#the best-branded lighting manufacturers
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suryaoshni · 2 months ago
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Surya Roshni Ltd: A Leader in Branded Lighting Solutions
Surya Roshni Ltd, a renowned name in the Indian lighting industry, has established itself as a leading manufacturer of high-quality and innovative lighting solutions. With a legacy spanning several decades, Surya Roshni has consistently delivered cutting-edge products, catering to diverse residential, commercial, and industrial needs. Its strong emphasis on energy efficiency, technological advancements, and sustainability makes it one of the most trusted brands in the market. 
Comprehensive Product Range 
Surya Roshni offers an extensive portfolio of lighting solutions, including LED lights, CFLs, fluorescent lamps, and specialized industrial lighting. Their LED segment, a cornerstone of the company’s product line, features an array of options such as bulbs, tube lights, downlights, panel lights, and floodlights. These products are designed to provide superior illumination, long lifespan, and significant energy savings, making them ideal for modern consumers seeking eco-friendly solutions. 
Additionally, the company addresses industrial and commercial lighting needs with precision-engineered products like high bay lights, streetlights, and customized lighting solutions. This versatility ensures that Surya Roshni remains a one-stop destination for varied lighting requirements. 
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Innovation and Technology 
Surya Roshni has consistently invested in research and development to stay ahead of industry trends. The integration of smart technology into their lighting solutions, such as IoT-enabled smart LED lights, has garnered widespread acclaim. These innovative products allow users to control and customize lighting through mobile apps, enhancing convenience and efficiency. 
The company also focuses on energy-efficient lighting, aligning with global sustainability goals. Their LED products consume significantly less power compared to traditional lighting systems, contributing to lower electricity bills and reduced carbon footprints. 
Quality and Reliability 
A hallmark of Surya Roshni is its unwavering commitment to quality. All products undergo rigorous testing to ensure they meet global standards. The company’s ISO-certified manufacturing facilities, equipped with advanced technology, further underscore its dedication to delivering reliable and durable lighting solutions. 
Market Leadership 
Surya Roshni’s extensive distribution network spans urban and rural India, ensuring that its products are accessible to a broad customer base. The company’s commitment to customer satisfaction, coupled with robust after-sales service, has strengthened its reputation as a preferred brand. 
In conclusion, Surya Roshni Ltd’s innovative products, technological excellence, and focus on sustainability have solidified its position as one of the best-branded lighting manufacturers in India. Whether for homes, businesses, or public spaces, Surya Roshni continues to light up lives with brilliance and reliability. 
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ushashriramsolar · 18 minutes ago
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Solar Street Lights Manufacturers in India: Lighting the Future with Usha Shriram Solar
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As India moves towards sustainable development, solar street lights have emerged as an energy-efficient solution for urban and rural lighting. With increasing concerns about rising electricity costs and environmental impact, businesses, municipalities, and residential communities are turning to solar-powered lighting.
If you are searching for trusted solar street lights manufacturers in India, Usha Shriram Solar is your ideal partner. With over seven years of expertise in solar technology, we provide high-quality, long-lasting, and energy-efficient solar street lighting solutions tailored to diverse applications.
Why Solar Street Lights Are the Future of Public Lighting
Solar street lights operate using renewable solar energy, making them an eco-friendly alternative to traditional street lights. Here’s why they are gaining popularity:
✔ Energy Efficiency – Solar-powered lighting reduces reliance on grid electricity, saving costs. ✔ Eco-Friendly – Zero carbon emissions contribute to a cleaner environment. ✔ Low Maintenance – Requires minimal upkeep compared to conventional street lights. ✔ Reliable Lighting – Works efficiently even during power outages. ✔ Easy Installation – No complex wiring or expensive infrastructure needed.
Features of Usha Shriram Solar Street Lights
At Usha Shriram Solar, we manufacture top-quality solar Top Solar panels India designed for superior performance and durability. Our products feature:
✅ High-Efficiency Solar Panels – Maximum sunlight absorption for enhanced energy conversion. ✅ Advanced LED Technology – Bright and long-lasting illumination with minimal power consumption. ✅ Durable Battery Backup – Ensures uninterrupted lighting during cloudy days and at night. ✅ Smart Sensors – Automatic dusk-to-dawn operation and motion sensors for energy efficiency. ✅ Weatherproof & Sturdy Design – Resistant to harsh weather conditions, ensuring longevity.
Applications of Solar Street Lights
Solar street lights are widely used across India for:
Urban & Smart Cities – Street lighting for roads, highways, and public spaces. Residential Communities – Eco-friendly lighting for societies and townships. Commercial & Industrial Areas – Parking lots, warehouses, and corporate campuses. Rural Electrification – Providing reliable lighting to remote villages and roads. Public Parks & Gardens – Enhancing safety and aesthetics in recreational areas.
Why Choose Usha Shriram Solar as Your Solar Street Light Manufacturer?
At Usha Solar, we stand out among solar street lights manufacturers in India due to:
Superior Quality – Our products are designed with cutting-edge technology for long-term efficiency. Wide Product Range – From small residential setups to large commercial installations, we cater to all lighting needs. Cost-Effective Solutions – Affordable pricing with a strong return on investment.
Expert Technical Support – Assistance from selection to installation and after-sales service. Sustainable & Green Energy Focus – Committed to promoting eco-friendly solutions.
Contact Usha Shriram Solar for the Best Solar Street Lights in India
If you’re looking for trusted Solar Panel Manufacturing Company in India, Usha Shriram Solar is your go-to provider. Our high-quality, energy-efficient, and durable solar lighting solutions are perfect for modern urban and rural applications.
Phone: +91-8448090244 Website: www.ushasolarindia.com
Illuminate your streets with sustainable solar lighting from Usha Shriram Solar and contribute to a brighter, greener future!
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caterlux · 28 days ago
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Lighting for Homes: Creating the Perfect Ambiance for Every Space
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Lighting plays a pivotal role in transforming a house into a home. The right lighting enhances the mood, highlights architectural features, and ensures functionality across different spaces. From warm, cozy bedrooms to bright, task-oriented kitchens, choosing the right lighting for homes is essential to achieving both style and practicality.
At Caterlux, a leading provider of Commercial LED lighting solutions in India, we understand the impact lighting can have on your living spaces. Our wide range of innovative LED products is designed to meet diverse needs, offering customizable solutions for every corner of your home.
The Importance of Lighting in Homes
Lighting goes beyond mere illumination. It:
Sets the Mood: Warm lighting creates a relaxing environment, while cool lighting enhances focus and productivity.
Enhances Aesthetics: Proper lighting highlights décor, furniture, and architectural features, adding depth and dimension to spaces.
Improves Functionality: Well-placed lighting ensures every area of your home is practical and comfortable for daily tasks.
Saves Energy: Modern LED lighting solutions are energy-efficient, reducing electricity bills and environmental impact.
Types of Lighting for Homes
To create a balanced and visually appealing home, incorporate the following types of lighting:
1. Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting serves as the primary source of illumination, creating a base layer of light that makes the space feel welcoming. Examples include ceiling-mounted fixtures, LED downlights, and recessed lighting.
2. Task Lighting
Designed to provide focused light for specific tasks, such as reading, cooking, or working, task lighting includes desk lamps, under-cabinet lights, and pendant lights over kitchen islands.
3. Accent Lighting
Accent lighting highlights artwork, architectural details, or decorative elements. LED strip lights, track lighting, and wall-mounted fixtures are excellent for creating visual interest.
4. Decorative Lighting
Chandeliers, sconces, and statement pendants double as both functional and decorative elements, adding a touch of personality and elegance to a space.
Best Lighting Solutions for Each Room
Living Room
Recommended Lighting: Use a combination of ambient lighting with LED downlights or recessed lighting for even illumination. Add table lamps or floor lamps for a cozy touch.
Tip: Dimmable lights allow you to adjust brightness for movie nights or social gatherings.
Bedroom
Recommended Lighting: Choose warm LED concealed lights for a relaxing ambiance. Bedside lamps or sconces provide ideal task lighting for reading.
Tip: Avoid harsh lighting; opt for softer tones to create a soothing atmosphere.
Kitchen
Recommended Lighting: Bright task lighting is crucial for food preparation. Use LED strip lights under cabinets and pendant lights over islands for functional and stylish illumination.
Tip: Combine cool lighting for work areas and warm lighting for dining spaces to strike a balance.
Bathroom
Recommended Lighting: Install bright, cool LED lights around mirrors for grooming tasks and softer lighting for general illumination.
Tip: Ensure all fixtures are moisture-resistant for safety and durability.
Dining Room
Recommended Lighting: A chandelier or pendant light above the dining table creates a focal point. Use dimmable lights to set the perfect mood for meals.
Tip: Choose lighting that complements your table size and dining room décor.
Hallways and Staircases
Recommended Lighting: Recessed or wall-mounted lights provide adequate illumination while maintaining a sleek look.
Tip: Consider motion-sensor LED lights for added convenience and energy savings.
Why Choose LED Lighting for Homes?
LED lights have become the go-to choice for home lighting due to their numerous benefits:
Energy Efficiency: LEDs consume significantly less energy than traditional bulbs, reducing electricity bills.
Durability: LED lights last up to 50,000 hours, making them a cost-effective investment.
Eco-Friendly: Free from harmful substances like mercury, LEDs are safe for the environment.
Design Versatility: From recessed lights to decorative fixtures, LEDs are available in countless styles and applications.
Customizable Features: Choose from a variety of color temperatures, brightness levels, and smart control options to suit your preferences.
Why Caterlux is Your Trusted Partner for Home Lighting
Caterlux is one of India’s leading providers of innovative LED lighting solutions, offering products tailored to enhance the beauty and functionality of your home.
What Makes Caterlux Stand Out?
High-Quality Products: Our LED lights are crafted with precision to deliver superior performance and durability.
Wide Range of Options: From downlights and concealed lights to smart lighting systems, we have solutions for every room in your home.
Customizable Solutions: We provide tailored lighting designs to meet your unique needs and preferences.
Energy Efficiency: Our products are designed to minimize energy consumption, ensuring cost savings and sustainability.
Expert Support: Our team is committed to helping you choose the perfect lighting for your home, providing guidance and support every step of the way.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right lighting for homes is essential to creating a comfortable, stylish, and functional living space. Whether you’re renovating your home or starting fresh, consider investing in premium LED lighting solutions that enhance your environment while saving energy.
At Caterlux, we take pride in offering top-notch LED lighting products that cater to diverse needs. Let us help you illuminate your home with innovation, elegance, and sustainability. Contact us today to explore our range of lighting solutions!
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Best LED Lighting Manufacturer in Lahore Pakistan | AGree Lighting
Illuminate Your Space with AGree Lighting: The Best LED Lighting Manufacturer in Lahore Pakistan
Are you looking for a reliable and top-tier LED lighting manufacturer in Lahore Pakistan? Look no further than AGree Lighting. We are proud to be the leading provider of innovative and energy-efficient lighting solutions in Pakistan. With a strong commitment to quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction, we have established ourselves as the preferred choice for both residential and commercial lighting projects.
Why Choose AGree Lighting?
Unmatched Quality: Our LED lights undergo rigorous testing to ensure exceptional performance, durability, and longevity.
Energy Efficiency: Experience significant savings on your electricity bills with our cutting-edge LED technology.
Diverse Product Range: From sleek indoor fixtures to robust outdoor lighting, we offer a wide array of options to suit your needs.
Customization: Tailor-made solutions to match your specific lighting requirements and preferences.
Expert Support: Our dedicated team provides expert guidance and assistance throughout your project.
Our Product Range
Residential Lighting: Create a warm and inviting ambiance with our stylish and energy-efficient LED bulbs, chandeliers, pendant lights, and more.
Commercial Lighting: Enhance productivity and energy efficiency in offices, retail spaces, and industrial facilities with our high-performance LED lighting solutions.
Outdoor Lighting: Illuminate your outdoor spaces with our durable and weather-resistant LED floodlights, spotlights, and street lights.
Benefits of LED Lighting
Energy Savings: Reduce your carbon footprint and electricity bills significantly.
Longevity: Enjoy a longer lifespan compared to traditional lighting options.
Low Maintenance: Our LED lights require minimal maintenance, saving you time and money.
Improved Lighting Quality: Experience brighter, clearer, and more natural light.
Versatility: Suitable for various applications, from residential to commercial settings.
Our Commitment to Sustainability
At AGree Lighting, we are dedicated to promoting sustainable practices. Our LED lights are manufactured using best materials and processes, minimizing our environmental impact. We believe in creating a brighter future for everyone through energy-efficient and sustainable lighting solutions.
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halomax1 · 9 months ago
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 Best Hotel Lights Manufacture in India Hotel Lights Manufacture in Delhi Halomax
Best Hotel Lights Manufacturer in India
Halomax are world class, and the most sophisticated Manufacturer in India for the top Hotel Lights. We are the top most supplier of air conditioning systems, led lights, solar street lights, ventilation systems, and much more. Our products are developed employing the industry permitted material that is sourced from top sellers of the market. All the products are available in numerous configurations as per the diverse demands of the clients. 
Hotel Lights Manufacturer in Delhi
We are a well-known manufacturer that is engaged in offering supreme quality Hotel Lights in Delhi. The offered light is manufactured by our well-versed professionals using quality checked components with the aid of modern techniques. Our light is used in various shops, malls, offices, and many more for lightning purposes. Also, our clients can avail the offered light from us at a competitive price range. 
Luxury Lighting Brands in India
Halomax is known to be the luxury lighting brand in India. The offered lights are designed with high precision in compliance with the international quality standards under the supervision of our quality experts. These lights are highly appreciated by our clients for their features like fine finish, enhanced durability, excellent illumination, easy installation, high strength, and dimensional accuracy. We offer these lights in various specifications as per the specific requirements of clients. 
Top Decorative Lighting Brands in India
Halomax is the top decorative lighting brand in India. Our Lights are a fabulous product which is a masterpiece meant for increasing the beauty of a place or an office. It is made up of very durable materials which gives it the strength to withstand rough situations. It’s available in various colors and dimensions and can also be modified according to the needs of the client. 
Best Hotel Lights Manufacture in India – We at Halomax Lighting Solutions, aim to be a the premium lighting Solutions Partner, for architects, interior designers and customers with Global Standards.
READ MORE....Premium Lighting Manufacture in India LED Lights in delhi Halomax
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bonebrokebuddy · 1 year ago
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@kodedgeekthings eyo you mentioned wanting a dpxdc prompt for Howard, Batman’s mechanic!
Harold misses fixing toys for kids and in his off hours has taken up the habit of answering questions on forums about machining, electrical, engineering, mechanics, and mechanical design that are often frequented by students.
One day, he comes across a request by a college student who is trying to assemble his own car out of scrap he bought from a local wrecking yard.
Ghostly_Boy states that he has previous experience in machining and can make replacements for broken or too-damaged parts if need be, but he doesn’t know where to start and what specific requirements he needs to reach to ensure it’s street legal.
Harold willing to help, he answers a few of Ghostly Boy’s clarifying questions:
- Great questions!
It’s good to note that if you’re not careful, fixing or making your own car from parts can be a moneysink and can cost you more than a brand new vehicle. - That being said, your first major step to ensuring you can drive the car is to get the title of the body/frame of the car you plan to build. It’ll have the VIN on a plate welded to the frame usually near the lower edge of the windshield wipers on the drivers side. It’s how the DMV identifies vehicles for licensing.
- Generally, you’ll at first get a “wreck out” title that shows the vehicle is listed as a total loss, but if you can assemble the parts for the car with that frame, the DMV can check if it’s properly running and road worthy & license for you to use it on public roads if you’ve done the proper paperwork.
- Once that is done, it’s largely a case of getting the right parts and assembling them. Depending on how much you have to repair, you could be taking on a task that could give a challenge to even a seasoned mechanic. There may be additional paperwork depending on what exactly you need to repair, like the breaks, lights, steering, etc.
- If you want to build the car entirely from scratch, chassis and all, that’s an entirely different story with a much more complicated list of requirements to make it street legal, so getting a frame from a junkyard is a great first step!
- Make sure to keep all bills of sale, junkyard receipts, invoices and manufacturers’ certificates on any major parts you used in building the vehicle to prove its road worthy to the DMV when it’s complete!
Harold doesn’t always answer first but over time he’s found the adventures of this kid amusing and keeps up with it.
Ghostly_Boy keeps the forum updated with his progress:
The kid spontaneously deciding to scrap the wiring system and make his own in a span of 3 days, leaving experienced mechanics on the forum practically screaming at the kid for his updates showing him using random wires he salvaged and pigtailing them together to get the length of wire he needed.
Mixing not only multiple types of wires but ones that didn’t have the protection needed for auto use. DIY-ing his own relay and fuses he didn’t have and connecting the wrong grounds and switches. And planning on leaving the wires unwrapped and loose.
Leaving Ghost to promptly redo the wiring, correctly this time, within 78 hours.
Making a repair of a massive rusted hole on the passenger side by the bumper and the front tire via cutting 1/2in past the rust, grinding it pretty and clean, tac & seam welding the vintage aluminum housing material of a toaster to cover the hole to the response of Harold and many others in the forum just going “… I guess that would work?”
Harold and many others telling the kid that this “ectoplasm” material wasn’t cleared through the EPA’s Clear Air Act and could be illegal to drive with it as it’s fuel source unless he got the emissions tested & the center of gravity of the car adjusted to have the center of gravity a gas car has, it wouldn’t pass Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Nor would the previously untested on material make it easy or quick to get an Emissions testing certificate. Best to just stick with gas.
Removing what he thought was a “skid plate” that turned out to be another rusted out section on the frame on the bottom of his car and repairing it with steel he salvaged from an old medical table he had laying around. (To the multiple slightly confused commenters asking how Ghost had a spare medical table, he replied, “eh, my folks visit every so often and they’ve been giving me things they’re clearing out of the house so they can move closer to my older sister. I just so happened to get the ye olde medical table. They’re an odd couple of folks but that’s why I love them.”)
People just crying at the kid to go to rockauto.com and just buy the damn parts he needs for his car. (A good resource btw)
The kid kept cutting corners to save cash but through the badgering of Harold and many others that he actually would have to spend money to make this car be safe to drive in, he finally got it completed.
Ghost’s post of him leaving DMV waving the updated title to the car in its envelope in the air, titled, “THE DMV FINALLY SAID IT WASN’T A FIRE HAZARD! ONLY TOOK 2 YEARS! THANKS EVERYONE!” Got the most amount of responses he’d ever had with congratulations from lurkers and previous commenters.
Over the course of those two years, Danny learned how to draw his own wiring diagrams, properly solder and weld, and learning to actually plan out his projects so he got it right at least the fifth time instead of the 20th. Not bad for a kid that went straight from graduating high school with a 1.5GPA to construction jobs.
But after finally getting the car approved, Ghostly_Boy returns to the forum with a new problem. Lamenting that his parents keep coming over and “modifying” his car to no longer make it street legal.
At this point, about half of the answers to the submission think it’s either a joke project taken very, very seriously with a good chunk of money behind it, or a kid with parents that have narrowly avoided falling completely down the mad scientist rogue rabbit hole.
After all, what sort of parent would think that the DMV would approve to “anti-ghost missiles” being attached to the outer body of the car? Either way, the submissions always had video attached showing a demonstration, proving that Ghost wasn’t just completely yanking their chain. And a good amount of money would have to be sunken in to not only pay for the fines Ghostly continued to get from the additions to his car, but to actually manufacture and make a unique working product for each plea for help request.
Harold is not only taking notes on some of these defense measures but also decides to bring up the boy to Alfred. Intrigued, they together keep an eye on Ghostly_Boy. Bruce may be their employer, but they can handle a case or two on their own.
- I wanted Danny to try to make smth for himself now that he doesn’t have access to his parent’s lab anymore but he also doesn’t have access to ectoplasm so he’s fairly unfamiliar how to wire things Not for ectoplasmic standards.
Also I wanted to make a prompt where Danny had a good relationship with his parents & went into a fairly realistic job after high school with his fairly bad GPA so he’s saving up for a technical school via construction jobs as he doesn’t like the idea of working fast food for understandable reasons.
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eldritch-spouse · 5 months ago
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Eating at my own fingers for some Berle smut 😫😫😫
[Don't worry, he'll eat your fingers for you.]
TW: Foodplay; Dubious consent
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Berle's steps echo around the inside of the manufacturing area.
" Lollipop! My sweet little gumdrop, my tootsie pie! "
Oh he wants something.
Finishing helping a fairly depleted chocolate flavor into a vat, you seal the exhausted slime in there and shiver as you come out of the frozen rooms, rubbing some warmth into your arms. It's crazy to think how much it must cost to keep this place so cool in the middle of literal Hell.
" Yes? "
" There you are! "
He announces, so close to the skin of your back that it nearly frightens the soul out of your body.
" Come come come- I need you to taste something immediately! "
That's half of your job nowadays. Running around taking note of which flavors are depleting, take them to the vats, and put a variety of sweet ice cream novelty flavors in your mouth. You're really hoping there's enough magic in these things to prevent you from getting cavities. Or maybe that's why he's always buying you "the best toothpaste out there for humans".
Part of you thinks sometimes Berle isn't even making you taste-test new flavors, he just wants to feed you. Which is fine by you, less time actually working.
You're dragged to the front of the shop, sort of. More like the area where people can choose to have independent scoops of ice cream from non-living samples. A sort of tasting booth, to make sure you don't just call a slime-cream to your table, taste them, only to make a face afterwards. You'd feel mildly offended in their place.
The thing is, "free tasting", in Gluttony, is about three or four fat scoops on an already large cone. You've been living here for a while, and less than that would probably be considered insulting.
In turn, that is also what Berle regularly attempts to shove in your mouth.
The prince is behind the balcony, reaching for a fresh container and twirling an original brand spoon in his hand. More than the excitement in his eyes, his own tail seems to dance behind the demon.
" New flavor? " Your eyes widen.
Berle hums brightly. " Perhaps! Oh yes, maybe! But not yet, too much to test, too much to think about legally ahah, providers, but I wanted you to test it out for me just this once, okay? Really fast- "
It's only after he retrieves a spoonful that you can see the ice cream itself. It looks creamy, swirls of soft lavender and salmon blending together nicely, a sugary sweet scent to it. Berle has such a talent for making any kind of ice cream look appetizing. This gift of his has made you reconsider an embarrassing amount of bizarre flavor mixes.
" Open wide! "
You do. Probably wider than you should have.
But it's reflex at this point. Like most gluttons, he's got this habit of simply overfilling a spoonful. Loading it with so much that one would guess his intent is to make you choke. But no such thing, Berle insisted when you pried, he merely forgot your limitations. He loved you, so he wanted you to have more, always.
Recently, the prince has gotten better with dosing for humans, in no small part due to the growing popularity of his establishment, bringing in customer diversity. You however, have choked and coughed food back out enough times to trigger a brand new survival mechanism at the mere utterance of 'open'. Your jaws part as much as your feeble human anatomy allows them to, sometimes popping in the process, and your tongue hangs to further keep things unobstructed.
Berle is bad at masking what pleases him.
He enjoys that you've learned to do this.
Seen by the tint to his cheeks as he eagerly shovels the spoonful into your mouth.
Predictably, it's so much that it makes your cheeks puff humorously, but it's manageable. You don't choke, just shiver at the coldness and try not to bite down. You let it sit in the gradually decreasing warmth of your mouth, mulling on the flavor.
Sweet, incredibly sweet, but light all the same. The burst of sugar isn't long enough to let you get sick of it, fizzing away to a pleasant freshness. You can't tell the ingredients used in this. Funnily enough, you almost never can, aside from the most common flavors such as strawberry, chocolate and caramel, for example. Maybe it's just that you don't have the same complexity in your tastebuds as a glutton does, so your brain mixes and mashes signals into something unreadable. You're aware of lot of Berle's subtle work goes entirely unnoticed to your dull palate- That he keeps trying to provide new taste experiences for you in spite of knowing you'll never get as much pleasure from any as one of his own is a testament to the prince's morbid love.
" So? So? " He grins so incredibly wide that his cheeks strain, offering you a second spoonful that is slowly accepted.
He's graced with a response as soon as you're not nearly drooling. " Amazing, as usual. It's not as heavy, I feel like I could have a lot more of this one than anything else but... "
" But...? " The demon's malleable horns shift as he tilts his head.
" But, I can't really tell what it's made of. " He hasn't even told you the name of it either, so there's hardly a hint.
" Ah yes yes, I expected you wouldn't. See, it's more uhm- Synthetic, than my usual work. Not at all like me, I think you'd know that of all people, lollipop, ahah- But part of my work does involve branching out, constantly, right? I'd usually be against something so err fabricated, so... Implicative, but I just couldn't pass this up! You understand, right? "
While he blabbers, you begin to sense a slight increase in temperature. You know damn right that Hell would blink out of existence faster than the air conditioning in this establishment could fail, so something's clearly amiss.
" -Especially after they said it would be perfectly safe for human consumption! Of course, I can't just sell this willy-nilly without being sure that things won't devolve into a rampant mess, it could be weaponized I know this- But perhaps as an offer to couples who come here together on their cute little meet-dates, right? The effects then would be harmless, like now- "
It's getting really hot. You're sweating. Should probably take that jacket off.
Wait, what did he say just now?
" The what-? "
" Hm? " Berle pauses.
" You said... " A fog clutches the creases of your mind, massaging it into a fine, aimless pulp. God fucking damn it, what did he just make you eat? " ... Effects? "
" Mhm, right right! This type of ice cream is made using material from a person, causing whoever eats it to feel madly infatuated for said person, ehh needy, if you will- This means it has to be commissioned obviously, so there's a certain wait time and the material has to be handled carefully! It could be blood, I think most people will want to use their blood, but I personally used... " Berle's peppy expression turns into something much less innocent as he watches you squirm in place, trying to keep up with his chattering. Your eyes linger on his mostly bare form and satisfaction carves its way into those mismatched eyes.
" Something else, you know? "
There's a flicker of recognition in your gradually muddling brain. You manage to offer the royal infernal an annoyed, near frigid look, reminiscing about the unsavory part of your role here. Getting to taste-test flavors is a euphemism for being a bit of a lab-rat. And while you're sure that Berle wouldn't deliberately feed you something he thinks could genuinely cause harm, he's not above this type of scummy behavior either.
A pulse of want has your teeth clenching while your legs propell you to him, causing the prince to all but giggle loudly, putting the spoon and container away when you grab onto his stupid pink apron.
" Let me... " You murmur, fevered with the desire to have him. Any way, any part, you have a strange urge to get Berle into your mouth. Flashes of you kissing and biting and tasting every inch of his skin assault your mind.
Bizarre, as if out of nowhere, you developed an erotic oral fixation that was simply overwhelming in intensity.
" Oh hoo hoo, working well working well! How are you feeling, gumdrop? "
It starts with a searing kiss.
It's less genuine affection and more of a need to cram your tongue as deep into him as you can. A laughable objective, given Berle has a tongue that puts plenty of his own kind to shame. If that weren't enough, he's always enthusiastic, so you never had a semblance of a chance. He kisses back and, sensing your fervor, generously supplies more of that multicolored muscle into you. You choked aggressively the first few times he was stupid enough to do this to you without thinking, nearly threw everything back out, but your time inside this Ring has changed you in many ways. Not only have you become more voracious, it's as if your gag reflex is often muted in select moments. Given the thing dragging over all crevices of your mouth and throat, you should have started to flinch and panic, but all that's there is an unnerving breed of glee and mild oxygen deprivation.
Berle dominates, much to your slight frustration, pulling you back when the embrace simply becomes too gross to prolong. Not that you care if your chin is soaked, not that you care if the taste of all the cloying sweets he had today is now imprinted on your own taste buds.
A shameless hand darts down, feeling what it had hoped to.
Behind the rather thin fabric of Berle's apron protrudes the very thing you're sure he'll have no problem letting you stuff yourself with. Berle shares a concubus rib somewhere in his lineage, that's likely why he wears so little all the time, why he even thought of this flavor as an appealing suggestion. It's also the reason he somehow always seems to be able to tug you away for some quick tomfoolery.
There's no doubt he's the one pleasantly surprised when you drop to your knees and swipe that apron aside.
Berle's now throbbing length has the exact same coloration as his tongue, that borderline rainbow-like hue, like a pastel gradient of sorts. You've asked him before if he was born this way, as unlikely as it seems, but he doesn't ever provide a straight answer. Rainbow body parts are something you'd expect of a mermonsters and fey types. Not a demon, certainly.
Part of you believes he just got body modifications because it makes his cock look like some kind of rare candy cane. Somewhat of a dangerous gambit, given another glutton could get confused enough to bite him, with those infernal teeth...
But you're no glutton.
All you do is lick across the length of him like he really is no more than a rainbow twister lollipop, earning yourself a shaky gasp, before putting the very tip in your mouth and swirling around it. You have no idea why this is what you want so bad, why it's making you so happy, you just know you needed to feel him exactly this way.
For all his usual rampant excitement, all Berle can do now is grab onto the counter and watch you work a sizable portion of his girth into your throat. Another perk of your prolonged stay in Hell, you could say. The you from a few months ago could never swallow this much of a partner without crying and gagging real ugly.
" O- Ohhn- I do thhink maybe some alterations should be made -Ahahn- For humans specifically? Mmmm it seems to be taking you by stohh- "
You can feel Berle pulse within the walls of your mouth, lips flush against the root of his cock, kissing his slit. Normally, this would take some effort from your part, some warmup. A nasty noise follows as you slurp all the way back to the top just to chase that hint of tang. Berle's eyes roll back for a second and a choked moan escapes him. You're relentless, pumping him while catching your breath, only to dip back down with a dirty vigor, proudly feeling him hit deep spots within you.
Berle has learned not to fuck your mouth. All larger infernals must learn this sooner or later when they pick smaller partners, and the prince is no exception. But that doesn't mean he's not digging his claws into the counter for dear life and flexing his legs for control.
The only thing that makes you pop off his candy cock is when the confectioner's phone starts ringing, this jarring tune reminiscent of a festive jingle, breaking the mood. Berle himself looks annoyed, studying the caller ID before smiling and making a 'continue' motion.
Alright then.
He's talking immediately.
" Old friend! " Pause, one hand falls to the back of your head. " Yes yes yess- " That last one must have been for you. " I did get the sample, tested it already- Why, with a volunteer of course, I have my ways... "
His scummy ways.
Perhaps it's mean of you, but you take the opportunity to tease Berle and drag him across your lips like some pervert's version of lipstick. He nearly frowns, exerting some pressure to make you quit it. Whatever gargle of surprise you make is covered by his loud tone.
" Yes- Uhuh- Look though, we'll have to tone it down a bit. " He gasps. " No, it's just- My volunteer was human, and it really took them for a spin, y'know? No, I'm serious! Not even two spoons in, they were already under, that's fast! Very fast hhnoly shit- "
You would have laughed at that slip up, but all that happens is a devilish contraction around his shaft.
" N-No, it shocked me. " Berle coughs. " You should have seen-... I don't think so, royal lineage wouldn't make it stronger just on hhh its own. I think maybe you could make it a little less sudden, give it a little buzz period, y'know, hahahn Lords fuck- "
The person on the other side of the call appears to be blabbering just long enough that Berle feels confident in distancing the phone a bit and growling, making the most out of their rant by urging you to move faster with curt bucks of his hips. Sometimes he slips out of your mouth entirely, frustrating for the two of you yet desperate in a whole other dirty way.
When Berle pays attention again, the person must have been calling for him.
" Ah- Ahah, sorry yes I'm here- Excuse me if I sound muffled I'm always running around you know it's just how the job is it never stops please continue yes- " How does he fit that much air into his lungs?
It feels like he's close to cumming. Normally, Berle would be moaning and snarling about it, but he can't be nearly as vocal right now, so all you have to guide yourself is the oscillation of his composure and his tensing lower abdomen.
At some point, the prince throws his head back and appears to lean onto the counter as if to balance himself, blowing steam through his nostrils in a way the caller might mistake for exhaustion. His tail wraps around your chest loosely, getting to your neck and squeezing briefly.
That's the cue.
No mercy.
" Hrrhn... Nno no, it's perfectly fine, I know how it is with newer products. It's perfectly fine no one got injured at ALL- It's totally okay, I'm not disappointed no nooh- " He slams a fist on the counter, mad that the call is going on for as long as it has.
You've never actually seen Berle get angry from a lengthy conversation. It would be hilarious if you weren't so fixated on getting him to cum.
" I have a lot of faith in you guys I'm sure everything will work out and I'dlovetoworkwithyouallinthefutureokaybyebyegottagotoodles- " He launches the phone at some unfortunate wall. " My pretty pretty lollipop you're gonna suck the soul out of me like that- "
And you do. Because his usual yapping is cut short only a few seconds after, becoming nothing but senseless noises as Berle hunches and pants open-mouthed, giving you the rewarding rush you wanted. Much to his distaste, you pull back to get to taste it, regretting it when it's predictably too much and forces you to pull away. The prince makes a mess of your cheek and neck, ruining even the top you had picked, before you try to get the last of it on your tongue again.
And as soon as you swallow, the urge that had possessed you earlier releases its clutches, the cloud of need turning your vision pink fading suddenly.
You're left with sore knees, an aching jaw, and the moderately gross sensation of hot ropes on cooling skin.
" Couldn't you at least have asked before starting all t- "
You're interrupted by Berle's cumstained fingers wedging into your mouth. Not even this you're allowed to waste.
" But aren't surprises so much more entertaining? I really think they are, didn't you have fun? Besides, it'll be my turn soon, don't you worry lollipop, what kind of lover would I be if I didn't thank you for such wonderful feedback- "
You wonder who that supplier is...
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sunniedesi · 7 days ago
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All Future Diary Merch (Part 2)
~~A comprehensive list
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More obscure Future Diary merch below the cut!
~ Animate Products
Animate is the largest retailer of anime, manga and video games in Japan, so it’s only natural that it has created some Future Diary merch over the years.
A Yuno tote bag from the Animate Book Fair, 2008
An A4 clear file with original Future Diary artwork, from their 2011 Anime Adaptation fair.
An A3 clear poster, also with original Future Diary artwork, from the same 2011 fair.
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~ SOFT Products
SOFT is another retail company, though unfortunately I can’t seem to find any information about the company itself. Either way, they released a plethora of Future Diary merch back in the day:
Future Diary compact mirrors (released on March 31st, 2012). There were two versions: a “12th” and a “DEAD END” design.
Future Diary iPhone 4/4s phone cases (released on March 3rd, 2012). There were two versions: a “DEAD END” and an “Oyasumi, Yukki” design.
Future Diary t-shirts (also released on March 3rd, 2012). There were two versions: a red/ “DEAD END” and a black/ “Oyasumi, Yukki” design. (source).
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~ Victorinox Collaboration
Random collaboration alert! Back in 2012, Victorinox worked together with Kadokawa to release two versions of their Classic SD styled army knife: a “DEAD END” model and a “Yuno (Eye)” model. (source).
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(Fun fact: the name of the latter coincidentally confirms that the eye we see at the beginning of Future Diary’s OP is, in fact, Yuno’s).
~ Great Eastern Entertainment
Great Eastern Entertainment is a famous manufacturer and retailer for officially licensed products here in the west. They’re actually responsible for creating the largest catalog of Future Diary merch from any company in this list. In fact, if you’ve ever seen officially licensed FD products at any western store (such as Hot Topic), it is more than likely from this brand. Sadly though, most of it is currently unavailable. Given how large and varied their catalog is, I’ll provide photos from their product listings instead of naming them one by one. You can browse through all their listings here.
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~ Yuno Gasai Figurines
There are currently three Yuno Gasai action figures:
The elusive RAH figure, released by Medicom Toys
The Yuno Nendoroid, released by Good Smile
The POP UP PARADE figure + limited edition version, also by Good Smile
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~ PSP Game
This game is an entire rabbit hole of its own, but I’ll try keeping it brief. The PSP game “Future Diary: the 13th Diary Owner” had its original release back in 2010, as well as its re-release titled “Re:Write” in 2012.
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Each release of the game was accompanied by a series of related merchandise, such as telephone and library cards and a Yuno maid poster.
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Re:Write also had its own limited edition bundle, which included:
A double-sided pillow case.
The Oyasumi CDs.
A double sided disk sleeve.
A CD with 13 themed PSP wallpapers.
There were two other PSP wallpapers: one which you could download from the official game’s website, and another that you could buy from a company called Happinet.
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~ The Live World
This was a Future-Diary-themed concert, which featured music and voice actors from the show. I’ve made in-depth posts about it in the past, so check those out for more information. In terms of products related to this concert, we have:
The Blu-Ray disk recordings of the concert (released back in 2013), which included an additional 9-minute recording of the making of the event, as well as an eight-page booklet. 
A pamphlet, neck strap and clear file, which all featured the same image from the event poster.
Three t-shirts produced by the company MARS SIXTEEN
An event bundle, which included a t-shirt, waterproof phone pouch and drawstring bag, all with the same graphic.
A pink sign light
A pink towel scarf
A neck cooler
I tried compiling everything as best as I could in one image (curse you, Tumblr's photo limit).
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Alas, this part has come to an end. Tune in for part 3!
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cartridgeconverter · 7 months ago
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Don Giovanni characters as fountain pens
I have long postponed making this post as I was afraid it might convince me to spend more money. However, armed with a new sense of fiscal responsibility, I think I am prepared.
I've tried to have a range of prices that roughly correspond to the status of the characters, as well as many different brands. Honestly all of these are just vibes, but I've tried to give my justifications were I can.
Leporello - Sailor Profit Junior in Kohiru ($60 as part of a limited edition set, including other products)
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I know I just said that I would try and match the lower-class characters to appropriately-priced pens, but look at it. It has a bunny on it. This is the best pen ever.
Don Giovanni - Visconti Opera Gold in Red ($348)
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This is probably the only pen on this list that I would absolutely never buy, no matter how much opera-themed branding it has, because it is a ridiculous price and also looks stupid. But "ridiculous price" and "looks stupid" are both things I associate with Don G, and he would definitely be a Visconti whore -- it's a brand highly associated with luxury.
My other choice for him is also a Visconti model, this time the Divina Matte in Bordeaux. This is an even more ridiculous price, at $796. However, it is less obnoxiously red than the Opera Gold, so it is an alternate. He probably would have both anyway.
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Donna Anna - Nahvalur Voyage in Shanghai ($130)
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I have this one! She is beauty, she is grace. She is also very poorly designed but I forgive her for that. This pen is super elegant, albeit large, and is made from resin with real diamond flakes in it. I love the color also - black, with streaks of blue that show up under light. It reminds me a bit of Anna's costume in the Kasper Holten production. It's simply a very beautiful pen (with tons of design flaws and constitution issues, grr).
The Commendatore - Parker Jack-Knife with silver filigree ($5 in 1902, which is equivalent to $183 today)
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This is a very lovely vintage pen from the Parker company, of which I scoured this ancient website for a picture (https://parkerpens.net/index.shtml). As an aside, this site is great; it's very well-kept and contains a detailed account of Parker models through time, with pictures. This pen, though gaudy, is exactly the type of thing that I think old men who do things like duels in the middle of the night would have. (Please work with me here, I don't exactly have a lot of content to go off of :P)
Don Ottavio - Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Shikiori Amaoto collection in Kirisame ($360)
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Honestly, any purple Sailor will fit for Ottavio. They're generally on the smaller side, but the designs have an elegant simplicity to them. Also, purple. It's him! It's just him.
This will probably be the ultimate piece in my collection. It's such a lovely little thing, with a 21k gold nib. Unfortunately, I will not be purchasing it any time soon, due to my responsible spending habits.
Donna Elvira - LAMY Al-Star in Black Purple ($48)
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Also another model I own -- I swear by Lamys as a great everyday pen. They're reliable and ergonomic, even if they're not as visually appealing as some other brands. The Al-Star, being made of aluminum, is a bit of an upgrade from their plastic model, the Safari with a slightly higher price. I think it's very fitting for Elvira, as a travelling woman.
Zerlina and Masetto - LAMY Safari in Savannah Green and Terra Red ($19)
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The Lamy Safari is my favorite everyday pen to use, full stop. It's the same model as the Al-Star, but made from a lightweight plastic. They have a very practical and minimalist aesthetic, but it works, and it works well. They're super durable and apparently can survive being run over by warehouse equipment. I just think this model really suits these two, or maybe I'm biased since it's my favorite.
In particular, these are the two special edition colors made to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the model, as they were the original colors to be manufactured. The green (which I own) matches Zerlina's dress in the IvH production, which is why I named it Zerlina to begin with. That seems to have been a good name - although filling the converter for the first time was a dramatic ordeal, it's been a reliable pen no matter how much wear and tear I put it through (the black paint on the clip has completely flaked off by now).
Hope you guys enjoyed this tenuous connection between my nerdy hobbies that was actually just a vessel for my rant about how much I love Lamy Safaris. I had fun putting it together, even if a few of these are out of my price point right now. Maybe I will do inks next, although I have put less thought into that.
Off of this list, I hope to eventually buy both Sailors (Leporello and Ottavio) as well as the other Safari (Masetto), although that's not a priority. I just like thinking about having nice things.
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orivaa-kun · 2 months ago
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ride for me | chapter 2: get set
ch. 1 | chapter word count: 13.6k warnings: mature (18+), drinking, drug use, smut, fluff, angst, feels pairings: Gojo Satoru x Fem OC, Geto Suguru x Fem OC, Gojo Satoru x Geto Suguru x Fem OC series summary: Lena Okamoto was emotionally estranged from her father—the CEO of Okamoto Group, a Tokyo-based, multi billion-dollar sports car manufacturing company—after her mother died due to a longterm, post-pregnancy related illness when she was a kid. Amidst her father’s misdirected blame for this, now 27, Lena is finally back in the city. She’s introverted and troubled by her past with her father and step-family, but hardworking and anxious to prove herself to everyone: that she can create the best cars for the Okamoto brand and the fastest engines for their Formula 1 cars. Satoru Gojo is the face of Gojo Industries—the corporation that practically owns Tokyo with its advanced tech that can be found all over the city. Unlike Lena in many ways, the confident and extroverted man leads a completely different, unblemished life—having basically had a spoiled upbringing, and the only trying aspect of his life being the sheer amount of his company responsibilities, obligations, and public appearances. When the two meet, both of their lives change completely. Will they be able to juggle their relationship, trying professional careers, family dynamics, and public image all at once? Sacrifices will have to be made.
When I opened my eyes, the sun was already up. I jolted upright in the cream-colored sheets of my bed, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. 6:38 AM??I’d slept through my alarm?! What the hell??! That hardly ever happened, I was such a light sleeper; unless... I pressed my hand to my stomach and winced when I felt the familiar sharp pain in my abdomen—cramps. Of course it’s early. I always felt more tired than usual when my period hit. 
I scrambled out of bed and to the bathroom, getting ready as soon as possible. I only had 20 minutes to get to the track for the OXB 600 speed test drive! After I used the bathroom, I washed my hands and splashed water on my face, quickly combing my curls out and slipping into the closest and easiest piece of clothing I could find; in this case, it was an old, black and white and Okamoto-branded auto racing suit made of denim material—the sentimental jumpsuit my grandpa had given me years ago. 
Minutes later I was sprinting to the elevators of my apartment complex with my phone, bag, and keys to get down to the garage; and the metal doors were just about to close on me before I reached in between, causing them to retract once more. I recognized the man inside the elevator immediately, mood souring at the mere sight of him alone with his arms crossed cockily over his chest. Not this asshole. Why did I have to run into him, of all people, right now?! 
The black-haired man was tall and extremely buff, today clothed in a black button-down shirt and white slacks. His biceps, shoulders, and chest muscles protested the taught, black fabric wrapped around them, nearly stretching them beyond their limits. Sure, he was physically attractive, but his personality had made him an asshole. The small scar on the corner of his mouth curled upward with his growing smirk after he checked the silver Audemars Piguet watch on his wrist, “Aren’t you supposed to be at the track soon?” 
Toji Fushiguro . Though it was a luxury apartment building, I still couldn’t believe I lived in the same complex as Okamoto Group’s COO—the 40-something-year-old man who’d been appointed by my father a few years ago. Though he was much younger than my dad, Toji was just as cold, spiteful, and as bad a father as him—as I’d heard the whispers about his son, Megumi, during countless board meetings—but in Toji’s particular case, the man was also notoriously a horrible gambler who was very bad with money. Needless to say, he’d somehow made it as the worst COO pick of the century. 
I sighed and stepped into the elevator, tucking myself in the farthest corner away from him as the doors closed once more, “Good morning, sir.” I spoke the words as respectfully as I could, which was not very much at all. Unfortunately, he was still my superior. I bowed my head quickly, “Yes, I’m on the way.” 
“You’re on the way? But, you’re still here, no?” Toji chuckled to himself, tone deviously low, “Though I guess it’s just in your nature to slack off, isn’t it, Lena ?” 
I hated the way he said my name. Toji didn’t know shit about me—the meals and hours of sleep I’d missed over the past months while creating and perfecting this vehicle. I had no idea why he always bothered and bullied me like this; he never missed an opportunity to. What the hell did I ever do to him? It must’ve been some lies or exaggerations my father had told him about me. 
“I’ll get there in time.” I said flatly, trying to hide my foul mood. I tapped my foot anxiously. Why was this elevator so damn slow?!  
“You better...” Toji nearly cooed the words, voice deep and song-like—it almost made me sick. Though I couldn’t see his expression as he was behind me, I could feel his eyes burning into my back, “I, on the other hand, don’t need to arrive until 8 o’clock. Lucky me, hm? I was thinking of even getting some breakfast nearby the track.” 
Why was he telling me all this? Like the fuck I cared. I looked up to watch the floor numbers drop on the elevator’s small display screen. 25... 21.. 17... 13... 
“There can’t be much that you can help with, now. Why don’t you join me? I can explain to your father and the leadership team about your absence...” 
Me, getting breakfast with him?! I turned my head to look back at Toji, genuinely surprised and a bit appalled by the proposition, “Uh, no thanks. I should make sure everything’s set with the new OXB model and our driver.” 
Toji suddenly guffawed, voice loud and hoarse as he laughed, “I was joking, kid. You seriously think I’d have breakfast with you right now?” His steely black eyes narrowed at me, almost as if he was suddenly upset by something, “It was a test. Hm. I guess you do have some semblance of a work ethic after all... Then again, so does an ant .” 
I balled up my fists at the last of his words. Fuck you. Finally, the elevator doors opened to the garage lot. Beside myself, I offered Toji a courtesy nod and began to sprint towards my car. 
“I’ll make sure to ask the others if you arrive on time! I’m sure the board would love to know if their VP of Style and Chief Designer wasn’t even dedicated to her role enough to show up on time!” Toji called after me, grinning again. 
“Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you...!” I cursed him under my breath. I unlocked my driver’s side door of my Ferrari and threw my stuff in the passenger seat, quickly jumping in before loudly starting the vehicle. 
I’d made it to the track with one and a half minutes to spare, panting with my hands on my knees in the loading area to catch my breath, that turned into a small white cloud around my face with each exhale. It was still cold outside at this time in the morning and I hadn’t had time to grab a jacket. 
Before me was the ground crew, huddled around the new Okamoto OXB 600. Different members of the production and mechanic team were completing last checks on the car, and Jin stood at the center with an electronic notepad. 
“There you are, Lena!” Jin was the first turn and see me. He strode towards me, “Thought we were gonna have to start a little late. Where've you been?” 
“Sorry...” I gasped, still catching my breath, “Slept through my alarm...” 
“Shit, well, glad you’re here on time! Oh...” He trailed off, clicking the bluetooth piece in his ear. Someone must have contacted him through our test drive comms channel, “...oh no.” Jin finished, the tone of his voice particularly devastating. 
“What’s ‘oh no?’ What do you mean ‘oh no,’ Jin?” I asked impatiently, my concern audible. 
Our driver for the speed test is still stuck in traffic, and the board’s already here.” Jin used his thumb to gesture back and up towards the nearby observation room in the tall glass building beside the track. 
My eyes widened, “What?! You’re fucking kidding me...!” I threw my head into my hands, “The hell do we even hire this guy for??!” 
“Can’t be helped.” Jin shrugged once and shook his head. 
“We’ve got a backup, right?” I finally stood back upright, brows furrowed in concern. 
“We tried to call Yuji, but his arm is still injured from his accident last month.” 
“Why don’t you just do it, Lena?” A new voice interjected, and both Jin and I turned our heads in his direction—it was the assistant mechanic, Kaito, “You’re a rallying pro, and you know this track like the back of your hand.” He walked towards the sidelines where we were standing, just having tightened the lug nuts on the wheels. 
“Me?!” I was half awake, and my cramps were so strong it felt like someone was stabbing my uterus with a butter knife, “Wha—” 
“Damn, that’s actually a great idea, Kaito.” Jin jumped in, seemingly impressed by the notion. He looked at me, “You can do it, right, Lena?” 
I paused for a moment, and there was a long silence. There was no way I could’ve expected this situation, but if the speed testing didn’t start soon, then the Okamoto leadership board would grow impatient, and the blame would fall on my ass. I took a deep breath, beginning to answer, “I mean, technically I could—” 
Jin clasped his hands together, “Then it’s settled! Nice save, Lena!” He harshly clapped his hand on my back a few times. 
I nearly folded over from my overall achiness and the repetitive force of Jin’s hand, “Sure thing.” I winced a bit, attempting to smile. 
“You’ve got gloves, right?” 
I patted the pockets of my jumpsuit, feeling the familiar lump in my back left. I retrieved the all-black gloves from my pocket and began to slide them on, “Yeah. Shit , I don’t have my helmet though.” I immediately remembered. It would feel a bit foreign driving without my usual. 
“Let me grab you a helmet, then. A small should work, right?” Jin began to jog back to the building, shouting the last of his words back so I could hear. 
“Yeah, thanks!” 
“Thank you , Lena. You’re really saving our ass.” Kaito said, laughing, as if this wasn’t an urgent situation. 
“Yeah, well, your ass is my ass in the board’s eyes.” I reached into the front pocket of my jumpsuit and fished out a loose hair tie, raising my hands to quickly fasten my curls up and away from my face. Jin quickly returned and handed me the white, Okamoto-branded helmet, which I hastily slid on, already beginning to approach the OXB. 
“And when our asses work together, our cars are the shit!” Kaito said with enthusiasm. 
Jin and I both turned around, staring back at Kaito expressionlessly at his god-awful pun. 
“...I’ll, uh, excuse myself.” He laughed nervously, making his way back to the building with the observation room. 
“Comms are already hooked up inside your helmet. So, shout with any issues, alright?” Jin followed behind me as I slipped into the low driver’s seat of the sports car, closing its heavy door behind me. 
I nodded, adjusting my helmet and tightening the velcro straps of my gloves around my wrists. I checked all the mirrors, watching as the remaining crew finished their last tweaks on the OXB before almost everyone backed away from the vehicle. Jin bent close to the side of my window, and I rolled it down. 
“You know the deal. Three laps, and we’ll take your best time. One lap around the course is 5.5 kilometers and we’re expecting an average of about 2 minutes, 15 seconds, with the vehicle weight in mind.” Jin smirked and folded his arms on the open window ledge of the car, “Now don’t shave too much off that number. Remember civilians will be driving this model, not pros! Plus, it’s not like we want legal on our ass on the overall safety of the vehicle.” 
“I know, I know.” I smiled for the first time this morning with a small wave of my hand, dismissing the last of Jin’s comment. We knew this information more than anyone—it was our team that had designed and built this car from the ground up. 
“You grew up on this asphalt, Lena. No one knows this track better than you.” 
The memories flooded my mind at the weight of Jin’s words. 
I was five years old, and my grandpa was helping me push my mini go-kart up to the Okamoto track start line with the brightest smile on his face. Then, I was 11, racing my karting class rival—the kid with long black hair who’s name I couldn’t remember—and crying after he’d beat me to the finish line. Then, I was 16, totaling my grandpa’s 2003 Porsche 911 GT3 RS on the backend of this very track. And those were just three of the no doubt thousands of times I’d found myself driving around it. It was a mix of sweet, spicy, and sour memories—but impactful memories, nonetheless. And every single lap I’d made around this track had taught me something new; no matter well I knew it or how much I improved my driving skills over the years, there were always new experiences to gain here. 
“Thanks, Jin.” I smiled sincerely. I felt my heart flutter excitedly. It’d been a while since I’d been presented with the opportunity to let loose on the track. 
He tapped the hood of the car twice before standing back upright, “Show ‘em what you got!” He shouted, grinning. 
I started the car and revved the engine three times in response, rolling up the window before slowly pulling up to the start line. One of the staff with a bright orange baton in his hand led me forward, directing me to stop right before the checkered white line before backing away to the far sideline. 
“Lena, can you hear us?” I suddenly heard Kaito’s voice in my ear. His voice sounded a little muffled on the comms line but was still clear enough to understand. 
“Yeah, I hear you.” 
“We’re monitoring your speed remotely via a speedometer attachment to the vehicle, but we’ll also use LaserCam speed guns at four key points on the track—including the finish line—to trace your speed and calculate averages. As a backup and for high-definition footage, the course cameras will assist with that, too.”  
“Copy.” I glance up to look at one of the big mechanical cameras on the side of the track when it slowly panned in my direction. I briefly wondered if my father was watching in the observation room. Why did I care?  
“Production test team, standby for start.” Jin’s voice entered my ears on comms. 
My eyes instantly moved to the big, bright, and red circular signal to the left of me. Here we go. I stared at the light, unblinking, allowing its neon color to practically burn into my retinas. Strangely, I didn’t feel nervous about the speed test drive—even if it was basically in front of the entire leadership board of Okamoto Group. Maybe it was because I was home. 
The light flashed green with a loud tone, and my foot immediately floored the accelerator. 
When I exited the car and removed my helmet, my hair tie snapped and my curls spilled out from it. I was too excited to pick it up. I shook my hair out with a shit-eating grin on my face, striding up to Jin just as quickly as he was approaching me, “That last lap was less than two, wasn’t it?!” 
“One minute and 58.07 seconds, to be exact!” He mirrored my grin and held his hand high up above me, to which I had to jump to high-five, “Lena, you were a fucking beast out there!” 
“Thanks, Jin. You think we gotta worry about legal and safety?” I hugged the helmet to my side, still smiling. 
“Hell, no. That was absolutely perfect .” 
A few more employees on the production team approached me on the edge of the track, similarly high-fiving and slapping hands with me while offering quick praises. I looked back when a few began to approach the OXB model, that’s engine was loudly rumbling just a few meters away—door propped open and wheels still smoking from the way I had dragged and turned them over the track’s pavement at max speeds. 
“Our savior!” Kaito clapped a few times before bowing his hands and arms down to me over and over, in a mock worship-like gesture. 
I laughed, “Oh, it was nothing.” 
“The board was in there going crazy! Think they wanna make your test drive footage into a commercial!” Kaito exclaimed, and I glanced over, noticing the thirty-odd older men in dark business suits who were now beginning to flood out of the observation building and towards the track. I could hear a few of their comments, even from a distance. 
“Isn’t now a good time to publish a press release and announce to the world that there’s a new OXB model coming?” 
“We should have her test drive every new car!” 
“Ha! Driving really does still run in the Okamoto family, even after all these years!” 
“Let’s get the Okamoto Social Strategic and Creative teams on this!” 
“PR should be all over this!” 
“Maybe we should get more women driver influencers to test it ahead of its release!” 
“Nominating her for Chief Designer might’ve been Eiichiro’s best contribution to the company in the past decade!”  
Hearing my grandfather’s name being mentioned particularly made my smile grow. 
I shook a number of the board members’ hands, respectfully bowing my head with a smile and offering my thanks to each compliment received. I glanced to my father who stood in the back of the group, chatting with a few board members. He met eyes mine and he crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly unimpressed. 
He eventually approached me, but stopped beside Jin, “What happened to the original driver?” He demanded the information, eyes still menacingly locked on me. 
“Megumi was stuck in traffic, sir. Couldn’t get here in time.” Jin explained. 
“And who allowed you to make the call to swap her in??” My father finally glanced over to Jin. 
“Respectfully, sir, this is Lena’s department... She ultimately makes all production-related calls and decisions. And we didn’t want to keep the board waiting, nor hold up their surely, very important schedules.” 
My father looked a bit disgusted by Jin’s answer, his expression practically screaming, ‘A woman should know her place,’ but it was the truth. My department, my rules. It was almost as if he’d forgotten that I even worked here; that I was a part of the leadership team, too. 
The group of board members�� chatter grew quiet at my father’s tone, but an older man in a gray suit spoke up, “Oh, relax, Hanzo. She did well! It’s just an internal test drive!” He approached me, using his short, wooden cane to steady himself before pressing a hand to my shoulder, “You’re too hard on your daughter. I doubt more than five people in Tokyo could make those times in a car they’ve never driven before—even if they did build it!” He laughed, happily, and I felt some of the tension in my shoulders release. Thank goodness someone was here to be on my side. My father couldn’t let his personal hate for me get in the way of the business, this time. I stood there, completely straight faced. 
A few others chimed in with chuckles of their own, and Hanzo averted his gaze from me and the laughing board members once more, already turning to speak to Toji, who had just arrived at the track. And, just like that, I was invisible to him again. 
Just a few hours later, I found myself on my childhood friend Shoko Ieri’s couch in oversized sweats, her blue electric heating pad practically glued to my abdomen and a giant plush blanket tucked all around me. Apart from the time I’d spent in Italy during my high school and college years, we’d practically known each other all our lives. She primarily spent most of her days working as a general surgeon, but I was glad I could spend some time with her now before her shift at the hospital tonight. 
“Shoko...!” I groaned out, mostly for dramatic effect. My cramps were bad, but currently manageable now that I was laying down with a heating pad. At the very least, I was glad I had the rest of the day off now that the test drive was done, “I’m gonna die...!” I turned in the blanket so I was facing her in the kitchen, resting my arm over my forehead. 
“You’re not going to die, Lena.” She flipped over a piece of mackerel on the mini grill appliance in front of her, “But at the same time, I feel you.” 
I grumbled, “Ugh. Even with the cramps, today was going so well, too! Then fucking Hanzo had to go and ruin it.” I referred to my father by his first name, “I swear it’s like his life goal to embarrass me in front of the entire sports car industry or something.” 
“It’s a shame; he used to be so nice when we were kids.” Shoko noted, moving to the stove and stirring a small pot of soup. 
“Yeah... Before my mom got sick.” I said much quieter, sighing. 
“What did he do this time?” She glanced up from the pot. 
“He was all like, ‘Who let her get behind the wheel for the test drive?!’” I mocked his voice when I recounted the events from earlier this morning, “Mind you, the driver was stuck in traffic, and also, he knows that the entire fucking design production department falls under my leadership. And he said it loud as hell, in front of the whole Okamoto board!” 
Shoko’s eyes widened briefly, “Geez... What the hell is his issue?” 
I pinched the bridge of my nose, briefly closing my eyes, “You know, I’ve been trying to figure that out for a majority of my life now, Shoko.” I paused, “My thing is like, be an asshole to me privately all you want; but at least keep shit professional in a professional setting!” 
“Okay, but he shouldn’t be an asshole to you in private, either.” Shoko challenged, now turning to the rice cooker that had just chimed. She popped the lid open, and a hot cloud of steam escaped from the cooker. 
“Well, obviously he’s incapable of doing that.” I rolled around in the blanket on the couch, grumbling dramatically again, “Fucking asshat ruined my mood. Then there’s his evil, gambling henchman, Toji.” 
Shoko snickered to this, beginning to portion out our lunch trays with grilled fish, rice, soup, and traditional Japanese sides, “Does he still live in the same complex as you?” 
“Yes, unfortunately.” 
“That’s insane.” She shook her head. 
“Exactly. Do you know what kind of houses I could buy with his COO salary?! I mean, my place isn’t shabby at all—but still. The guy’s gotta be blowing every paycheck he gets.” 
“Seriously. Is he still bothering you?” 
“On occasion. But today was weird.” 
“How so?” Shoko rose a brow, beginning to carry our food into the living room where I laid. 
“He asked me if I wanted to skip the test drive and join him for breakfast...” I said with a scowl. 
Shoko mirrored my disgust, “Ew.” 
“Yeah, tell me about it. But no time for asshole fathers—I've got a date tomorrow and my uterus is committing war crimes!” 
Shoko looked surprised to hear this, maybe a little too surprised, “ You’re going on a date?! Miss indoors who never goes outside unless it involves a car??” 
“Hey, I go out sometimes...!” I pouted up at Shoko, who set our trays down on the living room table. 
She simply stared at me. 
“Okay, maybe I don’t.” I immediately conceded. 
“When did you get asked on a date?” She asked, curiously. 
“Just yesterday. I went out to the Gojo Industries gala with Yuko last night.” 
“ You went to a Gojo Industries gala??!” Shoko looked even more shocked, somehow, “Who asked you out?” 
“Satoru...” I said in a small voice. 
“Geh! Satoru Gojo??!” Shoko wore an unreadable yet simultaneously confused expression on her face. 
“What’s ‘geh?!’” I sat up when Shoko froze in her tracks, staring at me with wide eyes. 
“Satoru asked you on a date?!!?! Oh, I need to sit down for this.” Shoko looked overwhelmed. 
I shifted my feet off the couch so that they now rested on the floor, and Shoko sat by my side, “Yeah? What’s wrong with that?” I asked, genuinely concerned by her tone. 
“You know I went to high school with him, right?” Shoko picked up her chopsticks and bowl of soup, taking a long sip from it after she spoke. 
“You did?!” 
“Yeah. You don’t remember me telling you? Wow, never thought I’d hear ‘Gojo’ and ‘date’ in the same sentence...” Shoko shook her head before taking another sip of soup. 
I sank into the couch, covering my face with my hands, “Noooo... Is he gonna play me or something?” 
Shoko cocked her head to one side, thinking for a second, “I wouldn’t say that. It’s not like he’s ever even put himself in the sort of situation to play someone, in the first place.” 
“So, what, he doesn’t date?” 
“Not publicly. You’d see it plastered all over magazines and social media if he did. Though, that doesn’t mean he’s not a bit of a playboy... You really didn’t know any of this?” She traded her soup for her bowl of rice and turned her gaze back to me, honestly puzzled. 
“Does it look like I follow Tokyo pop culture?” I sank even further into the couch, sulking. 
“You have a point.” 
I groaned, “ Of course the one night I go out and meet someone they end up being a playboy.” 
“His family basically owns this city... What did you expect? Though, I guess all is not lost. I’ve personally have never heard of Satoru asking anyone on a date before. Hm. Maybe guys like him do have hearts after all...” Shoko said the last words mostly to herself. 
“You’re not exactly selling him, you know!” I exclaimed and finally sat up again, arms now crossed over my chest. 
Shoko chuckled at my reaction and began to pick at her piece of mackerel, “Maybe I’m selling him a bit short. Satoru’s a good guy at the heart. He’s helped a lot of people with his company’s research and tech, and he’s given a lot back to the community since he became the sole successor of Gojo Industries. Honestly, I don’t know how he manages all that work while having some semblance of a life.” Shoko quickly whipped her head back to me, “Strangely enough, in that way, you two are actually very similar.” By her current expression, Shoko seemed intrigued by her own revelation. 
“So, maybe we are a good match...?” I suggested the idea. 
Shoko shrugged, “Maybe you two are. Time will tell. But if the guy who doesn’t ask people out asked you out that quick, then he's really interested in you. Just guard your heart, be firm in your boundaries, and enjoy yourself. He’s a goofball, too, so I’m sure you’ll have fun!” 
I eventually picked up my soup, using my chopsticks to fiddle with a piece of tofu before taking a bite, “Mm... Now I don’t know how to feel.” 
“Well, you’re not just going on a date with anyone—this is Tokyo’s golden boy we’re talking about here.” 
Just after Shoko finished speaking, my phone chimed with a new text message. I picked it up off the armrest of the couch and read the contact name, “Speak of the devil...” I began to type out my response to Satoru. 
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I was about to place my phone down on the living room table after I finished texting Satoru, but Shoko reached out for it, mid-bite of rice, “Mm, lemme see.” If there was anyone who could get a good read on Satoru out of the two of us, it was undoubtedly her since she actually knew him. I passed her the phone, and she scrolled through our brief series of texts. She eventually handed me my phone back and stared at me curiously, “...You sure this is the Satoru Gojo with the white hair? Tall guy, born and raised in Tokyo?” 
I giggled a bit, “Yeah, why?” 
“He hardly ever communicates this well over text... Whoa, he’s really on his best behavior with you. It’s almost creepy.” She put her chopsticks down and grabbed her own phone from her pocket, quickly scrolling through her text threads before tapping on one and showing it to me, “Look. Here’s the last time he texted me a few weeks ago, for context.” 
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I laughed after reading the thread, “Did he ever get to ask you the question?” 
“Yeah, it was some shit about his protein intake.” Shoko briefly shook her head, “But see what I mean? His texting style is completely different!”  
After lunch at Shoko’s and a long nap, I found myself back in my apartment, scribbling and sketching out a few realistic—but mostly unrealistic and futuristic—car designs. My 2hollis playlist had inspired this spontaneous creative work session, as music and art had always inspired me to come up with new car ideas. In my mind, there was a car for every playlist or picture, a four-wheeled vehicle to match every vibe, from the sound and mechanical makeup of the motor to the body’s build and color. 
As I’d slept most of the day away, it was much later at night; now nearly 9pm. I sat in my desk chair with my legs crossed under me, biting my lip out of habit as I focused intently on my sketching. The light of my work desk’s sunset lamp poured down on the white pages of my sketchbook, highlighting it a dewy orange as my fingers and pen moved swiftly across it. It was a royal blue Okamoto LVI that’s body was shaped in an insanely unconventional way to make it look like the paint and metal was melting, dripping, and flying off behind it at the high speeds it would travel. I wondered if Kokichi could help me with the tech to build something like this, even if it was my own project, personally funded by me... I bit the end of my pen, beginning to think over the logistics when my phone suddenly chimed with the FaceTime ringtone. 
I flipped my phone over on my desk so I could see the call screen. Gojo? That’s right; he did say he would call me later. I put my sketchbook down and quickly tied my hair back with a scrunchy that rested on my wrist, slightly adjusting my sweater before sliding my finger across the screen. 
“Hi, Satoru...” My eyes widened when I saw that his bright skin was covered in a thick sheen of sweat, his shirt nowhere to be seen as he sat on what looked to be a gym floor with his legs wide apart in a stretching position. Even sitting, his pecs and abdominals looked insanely toned. He was unreal.  
“Hey, Lena.” Satoru smiled brightly, keeping his eyes directed to the phone but reaching over towards one of his legs to stretch it out. He sounded a little out of breath. 
“Just worked out?” I assumed. 
“Yeah, just beat my sparring partner’s ass.” Satoru chuckled, “What about you?” 
“Sounds like a fun workout! And me? Nothing, really...” I picked up my sketchpad once more and waved it at the camera, “Was just sketching out some really bad car designs.” 
Satoru moved from stretching one leg to the other, huffing out a short laugh, “I’m sure they’re fine.” 
“Oh, trust me... They’re pretty ugly.” I laughed, “But it’s all part of the creative process, I guess.” I shrugged. 
Satoru simply stared at the camera for a while, “You really love making cars, huh?” 
“It’s the best. I gotta show you my brain babies sometime.” I placed my sketchbook back down. I was really proud of every car I’d ever designed. There were only nine of them, but I’d built them from the ground up and cherished them deeply. 
Satoru’s smile grew, “I’d like that.” He paused, changing the subject, “But about tomorrow—feel free to wear whatever you like. I’d say casual, but make sure you’re comfortable and warm, above anything.” 
“Okay,” I thought aloud, nodding to myself, “I think I know just the thing.” 
Satoru picked up his phone, “Ooo, you gonna show me?” He grinned, his forehead shining with sweat. 
I shook my head, “If our plans for tomorrow are a surprise, then so is my outfit!” I said cheekily, smiling. 
Satoru groaned playfully, “Boooo...” He sighed and rolled his eyes, “But I guess that’s fair.” It was so funny, how blatantly obvious it was at times that men were such visual creatures, “Where are you based?” He asked, changing the subject. 
“Like location-wise? Mostly Shibuya—that's where my apartment is. I’ll text you where to pick me up there tomorrow... But I do sometimes like to spend a few days a week at my mom’s old place on the countryside in Yamanashi. She left it to me when I was a kid, and now I’m slowly remodeling it into a more permanent home.” I explained. 
“Oh nice, is it close to Tokyo?” He questioned, seemingly beginning to walk somewhere in the gym. 
“Yep, just outside of it.” 
Satoru walked past a dark-haired guy who was about his height face too far to make out, “I want my rematch, Satoru!” The guy with broad shoulders and long hair gave Satoru a shove and threw a hand towel at him. 
Satoru grabbed the towel out of the air before it hit him, “Yeah, yeah, yeah... Later, bro!” He chuckled, then focused his attention back on the phone, “Sorry.” He wiped his face and neck of sweat. 
I shook my head, “You’re good! Now that I know the dress code, and am sending you my address, I think we’re all set.” 
Satoru grinned, looking down at the camera. Curse him for looking this good at an upward angle, “Yeah, you better get excited—I've got the best plans for us tomorrow.” 
“The best, you say?” I rose my brow. 
“Uh-huh, I might’ve put some brain power into crafting this itinerary. So, trust me, you’re gonna love it.” 
The next morning, I looked over my outfit once more in the mirror before heading out. It was an early autumn day, but a bit overcast, so I wore a thin, brown, and fitted turtleneck shirt tucked into high waisted blue jeans that hugged the curves of my hips and were wide legged with slight flares at the ends. Underneath them I wore black leather boots with a comfortably short block heel, and tucked in the fold of my arm was my deep brown and white, tightly checkered long coat. My hair was straightened and tied up into a high bun, and I wore simple and small gold hoop earrings. 
Once I received Satoru’s text that he was outside, I locked up my apartment and made my way to the elevator. When I tapped the button, the doors opened moments later and I groaned internally at the sight of the man before me. Not Toji, again. I sighed with a small bow of my head, “Hi, sir.” 
Toji wore a tight, black compression shirt and loose, gray sweatpants. He nodded once and crossed his arms over his chest, the material of his shirt stretching impossibly taught over his thick biceps, “Lena. Where are you headed, dressed like that?” One could say the same to you, asshat.  
“I have the day off.” I explained, not exactly answering his question as I slipped my purse over my shoulder. I bit my lightly glossed lip nervously—I probably did look different from my usual work appearance as I was wearing a little makeup today. Was it too obvious that I was going on a date? I stood on the opposite side of the elevator as him and faced forward. The ‘L’ button for the lobby had already been clicked, so I simply faced forward, watching the floor levels drop on the elevator display screen. 
“Is that so? I’m headed to the gym in between meetings.” 
There was a long silence, until the elevator bell rang upon reaching the ground floor, “Enjoy your workout.” I bowed my head one last time and exited the doors, turning left towards the main entrance. I slightly frowned when I still felt Toji’s presence behind me. Why did he have to walk this way?? The gym was on the right side!   
One of the suited security guards for the complex opened the main door for me as I approached, and I offered him a small nod and smile as thanks. When I stepped outside, there Satoru stood—dressed in a slightly cropped deep blue denim jacket, a plain white t-shirt, black wide leg slacks, small black shades, and black and white essex leather loafers—holding a lidded hot beverage cup in his right hand. To top it all off, he leaned back against a ‘24, golden-yellow Ferrari SF90 Spider—the very model I’d worked on and had helped produce two years ago in Maranello, Italy. 
Immediately, I burst out laughing, “Satoru...!” 
“Good morning, Lena. You look great.” He stood upright with a smirk as I approached, opening up his arms to embrace me in a hug. 
“Thank you—wait, you know I worked on this Spider model, right?” I was still laughing, attempting to cover my mouth with my hand as I spoke. 
“I told you I put some brain power into this date!” When I finally reached Satoru, his arms enveloped me in a tight hug and he took the opportunity to bend down and press a quick peck to my cheek. 
“Clearly.” I giggled as we broke away from each other. His choice in vehicle was a nice, yet hilarious touch, “Did you already have this car?” 
“I did, funny enough.” Satoru slipped his free hand in his pocket. 
“Ah, so you’re a fan of my work?” My smirk grew. 
“Oh, absolutely.” Satoru’s expression mirrored mine, and briefly, his gaze curiously flickered to the space somewhere behind me, then back to me, “You ready?” 
I nodded, “Yes.” 
“Let’s trade,” He held the lidded hot beverage out in my direction, “this is for you, anyways.” 
I handed my long coat to him and relieved him of the warm cup, “Is this why you asked me my go-to coffee order earlier?” 
He nodded, “Regular capp with 2 pumps of caramel, right?” 
“Thank you.” 
“Of course, beautiful.” He turned and maneuvered around to open the car door for me, and I stepped in and sat before watching him close it shut. I took a sip of the cappuccino—it was perfect, and still hot. Must’ve been the work of the cupholder warmers I’d urged my old mechanics assistant at Ferrari, Gio, to add to this model. 
Satoru walked around the car and popped the trunk at the front of it, neatly folding my coat inside then closing and making his way to the driver’s seat. He slipped in and closed the door behind him with a questioning look on his face, “Question. Who’s that guy? He looks kinda familiar.” 
Satoru turned his gaze, and I followed it outside the car, right in the direction of where Toji stood, leaning up against the side of the apartment building and smoking a cigarette. I groaned, “Ugh, please don’t ask me about the Okamoto COO.” 
“He lives in your building? Wait, what’s his name again?” Satoru looked surprised by the notion. 
“Unfortunately. And it’s Toji Fushiguro.” 
“Huh. He was looking at you pretty hard...” Satoru’s expression was a mix of confusion and concern. 
“That’s because he loves any reason to talk shit about me to my dad and anyone else at Okamoto and make my work life a living hell.” I rolled my eyes. 
Satoru’s brows remained furrowed, “Weird. Maybe he has a crush on you.” 
I was mid sip of my cappuccino and nearly spit it out, “Please don’t make me throw up so early in the morning...” I managed a laugh. 
“Yeah, I don’t like it either...” Satoru trailed off, continuing to stare in the older man’s direction. He looked completely serious. But then he started the car, and his expression abruptly brightened, “Welp, enough about that guy, we gotta get to our first stop!” He buckled his seatbelt. 
I buckled myself in as well and put my cappuccino in the cupholder, “Where are we headed to first?” 
“Art gallery.” He kept his eyes focused on the road as he pulled off, the Spider’s engine roaring to life. 
“Wow, I see you were taking notes two days ago.” I smirked, remembering I’d mentioned visual art as one of my interests back when we were chatting in the spa pool. I looked over at Satoru—the man was already pulling out all the stops; from the car to the coffee, and now the art gallery. It was fun, this surprise guessing game of ‘What will Satoru do next?’ I hadn’t been this impressed buy a guy in a while... Then again, it wasn’t like I was one to date. 
“I’m a great listener, you know.” Satoru said cockily. When we stopped at a red light, he reached down into a paper bag by his legs, retrieving a huge, fluffy pistachio creme croissant. Satoru opened his mouth wide, about to take a big bite when his eyes traveled to me, “Want a bite?” He tilted the pastry in my direction. 
I licked my lips. It did look good; curse you, uterus and period cravings. I bent close to Satoru, leaning over to take a small bite from the end of the croissant, “Mm... Is this from the same place you got the cappuccino?” 
“It is.” Satoru took a large bite after my own, “Good, huh?” 
“Both are amazing! Where’d you get ‘em?” I wiped my lip of the bit of green pistachio creme that had fell on it, then took another sip of my capp. 
“My best friend’s parents have a bakery that’s not too far from your place, actually. It’s called Jun’s Bake Shop.” Satoru kept his eyes on the road, making a left turn after a few hundred meters, “You might’ve actually heard of him, in your line of work.” 
“Oh yeah?” I perked up, glancing over from the road ahead of us to look at Satoru. My eyes were drawn to his chiseled jawline. 
“Yeah, his name is Suguru Geto.” 
My eyes widened, mouth falling agape, “The F1 driver?!” 
“Yup. He’s also the guy who made the recipe for that bomb ass white cake at the gala.” 
“Wow, F1 driver Suguru Geto is your best friend, and also likes to bake? Huh.” 
“Mhm, been best buds since high school.” 
That made me remember something; I released a short huff of a laugh, “You know my bestie, too, you know.” 
Satoru quickly glanced at me before returning his eyes to the road, “I do?” He rose a brow. 
“You know Shoko Ieri, don’t you?” 
Satoru threw his head back slightly with a hearty laugh, “No way. Shoko is your best friend??” He briefly looked at me again, now grinning. 
“Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were babies.” 
“We went to high school together!” 
“I’ve heard.” I nodded and smirked, “That was her cooking I sent you a pic of yesterday.” I noted. 
“No shit...” Satoru eyed me curiously before returning his eyes to the road, “How in the hell have I not met you before?” 
I shrugged, “Maybe we’ve crossed paths and didn’t know it.” 
“No, I would’ve remembered you.” Satoru replied definitively, shaking his head and seemingly the notion away. 
“Well, I did go to boarding school for high school, then lived in London for university, and I only really officially came back from working in Italy about two years ago...” I listed off my background, “Though Shoko and I are besties, we were basically pen pals for a while there.” 
“That has to be it, then.” There was a long pause, then Satoru spoke again, “Well, I’m glad you came back home.” 
“Are you?” I asked, playfully. 
“Very glad.” I watched as Satoru looked me over shamelessly and much longer than necessary, his eyes focused on the front of my thin and tight-fitting turtleneck. 
I reached up with my index finger, nudging Satoru’s head back in the direction of the windshield, “Hey, eyes on the road.” I smiled teasingly and folded my arms across my lap. 
Satoru pouted childishly, only for a moment, “We’re basically here.” He made another left turn, pulling into a tiny parking lot that faced a small strip of luxury boutiques—mostly consignment shops and the like—with a white, unmarked building at the end. Once Satoru pulled into a parking space, I reached for the handle of my door, about to pull the handle to open it, “Wait,” he instructed, putting his hand out in my direction. Before I knew it, Satoru was already out of the driver’s seat and making his way around the car to open my door for me, “Allow me.” He extended his arm in my direction. 
“Thank you.” I smiled softly and stepped out of the low car, holding my coffee in one hand as I gently grasped Satoru’s with my other. 
“Of course.” 
“How did you find out about this gallery?” I asked, looking around as we approached the door, “I’ve never heard of one in this part of Shibuya...” 
“That’s because it’s a private distributor.” Satoru noted after he clicked the key and locked the car, resulting in two quick chimes. 
“Ah...” Of course the Gojo family had a private art distributor. They probably had multiple, actually, with all their properties and estates in the city, “So you’ve got an art guy?” 
“I’ve got an art guy.” Satoru’s hand that was closest to me found its way to the small of my back, and the other pushed his shades up above his hairline, revealing the high cheekbones, long white eyelashes, and piercing blue eyes that were currently fixed on the entrance. He pulled opened the door and ushered me in, and the inside of the building’s intricacy did not do its outer appearance justice at all—it was massive. 
Paintings and placards were all over the white walls; they were huge, extravagant pieces organized in specific artist collections—and the paintings themselves ranged from traditional portraiture and landscape art, all the way to abstract modern pieces. I was already lost in awe of my surroundings, before we even made it to the front desk of the gallery. 
The only man behind the desk wore a simple black suit with a deep maroon tie. His square rimmed glasses hung low on the bridge of his thin nose, and he had black, middle-parted hair—a style that wasn’t doing much for him. He stood to his feet when we entered, bowing his head, “Mr. Gojo.” 
“Hey Kiyotaka!” Gojo waved his hand with a broad smile before turning to me, “Lena, this is Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka, Lena.” He gestured between the two of us and I extended my hand to him. 
Kiyotaka took my hand in his two and shook, “Kiyotaka Ijichi; nice to meet you, Ms. Lena.” He bowed his head. 
“Oh, Lena is fine!” I’d never been a fan of over-formality, and my years abroad only strengthened this. 
“Yes, ma’am.” He dropped his arms back to his sides with a slow nod. 
‘Ma’am’ wasn’t necessary either... Perhaps he was the type that liked speaking formally. I laughed awkwardly. 
“Please take your time and look around and let me know if you have any questions at all.” Kiyotaka bowed once more, and Satoru and I began to explore the main floor of the gallery. 
I brought my cup of coffee up to my lips for a sip as we aimlessly strolled around, the steam from the mouthpiece on the lid pleasantly warming my nose. 
“Don’t mind him,” Satoru started once we were far enough away from Kiyotaka, “he’s like that with everyone. Been that way since high school, actually.” 
“You went to high school with him, too? Wow, seems like everyone in Tokyo went there.” I exaggerated, more so fascinated by this growing trend. 
“ Almost everyone who’s somebody.” He offered me a quick wink. 
I glanced over at Satoru who was looking at a large, old-fashioned landscape painting. From the size and age of the piece alone, it had to be at least a few million dollars—just like everything else in here. I wondered who else went to this high school of his, it seemed like everyone who was anybody had attended with him... My eyes look to a more abstract painting of a both calm and storming ocean; only one of two weathers were determinable depending on which side of the painting the viewer looked. The outer edges were so neat they appeared pixilated, almost digitized, and the dark green and blue watercolors intriguingly disrupted the clarity of it all. It was a painting completely mixed with light and dark colors and energies; I found myself getting lost in it. 
It made me wonder what my life would’ve been like if I’d stayed in Tokyo—if I’d put up with my dad and stepfamily and attended high school with Shoko. Would things have been better, or worse for me? Would I have found people who loved and supported me, like I had in England and Italy, or would all the menacing figures in my family life and hateful voices in my ear have won? Would Shoko and all these high school friends and I have taken day trips to Tokyo Bay or Onjuku Beach for spring break? Would the waves have looked this blue when we dipped our toes in? Would Satoru’s friends have been my friends? Would we have dated back then; even though I was lost, hurt, and far from who I was now? 
Satoru joined me at my side, “It’s a nice one, isn’t it?” He noted, looking over the painting with me. 
“Yeah... I really like this one. You can feel the emotion on it.” I looked it over with a still focus, holding my coffee cup to my chest and folding my other arm underneath. 
“You have a good eye, ma’am,” Kiyotaka’s voice tore my gaze from the painting, but only for a moment. I hadn’t heard him walk up to us, “that’s a solo piece by Ryu Nakamura—it's a little rare as it doesn’t belong to any of his themed collections.” 
“Wait, isn’t he...?” Satoru trailed off, trying to conjure up something from his memory. 
“One of the descendants of Michizane Sugawara? Yes, Mr. Gojo, similar to you.” Kiyotaka said, hands folded neatly behind his back in a pose that felt much older than what I assumed his current age to be, having gone to school with Satoru. 
“It’s loaded with so much... I love it.” I paused for a moment, then mostly thought aloud to myself, “One day I want something like this in my mom’s old place in Yamanashi.” Yes, it would go perfectly in my work studio that I was currently renovating, “It just makes you think.” I summarized, though it was hard to put into words just how visually and intellectually stimulating the piece was. 
“What are you thinking about?” Satoru smiled down at me with curiosity in his eyes. 
I didn’t answer. I giggled softly and turned away, beginning to walk over to and look at another painting, “That’s none of your business.” I looked over my shoulder and offered Satoru a glance, a slightly smug look on my face that just barely hinted at brattiness. 
Satoru hadn’t lied nor overhyped his words about putting brain power into our date. After visiting the art gallery, we’d taken a private tour of the Tokyo Aquarium’s new Marine Wildlife Conservation near the bay—a space that had been revitalized by Gojo Industries tech and funding. We’d done it all, from helping keepers by feeding dolphins and petting tiny sharks, all the way to learning about the endangered sea otters in the country. 
And after the Aquarium, we had a very late lunch at a small, family-owned fish shop nearby—where even the owners, a husband and wife, knew Satoru personally, having been donation recipients of the Gojo Small Business Support foundation years ago. Our date wasn’t boring like a typical dinner outing at all; it was one filled with the kind of things I enjoyed like art and design, and was filled with the causes and people that Satoru seemed most passionate about helping. Wherever we found ourselves in the city, there was always someone around who could tell a story about Satoru or his family. It felt nothing like a job interview, interrogation-style date; instead, it was like Satoru was inviting me into his life. 
Then we were at the docks within a private, gated yacht club by the water. And instead of showing off to me the biggest yachts that belonged to the Gojo family (that we’d most certainly passed while walking in), Satoru had shown me his favorite: a much smaller, one or two-person boat that only had a small bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom beneath the main deck. 
He’d taken us on a long ride along the choppy waves of Tokyo Bay at sunset, where we eventually arrived at a small pocket filled with numerous boats of varying sizes—all facing a massive white screen that had been placed on the side of a steep cliff. The screen had a projector with loudspeakers playing the original Godzilla movie from the ‘50s, ‘GOJIRA.’ I had heard of movie screenings on the water but had never been to one; I was always too busy studying or working. Satoru and I raided the mini fridge, freezer, and pantry beneath the deck for movie snacks; and had arranged a mess of blankets and pillows into a makeshift fort while we watched the old film up on the top deck. 
After the movie ended and it got cold out, we returned to the yacht club and anchored the boat at the docks before retiring to the heated bedroom beneath the deck; where Satoru revealed that other than occasional cleaning staff, a repairman, and his best friend, I’d been the first person he’d invited onto the boat and allowed to enter the area beneath. I thought it was just a silly ‘no girls’ rule, but it turned out that this was one of his favorite places to think when he was growing up—that while his life was constantly filled with countless faces and names and hands to shake, that he’d just wanted a space to himself; something small enough that didn’t require constant staffing our guards like a ginormous yacht undoubtedly would. 
We listened to records from his old CD player, laughed about hits with lyrics that aged poorly, and even danced around in the small space beside the bed. It was fucking perfect. I’d never been on a date like this... One that felt so thoroughly and thoughtfully planned yet effortless at the same time. 
And after that event packed day and evening, we simply laid back on the bed and talked. 
Satoru laid on his side on the queen size bed, arms comfortably crossed under his chest as he stared at me laying on my back right beside him. Our heads were only a few centimeters apart as he’d curled close, eyes focused on me with a directness that seemingly came to him so easy. I, on the other hand, alternated between glancing at him and looking to the low ceiling as we talked. 
“You’re beautiful, Lena.” And there was that directness again. He was so transparent when speaking on whatever he was feeling, never withholding anything, and never feeling too embarrassed to say what was on his mind. I couldn’t help but envy the ease of how he expressed his self-confidence. 
I closed my eyes briefly, huffing out a short, closed-lip chuckle from my crinkled nose before speaking, “How do you just say stuff like that?” I smiled, opening my eyes and looking at Satoru again. 
Satoru shrugged his shoulders for a moment, still looking at me, “It’s the truth, and I felt like telling you right now.” His answer was so simple. I giggled and he sat up enough to reach over and stroke my cheekbone, just under my eye, “I like your big brown eyes... How you look at the people you’re talking to and smile. Even better when it’s me.” He spoke lowly, simply because we were that close to one another. 
“Like this?” I looked up at the white-haired man who hovered above me and blinked a few times. 
“Mm... Mhm, just like that.” Satoru continued to stroke my cheekbone with his thumb as he looked at me, then was silent for a moment. 
“What are you doing?” I asked, voice soft and a bit shy—I was still not used to this. I gazed up at his piercing blue eyes. 
“Downloading this view into my brain.” Satoru immediately replied. 
I gazed up at his piercing blue eyes. I couldn’t stand the thick tension between us any longer. I reached up with one hand, hooking it around the bit of undercut of his white strands before pulling his head close to mine, “C’mere...” 
Satoru quickly complied and bent over to join our lips in a deep kiss. He took control of it, moving his lips and tongue soft and slow in perfect rhythm with mine. He occasionally pulled back to graze my bottom lip with his teeth, and I couldn’t help but release a small chuckle when he randomly and hungrily tugged it with a comedic, animal-like grunt. It was obvious he was trying to elicit some laughter from me, that he was conscious or unconsciously trying to ease my nerves and help me feel more comfortable with him. It worked. 
Our kiss turned lewd and open-mouthed after that, and Satoru’s hand on my cheek moved down, lightly ghosting over and around my neck before traveling further south to rest on and squeeze my shoulder. I moaned shamelessly to the erotic nature of Satoru’s hand movement, and I heard him suck in an impatient breath through his nose just after, somehow deepening our kiss even more. 
Satoru shifted so that he was nearly straddling me, his weight evenly distributed to his elbows and forearms that now rested beside my head. I moved my legs beneath him, attempting to accommodate him but instead accidently bumping my knee against his groin—and there was definitely something firm there prodding against the front of his pants. He pulled back from our kiss abruptly with a pained groan and hiss, “Ah...” 
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I said in a startled, high voice. He was hard? Did he want to have sex...? Was this date just a lead up to a hook-up to him?? Maybe Shoko was right about guarding my heart...  
Satoru chuckled, the low sound snapping me out of my thoughts. He was still so close to me, “It’s fine.” He shook his head and paused, shifting his weight onto one of his arms so he could return his thumb to my cheek once again. He stroked the skin close to my lips this time, “You look like you wanna say something...” 
“I’m on my period...!” I blurted out, voice just above a whisper. 
Satoru blinked once, glancing between my eyes, “Okay, and what does that have to do with us kissing?” 
“Well, we are kissing horizontally on your bed late at night, so I just thought you should know—so I don’t lead you on or anything.” I said breathlessly, nervousness beginning to settle into my shoulders. 
Satoru thought carefully before responding, slowly opening his mouth to speak, “Fair, but Lena, I don’t expect sex or anything from you physically—even if we are kissing horizontally, in a bed, late at night.” His thumb moved to stroke my chin, his gaze briefly moving to my lips before returning to my eyes again, “The only thing I expect is for us to have fun, and for you to enjoy yourself on this date with me. Are you having fun?” 
“Yes.” I breathed out, the corners of my lips creeping up into a sheepish smile. 
“Me too...” Satoru trailed off, quickly pecked my lips, then he shifted backwards a bit so he could get a better look at me, “You okay, though? Are you in pain?” 
“I mean, a little bit; but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” I glanced over to my purse on the chair in the corner of the room, “My tampon stash is running a little low, though, since I didn’t expect to be out this long. The second day can be a bit brutal, you know...” I laughed a bit awkwardly, unsure of why I was suddenly sharing all of this with him. 
“So, I’ve heard.” Satoru almost looked disappointed that I hadn’t told him earlier, “Damn, I’m sorry, Lena... I had no idea you were powering through today like that.” 
“Oh, it’s not that bad.” I immediately protested, “And I wanted to go out with you.” 
Satoru smiled at my words, pausing before speaking again, “You want me to run out and get you some tampons? There’s a convenience store near the docks...” Satoru suggested, poking his thumb back in the space behind him. 
“Oh, you don’t have—” 
“What kind do you get?” He reached over to grab his phone on the nightstand that was built into the wall of the boat. He moved back to lay on his side beside me, typing something into his phone and turning it around to me with a web browser now pulled up on it, “Here. Search a picture of it, so I grab the right one.” 
I looked up from the phone to him, briefly studying his eyes. He really didn’t mind doing this? I looked back at his phone, hesitantly taking it from his hands before typing the brand name in, “I usually get this variety pack.” I explained, showing the screen to him once the right image popped up. 
Satoru took the phone back into his hands and screenshot it, “Okay,” he started, locking his phone before sliding it into his pocket, “You need anything else? Pain meds, a snack? Oh!” Satoru sat up completely, maneuvering over me to step off the bed. He walked over to a wooden dresser on the opposite side of the room, squatting then opening the bottom drawer. 
I watched curiously as he silently searched through it for something, and eventually he pulled out a giant plush black blanket with a white cord attached to it, “Aha! Knew it was still here...” Satoru turned to me, “It’s an electric blanket! Used to use it on cold nights, back before I got the heat fixed. This could help, right?” He held up the material; and the image of the handsome, toned, blue-eyed hunk of a man hunched over and dangling a rolled up electric blanket over his head—and with a thoughtful smile on his face—honestly made me swoon a little. I wanted to download this view to my brain. 
I nodded a few times, blushing and lightly smirking to the cuteness of his innocent gesture, “Yeah, that’s... kinda perfect, actually.” I said softly. 
Satoru stood up and began to unfold and spread the blanket out as he reapproached the bed, leaning in close when he started to wrap the long length of it around my body, “I did good?” He asked with a goofy grin, maybe leaning a little too into the himbo personality. He was so sweet; I didn’t mind it. 
I praised him with a small pat on top of his head, “Uh huh, you did.” I smirked back. Suddenly, Satoru had brought both of my arms to my sides and started wrapping and folding the blanket around me way faster than before. I giggled at the sudden change in his blanket tucking speed, “What are you doing?!” 
“Making you into a burrito... A Lena-rito, if you will.” Satoru smiled to himself, not letting up on his fast-paced wrapping of the electric blanket. 
I laughed, “A what?!” I playfully fought back, giggling as I squirmed around in the blanket to break loose. 
It was no use; for such a big guy, Satoru was insanely quick with his arms, “No! You can't fight your burrito-fication!” He continued to grin, even going so far as crawling on the bed at one point to keep me pinned under the electric blanket. 
I quickly conceded, almost unable to breathe from laughing so much, “Okay, okay...! You win!” 
When Satoru stood back up, he placed his hands on his hips and looked me over with a few approving nods, “Mhm. Yep, that’s a perfect Lena-rito if I’ve ever seen one.” He moved to my feet to find the white cord, then bent over and plugged it in a nearby outlet. 
I couldn’t help but chuckle to this, smiling ear to ear, “Satoru, you’re a fucking idiot!” 
“And you’re a Lena-rito.” Satoru stated matter-of-factly, striding over to a nearby closet and grabbing his jacket, “Both things can be true simultaneously.” He shrugged into a navy blue and yellow, 90s-style windbreaker. 
I scoffed out a laugh at his nonsense logic, shaking my head, “What does that even mean??” 
After zipping up his jacket, Satoru approached the bed and bent over at his waist, placing his hands on either side of my head, “It means you’re so cute I could eat you up.” He quickly pecked my lips, but remained close to me after doing so, “Now, is there anything else you need from the store? A snack?” 
“Hm,” I thought for a moment, biting my lip. I watched Satoru’s eyes follow the motion, “pretzels, please.” 
“Regular, or chocolate-covered?” Satoru met my gaze again and leaned in even closer. 
“Ooo, chocolate-covered!” I lit up at the idea of the sweet and salty combo. 
Satoru stood back up, repeating the short list of items to himself, “Variety pack tampons and chocolate-covered pretzels. Got it.” He turned and made his way towards the door that led to the outer deck of the boat, “I’ll be back in 15, 20 minutes tops.” 
“Okay!” I called back, beginning to relax even more as I felt the blanket’s heat begin to kick in. 
Satoru winked at me before departing, closing the door behind him. It was silent for a moment, but then the door abruptly opened once more. Satoru stood at the doorway, simply looking at me with an unreadable look on his face. 
“Forget something?” I quirked my brow. 
“I sure did.” He made a beeline for the bed again, reaching over to hold my cheeks as he suddenly and swiftly pressed his lips to mine in a long kiss. 
Hours later, unbeknownst to myself I wrestled around in my sleep—tormented by the same repetitive nightmare. 
It was the night after my mother’s funeral. I was six years old, long curls fastened up neatly in a high, braided ponytail my nanny Aiko had done for me as I quietly creeped down the long hallway of the main building of the Okamoto residence: the family property that I used to call home. I fiddled with the frilly ends of my black skirt as I walked down the hall, ears tuned to the strange, strained voice that seemed to squeeze itself out of my father’s study. It couldn’t be him. Dad never cried. And he hadn’t smiled since mom’s illness started to worsen over a year ago.  
Why did my mom have to go? It wasn’t fair. She didn’t do anything wrong. All she ever did was help the people around her. Even when she was disrespected, doubted, and rejected by members of our own family, she never let it defeat her. Her smile never faltered, even until the very end. She was so strong. Even when she wasn’t feeling well, she still loved to laugh, play dress up, and bake sweets with me. I could never forget the image of her face on the last day I’d seen her—the way the corners of her mouth curved up into a gentle, knowing smile. He way she wrapped her long, amber arms around me and cooed, “You’re ok.” over and over. I wasn’t. She wasn’t. The way she seemingly showed no fear for the illness that had its vicious hands wrapped around every part of her, that had done its best to extinguish her life and won. My heart sank at her memory, the loss of my very best friend.  
When I reached the door of my father’s study, I noticed that the door was already ajar. I peeked in through the small crack, eyes widening and mouth falling agape when I saw my father’s state. It was him. He was... crying? I had never seen him like this before. His black tie had been loosened into a messy state, his white button-down shirt stained with drops of deep, brown liquid. My eyes found the source on his desk, a half-drunk bottle of whisky that’s cap was nowhere in sight. His fingers desperately gripped the edges of a picture frame that’s picture I couldn’t make out from behind the office door—grasping it as if he was holding on for dear life, like he himself just might die if he let go.  
His lips were pulled back tightly in a pained grimace, teeth visible from how harshly the muscles of his face had contorted his expression. He was hurting, too. He was hurting just as much as I was. In the past, and even throughout mom’s sickness, he’d acted so cold and emotionless that I never expected he was... Had it all been a front?  
I pushed the door open at the sight of my dad, broken by the loss of his wife and my mother. I wanted to hug him, to cry with him, “Daddy...!” The tears were already running down my cheeks.  
His eyes turned to me in surprise, then widened, then quickly narrowed. Somehow, he seemed to grip the picture frame even harder, “Lena?! Whaaat are you doing here??!” His words came out loud and slurred, voice both strained and uneven.  
“I miss mommy!” I began to wipe at the tears that endlessly streamed down my face, already striding towards him.  
“Get out!!” He yelled the words.  
“But dad-”  
“I said, GET OUT!!!”  
Before I’d even registered my father’s movements, my forehead stung with a sharp, hot pain. I touched it hesitantly, freezing when I drew my hand back and saw blood on my fingers. I looked down at my side, the now broken picture frame at my feet. I saw the picture of my mom and dad holding each other and smiling brightly peek out the mess of broken glass.  
When I looked up at my father again, I froze. He... hit me...?  
“...D-Daddy?” My voice trembled when I spoke, in complete disbelief of what had just happened.  
“It’s your fucking fault!!”  
Still locked where I stood at the side of my father’s desk, I flinched at the sound of his voice alone, my sadness completely and quickly replaced with fear. He was angry.  
“You did this to her!!” My father screamed the words, voice breaking and strained in a tone I had never heard before, “You took her away from me...!” He sobbed the last part, tears spilling from his eyes as he hiccupped with a pained wince. It was like my presence alone physically hurt him. My father grabbed the bottle of whisky, bringing the mouth of it to his lips before taking a long series of hard gulps. When he finished, his eyes returned to me and his expression turned to one of anger and disgust, “You never should’ve been born.”  
Mouth still agape in shock, I blinked, and two more tears rolled down my red, puffy cheeks, “No...!”  
My father reared his arm back that was fisting the bottle’s neck and I instinctively flinched to one side, closing my eyes and preparing for the impact of it, “She only got sick after having you!!” He threw the bottle at the end of his scream, emphasizing the word ‘you’ with his strained tone. The glass shattered on the wall beside me and the brown liquid splashed all over my clothes, face, and hair.  
I cried, loud sobs fleeing my throat as a mix of fear, shame, and sadness sank heavily in my chest, “I’m sorry!!” I wailed and howled uncontrollably. I already knew it. I’d overheard the nurses once, a year ago, talking about the long-term postpartum illness that my mother continuously suffered from. But when I asked mommy about it, she’d reassured me over and over. She hugged me tightly in her hospital bed, shaking her head and repeating over and over with a confident, comforting smile that it wasn’t—it wasn’t my fault. I’d almost believed her.  
Until now.  
“Sorry’s not gonna bring her back!” My father spat, standing from his seat at his desk and abruptly approaching me with staggered steps. I continued to cry helplessly, too taken over by grief and guilt to move from where I stood beside the desk. I yelped when my father painfully gripped and pulled my small arm up with the full strength of a grown man, looking up at him again in fear as I felt the blood on my forehead drip down to my eyelid and blur my vision, “You already killed her!!!” He screamed and reared his hand back once more...  
And I jolted upright in bed just before his hand made contact with me. It took me a few seconds to recognize my surroundings; I was on Satoru’s boat, in the little bedroom beneath the main deck. I gasped and panted heavily for air as I felt my heart race, hearing it beat heavily in my head as my eyes roamed around the dark room—the only source of light being the full moon’s that poured in through the bedside window. 
I looked over and saw that Satoru was already awake, reclined back on the pillow beside me with his hand on my back, and face full of concern, “Lena... bad dream?” Brows furrowed, his tone was deep and hoarse with sleep. 
I looked away and nodded quietly, quickly wiping away the tears on my face. He shouldn’t see me like this, not after our first date.  
Satoru sat up a bit with me, his warm hand slipping up the fabric of my shirt—his shirt, really, as I was wearing it as makeshift pajamas. He rubbed his hand up and down the length of my back, “You wanna talk about it?” 
I sniffled once, “No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. I just wanted this moment to be over, for us to go back to resting and enjoying each other’s presence, “sorry...” 
“Hey, it’s okay... c’mere.” Satoru used his hand on my back to gently nudge me closer to him, and I finally looked in his eyes. The moonlight highlighted his white hair and eyelashes as he smiled gently, calmly, even. He was so handsome. Only in his boxers, his chest was completely bare, and the toned muscles there lightly rippled beneath warm ivory skin as his hand continued its rubbing up and down my back. 
I leaned in and rested my cheek on the corner of his shoulder and pec, wrapping my arm around the width of his abdomen as I felt his chin rest on top of my head. I closed my eyes, just wanting to forget it all. 
“I’ve got you.” Ear to his chest, I heard Satoru’s voice gently buzz and rumble throughout his body. His fingers drew circles in the small of my back, and the warmth of his body and touch caused me to close my eyes. There was a long silence. 
“It’s my period.” I blamed my cycle, trying to dismiss my own discomfort about this situation. What if he thought I was weird for suddenly crying like that?  
Satoru’s chest gently twitched with a small huff of a chuckle, causing my head to shift, “Periods give you nightmares, too?” He asked, sleepily, “Now that’s just mean.” 
“Sorry for waking you.” I said softly, eyes still closed. 
“Stop apologizing.” Satoru groaned, and I felt him press a peck to the top of my head, “It’s fine, Lena, really.” 
It seemed like the more time I spent with Satoru, the more of his clothes I acquired. The next morning, I was dressed in his black long sleeve shirt, the name ‘GOJO’ in small white letters on the left side of my chest. It was supposed to be fitted but was oversized on my much narrower shoulders. I’d tucked the shirt into the same high-waisted blue jeans I’d worn yesterday and wore my checkered long coat on top to combat the cold morning breeze by the docks. 
Satoru walked me back towards the stretch of sidewalk at the entrance of the yacht club, currently dressed up far nicer than I was as we were headed two separate places: him, to work; and me, back home. He wore a gray business suit with a black tie and had a white cashmere scarf loosely wrapped around his neck. Just as we reached the end of the walkway, a black car pulled up and the driver turned off the engine—presumably my ride. 
“They’ll take you back to your apartment, or wherever you want to go. Even as far as your mom’s place outside the city in Yamanashi.” 
I nodded a few times, hands stuffed in my pockets to keep warm. It really was cold this early in the morning. I turned to him, shoulders slightly raised beneath my jacket to brace the frigid weather, “Thanks, Satoru.” I smiled. 
Satoru faced me and looked me over with a light smirk before moving in close, removing his scarf before neatly looping it around my head, “Did you have fun?” He asked in a low voice, slipping his hands around my waist after he’d finished putting his scarf on me. I was starting to get used to his proximity like this. Emphasis on starting...  
I looked up at Satoru as he moved around me, admiring the way the morning sunrise accented his skin and filtered through his white eyelashes. Immediately I felt the warmth of the scarf shield and heat up my cold ears and nose, Satoru’s cologne just slightly noticeable on the fabric, “Yes, I did.” I said comfortably, appreciating his gentle embrace. 
“Good, so did I.” Satoru paused, slowly moving his hands so that his arms locked around my waist and I moved closer to him. I arched back a little so I could still see his face, “Can I see you again? Maybe this weekend?” He added, smirk growing. 
“You’re trying to take up all my free time, aren’t you?” I challenged playfully, slipping my hand up to poke my index in the direction of his face. 
“Well, yes.” Satoru said simply, and I busted into a fit of giggles. While I laughed, one of Satoru’s arms moved from my waist and his hand embraced mine before pulling my cool fingers to his warm lips. He gave them two small pecks, and the tenderness of his gesture pulled at my heartstrings—causing me to pause in my giggling to simply watch the man and soak up his touch. So sweet. It made me imagine what kind of lover he was. 
Satoru’s other arm left my waist as well, and he cupped both of his hands on my cheeks to kiss my forehead, then tilted my bead back to press his lips to mine. I allowed myself to be maneuvered, closing my eyes when he bent in to kiss me—it made me forget where I was completely. I got lost in his lips, and before I knew it Satoru had deepened the peck into a long, slow kiss. I could have sworn I’d heard the clicking of a shutter, but I was too preoccupied with Satoru to notice. 
When we pulled apart, Satoru reached down to open the door to the black car for me, “You’ll call me when you get in?” 
I nodded shyly, about to turn to enter the car when Satoru’s arm swiftly pulls me back in to face him, only a few centimeters apart. My eyes widen a bit at our sudden proximity. 
“You’ll call me; right, Lena?” His tone lowered considerably, eyes locking directly with mine. Oh, he wanted me to answer verbally.  
“Yes, I’ll call you.” I perked up, a bit amazed at how easy it was for him to move me around; I had no bratty comebacks for him today. My stomach fluttered with excitement. 
“That’s better.” Satoru smirked confidently, then helped me into the car. I blushed profusely at his words, turning away and hiding my face in the scarf as I buckled my seatbelt. I turned back to him after doing so. 
Satoru leaned on the open car door for a moment, “Get some rest this morning. There’ll be a surprise waiting for you when you wake up.” He winked down at me and quickly shut the door. 
I rolled down the tinted window, “A surprise??” I questioned, honestly curious to what it could be. 
“Uh huh.” He tapped the black car, and the driver started the engine, “Bye, Lena.” He grinned. 
Satoru and his damn surprises. I shook my head and chuckled under my breath as the car slowly began to pull off, “Bye, Satoru.” 
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suryaoshni · 2 days ago
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popcornplastic · 5 months ago
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Hello!
I'm CJ and I wanted to make an archive/information hub for things that are this material:
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If you've ever tried to find information on this material online you'll know there is frustratingly little on it, so here's a brief overview of what I know so far:
They're usually called popcorn plastic, EVA lamps, sponge lamps, or melted plastic pellet lamps. I've also seen them called sparkle lamps, but as you can imagine that makes them near impossible to find under that name.
EVA stands for ethylene vinyl acetate which is a type of thermoplastic!!
These lamps were/are often in the shapes of animals, characters, or objects like footballs or cars, and were then usually airbrushed to add color detailing. Often these were manufactured as halloween decorations, so you'll find a ton of skulls, witches, pumpkins and ghosts if you search around for them!
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They rarely have any branding on them, appear to have largely been cheaply made (think the quality of carnival or arcade prizes) and their bases were often a coiled spring stand. There is a metal rimmed hole on the bottom or back of most lamps where a bulb on a wire could be inserted. More often than not, they also have a switch on the wire to turn on/off the light
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They appear to have originated sometime in the 60's and went out of popularity by the end of the 2000's.
I've seen out of stock listings for lamps like these as recently as 6 years ago, however (aside from being sold on the Rhode Island Novelty website at the time) there is absolutely no branding information provided on the boxes of the lamps themselves.
If I find current retailers that still manufacture these lamps I will definitely share it here!
I have a feeling that due to the relative fragility of these pieces, many haven't survived and were seen as cheap or unappealing enough to just toss rather than make an effort to restore them, so it's possible that not a ton survive, and as far as I can tell there have been no efforts to archive or preserve a history of them, which frankly bums me out so I'm going to do my best to celebrate them here :-]
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All that to say: if you have any interest in these, or are curious about the origins of a piece you own, or trying to find a specific lamp you used to have, send me an ask! I'll do my best to help you out!
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caterlux · 1 month ago
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Why DALI Lighting is the Future of Intelligent Home Lighting
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Lighting has evolved far beyond its traditional function of illumination, becoming an integral part of energy management and smart building systems. One of the most advanced solutions in the realm of modern lighting control is DALI lighting. Short for Digital Addressable Lighting Interface, DALI lighting technology allows for precise control, seamless integration, and energy efficiency, making it a preferred choice for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
At Caterlux, a leader in premium Best Architectural Lighting brand in india, we understand the importance of cutting-edge lighting systems. That’s why we offer advanced lighting products compatible with DALI technology to ensure superior performance and convenience for our clients.
What is DALI Lighting?
DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) is a standardized protocol for intelligent lighting control. It enables communication between lighting devices, such as LED fixtures, sensors, and controllers, over a single network. Unlike traditional lighting control systems, DALI allows for granular control of individual fixtures or groups, making it highly versatile and efficient.
Features of DALI Lighting
Two-Way Communication DALI lighting systems enable two-way communication, allowing users to send commands to lighting fixtures and receive feedback, such as status or fault information.
Addressability Each fixture in a DALI system is individually addressable, offering unparalleled control over lighting settings. Users can create customized lighting scenes and adjust brightness levels for specific areas.
Flexibility and Scalability DALI systems can control up to 64 devices on a single network. For larger installations, multiple networks can be integrated, making it suitable for projects of any size.
Energy Efficiency By enabling dimming, scheduling, and occupancy-based controls, DALI lighting systems significantly reduce energy consumption.
Interoperability As a standardized protocol, DALI ensures compatibility between devices from different manufacturers, offering flexibility in system design and upgrades.
Benefits of DALI Lighting Systems
Customizable Lighting Control DALI lighting offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing users to adjust lighting settings to match their specific needs. Whether it’s dimming the lights in a conference room or creating ambient lighting in a restaurant, DALI delivers precise control.
Enhanced Energy Savings With advanced control features such as daylight harvesting and occupancy sensors, DALI systems optimize energy usage, reducing costs and environmental impact.
Improved User Experience DALI systems provide smooth dimming and consistent light quality, ensuring a comfortable and pleasant environment.
Simplified Maintenance The two-way communication feature enables real-time monitoring, making it easier to identify and address faults.
Future-Ready Solutions DALI systems are designed to integrate with modern building management systems, ensuring they remain relevant as technology evolves.
Applications of DALI Lighting
Commercial Spaces: Offices and retail stores use DALI lighting for flexible control and energy efficiency.
Residential Buildings: High-end homes benefit from DALI’s customizable and smart lighting features.
Hospitality: Hotels and restaurants use DALI systems to create dynamic and inviting lighting scenarios.
Industrial Settings: Warehouses and factories rely on DALI for energy-efficient and reliable lighting.
Why Choose Caterlux for DALI-Compatible Lighting?
As a trusted name in India’s Led Lighting Company, Caterlux is committed to providing innovative and sustainable solutions. Our range of DALI-compatible LED lighting products is designed to meet the demands of modern spaces, offering both functionality and style.
What Sets Caterlux Apart?
High-Quality Products: Our LED lighting solutions are engineered for performance, efficiency, and durability.
Expertise in Technology: Caterlux integrates advanced DALI-compatible technology into its products for seamless control.
Customizable Solutions: We understand that every space is unique, so we offer tailored lighting solutions to meet specific requirements.
Commitment to Sustainability: Caterlux prioritizes eco-friendly practices, ensuring our products have minimal environmental impact.
Final Thoughts
DALI lighting is redefining how we interact with light, offering intelligent control, energy efficiency, and unparalleled flexibility. Whether you’re upgrading your home, outfitting a commercial space, or managing a large industrial facility, investing in DALI lighting technology is a forward-thinking choice.
At Caterlux, we are proud to offer premium LED lighting solutions compatible with DALI technology. Let us help you illuminate your world with innovation, precision, and sustainability.
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whumpsmith-participates · 3 months ago
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AI-less Whumptober 2024
Day 29 - Ownership, Branding
Tags/CW: female whumper, intimate whumper, 1st person, whumper POV,
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How do you make sure that the people you care about never leave you?
It's quite simple.
You give them a permanent reminder of where they belong.
It took a lot of planning and effort on my part to get him back to where I wanted after he was taken from me, and kept from me. Moving to New York, then Massachusetts, and back again... Restraining orders, no social media, lying to his so-called friends about me.
How ungrateful could a person get?
That ungratefulness was one of the first things I was forced to beat out of him. I didn't want to hurt him, that was never part of the plan, but his attitude and actions gave me no choice.
Did I like to club him over the head in a dark alley and drag his unconscious body into my car?
Me?
Of course not! But he gave me no other choice... he knows better now, though. He hasn't tried to run for a couple of days. Though that probably also has to do with me finally finding the balance between keeping him exhausted enough to not fight, yet fit enough to still be able to dance.
After all, if he can't dance, I can't exactly call him my Star anymore, can I?
And I've been calling him that for years, ever since I first noticed his talent. I spent hours upon hours training him, teaching him, making sure he maintained the proper weight and physique, and my Star delivered time and time again.
He had such a bright future ahead of him...until his parents decided I was pushing him too hard and they took him away from me. I thought that was the end of it, but imagine my delight when I found out he continued to dance.
Even without me there, he still delivered. And I longed to be a part of that.
I deserved to be a part of that.
So I planned, and I prepared, and I performed, and I prevailed. I took back what was rightfully mine, and I trained him, and I tested him, and I taught him. I made him my Star again.
But it wasn't enough.
I couldn't help but to feel that there would still be a chance that he would want to get away from me again. Perhaps even succeed. So I had to make sure, that no matter what happened, he would never forget where he truly belonged.
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I entered the studio where I was letting him stay, turning on the—admittedly—horrid lights, illuminating the dirty and drap interior. I'm sure it might have been a decent dance school once, but now the only echoes that remained of that past were the grand, floor to ceiling mirrors, and a barre so sturdy it put modern manufacturers to shame.
It was sturdy enough to hold my Star even, seated on the floor, his back resting against the mirror as his hands were cuffed to the barre above him. He stirred slowly as the harsh light roused him from his sleep, though he seemed fully alert by the time I stood before him.
I looked him over as I placed down my bag of carefully selected items, watching as he quickly straightened his back and sat up properly, looking up at me in case I had any instruction to give.
"Good," I said.
Praise should be given where it is due, after all.
"T-thank you..." he quietly responding, glancing away for a second.
That won't do at all.
"Thank you, who?" I asked.
"....t-thank you, M-mistress Joy..."
"That's better," I said, "but I can't help but feel disappointed that you still need a reminder."
"I-I'm sorry, Mistress," he quickly said.
I could tell he was desperate to please me, probably fearing punishment. Either way I couldn't blame him.
"I know you are, dear." I said, "You always needed a little extra help. Dancing has always been your strong suit. Thinking, however..."
He looked down again. He knew I was right. But as I'd already told him years ago: There was nothing wrong with him. And it was okay to simply...leave the thinking to the better able.
We worked best that way. With me doing all the planning and choreographing, and he just had to keep up with the pace. Count his steps, watch his lines, smile, and make it all look effortless.
"Don't worry, though. I thought of the perfect way to always remind you, even when I'm not around to do so," I said, crouching down to open the bag.
My Star stayed quiet. He knew better than to question me. Besides, he would find out very soon. I pulled a box from the bag, only the shipping label mentioning in a small section that it contained a "custom hot stamp."
It was an electric leather-working tool that allowed one to mark their work with their own logo, or in my case, initials. A self-heating pen with a little metal plate at the end with my custom design etched in. All I had to do was plug it in and wait for it to heat up. Luckily I had remembered to bring an extension cord.
The nearest plug was on the other side of the floor, by the window. The extension cord easily reached far enough, and whilst I fiddled with the electric logistics and tried to figure out how I was supposed to know it was hot enough, my Star could no longer contain his curiosity.
"M-mistress?" he piped up, "w-what do you have there?"
"You'll see," I replied, "don't you like surprises~?"
He didn't reply, allowing me to focus back on the manual and find I just had to wait ten minutes, give or take, for the device to reach the correct heat.
While I waited, I looked at the mirrored design on the plate at the end. It was a little star shape with my initials in it. It really couldn't be more perfect. Surely this would forever remind him where he belonged.
With me, as my Star.
When the stamp had finally heated up and I turned around to get it over with, my precious dumb little start seemed to finally catch up with what I was planning. His eyes widened, his face paled, and he began feverishly shaking his head, pressing further back against the mirror, while his feet slipped and squeaked uselessly over the floor in an attempt to get away, even if the he cuffs and the barre itself would never move an inch unless I wanted it to.
"P-please, wait..." he said breathlessly, "M-mistress please— No! Mistress Joy, please! Don't do it, please! Please! Please please please please please!"
As much as it pained me to hear him beg so desperately, I knew I had to go through with it. I knelt down, sitting down on his legs to stop him from kicking. My free hand weaved into his hair, grabbing a tight hold to stop him from wildly shaking his head. He wasn't perfectly still, but it would have to do.
"Please Mistress!" he sobbed, "Please no— AAAAAGH!!!"
The resulting scream when I pressed the stamp against his shoulder rattled my eardrums painfully, but I was willing to tough it out. This was for his own good. I wanted only the best for him.
"Hush..."
I pulled the stamp away, making sure to turn it off so it wouldn't burn too much of a hole in the floor. I stroked his face as he took deep, gulping breaths, still sobbing as I wiped the tears off of his cheek.
"It's over," I assured him, "you did so great."
He couldn't bring himself to reply, still gasping for air between sobs and coughs. I let it slide, just this once. I knew the mark hurt him. I could tell he was trembling from the way his cuffs rattled against the barre. The poor thing was so upset.
"Come."
I shifted my position, sitting on the floor next to him and guiding him to rest his head on my shoulder, but holding him to keep his shoulder straight. If he smudged the mark before it could heal, I would have to go through all of that again.
"I'm so sorry I had to do that," I said.
I really was. To see him so upset brought me no pleasure whatsoever, but unfortunately a permanent reminder was necessary. At least the worst was over now.
"Since it hurt so much, why don't we skip practice tonight?" I suggested, "You get some well-deserved rest for doing so well. We'll dance again tomorrow."
He didn't respond with words, but instead he just muffled another sob in my shoulder as he turned his head to bury his face against me. I could only gently stroke his hair in an attempt to comfort him.
"That's it...that's my Star..."
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@ailesswhumptober
Masterlist Main account
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Joy Adair is Xander's old and abusive dance teacher, as you can hopefully tell she's incredibly entitled and very desperate to regain control.
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halomax1 · 1 year ago
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Best Residential Lighting Manufacture in India Residential Lighting Manufacture in Delhi Gurgaon - Halomax 
Best Residential Lighting Manufacturer in India
If you’re looking for Residential Lighting in India then Halomax is one of the popular online websites for the top authentic smart lighting. All the products are admired widely because of their qualities that includes brightness, durability, ruggedness, reliability, accurate dimensions, and high strength, these provided products could be availed at reasonable price range. 
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Halomax offers the best Residential Lighting, and comes under the popular manufacturers in Delhi. This is very popular all over the market for landscaping and provides services in the field of enhanced commercial & residential landscaping across India. Our team of professionals makes your property more valuable, lavish, and aesthetic by creating inventive and customized masterpieces for your residential or commercial land. We have a plethora of landscaping services, and solutions to our esteemed customer. 
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Halomax comes under the top Manufacturers & suppliers of all the residential lighting designs, and for their innovations in Gurgaon. We always maintain our team to achieve all goals and objectives. Moreover, our highly skilled team has their higher functionality & trouble free operations that have helped to retain the broad rank in the industry. Standing with our clients at all stages of any landscaping project, be its development, implementation or management, we at Halomax provide means for your dream landscape to turn into reality in the most structured, and feasible of ways. 
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Get the services done from Halomax for your Residential Lighting Manufacturers in India. We provide services in the field of enhancing commercial, and residential landscaping across India with the most valuable, lavish, and aesthetic by creating inventive, and customized masterpieces for your corporate area. The services included are landscape contractor, terrace garden, natural vertical garden, artificial vertical garden, artificial turf, hotels landscape, landscape lighting, real estate landscape, landscape designing, waterfall landscaping, residential landscaping, interior design, interior designing, and organic compost, etc. 
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We also compiled the top other LED Brands in India also include Havells, Syska, Osram, Bajaj Auto, Phillips, Oreva, Halonix, Wipro, Signify, Crompton, and much more.
Best Residential Lighting Manufacture in India – We at Halomax Lighting Solutions, aim to be a the premium lighting Solutions Partner, for architects, interior designers and customers with Global Standards.
READ MORE....Premium Lighting Manufacture in India LED Lights in delhi Halomax
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demifiendrsa · 1 year ago
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Valve has released a 25th anniversary update for Half-Life.
Half-Life is free to own on Steam until November 20, 2023 10AM PT / 1PM ET.
Overview
BRAND NEW INTERVIEWS WITH THE HL1 DEV TEAM!
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We got the band back together to celebrate this anniversary, and we invited the fine people at Secret Tape to film it all happening. Getting together after all this time was the perfect opportunity to revisit the game as it existed in its earliest forms, and to talk about how and why it eventually took shape the way it did. Check out the film to see what it was like to be a part of the team, way back then.
THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY UPDATE FOR HALF-LIFE INCLUDES:
HALF-LIFE UPLINK
Originally released as a CD exclusive for magazines and hardware manufacturers, this mini-campaign was built by the Half-Life team right after the game went gold. As this was many people's first experience with Half-Life, we thought it was finally time to bundle it with the main game—no sound card purchase necessary.
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4 NEW MULTIPLAYER MAPS
Built by Valve level designers, these new maps push the limits of what's possible in the Half-Life engine.
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CONTAMINATION
Two-foot-thick steel doors block off access to this contaminated waste facility, which has questionable scientific goals at best. Strap on a gluon gun and roast all intruders.
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POOL PARTY
Enjoy a relaxing stay at this abandoned Xen outpost built around a cluster of soothing healing pools free-floating in space. How do you breathe here? It doesn't matter!
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DISPOSAL
Processing Area 3, a massive radioactive waste plant gone quiet. Tons of room for you and your colleagues to do experiments with a Tau Cannon or some hand grenades.
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ROCKET FRENZY
The creaking weight of this decaying orbital satellite launch facility somehow feels familiar… If we could switch on the oxygen lines, power, and fuel, we might just be able to light this candle.
UPDATED GRAPHICS SETTINGS
Play the game the way it looked in 1998, but on a modern monitor.
Widescreen field of view!
Option to disable texture smoothing on the GL renderer!
Lighting fixes including the long-lost GL Overbright support!
Software rendering on Linux! Crisp colors, animated water, and unfiltered textures!
CONTROLLER AND STEAM NETWORKING SUPPORT
A proper gamepad config out of the box!
Added support for Steam Networking! Invite your friends or join games instantly with no fuss.
STEAM DECK SUPPORT!
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We finally put our game through our own “Verified” tests, and... we failed super hard. So we fixed it! After re-testing the game, Half-Life gets to officially wear the green checkmark.
Now you can play Half-Life on the best handheld gaming computer in the world in glorious 800p with improved controls and UI.
UI SCALING SUPPORT FOR HIGHER RESOLUTIONS
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The entire UI has been reworked to scale at larger screen sizes. We built most of this stuff for 640x480 CRTs and apparently some of you have upgraded since then.
RESTORED CONTENT
We brought back the classic Valve logo video with its iconic music and reskinned the menu to match the 1998 build.
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IVAN THE SPACE BIKER AND PROTO-BARNEY
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After all this time we finally shipped the original heroes from the alpha builds of Half-Life, available as multiplayer skins!
AS WELL AS THESE RARELY-SEEN EXTRAS!
In 1999, Valve released a CD called Half-Life: Further Data at retail stores, and we're finally including much of that content.
THREE MULTIPLAYER MAPS
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Double Cross
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Rust Mill
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Xen DM
TWO MP PLAYER MODELS
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The Half-Life: Further Data CD also included some multiplayer skins made by the original team; we've brought back this incredible skeleton (now with tintable eyes!) and fan-favorite Too Much Coffee Man.
DOZENS OF SPRAYS
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While playing a bunch of multiplayer matches we kept wanting more sprays... So we grabbed several megabytes of them from the Further Data release!
BUG FIXES AND CHANGE NOTES
New Content
Now Verified on the Steam Deck (and our native Linux runtime has been set as the default).
Half-Life: Uplink — the original standalone Half-Life demo — has been added to the game, and is accessible through the "New Game" menu.
Added four all-new Half-Life Deathmatch maps: contamination, pool_party, disposal, and rocket_frenzy
Added three old Half-Life Deathmatch maps formerly available only on the "Half-Life: Further Data" CD: doublecross, rust_mill, xen_dm.
Added Ivan the Space Biker, Prototype Barney, Skeleton, and Too Much Coffee Man as player models to Half-Life Deathmatch.
Added dozens of new sprays formerly available only on the "Half-Life: Further Data" CD.
Added support for Steam Networking, allowing easy multiplayer via Steam's Join Game and Invite features.
Added support for Steam Friends Rich Presence, allowing your friends to follow your journey through Black Mesa.
Nostalgia
Brought back the original Valve Intro video. Can be skipped with the "-novid" launch command.
Updated main menu to a design inspired by the game's original 1998 main menu.
Changed the default models to the original (non "HD") models.
Gameplay Changes
Improved physics for throwing grenades.
Improved randomness for initial spawn points in multiplayer.
Improved satchel charge controls: primary fire now always throws a new satchel, and secondary fire always detonates.
Fixed push-able entity movement being based on framerate.
Fixed players with high framerates freezing in place on death in multiplayer.
Fixed some cases where the player could get stuck in place on level transitions.
Fixed some cases where characters would interrupt important dialogue with their "greetings" dialogue.
Fixed weapon view-bob angles.
Fixed red barrels at the start of Surface Tension not launching as intended.
Fixed Snarks attacking FL_WORLDBRUSH entities (such as func_walls).
Fixed players sometimes failing to deploy a snark while crouching and looking down.
Fixed certain convars ("pausable" and "sv_maxspeed") being set to incorrect values when entering a singleplayer game after a multiplayer game.
Fixed singleplayer auto-aim setting being changed when entering a multiplayer game that disallows auto-aim.
Fixed the flashlight HUD showing empty after loading a savegame.
Fixed rockets in CONTENTS_SKY not always detonating.
Fixed incorrect bullet impact sounds for NPCs.
Fixed gauss gun making a loud static noise if it was charged across level transitions.
Fixed a crash in mods that display keybinds in their UI.
Fixed singleplayer weapons not auto-switching away when exhausted (grenades / snarks / satchels / etc)
Fixed interpolation artifacts when animated models are moved by other entities.
Fixed some buffer overflow exploits.
UI Changes
Main-menu background and buttons have been reskinned, and now scale based upon screen resolution without stretching, supporting background image layouts up to 3840x1600.
In-Game HUD now uses double or triple sized sprites when playing at higher resolutions.
UI dialogs and in-game fonts now scale to improve readability at high screen resolutions.
In-Game HUD HEV suit display has been shifted to the left of the screen, and no longer changes position at larger screen resolutions.
Added an "Enable texture filtering" setting.
Added an "Allow widescreen Field of View" setting to correct non-anamorphic FOVs, for widescreen and ultrawide displays.
Re-organized all the Settings screens to improve legibility, and support controller navigation.
Updated the Pause menu to be aware of the current gameplay mode.
The default server name and multiplayer player name are now based on the player's Steam Persona.
The Steam platform menu has been removed, now that all its features are in Steam itself.
Fixed application icon rendering incorrectly when using the software renderer.
Fixed player and spray images not updating their coloring on the settings screen.
Removed the now very unnecessary "Low video quality. Helps with slower video cards." setting.
Input Changes
Improved support for keyboard and controller navigation everywhere.
Added "Lower Input Latency" option: Synchronizes the CPU and GPU to reduce the time between input and display output.
Fixed issues that caused jerky mouse / joystick input.
(We basically rewrote it all - if you've got a custom Steam Input controller configuration, you should rebuild it from our newly published Official Configuration).
Multiplayer Balancing
Increased the 357 damage from 40 → 50.
Hive Hand reload time has been reduced from 0.5s → 0.3s per shot, and it will be selected at higher priority than the pistol on pickup.
MP5 now always starts it with full ammo when picked up.
Players no longer drop empty weapons, and any that are dropped are reloaded by what's in the dying player's backpack.
Improved client-side prediction to reduce "ghost shots". Like Counter-Strike, consider hitboxes and not just bounding boxes for hits on the client.
Fixed network predicted crowbar swing damage being incorrect.
Rendering
Added supported for UI Sprites and Texture files larger than 256x256.
Added support for UI Font special render modes: "blur" and "additive".
Added setting to turn off texture filtering when using the OpenGL renderer.
Default resolution is now based on the resolution of the desktop, instead of a 640x480 window.
Default gamma has been decreased from 2.5 → 2.2, now that we aren't all playing on CRTs.
Software renderer will now correctly filter out incompatible resolutions, unless there is only 1 resolution available on the display.
Restored OpenGL overbright support.
Fixed fullscreen software renderer crashing on systems that don't support 16-bit color.
Fixed software renderer being stretched when using widescreen resolutions.
Fixed skyboxes and sky color incorrectly carrying over when transitioning maps in multiplayer.
Fixed the game appearing too dark after modifying video settings.
Fixed MSAA in windowed mode.
Fixed mipmap rendering on studio models.
Fixed gluon gun sprite rendering in multiplayer.
Fixed gluon gun sinusoidal noise being incorrect.
Various optimizations to support the newly increased engine limits.
OpenGL optimizations for the Steam Deck.
Engine Improvements for Mod Makers
Increased maximum limit of dynamic sound channels from 8 → 32.
Increased maximum limit of sentences in the sentences.txt file from 1536 → 2048.
Increased maximum number of entities (MAX_EDICTS) from 900 → 1200.
Increased MAX_PACKET_ENTITIES increased from 256 → 1024.
Increased MAX_GLTEXTURES from 4800 → 10000.
Increased software renderer geometry limits: max spans 3000 → 6000, max surfaces 2000 → 4000, and max edges 7200 → 14400.
Cycler and func_button entities can now be the entity target for scripted_sentence entities, and are allowed to speak in multiplayer.
Incorporated func_vehicle entity support from Counter-Strike, for mod-makers to use. Full SDK update will come later, but level designers can use it now.
Native Linux Build
Added support for the software renderer.
Improved font rendering.
Many stability and behavior fixes.
Other
Localization files updated.
Miscellaneous security fixes.
Notes
The previous version of the game has been archived to a publicly visible Beta branch named "steam_legacy", with the description "Pre-25th Anniversary Build." If a mod or feature is behaving in an unexpected way, you may need to run this archived build until the issue is resolved in the default build.
We now consider this anniversary version of Half Life to be the definitive version, and the one we'll continue to support going forward. Therefore, we'll be reducing the visibility of Half Life: Source on the Steam Store. We know Half-Life: Source's assets are still being used by the Source engine community, so it'll remain available, but we'll be encouraging new Half-Life players to play this version instead.
WALLPAPERS
Celebrate 25 years of Half-life by decorating your desktop and mobile phone.
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