#unless you make money your work is a hobby and mostly a waste of time

[withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus]

If anyone wants a good depiction of what depression does to your head and their own experience isn't enough for them, picture this:

My mom mentioned she heard of a job at a Dinosaur exhibition building, whatever those are called and you are supposed to recite 10 lines to everyone coming in. They are currently looking for someone who also speaks German cause many German tourists visit it and so far they had only English speakers, so she was basically saying that to my sister. I didn't hear what the job was, at first, but the idea of working at such place sounded fun so I joked like "Can I go?" and my mother instantly went "Do you want to? *^*" and I was like naah, I'm just playing and then both of them starting saying how easy it is and that I could memorize 10 German sentences for the job I don't need to speak the language etc. And I was like yeah so I wake up every morning, take the bus, go to work, recite 10 sentences per person and come back home. Fun. And if some German tourist wishes to ask me sth as they get in I answer "I'm sorry I don't really speak the language that was rehearsed.". And they said that's 1200 euros a month and that they'd both go and then my sister says well if I was as pressed to leave this place as you always say you are, I'd do anything thrown at me, but if one wants to find an excuse for everything they will find an excuse for everything. After that, let me tell you, I didn't want to go work there even to try, out of spite.

[bisluthq]

No, because it's so weird he can't even post his little silly photodump without causing a commotion among swifties, who say he's so irrelevant yet act like they have his notifs on and take screenshots of what he posts. His name ended up on the trends thing on Twitter 💀 I actually saw someone posting a screenshot of a gc she's in where they were mocking him for the golf clip. I mean????

But I saw something even more ridiculous to me because it's highkey coming from a place of privilege and entitlement. I saw a tweet (and it wasn't one of those with 10 likes and no comments. There actually were hundreds of likes and people on the comments joining the op on their mockery), where this person was laughing at Joe because of the phone he took a photo with.

And you might be thinking what's the fun about that? Well op thought it was fun that she has a more recent phone model than him, so she was like even I have a better phone that's how poor he is. And people in the comments were commenting the phones they have aswell and laughing about how his phone is an old model cause Taylor must have given it to him and hahahaha even I bought a better phone and he didn't.

Like can y'all stop to ponder the absurdity of it all? According to them his phone is a 11 whatever idk much about or care about phones myself, and you are bragging cause you have a 12, 14 etc? And you are calling someone poor and equating someone's value over the phone they have? Like jesus that's the kind of bullying kids do it in schools, you are grown adults and still have this kind of elitism? So Joe seems to have a perfectly working phone and he's in the wrong for not wasting his money on a better model, because people on the internet think that's what you should do even if you don't need it? You are the dumb ones if you keep giving money to millionaire companies, just so you fit in or whatever

but I’ve said many times swifties’ attitude to money baffles the fuck out of me. That’s not even high school bullying - that’s like straight up middle school bullying. Fwiw my partner and I both have the 11 too (weird coincidence but yea neither of us has upgraded). He’s super techy but like there’s nothing he needs a newer phone for tbh because he wouldn’t be able to work off even a 14 Max Pro or w/e (he has an iMac and a desktop PC and he has like a very new iPad that he can do some stuff off of when we travel but also mostly because he needed a new iPad lol because his was really fuck old so then idk he bought himself a new one). Unless you’re working off your phone/an influencer there is no reason to get a new phone. It can do pretty much all the same things, the 14’s camera is just a lot better. But like Joe doesn’t need to use his phone for work and even for his very hobby photography seems to prefer his film ones so like?? Why must he upgrade?? And I’m not saying if you did upgrade even though you don’t need it because idk your shiny new phone makes you happy that’s bad or shallow because silly little materialistic things are allowed to make us happy tbh. What I’m saying is it’s VERY middle school to bully someone for having a perfectly adequate thing just because you’ve got a newer or more expensive thing?? Now ALSO because Joe isn’t actually in any way poor like if he had let’s say a Galaxy A13 I’d have a chuckle about it and be like “mate buy a new phone come the fuck on” because like… the Galaxy A13 can’t even support Google Pay right and a functioning person with a decent job in this here year 2024 should be able to pay with their phone places (this is actually not a fictional example lol a friend of mine who can absolutely afford a new phone has an A13 and I laugh at her about it because there are legit so many things it cannot do but she’s very paranoid and technophobic so like the Google Pay thing for example she’s all like “yes but what happens if your phone gets stolen then all your money can be stolen” and I’m always like “not… really?” and idk her and I went to a bar the one time and she hadn’t brought her card because she’s also parry about THAT when she drinks which actually I do understand because that I’m also careful about because like losing your card can really be a nightmare seeing as how you then need a new card and all the saved card details everywhere disappear and you no longer have Apple/Google Pay etc etc etc so yes that would highkey suck and is why I just use my phone instead and have my cards at home and anyway the bar turned out to be cashless so I had to pay the whole tab - with my phone like a NORMAL FUCKING PERSON - and she did give the cash right away but still that’s like dysfunctional af lol babe JUST BUY A NEW FUCKING PHONE!!!! YOU HAVE A GOOD JOB!!!! YOU CAN AFFORD IT!!!!!!) anyway that was a sidebar but yea if Joe legit had a crappy phone then I would possibly be like “come tf on dude get your shit together pretty much anyone with a normal income can afford a better thing than that and your thing is objectively useless” but he has a perfectly adequate thing??? So what’s the conversation even about?????? PS if you legit can’t afford a nice phone that’s also not something to mock. But my friend can absolutely afford a phone that supports Google Pay/Apple Pay and she’s being weird about it so I’m allowed to mock it. Also she’s actually super into like photography for fun and I’ve tried to explain the camera on her phone is also like very shitty and it’d be better with a new phone but she steadfastly refuses and uses a digital camera instead mostly which idk man idk like I’d get it if it were film but it’s a random ass mid range digital camera and THAT she’ll take out with us like we live in fucking 2008 dudes and then she makes a whole song and dance the next day about “sending everyone the pics” exactly like it’s 2008 again. That shit’s weird. She’s a weird girl. Still nothing she does is as weird as Swifties get when talking about money tho.

[winter-soldier-vibes]

Hey darling ❤️ love your writing 3000 :) can u do one with Bucky x reader (they’re together) where he overhears the reader on the phone with her parents that are emotionally & verbally abusive towards her (they always have been) and the reader has to explain it all to him afterwards even tho she’s having a panic attack (bc she’s afraid bucky will leave her since she has no one else to go to ??) and bucky comforts her and reassures her that he’s gonna be there for her and like comfort fluff? I live in an emotionally abusive and manipulative household rn and I tell you your fics are like an escape for me. Even if u don’t do this thank you from the bottom of my heart :)

Hey there, I love you 3000 ❤ I am so so sorry to hear about your situation, and while I'm glad to hear that my writing is an escape for you, I want you to know that I'm here for you. No one should have to go through what you described. I hope that this can bring you some comfort but please, I encourage you to reach out to someone who can help you. My DM's are open as well, you shouldn't face this alone. I'm here for you!!!

You owe them nothing

Bucky Barnes x reader

Word Count: 3200 (ish)

Warnings: emotional abuse/gaslighting, manipulation, parent issues, tears, angst, breakdown, fluff.

---------

You really tried to keep it hidden. It wasn’t something that everyone needed to know about.

Your parents loved you, at least that’s what they had said. But it was one of those things where you felt like it was for show - the kindness that they showed when you were around others faded away once you were alone with them.

You remember once they had said “of course I love you, I’m your parent!”

But that made you wonder how they would treat you if you weren’t theirs.

They were horrible to you for as long as you could remember. Gaslighting you and making you feel like you owed them something even though they were the ones who should have taken care of you.

They were around but never…there. They would be there for family dinners but they were always riddled with criticisms of grades and who you were talking to and how you dressed. All of your hobbies were seen as a waste of time, something you should only do when you had nothing else to do. School came first, naturally, but there was always something they told you you had to do before you could do anything for yourself.

Yet when you would complain about being depressed, they told you to get a hobby because you never do anything.

Tired meant lazy, energetic and passionate meant loud and annoying. When you were quiet they thought you had nothing to say, yet when you expressed your opinions you were told to shut up.

You couldn’t win.

You could never make them happy, there was always something you were doing wrong.

They thought it was their right to monitor who you talked to and saw, what you did outside of school, what sports you could join. When you would say no to the school dances or parties you would make up an excuse about not wanting to go or having work to do. Your friends would call you a buzz kill. Little did they know you would give anything to go.

Whenever you would do something wrong (or anything, period,), your parents would yell at you. They would curse you out, make you cry, only to yell at you for crying like a little bitch.

The older you got, the worse it was.

You thought when you moved out it would be better. But you had all these years of being told you were worthless and having them be your providers. When you got your own place you didn’t really have any friends, nor did you really know how to make friends. You had a job to help you get by, you could support yourself. That wasn’t the issue. You could support yourself, you always had to.

It was that you were so lonely.

You wanted friends but you were so afraid of the criticism you would get. You were afraid to make yourself known, because you were always taught that being told what to do and taught what to think was much more appealing than having your opinion.

But this was an opinionated world.

You were good at what you did, so good that you had gotten a job at S.H.I.E.L.D. You thought that would make you happy, more importantly that it would make your parents happy, but no such luck.

“I got a really great job, guys.”

“Fantastic. I guess you’re just doing so great without us,” they had snapped.

“What? I mean… this is what you wanted right? For me to get a good job?” you had said, confused.

You heard a loud sigh on the other end of the line. “Of course we do, what are you crazy about? Of course we wanted you to get a good job but you just deserted us like we were trash. Have we done nothing for you?”

You felt your heart sink in your stomach. ‘Of course you guys have, I love -”

“Don’t say what you don’t mean. If you really cared about us you’d be helping us out. You got a great job and probably have a huge paycheck that you hoard and you left us here to struggle to make ends meet.”

You took the phone away from your face temporarily to take a shaky breath. Of course they would go there with the salary, why wouldn’t they? All of your paychecks had gone to them, since it was their house and they were feeding you, leaving you with barely enough money for your car and gas and phone bills, only for them to suggest longer hours when you complained.

“I can help you guys out if you need,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady.

You heard an exasperated sigh on the other line again. “You really should be more grateful, you know? We raised you your entire life and then you leave us alone? You never even call us? You’re so fucking selfish.”

Then the line went dead.

You shook your head and felt tears in your eyes as you spoke to yourself. “Well maybe I would call you if it didn’t always yell at me.”

Of course, you would never say that.

See, it wasn’t so bad. You never said anything because they were only ever mean to you, which would make you uncomfortable. There were people out there that would get hit or who would have to raise themselves from a young age. Once you grew thick skin it wasn’t so bad, you were just being dramatic.

Right?

Your new job was fairly successful, you were fantastic at what you did. You did a lot of behind the scenes work, weapon repair and plans of action with missions. Not that they needed much help with that. Still, they took you in as their friends.

Well, as close as you would let them get to as friends.

It took a while before you warmed up to them. Everyone tended to keep to themselves, but not as much as you. You kept the parts of you hidden away - you were there for a job, you did it, and you did it well. You knew how to do your job but interacting with the team, making friends - you didn’t want to get emotionally attached.

Not like you knew how to make friends to begin with.

Naturally you were drawn to the quieter side of the team, once you were able to open up. They were all nice but sometimes the parties and the jokes were a bit much. You just didn’t want to say or do the wrong thing that would make you the punchline.

No one needed to know about you, or how you would spend your free time being yelled at through a phone with you trying to make it better. That wasn’t part of the job, so you shouldn’t bring it up.

It wasn’t like anyone would want to help. You were just a nuisance to everyone around you.

Right?

No one talked about their life before the team much. Not many people on the team had a great life before the Avengers first came together. Natasha or Wanda had once spoken about how this team was a family. And as much as you wanted to believe it, you helped the team. You weren’t a part of the team. So even if that were true, it didn’t include you.

At least, that was your point of view.

The team viewed you as a part of the team as much as any of them. You didn’t fight with them but you made sure everything would go as smoothly. You were kind and great at what you did, but they wished you would open up more. Of course, being a team of people who had trouble opening up, they understood.

Bucky was one of the ones who took a liking to you, mostly because he saw a lot of himself in you. He could tell there was something that you were trying to get past but weren’t quite able to yet. That there was something bothering but you wouldn’t dare say it for fear of bothering someone. You threw yourself into projects and distractions and from the way you carried yourself, he guessed you were avoiding something that you weren’t ready to work through. At least, not yet.

He knew that feeling too well.

The ex-assassin was one of the easiest for you to open up to because he didn’t expect much from interactions. Both of you were quiet and kept to yourselves that there wasn’t much pressure to share anything or say anything. You knew his past but would never bring it up unless he wanted to. Which eventually, he did. You could tell he felt pressure to be who he was before HYDRA took him, and while Steve was surprised he opened up to you first, you weren’t. Steve knew Bucky before everything, and you didn’t have that bias. He was whoever he was today regardless of who he was yesterday.

And Bucky found comfort in that.

You think you would’ve too, if you thought you deserved it enough to do the same.

See, you were worried that you were making everything worse than it really was. You worried that maybe you were being too sensitive or that what you had grown up with was normal. With everything that everyone on the team went through, a few insults from your parents was hardly anything. You were being dramatic.

There was nothing to be sad or angry about. You just had to get over yourself.

Right?

You were getting by until one night when your parents called, as they did on occasion. You were in the middle of working, so you ignored it. The phone went to voicemail before it started ringing again, and you ignored it, again. The third time you sighed and picked up your phone, turning away from your work.

You took a deep breath before you answered. “Hello?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

You closed your eyes and brought a hand to rub your head. “Well I’m doing fine, thank you, how are you?”

“Don’t give me that attitude. What the fuck are you doing? You’ve been ignoring our calls.”

You stood up to pace the floor slightly, dreading the conversation that was coming. Is it the ‘family is most important’ or the ‘where’s my money?’ speech today? “I’ve been working.”

“What, so work is more important than family now? Is that what this is? You don’t care about us?”

Family speech it is.

“Dad -”

“What if one of us was dying? Huh? Would that be important?”

“Stop it. No one is dying, and I was working. And I have more work to do, so I really have to go.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, I’m your father.”

Gaining confidence you gritted your teeth and snapped, “You know what? I’m an adult now so you can’t tell me what to do.”

There was silence on the other end of the line and you could practically hear the steam coming out of your father’s ears.

At some point Bucky had come down to your working space to check on you, seeing as it was nearly morning. He stopped in the doorway, and seeing you were busy on the phone he thought he would stop by later to give you some privacy. But he stopped when he heard you snap.

You never snap.

“Who do you think you’re talking to you ungrateful little bitch?”

“I’m talking to the people who treated me like shit my entire life and ask me for money when you wouldn’t give me the time of day for 18 fucking years.”

Even you couldn’t believe the words coming out of your mouth. But god did it feel good to say them.

“Are you fucking serious right now? We did nothing for you? What do you think we’ve been doing your whole life? We’ve done everything we did to help you be the best person you could be. You have that job now because of us and you have no right to speak to me that way.”

You chuckled darkly as you looked up at the ceiling, unaware of Bucky’s presence behind you. “My entire life all I’ve ever wanted to do was make you guys proud of me. But you know what? I’m fucking done. You hated me, gaslighted me, and made me hate myself almost as much if not more than you seemed to hate me.”

“I did no such thing you ungrateful -”

“You were supposed to love me and care for me, and all you did was take advantage of me. I’m not your child, I’m a paycheck. I don’t owe you anything because you gave me nothing. So you know what? FUCK. YOU.”

You hung up the phone and tossed it across the room, adrenaline taking over your body as you tried to stop shaking. Because a small part of you felt bad.

But fuck did that feel amazing.

You heard a throat clear behind you and you turned around to see Bucky, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“You okay?”

You nodded nervously, rubbing the sides of your arms. “Yeah, I’m fine,” you said, unconvincingly. “How much, uh...how much did you -

“Enough,” he said, pushing himself off of the door frame as he crossed over to you. “Who was that?”

“Bucky, don’t, it’s really fine. I just got a little worked up.”

“Y/n,” he started, looking at you with concern. “Who were you talking to?”

“No one.”

“You don’t get upset like that at no one,” he took your hands in his. “Y/n, you're shaking.”

It was then that you realized your hands were still shaking, trying to keep the anxiety of what happened at bay.

It’s going to be so much worse now.

I can never talk to them again.

Is that a good thing? Didn’t I want that?

Bucky could sense you getting lost in your head. “Sweetheart, tell me what happened, please. I want to help you.”

You pulled your hands away from his and crossed your arms. “You can’t help me because there’s nothing wrong, okay? I handled it, it’s over. Done. nothing to worry about.”

“Y/n -”

“No really, there’s nothing you can do, okay?”

“Will you at least let me try?”

You looked at him, adrenaline starting to drain from your system. This was Bucky, your Bucky, who had never done anything but love and support you. He had never done anything to hurt you.

But what if he left you too?

You took in a sharp breath and curled in on yourself, a scared look on your face. Bucky crossed back over to you, seeing a scared look on your face.

“Hey, hey, y/n? Can you look at me?”

You brought your eyes up to meet his, feeling your chest constricting as you tried to keep your breathing even. It wasn’t working.

“I - I’m sorry, you shouldn’t… I’m fine really I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”

“Hey, it’s alright, it’s okay, you have nothing to apologize for,” he pulled you in for a hug and kissed the top of your head. “Let’s go sit down, okay?’

He led you over to your bed and you leaned forward, hands on your knees and head in your hands. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s happening, this - I’m sorry, it’s so stupid, I’m so stupid.”

Bucky rubbed a hand up and down your back, hushing you. “It’s not stupid. If it’s bothering you, it’s not stupid.” Bucky took a small breath. “Do you remember all of those times after nightmares and all those panic attacks you would walk me through? How I thought I was being stupid?”

“You weren’t being stupid”

“And neither are you.”

You took some more shaky breaths as tears kept falling down your face. “You’re okay. It’s alright, I’m right here.”

Bucky let you calm down, knowing you would talk about it if you wanted to. He wanted you to talk about it so he could help you (and hurt whoever upset you) but he wouldn’t force you into telling him anything you didn’t want to.

The two of you sat in the silence, Bucky looking at you with soft eyes as you kept your face hidden.

“I haven’t told you a goddamn thing about me. You ever wonder why?”

You looked over at Bucky, eyebrows creased with slight confusion.

“They said blood was supposed to be thicker than water. That family comes first, right? I spent my whole life listening to them and following them and being the perfect kid. I made myself into everything they wanted me to be. And it still wasn’t enough for them.”

Bucky tilted his head slightly. He hadn’t known his parents much before they died but he had always wanted to have more time. But he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that not everyone had good parents.

“You know, I remember thinking that once I made it they would be happy. That if I worked hard enough or went onto do great things that they would be proud of me. That’s all I ever wanted, you know?” you said, voice wavering as you let out a bitter laugh. “But it’s not, you know? Never is, never was, never will be. All they do is take and take and no matter how good I am they’re always gonna hate me because I can’t be perfect.”

“No one’s perfect, y/n.”

“Well that’s what they want me to be. I know I can’t be perfect so I know they’ll never be happy. That they’ll call me ungrateful and selfish for succeeding and for leaving them when they never wanted me to be there to begin with.” You felt tears spill over as you wiped them away. “And I’m ust so fucking done with being a disappointment to them and to everyone else.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“I don’t know,” you said softly, not really wanting to be more vulnerable.

Bucky, sensing this was a time he could push you, challenged you. “I think you do.”

You shook your head. “I didn’t want anyone to see me the way they did. I thought what they said wasn’t true but...I just thought that maybe I was overreacting. Other people have it worse you know - some people have no parents or some have it so much worse. Mine just yell at me you know? Tell me everything’s my fault and that they wish they’d never had me. That I’m ungrateful for not being with them and that I owe them. I just...I heard that for the first 18 years of my life. I didn’t need any more of it.”

“y/n, that’s…” he swallowed, trying to contain his anger. “That’s not normal. No one should have to go through that. You can’t possibly think you're a bad person.”

Your shrug was enough to tell him that you did.

“Y/n, I don’t know who your parents think they are but you don’t owe them a damn thing. You may be related to them but you have no obligation to love your parents if they treat you like that. You have every right to be angry or to hate them. It doesn’t make you a bad person to be angry with someone who hurt you.”

“But they’re my family.”

“Well they didn’t treat you like it. You have us now, you don’t need them anymore. We’re your family. And we’re not gonna leave you.”

“They didn’t leave me Bucky, I left them.”

“You can’t leave someone who was never there for you.”

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[winter-fox-queen]

Dragon’s Lair

Here’s a quick little Writer Wednesday thingy…I have not had time to write on the three things I desperately WANT to write on, but this popped out. It’s not great, but hopefully it will make someone happy.

SUMMARY: Frankie (single, no kid) is feeling out of sorts post the events of the movie, but doesn’t want to start replacing other addictions with drinking too much, so he looks for another hobby, where he meets you. You is written in the third person. No real description Save she is female and closer to Frankie’s age.

Food is mentioned. Video game type violence. Meet cute. Not even kissing…some light hand holding.

Thanks as always for #Writer Wednesday @autumnleaves1991-blog & @clydesducktape

Not bet’d

Frankie needed a new thing — the bar was dangerously becoming another addiction, he could watch sports at home — he needed something to make him go out.

Then he saw the flier for the Nostalgia Bot Arcade.  “Not just for kids!” The flier declared in oddly childlike comic sans.  But Wednesdays through Saturdays it was open for 21+ only.

So why not? He thought, as he showered and dressed.

Because I’m not a dumb ass kid anymore.  He answered, as he pulled into the mall parking lot.  The Nostaliga Bot was in what used to be the major department store for the mall.

You’re allowed to have fun.  He reminded himself, as he pulled open the door.  The mall was mostly quiet, but the Nostalgia Bot was bright and lit up.  He shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered through.

He bought a game card and put some money on it.  The guy at the counter smiled and Frankie smiled back, trying to make the voices in his head that told him he wasn’t allowed to be here, that he was a creepy old man shut up.

There were fought simulators.  He put his hand on the round ball of the joystick and looked at it with fondness and longing tinged with regret.  He let his hand fall away.  He watched a couple of kids play Mortal Kombat for a bit.  See, that’s how you know your old.  Mortal Kombat looks too violent to you.   He shook his head when they offered to let him play, and moved on.

He sat down on the shooting sim, Deer Hunter.  He had to play something — he’d put in the money.  He shrugged and put in his card and followed the instructions.  He scored high…didn’t miss a beat.  Typing his name in with the buttons…Fish…didn’t make him feel any sense of accomplishment or victory.  It just made him feel tired.

“This was a stupid idea.”  He pulled himself out of the sim.  He didn’t want to pass the Mortal Kombat kids, so he decided to complete the circuit.

There, in the back, was Dragon’s Lair.  Stupid, cheesy, hilarious Dragon’s Lair.  He grinned despite himself…he’d loved the cartoons as a kid.

Someone was already playing it.  She turned and gave him a cute smile.  She was wearing a black tee shirt with a kitsune that say Zero Fox Given and jeans.  She was closer to his age but she seemed…free.  Like she genuinely gave zero f’s.

“I used to see this game all the time at the pizza joint my dad would take us to,”. Frankie said without thinking.  “He never let me play, said all these games were a damned waste of money.”

“Well…nothing;s stop;ping you now, honey,” she said in a soft, gentle voice.  “Unless you don’t join me?”

He stepped up to the right set of controllers.  “Tell me what to do…”

She says her name, prompting Frankie to introduce himself.

“Let’s start from the beginning,” she says.  And the Dragon Lair screen and intro started.

They played for way too long.  They ran themselves out of money on their cards, and ended up going to the snack bar.

“I saw you when you first came in,” she says, then takes a sip out of her Coke float.  “I thought, he’s going to leave the second he can.”

He nods, playing with the label on his rootbeer, peeling at it.  “I felt stupid…I mean, I’m…in my 40’s.”  He blushes a little.  “I should know what to do with myself, by now.”

“Says who?  I don’t…I started a business based on the idea that people might — just might — like to lose themselves in pretty colored lights and nonsense graphics for a bit.”

He’s impressed.  “This place is yours?”

She nods.  Steals a French fry out of his basket.  “My sister and her girlfriend handle the food, I handle the games.  I fix them when they go bad, mess with the card machine when it stops working.  I have a whole bowling alley I got at auction for cheap, and I’m trying to get it installed, but…”

“A whole…bowling alley?”

“Well.  You know.  The lanes, the machine, the chairs and the scoring thingy.  I can do the software set up, but the making the bowling machine work is sort of out of my league.”

He pauses.  “Was that a pun?”

She kicks him lightly.  “What?  And I supposed to leave the puns to the 40-something DILF’s I meet?”

He blushes again, then looks at her, right in the eyes.  “I’m not a dilf.”

She grins back.  “Good to know.”

He clears his throat.  “I’m good with mechanics.  And building things.  We find a manual…I can make it work.”

“Really?”

He nods.

“I’ll pay you.  And feed you.  And, like, give you all the cards for the machines you want.”

“We’ll see.”  He finds that he’s really enjoying the idea.  His day job was boring — it wasn’t flying.  He liked the idea of solving the puzzle, making something work again.

She takes his hand…more, rather, wraps her fingers around his thumb…and pulls him towards the back.  “Let me show you what I have.  You can totally back out…but the men’s department is towards the movie theater side?  And so the bowling alley has its own entrance, and…”

He followed her, grinning at her enthusiasm…and at his own, sudden, brilliant optimism.

[windvexer]

Hello I hope this ask isn't unwelcome, I have been interested in the things you talk about recently but every time I try to get into practical stuff my research says that I must obtain materials that I myself cannot get. What would you recommend I do and what approach can I take that would require more commonly found things? Also where would you recommend I get my information from?

Im sorry I realize these are multiple questions,,, feel free to ignore :)

Hello!

I looked on your blog for pictures of a cat whom I assumed was named Pebbles, yet I found none. I hope you will remedy this at your earliest convenience.

You don't need to obtain much in the way of materials. I myself place great importance on the utilization of physical objects in practical spellwork, but many people do not. There are practices out there which are purely mental/astral/energy work, and do not use any physical tools at all. Looking into these practices may be beneficial to you.

Although I do place importance on physical objects, I don't do much in the way of tools, and if anyone's looking for opinions, I don't recommend beginners really start with tools at all.

Cauldrons, wands, stangs, athames (athemes?), little bells and mirrors, magic bowls, all that... you don't need 'em for any act of magic. I've rarely ever used any tool and mostly just wasted a lot of money on them. My most used tools are fire-safe bowls and plates I use to give offerings and hold candles. From what I've seen, getting real and powerful utility out of a spellcasting tool takes a lot of time and effort to build a relationship with that tool and learn how to use it. So unless it's something you're ready to focus on, I say skip it.

When it comes to spell ingredients, your spice cabinet has everything you need. I use tea lights and incense from big-box stores, here you can get 100 tea lights for about $5 last time I checked. I also like to use my hobby materials for spellwork. For example, using clay to make spell vessels or using my yarn for knot magic. But you don't even need candles or incense, depending on what you're doing. Even when physical components are required you can get away with using very, very little stuff.

I really don't recommend going out to buy a ton of crystals or minerals, either.

It's hard for me to give specific recommendations since I'm not sure what you're interested in or what sources you're looking at so far. But as an example, I cast a spell last week which was just my intent and spiritual symbols written on a piece of paper. I folded the paper up and tied it with some string I had around. Then I prayed over it, asked it to be blessed, and left it on my altar. I burned a stick of incense to help empower the spell, which I didn't really need to do, but I like burning stuff.

And it manifested beautifully a couple hours after I put it down and walked away.

Remember that a lot of modern witchcraft is still heavily influenced by the highly ceremonial roots of Wicca. There are some Non-Wiccan witchcraft books that really sit you down and tell you to gather 7 sacred objects and buy 5 expensive resins to prep a magical ink to initiate your "witch tools" just so you can even begin practicing.

Bah to all that, I say. What you have on hand will nearly always suffice.

[novachela]

The Signs as People I Know

Aries: Absolutely wild. Never slow down. Do you ever sleep? They don’t think in their head, they think out loud. Calm down.

Taurus: Literally always tired. If you ask if they want food, the answer is always yes. Will not share unless they love you. Needs attention but hates it. Hobbies include movies and weed. Me.

Gemini: The bane of my existence and somehow also the loml. Absolute drama queen. Thrives on toxicity while simultaneously complaining about how their life is shitty. Will agree with you to your face and then turn around and do the exact opposite. Ghosts you for months and then gets confused when you think they’re ignoring you.

Cancer: Loves a good cry. Will watch sappy movies with you. Ghosts you for their ex after telling you how toxic they were. P much always high. Needs therapy. Gets drunk and subsequently arrested for peeing on shoes in Walmart.

Leo: Literally never shuts up. If they aren’t talking about themselves, they’re spouting actual gibberish. Obsessed with fast cars and money. Anger issues. They can be super sweet but mostly they’re just crazy. Has had an MGK ‘Wild Boy’ phase. 

Virgo: Quiet as hell. Only talks when they have something important to say. Hard to get to know. Workaholics but not bc they want to be. Probably has a dog.

Libra: Damaged, but aesthetically. Needs therapy but fully functional so no one believes them. Effortlessly beautiful. Desperately wants to make the world a better place but dragged down by reality. Straight A student, probably teacher’s pet. Can’t catch a break. 

Scorpio: Probably a witch. Definitely into some spooky shit. Will say “I know a place.” and then take you to a cemetery and pull out a Ouija board. Magnetic personality. Seriously Scorpios are so much fun. “it’s not a phase mom!” and then it really wasn’t. Vengeful. Do not cheat on this person or they will drive out into the country to your house and pour honey in and around your mailbox so it gets swarmed with ants.

Sagittarius: Never wanted kids, just wants to travel. More self absorbed than they’ll admit. One of the funniest people you’ll ever meet and then turns around and says something really fucked up and sobering so the whole mood of the room changes. Down for a road trip at a moment’s notice. Will say “I know a place.” and then take you to the most drop dead gorgeous waterfall you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Please be friends with a Sagittarius.

Capricorn: Workaholic but they like it. Has to have something to do or they feel worthless. Nihilist. Insanely diverse playlist. Works hard, plays hard. Drugs make things make sense. Takes everything seriously and doesn’t know how to enjoy relaxing but really really really wants to relax. Loves video games.

Aquarius: This sign is goofy as shit. Every Aquarius I know is really tall and has broad shoulders. This is the plug, always has access to the best shit and a wide variety of it. Can down a L of Henney and not even blink. Looks flawless. Will roll up with a blunt and just chill, never asks you to match. One of the kindest, most compassionate souls. Will walk 12 miles to your wedding. (The other one is a racist and we don’t talk about that one. Fuck that guy.)

Pisces: Dreamy, musician type. Has a pool in their backyard. Just buys another ashtray when the one they were using is full. Clean your freaking room dudes. Questionable conception. Ya mom was a freak. Chronic meditation. Just wants to fall in love. Needs frequent reassurance that they aren’t a waste of space.Generous, warm, fun people to chill with. I am very attached to my Pisces’. Time/distance does not diminish my (platonic) love for you, even if we have nothing to talk about anymore, I will throw hands for you in a second.

[antoine-roquentin]

These pixels of joy may not seem like much to the average person: According to a 2015 Pew Research survey, a quarter of all adults regard most video games as a waste of time. But for Guyton, gaming is a hobby like any other — an activity that values a momentary feeling of immersion above other forms of success. And despite living on the margins, Guyton remains eager to spend what little coin he has, sometimes waiting in long lines for a piece of the latest digital adventure. There’s no shame, he says, in “wasting time” seeking fun in gigabytes of alternative realities. For him, gaming is as priceless as peace.

It’s no accident that a greater percentage of lower income people consider themselves “gamers” (the same Pew survey found that across income groups, although those making less than $30,000 a year were the least likely to report they played games, with only 46 percent saying so, low-income respondents were still the most likely to actually describe themselves as “gamers”). Chris Arnade, a photographer and author of the recent book Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America, explains that gaming is “one of the few virtual communities open to a lot of lower-income people.” Arnade, who’s spent “a lot of time basically sleeping in cheap motels when I was on the road or in my van,” tells me that while looking for a good WiFi connection, he often came across people from families with Section 8 housing vouchers in search of prime gaming real estate “with their old, beat-up PC.”

Through his lens, Arnade has been clued into a more intimate, nuanced view of the low-income gaming community than most. As such, much of the discourse around gaming pisses him off. “This whole language of, ‘Young men should be doing something better with their time,’” he says. “Like what?”

But even within the gaming community, Arnade has noticed a discrepancy between how people judge rich gamers versus poor ones. “You have rich kids who game, but that’s not what I usually see people making fun of,” says Arnade, who believes that this sort of antagonism comes from the “idea that poor people shouldn’t be allowed to have fun.” “We celebrate consumption because our society is built on consumption,” he argues. “Yet when poor people consume, it seems ugly and crass.”

Pathetic and depressing sight. pic.twitter.com/GoeVrvV5kx

— Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) November 27, 2020

He uses the example of the way people look with disgust toward those who line up to get deals at GameStop on Black Friday because they don’t have a lot of money. “With something like the PS5, when there’s a new game launch or a new console launch, wealthy families like me, we pre-order well ahead of time and put a deposit down and put it on credit and that’s not really hard,” he says. “A lot of people can’t do that. I mean, they don’t even know they can do that. They don’t have the money to do that. They don’t have the cultural capital to know that you should do that.”...

According to K’ryzt (the online moniker of another gamer currently living in low-income housing), because gaming helps people create relationships with people outside of their own cultural bubble, “having affordable prices for consoles and gaming PCs is so important.” “Nowadays, voice chat is almost required in some respects for competitive games, from FPS [first person shooter] to raiding in MMOs [massively multiplayer online games],” he tells me. “When consoles are too expensive, they have a pretty steep barrier to entry for people who can’t afford them — and when the peripherals became more and more of a necessity to play games successfully, it’s important to make sure they’re priced in a way that it isn’t just gouging.”

Growing up, K’ryzt’s family was, he says, “fairly poor,” so he never had the next generation gaming system “until it was in its second-gen iteration.” “I got a PlayStation relatively shortly before the PS2 came out,” he says. His Gameboy Color was a hand-me-down from his then-church. “I worked summer jobs for my first PC, which wasn’t even a gaming PC — just some old stock Walmart Gateway [computer],” K’ryzt adds.

Echoing Arnade’s earlier point, K’ryzt tells me that what he’s found in gaming that he believes exists in few other places, is a level playing field. “Even in the case of pay-to-win loot boxes, you mostly have situations where skill trumps all,” he says. “So when you’re behind a computer screen and you’re playing a game with people from all over the world, they don’t know your economic or social status, what race or gender or orientation you are, or if you have a disability.”

In that way, K’ryzt says, gaming gives low-income people an opportunity to be on equal footing with their peers in a way that often isn’t true in real life. “When I log in to play Final Fantasy XIV, I’m a Male Miqo’te White Mage,” he says. “All that matters to the people around me is, ‘Does he heal well?’ And unless I reveal how I’m somehow different to them, I’m just another Warrior of Light.”

It helps, too, that apart from a few hundred dollars in start-up costs — which is steep, but can, according to Guyton, be “built up over time” — the thing about gaming is that unlike most real-world communities, be they professional or social, there isn’t an impenetrable barrier to entry. “Once you’re in, you’re in,” says Arnade. And though the language of gamers has long been the subject of controversy, in Guyton’s circle, it’s just “kind of bull-crapping around” and “just being weird to each other.” For him, that means sometimes doing “funny dances in the game and just acting out of context.”

“People seek status in different ways,” says Arnade. “[Low-income gamers] are never going to obtain status signifiers that rich people want, like a house,” he says. “That’s just too distant.” Instead, Arnade tells me, you seek the status you can obtain. And getting a new PS5 or, in Guyton’s case, a copy of Cyberpunk 2077 — which Guyton’s heard is “going to be really good” — is a piece of status that feels realistically within reach.

[demonfox38]

Completed - Baba is You

I can't believe this is the first game I've perfected on Steam.

Like, I don't like achievement systems in video games, okay? I prefer to set my own goals. Sure, there are some achievements that are interesting, like learning to use a certain mechanic in a cool or efficient manner, visiting hidden rooms, or even running around with nothing but my character's default busted sword just to prove a point. Mostly, I just want to finish them. I don't go jumping through flaming hoops because I want people to think I'm cool. I'm from Iowa. I'm critically uncool by design.

If a game is good, I will put in the extra work. Like, getting 100% souls in "Castlevania: Aria of Souls" and 200.6% map completion in "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" is now just routine for me. With "Baba is You"? Well, circumstances are just a teeny bit different.

"Baba is You" is a puzzle game from independent developer Arvi Teikari. Your primary goal in the game is to create statements out of nouns, verbs, and conditions and use those generated rules to complete levels. It's basically catnip to programmers. These puzzles are packaged in cute, scribbly animations and gentle music. Ultimately, its soft presentation is the figurative sheep's clothing under which the wolf of this game lives, dragging its players through increasingly more complex situations, sitting there, laughing, its whole world wiggling in its adolescent mockery of you and your sluggish brain.

You're not always even Baba. I know. The absolute betrayal.

I originally saw this game being streamed back in 2019. A frustrating feeling overtook me as I watched the player work through the puzzles. I could feel myself solving them before she could, and it was making me itch. I didn't want to have any more spoiled without giving it a shot myself, so I purchased the game, put in a few hours, and then dropped it for two years. Hell, the major reason I came back to it was that I was babysitting my mom's very needy poodle, and I was more or less trapped on the couch with her during her entire stay. Had to do something. So, I decided this was it.

"Baba is You" really is the ultimate "Yeah, I'll get back to this" game. You know what I mean? There's always a handful of games that you make a little headway into, and then you think, "Yeah, I'll get back to this" and then drop it. I try not to be this way. Video games are expensive, and I want to get as much value as I can out of them. But man, does this game get overwhelming.

I mean, the TAS for a 100% run is currently around an hour and forty-five minutes. That's for 226 puzzles. That is a lot.

Granted, you don't have to finish every puzzle if you don't want to. The game can let you slide free with your first ending after completing only three subworlds on the main map. You know how many people get to that first ending? Like, we're talking maybe getting through 3 hours of gameplay or so. As of this posting, it's around 7.8% of all players on Steam. In comparison, here are first time ending numbers from other games I own on Steam:

"Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon" – 38% (Cleave the Moon)

"Trine" – 29.6% (Completed!)

"Dust: An Elysian Tale" – 23.9% (…And the Dust Settles)

"Fez" – 14.7% (Kill Screen)

"Psychonauts" – 13.2% (I Thought That Was Unbeatable!)

"Typing of the Dead" – 12.9% (Experimental Fiction)

"Final Fantasy VII" – 9.4% (End of Game)

That's right. From a percentage point of view, more players will put 80 hours into a 20+ year old RPG than 3 hours in this game. So, what's up with that?

At first, I wasn't struggling terribly with the game. I was making a pretty steady clip through it, stopping occasionally to check out the game's wiki. (BTW—view that on a laptop browser, not a mobile one. The background makes it hard to read some of the verbs and conditions.) My first tap-out in 2019 happened around the "Forest of Fall" block, when the game started introducing teleporting puzzles. My second brain-snap happened about 18 hours in the game when I accidentally created the phrase "Level is Key" in the puzzle "Fragile Existence," and then I realized that I could both create this level as Baba and had to create another level as a flag to win the overworld map.

And then there was a submap.

And another.

And another.

Holy crap, my brain was not ready for the mess that was Depths and Meta.

At one point, I stopped myself and reviewed why I was overcome with despair at my own stupidity. A part of it is yes, the game looks very cute, and the language used in the puzzles is very simple. So, when you don't get it, it's like saying you don't get "Sesame Street." And hey, maybe you wouldn't if it was in Mandarin and you only speak English. But, I did want to beat myself up for my sluggish responses and my growing feeling of helplessness. Why couldn't I beat the simple sheep game for babies? Was I really that stupid?

I think it helped to know what troubles I had my playthrough harder. This included:

Using text to push objects past barriers. (Yes, text exists in the world, and unless it's floating, you can use that text to move objects around. It's like hitting a car with a stop sign.)

Assuming attributes on an object that weren't actually assigned (i.e., assuming a door was locked or a wall would prevent me from moving through it, even if that wasn't the case.)

Manipulating text to double-layer nouns or break up commands by wedging an inactive/non-solid object in them. (See: Prison.)

Realizing that "you" doesn't always have to go to a certain destination. Sometimes, "you" just need to have something move over there or push something into where you want to go.

Remembering to use the "Wait" button to let moving objects finish their paths.

"Defeat" is a condition that applies only to "you", not objects in your possession. (They may instead be destroyed by "Sink").

Some rules need to be created and destroyed in the same turn.

Things that move on their own can be used to carry commands through obstacles.

Sometimes, you've just got to count your steps when you're taking an action and see if you can reduce them.

And granted, despite my stupidity, there were some puzzles that really clicked! I particularly enjoyed using the "Word" condition, as it allowed for me to treat both words and objects as a noun to make assignments. There were also times where I had to spell out the commands I wanted from letters left on the map. Fun! Natural! And hell, who doesn't enjoy a good block pushing puzzle, now and again? Super easy. Makes sense. Key is push, door is open. Of course!

Ass is Hot! Of course! (Wait, that wasn’t the solution...)

I tended to lock up more when the "Defeat" piece was on screen. I mean, you can always undo your mistakes, and there's no life limit or anything like that. But, hearing your player character go splat when you mess up is flinch-worthy. Additionally, I hated having to build complex paths for objects to follow. Like, screw the entirety of Adventurers. Also, learning what the "Lonely" condition meant felt very unnatural. It was hard to even tell why I was splatting until I read up on what it meant.

Interestingly, changing the language of the game only affects the menu's language, not the game itself. (I was wondering if adding a layer of comprehension to objects would stop me from auto-assigning properties to them or not. Makes sense that it's all in English, considering the "form objects from letters" puzzles.)

I felt bad when I finally gave up on putting effort into solving the puzzles on my own. I did. But, I was also 18 hours deep into my file in a single week, and I wanted to get back to my other hobbies. I felt that if I gave up on "Baba is You" again, I wouldn't finish it ever. And then, those 18 hours truly would be wasted. Also, I felt sick that only 7.8% of people had gotten to the first ending screen. The game isn't bad! It's hard, but not bad! I wanted to at least give it enough dignity to finish it off, even if I was more or less reading what I needed to build with one eyeball and building it with the other.

And hell. Given all of the version differences of this game and the amount of time that has passed since its release, it is a teeny bit YouTube proof. Not completely invulnerable, but I did catch a difference or two here and there. And it's not like the wiki's the clearest with what you need to do, even when they're telling you exactly what to do. You've got to mind your space with your words. At the very least, don't push anything aside or wreck it until you absolutely must.

I can't emphasize how much I felt bad about giving up. I mean, it's one thing to look at guides for other game types. You can get knowledge on how to beat a boss or level, but you've physically got to develop the skills needed to vault through that goal. With puzzle games, knowledge is 99% of what you need to accomplish your task. The rest is just putting in the solution as elegantly as possible.

92.2% of players didn't bother to do even that.

I won't pretend to say I know enough about puzzles to make an excellent puzzle game. However, I do think brevity would have helped this game. Like, think of puzzle games people like. "Tetris," right? Even a long game of "Tetris 64" lasts me a couple of hours at most. "Portal"? That's a handful of hours supported by plot and fun dialogue. So is the sequel. "Panel de Pon" / "Tetris Attack" / "Puyo Puyo"? Those are like "Street Fighter" arcade campaigns. Like, 15-20 minutes. To have a puzzle game go on for hours and hours without any character motivation or plot in sight? Yeah. That's going to burn a lot of people out.

Like, this game could have just the over world, a single hidden world, and then the Center portion, and that would have been more than enough. And then you know what could have been done with the rest of the puzzles? Put them in a new game! "Baba is More!" Bam! A second game, now with extra "Inception"-styled mind screws! Twice the money earned! (Yeah, okay. This plan might stink of capitalism.)

Making 226 puzzles is impressive. However, brevity is the soul of wit. Sometimes, design can be contradictory like that.

But, its achievements? Perfectly laid out. Truly finishing the game is likely to net you everything. I only had to put in a couple of hours after the true ending, and really, only fifteen minutes of that was solving the puzzles. The rest was just finding what I had missed. (I've heard rumors that "Baba is Baba" is bugged, but I think you just need to look up how to get the Level is Win solution in Meta figured out. The rest is elbow grease.)

I don't know if I can recommend this game. Again, having a case of the bad feels over that statement, especially since it seems like the developer has his heart in the right place. I'm hesitant to recommend this because when I was playing it, I had a migraine that lasted three days straight. Granted, there were possibly some external factors to why I had that. A fat polar vortex. Stress from work. Some hormonal influences. Not enough caffeine or water. Just generally living in the United States in the early 2020s. Plenty of things to crush my skull. I don't think it's in good taste to recommend something that will cause others physical pain. I mean, I'm used to games cracking my hands, but that's not exactly healthy behavior. I certainly wouldn't want to give someone an epileptic attack. Why would I want to drive a nail through their skulls, either?

I do think the game is solidly designed. It's a smart little cookie. But, it is unintentionally discouraging to get through, especially if you feel like you can't ask for help. Like getting a clue or an explanation is cheating.

Look. Try. Try hard. Be as honest and earnest as you can be. Just don't expect to do everything in your life alone, okay? I mean, there are times you've got to get an external perspective. I frequently had to crash after school with mathematics teachers and badger professors to explain topics outside of class. You think I was going to come up with how there are different kinds of infinities on my own? Hell no. I'm not creative in terms of mathematical proofs. But, I sure as hell can explain how different infinities work now! Even post-schooling, I still research topics, particularly when building or fixing things. I wouldn't have learned half of the things I've learned about maintaining game cartridges or building dollhouses without suggestions from professionals and enthusiasts. It's just part of life. You ask for help so you don't burn resources—especially something as valuable as time!

[portvalehq]

an artist at heart, you never even meant to find your way port vale, painted in shades of gray and duller than other places you’ve called home. yet a few years in, and you haven’t found the heart to leave. it calls to you, in a way, promising something beautiful under layers of stone and secrets. you see the vibrant colors beyond the rain, and want to bring a new life to this sleepy little village town.

EMILIA MIRABEL ACOSTA ● CORAL ● THE ARTIST

age & birthdate: 30 & June 26th 1991

birthplace: Cardenas, Cuba

length of time in port vale: 2.5 years

occupation: tattoo apprentice at anchored heart tattoos

faceclaim: Ana De Armas 

HISTORY

Growing up, Emilia had a knack for the arts, the kind of child that like to be stocked up on crayons and coloured pencils so she could spend her free time doodling. It was a hobby she enjoyed and honestly, she was good at it. However, as much as she enjoyed and excelled at art, her parents weren't too fond of her "wasting her time with silly drawings". She preferred seeing her focusing on her studies, having no problems vocalizing to her how they believed this talent of hers wouldn't get her anywhere. It was disheartening to know her parents didn't approve of her exploring a future with something she loved but fighting them on it would be met with threats of her finding her own way without their support. Had she not been so financially dependent on them, she would have stood up to them sooner.

Emilia went along, doing as she was told, working on art pieces whenever she had the chance. She worried her skills would fade away if she didn't continue to practice and that maybe that was what her parents were hoping for. When it was time for her to go to college, she knew she wouldn't be able to convince her parents to let her study art unless she wanted to pay for it herself. Some of her best marks were in science (mostly astronomy) so her parents decided for her that she would go to school for astrophysics.

It was difficult and far too much work and after a couple semesters, Emilia gave up. She stopped going to classes, worked part time as well as doing art commissions to make money before telling her parents she was done doing what they wanted her to do. Once she dropped out she started to focus even more on her art, trying to get noticed and make something of herself. She travelled around a lot, leaving when she felt she wasn't getting what she wanted. 

She almost gave up until she arrived in Port Vale. This was the place that felt right to her. Emilia never considered becoming a tattoo artist before arriving here but there was something about this place but she enjoyed it and felt no desire to leave.

PRESENT

Upon arriving to Port Vale, Emilia didn’t expect to stay for very long. Coming here was a last ditch effort, would she find what she was looking for here, or would she have to go crawling back to her family and admit that they were right all along? She stayed at the inn for a while, not wanting to commit to anything long term. She had to find street corners to set up and show off her art before she got noticed. The idea of working at a tattoo parlor was one that she instinctively wanted to turn down, her parents voices in her head reminding her how people with tattoos were hoodlums and delinquents and that wasn’t something she should be getting herself involved in. But her parents were no longer in control of her life, Emilia was, and the idea of someone walking around with her art inked into their skin was something she wanted to see.

The past two and a half years since she arrived flew by. She barely even noticed how long she had been staying at the Inn until after about a year she was reminded that she could get a place of her own instead of constantly asking to stay “one more month”. These days Emilia feels happier than she’s ever been, currently working on her apprenticeship and working hard on making custom art pieces for the parlor and its customers. She also offers her services in doing freelance photography for businesses that might want it for decoration or for promotions.

PERSONALITY

Emilia is the type of person who always does her best to look on the bright side of things. She is optimistic and has a tendency to see the good in people even if others can’t see it for themselves. When she was younger she was more reserved and kept to herself and her drawings but these days she has started to feel more comfortable with going around getting to know people, especially in a place like Port Vale. She is soft-spoken and kindhearted, perhaps to a fault, she trusts people too easily which could get her into a sticky situation if met with someone with bad intentions.

CONNECTIONS

OBSIDIAN: he is your trainer and inspiration. if it weren’t for him, and his shop, you may have blown through port vale without a second thought. your art caught his eye somehow, so you sit with ink & needles and listen to his guidance. the sadness he carries with him reminds you of port vale in general; the dull, dreary cloud that shrouds the beautiful oceanside town needs a little color, and so does he.

SEAWEED: they’re crazy; fully batshit, and you love it. you wish you could believe in merfolk with the same passion as they have, look out into the ocean and see a whole world beneath the surface, and let it consume your life. they see their fantasy world of mermaids as important as you see your art, so you get them, and they appreciate you for it.

SAPPHIRE: the two of you were fast friends. though your hearts are the same, you couldn’t be more different in every other aspect. they are flighty and anxious, where you love life and laughter. you want them to branch out, and the longer you spend with them, the stranger they seem; so you dig deeper, diving into the connection headfirst. when you become a star tattoo artist, you want your art to be displayed on her skin.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #414

“mirror, mirror, tell me who you see  /  am i you or me?  /  i can never remember”

How many people have you kissed? Four. Ever kissed someone you weren’t dating at the time? No. Of the people you’ve kissed, how many do you regret kissing? Two. Ever been kissed by a legal adult when you were a minor (or vise-versa)? Yeah, with Jason, but it was only a two-year difference. Ever kissed someone on a dare/as part of a game? No. Where’s the most public place you’ve ever made out with someone? Nowhere public. I wouldn't do that. Can you snowboard? Never tried. Have you ever made a mixed cd for someone? No. Do you use recycle bins at your house? Yes. Do you own more than one bathing suit? No. Have you ever kissed someone who smokes weed? Jason did occasionally with his best friend, but he stopped for me. How are you right this second? I'm all right. Last night was pretty rough, so I'm just glad that's over. My body is just tired. Is there anything you disliked about your last birthday? Honestly, I barely remember what I did on my last birthday. I just remember it was fine. Oh wait, actually, on the way home from going out to eat, we had to call the cops while behind a car whose driver was obviously drunk or high OFF. HIS. ASS. He was swerving like crazy and almost hit SO many cars. I was having an absolute panic attack. I pray to God that guy was more than just found and fined. Do you keep a diary or journal (offline or online)? No, unless you count surveys, I guess. What were you like a year ago? I was the unhappily the same. Is someone on your mind right now? Fucking always. Having a warm dream about him last night didn't help. Who was the last person you sat next to? My mom. What do you currently hear right now? My screen is split so I can watch John Wolfe play some indie horror games. What’s something you need to go shopping for? I need to get new bras baaaadly because I'm tired of none fitting properly. What’s the last thing you ate? I had a donut 'cuz Mom stopped at Dunkin' for coffee. Do/did you do good in school? I did up to college. Then I just... sucked. Do you always get along with your siblings? I mean I don't see/talk to them every day or anything, not even very regularly even, but we generally get along fine now as adults. We disagree about shit for sure, but keep our mouths shut. Or probably talk to Mom about it while I'm not present. I don't even think they like me half of the time. Are you frustrated with anything? So much. Why did you fall for the last person romantically? There were/are a lot of factors. Just she as a person is phenomenal. What’s your younger sibling’s name? Nicole. Can you speak in a different language conversationally; if so, which language? A tiny bit of German. Do you ever fear of falling asleep? With my nightmares, I used to dread it. Now, thankfully, my APAP mask has prevented them from happening, mostly; I've only had two in the month that I've had it, and I ordinarily had them every single night. Do you have an idea of what kind of profession you’d like to have? I do, but I honestly doubt I'm going to succeed in even making it a part-time job by this damn point. Which beach would you say is your favorite? I don't have a favorite. I don't even like the beach very much. What kind of cookie is your favorite? Chocolate chip. Have you ever had a churro? Yes. Too crunchy and ridiculously sweet, not a fan. Truth be told, are you more into looks or personalities the most? A good personality beats good looks any day. How is/was your chemistry class in high school? I actually didn't take chemistry; my graduating year, physical science was offered as the alternative, which I took. How does alcohol affect you? I get hot, and my face flushes badly. It'll make me more talkative. Have you ever tried lemon brownies? No, and I don't want to. I don't like lemon-flavored stuff like that. What was the last type of meat you ate? Beef. Have you taken any medication today? I have prescriptions I take every day. Have you ever watched Parks and Recreation? I've seen some of it at Sara's house. What is your favourite kind of pasta? Just spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs, really. I've been on a major chicken pesto kick lately, though. Have you set an alarm today? No. Think of a random person, and give them a message here, no names: Literally just the chance to say "I'm sorry" would be fucking amazing. Just two fucking words. What if there were two of you? Would the world be in trouble? No. That'd be a waste of space, though. Not like I'm contributing much to society. Would you prefer an ice cream sundae or an ice cream cone? I dunno man, it depends on my mood and what I want in the moment. Do you watch movies with the subtitles on? No; I find it to be distracting. Is the last person you kissed yours? I hate this saying. She's her own person that belongs to nobody but herself. But to just go along with it and answer the question, no, we're not together. Do you think you will be married by the time you are 25? Welp, I'm halfway through 25, so. Do you have siblings over the age of 21? All of my siblings are. Do you have a hard time admitting you’re wrong? No. Especially as I've aged, I'd say I'm pretty quick to accept if I've fucked up. Who has the ability to hurt you the most emotionally? Jason will probably always have that power, even if he's not in my life. Would you ever be a stripper? God no, nobody wants to see that. What are your plans for tomorrow? Just get through the day, man. Do you owe anybody money? No. How would your parents describe you? Reserved, shy, a deep thinker, animal lover, uhhhh... What is the most you have ever weighed? Let's not. Would you ever work at McDonald's? No. I'm never working in food service. If you aren't already, would you go vegetarian or vegan? I want to be a vegetarian and being a vegan would be perfectly ideal for me, but I really don't think I can healthily accomplish either. I am FAR too picky to where I'd almost definitely become malnourished. To make it even worse I absolutely cannot "suck it up" if I don't like a food, so it's not like I could choke down stuff I don't like. Not to mention I'd be pretty sad without any yummy food to look forward to, aha. Coolest person you've ever met? Uhhhh I don't know. Do you wear boxers? No. Girls, how old were you when you first learned how to put in a tampon? I don't remember. Would you ever attend a gay pride parade or festival? I would absolutely love to. Did you see Paranormal Activity 2? I think I've seen all of the movies. I liked them, given paranormal horror films are probably my fave. What would you do if an old man grabbed your ass? Kick him in the fucking balls so goddamn fast and probably slap him across the face at the same time. Probably cry later from feeling violated and having my fear of men aggravated. Do you like moustaches? It depends on the person, but I'd say I generally prefer an attached beard and a mustache versus JUST a mustache. Could you hack into someone's computer if you tried hard enough? No. I have no idea how to do that. Have you ever smoked a cigar? No. Do you go out on Black Friday? Hell no. NOT worth fighting people for deals. Do you have curtains in your bedroom? No; I have those blinds that you can close upwards or downwards. Did you like the Spice Girls when you were little? Yeah, I did. Can you sing the entire Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song? I think I can. Do you get heartburn? I'm literally on an antacid prescription, or else I get insane heartburn every day. Are you scared of elevators? To a moderate degree, yes. I'm terrified of it getting stuck. Have you ever seen a dead body in person? Yes, at an open-casket wake. Have you ever seen The Goonies? I have. If you're white, do you ever wish you were black? Or vice versa? I'm fine being Caucasian, but ultimately don't care. Do you bake cookies all the time around Christmas? I don't bake. Do you like your hair pulled? Uhhh... I'm assuming you mean this in a suggestive context, in which case no. Never pull my hair, actually. What kind of jeans do you like? Ripped skinny jeans. What do you think is overrated? Who really cares. Let people enjoy what they enjoy. And what are your goals for the remainder of this year? Lose lots of weight, find a job, get back into old hobbies and develop new ones... Name a city that starts with A in your state/province etc. Asheboro. Name a landmark that starts with M in your state/province etc. I'm blanking right now. When was the last time you gave a horse a carrot? Been years. I think I've only done that once, and I can't even remember where it was. Have you ever had to shovel snow? No. How many seasons is your favorite TV show in so far? MM was just revived for its fifth season! :') Where would you most like to go in your state, etc. that you haven’t been? NC actually has this really old Wizard of Oz theme park! It's on the other end of the state, though, and NC is one wiiiiiide state. What was the last bird you saw? A robin, I think. What color was the last thing you drank? Green. Has a wild animal ever been loose in your house? Besides insects, no. Well wait, scratch that, once or twice we had a small mice problem when we lived in the woods. What’s the name of the bookstores in your city? The only one I know off the top of my head is Books-a-Million. Where do your parents live? I live with my mom, and Dad lives in the same city as us. Have you ever seen or touched an iceberg? No, but that would be cool. What colour are your father’s eyes? Brown. If your ex turned up on your doorstep now, with nowhere else to go, would you let him/her stay? Well one, this isn't my house, so I can't make that decision. My mom being who she is though, she'd let pretty much anyone stay the night. If it was Sara, Mom would let her stay as long as she needed. The last time you cried, was it connected with someone of the opposite sex? Ugh, yes. My PTSD was BAD last night. Delicious warm brownies or a giant cookie? I'll take the brownie. Have you visited a haunted building or area before? No, but damn I'd love to. Have you been to North Carolina? Ayyyyeeeee that's my home.

[strawberry-lifts]

repost because it had too many notes

Adidas: Difficult to shoplift from. Cameras aren’t usually monitored, but staff are dedicated and can make a commission. They are usually inclined to try to stop theft. Tagging is frequent and efficient at Adidas stores.

Aeropostale: (going out of business) Cameras are few and far between. Cameras are never actively monitored, and most exist only to stop ORC/internal theft. Aero doesn’t chase and doesn’t prosecute. Their staff has little LP training and has no employees dedicated to LP. Staff usually don’t count dressing room items and don’t do much about even obvious lifting (other than calling mall security). Very easy.

Abercrombie & Fitch: Cameras aren’t actively monitored. Only LP is regular staff, but usually, only store managers call police or mall security. Staff sometimes counts fitting room items. A&F has a strict policy not to chase lifters, but they will call police or mall security. Often times they won’t press charges and will just ask for merchandise to be returned. Fairly easy.

American Eagle: Won’t chase, and cameras aren’t actively monitored. Staff usually count fitting room items, and fitting rooms are locked until you request one. They will prosecute if caught, but the only LP measures they take are calling police or mall security. Fairly easy.

Armani: Has a small staff-customer ratio, and lifting is almost impossible. Cameras are actively monitored, and staff follows customers around almost ubiquitously (just so they don’t have to search for a salesperson when they have a question or need help with something). Near impossible.

Banana Republic: Hardest of all the GAP Inc. stores. Has staff who is generally dedicated, and who will usually monitor cameras. Tagging is frequent so be careful and only conceal in dressing rooms. Will often chase, prosecute, and ban. They usually call police and mall security.

Barnes & Noble: Uses RFID tags on products over $40, all electronics, most manga, and most hardcover books. Cameras are not actively monitored but will be checked after a theft has occurred. Store managers are the only ones who have the authority to call the police. Store managers are the only staff who can trail shoplifters, but they will give aggressive customer service if they suspect you. They won’t chase you, and will simply call to you from the door and ask you to come back inside. If you refuse, they will try to get your license plate number. Gifts, journals, trinkets, moleskins, paper blanks and art supplies are never tagged. If you’re being followed, staff will back off every few minutes to allow you to dump the merchandise. Try to conceal in the kid’s section, as there are no cameras usually. Very easy store, but not for beginners.

Bath & Body Works: No LP and cameras aren’t actively monitored. The stores are small and have many employees mostly concentrated at the counters except for a greeter who helps customers with questions. They don’t prosecute, but they call mall security and will let them determine if police will be called. This is a store only good for small lifts, and then leaving quickly.

Bed, Bath, and Beyond: Stores vary. While cameras are usually monitored, and LP exists regionally, tall shelves and big displays make concealment much easier. Will chase, prosecute, and ban.

Best Buy: One of the most dangerous stores for a shoplifter. Has actively monitored PTZ cameras, and a stationary guard at all exits who monitors cameras and checks all receipts. They will call police immediately and will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Staff can follow you into the restroom. Almost impossible.

Bloomingdales: Actively monitored PTZ cameras. Staffed with a team of LP professionals, and most staff has basic LP training. They will chase, prosecute, fine, and ban. Quite hard.

Books-a-million: They have very good cameras, but they aren’t actively monitored, and they usually don’t record. Employees are few and far between, and at some locations, the door alarms are fake. Most books aren’t tagged, regardless of price. BAM usually has expensive autographed copies of books that can be resold at a larger profit. (This is my personal favorite store).

Burlington Coat Factory: Cameras are usually actively monitored. Won’t usually chase, but there are no specific policies. Will always call police, and will usually ban or ask you to leave even if you pass the POS with unpaid merchandise.

Carson’s: Cameras are actively monitored. LP rotate regionally, but have been cut back since the sale of Carson’s to the Proffitt Holding Group. Most stores outside of Illinois don’t tag many items, except for designer handbags and other items over a couple hundred bucks. Staff will call police even if someone is thought to be concealing merchandise. Fairly difficult.

Chanel: Staff is very dedicated and classy. One employee is always looking at cameras. While it is one of the easier designer stores, it is still extremely risky. Your best bet is a grab and run.

COACH: Same as Armani.

Costco: Receipt-checkers make theft hard. If they see you stealing they will call police and prosecute. As it is a membership-only store, they have all of your information in the central computer system. Don’t lift from Costco.

CVS: Cameras are usually non-actively monitored. LP rotates regionally, usually working two, 8-hour shifts per week at specific stores (especially when large thefts are discovered). CVS is usually bad a tagging merchandise that Corporate would want tagged. Regular staff won’t chase, but LP can confront you in store, but they will only try to get your license plate. Medium range difficulty.

Dick’s Sporting Goods: While they employee LP and actively monitor cameras in most locations, LP is poor and there are may easy blind spots to conceal in. Only security is concentrated near the firearms section (for “safety reasons”). LP usually won’t chase, but they sometimes break company policy. Police will almost always be called once a lifter leaves the store. Medium difficulty.

Dillard’s: Cameras are monitored actively, and a few LP are usually working. They don’t typically employ plainclothes AP/LP, but treat all customers as potential LP. Dillard’s will chase, ban, and prosecute. When a large lift is attempted, LP will not hesitate to physically detain lifters.

Dollar General: No LP, and staff is usually older. Strict no chase policies are in place, and cameras are not actively monitored. Easy.

Dollar Tree: Oftentimes, the cameras are fake. Few employees are usually in store. DT doesn’t want to waste money on security or LP because their products are cheap. Basically a free-for-all. Beginner-level store.

Family Dollar: Sometimes they don’t even have cameras. At most they will have four employees in the store, but they usually only have one or two. Extremely easy as long as you watch over your shoulders.

Five and Below: Among the easiest stores. Staff mostly remain at the counter unless they are stocking items. They will call police after a lifter has left the store. Cameras are few if any, and aren’t actively monitored. Five and Below only really cares about ORC and internal theft, but employs no LP. Staff don’t care to stop obvious lifters, and will usually just attempt to get a license plate number, or picture of them.

Finish Line/Footlocker: Both don’t monitor cameras except ones in the back (to prevent ORC). Staff won’t chase, but they will ban, prosecute, and try to get a license plate number or picture of the suspect. LP is regional, and is usually called in after thefts.

Food Lion: Generally an easy store. At matt locations, the check-out lanes “block” the exits which makes the possibility of being spotted greater. Cameras tend to be monitored (especially when big shipments are coming in). LP is nonexistent, and it is up to managers to stop you. Food Lion will ban, and sometimes prosecute. Police are almost always called.

Gamestop: Usually they only have one or two non monitored, non-recording cameras. Employee(s) will usually remain at the counter or on the sales floor, so theft or concealment is difficult. Higher end electronics are kept in locked cabinets. Efforts to lift from Gamestop are usually futile.

GAP: Easier than Banana Republic. Cameras are usually not monitored, but are well placed. Cashier desk is far from the main door. Door alarms are ubiquitous in use. LP situation unknown. Be cautious and don’t conceal on the floor unless the item is small.

GNC: Won’t chase. No LP. Doesn’t actively monitor cameras (cameras are very few). Regional managers are usually concerned with and tasked with tackling internal theft. Employees will at most try to get a license plate, and they may ban you if they see you conceal in store.

Gucci: Good LP and PTZ cameras. They won’t hesitate to tackle you and do anything to retrieve merchandise.

H&M: Frequently uses plainclothes in US stores. Cameras are sometimes actively monitored. LP at H&M is fairly good for a small store. Will usually call mall security if they think someone is stealing.

Hobby Lobby: Fairly easy, but still the hardest craft store. They do employ limited LP who will try to apprehend shoplifters once they pass the POS. Often they will ask for the merchandise back and just ban you. Police are called if any employee or customer is physically injured or if threats are made. In that case, they will prosecute.

Hollister: Cameras aren’t monitored, and there is no LP. Many stores have door alarms as a deterrent, because they are too far away to be seen or possibly heard at the cashier desk. Hollister will call mall security. They won’t chase, but they will ask for merchandise back or issue a Civil Demand, and they will ban permanently.

Home Depot: While they actively monitor cameras and employ LP, Home Depot LP is usually ineffective at stopping small theft because they have such a large store to cover, which has extremely expensive items spread throughout.

Hot Topic: Difficulty of HT stores varies wildly. Most don’t have cameras, but some have one near the front desk. In either case, the cameras aren’t monitored unless a robbery or major theft has occurred. There is no LP, but regional managers can be called in if a large theft has occurred. Staff shouldn’t chase you, but store managers have been known to break this policy in an attempt to get pictures or license plate numbers. They will usually call mall security, but not police. Staff usually follow and pester suspected lifters, and they will pretend to straighten displays new you. Their main technique is to offer you something that matches what they think you’ve concealed (this is to intimidate you into dumping the merchandise). Be careful.

Jo-Ann Fabrics: Very easy store. Many displays near the store entrance make it easy to conceal and leave quickly. There is no LP, but if they see you conceal, they will customer service you to death. Police might be called. Managers can try to call you back into the store, but won’t chase further than the sidewalk. Signs stating “Shoplifters will be prosecuted” are deterrents that make up for a lack of LP or security monitoring. Cameras around these signs are fake, and all Jo-Ann cameras have a blindspot within a 5 feet cone of the camera.

JC Penny: Lax LP as far as most department stores go. LP is employed and they actively monitor cameras. Plainclothes are used in high shrink stores.

King Super’s: Extremely good LP, who ESPECIALLY HEAVILY monitor the alcohol. Cameras are always actively monitored. KS LP will go to extreme lengths to apprehend lifters. Police are always called after concealment, or in the event of assault of a staff member.

K-Mart: Surprisingly decent LP who sometimes actively monitor cameras. Cameras don’t always record. They will always chase you, but won’t get physical unless you touch them or try to flee.

Kohl’s: Not too hard to lift from if you conceal in the dressing rooms and leave quickly. Plainclothes are common, and LP is good at making fitting room stops. Never try to return stolen goods to Kohl’s, because they try to flag the serial numbers of stolen merchandise. LP will enter the fitting room cubicle next to a suspected lifter, and will listen for any suspicious noises. Door alarms are very sensitive, so be careful. Company policy encourages LP not to make stops based ONLY on a door alarm being triggered. Issues large Civil Demands, and will report these to collection agencies. Kohl’s, however, cannot enforce a Civil Demand.

Kroger: Decent LP, who often pose as shelf stockers, and will trail people who conceal merchandise. Kroger tends to case-build on known lifters. Cameras are monitored most of the time, but are sometimes turned off around closing time.One of the harder grocery stores.

Lord and Taylor: Employees are encouraged to chase and are given incentives for preventing shoplifting. L&T usually will issue a large civil demand and f**k up your credit score in the process, but they will prosecute if it is an exceptionally large theft, or if people are hurt or threatened. Be cautious.

Lowes: Similar to Home Depot, but with less LP. Cameras are usually monitored, especially over the board cutting and cord cutting areas. This is to protect them from lawsuits if someone injures themselves.

Lush: Lush is usually busy which can be either a help or a hindrance to lifters. There are no tags or door alarms, and the front desk is often far ways from the door. There is usually one or two chasers and at least one employee giving demonstrations on the sales floor. I’m not sure about the camera situation, but I know if caught they will ban you, but won’t usually even try to get the products back because the bath bombs and such probably can’t be resold after having left the store. (information requested by /u/slkondak)

Macy’s: Quite hard. Often has large teams of LP in store ranging in size from two to as many as ten. Company policy demands that LP follow the 5 steps to make an apprehension. Cameras are fairly good, and are always being monitored. Head LP managers have access to store cameras even off duty, and will call police if alarms are triggered after closing time. Always chases (incentives are given to employees), and sometimes they prosecute, and sometimes they issue civil demands - no policy determines which they do.

Martin’s (closing): Not to hard. They have considerably less LP and general anti theft measures that Kroger. Cameras are almost always actively monitored because Martin’s has large management teams at every store.

Meijers: Will chase. Usually they won’t employ dedicated LP, but they will have someone monitoring cameras most of the time.

Mervyns: Dangerous store that will chase, ban, and prosecute. Cameras are always monitored.

Michael’s: Beginner level store. At more urban stores, expensive art pencils and markers are locked up, but many stores don’t bother. Spray paint is always locked up. Cameras aren’t monitored unless to investigate ORC. Employees are located at the framing counter which is near the main offices, so keep that in mind. Blind spots are numerous. Easy as pie.

Michael Kor’s: Probably the easiest designer boutique. Staff is very dedicated, and treats customers well. If they think you may be lifting, they won’t hesitate to call police and or mall security and stall you until they arrive. Not many bags are usually on display, so theft is noticed extremely quickly. If you must lift from there (they do have BEAUTIFUL bags and wallets) get in and get out.

Nike: Usually strict about theft. Cameras are few, but store managers sometimes monitor them. Tagging is frequent. They might chase, but will try to get a license plate number and will always call police.

Nordstrom: Dangerous, but not impossible. They have dedicated LP, and regular staff get bonuses for reporting shoplifters. They will chase you usually, but will usually have police waiting. Nordstrom case builds for shoplifting, so don’t return to the same store planning to lift. Cameras are numerous and are actively monitored. Glass cases containing designer wallets and things are usually able to be opened and only appear locked. Staff won’t confront you for opening the case (according to my cousin who has worked there for 9 months). Be careful.

Office Depot/Max: Very very easy. A personal favorite of mine. They almost never monitor cameras. Employees there are worked to death and really don’t care. If a door alarm sounds, keep walking. They can’t confront you just based on a door alarm beeping. No LP, and management only cares about internal theft. The cleaning supplies aisle is usually the best blindspot. Some items are spider wrapped. Many things have an RFID tag in them such as headphones, and fine writing pens. These tags are always stuck to the inside of the box. It’s easy to tell, because the box will have been resealed with scotch tape. Side note: Office Max vastly overprices post-it notes, so please steal those <3

Old Navy: Easiest of all the GAP Inc. Stores. Staff usually doesn’t care, and most are not on the sales floor. Dressing rooms are usually messy which makes it easy to conceal. Stealing shoes from Old Navy is easier because there are no shoe boxes. LP exists regionally in urban areas. Cameras are usually actively monitored. Will generally chase, ban, and call police.

Pet-Co: Cameras are usually only located near the front of the store. No LP, and cameras aren’t actively monitored. Management only cares about preventing internal theft because pet stores generally have low shrinkage. Employees won’t chase, and many won’t even call police.

PetSmart: Generally the same as Pet-Co. PetSmart holds a lot of dog training classes, so these are good times to lift. Cameras are sometimes reviewed at the end of the day (per company policy) but this rarely happens, especially in small stores.

Rite Aid: “Little to no lp unless it becomes a major problem such as repeated lifts of alcohol or electronics. Most cameras are fake. Not actively monitored. Poorly trained staff amd managers. Store policy is not to stop suspected lifters but it varies store to store. My moms old manager was a hard ass and tacked more than one person with no repercussions. He has since retired and her new manager has a no confrontation policy. They will however build a case. They got one lady who had been stealing wine bottles for 3 months. They call police and will take further legal action. Multiple blind spots even if cameras are active.if you spot the manager out of the office99% of the time that means nobody is watching cameras. And even if the manager is in the office they are usually overworked and underpayed so its no issue usually.”

Ross: Medium difficulty. They have limited LP, but cameras are usually monitored by one employee with radio contact to the managers. They will often simply ban shoplifters, and won’t call police if they get their merchandise back.

Safeway: Can be one of the more difficult grocery stores. Cameras are of decent quality, and are usually being watched. If electricity to the store is cut, the cameras will continue to record using a separate backup generator. LP is regional and rotates around stores with high shrinkage. Most stores in wealthier areas can go several months without a visit from district LP.

Sam’s Club: Same as Costco, but a little easier. They can be fairly easy to lift from if you conceal well and move fast. If you’re not obviously carrying anything, the receipt checker will let you pass.

Sears: Sears has cut back on LP, but still has LP agents in almost every store. LP that is there is highly trained. Sears will sometimes “bait” people into lifting. Some stores don;t have tower alarms. Cameras are always monitored. Sears will chase, and usually prosecute, but might issue a Civil Demand if you cooperate with their LP.

Sephora: Dangerous. Has very good LP and PTZ cameras. They will always have at least 2 or 3 agents in the store, not including plainclothes. They will chase, call police, and issue civil demands. If employees or customers are hurt, threatened, or if excessive amounts are stolen, they will prosecute. Civil Demand notices come with 1-2 year trespass orders (this applies to all Sephora’s except those in JCP or Macy’s).

Sheetz: One of the easier convenience stores to lift from. Cameras exist, but are generally not being monitored, except in the aftermath of large thefts or robberies. There are always at least two or three employees behind the counter. Most stocking is done late at night or after closing, so employees usually stay behind the counter unless they’re cleaning a machine. They won’t call police unless there’s a robbery. If an employee sees you shoplifting, oftentimes they tell you just to never come back. Quite easy.

Spencer’s: Difficulty varies. Most stores have decent low hanging cameras, but they aren’t usually being watched. They use a lot of ink tags on clothing items. Spencer’s keeps most expensive items such as sex toys in the back of the store, or on high shelves where you need to get employee assistance to reach. When lifting at Spencer’s, have an idea of what you want, and get in and out in under 10 minutes.

Staples: Very easy. Older stores have very wide aisles, and mostly fake cameras. Newer stores have shorter, narrower aisles and have real cameras. There are almost never any employees looking at cameras, and there are no real LP efforts to speak of. Employees will congregate near the main door if they see someone concealing, and they might follow at a distance. If you see two or more employees standing directly at the door, DUMP THE GOODS, and leave.

Stop & Shop: Surprisingly a difficult store. They use decent LP, and lots of decent quality cameras that are constantly monitored. They will almost always prosecute and rarely issue Civil Demand notices. Chase policy depends on the store, but they usually will chase or apprehend past the POS.

Sunglass Hut: No LP, and cameras aren’t actively monitored in mall stores. Glasses are almost all tagged, and employees are told not to leave customers alone in the store with merchandise. Regional managers will often investigate ORC and noticeable shrinkage reported in inventory.

Target: Notoriously hard. Cameras are extremely numerous and are very high quality. Some can PTZ. LP are extremely dedicated, and regular staff are given bonuses or incentives for reporting shoplifting to LP. Target will always chase, call police, ban, or rarely issue a Civil Demand notice. Don’t lift from Target. They will basically take what you stole and shove it up your ass. Also, Target case builds and shares known lifter info with other stores, so they can get you up to a felony amount before contacting police.

Things Remembered: Laughably easy. Most stores lack security cameras and those with them are never monitored. The large engraving station is in the back, so if your location has cameras, assume someone is near them. Staff don’t usually care and will stay at the desk. No LP at all. Mostly the company cares about preventing ORC. Concealing is easy as long as you’re in a blind spot from the cashier desk. Their items are expensive and are never tagged. Have fun.

Toys R Us: Store management may act as LP, and cameras are sometimes actively monitored. Company policy is to not detain parents who are with children under 8. (Regardless of if the child or parent is the lifter). They will usually call police, and may prosecute if they can’t get their stuff back. No specific LP personnel.

Tuesday Morning: Doesn’t chase, will prosecute, and will ban. Always calls police. There are no dedicated LP, but the company likes to hire former LP from other stores as managers in their stores.

Ulta: Difficulty varies. Stores in malls are usually harder because they often request their storefront to be near the mall security office. Freestanding stores are easier, but staff with call police, and usually issue a Civil Demand but sometimes prosecute. Cameras are PTZ and are almost always monitored. Many items are tagged.

Vans: Staff are usually pretty dedicated, and will offer aggressive customer service to suspected lifters. Vans usually calls mall security, and lets them determine whether or not to call police. Cameras are usually in most stores, but are monitored after a theft is noticed.

Virginia Diner Shoppe: Like taking candy from a baby. Large shelves and fairly expensive products make this a nice place to snatch some gifts for the ladies in your life.

Walmart: Poor LP, whose budget and resources have been slashed in recent years. LP efficiency can range from store to store, but it is often easier to lift from Walmarts in higher income areas. Walmart will almost always chase, and will often prosecute. Company policy is not to prosecute under $25, but this is usually left up to the store or district manager. Staff sometimes, but rarely act as LP. Cameras are always actively monitored, but camera quality isn’t the best, and a cone blindspot exists directly under most cameras because they can’t tilt.

Walgreens: Won’t chase, but will prosecute. No employees are dedicated solely to LP/AP, but store managers can act as LP at their own discretion. Employees are encouraged to try to get plate numbers by looking through windows. Police can be called after the fact. Cameras aren’t usually monitored, but the employee break area is near the cameras, and the manager can access the camera feed through his computer (at newer locations).

Wawa: These stores have some exits away from the cashiers desk, which makes them easier to steal from. Cameras are sometimes monitored, but when the store is busy, they usually aren’t being watched. Cashiers may yell to lifters who have left the store, and will sometimes try for a license plate number. Oftentimes they will leave cartons of cigarettes out on top of the checkout desks. Good place to try to lift smokes, for those of you who use tobacco!

Wegman’s: Easiest grocery store. Despite being a MASSIVE store, cameras are few. Many employees work in the store, but are often too busy to even help regular customers. Someone is always watching the cameras, but the only LP that is always used is managers doing sweeps of the store, or near suspected lifters. Exiting through the market cafe is best, but watch out for employees coming in and out of the catering office. Wegman’s won’t chase (usually), but may call police, and will ban. Wegman’s does a lot of charity work, and if caught, you can sometimes get away by apologizing profusely, and saying you’re hungry and are having trouble feeding your family. They almost always will give you a few small food items and some coupons and let you leave.

Zumiez: Typically doesn’t have cameras, and they are never being monitored. There is usually an employee near the skate stuff near the back room, so pay attention to where they are and where they go. Sales counters are usually far from the door, so you will have extra time to get away if someone notices you. Most hats are tagged, and certain stores will tag shirts, pants, or Herschel bags. Staff won’t chase, and are slow in calling mall security. No LP, except regional managers who will pop in occasionally, or whom are called in. Staff are generally friendly, but are too busy texting and kicking around, so they won’t do much if they suspect you of lifting. They’re supposed to wait until you’ve left the store, and then they will send your description to security.

7-Eleven: Small stores, usually with a few employees. Cameras aren’t being monitored, but the highest ranking employee in the store has access to them. If you’re sealing alcohol they will usually phone the police. They may try to get your license plate number, but they generally won’t do much unless you’re causing a disturbance.

**Please note that individual stores are different. There are many differences between mall stores and freestanding stores. Company policy can be broken, and many times it is. LP’s job is to prevent theft, and they are usually very adamant at doing so.**

*****Not made by me!!*****

this isnt made by me i dont know who made it

[omg-baeyoung-baeran]

Maybe I Should Resign: Chapter 3

For easier reading, try this link.

Jumin Han was known for being a very busy man. His interest was easiest to pique when it involved their company’s profit and reputation—excluding his hobby formulating cat-related projects. Given his position as the heir of the famous C&R International company, each day was a working day to him.

It was difficult for any business man to approach him, since his schedule was mostly filled with appointments and business trips… so imagine how odd it was for people to see the heir allot an entire day per week for something unrelated to company matters.

“Mr. Han will no longer accept business-related calls every Saturday due to a shift in schedule. Any emergency call will be forwarded to the person speaking, Jaehee Kang, his chief assistant. Again, we apologize for the sudden changes.”  With that, she hung up the phone and sighed.

Things had been hectic as usual, but she was not happy with the additional task. If her boss was not accepting anything concerning the company on Saturdays, that meant there would be an extra load on her shoulders.

 “Assistant Kang,” the last voice she wanted to hear for the day called from behind her.

She turned to look at him and gave a slight nod. “Yes, Mr. Han?” she acknowledged. The words had not even left his lips, and she can already feel the psychological stress his words were gonna cause her.

“Ah,” he spoke while she mentally embraced what was about to come.

There was silence for a few seconds as he continued tapping on his phone

“Make sure to only accept calls coming from the emergency line. Unless a call is made from that line, you will be free on Saturdays.”

“Understood,” she answered abruptly, her focus immediately going back to the computer on her table when her boss turned to leave. Slowly, her exhausted mind processed the information she heard. 

Wait, I thought I heard “free” for a second.

“Eh?” She thought she heard something crack when her head forcefully snapped to look at the door behind her. It was like her head was the only part that understood the situation while her body remained facing the workload before her.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Jumin thought he heard a noblewoman’s laugh from the other side of the door he just exited.

Dark eyes squinted at the sound. 

Strange….

Well, he had no time to delve deeper into it. He had a day to prepare for, and he promised a certain person he would get a contract  of agreement signed within the afternoon. “Let’s get this over with.”

0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0

The days quickly passed by, she noticed.

“I guess time really flies when you’re having a good day.”

Ever since the incident, her neighbours began to leave them alone. Most were even sucking up in hopes to appeal to the man they thought was her suitor. It astonished her how people can quickly turn into a new leaf the moment they realize they might need the person they used to abuse. 

“Sister, will the fabulous man be visiting our home again?” Riri asked, her hands diving into the bag of chips she bought using the money she gained from doing errands. 

Hannah pondered, her gaze glued on the old, wooden ceiling. There were small cracks all over them, but their ceiling and walls were much more sturdy than the floor they walked on. It may look worn, still… she was happy to have a home.

“I don’t think so. I think we’ll only meet such a person once. It’s even a miracle he was here in the first place.” 

“What do you think was he doing here ? Do you think he’s a politician who wanted to pretend he’s helping people to get votes?”

“What? How do you even know that? And no, I don’t think so. He would have dressed poorly to convince people he can empathize.”

Hannah continued with her cooking while Riri returned to her bag of chips. It was certainly peaceful; it was peaceful before Sana ran into the room, flailing her arms around happily and squealing.

“How was your date, Big Sis? We never got to ask!”

Hannah giggled at the youngest’s antics. 

“It’s not a date, Sana, and it went surprisingly fine to be honest. I was expecting him to make a bit of fuss, since most rich people don’t like the market.”

“Do you want to see him again?”

Hannah contemplated Sana’s question. Remembering the time they spent together, she can clearly recall having a good laugh with the man during their wayfaring. However, would they even meet again?

Where does he even live? Does he work near their place?

“I don’t mind, I guess. Though! Next time, I won’t forget to ask his name.”

It seemed like fate got rid of her troubles of doing just that.

It was an early Saturday morning when she finally embraced the fact that she had the mental capacity of a guinea pig. She was standing in front of the counter where her childhood friend was working as the barista, hoping to get a job as a waitress or a dishwasher in the small yet packed cafe. Less customers usually came in the morning, so the atmosphere and the scent of brewed coffee gave her a sense of serenity.

“So you’re saying… you left your job because you’ve been sending love letters to the wrong person?”

“No, no, I resigned before I got a bad performance evaluation. I don’t want my mistake to affect my job application once I switch work.”

Her friend stared at her incredulously. “What?” she exclaimed, “Were you not getting paid enough for your job? Why were you planning to switch jobs?”

Hannah shook her head, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. “My goodness… every time I talk about this, I am reminded of how idiotic I am. Salary was great, but I felt like choking in my sweat and tears each time I went to work.”

As they were waiting for the boss to arrive, the conversation of two middle aged women caught their attention.

“I think the CEO of C&R made the right choice in creating a cemetery business if they have already bought the Life Care hospital.”

Hannah’s ears perked up at the mention of her former boss.

“Agreed. Hospitals and pharmacies are necessities, but none of us can escape death. But that aside, when do you think will the heir of C&R replace his father?”

She discreetly watched the two women converse on the table near her. They were mindlessly talking about the current news written on the newspaper they were holding; and when they tossed the paper on the table, Hannah could not help locking her eyes on the cover of the newspaper.

It was a familiar face…

…it was that familiar face.

“Jennie! Quick! Hand me a newspaper!” She wildly pointed at the stack of newspapers displayed over the counter.

Jennie knit her brows but did so anyway. She calmly handed her the rolled paper whereas Hannah seized it from her grasp, and this caused her to look at her friend in an offended manner with her hand on her chest. “Okay, I demand an explanation.”

Hannah’s eyes bore a hole on the headline as she gaped at the face of the man printed on the paper.

Ju-Jumin… Han?

Like how Seven once told her to shout his name and he would come to her in 0.1 seconds, an expensive-looking car suddenly crashed against a tree just outside the coffee shop. Everyone inside gawked at the accident, but their jaws did not drop further until a classy man in a formal attire casually stepped out of the car, seeming like nothing ever happened.

“Woah, who’s that guy?”

“I guess rich people park their cars by crashing it.”

“What a waste! That car could have bought me a good wife.”

“Are they shooting a movie? It looks so cool!”

From the huge glass windows of the place, they can see the man approaching the entrance door of the cafe, which was enough to create ruckus among the customers. Hannah squinted her eyes to get a better view of the man from the distance. He was barely visible from all the people blocking the way; yet the second she saw his hair, her body immediately made a quick turn and swooped under the table where the middle aged women sat.

They did not notice her move for they were busy observing the man that just entered the room.

He stood by the door, towering over the people who went to surround him. Many of them asked for a photo whilst some asked for an autograph, but none of them were spared a glance.

“Are you perhaps the suitor of Mei’s daughter? Hannah?” an elderly asked, effectively distracting him from his search.

He bowed politely at the older woman. “My apologies. I didn’t notice you, Ma’am.”

She waved at him dismissively and laughed, “It is fine! You are quite a tall man and I have aged terribly, so it is natural for you to not see me.”

He smiled, and Hannah was a hundred percent sure she heard dreamy sighs all over the room.

“Yes, I did come here to see Hannah. Have you seen her?”

“Ah, yes! She was just over…” she trailed off as she pointed at the empty spot where she had last seen the girl, “there?”

Jumin blinked. 

“Oh, my… I swear I saw her there just a few moments ago.”

After a few seconds of silence, a woman screamed from the table near the counter. “Ah! What is that?” She stood and stepped away from the table with her companion.

Jumin decided to ignore them and headed towards the barista. “Excuse me,” he started, “have you seen a woman with long brown hair and brown eyes? Her mother told me she came here looking for a job.” 

While they were busy chatting, Hannah took the opportunity to switch hiding spots. Unfortunately, before she could crawl out, the previous women lifted the tablecloth, revealing her hunched figure hidden under the table.

Everyone fell silent.

Black slacks and black leather shoes soon entered Hannah’s line of sight, followed by a gorgeous face that blinded the darkest part of her soul.

Jumin kneeled on the floor, one knee touching the ground and one supporting his arm. She had never witnessed such a serious face appear so innocent and child-like. His typical aura of mystery was now replaced by a glimmer of curiosity.

“Why are you there?” he asked in a soft voice.

I feel like a terrified kitten getting coaxed to come closer to him.  “I… I-I was just,” she squeaked and patted the floor out of the blue, “checking if the floor here is sturdy.” She laughed awkwardly.

He stared at her for a moment then offered her his hand. Once she placed her hand in his, he pulled her up and gently grasped her arm to support her balance. “I was hoping we could go somewhere today.” 

Hannah’s cheeks burned red when he even crouched to brush the dust off her jeans. “Oh, thank you,” she muttered. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“It’s alright.”

She can smell it. The scent of jealousy was so potent that she could literally see the dark atmosphere around them...

...or maybe it was from the smoke the car crash was emitting.

“I think we should get your car fixed.”

“It’s fine. My butler has ordered a new one prior to my departure. He somehow predicted this will happen.”

Okay, it’s either his butler is a psychic or he’s just a terrible driver.

0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0

She had no idea how they ended up this way. 

Jumin sat next to her inside a cab. He was whispering to her—albeit blatantly—if they were supposed to give the driver a tip or if that would be insulting to his profession. Hannah felt like dying inside from embarrassment, because she was certain the driver can hear their supposedly inaudible conversation.

“Wait, I am not sure if this is a good idea.” She lightly nudged his elbow.

“What is not a good idea?”

“You know… hanging out with me.”

He took a glimpse at her fidgeting fingers, his face blank as he watched the passing scenery slowly change from a disorganized place to a clean environment. “So you’re aware of who I am? And next time, don’t just go with a person you just met for a day,” he stated apathetically.

“Sorry… Sir… I didn’t know until today. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have told those people you were my suitor—and! I wouldn’t have brought you to the market. I… it is not my intention… I mean, I don’t want to involve you in a scandal.”

She knew she was blabbering, and she did not have a clue if he was listening either. All he was doing was having his arms crossed with his gaze up ahead. This was creating a debate in her head between jumping off the car or pretending she never said anything; she was leaning on choosing the former.

“It is nice that you worry about my reputation, and I appreciate it,” he began, “but tell me... were you the one who had been attaching sticky notes on my cup of….” He turned to look at her but then paused.

He wondered what she was doing, since she was slowly and quietly opening the car door…

...while the car was moving.

“What are you doing?” he bellowed. He quickly pulled her waist and shut the door, earning them the attention of the driver.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Yes, pardon us,” he responded coolly, but his glare on the girl said otherwise.

“Sorry! I wasn’t thinking straight! I thought we were at the mall already.” Obviously, that was a lie. She badly wanted to escape her current predicament, and it was the only way she could think of.

“Be more attentive when you are traveling. You could have died.”

“Yes, Sir!

0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0

The incident had temporarily changed the conversation. However, she knew the topic was bound to return to the unanswered question; so when it did, she could not stop herself from cringing on the inside. My goodness! I blame my parents for giving birth to me without my consent!

Okay, she was just being stupid.

“I only want to know if it was you.” He leaned on his seat and waited for her answer.

She was letting the fancy music inside the restaurant fill in the silence between them. As a straight-forward man, he never liked probing for answers; therefore, the action only made him narrow his eyes at her.

“Do you know you are suspected of theft?”

Alright, she really needed to talk.

“What?” she gasped.

“An important document has gone missing,” he continued as he scrutinized her expression, “and we are performing an investigation on all employees that left the company from the day the document was last seen till the day it was found to be missing. It is best if you cooperate, Ms. Hannah.”

“Wha—what does the notes have to do with this matter?” 

“They were borderline suspicious. Also, upon further investigation, the date the note was first received was in the same month the cameras were placed in a loop, so did you or did you not write those notes?”

“I did but I….”

I was meaning to give those to Seven, but I didn’t know he lied about being in charge of the coffee—wait a second! Camera? Loop? A secret agent gathering data inside C&R?

Puzzle pieces clicked together.

“I honestly have no idea about the document you are talking about, but I did write those… notes.” Shit, what do I say? SEVEN! As if on cue, a familiar red head entered her peripheral vision. 

With a single huge gulp from her glass of water, she swiftly stood up and excused herself.

Seven thought it was like a scene from a movie, where a lovely lady would grab a man’s shirt and lead him into a secluded place for some romance—except he was slammed too roughly against the wall.

“Hey! Ow! I’m a sadist not a masochist!” he whined. His hand went to rub the back of his sore head.

“Seven, what the heck did you do?” she demanded, her fingers tightly tangled on his jacket. “Now, C&R is suspecting me of theft—what the heck did you do?”

He thought he heard a demon growl at the end of her rant. “Wait, wait! Explain to me what—”

“I was attaching notes on one of the cups on the tray that you were supposed to be serving because I wanted to at least make you happy and—”

“Aww, you really did tha—”

“Hush! And I had been doing it for months but it turned out I was actually sending it to Jumin Han and I have been sending it on the same month you placed the camera on loop and that was the same month you entered C&R—”

“Wait! Was the cheap kitty stamp on his table from you? You gave it to him?”

“That was supposed to be for you!” Her high-pitched voice cracked from her hopeless desperation.

Seven’s scandalized gasp made a few heads exiting the restroom turn to them with cautious glances. “That thief!” he snapped, his head whipping towards the wall where Jumin’s seat would be.

Hannah sighed and dropped her hands to her sides. She looked at him with teary eyes; her lips quivered to express her anxiety. This stirred a heavy feeling inside his chest, for the least he wanted to do was make his best friend cry. 

“Seven, pleeaase take this seriously,” she begged him.

“Okay, okay!” he whispered; distress was evident in his voice. “Don’t cry! Just!” He cupped her face and squeezed her damp cheeks together. “Shhh… don’t cry. I’ll tell you what to do.”

As promised, he gave her a plan. It was not an intricate one; in fact, it was simple enough to be realistic and easily remembered. She thought it was a perfect lie.

With a peck on her forehead, he twirled her like a princess in a royal ball then gave her back a light push. 

“Now, go!”

0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0

I didn’t realize how huge this restaurant is. She walked with her vision focused on the black locks of Jumin’s hair from afar. It’s embarrassing but I hope it works.

“It happens to him almost everyday. I’m sure this will be believable, but expect to lose whatever friendship you developed with him. He is known to hate those kinds of people.” Seven lectured, raising one finger in the air as she eagerly nodded at him.

“Sounds fair,” she mumbled to herself before settling herself back in her seat.

Jumin gave her a look she could not fathom. “Are you well?”

“Yes, I just needed to compose myself… because you see,” she stammered as she bashfully tucked her hair behind her ear. “Being told that I’m a suspect is alarming, but I was being truthful when I said I did not take anything from the C&R. You are free to inspect me, Mr. Han.”

He remained still.

“A-And! I sent you those letters and notes, because… I was,” she took a deep breath before continuing, “I was hoping to… be… your… ro-romantic… interest.” She felt like she was choking the words out, and she could literally feel her neck disappearing from how much her head pushed back into her shoulders.

Ehmehgersh. Kill me.

She could not find the courage to meet his stare.

Why is he taking so long to speak?

Reluctantly, she lifted her face a little to check what he was doing…

...and he was peering at her.

“I didn’t—”

“Jumin.”

She was taken aback by his sudden word. “I’m sorry… what?” 

“Just call me ‘Jumin’.”

It must have been the effect of stress and paranoia, but she thought she saw a serene smile grace his lips.

However, his next words confirmed it.

“I would like to properly court you, Hannah.”

0-0-0-0

Hope you guys liked this chapter! And have a rare gif of Juju after crashing his car

[itslocsdiggs]

NSFW Alphabet

Template borrowed from @caitlinpotter

For Rose (@iknowthekoolaidflavor)

Detective Layton (before the Freeze)

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

·      Very loving and doting. He takes care of anything that you want. Calls you sweet pet names and just makes sure that you’re comfortable

·      Is the type to leave apple juice and Tylenol with an “eat me” and “drink me” note

·      He pulls up the covers to keep you warm.

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

·      Layton loves his torso, he’s proud of it and he has to work out to keep up at his job. It depends on every individual person, but he honestly loves your whole body.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

·      He loves having your juices all over him. He prefers to fill you up(assuming you’re on your birth control) or cum on your face

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

·      Beating up criminals is Andre’s favorite part of the job. His martial arts training comes in handy

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

·      He was known as a bit of a ladies' man in the academy, and his father put him up on game.

·      Andre knows his way around, but doesn’t pretend that he’s an expert on you

·      He’s a lover and a teacher

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

·      Mostly missionary. He’ll definitely spice things up, but he just loves to look at you and be in control. Why would you say no?

·      

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

·      A little bit of humour. He usually reserves his sex jokes for the bedroom. Sometimes you just want him to focus on pleasuring you because the jokes are so damn corny.

·      Laughter usually gives way to another obscene noise because he’s really good with balance

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

·      His beard and pubic area neatly groomed. He is regulation, party of one. Layton wouldn’t normally keep the beard, but he discovered that it’s a major turn on for you.

·      He won’t waste his time on a close shave anywhere, either 

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

·      Layton is smooth. He will do breakfast in bed, smooth pickup lines, leave you neat messages, and make you mixtapes. All the same, safe for work affection is kind of awkward for him. He really prefers to go big or go home. He is learning because you like the little stuff and he loves you, tons. Sometimes date night is simply food, laughter, and a good time

·      When he is in charge, he is so intense(in a good way). Layton doesn’t waste time because he’s focused on you. After your second time together he’s figured out exactly what turns you on. He is a detective, after all…

·      You meet him in the park for a walk and some hot tea after work, rain or shine

·      He also loves doing really sensual things with you. Baths, massages, feeding each other, and just plain making out, but it doesn’t always lead to sex.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

·      Layton does it whenever the need arises. (That’s when he lets his fantasies run free that he is afraid to share with you.)

·      You went to his place to surprise him one night, and he gave you the most erotic look so you had to join him.

·      Then he let his guard down and shared a few of his desires with you. Y’all made a list and quickly started to work it through.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

·      Roleplay

·      Choking. He’s tried it with you a few times, and you trust him. He loves how quickly it makes you orgasm

·      Restraints(this one goes without saying, he’s for justice, but he’s a very kinky man)

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

·      Layton loves to do it in his office, with you splayed across the desk

·      You riding him in the squad car, or his living room couch (you’ve had some of your best orgasms there, oddly enough)

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

·      You in work out clothes, he loves that you take care of yourself

·      the smell of a nice relaxing scent like vanilla or orangewood,

·      finishing all of his paperwork. (He’s a perfectionist like that)

·      That time when you tried to boss him around and wore only his police badge

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

·      Body fluids except semen or sweat.

·      Otherwise not much that he wouldn’t try

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

·      Andre loves to give. Sure he’s greedy for your mouth on him, but nothing makes him happier than when his partners are satisfied.

·      He’d also be lying if he said he didn’t like the vice grip of your thighs around his neck.

P = Pace (Are they fats and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

·      Layton pulls such long hours at the station most days that he is all pent up with energy and passion. It’s a rare day when he takes it slow. You have to slow him down sometimes.

·      By the second round, he’s able to slow it down for you.

·      When he flips you onto your hands and knees, he means business

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

·      He loves them, especially when you come to surprise him at work. His coworkers are way too nosy. Locking his door doesn’t always last that long.

·      If he has a long day planned, Andre might wake you up early to do it before he goes in to work.

·      You just yawn, stretch, and part your legs for him

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

·      Layton installed a swing in his bedroom, and you two make your way through a very adventurous sex bucket list every time you are at his house.(thanks to the time that you caught him…)

·      He makes a living arresting people for public indecency, so any place outside his house, car, or office is a little taboo

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

·      He is muscular and he can go for hours, but he prefers to build your stamina.

·      Every weekend you’re with him he has a new game for you and new memories to create. From the kitchen counter… to the shower stall

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

·      Layton has always preferred using his hands, but he has used a few of yours when he is home alone, on his balls. He doesn’t want you to become too dependent on them. You both spend hours on different ways to pleasure each other with your bodies.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

·      So much. His wordplay is just unfair.

·      He loves to send good morning texts that are really sweet, but really. You’re horny all day and you just have to deal with it.

·      He sexted you once when you were on a business trip and

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

·      Layton grunts, groans, and swears like a sailor. He is all across the volume spectrum.

·      He’s not a fan of talking much unless he’s checking in with you.

·      If he’s commanding you to do something, he speaks in a low voice. It drives you crazy but it does the trick.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

·      Layton makes bank, and he was a trust fund baby(it’s complicated), so he’s got money to buy you nice expensive lingerie and stuff.

·      He always wears the most delicious smelling cologne. He still smells good even when he’s naked

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

·      Layton definitely has big dick energy. You knew it from the moment he walked towards you that first day. All jokes aside, it’s average sized, thick, and uncut. Definitely still long enough to choke you.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

·      He wants sex pretty often. He has a lot of hobbies to deflect from how grisly his job is as a detective. Now that he has you he directs all of that energy into orgasms. As workouts go, they’re some of his favorites

·      Andre is ready for you in the oddest of places/times (movies he doesn’t like, and work parties)

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

·      When you’re out, he’s out. Mostly he just feels buzzed and pleasant and relaxed.

[funkymbtifiction]

how to find enneagram fixes?

hi funky, thanks for your reply to the “hey here’s how I found it” ask! I’m the same infp anon here. so I’ve been trawling the blog for a while as to my enneagram fixes and I’m sure of the 6w5 part and partially sure of the 1 fix, but how do I determine my last heart fix (it could be anything and confirm the 1 fix (make sure it’s not 9)? thanks so much for all your resources so far, but maybe if you could please tell me how the fixes in this order relate to the 6 core and how to figure them out. (not asking for one size forcefits all answer ofc) (oh, and sorry for the long and rambling message the other time. :P)

What helped me was a variety of things, but it mostly came down to thinking about how I handled various things in my life as relates to the different centers of the Enneagram. You need to look for proof in your life of those centers.

Centers are as follows – head fixes deal with fear (how do you cope, what do you do?); image fixes deal with how you relate to other people (what do you want from them?); gut fixes are what you do with anger and what angers you.

It’s sometimes helpful to compare with others you know, but also to think about what people observe of you and have said about you in the past. What about you fits the stereotype for your type, or does not fit the stereotype?

IMAGE CENTERS:

I felt a pull toward 4, but after reading Enneagramer’s 4 and thinking about it, and my own interactions with 4s who are exactly like that, I realized I am not a 4, because my problems never defeat me. I never wear them as a badge of honor, and I am never so devastated by them that I can’t keep producing until I have dealt with those feelings. My 4 friend told me, “When you speak about the bad things that have happened to you, you downplay them / make no big deal out of them. I know they must have hurt you terribly at the time, but you have healed the wound and moved on in a way I can’t.”

My image fix was the toughest to figure out – turns out that is because it was 3; they become what they need to be, and focus on finishing things, because they are “goal-oriented.”

A couple of things helped me realize this – the comment a friend made once that I do nothing by half, it’s “as if you are getting paid to do your hobbies, because you have to be the best at them, and you work hard to ensure you ARE the best.” I also thought about the fact that people in real life are shocked that I identify as a 6. Why would that be? Because the confident persona I put on in front of them all doesn’t lend itself to projecting anxiety. 6 is blending into 3’s self-confidence and making me project confidence, even if I do not have it.

Then too, I am incredibly aware of what “others may think.” I am always thinking about presentation, about how this will be perceived, about what people may say. Once, when a girl attacked me on the internet, I backed off and thought, “She is going to make a fool of herself. I meanwhile will look like the powerful, sensible, reasonable, and in-control one, since I refuse to react in public.”

I am quite good at blending into an unnatural environment despite being a Fi. (I find it impossible to write anything I disagree with, but I find ways around it, so people think I am “one of them” without me lying about it.) I do not relate to any of the soc-first 3 chapters or profiles I read, because they are all too arrogant and care about social climbing techniques, which I don’t give a fig about – what I DO relate to is the tendency to put my self-worth into my writing; I am what I “produce.” What I “create.” If one of my beta readers finds a mistake, I am mortified. Because even my beta is supposed to think it’s 99% amazing! ;) And it’s damn near impossible for me to take two days off, or even an afternoon off, unless I’ve worked myself into exhaustion, without feeling like I am being a slacker. I NEED A PROJECT AT ALL TIMES. I have literally not gone for more than a week without working on a novel for over 17 years. Because in doing nothing, in producing nothing, I am nothing.

(I decided I am a 631 for obvious reasons; co-mod said my sp3 is so strong I could be a core 3, but I’ve always known I’m a 6. :P)

Comparison to people in my life with the other image fixes:

2s: care way less than I do about presentation, about looking the best, about having their stuff perfect, because to them, what they create is not reflective of their worth as a human being. They will extend themselves more to help people, and feel good about it, while I will do it out of duty and then gripe about it later.

4s: dwell in their negative feelings way more often and almost never want to solve their problem (which is problematic for me, since I’m here to fix you ;). What most shocked me once was when a 4 said they can’t create unless they are “in the mood.” I just kind of stared at them, like “What’s the mood got to do with it? You show up and write!” I believe diligence and daily working at it gets things done, which is how the 3 operates: it’s not about whether I “feel” like it today, I’m doing it!

Think about it. Which do you do? Which can you prove you do? Which have people commented on, that you do? If it’s 2, I expect you to have a list of times you selflessly helped others. With 3, I expect to see a list of accomplishments and things to show for your hard work. With 4, I expect to see an emphasis on being “in the mood” and needing it to have your own personal stamp on it for it to be good.

GUT CENTERS:

The evidence for my 1 fix is right in front of you. I lecture people all the livelong day about finding out their type and its weaknesses and blind spots SO YOU CAN ALL BECOME BETTER PEOPLE, AND GET ALONG BETTER. That is the 1. I see how you could improve yourselves, how the world can be a better place, with the 1’s idealistic zeal, because right now, IT IS IMPERFECT. This is why 1’s write de-cluttering books, and teach you how to get your finances in shape, and tell you to stop wasting your money, and teach the Enneagram, so you can all fix yourselves! Proof? I have been called judgmental more times than I can count. I’m not proud of it, sometimes I’m ashamed of it and wish I could be less hard on people, but sometimes what someone else is doing is WRONG and HURTING OTHER PEOPLE.

In comparison to the other fixes:

9s: are far less judgmental and want to get along way more. The only reason I don’t tell people off more often is my 6 is afraid of the fall-out and hates fights. That does not change the fact that my 1 wants to, and will on occasion, assert itself and point out what is wrong / inaccurate / imperfect / immoral / bad about whatever you just did. 9s are also less focused and more easily distracted than my 1 fix. I am tapping my foot impatiently and irritated with the 9 who is “always late” while they are happily going about their comfy morning routine.

8s: are far more inclined to blow up and not apologize for their anger or feel bad about it, unless someone they cared about got upset. 1s tend to sit on their anger, repress it, and try not to show it, because that represents a loss of control, and GOOD PEOPLE (what a 1 wants to be) only get angry over righteous causes. 8s do not care whether leaving a pop can in a parking lot and running over it for fun on their way out is littering or not. 8s do not think about the right / wrong about encouraging someone to lie on a warranty claim, since “it only expired 48 hours ago!” A 1 would never even ask; warranty’s expired. Too bad, but that’s the rules. Breaking the rules makes you “bad.”

Head types:

Not that you need to figure out your head type, but I’m forever being told that I need to “trust myself more,” “trust my gut more,” “go with my first hunch,” and “stop letting other people pollute my clear-headed thinking,” the bane of a 6 who is reliant on and swayed by others unless she’s careful (or in a stubborn mood that day; the plus side is, I’ll never become so arrogant that I won’t consider an opposing argument). The minute I read that 6s feel like they missed out when God was handing out an internal guidance system made me go “YES.” Why is it other people can just know what to do? And move forward confident, even arrogant, that they can do it? Can I get some of that, please?

In comparison to the other head types I know:

5s: are way more secretive, private, paranoid, and unrealistic in some ways, also far more argumentative and certain of being right. They are much less emotional and far more removed from their own feelings. They are more able to be objective, but also more rigid in their refusal to change their mind, because you are wrong and they are right.

7s: are far more flighty, irresponsible, and not inclined to see things through. 6’s show up and put in the long hours; 7s get bored after a week and skip on down the road. They are also more optimistic, funnier, and a ball to be around, but that comes with a dose of “I don’t want to talk about anything negative” and a lot of refusal to look at the bad side of life or admit to their mistakes.

Does that help? I hope so.

Also TAKE YOUR TIME. This is about internal reflection and is not a race.

- ENFP Mod

[armsdealing]

@themercifulmother​​​ sent: ciro: 8. + 26. // emile: 19. + 23.  

character development questions / accepting.

CIRO.

8. where and when do they seem most and least at ease? why? how can you tell?

ciro, especially older ciro, has a tight grip on his body language, so it's actually hard to tell when he's displeased or pleased by something, or when he's comfortable/uncomfortable. at least, when he's playing the role of advisor, and when he's around other made men. he's got reputation for being truly unreadable, for seeming perfectly okay with a meeting's resolutions only to turn around and tell salvatore that he thinks lowly of the terms of the prospective deal or the dealmakers themselves. he will seem unruffled by someone's aggressive behavior and, once that person is out of earshot, or simply has calmed down, he will pointedly criticize it. such a skill is invaluable for a consigliere, for a lawyer, and as salvatore's business partner.

he does not like surprises, though. he can work with them, will do well with them, but he does not like them. he does not like things being hidden from him, either, since they make his work much more difficult than he considers it should be. there's a breathable tension in the room whenever ciro realizes there's a crucial piece of information that he does not possess. he has argued (privately) with sal whenever he feels like sal has hidden something from him, and it's likely one of the few rare times sal could have seen ciro aggravated. it's not easy to tell unless you know ciro when this happens, but: he turns very still. hardly blinks, his gaze downturned when he is making direct eye contact. talks very coolly and keeps things brief and to the point.

he also does not like snakes. when he was younger (late teens), he was bitten by an asp viper during a trip to italy. a half hour of unbearable pain and some antivenom later, he's all good and healthy, but developed a fear of snakes. not a phobia: he can be near one, provided it's in its enclosure, but he'd rather not. he will avoid looking at it.

talks about sexuality also make him uncomfortable. it does not matter how accepting of it you might be. when he was young, even talking about girls was the one masculine ritual he never quite mastered (he was good at violence, at sports, at money -- but not vulgar conversations about women and sex), and his involvement was minimal, only the right amount necessary to keep suspicions of his own personal inclinations at bay. he claimed to be old fashioned, that he was raised to be respectful, a good catholic, a good sicilian. truth is, he was uneasy as fuck. and he's very tight-lipped about being gay even nowadays. you can chalk that up to both his stifled environment growing up and the fact that he's private by nature.  

he's most at ease when things are business as usual. when he's on his own or with the company of someone he is close to (sal, delores, his wife), but not talking about business. you can tell because of the ribbing, and the rambling manner of his speech. he's more expressive, more colorful with his language, but still keeping his impassive disposition.

26. how do they view and feel about relationships, and how might this manifest in how they handle them, if it does?

he views relationships (friendships, family, spouse) as some of the most important things on earth. money and power is really all in service of what you can provide for your loved ones. someone who is powerful, but alone, without strong connections to anyone or anyone -- does not remain powerful for long. as a result, ciro is loyal and unwavering when it comes to his relationships. once he has chosen you as part of his small circle of friends and loved ones, he will pretty much kill for you. he will lie for you in court. he will bury a body for you and make sure it is never found. he will do anything in his power to keep you safe. moreover, he will ensure your loved ones are safe as well. for example, when sal goes to prison, ciro visits him on a consistent basis, but mostly he makes sure delores and the kids are doing well.

all this being said, he simultaneously believes that emotions and sentimentality should not cloud one's judgement, and how one feels shouldn't have a say above the logically better decisions. his loyalty is airtight, but so is his sense of pragmatism, and his tendency to look for the long term solutions rather than instant gratification. when someone he cares about is hurt (like, for example, his children) or threatened by someone, he goes about solving the problem in tranquil, meticulous manner. make no mistake, though: it is not any less cutthroat than simply walking and beating the assailant up over it.

ÉMILE.

19. how do they behave within a group? what role(s) do they take? does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? why?

émile is an introvert who can pass very well for an extrovert, albeit at the cost of his energy. it also vastly depends on whether he trusts the group and the nature/purpose of the group itself.

he can effortlessly take the role of a leader, deciding what is best for the group and calling the shots, bringing people together and making sure everyone is doing well. this tends to happen with people he does not know much; he is the one that takes initiative primarily out of a lack of trust for others' leadership skills -- and because he is very independent and very intolerant to others bossing him around. it's also the sagittarius in him speaking -- sagittarians make good leaders because of their excellent organizational and people skills. at his best, émile is generous, broad-minded, optimistic, and charismatic enough to make people side with him and agree with him. he's also a great listener and protector.

but he can also easily take the role of the lancer/right-hand man. in order for this to happen, he needs to trust the leader greatly, and he will challenge them constantly. he is not someone that blindly follows others: he will act as a great complementary force. he will also appreciate not having to be in the spotlight all the time.

23. how do they respond to difficult social moments? what makes them consider a social situation difficult?

because of the add, émile suffers from emotional dysregulation. ed is a term used in the mental health community that refers to emotional responses that are poorly modulated and do not lie within the accepted range of emotive response. he also suffers from rsd, or rejection sensitive dysphoria, "an extreme emotional sensitivity and pain triggered by the perception that a person has been rejected or criticized by important people in their life".

as a result, émile does not deal with criticism well, or perceived slights (at himself, at his family/relationships), or rejection. he can easily become irritated and that irritation can quickly evolve into intense anger. when he was a child, this presented itself in the form of aggression: while mostly well behaved, he would waste no time snapping back at other boys/bullies when they threw mean comments at him, or lashing out at teachers for criticizing him. he would get into fights just to prove himself as not one to be tested. he did not deal with being scolded by his parents well, either -- he would pretend not to care, but that shit would sting. on more than one occassion, he would cry. he would continue to act out.

he got better with age. more mature, less likely to respond to provocation. he had to set an example for his siblings -- he had to help his parents with raising them, and be a good older brother. still, he worried about being overly sensitive. he would get stressed out very easily, angry very easily, and sad very easily, prompting him into impulsive behaviors. then just like that, these emotions would disappear and be replaced with apathy. he sought out hobbies to help him with that, took up exercise, running, boxing.

nowadays, more self aware and with medication that helps him modulate his emotions properly -- he still considers situations when someone is mad at him or disappointed with him especially difficult, just because of how much it hurts him to be in that position. however, he has tools to deal with it, and not let it overwhelm him. he overthinks a lot, but he has turned it into a good thing. now émile tries his best to solve problems via words and effective communication. 

[flyingmustachio]

You know what I think is really important to understand is that we under American Capitalism are kind of gaslit by our poor understanding of history and biology. We assume that we have no right to demand more peace and more freedoms and more pleasure and more joy and more equality since we are living in “the most privileged and comfortable era in all of human history thanks to technology.” How can be so ungrateful and miserable when so few of us suffer and die horribly from the kind of diseases that used to plague mankind? When we have electricity and cars and heat and air conditioning? When we “live more luxuriously than any ancient emperor?”

And to some extent, that’s true. It’s wonderful that so few people die in childbirth or from diseases or injuries when compared to the rest of human history, and it’s wonderful that we are able to have access to such a variety of foods and activities and services. But it’s completely incorrect to assume that because these difficult things were more common in the past that the vast majority of everyone throughout history spent every second of their lives in misery and drudgery and we’re just ungrateful, wussy pricks for feeling dissatisfied and unfulfilled by our comparative material bliss. We assume that society in the Middle Ages or the ancient world were divided into The Rich Few and The Poor Masses, and that if you were among the Poor Masses your life was just misery and toil until you died at 30 of some horrible infection.

But the more I learn about the common people throughout history, the more I realize this simply isn’t true. The average life span was only 30 since so many babies, and mothers and warriors died early. If you lived past your teens in the past, you were just as likely to live to be in your 70′s as today, unless there was a war or famine or plague happening. Most people were farmers, and yes, farm work by hand is very hard, and yes, making everything by hand takes a lot of time so yes, people in the past did a whole lot of work, but here’s the thing - it wasn’t even close to as dehumanizing for most people as work is today. Resting was not demonized. Enjoying yourself and valuing fun and amusement wasn’t seen as childish. Though they worked an hour or so longer than we do on average today, Medieval peasants had more time off than we do, with all of the weeks long religious festivals every year. Naps were normal. And yes, if it was a time of scarcity or famine people suffered horribly, but, like, it wasn’t always a time of scarcity or famine. It was a time of scarcity or famine less often than you probably think.

And if you think about the type of work most people used to do, it was much slower, more self directed, and allowed for much more human connection. If you’re weaving, or making cheese, or tilling a field, you or your small team are in control. You can stop and rest for a short time if you need to. None of these tasks require 100 percent concentration. You can talk to the people around you while you work. You can make friends and tell jokes and stories. You can be connected and productive at the same time. While the work was physically harder than most work today, it was much less mentally taxing or isolating. Especially now when many jobs expect you to be on call all the time or to still answer emails during your off hours. It’s absurd! It’s not normal!

I mean, look at the hobbies people choose nowadays. The things we view as “extra” that people “waste time” on. Hunting. Fishing. Crafts. Hiking. For most people throughout human history, those things WERE your work. And sure there was more pressure back in the day. Like there’s a lot more pressure to actually catch a fish on your fishing trip when if you don’t catch one your family doesn’t eat tonight. But it says something about the nature of our work today that so many people would spend their precious and short free time and spend the money they toiled to earn  in order to have the opportunity to do the same things our ancestors considered “work.”

And even the more “passive” hobbies that people see as less productive, like TV and video games are not some new luxury. Stories have been around forever, and they have always been an integral part of what it is to be human and to connect with other humans. Most modern jobs don’t allow for story or connection. You’re busy, mostly alone, all day long. If we can’t tell each other stories while we churn our butter or plow our fields, we’ll watch TV and play video games together on our days off.

I guess my point is that it’s not normal to be this miserable. It’s not normal to hate your job or your life. It’s not normal to feel so isolated and disconnected. That, while we are more physically comfortable on the whole than at any time in history, we actually seem to be considerably LESS mentally comfortable, healthy, and fulfilled than most other times in history, and we’re not wrong or ungrateful for wanting to change that.

Many people blame technology for our lack of connection. They think that the fact that most people spend their time off work watching TV or playing video games to relax and many people prioritize those activities over more direct and authentic quality time spent with family and friends means that TV and video games are inherently addictive and bad and that they and the internet keep us in bubbles, divided from each other. But I think that these technologies aren’t what’s actually to blame, I think it’s how we structure our work. There is only so much time in the day, and we can’t fit in work and human connection, and basic home tasks, and rest and relaxation. I mean think back to how much easier it was to make friends when you were in school. You were at class together, you could do homework together and help each other. The human connection happened at the same time as the work, and you made deep friendships because of all the time you spent together. I imagine the same was true of pre-industrial work. If you’re telling stories while weaving cloth, teaching the beginners and helping each other, the human connection is happening at the same time as the work. I mean it makes sense why so many people today seem to have trouble keeping deep friendships, sleeping enough, or simply getting enough peaceful downtime. There simply isn’t enough time in the day, so something is bound to get left by the wayside in favor of other needs.

I think it’s like how crash diets contribute to binge eating. If you cut out whole categories of food and cut your calories very quickly you are much more likely to lose control and eat much more than you would have in the first place if you had just eaten normally. I think modern  Americans only act so “lazy” when they’re outside of work because they are so very overworked and underconnected to begin with. You wouldn’t expect someone who hasn’t slept for a week to be able to just have a regular 8 hour sleep and be back to normal. They’re going to need to sleep long and rest up and recover. One argument against things like Universal Basic Income is “Without the threat of poverty, what will motivate people to be productive? Everyone will just sit around and watch TV for the rest of their lives.” But you can’t expect an entire population who haven’t known real rest and leisure since childhood to just magically know how to distribute their time healthily. They’re going to act really lazy and hedonistic for a while. But eventually they will get bored, and they will realize they feel better and more connected and more fulfilled when they are working on things that interest them. And most of them will find some sort of job again, but this time they’ll actually have the luxury to figure out what they’re actually passionate about and feel fulfilled in their job, which will lead to even more innovation and productivity than before. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but passion and curiosity are the parents of progress. And if some people do turn out to just be lazy to the core? Fine. Let them watch TV forever and be happy! Technology is constantly making our work more efficient while our population continues to rise. There simply aren’t enough jobs to support all of the people we have, and I don’t think people should starve because of that.