "So.... Find something you like?" Caroline asked, both women nodding. "Good, I'll find a staff member to help us."

King's Row

Seraph's House.

Neph was still on the couch, Spike now asleep on her lap as she heard them come back, Gir near hidden behind a glass enclosure and supplies, while Noelle carried a simple box. "What ya get?" She asked.

Gir giggles. "I got a Packman frog, he is fat and full of love." She declared proudly before heading to her room.

Noelle blushed and held out.... A Roomba.

Neph tilted her head. "If you wanted a cleaning bot... Why not just get a clockwork? There are tons of them now with nothing better to do."

Noelle frowned. "Neph that is very insensitive, I work with several clockwork, it would be rude to own one." She says before carefully applying a pair of googly eyes to the Roomba.

Neph shrugged. "Kay, not exactly what I call a pet, but you do you."

Noelle nods and heads to her apartment, humming as she carries the Roomba home.

[poettheythem]

you know it’s when you don’t have much that you love the smaller things more.

I was on a crew team. Rowing is a notoriously expensive sport but we were the cheapest team on the east coast especially with our competitive level it was crazy how cheep we were. We didn’t have a nice boat house, nice new boats and oars, we didn’t have a good hose for cleaning out boats because we couldn’t afford a spray nozzle. But one day our coach came in and with a new nozzle and we lost our minds! Like screams for joy over this nozzle we loved it. We got a new used boat(yes I see the oxymoron) and we sure did celebrate but not as much as we did for the hose nozzle.

it just makes me think about how the small things forever are so valuable. Yes we needed the new boat because our team had grown, but we needed the new nozzle just as much. And the small things made us happy

[deliriousfangirl61]

Grounded [Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw] Chapter II

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Liv "Queenie" Fairdon

Masterlist [~~~~]

18+

Series Warnings: Death, Violence, Cursing, Smut (later chapters). MINORS DO NOT INTERACT 18+

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

Description: It's been two years since the accident that turned Liv "Queenie" Fairdon's life upside down, and she's fine... supposedly. She seems to have come to terms with being Grounded permanently and the ache in her chest after losing her brother lessening day after day. She has come to love her job at the base and her home that she fixed up. Liv thought being Grounded was going to do her in for good but she seems absolutely fine. However, when a high-priority mission arises forcing the best of the best back to North Island old feelings begin to stir forcing Liv to deal with feelings she has buried. Not only that, but Bradley (Rooster) Bradshaw is gonna force new feelings causing Liv to question the walls she had perfectly put in place.

It's hot.

Like insanely blistering hot in my office. I debate calling the maintenance guy for the fifth time today to ask in my most polite voice when he will be up here to look at the AC unit.

We can afford multi-million dollar aircrafts but central AC is a no go.

I lean back fanning myself with a folder as I try to angle the cheep hot pink desk fan closer to my face.

The San Diego heat has been unrelenting these past few days, and it seems my poor AC unit is not capable of keeping up.

I sigh softly once again pulling my top from its place stuck to my chest. I really need to finish these report and this heat is not helping keep my train of thought focused.

Knock Knock Knock

The three study raps on my door frame make my head shoot up, I was hoping it was the maintenance man but instead I am met with the stoic gaze of Admiral Simpson.

I shoot up.

"Admiral." My voice is loud but bold and calm. My hand shoots up in a solute and Admiral Simpson watches me calmly. With the same stare that makes so many Top Gun students and aviators shift in place.

Truth be told I am not really scared of Admiral Simpson, we have spent far too much time together outside of work for that fear he encompasses with everyone else to be instilled in me. While I would never want to go head to head with him in a fight, I know below that hard exterior is a great and kind man. Something I have had the honor of witnessing on multiple occasions. However, despite the lack of fear I will never address him without the respect and admiration he deserves. Above all Admiral Simpson has my respect

He steps a foot into my office.

"At ease Lieutenant." He says. "May I come in."

"Of course. I apologize on behalf of the heat, my AC unit appears to have stopped working." I reach forward to turn the small desk fan in his direction. I know how hot and sticky his service khakis can get and since I now am an Advisory Specialist and Research I have the luxury of not always having to be in my service khakis.

Admiral Simpson gives me a nod of acknowledgement at my statement but I notice his eyes follow my movements as I move the fan. His lips tug upwards slightly, almost unrecognizable in a tiny smile. I notice though, I always notice when he's fighting off a smile. I am one of the few that can get that reaction out of him.

"Please take a seat Lieutenant."

He sits down in the chair across from me as I do the same. I let my hands fall clasped in front of me. He sits so stiff, and I wonder if I look as stiff as him when I sit.

Probably not. I've lost that rigidness.

"What do I owe the pleasure to Admiral?" I ask my tone a bit more casual then before.

The lines next to his eyes relax slightly as I ask, my warm tone making him relax albeit just slightly.

How did I miss how stressed he looked when he first came in?

It's nearing the end of the workday, Admiral Simpson has been in meetings all day, I know because his office was empty when I walked past on my way to lunch, and again when I went to use the copier. Yes, he's stressed, more stressed then normal. It makes the corner of my lips angle downward in a slight frown as I study the man in front of me.

The part of me that holds him as a friend wants to offer him a beer and let him relax his stiff back in one of my patio chairs as music flows through the speakers. However, right now Admiral Simpson is not just my friend he is my boss and if he sought me out, in my own office instead of calling me to his I know its important. I also know that he's worried how I will react. It's why he came all the way to my office, because I feel comfortable here in the place that I decorated and brought warmth into. He knows how much I love my office, yes he knows, because he watched me do it.

I feel my stomach tighten as I wait. My grips on my hands tighten, and I try not to bare my shoulders, because the second I do the watchful eyes of Admiral Simpson will notice and he will feel even more conflicted about his request then he probably already does.

"I would like to firstly commend you on your work and research. You're advise and research on prior missions has been advantageous in the gaining of success. It is greatly appreciated and noticed."

I nod softly. "The pleasure is all mine Admiral, I am very greatful for this job and position."

Admiral Simpson's eyes bore into mine. They are unsaid words being passed. He knows just how much this job means to me and I know just how much he is greatful that I am here. That I didn't quit after recent events and retreated into that bad place he pulled me out of a year and a half ago. Despite the closeness that has grown between us they are still things that go unsaid, probably always will. But I think we both know the gravity and sincerity of our words. What it means that I'm here.

He nods after a moment and he tears his eyes away from me and to the large window that overlooks the hangar. His eyes roam over the potted plants and the little knick-knacks I have accumulated. Some of which his own children have made me. The frog that Ellie gave me just last week, after I joined them for dinner is the newest to my collection. His eyes stop over it for a bit longer than the others before turning back to me. The stress lines are back.

The AC sputters once sending a hot wave of air over me. I want to recoil and fan my face but I remain stoic, waiting for Admiral Simpson to tell me why he made the journey down to my office.

"A high-priority mission has came up, it is set to take place three weeks from now and training for it starts Monday." I nod softly showing him I'm listening. "Had you been given you're medical release it was mentioned that you be recalled amongst the others to tryout for the mission."

There it is. That twist in my gut at the reminder that my temporary grounding has become permanent. All the physical therapy, all the doctor's appointments and MRI's have amounted to nothing. I can never return to full duty as a naval aviator. I am stuck. I am grounded permanently. There is nothing, absolutely nothing I can do about it.

"I am honored to even have been considered given my prolonged absence from the sky, sir."

"I am very sorry that is not the case Lieutenant." Admiral Simpson let's his voice drop into that softer more caring tone that he reserves for his family, and well me on occasion.

He clears his throat. "However you're experience in prior missions shows a high similarity to the upcoming mission. You're work has proven useful and has improved prior flight missions, so it was agreed that you would be best utilized to record and analyze this mission. Not only will you be helping in recording the details for the official naval record you will be advising and guiding the pilots to achieve the highest level of success."

There's a lump in my throat just slightly.

High similarity to past missions.

I know exactly what missions he is referring to. A set of four missions ran over the set of a month. The last and the most dangerous in which I was the only one to come back from.

I understand why he was nervous. He is worried that this mission is going to bring up bad memories. That it will cause me to slip back into the bad place. He's worried it'll break me.

He is quiet. He is silently telling me that I can refuse if I think it's too much.

"I am honored to be given this opportunity Admiral, I hope my work continues to be fruitful and helps in the success of this mission."

He nods curtly. I accepted.

"I have no doubt. Now that you have accepted, there is one more aspect I want to ask of you. Being frank however, this one is more for my sanity."

My lips tug upwards.

"What can I do for you Admiral."

"Captain Pete Mitchell has been chosen to lead this mission despite protest from me. He is here by the request of Admiral Kazansky. He was not my first choice, and given this I would greatly appreciate it if you would also keep your eyes on him."

This time I smile fully, before speaking again.

"Of course."

Admiral Simpson stands. "Thank you Lieutenant. Here is everything you need to know about the mission including the files on the 12 graduates we recalled. In fact a few are probably already arriving." This time Admiral Simpson actually gives me a small smile and I stand taking the large collection of files from him. On top of the vastly large stack is a name I recognize all to well.

Robert "Bob" Floyd

I grin softly. Of course they invited Bob back they'd be idiots not too.

"Thank you Admiral."

"Lieutenant." He nods curtly, but there is that hint of a smile threatening to peek through. His soft spot for me is showing for me more than normal today.

"Have a good night Admiral."

"You too Lieutenant."

Admiral Simpson leaves and I through the abundance of files. 12 names stare back at me, most that I recognize, I mean they are the best after all, I am bound to have heard of their exploits. I flip past the personnel files until I reach the debrief portion. My eyes scan over the information... uranium, surface-to-air missiles, steep climb out, dangerous, and eerily similar.

A heavy pit opens up in my stomach. Admiral Simpson is right, it is similar too similar, and one of the last people on earth I consider family is flying it. It's his job, I know, this is Bob's job and I know he is so proud that he got recalled for the mission. But it's too similar.

No, it not similar. We were fed wrong intel on the last run, every other mission before was ran flawlessly. Not that last run wasn't on us... it wasn't on me.

Shit.

It's too similar. Too much.

I want to call Bob, tell him to come over to my place for pizza and a movie to celebrate his return, and lock then him in my house until this mission is over. Until he is safe, because there is that selfish monster in my head not wanting to be alone and Bob is all I got left really.

But I cant.

Bob is a WSO, his job is dangerous. We all know the risk before going up in the sky.

No, I can't stop him. I can only do what I can from the ground to make sure if he is picked for this mission he will come home.

Oh who am I kidding, of course he is gonna get picked.

My phone rings causing me to jump and flinch in my seat. Bob's name flashes across my screen. I smile. Perfect timing.

"Bobby!" I say excitedly trying to push away the ever-growing pit in my stomach.

I hear his soft chuckle. "Hey Liv."

"It's about time you called, I was beginning to think you replaced me or something" I tease.

I close the mission folder, and slot it into the locked desk drawer before closing it.

"Oh like I could ever replace you." I can practically see him grinning "Want to join me for a beer?"

I am grinning now too. "So you already got in?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Hard Deck?"

"Yep."

"Alrighty give me thirty minutes."

"I'm timing you."

"I'd expect nothing less from you Bobby."

His sweet melodic laugh floats over the phone.

It'll be okay. He's gonna be just fine. Everything is gonna be just fine.

Alright guys Chapter II is done!!!

I am gonna make a taglist so for know just ask in the comments to be on it.

[~~~~] Next Chapter