#prohibition of purchasing land

[ahqkas]

hey so how do you think the batboys would deal with a s/o who sleeps with a sheathed sharp weapons knife/taser/glock under their pillow whenever their boyfriend isn’t sleeping over at their place. S/o forgot to put it away when their boyfriend came over. Too Happy to see him. the boys find the knife/taser/glock under the pillow and s/o’s just like “I’m a woman living in bludhaven/gotham. I’m not waiting until it’s too late when someone breaks in”?

♯ STRONGER THAN ALL MY MEN ( your boyfriend finds a stashed weapon under your pillow ! )

— gn!reader, bruce, dick, jason, mention of reader’s hair

© ahqkas — all rights reserved. even when credited, these works are prohibited to be reposted, translated or modified

. . . BRUCE WAYNE !

BRUCE HAD ALWAYS BEEN A MAN OF SHARP OBSERVATION. it was second nature to him, etched so deeply that even in the comfort of your apartment, his eyes missed nothing. he’d come over late, after finishing up with wayne enterprises and a brief patrol, his strong body visibly relaxed for the first time all day. you had greeted him at the door with an embrace so warm and genuine it chased away the weight of gotham from his shoulders. he barely had time to remove his coat before you were pulling him toward your bed, eager to savor a rare, quiet night together.

as he eased into the bed, his movements were slow, deliberate, and unguarded—a state so rare for him, reserved only for these moments of quiet with you. he reached for one of the pillows, intending to fluff it into a more comfortable shape, but his hand stilled when it brushed against something sharp beneath the soft fabric. his brow furrowed, and his fingers instinctively slipped under the pillow. the faint rustle of fabric accompanied the retrieval of the object, and when he pulled it free, the dim light from your bedside lamp reflected off the gleaming surface of a sheathed knife.

bruce’s lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw tightening as he studied the weapon with the intensity of someone accustomed to cataloging the smallest details. his thumb brushed over the hilt, testing its weight and balance. the blade wasn’t just functional—it was high-quality, the kind of thing someone purchased with intention, not on a whim. his blue eyes flicked between the knife and the pillow, the wheels in his mind turning as he silently pieced together the puzzle. whatever conclusions he was drawing, the slight tension in his shoulders suggested he didn’t like them.

you froze mid-laugh, the joy of the moment fading as your eyes landed on the blade in his hand. for a moment, he said nothing, his face unreadable in that maddening way he often was. then, finally, he spoke, his voice low and measured, carrying the weight of his concern.

“why is there a knife under your pillow?”

with a sigh, you sank onto the edge of the bed as your initial embarrassment gave way to resolve. “i forgot it was there,” you admitted. “i was just so happy to see you, i didn’t even think about it.”

his expression didn’t shift, but his eyes remained fixed on you, searching for an explanation. when you didn’t offer one immediately, he prompted gently, “and why was it there to begin with?”

you met his gaze, the unspoken judgment in his tone only strengthening your resolve. “because i live in gotham,” you said firmly, voice steady despite the slight tremor of vulnerability underneath. “i’m not waiting until it’s too late for when someone breaks in.”

bruce’s jaw tightened, the faint clench of his teeth betraying the storm of emotions inside his otherwise composed mind. slowly, he lowered the knife, resting it across his lap as though the weight of it mirrored the burden of your words. his fingers lingered on the hilt, tracing its edge absentmindedly, his mind clearly running through a thousand scenarios he wished he could control. you could see the conflict etched into his features—the subtle furrow of his brow, the tension in his shoulders that he hadn’t quite released.

part of him understood, maybe even agreed, his practical side recognizing the harsh reality of your reasoning. he knew the dangers of gotham better than anyone, knew that even the smallest act of preparation could mean the difference between survival and tragedy. and yet, another part of him, the deeply ingrained protector, the man who had spent his life shielding others from harm, bristled at the thought of you needing to live this way. the idea of you sleeping with a weapon so close, of facing the world with that level of vigilance, gnawed at him. it wasn’t just fear—it was frustration. frustration that the city he fought so hard to fix still made you feel unsafe, that even in your safe place, you couldn’t fully let your guard down.

his lips parted slightly, as though he wanted to say something, but he hesitated. the words seemed to catch in his throat, unspoken, as he tried to reconcile the truth of your actions with the deep ache it left in his heart.

“you know i would never let anything happen to you,” he said finally, his voice quieter now, almost pleading. “if anyone so much as tried—”

“they wouldn’t get the chance,” you interrupted, your tone calm but resolute. “because i’d already have this,” you gestured to the knife, “or my taser, or my glock.”

the mention of a glock made bruce’s lips tighten further as the weight of your words sank in. his gaze flickered briefly to the bedside table, then back to you, as if he were reassessing the entire space around him. you could practically see the gears turning in his head, his mind running through a calculated mix of strategy, worry, and frustration. he wasn’t just imagining the scenarios that had led you to this decision—he was dissecting them, analyzing every possibility, every risk you might face, every outcome he wished he could prevent.

“it’s not that i don’t trust you to protect me, bruce,” you added softly. “i know you would. but you’re not always here. and i’ve seen too much, lived in this city too long, to be naive about what could happen. this isn’t paranoia—it’s survival.”

he sighed, setting the knife on the nightstand before turning to face you fully. his hand reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear as his expression softened. “i get it,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “i do. but it doesn’t mean i like the thought of you having to live like this.”

you leaned into his touch, placing your hand over his. “it’s just how things are, love. i’m not afraid, not really. i’m just careful.”

his thumb stroked over your cheek, the calloused pad a warm contrast to the slight chill lingering in the room as his blue eyes softened while they searched yours, lingering on the subtle cracks in your carefully built walls.

“i’ll support you,” he said finally, his voice quieter now, as though each word had been meticulously chosen. there was no judgment in his tone, only a quiet acceptance that carried the weight of his trust. “if this makes you feel safe, i won’t argue.” bruce paused, his hand still cupping your cheek as his gaze flickered between your eyes, searching for a connection deeper than words. “but i need you to promise me something.”

“what’s that?”

“that if anything happens, anything at all, you call me,” he said firmly. “even if you think you can handle it. even if it’s something small. i want to be there for you.”

you smiled, the warmth of his concern wrapping around you like a soft blanket. his eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, held a rare tenderness that melted away any lingering tension. slowly, you leaned forward, your hand reaching up to rest gently against his jawline, fingers brushing the faint stubble that shadowed his skin. his breath hitched ever so slightly, his lips parting in anticipation as you closed the distance between you.

the kiss you shared was unhurried, delicate at first—a quiet reassurance, a way to say thank you without words. his lips were warm and soft, moving in perfect sync with yours as he cupped the back of your head, pulling you closer. the world seemed to still for a moment, the weight of gotham, of fears and weapons, fading into the background. all that mattered was this—his steady presence, his unyielding care, and the way he kissed you as if he was trying to protect you even in this simple, intimate gesture.

when you finally pulled back, your foreheads rested together, breaths mingling in the soft silence of the room. “i promise,” you murmured again, your voice carrying a quiet certainty, as if the kiss had sealed it more than any words ever could.

. . . DICK GRAYSON !

DICK HAD BEEN AROUND WEAPONS MAJORITY OF HIS ENTIRE LIFE. from the tragedy and chaos in the circus, danger was practically woven into the fabric of his existence. but even so, when he slipped into your bed after a late-night patrol in blüdhaven and felt the cold, unmistakable edge of a knife under your pillow, he froze. his hand instinctively reached for the object, pulling it out with a mix of confusion and concern etched into his features.

“uh, sweetheart?” dick’s voice was filled with both amusement and concern as he pulled the sharp blade from under your pillow, his brow arched in a mix of confusion and curiosity. he turned the knife over in his hand, examining the cold steel for a moment before his eyes met yours. “care to explain why this was under your pillow?” the tone of his voice was playful but laced with genuine concern. “i mean, are you secretly a vigilante? because if so, i gotta say, i’m impressed by the commitment to your role. or, should i be worried that you’ve been planning my untimely demise while i wasn’t looking?” his lips curled into a teasing smile, but there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes—concern for you, his mind racing with questions. were you in danger?

you turned toward him, your face soft and warm with happiness from having him home, your usual alertness dulled by the comfort of his presence. but when your eyes landed on the knife in his hand, you let out a small, sheepish laugh, brushing your hair behind your ear. “oh, that,” you said casually, as if he had found nothing more concerning than a stray sock. “i forgot to put it away. i was too excited when you came over.”

your boyfriend blinked at you, facial expression torn between exasperation and amusement. “you forgot to put it away?” he repeated, incredulity lacing his tone. “like this is just a regular thing you keep in bed with you?”

sitting up, you hugged your knees to your chest and looked at him with the kind of calm defiance that made his heart ache with how strong you always tried to be. “dick, i’m living in blüdhaven. i’m not waiting until it’s too late when someone breaks in. this city doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for its welcoming committee.”

he sighed, running a hand through the black locks of his hair as he set the knife on the nightstand. “i get that, i really do. but i wish you didn’t feel like you had to sleep with a weapon under your pillow. that’s not exactly the kind of safety i want for you.”

you tilted your head, giving him a pointed look. “you’re a vigilante. you carry more weapons than i do on a daily basis, and you’re telling me you don’t get why i do this?”

dick groaned, leaning back against the headboard, his muscles tense as he processed what you’d said. he pulled you toward him, wrapping his arm around your shoulders until you were nestled against his warm body, your head tucked against his chest. his heartbeat was steady, a comforting rhythm beneath your ear as he held you close.

“okay, fair point,” he admitted with a sigh, brushing a lock of hair out of your face and pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. his lips lingered there for a moment, as if he could melt away your worries with the simple act of being present. “but i don’t like the idea of you feeling like you’re alone in this.” his words were more vulnerable now. “you shouldn’t have to carry that weight by yourself, no matter how tough you are.”

you relaxed against him, letting out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding. “i don’t feel alone when you’re here,” you said softly, your voice muffled against his chest.

“i know blüdhaven isn’t exactly the safest place, but u’ll do everything i can to make sure you’re protected. and that doesn’t mean you have to keep a knife under your pillow.”

glancing up at him, a small smile tugged at the corner of your lips. “what are you going to do? install some wayne-tech security system in my apartment?”

he grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with a mix of mischief and determination. “don’t tempt me. i could have this place locked down tighter than fort knox by tomorrow morning.”

. . . JASON TODD !

JASON STEPPED INTO YOUR APARTMENT WITH A TIRED BUT CONTENTED SIGH, the weight of the night’s patrol still lingering on his shoulders. he was used to the harsh realities of gotham—the crime, the chaos, and the constant vigilance it required from him and his family. still, when he came to you, everything slowed down. your presence was a breath of air that he didn’t realize he’d been holding. tonight, he was looking forward to winding down, to a few hours of peace away from the violence he so often lived in.

as he kicked off his large boots and walked through your living room, he noticed the familiar comforting clutter of your apartment. his eyes swept over the small space—a few scattered books, your favorite mug on the coffee table, and the soft flicker of a candle’s flame in the corner. you had always been someone who embraced the chaos of the city, but you also made it your home, finding calm in the cracks between the its dark heart.

you appeared from the hallway, grinning at him like a beacon of warmth along with a look of pure joy on your face. you always managed to light up the room the moment you walked in, and jason felt his tense muscles relax. he smiled back, his heart beating just a little faster from the simple sight of you.

he was whipped.

“hey, you,” you greeted him at the doorway, practically bouncing on your feet as you crossed the room to greet him. he didn’t even have time to respond before you were pulling him into a hug, your arms wrapping around him so tightly that it almost knocked the wind out of him.

“good to see you, too,” jason muttered against your hair, the weight of the world fading just a bit as he let you hold him. you were always so eager to see him, always so open and trusting. it made him want to protect you more than anything.

when you pulled back slightly, he caught sight of something on the bed—something slightly out of place. he frowned for a moment, his sharp eyes narrowing on the sight of the handle poking out from under your pillow. it looked like a gun.

his heart skipped, his training kicking in as his body automatically went on alert. it was instinctive, the way his hand almost reached out to pull the weapon from under the pillow. his mind raced through all the worst-case scenarios—who could have left it there? but then he saw you, beaming at him, unaware of what he was about to uncover. you hadn’t even noticed you’d forgotten to hide it.

“is that . . . ?” jason started, his voice trailing off as his gaze flickered from your face to the gun underneath your pillow.

your eyes followed his, and your expression shifted almost imperceptibly, the carefree smile fading into something a little more guarded. you hadn’t meant for him to find it, but you didn’t hide the truth from him either. you shrugged slightly, trying to make light of the situation.

“it’s nothing. just a little extra protection. you know how it is living here.”

jason’s frown deepened, and he gently pulled the gun from under the pillow, holding it with an experienced hand, inspecting it for a moment. it wasn’t just the glock that caught his attention—it was the knife sheathed near the bed and the taser within arm’s reach on the nightstand. a cold chill ran through him, and he turned to face you, his expression unreadable.

“you’re sleeping with this under your pillow?” he asked, the words barely above a whisper, gaze softening slightly but still filled with concern. his mind wasn’t on the weapon; it was on you. he had seen a lot in his life, but nothing had ever rattled him quite like this. he understood the need for protection in gotham—hell, he had lived that way his whole life—but seeing you so . . . prepared for something, it rattled him in a way he didn’t expect.

you met his gaze and let out a breath, looking at the weapon in his hands. the unease settled into your stomach, but you weren’t going to apologize for being cautious. gotham had taught you to trust your instincts, to never leave yourself vulnerable. you crossed your arms over your chest and leaned against the bed frame.

“i’m living in gotham, i’m not waiting until it’s too late when someone breaks in.”

his jaw clenched, a deep mix of emotions crossing his features. part of him understood the harsh reality of gotham, of living in a city where the line between life and death could be drawn in a heartbeat. but the other part of him—the part that had spent so much time seeing violence up close—couldn’t stand the idea of you being so weighed down by fear. he had never wanted you to feel like you had to live like this, constantly looking over your shoulder.

“baby,” jason said quietly, the term of endearment sounding strangely soft coming from his mouth, “i get it, okay? gotham . . . it’s dangerous. but you shouldn’t have to live like this, scared all the time. you don’t need to do this alone.”

he set the gun on the nightstand, his voice steady but his eyes filled with a rare tenderness. he stepped toward you, closing the distance between you both, and gently placed his hand on your cheek, tilting your face up to meet his. you could see the concern in his eyes, the way his jaw was tense, but also the warmth and care that was always there when he looked at you. he wasn’t angry—he was worried. jason’s expression softened, and he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a warm embrace. “let me take care of you.”

as he held you, he made a silent vow to himself that he would never let you feel like you had to live in fear again. he would do whatever it took to protect you—always.

[recurring-polynya]

I feel like the "officer's neighborhood" was a late-hour add on Kubo's part to avoid having Rukia and Renji living at Byakuya's--there aren't that many scenes of Gotei officers at home, but they always live at the barracks: by my memory, we've seen Isane, Unohana, Shinji, Aizen, Hinamori (by implication), and Urahara at home on base. If you count the anime, we've also seen Matsumoto's quarters in some omake about her closet space, and there was that time Renji got depressed and wouldn't come out of his room and Rikichi had to make excuses for him at the Squad Six gate. There are probably more that I am forgetting. Ukitake is the one person who explicitly does not live in the barracks, and he lives in Ugendou, which is its own thing.

One could argue that they all have quarters at the barracks and that we mostly see them at times of wars, ryouka-invasions, etc, when they would be more likely to be putting in long hours, but I actually really like the idea that maybe the officer's neighborhood was a Kyouraku-introduction?

First of all, in early Bleach can you imagine all the captains just living next door to each other??? Komamura walking out in the morning in his bathrobe to get the newspaper and Kurotsuchi is out there watering his lawn with sulfuric acid. Zaraki is across the street, waxing his Trans-Am? No. I refuse.

Secondly, I feel like the provision of an officer's neighborhood would sort of by definition make it gauche-- it's for the poor captains, the ones that can't afford their own homes. You know Byakuya's ass is not moving into the officer's neighborhood. If they tried to make him, he'd resign.

But post-Blood War, Kyouraku may be trying to usher in a new era of egalitarianism. They've lost a huge chunk of the Gotei, and in all likelihood are recruiting heavily from the Rukon. The captains may get along like a bunch of wet cats, but the vice-captains are largely very young and hip and love free housing. (Please show us Hisagi's house. I need to see Hisagi's house so, so badly). One of my favorite older (as in, written in 2010) fanfic series, Lull, is about Kyouraku and Ukitake engineering Rukia and Renji's marriage as a symbolic cross-class gesture to show the Gotei is going in a new direction after the replacement of the Central 46. I feel like creating an officer's neighborhood and talking the newlywed First Daughter of the Kuchiki into being one of the founding residents has much the same idea to it.

I don't think you're supposed to operate businesses out of the officer's neighborhood, but Ikkaku just runs his dojo out of his house. I'm sorry, I am just obsessed with Ikkaku owning a house and like, using his carpentry skills. Yumichika definitely lives there, too, right? Kubo wouldn't have shown him there at like, 9 in the morning if he wasn't trying to imply that they're married now, right? Do they have a big Live, Laugh, Love wall decal over their couch? I need to know these things, Kubo.

This probably requires a much longer, sprawling post (the number of tentacles increased exponentially every 2 seconds as I was thinking about this) but despite Gotei captains making good money and having fairly high social standing, I feel like land prices must be set artificially, astronomically high so that no one but the already-landed nobility [or a governmental entity, lie the Gotei] could possibly ever own anything. That 'officer's neighborhood' or whatever it is is cushy, but it's also technically just a reserve the nobility has consented to so that there's no reason for these people to live anywhere else (unless they already have property by virtue of being noble). Not sure how this works for commercial leases--are they subsidized by the 46? or does running a business require you to have some kind of arrangement with a noble family. DOES SILVER DRAGONFLY LEASE FROM THE KUCHIKI.

I'm not sure how this would work for Rukongai (except that surely it's very controversial to be buying/selling parcels in Rukongai to begin with, many considering it a foolish audacity to assume such a place can be owned) but I imagine that at the very least the property taxes (or whatever payments/responsibilities inhere in "ownership" in Rukongai, re: assuming responsibility for whatever shit happens out there/keeping it Hollow-controlled, etc.) present a functional barrier to ownership for most individuals.

The generational wealth gap (mostly in terms of having family vs. having no family, but also I guess in terms of shinigami who are really old vs. those who are not) must be bananas, too. But NO, NO, STOPPING, this post was supposed to be 2 sentences about Seireitei land prices and it's already about seventy other things. It's 9AM stopping STOPPING

[aheathen-conceivably]

New Year’s Day 1934 had come and gone. In the desert, it hadn’t seemed that much different than the height of spring or the dawn of fall. The day had been hot while the night was filled with the rage of dusty wind. Only with it had come the news that they would have celebrated with gusto five years prior: Prohibition Ends At Long Last! Instead it was marked in a silent kitchen, the first bottle of legal liquor they could purchase in over a decade sitting precariously between them. No one knew if it was there to enjoy or to numb.

Each one of them clutched their own glass in guilty silence, maybe even imagining the clinking of champagne flutes that could have once accompanied this occasion. Rather than carouse in a frenzy of dance, they studiously avoided each other’s eyes, afraid to break the silence with even a sip. Everyone except Josephine. 

She threw back her drink so that when she spoke her voice was slurred with anger and alcohol, “So you’re telling me you don’t even own the goddamn farm, Gio? The farm you lured us all out to.”

“Of course I own the farm, Josephine. It’s just a loan, it just means…”

“I know how a loan works. Better than you do apparently. It means if you don’t have their money in six months they take the house. It means they own you.” She turned to Antoine and Zelda, pointing her finger and her blame directly at them, “And you two knew? What the fuck have you been doing, lying and playing at being farmers while the roof over our heads slowly falls into someone else’s hands?”

Antoine remained impassive, the anger and guilt swirling in his glass turning him to stone; but Zelda’s eyes watered as she futilely tried to answer. Gio saw her panic and spoke for her, “Its my loan, Jo, and mine alone. I was supposed to have until the end of the year, okay? The bank moved up the terms on me. I mean this can’t be legal — just scooping up someone’s land like this when we had an agreement.”

“Oh the end of the year, was it? Then you could have swept it under the rug so that poor little Josephine never found out, huh? That it? Well you’re an idiot. All of you. Idiots.” She covered her face in her hands, unsure if the burning in her throat was from the whiskey or the sob she had suppressed, “Does it even matter if it’s tomorrow or December? You don’t have the money. Antoine barely earns shit, and your little farming pipe dream does nothing but keep us hand to mouth. Where’s the money going to come from? The same imagination that told you any of this was a good idea in the first place?”

Her insults finally succeeded in burying the sob so deep that she could look back up at Zelda, “I’m right aren’t I? We can’t make shit off this land?” Jo’s eyes dared Zelda to so much as try to challenge her, so all she could do was muster a guilty nod of her head in affirmation.

Jo looked back toward Gio, the anger rising as the words she really wanted to cry out stayed trapped in her throat. You all let me think you were happy. That our life was perfect and I was the problem. You let me sink and disintegrate while you lied to my face! I stayed because I love you, and this is how you repay me!

Instead she sharpened her words and her eyes into razor sharp daggers, “I’ve had enough of this shit. I’m going into town tomorrow. It’s been over a month. The saloons and the bars have to be opening back up. I’ll sling a drink, I’ll do anything. We lose the roof over our heads and it’s right on the route with the rest of the Okies, fighting for scraps and scrounging for gas while Violette starves. Pathetic, Gio. All of you. Idiotic and pathetic..."

Her speech was cut short by the sound of Gio’s chair scraping against the wooden floors, “Enough, Josephine! I told you to leave them out of it!” Then he went quiet, hands gripping the table as her steadfast gaze told him she would never be the first to back down. When he spoke again it was in a low, chilling voice that none of them had ever heard before, "And I won't let you do that. To go down there and sell yourself again."

Antoine and Josephine rose to their feet at the same time; the former’s eyes burned with threats all the while Gio stayed staring at Jo. Within a split second his voice returned to normal, full of remorse and pleading as he ran after her in a rush of apologies and reassurances.

Their footsteps echoed on the hollow porch before they disappeared on the sand below. Zelda’s fingers remained locked on Antoine’s wrist, anchoring him in place until his rage could subside. His mind was vibrating with Gio’s final words; but he looked down to Zelda, internally counting to ten as he let her face replace the images of wrapping his hands around Gio’s neck, making him feel just as trapped and suffocated as his sister did before he let him go, gasping and desperate for air.

By the time the image faded, there was nothing left in the room but silence.

He sank back into his chair, moving it closer to Zelda. The look of guilt still hadn’t left her eyes, and seeing it, Antoine’s anger settled into worry. She didn’t hesitate to speak to him the way she had to Jo, “I should go after her, shouldn’t I? I should have told her. I’m her friend. Her sister…”

As her words dried up his stepped in, “I know, Zelda. I know. But we couldn’t. How could we?” He already knew that she didn't have to answer, because they had tried to absolve their complicity a dozen times. At their most avoidant, they had told each other it wasn’t their lie to tell. But beyond their deepest desire to avoid the conflict at all costs, they both knew that with each lie to Josephine’s face they had made it their betrayal just as much as Giorgio's. Only they were backed into an impossible corner, simply hoping the loan would be paid off and it would never come to this; otherwise, it meant they might lose Josephine or their home, perhaps even both.

Now that it had, all they could do was repeat what they had told themselves and each other for years. “They love each other, you know that. They’ll work it out. They have to.”

Zelda answered with a small nod, still unable to take her eyes off the door left open to the desert beyond. Across its stillness she could swear she heard arguing. She knew that she couldn’t convince Josephine to stay, the same way that she couldn’t have told her and jeopardized her daughter’s home and happiness.

So she let Antoine pull her head down onto his shoulder, gradually coming to the real question boiling under the surface. But where are we going to get the money? Only it was no use voicing it, not when they and Gio had already discussed it a dozen times over. Both of them had looked for work, and however many times Zelda offered to do the same, they all came to the same conclusion: they couldn’t sell what they grew, but at least they could eat it. She was the only one who could really ensure they wouldn’t go hungry, and the one who’s presence at home was actually the most vital of them all.

So all they could do was sit and wait to see if Josephine would stay. Wait and hope.

[majimasleftasscheek]

alright since RGG seems bent on putting merch behind things like UFO catcher shit, here's my crappy how to use a proxy guide lol

gonna be using buyee as an example but most proxies are more or less the same so it's your choice on what to use. I look at fee prices and customer service reviews to decide on my proxies. sorry if it's wordy! but I think I cover the most important bits for general use.

so on the landing page you got all the goobly gook but what you'll mainly be looking at is the stuff in the red box. all the shops are listed there - the ones I mainly use are yahoo! japan auctions and mercari. the other shops are more like regular shopping sites. pretty much all proxies use the same sites as they're just a directory for wherever you wanna shop.

auctions are self explanatory - you bid on things till the time runs out or some auctions offer an immediate buyout price.

mercari is largely a secondhand seller marketplace but you can find companies on there as well.

when I search for stuff, I prefer putting in the actual terms for better accuracy over auto translating. so here I put in ryu ga gotoku (龍が如く). on buyee, I have rgg and dead souls as saved searches so I can just click on them to easily autofill the search bar which is handy.

items will populate and you'll see prices in yen and for me, usd. these are the *listing prices, not the *final price. since I'm using a proxy, there will be additional fees per item I get. also, the currency exchange rate occasionally changes so if something goes up or down in price, that be why.

💥 pls also note prohibited items that proxies cannot ship internationally such as items with flammable fluid which can include perfumes, lighters, etc. other things like alcohol, which may be okay for like 99% of countries is not okay, for example, in the US lol unless you go thru customs paperwork n shit. *ebay is usually where you want to go for prohibited items as those sellers *will go thru the process of filing the proper forms to send such items.

💥 pls be aware of scalpers! I tend to browse multiple pages and multiple listings of the same item to see what the prices typically fall around. if it looks too cheap, be aware of an item's description. if it looks too expensive, it probably is.

let's use this bad boy as an example. the main things you wanna look at on any item is the condition and the photos to be *sure* you are happy with what you're getting. if you see the same photos across listings, be a lil wary. you can see estimated shipping times and the seller's general ratings. always read item explanations if there is one in case the seller makes any notes of defects or other things.

you can add to shopping cart to keep browsing or you can go to the order page to immediately purchase.

so proxies typically have different plans you can choose when you buy items and that adds towards the fees. these can include inspections, insurance, etc of items when they arrive at the proxy warehouse (see your proxy's FAQ for plan descriptions). it's up to you what you deem worth choosing, if at all. for most things, I just go with whatever costs me 0 lol - especially if it's a cheaper item that I really don't feel needs to be inspected or insured, like a plushie or keychain. regardless of plan, you'll have to pay some proxy service fee (here the "buyee service fee"). in the top right, you'll see the total cost of everything. once you're happy, then you pick your form of payment. I usually go with paypal.

you can go to your page and see typical stuff like orders, settings, and the like. there's often specific tabs for certain sites like auctions so you can go there for anything you purchase in that way. the cart is anything you've added but haven't bought.

the orders tab is for anything bought and you may see the status of its shipping to the proxy warehouse which I'll get to in the next bit.

package information is everything that has arrived to the warehouse so here you can see I have 12 items currently waiting to be shipped to me.

user information, pretty basic but do MAKE SURE your addresses and things are 100% correct. it would really suck nuts if you pay out the ass for international shipping and it gets sent to the wrong place.

on the orders tab, you can see the status of the item. it contains important bits like date ordered and order # (I've blotted out mine). order received is *you* paying for the order. order completed is *buyee* paying for the order. shipped means the seller has shipped to buyee's warehouse address and arrived at warehouse is self explanatory.

*sometimes, a seller may cancel an order after you've paid for it and you will be refunded. this is often due to the seller unable to actually send the item for whatever reason or they don't sell to proxies. nothing you can really do about it but I've only had it happen a couple of times in dozens of purchases.

back to the package information tab, here you can see all the packages that have arrived at the warehouse waiting for shipment. proxies will store packages for free for a certain number of days - buyee being 30 while I've seen other go to 45 days, etc. after that time is up, you will be charged for storage per day so be aware of that!

here you can consolidate packages which means putting everything into one shipment instead of going individually. you can see estimated costs of shipping per item which, if you did each item individually, that would be mad expensive. when you consolidate, things can still be pretty pricey but imo better to pay idk 150 bucks in shipping for 10 items instead of 300 bucks for all 10 individually.

💥 shipping is calculated by weight so be aware of that when you buy items - however baseline costs will be the same for lighter items regardless of how much they weigh. baseline costs for me is around 15-30 bucks regardless of what I get. for example, I have a teeny tiny keychain in storage and several figures. the shipping for that keychain is the same cost as the figures so it's only sensible to lump them into one package cuz I ain't paying out the ass to ship 1 keychain lol.

you are free to consolidate what you want and how. if you wanna consolidate some packages to ship now and you wanna do others later, you are free to. just keep in mind your budget and storage time!

proxies also offer services to protectively wrap your packages. if you're concerned about damage, then choose that option when you consolidate. I don't often do it unless what I'm buying can break otherwise all my packages have arrived relatively unharmed.

💥 proxies will consolidate things AS IS so if you have a buncha figures that don't have their boxes, the proxy will put them in a shipping box just as they are, however they received them from the seller. so if the seller only bubble wrapped the figure, it will be sent to you just like that, no additional protection unless you pay for that option.

*consolidation can take some days and you'll be informed when items are ready to ship. at that point, you pay the shipping and that's it! you can choose what type of shipping you wanna go with (such as DHL, EMS, sea mail (if it's available), etc at differing prices and arrival times. pick what's best for you. *note, sea mail is often the cheapest but the slowest (like several months arrival time) and not available to every country (plus you'd want protective packaging for this just in case cuz boat rides be bumpy)

here are some examples of shipping costs for a single one of my items. some of these options will disappear when I consolidate cuz shipping a lil figure is very different from shipping a larger box full of multiple things.

💥 be sure to read EVERYTHING and make sure you know what options you're choosing to make sure it fits your budget and expectations of arrival time.

one more thing proxies can do is order from a number of sites that aren't on the main page. for buyee, you want to go to the other sites information tab and then click "purchase request for other sites."

here you can input the information of whatever site you want to see if the proxy can purchase it for you. this is how I buy things on ebten like the jpn only preorders. if the proxy cannot buy the requested item, they'll let you know.

if they can go thru with the order, they will confirm your payment and it goes thru the same process as any other order.

[twice-inamillion]

A Special Date

Fluff and Smut

Chapter 195

1.9 K words

(Nayeon and OC go on a small date that might lead to an interesting night.)

Nayeon and you are on another date by the Han River. It has been hard to spend some time alone since you have been busy with work and purchasing the plot of land to build the house. 

Nayeon speeds down the bike trail as you try to catch up to her; every time you reach her, she would speed up and laugh, "Haha, come on, slow poke!"

"You'll regret it when I catch up to you!"

"All talk but no action!"

You can see her true self, a goofball, in these moments. You speed up and try to match her speed but in a way in which you keep a good balance so you don't get shaky footage on your GoPro. 

After you finally catch up to her, she stops, "I'm tired; let's rest." She sits on the grass, taking off her backpack and grabbing a bottle of water. "Hmm, wants some?" as she offers you a sip of her drink. 

"Hey, I said some, but you drank half the bottle!" 

"I got tired trying to catch up to you."

"Lies, I know you were pretending," pouting her bunny-like cheeks.

"You look cute with your cheeks," which makes her embarrassed. She tries to hide her face, pretending she doesn't like being called for her cuteness. 

You sit beside her and grab her hand as you watch the sunset over the Han River. "So beautiful."

"Yeah, the sunset is really pretty."

"Oh, that too." 

She realizes what you meant it and punches your shoulder, almost causing you to fall over. "Hey! Watch it."

"You're something else, but I like that about you." 

"What? I couldn't hear you. Sorry, you just said something under your breath." 

"I said, I love you, okay!"

"I love you too, Nayeon." 

"Really?"

"Yes, actually, you were my first crush when I arrived at the company when we were trainees."

"Really? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well… I wanted to, but I didn't want to ruin our friendship. When I arrived, you were my first friend, and I didn't want to ruin it. Also, you were friendly with all the trainees, so I just assumed you were just being friendly with me too."

"Come on; you should have said something! I was hinting that I liked you."

"No, I didn't notice any hinting, plus so of the other trainees said that you wouldn't date someone younger than you, so that made it even worse."

"Haha, we could have been together by then," says Nayeon as you see her tear up. "We could have been something…" turning her head away from you.

"Nayeon, don't. You know that dating was prohibited for trainees, especially with you; since JYP always considered you one of his favorites, it wouldn't have been possible."

"But we could have made it work" turning towards you as she begins to cry. You wrap your arms around her and hold her as she cries. "There, there, I will always be here for you, so let it all out."

Nayeon crying uncontrollably for a couple, finally settles down; she wipes her tears on the sleeve of her hoodie, "Okay, I think I'm fine."

"Do you want to keep on going or just go back?"

"Let's go back home." You grab her hand and help her stand. The both of you walk the bikes back and load them in the car. You grab her hand as you drive off the parking lot. 

It isn't even five minutes when you hear Nayeon say, "Can we turn around? Please."

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah… It's just that my mom just messaged me. I told her I would be in the city and just asked if I could go home and check if everything is okay since she's out of town for a few days."

"To your place then?"

"Please," rubbing her hands together, apologizing for the detour.

"Don't worry about it; since we are stopping at your place, maybe you can cook me a homemade meal."

Nayeon smacks your shoulder, "yah… you should be cooking for me instead since you made me cry."

"Sorry."

"Hahaha. Kidding. Of course, I'll make you something," and you drive to Nayeon's childhood home. 

After a few minutes, you arrive at her house, "Yay, we are here. Come inside with me."

She inserts the code for the door and slowly opens the door, "I'm home!" Nayeon grabs you a set of slippers, and you both walk into the house. You see numerous pictures of her and her family. 

You walk around the living room and stop at a picture of what seems to be Nayeon as a child. "Is this you?"

She comes out of the kitchen and walks towards you. "Haha yeah, that's me."

"You look like a total brat," as you laugh at the picture.

"Hey, I wasn't that bad." 

"I mean, the picture just screams a bratty Nayeon," causing her to pout. "I wasn't a brat, hmph," as Nayeon crosses her arms. 

"Okay, okay. You were a good child. I'm sorry."

"Yeah… that's what I thought," she says with a smirk after tricking you. You then find another picture of her, "Aww, this picture of you is cute," as you hold a picture of her in her nursery school uniform.

Nayeon blushes when she hears that you called her cute. "I bet our babies would look just as cute as you, Nayeon." 

"Stop! You're going to make it go to my head." 

"But it's true. Our babies would be beautiful with your cute looks. Imagine little bunnies running around the house."

Nayeon immediately imagines the baby bunnies between you and her, which makes her turn completely red. She does not want to show you her expression and instead walks to the garden and waters the plants. This makes you smile, knowing that the idea of having babies with you makes her lose her composure.

You keep looking around the house as Nayeon finishes what her mom asked her to do, and when she comes back, she says, "Hey, is it okay if we stay longer? I have to wait for one or two packages that are supposed to arrive."

"Sure, that's fine. How about we get something for dinner?"

"Yeah! That sounds great."

"So… am I going to get a home-cooked meal from my girlfriend?"

Nayeon remembers that you constantly ask her for a home-cooked meal every time she manages to get out of it, but not today. 

"Haha, only if you help me."

"A dinner made by a couple in love does sound romantic."

She smacks you and heads for the fridge, looking at what she can make. After getting the necessary ingredients, Nayeon removes her sweater, ties her hair, and puts on an apron. 

"Wow, you look hot," as you get behind her and wrap your arms. 

"Stop… you're going to make me drop something."

"Haha, just messing with you. Let me help."

No, you said you wanted a home-cooked meal, so that's what you will get, so just sit down and relax. You sit on the couch and look through some childhood pictures of Nayeon as she preps the side dishes and prepares the main course. Once she's done, she takes off her apron and says, "Jagiya, dinner is ready." You head to the dinner table, and she finishes setting the table for the both of you. 

"Looks delicious, can't wait."

"Okay, I tried really hard, so I hope you don't hate it."

"Aww, don't worry. I can tell it already that it is going to be delicious." You pick up the spoon and try the hot soup. It's okay, a bit salty, but still good overall, and try the two meat dishes. "It's good," which immediately puts a smile on Nayeon's face. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, you could tell that you tried your best."

"I did, I wasn't sure if you would like it, but I'm glad it's good." You then grab a perilla, add a slice of meat and some kimchi, "Here, Nayeon, try some." "Ahh…" as she opens her mouth as wide as she can so the food doesn't fall off. She smiles and nods, "Let me feed you now." The both of you enjoy your dinner as you feed each over and enjoy a nice conversation. 

After finishing your dinner, you look at her childhood pictures and point out the ones you find cute, "Look, this one looks cute, a bunny dressing up like a bunny." 

"It was Halloween, and my mom thought it was cute." 

"Little did she know that you were going to look like a cute bunny."

"Haha, I get that a lot now. It's one of my signature features," as she gives you a big smile.

You turn the pages and stop at a certain one, "wow, you look hot here."

"Eww, no! I did not like my hair back then." 

"Come on, besides the hair, I think you would like cute in this." 

She gives you a side eye, "Is this another one of your fetishes?" 

"Haha. Is it obvious?"

"Well, you're practically drooling." 

"No, I'm not. It's just that I would really like to see you wearing this."

"Hmm… I don't even think it fits me anymore."

You sigh, "Dang, too bad. I would have really wanted to see you in it." 

Suddenly the doorbell rings, "Ding! Delivery!"

You place the book on the couch, head to the front door, and look through the small screen on the side of the door. You press the button, "Okay, be right there."

"Jagiya need help?" 

"No, I got it."

You open the door, and the delivery boy asks for a signature. You sign on the small tablet, "Thanks, here are the smallest ones; let me get the other packages."

"Wait, there's more?" 

You end up carrying multiple packages into the house and setting them in a corner by the living room. "Hey, your mom said one or two packages, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's not just two; its more like ten."

"Hmm… maybe she got mixed up."

"Okay, I guess. I just put them in the corner is that okay?" as you walk towards the hallway.

"Are you in the bathroom?"

"No, I went to get something in my room. Just wait, okay?"

"Okay."

Instead, you use the restroom and wait for her in the living room. You go on your phone and text Jihyo that you might be coming late. It doesn't take her long to respond and message you a wink emoji, "Hmm."

"Hey, can you help me with something? I can't seem to reach it," says Nayeon from her room. "Okay," and walk towards her bedroom, "I'm coming in, okay."

"The door is unlocked," you open the door, and your mouth immediately drops. 

"What do you think?" Nayeon spins around in her school uniform.

"Fuck, you look hot."

Neyeon smiles and bites her lip, "How about we have some fun" as she sits down, spreading her legs open and giving you a fantastic view.

"No, panties," you say to yourself and walk towards her.

"Hey, close the door!"

"No, one is going to see though."

"Still, close it," and you shut the door.

[ahmafmohesn]

**A Daily Struggle**

In the heart of a war-torn region, a Palestinian family of seven faced an unrelenting struggle for survival. Having fled their home in the north due to the ongoing conflict, they relocated to the south in search of safety, only to find their new life fraught with its own set of challenges.

Every day, their existence revolved around one pressing issue: the escalating cost of basic necessities. To put food on the table, the family needed between $80 and $90 daily. The price of chicken, once an affordable staple, had skyrocketed to $10 per kilogram. For a family of seven, even one chicken was barely sufficient to meet their protein needs. Vegetables, essential for maintaining health, were no better. A kilogram of tomatoes cost over $15, a staggering amount in such dire circumstances.

The burden didn’t end with food. The cost of housing was another crushing challenge. Renting a small apartment or even a single room could easily surpass $2,000 a month. Even securing a piece of land for a tent was prohibitively expensive. With remittance fees reaching up to 25% and job opportunities scarce, financial relief was out of reach.

The young man of the family found his daily budget constrained to just $25, struggling to cover the most basic necessities. Each day felt longer and more grueling as the air grew increasingly polluted and the weight of the conflict seemed unbearable. With the war dragging on for over 11 months, the family had lost everything they once had, clinging to their resilience as their sole remaining asset.

In this relentless struggle for survival, their only hope was to seek help for purchasing essential food and cleaning supplies. Each day was a testament to their endurance, as they continued to face the harsh reality of their circumstances with unwavering patience

@timetravellingkitty @deathlonging @briarhips @dirhwangdaseul @mahoushojoe

. @feluka @fiqrr @irhabiya @commissions4aid-international @wellwaterhysteria

@rhubarbspring @schoolhater @pcktknife @transmutationisms @sawasawako

@mangocheesecakes @kyra45-helping-others @jezior0 @7bitter @tortiefrancis

@toiletpotato @fromjannah @omegaversereloaded @vague-humanoid @tododeku-or-bust

@softwaring @malcriada @three-croissants @palestine @palms-upturned @bhgfood @igothurtdoingsafetydance @oversensitivebi @idgaf-to-you @ohverthinker @pigeonobsession @pglang @apessimisticperson @qbanalras @bcofit @owengrose @byzantiumhollow @90ndyliars @uqvisddj092hfko @ifyouknowmenoyoudontbitch @unthreadable @hgk477 @ankle-beez @tfaoptimusstan @bfkaji @ihaveathingforwomen @askkakuro @palestine @gadistudung @ihaveathingforwomen @777greywolf @bvnnyb3ast @tttttan-drawing @vfxl @weaverworks

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Hello, this is your Oldie Chinese Diaspora Anon™️ I came across this Anon (https://the-bjd-community-confess.tumblr.com/post/757452685040631808/im-surprised-acbjd-isnt-an-official-dealer-for ) and their question-to-the-aether, and I think I know the answer. It’ll most likely answer a few other questions that have been floating around here as well. At least I think so, anyhow… I’ll try!

For starters, let me introduce you to something called the Universal Postal Union (Union postale universelle, UPU. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Postal_Union). For something so archaic, it is actually the largest reason why a lot of things that we complain about are the way they are. Anything shipped and mailed internationally follows the rate set up by the UPU. According to these international rates, it’s much cheaper to send anything by mail from Asia to Europe or North America. And it’s more expensive to send from South Korea than it is from China. This is why it makes sense that dealers based in China are able to offer free shipping – shipping is cheap enough originating from China that the dealers can absorb that cost. This is also why dealers based in China rarely deal for any company that are not Chinese in origin. It means the dealers will have to eat twice the amount of shipping (from country of origin to China and from China to final destination). It’s usually too cost prohibitive to do something like that, unfortunately.

This also reminds me of the question posted by an exasperated Anon a while back (https://the-bjd-community-confess.tumblr.com/post/748048371225346048/its-hysterical-that-divas-doesnt-understand-how ). Now, here’s a bit of a disclaimer: this specific dealer had shafted yours truly as well. After waiting for 2 years for a body with jointed hands, I was informed earlier this year that it was lost in transit. It’s a most dissatisfying result to a very long wait, and even if I was refunded the whole purchasing price, it was still left me with some distaste. I just wanted to make sure that nobody thinks the OCDA™️ is taking sides or deliberately speaking ill of either side of the conversation. Please understand, that is never the intention.

America-based dealers, like the ones mentioned in these conversations, are dealing with the unenviable position of paying two different shipping fees. They are also at a great disadvantage when it came to the UPU rates – shipping from the US is among one of the most expensive around the world, not to mention tariffs and import taxes. This is why Canadian collectors are usually disadvantaged when buying from US collectors. Even in the case where the overall distance between seller and buyer is shorter, as long as a package crosses national lines, the tariffs become significant.

Commercial shipping is, unfortunately, a little more complicated than someone shipping directly to the end-user after all. Trying to save on shipping becomes something that dealers try to do. One way of doing it is to take in the price difference and defray it on to the buyers, which is another reason why certain dealers have astronomical shipping/handling charges. Using land/water shipping is also a little cheaper than flying. But here is where the other conundrum lies – When a container tilts or falls into the water it’s considered lost. Recovery is a herculean task and it usually means the cargo in there is considered junked anyway (more information here: https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/what-happens-when-containers-are-lost-at-sea ) For smaller companies (BJDs are classified as micro-companies), they need to share containers with other people. This is something that’s actually badly controlled in China due to corrupt bureaucracy (so, once again, without taking sides, the OCDA™️ can vouch for what these guys said in this post to be true: https://www.facebook.com/BJDivas/posts/pfbid02tL96kt9R6vw546CZhe4V8EW7Fx7qqhx9NGzWjozVtbnqadR8yank69spfYjtMkn1l ) What they didn’t mention is what happens when a container falls over. While each container is insured, the value of the cargo is based on “What’s the declared content” and not “everything inside”. Imagine if a container that is filled with mostly clothes and it keels over, the insurance payout is relatively low due to the nature of -most- of its cargo. In that case, both the shipper and the receiver (the Dealer, in this case) incurs huge losses – a loss that cannot be defrayed on the final customer because they never received what they paid for.

As the child of parents who were importers and wholesalers, these intricacies of international shipping were something of a constant nightmare for us. You can imagine my surprise when I realised that the Chinese dealer ships to me for free… I was used the family business ordering enough stock to fill half a 50’ container about 6-12 months prior to it arriving. It’s the part of doing business that folks don’t really spend too much time thinking of, but it can really be at somewhere between 1/10 to 1/4 of the final MSRP. (If everything went well, of course. Because that’s not always possible for many, many reasons.) All of this need money, which means for a micro-company, the shipping is even more expensive. This is why while the labour cost in China is indeed quite low, the reason for the high price is -not- because of that.

Of course, the OCDA™️ would like to stress that while shipping is very difficult, it doesn’t fully absolve the dealer mentioned by the Exasperated Anon. There are a lot more things that could be done in terms of communication and streamlining the process. There’s just nothing for it. I’d like to extend my sympathy to anyone who feels that they are wronged by this dealer; heaven knows, I am one of you, too.

~Anonymous

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 20 April 1936, an Arab National Committee was formed in Nablus, Palestine, and resolved to call a general strike across the then-British colony. On April 21, other Palestinian leaders met and agreed to support the strike call, which would call out all Palestinian Arabs engaged in labour, transport and retail the following day. Zionists were escalating their efforts to colonise the country, Jewish immigration from Europe had increased, and groups like the Jewish Colonisation Association were establishing settlements and buying up huge swathes of land with open intentions of forming a Jewish colonial ethno-state. In response, the strikers demanded: a stop to Jewish immigration; prohibition of Arab Palestinian land being transferred to Jewish settlers; and the establishment of a democratic government. The general strike was a key early escalation in what became known as the Arab revolt of 1936. The following month, Palestinians also began to withhold taxes, and armed insurrection broke out in the countryside. British authorities responded with violent repression, drafting in thousands of soldiers, and enlisting armed Zionists and police to help crush the rebellion. Britain declared martial law, and British and Zionist forces killed up to 5000 Arabs, wounded up to 15,000, arrested 9000 and blew up thousands of homes, leaving tens of thousands of Palestinians homeless. In October, the Arab Higher Committee called off the strike and the revolt, but rebellion of poor peasants in the countryside continued until 1939. Eventually, British and Zionist repression succeeded in gradually crushing the movement. Although a British government White Paper, issued in 1939, did make concessions to Palestinians, agreeing to limit Jewish immigration and land purchases, and consider establishing an independent Palestinian state within 10 years. But these were not later honoured. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/11248/Palestinian-general-strike Pictured: Palestinians gather in Abou Ghosh during strike https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=611965164310036&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[insert-witty-user-name-here]

50+ Good Things from the Biden Administration

Just a list of 50+ good things the Biden Administration has done in the last 4 years because I’ve been hearing too much rhetoric that it doesn’t matter who you vote for. It does make a difference. 

Increased access to healthcare and specifically codified protections for LGBTQ+ patients against discrimination. (x) 

Strengthened women's reproductive rights by increasing access to reproductive health care, improving confidentiality to protect against criminalization for patients receiving reproductive care, and revoked Medicaid waivers from states that would exclude providers like Planned Parenthood, and more. (x)

Expanded healthcare and benefits for veterans through the PACT Act (x)

Cemented protections for pregnant and postpartum workers through the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act. 

Improved access to nursing homes for those who receive Medicaid services and established, for the first time, a national minimum staffing requirement for nursing homes to ensure those in their care receive sufficient support.  (x) 

Lowered healthcare costs for those with Medicare which capped insulin for seniors at $35 a month, made vaccines free, and capped seniors’ out of pocket expenses at the pharmacy through the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Fully vaccinated 79% of American adults against COVID-19 (I know this is old news now this is a big deal) 

Banned unfair practices that hide housing fees from renters and homebuyers when moving into a new home (x) 

Reduced the mortgage insurance premium for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages and clarified that inflated rents caused by algorithmic use of sensitive nonpublic pricing and supply information violate antitrust laws. (x) 

Increased protections for those saving for retirement from predatory practices. (x)

Helped millions of households gain access to the internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program. (x) 

Restored net neutrality (net neutrality is a standard which ensures broadband internet service is essential and prohibits interna providers from blocking, engaging in paid prioritization, and more.) (x)

Increased protections for loan holders as well as increased access to loans (x)

Cut fees that banks charge consumers for overdrawing on their accounts. (x)

Reaffirmed HUD’s commitment to remedy housing discrimination under the Fair Housing Act (which was– surprise, surprise– halted under the Trump administration). (x)

Rejoined the Paris Climate Accords.  

Listed more than 24 million acres of public lands across the country as environmentally protected and has channeled more than $18 billion dollars toward conservation projects. (And revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline amongst others). 

Invested $369 billion to reduce greenhouse emissions and promote clean energy technologies through the Inflation Reduction Act. Through the tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, renewable energy (such as wind, solar, and hydropower) has surpassed coal-fired generation in the electric power sector for the first time, making it the second-biggest source of energy behind natural gas. (x)

Strengthened protections against workplace assault through the Speak Out Act. (x) 

Increased protections for workers during the union bargaining process (x)

Is making it easier for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their bags, or fail to provide extra services when purchased. (x)  

Invested $1.2 trillion into roads, waterlines, broadband networks, airports and more allowing for more bridges, railroads, tunnels, roads, and more through the Inflation Reduction Act (which also added 670,000 jobs). (idk about you but I like driving on well maintained roads and having more rail options).  

Strengthened overtime protections for federal employees (x)

Raised the minimum wage for federal workers and contractors to $15. (x)

Strengthened protections for farmworkers by expanding the activities protected from retaliation by the National Labor Relations Act and more. (Previously anti-retaliation provisions under the National Labor Relations Act applies mostly to only U.S. citizens) (x)

Invested $80 billion for the Internal Revenue Service to hire new agents, audit the wealth, modernize its technology, and more. Additionally, created $300 billion in new revenue through corporate tax increases. (x) 

Lowered the unemployment rate to 3.5% — the lowest in 50 years. 

Canceled over $140B of student debt for nearly 40 million borrowers. (x)

Strengthened protections for sexual assault survivors, pregnant and parenting students, and LGBTQ+ students in schools through an updated Title IX rule. This updated rule strengthens sexual assault survivors rights to investigation– something that had been gutted under the Trump administration, strengthens requirements that schools provide modifications for students based on pregnancy, prohibits harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and more. (x)

Revoked an order that limited diversity and inclusion training. (x)

Cracked down on for profit colleges. (x)

Reaffirmed students’ federal civil rights protections for non-discrimination based on race, national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender in schools. Specifically, the Department of Education made clear students with disabilities’ right to school, limiting the use of out of school suspensions and expulsions against them. (x) (x) 

Enhanced the Civil Rights Data Collection, a national survey that captures data on students’ equal access to educational opportunities. These changes will improve the tracking of civil rights violations for students, critical for advocates to respond to instances of discrimination. 

Provided guidance on how colleges and universities can still uphold racial diversity in higher education following the Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action. (x) 

Issued a federal pardon to all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana. Additionally, the DEA is taking steps to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance instead of a Schedule I, limiting punishment for possession in the future. (x) 

Changed drug charges related to crack offenses, now charging crack offenses as powder cocaine offenses. This is a big step towards ending the racial disparity that punishes crack offenses with greater severity than offenses involving the same amount of powder cocaine. (x) 

Lowered the cost of local calls for incarcerated people through the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act as well as increased access for video calls (especially impactful for incarcerated people with disabilities). (x) 

Enacted policing reforms that banned chokeholds, restricted no-knock entries, and restricted the transfer of military equipment to local police departments. (x)

Established the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) which will better track police officer misconduct. This database will vet federal law enforcement candidates who have a history of misconduct from being rehired and will make it easier and faster to charge police officers under the Death in Custody Reporting Act. (x) 

Added disability as a protected characteristic alongside race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation. Under the law, police officers are prohibited from profiling people based on these characteristics. …It sadly happens anyway but now there’s an added legal protection which means a mechanism to convict police officers should they break the law. (x) 

Required federal prisons to place incarcerated individuals consistent with their chosen pronouns and gender identity. (x) 

Expanded gun background checks by narrowing the “boyfriend” loophole to keep guns out of the hands of convicted dating partners, strengthening requirements for registering as a licensed gun dealer (closing the “gun show loophole”), and more through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.  (x) 

Increased mental health programs within police departments to support officers experiencing substance use disorders, mental health issues, or trauma from their duties. (x)

Lifted Trump era restrictions on the use of consent decrees. The Justice Department uses consent decrees to force local government agencies (like police departments) to eliminate bad practices (such as widespread abuse and misconduct) that infringe on peoples’ civil rights. (x) 

Improved reporting of hate crimes through the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (x) 

Nominated the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court 

Confirmed 200 lifetime judges to federal courts, confirming historic numbers of women, people of color, and other judges who have long been excluded from our federal court system. (64% are women, 63% are people of color) 

Designated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) status for immigrants from Cameroon, Haiti, ​​El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sudan, and more. (x) 

Ended the discriminatory Muslim and African bans (x). 

Provided a pathway to citizenship for spouses of U.S. citizens that have been living in the country without documentation. (x) 

Expanded healthcare to DACA recipients (x) 

This one is… barely a win but not by fault of the Biden Administration. The Department of Homeland Security as of Feb 2023 has reunited nearly 700 immigrant children that were separated from their families under Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy. From 2017-2021, 3,881 children were separated from their families. About 74% of those have been reunited with their families: 2,176 before the task force was created and 689 afterward. But that still leaves nearly 1,000 children who remain tragically separated from their families from under the Trump Administration. (x)

(okay this one is maybe only exciting for me who’s a census nerd) Revised federal standards for the collection of race and ethnicity data, allowing for federal data that better reflect the country’s diversity. Now, government forms will include a Middle Eastern/ North African category (when previously those individuals would check “white”). Additionally, forms will now have combined the race & ethnicity question allowing for individuals to check “Latino/a” as their race (previously Latine individuals would be encouraged to check “Latino” for ethnicity and “white” for race… which doesn’t really resonate with many folks). (x) (I know this sounds boring but let me tell you this is BIG when it comes to better data collection– and better advocacy!).

Rescinded a Trump order that would have excluded undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census which would have taken away critical funds from those communities. 

Required the U.S. federal government and all U.S. states and territories to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial civil marriages by passing the Respect for Marriage Act, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

Reversed Trump’stransgender military ban. 

Proposed investments in a lot of programs including universal pre-k, green energy, mental health programs across all sectors, a national medical leave program for all workers and more. (x) 

Last… let’s also not forget all the truly terrible things Trump did when he was in office. If you need a reminder, scroll this list, this one mostly for giggles + horror, for actual horror about what a Trump presidency has in store, learn about ‘Project 2025’ from the Heritage Foundation. I know this post is about reasons to vote FOR Biden but let’s not forget the many, many reasons to vote for him over Trump. 

So, there it is, 50+ reasons to vote for Biden in the 2024 Election. 

Check your voter registration here, make a plan to vote, and encourage your friends to vote as well. 

All in all, yeah… there’s a lot of shitty things still happening. There’s always going to be shit but things aren’t going to change on their own. And that change starts (it certainly doesn’t end) with voting. 

Go vote in November. 

[rioviaa]

ok so I recently purchased the dlc and with that came loads of new story (which I adore tremendously!!) but it also came with new armor and one set particularly stood out to me: the royal guard uniform. I have pretty much been holding off on doing mipha’s champions’ ballad (because pain) but i decided to finally go for it. Now where am I going with this? Well. I had just obtained the royal guard set and was walking through zora’s domain when a little idea struck me:

Context: What if after the death of the king’s treasured daughter, Princess Mipha - a death that the zora blamed entirely on Link, causes the rest of the zora people to become weary of not only the hylian champion but as well as all hylians. thus creating a division between the zora’s and the rest of hyrule. this sudden change of mindset for the zora affected not only the trading systems, diplomatic relations, and personal relationships between both regions but also the nearby regions began to grow weary on where they should stand. for a 100 years this sort of rivalry grew to the point of both regions either growing to fear each other or actively become hostile towards the other whenever given the chance. tensions continued to grow. king dorephan is saddened by how his people’s mindset has drastically changed to hating the fellow hylians that once roamed and adored his domain. now either party would either flee at the sight of one or the other. leaving the domain to be filled with a looming silence. or they would storm into the grounds of the other with weapons unsheathed, piercing screams filling the once harmonious land. Torn by his grief of his fallen child and the hostility of his people towards any hylian who might dare wander too close to the domain, the king of the zora domain demands a permanent lockdown on their home. No one goes in. No one goes out. for the sake of his people and the hylian’s safety. at least that is what he has tried to convince himself for the past decade.

Then a miracle appears.

Link wakes as he normally does so in game and goes on about through his journey as he was intended to. When suddenly an obstacle halts his path. Quite literally. Zora’s domain is engulfed by a huge almost luminescent dome that prohibits any sort of entry. link is conflicted so he roams about the domain for days on end in hopes of finding any sort of answers but comes short when suddenly on the third day something occurs. He had completed his rounds of circling the domain for any sort of sign of entry when he feels the hairs behind his neck rise and the feeling of being watched becomes apparent. he goes into a defensive stance and begins to quickly glance around his surrounds without moving a muscle. He is about to call it quits, blame it on a fox in a bush nearby when he hears a muffled splash of water to his right. He quickly shifts his feet to face the sudden sound to then be face to face with a zora in glistening armor, piercing yellow eyes resembling the very sun above their heads and scales as red as the blood moon that looms over the vast lands of hyrule that wreaks havoc in its path. A zora trident flashes in his view, it’s deathly piercing spears leading directly to his chest. Instinct overtakes and it’s not long before he unsheathes his weapon and hears metal against metal clash, causing a piercing sound to ricochet. He slightly winces at the powerful clash clearly overpowering his still weakened state. once he catches his bearings on the blockage that possibly just saved his life from being filleted into a fine royal cuisine topped with peppers, salts, spices and hylian rice on the side link takes a moment to further study the figure before him. a zora he takes note. A very. Tall. Zora. Very very intimidating. But also alluring. With a large dorsal fin resembling a hammerhead shark and teeth so large they could probably kill him with a single bite. His (totally respectful) staring of the zora is cut short when a group of more zora, all different in size shape and color approach and surround him on all sides with their own tridents pointed towards him, sharp eyes throwing their own daggers. the tall (gorgeous) zora seems to take advantage of link being distracted and jerks his trident upwards thus releasing its hold from links sword and making him stumble backwards for a few seconds before catching his feet a mere inches from the trident a zora behind him had pointed towards his back. That same trident is then aimed closer towards him followed by the glistening trident of the taller zora that had almost killed him seconds ago. This is a threat. He is being threatened. They have murder in their minds and eyes. And link is the unfortunate prey.

This has gotten.. long.

But basically their first meeting is nothing but hostile and threatening. Far from the kindhearted gestures and replaced by hesitance and guilt. He is probably thrown into a cell for further questioning in his reason for being so near the domain and his identity.

[loominggaia]

Evangelite Law

LAW

Laws are mostly homogenous across all Evangelite territories, meaning the same set of laws applies to all of the kingdom’s cities, towns, and villages. This is due to the widespread adoption of Lindist doctrine.

Nobility:

-Evangeline Kingdom is a monarchy. To be eligible heirs for the throne, Evangelite High Rulers must be: Male, Lindist, Evangeline-born, and noble by blood. Evangelite High Rulers may only marry noble-blooded Evangelite citizens. Foreign nobles are not eligible for marriage.

-A High Queen may only rule Evangeline Kingdom alone if her wedded king widows her during his reign. She may finish ruling his term until her death or retirement.

Education:

-As of Indiga’s rule, basic schooling is free and mandatory for all human males aged 5-15. Basic schooling is free for human females as well, but not mandatory. Females of all species are still not permitted to attend college.

-Basic schooling may or may not be free for inhuman commoners, depending on jurisdiction. Schooling is not mandatory for inhuman commoners.

-Slaves are not permitted to attend school.

Social Welfare:

-Fae and gaians are a slave class. Only commoners can be Evangelite citizens.

-Marriage is only permitted between two legal adult commoners of the same species and opposite sexes. For example, male humans may only marry female humans. Same-sex marriage and sexual relations are prohibited. Polygamous marriage is prohibited. Fae and gaians are slave classes and are not permitted to marry. Marriage or sexual relations between adults and children is prohibited.

-A woman may not divorce a man unless she can prove he has committed domestic violence or infidelity against her. A man may only divorce a woman if he can provide a doctor’s note proving that she cannot bear children. In cases of divorce, child custody is given to the father unless the mother proves she can provide better conditions for them.

-Women of any species may not own assets such as land, bank accounts, or slaves unless these assets were legally transferred by a male relative. Women may not purchase these assets for themselves.

-As of Indiga’s rule, Evangelite men are entitled to a minimum wage. Women are also entitled to a minimum wage, but it is only half of a man’s wage regardless of the job being performed.

-Only married commoner couples may adopt children. The children they adopt must match the species of the parents. The parents must meet strict income requirements.

-As of Indiga’s rule, all disabled citizens are entitled to some level of welfare, including food and housing vouchers, and small monthly cash stipends. Disabled military veterans are entitled to more benefits. Humans are entitled to more benefits than other commoners.

-All immigrants must be sponsored by a Lindist priest for a minimum of one year before they are eligible for citizenship. They must also prove their conversion to the Lindist faith and pass a test proving their understanding of Evangelite culture.

Religion:

-Non-Lindist religious worship is prohibited. The only houses of worship that may operate in Evangeline Kingdom are Lindist temples.

Censorship:

-Media depicting interspecies or same-sex relationships, including pornography, is prohibited. 

-Any media which depicts Evangelite culture in a negative way is prohibited.

-All non-Lindist religious media is prohibited.

Military:

-Only adult male commoners are eligible to join the military.

Slavery:

-Fae and gaians may not be citizens of Evangeline Kingdom and are only eligible for slavery. All unclaimed slaves default to ownership by the High King.

-Evangelite slaves may not own any property or other assets. They may not marry.

-Sexual relations between citizens and slaves is prohibited. Sexual relations between two different species of slaves is prohibited. Sexual relations between two same-sex slaves is prohibited. Forcing two opposite-sex slaves of the same species to breed is legal, so long as all master(s) consent.

-All newly captured or newborn slaves must be registered with the Kelvingyard Slaving Company. Unregistered slaves may be seized by authorities and violators will be penalized.

-Slaves may not be killed or eaten except in matters of self-defense or self-preservation. Slaves may not be deliberately tortured for amusement purposes.

-Slave-fighting is legal only in designated arenas, and all fighters must be legally registered as such.

Magic:

-All magic use is strictly prohibited in Evangeline Kingdom, unless it is being used by nymphs for the benefit of Gaia. Magic potions and enchanted objects are prohibited.

Nymphs:

-Evangelites may not interfere in the natural business of nymphs.

-It is illegal to harm a nymph outside of self-defense.

-Nymphs are not considered fae in Evangeline’s jurisdiction, but rather a class of their own. They are not eligible for citizenship, but have their own unique set of rights and protections.

Monsters:

-No monster is permitted in Evangeline Kingdom. All monsters shall be executed on sight.

Environment:

-Evangelite Nymph Pact: All automated industries are prohibited within Evangelite borders. All industrial operations must be performed manually. All industrial operations must be environmentally sustainable. Plastics, toxic chemicals, and all non-biodegradable materials are prohibited within Evangelite borders. (Caveat: Cameras and film projectors may be operated with a special permit. If broken, these devices must be turned in to the proper facility or else the operator shall be fined.)

-Livestock must be provided adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care.

-Hunting and fishing may be performed only in designated zones. Poaching is prohibited.

-As of Indiga’s rule, all new housing must have a space that receives adequate sunlight for plant growth.

-Sewage must be disposed of in an environmentally-neutral way, such as composting or processed for utility (fuel, building material, etc.)

See Also:

Ask - Law

Ask - Education

Ask - Culture

Ask - Slavery

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

[rjzimmerman]

Booker, Grijalva Introduce Bill to Permanently Protect American Bison, Grizzly Bears, and Gray Wolves. (Insider NJ)

Excerpt from this story from Insider NJ:

Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-07) introduced the Tribal Heritage and American Bison, Grizzly Bear, and Wolf Restoration and Coexistence Act, legislation to establish permanent federal protections for these three species and expand recovery efforts and coexistence measures. Additionally, the bill would enhance existing tribal management authorities over these species by creating oversight committees that work in unison with Indian Tribes to identify tribal lands suitable for possible reintroduction efforts.

“American bison, grizzly bears, and gray wolves are iconic American species and are timeless symbols of our nation’s heritage, yet these animals were driven to the brink of extinction,” said Senator Booker. “Building on the success of past conservation legislation like the American Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, I am proud to introduce legislation that directs the Secretary of the Interior to works closely with Indigenous communities to ensure permanent protection for these animals.”

“Bison, grizzly bears, and wolves hold significant spiritual, cultural, and ecological value to many tribal communities and our nation,” said House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Booker to enshrine protections for these species and ensure that conservation and management are conducted in close consultation with Tribal Nations. For centuries, the United States’ policies have systematically failed to honor our treaties, harming Tribal Nations and resulting in significant cultural losses and ecological damage. Congress has a trust responsibility to move forward from past injustices and craft policies for the future that are based on respect and recognition of Tribal Nations’ leadership in recovering these iconic species and their habitats.”

Specifically, the Tribal Heritage and American Bison, Grizzly Bear, and Wolf Restoration and Coexistence Act would:

Prohibit the take, possession, purchase, sale, or transport of American bison, grizzly bears, and wolves, exclusive of captive-bred bison intended for human consumption, with targeted exceptions authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for scientific or conservation purposes and for protection of agricultural interests and public safety.

Exempt religious, cultural or treaty-reserved purposes of Federally recognized Indian Tribes.

Provide for civil and criminal penalties for violations.

Require consultation with federally recognized Indian Tribes before a take permit is issued under this Act or before any activity is carried out on the Tribal land of a federally recognized Indian Tribe that may negatively impact habitat or increase mortality of bison, grizzly bears or wolves.

Authorize federally recognized Indian Tribes, in consultation with the Secretary, to manage bison, grizzly bears and wolves reintroduced on Tribal land.

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

"The coalition conceptually agreed that it is necessary to analyze the example offered by Finland. Together with the coalition's partners and experts, we will evaluate the best way to limit the opportunities for Russian citizens to buy real estate in Latvia at the legislative level," Jurēvics explained.

Prime Minister Evika Siliņa's press secretary Aleksis Zoldners previously said that discussion of this issue was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture at the cooperation meeting of the coalition parties, reported the LETA newswire.

Last week, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hekenen proposed a bill that would prohibit Russian citizens and legal entities from buying property in Finland following long-running concerns about Russian buyers and their connections.

P.S. If you want real security and prosperity, then the first thing to do is throw out Russian money, Russian citizens and all Russophiles in the company of other useful idiots...

In fact, it should have been done in Latvia immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but the West put enormous pressure on the Baltic countries so that illegally entered migrants of the Russian occupation regime, KGB agents and communists would not be expelled from Latvia.... The West actually saved the remnants of Russian imperialism in the Baltics and Eastern Europe ....

[woninina]

Women in aviation: Katherine Cheung

Everyone has heard about Tom Cruise and his role in the Maverick but has anyone heard of Katherine Cheung? Born in 1804 in the vicinity of Canton, China, Katherine Cheung moved to the United States in 1921 along with her family. She went to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and graduated with a degree in piano performance. She pursued further studies in music at USC and Cal Poly Pomona.

However, Cheung had second thoughts. She went to the Dycer Airfield in Los Angeles with her father while they were having driving lessons. They did not go there to view aircraft, rather, her father believed that an airport or other wide open space would be the greatest places to teach her to drive. Her lifelong passion with flight began as she watched the jets take off and land.

Katherine Chung was a Chinese-American female pilot who broke boundaries with her "Why not?" mindset. When asked about her reason to fly, Cheung responded with "I don’t see any reason why a Chinese woman can’t be as good a pilot as anyone else. We drive automobiles, why not fly planes." What an icon.

Women in China were prohibited from enrolling in flying schools and only about 1% of US licensed pilots were women. That's about 12 000 in the sea of 1.2 million licensed pilots! She was the first licensed Asian-American pilot in the United States. 

She only needed 12.5 hours of instruction to fly solo. Later on, Cheung earned her international pilot's license in 1935, US. Her journey began as a commercial pilot. Though, she didn't stick with being just any commercial pilot. Cheung was a performer. She joined various competitive air races and airshows. Pushing the extent of her plane, she learned maneuvers. A true daredevil, performing spiral dives, inverted flying and slow and snap rolls.

We are now nearing the part where it gets sad...

Following the Japanese invasion of China in 1937, Cheung became deeply patriotic for her native land. So, she girl-bossed and saved enough money to purchase a single Ryan ST-A training aircraft, and her goal was to open a flying school in China. However, fearing for his daughter's life, Cheung's father made her pledge she would give up flying shortly after her cousin was killed while flying her aircraft. And as the good daughter she was... she quit.

But her story did not go in vain. Her name would later be enshrined beside fellow pioneers as the nation's first Asian flyer in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

[amphibious-thing]

Dildos in the Long Eighteenth Century

Such a sad Tale prepare to hear, As claims from either Sex a Tear. Twelve Dildos (Mean for the Support Of aged Lechers of the Court) Were lately burnt by impious Hand Of trading Rascals of the Land,

These are the opening lines to the 1706 poem Didoides by Samuel Butler. The poem was inspired by the dildo seizure of 1670/1 in which English customs officials seized and burned a shipment of French dildos. On the 26th of January Henry Savile wrote to John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester recounting the incident:

these barbarian farmers [the custom officials] prompted by the villainous instigation of their wives voted them prohibited goods so that they were burnt without mercy notwithstanding that Sedley & I made two journeys into the City in their defence, - by this, my Ld., you see what things are done in yr. absence, & then pray consider whether it is fit for you to be blowing of coals in the country when there is a revenge due to the ashes of these martyrs, yr. Lp is chosen general in this war betwixt the Ballers & the farmers, nor shall peace by my consent ever be made till they grant us our wine and our D's custom free.

The Ballers were a group of rakes led by the Earl of Rochester, named such because they were known to frequent balls.

But presumably it wasn't just the Ballers who enjoyed their dildos. The 1722 poem Monsieur Thing's Origin follows a French dildo named Monsieur around London. Monsieur is enjoyed by many women including a merchant's wife, an old maid, a lady's maid and her mistress, as well as heterosexual couple and even a sapphic couple; a pair of milliners who purchased Monsieur at the Great Exchange:

One of these girls tied Monsieur to her middle, To try if she the Secret could unriddle: She acted Man, being in a merry Mood, Striving to please her Partner as she cou’d; And thus they took it in their turns to please Their lustful inclinations to appease. Until Monsieur was almost suffocated

In The Practical Part of Love (1660) when asked "of all those things you know which to you esteem most precious?" Lucia confesses that while she loved diamonds, rubies and emeralds, above all what she esteemed most was her dildo:

But above all pretious Stones, that I know there is none like those ------ You know my meaning, such is their great utility and excellency; I could even lose my self in writing their Encomium, they offered so much matter, that if I should but once begin, I should not know when to end. But to proceed, she now freely injoy'd her pleasure, without the fear of being gotten with child, as do those Ladies, that finding they can no longer live, then while they appease their lecherous itch, by artificial Dildo's at the Change, so prevent that mischief that may ensue by natural ones.

The "Change" being the Royal Exchange in London where one could evidently buy dildos. Dildos could also be purchased on St James's Street according to the satirical poem Signior Dildo by the Earl of Rochester:

At the Sign of the Cross in St James's Street, When next you go thither to make yourselves sweet By buying of powder, gloves, essence, or so, You may chance to get a sight of Signior Dildo. You would take him at first for no person of note, Because he appears in a plain leather coat, But when you his virtuous abilities know, You'll fall down and worship Signior Dildo.

Dildos were commonly made of leather but they could be made from a variety of materials. In Dildoides Butler describes dildos made of horn and wax:

Some were compos'd of shining Horns, More precious than ten Unicorns. Some were of Wax, where every Vein, And every Fibre, were made plain.

The Choise of Valentines by Thomas Nash describes a dildo made of "thick congealed glasse".

There was also coverings for dildos, in Signior Dildo Lady Southesk "clothed him in satin, then brought him to court" and in The Choise of Valentines the dildo is "attired in white veluet, or in silk".

There are also some extant examples of 18th century dildos.

Wood

[Pair of wooden dildos, c. 18th century, possibly French, via Metro.]

In 2010 Brentwood Antiques sold this pair of dildos at action for £3,600.

Leather

[Leather dildo, c. 18th century, Polish, via Dzieje.]

In 2015 archaeologists in Poland excavating a school for swordsmanship found a leather dildo that seems to have been dropped in a toilet.

“It is quite thick and rather large, made of leather and filled with bristles, and has a wooden tip that has preserved in excellent condition,” a spokesman for the country’s Regional Office for the Protection of Monuments explained. “It was probably dropped by someone in the toilet … Whether that was by accident or on purpose is anyone’s guess, though.” (18th-century sex toy unearthed at school for swordsmanship by Chris Perez)

There is some speculation it may have belonged to a student but we can really only guess as to who it belonged to and how it ended up where it did.

Ivory

[Ivory dildo, c. 1701-1800, possibly French, via the Science Museum Group.]

This ivory dildo was "found in the stuffed seat of a Louis XV armchair," in "a convent on the banks of the Seine, near Paris." The dildo is hollowed out and includes a "contrivance for simulating ejaculation".

The Choise of Valentines by Thomas Nash refers to a glass dildo that simulated ejaculation writing that it was "nourisht with whott water, or with milk".

[mahercbeaucoup]

Diegetic XP for Gold

XP for gold is a staple of old-school play, and for good reason-- it drives the players to explore dangerous locations and tends to encourage cautious, smart play over reckless engagements. But as excellent of a gameplay mechanic as it is, it doesn't offer the strongest diegetic explanation by itself. Not that it needs to, of course, but one of the things I've been thinking about with Lore24 is how the mechanics of the game influence the feel of the world I want to build. So with that out of the way, here are some diegetic XP for Gold options

Training - Track down the ancient masters that can take you to the highest levels of experience.

Biopunk - Buy exotic potions and augmentations. Pay for experimental procedures. Grapple with the Ship of Theseus that is your body.

Wealthiness is next to godliness - The gods favor those who hoard their wealth and bestow powers upon them. Keep the rabble away from treasure, lest they seize your power!

The dungeon acknowledges you - The more wealth you remove from the dungeon, the more it is impressed by you, and the more it wants you dead. Your powers wane and you lose experience if you are away from the dungeon for too long.

Gold is imbued with the blood of the Ancients - Transfer the blood into your body to gain their power, provided you have access to the necessary rare and ancient machinery. The last remaining Ancients will grant you some of their power in return for the other long-lost treasures of their time.

Fame is power - Throw increasingly more expensive parties in your honor to spread your name across the lands and convince Fate to turn its favor on you. Celebrities are like minor gods.

Pay to win - Your life is dedicated to grinding for the in-game currency that will allow you to ascend to ever higher levels. Whales galavant about with their purchased equipment and look down upon you.

Buying back your powers - Your power is currently in the hands of the power brokers. Maybe you lost it on the horses, maybe you pawned it, maybe it was taken from you. Whatever the reason, you're buying it back, one GP at a time.

Rite of passage - Your clan of dungeoneering demigods will only initiate you into the next level if you prove your mettle by extracting valuables from the underworld.

Recovering what once was yours - You are a god, or part of one, and all that is below was once yours, or so a fuzzy feeling of the past tells you. For now, your memories lie buried within you, like your treasure remains buried within the underworld. Only by reclaiming it will you remember yourself and recall your powers.

Considerations

Some of these entries can be used as simple drop-in replacements, but others require a bit more work. For instance, if the players need to hoard their money in a castle, you'll need to factor in the cost of acquiring a castle to prevent the amount of gold required to advance from being too prohibitive, or adjust the campaign in some other way-- maybe place an abandoned castle somewhere they are likely to find it, or maybe the players are scions of of impoverished kings.

Other entries alter the default setting in greater ways, and they can easily result in the wealthy being able to purchase max level experience. If they don't do that, why not? If they do, what does a world of max-level oligarchs look like? Do bankers and kings use their extraordinary wealth to try to break through the level caps?

Whether you use any of these explanations or not, I hope it's encouraged you to consider XP for gold in a new light. What other factors of old-school play do we take as given, and how might diegetic explanations for those change the worlds we play in?