#probably cost less than ten bucks

[nimbus713]

do you ever just silently love people?

like, you love them so very much, and you are aware that they don’t feel the same for you because theres really nothing about your relationship that should make you love them?

you don’t expect them to feel the same because you understand that the things about them that have affected you aren’t like big things or anything, they’re just simple

so like you love them immensely and are happy with the fact that you’re simply an unremarkable friend or even just and acquaintance

but the way they treat you or other people or even just how they act in general invokes such admiration and love, and there’s no reasonable for you to care about them this much but you just do

idk i guess i just love people for simple reasons. i love feeling love.

[glitter-lisp]

@nart-is-a-monster said: Uhhh Hugo and Varian buying a lamp

"I hate it," Varian says.

"I think it hates you too," Hugo says, frowning at the display. "It looks, like... really angry for some reason."

"Why does it have so many corners?" Varian asks, reaching out to poke at one with trepidation, like he expects it to bite him. "Why would anyone make a brutalist lamp? This thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen."

"Does it even have a lightbulb?" Hugo asks, cocking his head to the side like the weird collection of sharp, metallic pieces will start to look more like a lamp from a different angle. "How do you turn it on?"

"I'm scared to find out," Varian admits. "I feel like you have to make a blood sacrifice, and it'll start to glow."

Hugo glances around the room. "I'm scared of all of these lamps. Varian, I've never been scared of furniture. What's wrong with these lamps and why are they so scary?"

"This is 900 dollars," Varian says instead of answering, squinting at the price tag. "Who would pay almost a thousand bucks for a lamp with no lightbulb?"

"We need to get out of these store," Hugo says fervently. "I know Rapunzel recommended it, and I trust her, but–"

Varian backs away slowly, eyes on the lamp like he's afraid it will start moving if he looks away. "But she's artsy as hell and also rich and forgot that we have to save up to afford McDonald's?"

"There's gotta be a thrift store nearby," Hugo says, taking Varian's hand as he starts to ease them towards the exit of the stupidly expensive furniture store Rapunzel recommended. Varian still doesn't look away from the lamp, locked in a staring contest with it. Hugo doesn't blame him. Half of the things for sale look like weapons, and as expensive as everything is, he wouldn't put it past them to come to life. "We can probably find one for like 5 bucks."

"I want to kill it," Varian says, and he's following Hugo but his eyes are still locked on that nightmarish floor lamp. "Hugo, we should see if they do payment plans, I hate that lamp so much–"

"We're not buying a lamp just so you can destroy it," Hugo says, hauling Varian towards the front doors. "We have to eat."

"That thing shouldn't exist," Varian insists. "I could be saving someone. Someone could buy that lamp and then cut their arm off because they walked too close to it. I could be a hero."

"Or you could buy a 5 dollar lamp from a thrift shop and leave rich people to waste all the money they want on their stupid deadly lamps," Hugo says, finally getting them out onto the street. He breathes a sigh of relief as they step outside, free from the insane modern art gallery masquerading as a furniture store that was unlocking homicidal tendencies in his boyfriend. "And still have money left to pay rent this month."

"God, that thing cost more than our rent," Varian says, rubbing at his forehead as he finally seems to break free of whatever lamp-fueled rage he was experiencing a few seconds ago. "What was she thinking? I work for her, she knows how much I make–"

"Thrift store," Hugo repeats, squeezing Varian's hand and starting to tug him towards a more familiar, less terrifyingly wealthy part of town. "Then lunch?"

"If we end up spending more than ten dollars on a lamp, I'm charging Rapunzel for it," Varian says flatly, but he squeezes Hugo's hand back as he follows him down the street.

[magicwithclass]

Squandered resources is a powerful card with a powerful effect. I am actually shocked that this card flew under the radar for as long as it did especially since there was a blog, site, or other form of media that carried the name squandered resources. The card was actually under a dollar until the end of 2016 so there was a time since prices were formally recorded that you could have picked up this card for absolute bulk prices. If every good card on the reserved list has been picked dry and there is nothing left to speculate on then how do you explain squandered resources being 60 cents less than ten years ago? Did no one see the potential in a 2 mana ramp card that is also a free sacrifice outlet. There are many decks that want lands in the graveyard or can easily recur lands so a free sacrifice engine is absolutely paramount for those decks to function. Zuran orb and sylvan safekeeper are cheaper options but redundancy is important and this offers the effect on an enchantment. The payoff is also stronger. Never underestimate extra mana even at the cost of a resource especially if you can easily get the resource back or you are using that sacrifice to you advantage. Many decks can make excellent use of squandered resources in their combos. The gitrog monster, muldrotha the gravetide, and lord windgrace decks all benefit from having lands enter the graveyard and can put them right back into play. Even so, the number of commander decks that use this card on edhrec is astonishingly low. I would think any landfall deck that utilizes combos that sacrifice all lands only to bring them back with aftermath analyst or world shaper would need to use squandered resources. Very few cards let you sac all your lands in a single turn and leave you mana positive but squandered resources has combos and synergies. The card was five bucks after 2016 and reached almost 20 dollars during the initial buyout of 2018. By 2021 the card was about seventy five dollars as a all time high. So why is the cars going up now? Why is there a renewed interest on a reserved list card that has spiked a number of times? In short, the necrobloom. The necrobloom is the second strongest commander released in modern horizons 3. A little birdy can tell you what the strongest commander in the set is. The necrobloom is also highly competitive and is potentially cedh. The card wants lands in the graveyard to dredge and some decks have a land in graveyard theme. Is it any wonder that squandered resources can fit into a necrobloom cedh deck? Desert decks and a jund graveyard commander deck also got a boost in 2024 so it was a good year for squandered resources. Currently, the card is approaching fifty dollars. That is higher than in 2018 but I do not think it will reach its market high. However, this has become a soft staple in necrobloom decks, appearing in over 20 percent of decks. That deck is competitively viable, popular, and new so I think squandered resources will probably hold onto a higher price tag for the foreseeable future. Will it go back down when the hype dies or will you have to squander your resources getting a copy of this card?

[ephemeral-earthling]

Jesus Christ.

Having to deal with health insurance in the United States is quite literally the most rage-inducing, radicalizing experience in the entire universe.

I've been in the process of prepping for an upcoming major surgery since July, so a solid six months now.

Months ago I called my insurance company and they were like yup, that surgeon/facility is in-network you're good to go ! So I was like sweet, and didnt ya know, continue checking in on that fact rulularly for several months .

Fast forward to today, a little less than a month before surgery.

Have a nagging feeling /anxiety that i should confirm, Again, that the hospital is in network and/or try and confirm even a rough estimate of what I should expect to pay.

I speak to a human agent who asks for multiple facility addresses and then tells me, that while my surgeon is in network, the hospital itself is not.

Que hours long spiral and anxiety attack about this very necessary surgery probably costing tens of, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars (no way to know here- transparency does not exist).

Send a somewhat panicked message to my surgeons office like... Yo my insurance just told me this , can y'all give me any relevant info?

Call the hospital billing department directly.

Talk to someone there who is like, YUP we are in network and a contracted facility for your insurance ! She gives me a facility ID number that she says the insurance company should have record.

Awesome, big sigh of relief.

Log onto insurance website to chat with another agent.

I give them the NPI number.

They tell me it was one umber too short.

I log off and realize i was missing a 1 in front.

Log back on and talk to yet another agent

Give them the correct NPI humber.

They tell me they have no record of this facility being in network.

I say wow, interesting because the literal hospital and surgeon's office told me otherwise not five minutes ago .

Log off.

Take the millionth deep breath of the day. Try not to punch a wall.

Choose to accept that all the hospital and doctors websites say it they're in network with Aetna.

Accept that every Aetna agent seems to not know this / they're all simply incapable of confirming this for some reason.

Send a second message to the surgeons office like "hi yes, me here again, disregard my earlier message my insurance company told me incorrect info".

No one's ever been more justified than Luigi, if I could literally kill someone running this insurance company I fucking would without blinking. Without a second thought. With my bare hands.

These motherfuckers make it so purposefully convoluted and difficult and soul crushing and backwards that no one can possibly work within this system. They would truly rather you just give up and stop trying to get medical care so they can save a buck.

[audio-luddite]

I did a browse of Tumblr "Audiophile".

OK weird.

Much of the stuff is photos of old stuff from brochures and magazines (like paper OMG). I guess some people kept all that stuff. Grandpa was a hoarder of audio mags? I see lovely ads for crap product. It was crap 60 years ago and still is today (like the BOSE 901). There are some bits showing good stuff but not much. And there are the confused people who don't understand obsession with vacuum tubes and LP records.

There are links to very artistic audio themed soft-core porn. Some are adds for console stereos draped with girls in lingerie. A good stereo will bring the girls in for sure. At least that was thought in the 60s? And there are people posing as golden ears. Some experts might be expert, but you gotta pay the bills no matter the crap information they put out. Number ten in this guy's top ten turntable list is pure crap now and forever.

I have even seen totally phony photo-shopped systems that I know could never exist. You know a turntable has to be at least a bit more than 12" across to fit an LP which is 12 inches in diameter. So that picture just don't scale right.

I guess in summary it is not much fun to look at that tag as there is so much dross.

If you are an audiophile then you probably know good from bad or want to. If you are just interested or new to this then there is a problem. There is a hell of a lot of misinformation conspiracy and noise.

First problem is the term audiophile. It means literally you love sound. The presumption is you appreciate the quality of sound. That is different than liking music in general, or some specific type of music. That would be a musicophile. All it takes is adding -phile to the end of a word.

So if you like music as opposed to just the sound of steam locomotives passing by and care for good clean sound then you are bumping up against this other -phile thing. Do not be intimidated. I assure you that listening to a favorite artist with all the sounds fully resolved and blasting away in your home is a good thing.

It is strange to me that people will spend a small fortune on a sound system for their car and far less in their home. Though I suppose if you live in an apartment loud music will make no friends, but being a big bass thumper in traffic is OK and even expected. Hey if you love that sound well sorry to tell you... yup audiophile.

Now to cost. There can be a lot of money spent. Some people will spend six figures restoring a car from when they were young. It is a hobby where it is possible to spend gobs of money. And there are many people, and companies who will help you spend your money.

You can spend much less and get good results. My equipment has only two relatively new things in it. One Phono Cartridge, and one vacuum tube. All the rest of the electronics are decades old. My speakers are a few years old but I built those as I know best. The cost has been interesting. By selling off older even collectable stuff I have spent effectively no money over the past 7 or 8 years. Yes I bought that stuff once long ago, but economically it was sunk money.

I have the advantage of experience and know the good stuff from the less good. I know what brands to look for. I also know which products have cults around them that blur the flaws. I call myself a "cheap audiophile" as I will not spend more than low four figures on anything. The most expensive thing I ever bought was under 2k bucks. Most was far less than that.

One of the links the tag search brought up was guy who did not understand why anyone would buy Vinyl Records. The equipment is expensive and the media is less available than digital streams. There was one reply about the tangible nature of an album and actually owning a thing rather than just being allowed to access it. I will go further.

I have avoided high end streaming because of cost and complexity. To get good sound out of numbers you need several lumps and most are expensive. You need a computer or a server that is logged into a provider like "tidal" or "qobuz" or "apple music". Then you need a device that can store the bits on a drive either an SSD or even a spinning magnetic disc to avoid drop outs that can be the music server, but not the computer. Then you need a DAC to convert the particular stream to analog sound which is finally fed into your audio system proper. Aside from the subscription (I have apple music) you need three lumps that each cost more than a good turntable if you want audiophile sound.

In order to add a high end streaming line to my system would cost more than the replacement cost of my system as it is right now. So I have a low end solution. I plug my Iphone into my CD player with a nice-ish DAC in it. It is OK sound. But I swear if I play an LP of the same music after hearing it off my iphone to CD quality there is no comparison the LP is better.

And yes when it comes to vacuum tubes I vacillate. They are expensive and wear out. They sound nice. They have more distortion and artifacts than solid state, but it is nice sounding distortion. A big part of this hobby skews preferences to nice sounding distortion. Vacuum tubes and moving coil phono cartridges are prime examples.

My most recent experience was going from a full vacuum tube preamplifer to a hybrid with only one tube. The sound was rich and deep and involving before. Yummy like a good sticky baklava dripping with honey. Now it is detailed and frankly palpable. I can hear a singer part their lips before a phrase. You have to hear that to appreciate it.

I have been recently been tempted with two vacuum tube unicorn amplifiers for a very good price for that type of device. That price is double what a competitive solid state amplifier would be. And like I say at the local pub after my fourth beer, I want another but I don't need another. I am seriously tempted. I have a nascent love for the sound I know is in them. They have a voice and it is good. Actually this is a key aspect of the hobby. It is an emotional response to something. It is irrational.

Welcome to the irrational!

[calciumcryptid]

It's so crazy to think you're in college now like last time I remembered you talking about your senior trip (and the couple that was getting married on the same day)

Time flies past you, and the couple getting married on the original trip date is a fun anecdote to tell others.

I am in a technical college for my electrical degree, and when I get my driver's license I'll be starting an apprenticeship as soon as possible. I'll probably head back for another degree because my current semester costs less than ten thousand dollars and is entirely covered by scholarship money so a lot of wiggle room!

I can't wait to make fifty-one bucks an hour.

[chaosandthe-deadblog]

howdy abt ur last post bc i am genuinely curious, i think i may have just been misinformed on this so idk (and idk anything abt nintendo but ik people are applying this to game companies in general, like sega as well since they recently announced raising prices) but what is the deal with bigger games having bigger prices? like. frontiers being 60 (and ig going to 70 now? im unsure). i generally thought 60 was seen as a decently fair price for big games, so i kinda just went with it and assumed this was a good thing? i also dont know how fair pricing works so idk maybe thats a factor

im flattered youre asking me this but i know nothing abt the economy or pricing either so im just gonna tell you why *i* think 70 dollars is too much for a game

as someone from argentina (aka, the land of inflation) 20 bucks is like a third of what i have every month (im also someone who doesnt work👍 so that factors in)

(the thing about inflation here is that it's been going on for so long and it's so insane that it's hard to tell whats a normal price for something, so make with this info what you will)

i dont know how it is in the states, but 60 dollars is an insane amount of money at least for me and where i'm from. i consider games to be super expensive because i have to actually consciously save up for a long time to buy one. i wanted to play tears of the kingdom, but when i heard it was 70 dollars i didnt even bother doing the math. thats expensive.

but in a more general sense, i think it's less about how much games cost and more about everything else that comes with the games. nintendo is the one people talk about the most because it might as well just charge you for touching the console (i pay for ns online because i want to emulate old games and play online once in a while, but i think its ridiculous to even charge someone for that. also, whats the point of having emulators for free if you need a subscription to play it???)

of course some games are worth it, i know botw and totk are probably masterpieces and deserve that price tag, and i know thats just what games cost these days, but when an indie game by a team of like ten people is four times cheaper and ten times better than a 70 dollar game... idk, i think that's a problem

again. i also dont know how pricing works, so someone better informed than me is free to add their thoughts. or not. im not your boss

[blogs1241563]

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[trashpandacraft]

i'm thrilled to inform you that while this type of esterbrook isn't being made, it's incredibly easy to buy one if you're interested! i have several in various states of repair. this is my favourite:

esterbrooks were very common and very popular pens—the company was started in the mid-1800s, but they became known for their dollar pens, which were released in the early 1930s and cost (shocker) a dollar.

the pen above is one of their j-model pens—specifically the sj, which is the smallest of the three sizes that they made. the j series was introduced in the mid-40s.

one of the cool things about esterbrooks is that they used the renew-point system shown in the ad above. the nibs are a complete unit, and just screw in and out of the pen. the incomparable resource richard's pens has a full list of the nib units they offered, and it's fucking wild. (he also has a great overview of the j line.) generally speaking, esterbrook nibs and pens are mix and match—most of the pens they made will take any of those nibs happily.

so like i said earlier, these pens aren't being made anymore, but they're still easy to get a hold of—there are tons for sale on ebay, and almost as many nibs. at a glance, it looks like you can pick up refurbished pens with common nibs (or in one very 👀 auction, less common nibs) for as little as about thirty bucks usd. if you're desperate for a flex or stub nib, finding and buying the nib will be harder and more expensive than finding and buying the pen itself. while you can pick up the more common nibs for (sometimes) as little as about ten bucks (us), the less common styles are forty-plus, in my experience.

it's a pretty cool experience. they're lever-filled pens, so they work very differently to modern pens. they have a little latex sac inside of them:

on the outside of the pen, there's a little lever:

lifting up the lever presses a little bar, called a j-bar, inside the pen, which forces air out of the latex sac. when you let go of the lever, the bar lifts off of the sac, and the sac fills with ink.

if you have any interest in getting into vintage pens or pen restoration, i can't say enough good things about picking up a few inexpensive esterbrooks and playing around with them. i've only restored a couple pens, but this green one was one of them, and it was really satisfying. when i bought it, the nib was so crusty that i couldn't tell what kind of nib it was, the lever was stuck, and the latex sac was so old that it was partially adhered to the inner wall of the pen, and had hardened so much that it came out in gross hard flakes. all of this is common in older pens, though, and it was pretty easy to fix, and now i have this cool pen!

as a heads up, the original esterbrook went out of business in the early 70s. the name was bought by another company in the 2010s, though, and they've since released a couple lines of pens, including the esterbrook jr. these are not vintage pens, and they have a standard, modern jowo nib—they won't take the cool vintage nib units, and they're probably not what you want. old ones will usually have words like 'vintage' (or less commonly 'vtg'), 'refurbished', or 'nos' (short for new old stock) in the listing title—none of the more modern ones are old enough to need refurbishment.

They are always sold out of #1313 Illegible Gibberish so I have to make do with I can find.

The Saturday Evening Post - December 7th 1946

[magicwithclass]

Seeds of Innocence

One of the most interesting cards on the reserved list for multiple reasons. Currently, this card is experiencing a price spike and there are whispers that the card is being slowly bought out again. There is currently no known reason for the amount of sales and purchases for seeds of innocence. Does this mean the market has been corrupted? Is market manipulation responsible for the price changes or is the card experiencing true demand? Is this truly a reserved list buyout in 2024? First, I think that seeds of innocence is an extremely playable card. It is a game piece that has value because of what it does and not simply because of scarcity. 3 mana to destroy all artifacts is actually the most efficient cost for that effect. There are no cards that cost less than 3 mana that can replicate this ability. In fact, most cards that destroy all of a quantity cost 4 or more mana. This card is offering you an effect at the cheapest mana value as long as you are willing to give your opponent a couple of life in compensation. If you control any artifacts then you can also gain some life although the decks you are playing seeds of innocence in are unlikely to run many artifacts. I should also mention that there are many cards that destroy BOTH artifacts and enchantments but seeds of innocence only destroys artifacts. I feel like this is a feature and not a bug. I have several commander decks which substitute artifact ramp with mana dorks or aura land ramp. Many commander decks, even in cedh, rely heavily on artifacts to generate mana so if you are playing a green deck that ramps in another way then seeds of innocence can wreck the mana base of multiple opponents. Destroying all your opponents artifacts on turn 3 can really set them back especially if you did not suffer any consequences. The life they gain is negligible but you can benefit from the life gain if you are playing a life gain deck. Kibo, Uktabi Prince decks explicitly benefit when artifacts go to the graveyard and I believe every commander deck that wants artifacts to go to the graveyard could benefit from this card. The card is in less than 70 Kibo decks and I think that is embarrassingly low. The synergy is there and the card is perfectly playable even without the combo potential. Any deck that focuses on changing the opponent's cards into artifacts should also consider deeds of innocence. Could a future commander turn your opponents stuff into artifacts and would it run this? If viridian revel can see play in almost 20,000 decks then I think this reserved list card is woefully underplayed and overlooked. The seeds of innocence viridian revel synergy should really see play in more decks as the two cards are great by themselves but do really busted things when combined. Right now, seeds of innocence is approaching ten dollars in price again for a near mint copy. I would not recommend you buy in right now as I think the card will crash as interest fades. I do not know why seeds of innocence reentered the public eye but if I am missing something please let me know. The card has always had an unusual price trajectory. Unlike most reserved list cards, the price reached its high in 2022. Most reserved list cards peaked in 2021 and buyouts and market manipulation were much rarer after the magic the gathering crash. In April, 2022 the card was close to fifty dollars but it retracted all the way back to around 5 bucks before this latest spike. I do not see any reason for the card to go up at this time so I think the card will probably settle around 7 dollars in a few weeks. I think seeds of innocence will be between 5 and 20 dollars going forward as it is both a playable card in multiple formats and is on the reserved list. Not many reserved list cards are also so powerful. Seeds of innocence is a card that actually has spiked many times. It spiked very slightly in 2016 during the early buyouts and then again in 2018. The card was almost twenty bucks during early 2021 but did not hold that price. Even now, the card is not as expensive as it was in 2021 or 2022.

[taybatwo2]

Pictures of my Shadow High’s/Rainbow Vision’s Mara Pickett. I picked her and Sabrina St. Cloud up at my local Walmart (they only had the pink girls from the Rainbow Vision bands) as belated birthday present to myself. More info about Mara Pickett under the cut, I’ll cover Sabrina next week.

I actually wasn’t completely sold on either of these girls at first, but after I washed out her hair product, wiped off all of Mara’s blush because it was covering a good section of her right chin/cheek/nose, redressed her (the all black outfit I have her in really helped tone down all the really bright 80’s Barbie pink she had on -which is also cute, but wasn’t my favorite on her- but I have a feeling all this black will stain her) and put her hair in pigtails (thank you to the person on Instagram that did that first), I really fell in love with her and give her a good 8/10, but she’s slowly inching up my list. Some details: I really like the cat mascot patches (like, look at how detailed these guys are) and even her cat-ear hat with the peg (I like that it will stay on her head and I can easily pop it off or on), even if no one else seems to like the peg hats.

My Mara does have side glancing eyes (or was wonky enough to make it look like she is side-eyeing) and I find it really endearing on her. She has Margot de Pearla’s face mold, and I think she wears it well. I also really like the fantasy colors that Shadow High is producing. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but there are so many realistic colored dolls, let me have these techno-colored weirdos. Although, I would like for Shadow High to point out why their students were all black and white and then rainbow skinned (I saw someone’s head-cannon -on Reddit?- that freshmen start out as black and white and earn their “colors,” which is a weirdly fun idea). She only has four outfit pieces to mix and match (plus her hat, pair of socks and two pairs of shoes), but her two jackets and two dresses (mostly) mix and match well. This kinda limits her possible outfits, but I am glad that MGA is still including extra outfits with the dolls…for now (side eyes Pacific Coast and the upcoming Shadow High Fashion Runway line…especially since they’ll probably still cost a kidney or two). Also, her studs are going to pop off her shoes so easily (MGA stop using studs and glued on decorations; it looks really cool but, it makes me really nervous trying to redress them and they will not handle being played with). Also, these pleather outfits will be decomposing in like ten years…sigh. I wouldn’t mind if MGA went back to all plastic shoes (with slits in the back so they actually fit on the doll’s feet). I know Mattel’s glue head is ruining their older dolls, but I feel like MGA is going to ruin a lot of people’s collections with these clothing and shoe decisions (even if they look really cool right now).

Also, her drum set is just a reskin of Venessa Tempo’s. It’s kinda lack luster (besides the angry cat mascot-they are wonderful), and looks really awkward without any cymbals or a place for her to sit down at.

Like what everyone else has been saying, MGA is putting too many dolls out at once, and for too much money (I am glad that these Rainbow Vision girls stayed at just under 50 each, but that’s still 300 bucks for ALL SIX). I have to keep looking up some of the doll’s names and interests because I can’t keep them all straight anymore (I feel like this is almost worse than Monster High at the end of G1 where they had so many great designs but very much unfleshed out characters). *insert Muffy from the Arthur episode where she can’t keep up with all the World Girl dolls* My Walmart JUST got in the Shadow High dolls this week (and FINALLY Marisa Golding from the Slumber Party Line) and only had the Wave 4 girls in ONCE and never again. It’s like MGA is cannibalizing it’s own space on the shelves in smaller stores. I feel like MGA will keeping upping the price and will start including less and less items with this pace. I was excited at the thought of fashion/accessory packs, but I hate that they are blind boxes and 10 bucks a piece (for all 54 items, you would to spend over HALF A GRAND). They could have released two large shoe closets/two purse closets, or smaller packs of shoe and purse closets (like five shoes and five purses in one pack)….or one big mega pack for a hundred bucks (they love doing mega packs with the LOL OMG dolls). I like doll collecting, but MGA needs to calm their titties. Anyways, what are all of your thoughts on MGA/Mara Pinkett?

[thosearentcrimes]

ok, so once again I have done a whole bunch of reading for literally no good reason and I intend to make it the problem of anyone foolish enough to follow me

I think the average person is familiar with two basic kinds of payday lending. The first is legal or semi-legal, and involves probably legally enforceable high-interest short-term loans. The APR on these might be in the hundreds or so. The main excuse offered for these is that they provide an alternative to the second kind, which would otherwise be the only option for some people (what an indictment of our society that is). That other one involves fairly obviously illegal terms, APRs that can’t even reasonably be calculated, because there is just a mobster of some description fronting you a couple hundred bucks and then regularly extorting you, not with the threat of legal action but with the threat of violence from his hired thugs.

The way it works in the Czech Republic, you have the preposterous interest rates and obscene functionally incalculable APR and absurd legally nonsensical terms and the blatant extortion, but it’s all legal. The terms might not technically pass legal muster, but they never have to, because the law doesn’t actually exist. Your debt can be passed to an executor (collection agent) with only a formality in the way of legal review. The executor can seize your property, send thugs into your home without notice, garnish your wages without judicial review. The only thing the executor needs is a single court writ initially assigning them to your case, upon nomination for this duty by the debt holder. If the debtor wishes to object to this, as far as I can tell they are supposed to send their appeal to the Executor Professional Association. These thugs do all of this with the full participation of the authority of the state, personified by its police.

As an example, some sample loans I was able to find online have nominal annual interest rates in the hundreds percent, but an APR in the tens of thousands percent. Would these stand up to legal scrutiny? Well, on one occasion an interest rate of 80% was found to be inherently extortionate by the courts. On a later occasion, a different court found an interest rate of 115% not to be extortionate. There’s no consistency, though I think once you hit the several hundreds it would be hard to defend. But the system is set up such that the debt itself does not go through the courts, it goes through the executors. Anyone poor enough to get suckered into a payday loan does not have recourse to the protections of civil law.

Regarding the wage garnishing (which, again, you effectively cannot appeal, and happens automatically), the minimum amount you can be left with per month, from which you have to cover all living expenses and rent, is around $400 equivalent base, plus $160 or so per dependent. Now, money goes further here than in the US, according to the OECD about 50% further, but it’s still incredibly bad. This of course drives people subject to this regime to find less-than-legal employment whose proceeds can’t be stolen.

You might think, well, the people with debts they couldn’t possibly repay can at least resort to bankruptcy. Kind of, perhaps, if they’re very lucky. Bankruptcy proceedings involve basically the same regime of garnishing, over the course of 5 years. After those 5 years, if you have paid off 30% of the amount you owe, you’re probably going to have your remaining debt erased. If not, better hope the insolvency court takes a liking to you. Oh, also initiating bankruptcy costs like $200 initially, and then a solid $40 a month for those 5 years. Good luck putting that money together, hope you manage to hide it from the executor because he will absolutely try to steal it off you.

The previous government decided to tinker a bit with the laws, because the social democrats were in the governing coalition and the communists were providing confidence and supply. They added regulation regarding the maximum allowed penalty interest rates for loans, to the tune of a National Bank interest rate benchmark, plus 8%. What they did not regulate, as far as I can tell (and the way the law is written makes it extraordinarily difficult to tell), is the maximum allowed regular rate for loans, which seems rather more important. Meanwhile, the current justice minister’s wife is an executor, and in his previous offices of state he has directed government collections to her. So I don’t expect much in the way of legal relief from the current government.

[mantisgodiveblog]

Barrels often have cool items in them, it's just that now we're allowed to take them. Looks like we've got a new Memory to put on rotation with Memory Of Pillars. We do adore how it's just "you like looking inside barrels". Like, hell yeah, we sure do.

Perhaps if we remembered last time, we wouldn't have to remember this time. Do we just remember the last book we've interacted with? Rather than the highest issue number? We're not looping all the way back to Dormont to check, but... maybe we should avoid the earlier book this time.

Notably, in the Big Ball Head Fight, Siffrin attacked on their own at the end of a combo - is this something we'll have to look out for, moving forward? Bonus Siffrin Attacks?

Different outcome to the coin flip, this time! Excellent for morale, we think.

Damn, that's gonna cost him. Books are SPENDY. That's gotta be - what, ten thousand bucks worth of books, minimum. Probably more, considering the state of the economy. Unless you find a really good used bookstore.

Rest of the conversation is the same, more or less, right up to...

...net neutral effect on morale, we suppose. At the very least, this will probably be slightly better - if you believe the Favor Tree will grant wishes regardless of if you believe or not, then you don't have to worry about believing "hard enough", or fearing that an outcome not happening will be because you, personally, didn't keep enough faith.

Snacks in the next post, as we're sticking to the 4-post limit - the visual glitch, notably, is still turning up, but hopefully this will at least limit our ability to demolish your dashboard at random intervals.

(Part 25 is here)

(Part 23 is here)

Welcome back to In Stars And Time Liveblog. This time: we left off in the middle of a conversation and now you're getting zero-context reactions to things you didn't see. We are tragically limited by our medium.

Admitting that you like listening to your friends talk? What a dreadful crime.

This is what happens when you're a wet cat of a man... The Suffrin. Next thing you know, they'll put you in a kitty carrier to take you to the vet. We wonder if Siffrin's up to date with vaccinations?

Ooh shit, like the book at the library? We've got to get our hands on that one. The book, Siffrin. We crave knowledge.

[hostagex]

Love Against Humanity; ch. 1

Levi first started having wavering feelings for the younger soldier around the time he was appointed in charge of his every move after Eren's titan powers were discovered. Levi spent hours torturing, insulting and berating the young man. 

He watched Eren go through hell. At first, he wanted nothing more than to make Eren behave. Turn him into a proper member of the Survey Corps. To utilize his Titan powers for the good of humanity. 

He may have been a little harsh during the hearing, beating the living shit out of him, but it worked. 

Eren was all his. 

After months of forcing Eren to live in a cold, damp basement barely seeing sunlight unless it was to train for hours. Eren was under his thumb. 

He didn't blame the kid for being so standoffish around him now that they are on their first mission outside the walls. 

It was supposed to be a simple trip outside the walls, as simple as a trip outside the walls could get. But in terms of this particular mission, it was a walk in the park compared to other excursions. 

Eren, Levi and a few others assigned, were to go an investigate a fire that started and had since burned out in the tall, towering forest just outside the walls. It was spotted by someone atop the wall doing routine maintenance to the cannons a few days earlier. 

Levi knew it was a stupid reason to leave the sanctity of his house and the walls, what with the storms they had been experiencing lately. The fire was probably just started by the strike of lightning, but Hange was convinced Titans somehow learned how to start fires. 

As they were riding the wind was beginning to pick up. Levi was riding behind Eren, his horse being rather feisty. What with the large flakes of snow messing with its vision.

"Eren! Watch out!" Levi yelled, as Eren's brown horse bucked its back legs into the air suddenly. Eren has spent maybe five hours in his life riding horses, so he immediately fell to the ground, the horse running off into the blinding white flurry.

"Eren?" Levi notices the boy hasn't moved from the spot in the snow. Promptly jumping off his horse and rushes to Eren's side. "Are you okay?" He asks gently. 

"I hit my elbow on a rock." Eren chuckles under his breath. Satisfied with Eren's answer, Levi quickly stands up and turns around.

"You're an idio-" Levi stops suddenly when he realizes that they are alone. Eren shuffled to his feet, rubbing his elbow with his hand, whilst Levi frantically shoves his thumb and forefinger to his lips to whistle, trying to call back not only Eren's horse, but his now as well. 

 "Captain, it's not safe here." Eren says, Levi stops whistling after minutes if zero luck, the strong wind drowning out the carry of his loud whistle.

"Titans are less active in low tempuratures, or did you not pay attention to that lesson when you were in training." Levi scowls at the young man, already racking his brain of a way out of this situation.

A few meters back, they passed the remembrance of an old, abandoned cabin. Levi starts to walk back, following their old horse tracks in the snow, Eren follows closely behind. 

"The others will realize I'm missing and come find us, hopefully, with our horses." Levi throws his maneuver gear off onto an old rickety wooden chair that lay covered in dust in the middle of the disheveled cabin. 

"Hopefully they come soon. Mikasa and Armin were already worried enough about me going outside the walls." Eren states as he paces. 

"Sit down, will ya." Levi says annoyed. He's more annoyed at himself than anything. Letting his horse run away. Being too worried about a man ten years his junior. If this were a regular mission, it could have cost him his life. 

"It's getting colder." Eren yawns, un-strapping his gear now as well. Levi pulls a hanky out of his inner pocket and dusts off a small cot in the corner. Eren notices it has a military police emblem on it. 

He scoffs at whatever actions the military police have been getting up too that they had to risk going outside the walls to do it. Levi watches as the young boy shift uncomfortably where he stands, rubbing his hands on his arms. 

"Come." He points to the now clean mattress as he sits down. Eren proceeds to sit next to him. He can now feel how much Eren is shivering. Levi puts his hand on Eren's shoulder, his clothes still wet from falling in the snow. 

"Sorry Captain. If you don't want me to get your bed wet, I'll sit on the floor." Eren nervously says too Levi. 

"Nonsense. I'm Im not cruel, Eren. Take off your wet clothes, they are doing you more harm than good." Levi waves his hand. Motioning for Eren to get on with it. 

"Sir, I-I'll only have my underwear on." Eren says, blushing with embarrassment. 

"Eren. I've had to peel blood covered clothing off of you and bath your lifeless body after you accidentally transformed from biting your tongue while eating your lunch. So don't be stupid. You'll freeze in those clothes." Levi says, with a harsh tone. He doesn't mean to be cruel to the boy, as he is eighteen now. 

Eren doesn't need to be talked to like a child who doesn't know up from down, but Levi can't help but keep Eren at a distance. He doesn't want to let the boy know his weakness. 

"Levi, er, Captain-" Eren comes and sits back down on the bed, his wet clothes lay across the dusty table that was once probably in the kitchen, but now mostly filled with ash. 

"We're alone, you can call me Levi." Levi relaxes back into the bed, throwing his feet up. Eren looks at him studiously. "What, did nobody teach you it's impolite to stare?" 

"Sorry- I've just never seen you so...Relaxed?" Eren says, still looking at Levi. 

"I'm human Eren, oh- not like you know what that means, what with you being a titan after all." Levi jokes.

"I am not! Well, not all of the tim-" Eren winces, closing his eyes and frantically blowing his breath into his palms. 

 "Are you still cold?" Levi sits up, putting a hand on Erens bare chest, he feels the icyness of his skin, "Eren. you're freezing!" He says. Eren usually runs extremely warm, considering he's a Titan. 

"I- I don't know why, I used to collect fire wood in the snow all the time as a k-k-kid." Eren shivers through his teeth. 

"I wonder if the snow effects you like it does titans." Levi ponders. Oh, how Hange would get a kick out of this. Eren is in for a world of tests and experiments when they get back. 

"L-l-l-evi" Erin mumbles, shivering even harder.

Levi weighed his options. He could start a fire in the half-destroyed, fireplace, but the smoke might attract any titan who is desperate enough for warmth like Eren. Or he could...He doesn't even let the possibility get spoken into existence in his mind. 

He could embrace the young man for warmth. It's the obvious answer. He is dry. Their uniforms are made for these temperatures. 

"Eren, I don't know wh-" Levi is cut off by sudden movement.

"I'm going freeze to death. Can I-..." Eren pouts, laying back into bed next to Levi, He turns his body towards the older man. 

 "Eren! If Erwin were to come find us... It's completely unprofessional for us to-" Levi can't even begin to object before Eren has his arms around Levi's neck. His cold skin caressing Levi's chest.

"Geez." Levi scoffs. He can't believe this is happening.

 Eren tries to calm his breathing as he embraces his captain. He feels Levi tense up as he wraps his hands around him. Eren would have never thought he would ever do this. 

Be in a bed with Levi, like this. Shirtless. Sure, he dreamed of it. But the man was always so mean and scary. If he ever found out Eren, not only liked guys, but for some reason him, he would have him executed on the spot, for being a titan and a freak. But for some reason, Eren sensed this was okay. Maybe it was his hightened titan senses or he actually was delusional from the cold. 

 "At least turn around, I can smell your breath." Levi says, urging Eren to look away. His cheeks burning red from embarrassment from the long embrace. 

Eren turns over quickly, Levi feeling his shivering quicken when he rolls over. Without thinking, he wraps his arms around the icy mess in front of him. 

Levi feels the smoothness of Eren's shoulders, and the hardness of his tensed muscles as his arms envelope the boy. He can't help but feel aroused. Being in a position of power, having a lot of peoples lives in his hands. He doesn't have time for personal relationships. 

Besides from the few times he hooked up with his bunk mates in training fifteen years ago, he has been alone. 

Until Eren came. 

They spend every hour together besides when they are asleep. Levi has never spent this much time with anyone, and if he felt like he could, they would usually get eaten by a titan before he could fathom even telling them about his feelings, but Eren is different. If he is in danger, he can transform. 

He wont die as easily as everyone else in Levi's life. He and Eren could live together, They could be there for each other on mission, and back home, knowing the other would alway come back home. The thought of having someone he can love, is just too much for his pent up body to handle.

"Um, Levi?" Eren says, shakily. He was distracted by the warmth of his captain, almost in a sleep like trance, when he suddenly felt it. 

A hardness against his lower back. Unless Levi is shorter than Eren remembered and that's just his knee. But he was pretty sure that he could feel the Captain's knees in the crick of his leg. 

Eren goes to stand up, but is stopped by a hand grabbing his. 

"Eren, I-I" Levi's eyes are wide. He lets his mind wander into a fairytale. Something that can never happen. Erwin and the higher ups would fire both of them if this was ever caught wind of. 

"Levi, its alright-" Eren crawls back into bed, this time facing his Captain. He can clearly see the flush of red across his cheeks, the slight bead of sweat on his upper lip. 

Despite the cold, Levi is hot. His breath labored.

Eren's hand comes up to rest on his Captain's face. Was this a dream? It must be. This could never happen in everyday life. Levi's hand comes up to rest atop of Eren's and he closes his eyes. The threat of being caught by his peers was a very real fear in Levi's eyes. He would be demoted and possibly even kicked out of the Corps. 

"Levi..I..I can't hide what I feel for you anymore." Eren says, his voice trembling with nerves. "And I know if people knew what could happen to me, especially what would happen to you." Eren stops and takes a breath, looking his Captain in the eyes. 

"But I just can't seem to care anymore." Eren says and then closes the distance between their faces and kisses the older man. 

Levi's eyes widen as he feels Eren's lips, chapped and rough, on his. Realizing what Eren's done, he quickly pushes Eren away. Levi looks away and then back at Eren, and upon seeing Eren's bashful expression, loses as previous reserve and crushes his lips against Eren's. 

The kiss turns passionate as Levi slides his hands away from Eren's neck and down his bare chest, brushing his fingertips against Eren's hard nipples. The action elicits a soft moan of pleasure from Eren and Levi breaks the kiss to gaze into his subordinate's eyes. Eren blushes and moves to cover himself until Levi grabs both of Eren's wrists and while climbing on top of Eren to straddle him, pins his wrists above his head. 

The action surprises Eren and he can feel himself growing aroused beneath his Captain. 

"Now, now, now. Just what am I going to do to you Cadet?" Levi says with a small smirk on his face. He bring his face down to Eren and begins pressing kisses against his face, slowly drifting down his neck all the while leaving small love bites. He can feel Eren's length beneath him and slowly starts to grind himself on top of Eren. 

"Levi!" Eren cries out in surprise. 

The noise only further stirs Levi to continue his descent down. Upon coming across Eren's nipples, Levi takes one in his mouth and begins to suck. With his mouth latched against Eren, Eren let's out a low groan of pleasure and squirms beneath Levi. 

Levi let's go of Eren's wrists and instead intertwines their fingers together. The action stirs something deep in Eren. That this man cares more for him than a simple Captain and subordinate relationship. 

Eren's nipple is released from Levi's lips with a pop. He opens his eyes and looks down at Eren, what with his red blush tinted face and sweat dotting his brow bone. A lustful feeling comes over Levi and he releases Eren's right hand to trail his own hand down Eren's chest, stopping just above his underwear. 

Eren opens his eyes and gazes down, noticing Levi who looks to be waiting for consent to further this intimate exchange. Seeing no reason to stop, Eren gives a slight nod, his lips forming a small smile. 

That's all it takes for Levi to slide his hand into Eren's underwear and begin to stroke his hard length. The action causes Eren to turn his head and hide his face in the crook of his arm. Noticing this, Levi let's go of Eren's other hand and instead goes to hold his face in between his thumb and forefinger. 

"The time to be quiet is not now Eren. I want to hear you scream my name." Levi brings his face close to Eren's and whispers. "I want everyone this side of the walls to hear what I'm doing to you." Eren shivers and gazes into Levi's eyes, nodding bashfully. Levi smirks and continues to stroke Eren, feeling a small bead of precum form. 

Eren begins to shake and puts his hands on Levi's shoulders, squeezing tightly. 

"Fuck Levi..That feels so good." Eren says in a low, quiet whisper. 

"What was that? I couldn't hear you, you're going to have to speak up Eren. You know it's not polite to mumble." Levi picks up his pace with his strokes and with his free hand begins to rub himself as well. Closing his eyes and letting out a groan of pleasure himself.

"Ungh! Fuck me Levi! I need to you fuck me!" Eren cries out. 

Levi pulls his hand away from himself and Eren and begins to take off his shirt, pants and straps. Tossing the extra clothing on top of Eren's, Levi turns back to look down at him. He brings himself down on top of Eren and presses kisses against the underside of his jaw.

"Now Eren, is this your first time? Have you had sex with anyone of either gender before?" Levi questioned.

"Uhh...No Sir-I mean Levi." Eren let out breathlessly. "I haven't been with anyone before."

Levi, now only in his underwear as well, began to grind himself onto Eren.

"Perfect. I'll make this hurt as little as possible." He whispered into the crook of Eren's neck. Levi picks himself off of Eren and sits on his heels.

"Eren, I need you to turn over and get on your hands and knees." He states. 

With a blush, Eren nods and gets up, turning over and taking off his underwear in the process. He places his arms in front of him and lowers his chest down onto the bed, his backside in the air.

At the sight, Levi bites his lip and begins rubbing himself underneath his underwear. With his free hand, he reaches out and grabs Eren's hip, squeezing tightly. In doing so, Levi was gifted an out cry of pleasure. 

With a grin, Levi let go of Eren's waist and brought his fingers down to Eren's face. 

"Suck, Eren." Levi said. 

Nodding, Eren took Levi's middle and forefinger into his mouth and began to suck, listening to the sounds of Levi's breaths becoming faster. Just the thought of making pleasuring his Captain turned him on more. 

Satisfied with Eren's work, Levi took his fingers away and rested them on top of Eren's rear. 

"Now, this may feel like a bit of pressure at first, but you'll quickly adjust." He said. 

Eren nodded and braced himself. First, Levi inserted his index finger into Eren. Not used to the pressure, Eren let out a loud cry, his eyes watering at the slight pain. 

"Levi it hurts!" Eren says, his face scrunching in pain. 

"It'll pass, you need to relax." Levi says, pressing deeper and then pulling out. Rhythmically going in and out. 

The more Levi continues, the looser he can feel Eren becoming. Once Eren starts to moan in pleasure, Levi decides to add his middle finger to the mix. 

In doing so, Eren brings his fist to his face and bites down, attempting to drown out his cry. 

"What did I say Eren? I want to hear everything you're feeling." Levi says, pumping in and out in quick succession. 

"I-I know Levi. It's just a lot." Eren pants out. He can feel Levi's fingers press against him inside and he moans out. With Levi's fingers in his backend, Eren begins to rock himself back onto those fingers. 

Levi grips Eren's hip with his freehand and leans over, placing a kiss on his shoulder blade. 

"Eren, I'm going to take my fingers out now." He says, preparing Eren. 

With Eren nodding in confirmation, Levi removes his fingers and then leans back, spitting onto Eren's hole before scooting closer. 

Quickly adjusting himself, Levi positions his length to line up with Eren's hole. Once lined up, Levi begins to slowly insert himself. 

Eren shoves his face into the bed, attempting to drown out his cries. 

Levi, once feeling Eren adjusting, begins rocking his hips in and out, forward and backwards. He groans in pleasure and grabs hold of Eren's hips, bringing them back flush against his. 

Reaching around, Levi starts pumping Eren's cock while rocking against him. 

"Fuck Eren.." Levi groans out. 

"Levi, if you keep this up.." Eren let's out a breathy gasp. "I won't be able to last must longer." 

"Just a bit longer Eren. I'm close too." Levi answered back. 

Eren let out a moan of pleasure and threw his head back, resting his head against Levi's chest. With a grunt, Levi lets his load lose into Eren. 

Eren cries out and cum shoots out of his cock and onto the bed as well as onto Levi's hand. 

Levi sighs and let's go of Eren's hips, removing himself from Eren as well. Getting up from the bed, Levi picks up his hanky and cleans off himself as well as Eren. 

Panting, Eren falls into the bed and closes his eyes, attempting to catch his breath. Once done cleaning, Levi gets back into the rickety bed and lays down next to Eren. 

Looking over, Levi traces the planes of Eren's face with his eyes. The silent man fast asleep next to him. Smiling to himself, Levi wraps and arm around Eren's waist, pulling him close. 

"Eren! Levi! We came as fast as we cou-" Armin's voice calls out as the door swings open. Armin stops dead in his tracks and looks, wide eyed, at the scene in front of him. 

Levi, mortified, brings his index finger to his mouth and motions for Armin to be quiet. Armin, eyes still wide with shock, nods harshly and quickly makes his way outside. 

"False alarm Mikasa! I think we need to check the next house!"Armin says, his voice trailing off into the distance. 

Releasing a breath, Levi closes his eyes and adjusts himself to bring Eren closer to him. He turns his head and places a light kiss against Eren's temple. 

Tomorrow he'll have to talk to Armin and see what he can do about not having the news spread to Erwin, but tonight? Tonight he was content with spending his time with someone he truly cared about.

[nikethestatue]

25 Days of Elriel Solstice!

As a personal Writing Challenge, I will be writing these fun prompts for the next 25 days. 

I am setting all of these pieces (which I will try to keep on a short-ish side) in my 3 Elriel worlds:

La Dolce Vita - Modern AU 

Of Fawns and Shadows - Canon, present 

The Heirs of Shadows - Canon, future (post Of Fawns and Shadows)

Day I 

(3366 words/Fluff)

Ice Skating (Modern AU/set in the world of La Dolce Vita)

Elain was sitting behind the marble counter of her flower and bakery, watching the snowflakes drift and swirl behind the floor to ceiling windows. It was 4:15 in the afternoon and she was readying for the evening rush. It was a busy season, with endless holiday parties, all of which needed gorgeous flowers and cakes and pastries. So she spent day in and day out at the shop, waking at 5 am to come here and start making cookies and buns, then it was on to flower shipments and sorting, and then more baking, pastries and cakes and special orders.

She drummed her fingers on the counter, thinking that it’s probably time for a manicure and…

No, there would be no rest.

Desirable, but impossible.

She recalled last year--it was pandemonium, especially when the time came for Christmas. However, last year, she only owned the flower shop, and she was single to boot. So very single.

Cassian, or rather Nesta, threatened Gray, ordering him to leave her alone following the disastrous Thanksgiving dinner. Graysen tried to act tough, taunting Nesta and asking whether she was going to send her ‘beefy boyfriend’ after him for an ‘ass whooping’. Nesta reminded Gray that she didn't need Cass to fight her battles and that she was perfectly capable of delivering the said ‘whooping’ herself. Cassian laughed and kissed her hand gallantly and said ‘my queen’. And Elain, eyes puffy and sticky from tears, cheeks burning from being called a ‘teasing cunt’, heart broken, yet also light with relief--she smiled at the pair of them, and secretly wished for what they had. She couldn't stop the envy in her chest, couldn't stop wanting the same bond that they possessed. Her envy wasn’t dark or venomous, but rather desperate and probably a little pathetic.

Her phone dinged.

How’s my flower girl?

She smiled, looking down at the text, and quickly typed,

Full of sugar and spice and all things nice.

Yum! I wouldn't mind some of that sugar myself. Just a taste. And that would be it.

It’s never just a taste with you.

She reminded him, grinning to herself with delight and happiness.

You wound me, young Anrcheron! But you can’t blame me for finding you so delectable and sweet that I can never get enough.

You are sweet to tease, she typed quickly, feeling her cheek warm up with a blush.

There was a pause and then the door opened and a couple stomped in, laughing and brushing snowflakes off their heads and arms.

They bought half a dozen eclairs, four Mont Blanc and four meringue Merveilleux. The Merveilleux were Elain’s specialty--a French, (by way of Belgium), pastry, made of two meringues sandwiched with whipped cream, rolled in more cream and then dusted with chocolate shavings. No one really made these classic pastries in NYC, but it was Azriel’s all-time favourite treat, and she’d never take it off her menu. Besides, being the business woman that she was, her return on investment was incredible with these! Six bucks for a pastry which cost less than fifty cents to make.

Elain also managed to sell a small, but expensive bouquet of flowers to the man, so overall, it was a very productive ten minutes.

When she glanced at her phone again, she saw another message.

I am sweet to tease. That’s why I am surprising you tonight. I know you are tired and would just want a nice bath and a glass of wine,

Yes, she would want both of those things. He knew her too well.

But I am picking you up and we are going to have some fun.

After a thirteen-hour day Elain didn’t necessarily yearn for fun, but she didn't want to refuse him.

Because it was Azriel.

And whatever Azriel did was always magical. He was magical. Her life was pure magic, because of him.

Whatever Elain Archeron desired in her life, Azriel offered it to her--provided her with joy and with love that was indescribable. Love that was as passionate as it was beautiful, as tender as it was savage. A love that was her own.

 “My beautiful Elain,” Azriel greeted her with a smile, sizing her up. She wore a tweed pant suit, a fitted wool jacket, and a big scarf. “Are you ready?”

“I am, whatever I am supposed to be ready for,” she took his arm and they walked to the idling car.

It was brisk outside, the air cold and crisp, with that snowy lightness that was particular to this chilly weather, the frost bringing a certain stillness to the city. Those who did not need to be outside stayed in, and as the car moved down the streets, it was quiet and icy around. Elain looked out the window.

She always enjoyed the solitude, the lack of people, because it felt like the world belonged only to her and to Azriel. NYC was a special place for the two of them and they had many of their own favourite spots and corners, but she recognized none of them, as he drove slowly, his fingers finding hers, squeezing gently.

“I like your suit,” he noted, giving her a quick side glance.

She looked down and smiled, “Yes? You were so mysterious about what I should wear, that’s all that came to mind…that’s all I had hanging in the closet.”

“It’s perfect,” he assured her, biting his lower lip. “Very perfect indeed.”

“You are full of secrets.”

A smile quirked his lips, “Always.”

Every time they passed a familiar restaurant or a gallery, Elain expected him to slow down, but he didn’t. He was also unusually quiet, even for him.

At last, he pulled to a curb and parked the car.

She furrowed her brow, looking around, “Where are we?”

With his usual concern, he tied her scarf tighter around her neck and then pulled a hat over her head.

“Alright dad,” she laughed, as he bundled her up.

“I am not your dad. I am your daddy,” he winked, and she burst out laughing, almost doubling over and soliciting a chuckle from him.

“Are we going to play, daddy?” she murmured innocently, threading her arm through his and following him along.

“Oh, we’ll play, baby,” he assured her, and as they rounded the corner, he made a wide sweep with his arm and said, “here we are!”

It was a small, quaint park, with a fountain in the middle, where the space around it was now turned into an ice rink, where dozens of people skated with various degrees of success.

“That’s where we were heading,” explained Azriel with a grin.

“You want me to skate?” she exclaimed. “I can’t!”

“You were just going on and on about how you skated with your sisters when you were little, so why not now?”

“That was a million years ago!”

“Even I am not that old,” he chuckled, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her after himself.

They went and rented their ice skates, while Elain was complaining,

“I am going to break something! It will be your fault.”

“It usually is,” he accepted calmly, as he put his skates on. “Mind you, don’t look at me for guidance. I am not much of a skater.”

“Oh, wonderful,” she was shaking her head.

Holding onto each other, they made their way to the ice and after stepping on it, promptly fell. Elain got up first, and then she gave Azriel her hand and helped him get up. And that’s how it went for the next few rounds--them falling and stumbling, but Elain managing to rise first, and then helping Azriel. Even when she was in the groove and succeeded in skating on her own, even if slowly, whenever Azriel fell, which was often, she made her way to him and lifted him up.

“You love me,” he noted after yet another tumble. Elain threaded her arms under his and pulled him up, but he was too heavy, and she slipped and landed on her butt on the ice. Azriel crawled to her, and cupped her cold, pink face between his hands.

“I love you,” he murmured, looking into her dark brown eyes. They sparkled with happiness. Her thick honey-golden tresses curled over her shoulders, escaping from under the knit hat that she was wearing. Elain reached towards him, as he pulled her face closer and kissed her deeply.

“They taught me never to leave a fallen man on the field,” she whispered against his lips, smiling.

“And I am the fallen man,” he concluded. “You have the heart of a Seal. An Illyrian warrior.”

“I do love you too,” she kissed him back. “You are a fallen man, whom I love. My Ilyrian warrior. But one who better be getting a little more capable at skating, or I will leave you on your own.”

“Alright, I will try,” he promised. “It’s hard to be perfect and successful in everything!”

“Perfect?” she laughed. “Hardly!”

Someone skating by hissed at them and told them to get a room and that this wasn’t the place.

“Tough crowd,” smiled Azriel, shaking his head. Elain laughed. She was enjoying herself, even if she was spending more time on her ass, as opposed to upright. The music selection was nice and the night was clear and pure, and all the buildings around them were lit up for a maximum effect. They knew how to make things look beautiful around here.

At last, Azriel stood up and then took her in his arms and they finally skated together, cautiously, and without fanfare, but relatively smoothly. It was the first time he and Elain danced together, and there was something warm and intimate in how her head lay on his shoulder, and how her warm breath bathed his neck. He could hardly feel her breasts through all their clothes, even though they were pressed closely to his chest, but it still felt wonderful, how her hips undulated against his, and how her small bottom felt beneath his palm when he cupped it.

“This is a lovely surprise,” murmured Elain into his ear, and kissed his cheek.

“I try.”

“You always do and you always succeed.”

“Or you have low expectations,” he joked.

“My expectations are what they are, but you seem to meet them with ease. For a man with little experience in courting…”

“I enjoy courting you and now I can put all my effort into it.”

“I like it. But what do I do for you?”

“It’s not your obligation to do anything for me. Your presence is enough. I love you.  Hopefully, one day we’ll become a family, and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? My love for you is my love for you, and the desire to build something between the two of us that will lead to something bigger…”

“What’s bigger?”

Azriel shrugged.

“Who knows? I just want us to be together.”

As they glided over the smooth ice, Azriel’s palm slipped down to her belly and he stroked it.

The temperature dropped and at last, Azriel proposed that they go get something to eat and warm up. Elain liked ice skating, but she was growing cold and she didn’t mind seeking some warmth.

They changed back into their boots, and walked among the stately buildings, as Elain was scouting for restaurants, since she wasn’t familiar with the neighbourhood, until she pointed at one and said “let’s go there!”

It was a simple and elegant space; the main room had large bay windows overlooking the street and earthenware tiles on the walls in cream, grey, and blue. The décor was sparse; the linen pressed and the silver and crystal on the tables sparkled. There were people inside, but it was not full. Azriel looked around and asked for a private room or table. The host looked at the two of them, smiled and took them upstairs. There, the upper dining room was practically empty, and it also revealed a wonderful secret--a gigantic window, which overlooked the entire Midtown. Glittering with millions of lights, the magnificent buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, and the host was pleased with the reaction that the view solicited from his guests. He did well, he thought, for the pretty girl gasped when she saw the window. He invited them to sit down at the table right in front of the window. It was all the entertainment that was needed for the night, but in addition, music came from the lower part of the restaurant, and created an even more wonderful ambiance.

“Good find,” approved Azriel, when they settled in and he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his cuffs. Elain nodded, and whispered, “I feel like I am underdressed.”

He waved his hand and said, “You always look lovely.”

“Well, thank you, but I can't trust you because you always say nice things and give compliments.”

Azriel laughed, “I think you can still trust me. I am just polite, that’s all. But I don’t flatter, if there is nothing good to say.”

“My darling, you are an interesting man indeed,” she concurred with a nod.

When the waiter came, Azriel said, “the lady and I will have champagne.”

“What are we celebrating?” she wondered.

“There is always something to celebrate. But not killing each other on the ice rink comes to mind,” he laughed.

“Yes! To that, we should drink!”

Azriel ordered a huge spread of delicacies--raw chopped tuna, which was, as he recently found out, Elain’s favourite food, cold lobster with hot butter, oysters, and crab salad. And that was just the beginning.

“Good Lord, pace yourself,” she chuckled, but he shook his head stubbornly and said, “Firstly, I am hungry. Secondly, I feel like feeding you good foods.”

Once their initial hunger was satiated and the effervescence of the wine hit them with its tingling sensation, Elain leaned back in her chair and sighed with delight, glancing at the mesmerizing view in front of them.

“I have such a strangely different life now...it’s like my third life.”

“Is your third life the best life?” he asked, chewing on his lobster, looking at her.

“Oh, by far.”

“Well, then my work here is done,” he smiled, while Elain reached out and stroked his face.

“You’ve given me everything,” she murmured and then brought his hand to her lips and kissed it.

“About giving, I am not sure, but you are free to take anything of mine. Whatever you desire, it will be yours. But you are such a strange girl, for you want nothing…”

“Not nothing,” she contradicted him. “I want you, very much. That’s all I really want, if I am being honest. Everything else, I feel, will come along.”

“And I am the easiest thing for you to have.”

“I want to live here and watch the shadows of this beautiful city descend upon its buildings and bridges, the light just fading, and the water in all the canals sparkling...that is my favourite time of day. Dusk. And what is more beautiful than this witching hour here? And you, next to me, a towering figure in a fine suit, but the sleeves rolled up haphazardly, so I can see your arms...What else can I ever want?” she shrugged.

Azriel thought and figured that if that's what she needed and that’s where her happiness lay, then who was he to argue? She was a strange girl, and he already knew that, and that’s what he loved.

“I feel,” she murmured, sipping her champagne, “like I’ve been walking and walking…All my life I’ve been walking…And finally, I am here. With you.”

“You came for me.”

Suddenly, Azriel rose from his chair, and then slid on one knee in front of her.

“Elain, my love, you are everything to me. You are the blood of my blood, and my heart beats with insatiable love for you. Everything is good in my life when you are next to me and I think that you should be next to me for the rest of my days. I want to ask you to marry me, so that we are bound forever. So, with this,” and he pulled out a white box, “please accept my proposal.”

Elain cupped his face in her palms and glanced outside the window momentarily.

She was going to be Azriel’s wife. His wife. His partner. His friend for life. And she thanked all the golds silently. With Azriel, she was going to watch the fading lights of dusk forever.

“Yes,” she responded simply.

She didn’t screech or cry out or laugh hysterically. She just said ‘yes’, and that yes was all that Azriel needed.

She leaned towards him, her thumb brushing his cheek and then pressed her lips to his. He kissed her tenderly, and deeply, and by the time they separated her face was wet with tears. He brushed them off with his fingers and smiled happily.

“I love you.”

“I love you,” she answered, wiping her eyes.

“But why are you crying? You just agreed to marry me and now you are crying? That’s encouraging!”

She burst out laughing and then drew him into her arms, and he kneeled in front of her and put his head on her chest, where she held it lovingly, squeezed within his embrace. Her heart was beating loudly and evenly under his cheek.

Azriel was kneeling in front of her. In love.

“Don’t cry, all right?” he requested.

“Just a little bit,” she smiled. “I think that I am entitled, today.”

“Are these happy tears, I hope?”

“The happiest tears!”

“Well,” he looked up at her, “maybe instead of crying, you’d care to take a look at what’s in this box. You might like it.”

“I am sure that I will love it,” she took the box and opened it, revealing an absolutely astonishing diamond and sapphire ring. It was so overwhelmed with diamonds of every size and shape that when she picked it up, it felt heavy in her hand.

Azriel took it from her and put it on her finger. She was shaking her head, whispering, “why are you so extravagant?!”

“It’s fun!” he exclaimed with a grin. “Truly. Who else do I have to spoil? And how often do I get to do it?”

“Oh, my Lord,” muttered Elain in awe, as she turned and twisted her hand. The ring, with all its strands and designs simply glared in the flickering lights, like a chunk of purest ice on her finger. The craftsmanship was so intricate and exquisite that she could truthfully say that she’d never seen anything like this before. In it, she saw hers and his initials woven into the ancient runes of the Illyrian military incantations, spells of love and sexuality etched in the ancient language, and so many other things that she’d need to decipher later.

“For luck and glory,” he traced his finger over a diamond-encrusted writing.

“And this?” she whispered, awed, pointing at strange blue stones that dotted the ring here and there. Not a sapphire. Not an amethyst.

He hummed, and finally offered, “These stones…they are native to Illyria. When one became a warrior, they earned these…based on their strength, and some say “Killing Power’.’

“Killing Power?” Elain chuckled. “Well, that sounds romantic.”

He smiled, and took her hand in his, “They are special. To me…To Cass…That’s all we have of our culture. They were passed down from generation to generation,”

Elain’s eyes turned misty, and she gasped, “and you…you gave this to me? It’s,”

“It’s deserving,” he interrupted her. “You deserve it. I have seven…My grandfather, he kept them and would often show them to us. Turned out that he felt that I was the only one grandson that he felt was worthy of them, so he gave them to me, before I went to foster care. So here they are…Maybe one day, I can give them to our sons.”

“I’d like that,” she agreed. “I’d like that very much, Az.”

Azriel looked down at the lovely woman in front of him and all he felt was joy. His future wife. His Illyrian mate.