#watermarked because I bought the shoot so there’s that

[beegriffs]

Some SGA love because I adore these two…

[stylesticketexchange]

The Official STE Love on Tour 2022 Masterpost!

I meant it when I said we never really know when he will drop another tour on us, and here we are!

This is the post where you’re going to find the rules and regulations of posting/sending asks/etc. You must like and reblog this post to show that you understand. This is to make sure that we make this as smooth and easy for everyone as possible.

Everything is going under a cut, because it’s going to get long:

THE RULES

1a. When sending me an ask, I need you to be as clear and informational as possible. If you’re selling, I need:

The place of the show (and if it’s a city that has multiple shows, i need to know if it’s night 1,2,3 etc)

The date of the show (you can check here)

The price at which you’re selling your ticket. If you bought it off someone and are reselling, please be transparent! The whole point of the STE is we want to make sure fans get to see Harry.

Whether you’re ok or not with being contacted by DM

IF you’re selling on behalf of someone else

NEW: You must provide proof of purchase. Screenshots w/watermark, and screen recording. Failure to do so will result in your ask being deleted. You can upload those items here.

If you are buying, I need:

What show(s) you’re looking for (be specific with dates, please)

What part of the arena you want to be in

Whether you’re ok or not with being contacted by DM

1b. NEW: I will only post tickets that are being sold at what people paid for them, or lower, and below what they are going for on resale sites. I don’t care what the resale sites are selling them for: if you want to resell them that way, there are multiple options available to you.

I know buying tickets with the platinum pricing has been tough, so I have opted to allow people to sell their tickets for what they paid for them *on ticketmaster*. This means no resales, purchases off stubhub etc. 

2a. Multiple asks/spam posts will be deleted. I promise I see your ask, and I will post it when I get the chance. This isn’t my day job!  I have a strict 3-strike rule: if you spam ask me three times with the same ask, I will block.

2b. Followers who spam posts will also be blocked/banned from the account. Give people time to respond instead of spam-responding, please.

3. Anonymous asks will be screened and will not always be given priority. Since I can’t go through a blog to double check if it’s legit or not, I will give priority to those who send through asks non-anonymously.

4. I do try and screen every ask to make sure that I’ve not been duped by a bot or a scammer before I post or reblog. I’m still trying to figure out a way to combat that, but until then please do your own digging and only give out information you are comfortable giving out. I know this is a good community and I know we all want the same thing, but it’s important to know that there are people out there who will….not be so nice. That’s the dark underbelly of it all. That being said: if you think someone might be scamming you, feel free to message me and we can flag them on the blog!

5. I do not work for TM/Live Nation/etc. Most of the information I have, I have through taking a little time to research. While I am happy to answer questions, please do take a look for yourself first before sending me an ask about Ticketmaster policies or why certain things don’t work, etc!

6.  If you do sell a ticket from here, please shoot me a message so I can edit the post/reblog it to say it’s sold! That way I can keep tabs on the ones that have been sold/unsold!

BLANK/NEW BLOGS

Going forward, if your tumblr blog is blank (i.e. you’ve made an account specifically to look for Harry Styles tickets and have zero posts - or even only posts about buying/selling/trading tickets) - you must provide us with one of the following -

an active twitter account 

an active instagram account

as there is no way to possibly to make sure a tumblr account is legitimate if it has nothing on it. This is to ensure that you are indeed a real person, and that you’re not a bot/scammer. 

NEW: If either of those accounts are less than a month old, I will not post your queries.

At the end of the day we want to protect everyone who comes looking onto stylesticketexchange, but there’s only so much I can do.

Failure to do so will result in your ask being deleted. There will be no three strike rule. It will be at the discretion of the mods of STE.

TRADES

Because the pricing is so askew right now, I will not be posting trades.

“BEST OFFERS”/Negotiations

We do not do ‘best offer’ or negotiations here!

Please be transparent with your asking price, and what you paid for it. We do not allow bidding wars on tickets. The whole purpose of the site is to make sure that tickets go to deserving fans. If we find that your ask is teetering on the ‘best offer’ line, we will shoot you a message to re-send. 

Failure to do so or consistent ignoring of this rule will result in your ask being deleted.

Payments

The safest, easiest way to buy and sell right now is through PayPal Goods and Services. I ask that anyone selling or buying tickets use this method, but if you mutually agree on another method of payment, make sure you’ve read through the terms and services of those sites. PayPal is currently the only site that protects buyers should something go wrong. If you use Venmo/Cashapp etc, you do so at your own discretion.

The not-so fun stuff.

Because it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt, right?

A reminder that while we would hope people are being honest and open about their tickets, a word of caution: make sure you are getting all the information and doing everything you can to protect yourself before making a decision to buy. That means:

Being aware of the people who are trying to scam money from others because they think they can make a quick buck.

Reading the rules/regulations of ticket resale sites such as stubhub/ticketmaster/stubhub/etc.

Not giving over *any* personal information that you’re not comfortable giving.

Do not give money over before you are sure you have the tickets. (come to a mutual agreement on the exchange!)

Make sure your tickets are real - you never know what people are capable of!

If you’re going to pick up tickets, make sure you’re in a public space, or with a friend/family member.

I hate that any of it has to be said at all, but I have heard absolute horror stories of ticket fraud and people being taken advantage of. We all want to see Harry, and I want to help people do that - but you do have to be aware of the dangers and repercussions of doing ticket exchanges or buying tickets from resale sites.

I am always happy to help out in any way. If you believe that something suspicious is going on, please feel free to shoot me a message and we will go through it together!

I think that’s it! On a personal note: I’m not here all the time: I am dealing with a sick family member and the pandemic and my own life. I do this out of the kindness of my heart and in my spare time. If I don’t respond or post right away chances are I am not here. I do my best, and all I ask for is a little patience in return.

I will more than likely add things to this post as time goes on, and thank you for reading/liking/reblogging. Thank you for supporting stylesticketexchange and helping fellow fans see Harry in concert. Here’s to Tour 2022!

x STE

ps: if you’ve truly read this you will like and reblog it before you send an ask :)

[jenomark]

PART 1: LUCAS, THE BOYFRIEND

➔Pairing: Lucas x Reader (Female) | Ten x Reader (Female) ➔Other Members/ Characters: -.- ➔Genre: Smut (+ angst, + fluff, + plot) ➔Warnings: vaginal penetration, passionless sex, exchanging money for sex, very light bdsm and mentions of pegging ➔Word count: 5,107

➔Summary: You don’t know what you do. You don’t even know who you are. Some would call you a whore. Some would refer to you as a sex worker. All of your clients would say you’re damn good at your job.

MASTERLIST

  It hadn’t rained in months. It felt strange to hear it coming down hard enough to drown out Lucas’ snoring. You laid in bed and listened a little while, wishing that it would lull you back to sleep somehow. But your eyes were wide open and they kept searching for the clock Lucas kept on his bedside table. 2:45 a.m. 3:14 a.m. 4:20 a.m. Time kept moving as you stayed still, eyes occasionally glancing up at the water marks on his ceiling, and hoping the rain wouldn’t drip through.

 “Lucas.” you whispered. 

  When he didn’t stir, you sat up in his bed and reached for your phone. He slept soundly on the nights when you had sex, which suited you just fine. You didn’t want him turning over in the night and asking you why you weren’t sleeping. 

  You unlocked your phone, your password far more complicated than it needed to be. You and Lucas once got into an argument when he asked you what you were hiding from him. You felt too exposed, for someone with something to hide. You felt like you no longer belonged to yourself, and he felt hurt that you didn’t want to share what secrets you kept.

  Unread text messages: 56   Unread emails: 134

  Your phone wallpaper was a photo of Lucas during Christmas of last year. He was smiling and holding up a gift you had bought him: an expensive watch nestled in black satin. You remembered the moment well. He opened the box and nearly dropped it to the floor when he realized it was the same model of the one he’d been lusting after for years. Every little boys dream was to own an expensive watch just like their father, and Lucas was no different.

“We can’t afford this.” Lucas had said.

  You, not we. You had wanted to say it, but his family was around the Christmas tree and all eyes were on you. It was true that Lucas could not afford the watch with his low-end salary, but you could. Of course, you had to play the part of the lowly office worker with a salary fit for someone shoved into a shoebox apartment.

“Don’t worry about it,” you had said to soothe him. “You’re worth every penny.”

  And Lucas was. You were with him because he was the first man in a while to make you feel alive. He used to be more daring before he got older, used to make you laugh so hard you’d nearly piss your pants. Like all things, the older things get, the harder it is to keep them in good condition. Your relationship with Lucas never failed on the surface, not really, but there were too many things brewing underneath. You were a lot like the watermarked ceiling: barely holding it together.

  You checked to make sure Lucas was sleeping before opening your inbox full to the brim with emails from men. The descriptions were all the same: I’m tall, handsome, and worth your time. The names all basic and no doubt aliases, were lined in a row for as far as you could scroll down. Every once in a while, you would entertain one of them and look at their email, expanding it so you could see their plea. Pick me, I’m a winner. 

  Tonight's lucky winner was a twenty-three year old artist. The picture attached was of a man smiling, his whole face lighting up at whomever was behind the camera. He looked barely legal, and definitely too cute for what he wrote in his description

WinWin, 23. I want to fuck you raw and parade you around town to all of my friends.

Not today, kiddo. 

  You closed the email and set your phone back in your lap. You wondered how much longer you could keep it up.

     You were dreaming of him, which you did often. He was sitting at his kitchen table, his tie undone and resting around his neck, and a newspaper spread out in front of him. You waltzed into the kitchen in a bouncy dress, announcing your presence with a slight clearing of your throat. The picture felt very old school, static-y lines and scalloped edges. Like a dream of the past, you were bordering in housewife territory, red lipstick turning grey in the black and white film. He looked up immediately to smile at you over his shoulder. The camera panned to reveal a table with food set on it, and two children sitting in chairs.

“Is it almost ready?” he asked

  All you wanted to do was go kiss your dream husband and wrap your arms around him. You wanted those kids to pull faces, like they were really disgusted their parents were still in love after all the years. But you couldn’t move. You looked down and your little kitten heels were stuck in quicksand that was dragging you under too fast. He couldn’t save you. He didn’t even care, just went back to his newspaper. It was all white noise.

  You woke with a jolt, shooting up so fast that Lucas came out of the bathroom. A toothbrush was hanging out of his mouth, and he wasn’t wearing clothes. 

“Bad dream?” he asked, toothpaste spitting in all directions. 

  You looked at his body, just trying to collect your thoughts. Lucas assumed you were checking him out. He started flexing his muscles to make you laugh, showing you all the parts of him he’d been working out lately. You smiled for his benefit and held your hand to your chest.

“Nightmares,” you said. Lucas went into the bathroom to rinse his mouth. When he came back out, he was heading towards his wardrobe.  “Are you leaving for work so soon?”

“Gym.”

“Again?” you asked. “You went last night. Isn’t it true that if you go to the gym too much you’ll leave a very disgruntled and lonely girlfriend behind?”

 When Lucas wasn’t working out, he was at work. During the day, he was the terribly intimidating Veterinarian assistant, his pink scrubs and puppy pin making all the Great Dane’s growl in his direction. From another direction, all the women who worked there practically swooned when he walked his muscled body through the door.  

You got out of bed and opened the blinds. “The rain stopped.” 

  The view was terrible, but he got what he paid for. You watched the little old lady from across the other apartment building hang her clothes on a line. When you turned back to talk to Lucas, he was silently masturbating.

 “Oh shit,” he breathed.

  You closed the blinds quickly before he practically tackled you, lifted you into the air and swung you around. 

You screamed like you were being murdered. “Lucas! Put me down.”

  He lifted up your pajama shorts and smacked your ass. His laugh was loud and boisterous, and you couldn’t help but laugh with him. He dropped you on the bed. His big cock was swinging between his legs before he took it back in his hands and continued stroking himself. You weren’t in the mood for sex, but the sight of him standing over you made it hard to resist. 

“I have to be at work.” you said, your eyes on his cock.

“That doesn’t sound very convincing.” he laughed.

  He took your ankle and pulled you to the edge of the bed, sliding you across the sheets like hot butter in a pan. You were taking off your shorts and panties while still denying him access.

“I do!” you said. “And I need you to drop me off at my apartment so I can get my things.”

 You didn’t need to tear your tank top off. Lucas pulled the spaghetti straps off on either side to reveal your breasts. His big paws were on you as he moved closer. Without wearing a condom, he pushed himself inside of you, both hands holding either breast while he thrusted.

 There was no talking as you fucked. Lucas took your leg and placed it on his shoulder. He kissed your calf softly. There were always tender moments like that, where it felt like it was only him and you that existed in the world. His eyes were big and brown and full of love whenever he looked at you.  You hoped that when he looked into your eyes, he didn’t just see his own reflection peering back at him.

  You felt something swell inside of you with a big wave, before quelling. Lately, you couldn’t seem to orgasm with him. There was a mental disconnect somewhere between him and you, but that didn’t stop you from pretending. You moaned and told him you were coming, even though you and him could feel yourself drying up.

  Lucas lifted your ass up and held your body as he moved, his pace too fast for you to enjoy. You just stopped moaning and stared at him, your mind completely blank. Whenever he came, the veins in his neck popped out. You were expecting him to come inside of you, but when he pulled out and came on your stomach, you let him. You held him as he collapsed on top of you, his big body making it harder for you to breathe.

  Dressed in his gym clothes, Lucas sat in the driver's seat. The drive over to your apartment was silent, mostly because Lucas still hated that you hadn’t moved in with him yet. The other reason was the awkwardness that existed after you both had sex. You laid on the bed for far too long with his semen pooling in your belly button. Not bothering to hand you a towel to clean up, he very quietly got dressed. 

  Lucas had never came on you before. He had always been the romantic look-me-in-the-eyes-as-I-fill-you-up type of guy. It’s not that you didn’t like it, just that it was so out of character you were wondering if something was wrong.

“Do you want me to come inside?” he asked.

  You snapped out of your thoughts, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I think I can handle it on my own.”

  You got out of the car and walked up your steps without looking back at him. You went inside and closed the door behind you, leaning against the wood to regain your nerve.

  You didn’t like Lucas being anywhere near your apartment. He was insecure that yours looked a little better than his. Whenever he was there, he had a million questions about the things you owned. Why they were so expensive. Why it seemed like you had never lived there. You assured him it was because you spent the majority of time at his apartment, but there was always a bitter taste left in both of your mouths any time it was brought up. The other reason was that you weren’t sure what he would find if he looked hard enough.

 You ran up the stairs and unlocked your second door. You could never be too careful. Inside, you were met with a musty smell. You didn’t bother cleaning as you went, just tore through the place gathering what you needed. You stopped briefly to look at yourself in the mirror, at the way your pantsuit hugged your body. Business professional is what the saleswoman had said. It’s what all the men want. 

What do you know about what men want? You wanted to ask her.

  You moved on, click-clacking your way to your bedroom. Your bed was unmade, and there was trash strewn everywhere. You opened the door to your walk-in closet, grabbed a duffel bag and started shoving lingerie into it. You picked up a pair of handcuffs and threw them aside. Rifling through your things didn’t help you find what you were looking for. You cursed out loud and sat down in your closet, leaning your head against the wall. 

“Must be in the other apartment.” you whispered, trying to recall where it was.

 By the time you made it back to the car with Lucas, he had fallen asleep. You tapped the window and apologized for taking so long.

  Lucas pulled up in front of your office building. He hadn’t asked why you brought a duffel bag, because after his nap, his attitude was so damn chipper that he couldn’t stop smiling. He leaned over the console to kiss you.

“You know what?” he said. “I’ll walk you inside.”

There was a panic in your chest. “No, baby, it’s okay.”

  He didn’t hear you. He was halfway out of the car. Lucas opened your door and held out his hand for the duffel bag. Reluctantly, you placed it in his hand and got out of the car.

“So, what time do you work until?” you asked, your eyes on the bag he was holding.

“Late day,” he said, taking your hand with his other. “I won’t be home until after dinner. Save me some?”

“Of course.”

  Normally, Lucas would lead you, but it was your place of work, so you did the leading. You opened the door and walked inside, your heels tapping against the marble. The woman at the front desk and the security guard both nodded at you at the same time before looking back to what they were doing. You guided Lucas to the elevator.

“Are you done the same time as always?” he asked. “I can send someone to pick you up.”

“No, that’s okay.” 

  You stepped into the elevator. You weren’t the only people in there. Luckily the office building was so big that you didn’t need to know everyone. He held your hand the entire ride, giving it a little squeeze. And every time he did, you were forced to look at him and smile.

“This is me.” you said, stepping out. 

  A glass wall separated the hallway from your offices, gold lettering etched on all of the doors. Lucas had never made it this far up, so his eyes were taking in everything like a greedy child.

“This looks expensive,” he said. “No wonder they pay you so well. Maybe I should quit and get a job here.”

  You laughed. It was obligatory. You leaned on your tip-toes and kissed Lucas at the same time you ripped the duffel bag from his hands.

“Call you during break?” you asked.

Lucas smiled. “Yeah,I’d like that. I love you. Have a good day.”

 You could tell he didn’t want to leave. He was too curious about what was behind the glass wall. He could see people milling about, stacks of papers in their hands. There were cubicles and privacy offices, a break room that was too high-tech for a plain office building. 

“I love you, too,” you said. “If you just go down to the ground floor I’m sure someone can help you find your way out.”

  You waited until the elevator doors closed to walk through the glass ones, crossing the threshold like you were walking into a new world. As soon as your heels stepped down into the grey carpet, you walked a little looser, your hips swinging. You did feel professional. And as eyes were on you in every corner of the room, you were the one person who knew exactly what men wanted.

  The office. You didn’t belong. Everyone could smell it on you, that new car smell that always seemed to drive right onto their floor and disrupt everything. For many of them, you were something they couldn’t afford. Oh, how they’d love to test drive you, though. As soon as they got a tasty look at you, all cream interior and buttered seats, all eyes seemed to avoid meeting yours. You sashayed across the floor in peace, your eyes scanning cubicles and the people coming and going.

“Hey.” a familiar voice called.

  You ducked down beside a cubicle. A woman sat in a chair, her long legs bare and freshly waxed. She crossed them and swiveled her chair to face you. You picked up a paper from the floor and shoved it in your pockets. 

“You’re early.” she said.

“Needed time to change.” you shrugged.

  You put your hand on her shoulder to lift yourself up and kept walking. No one stopped to talk to you, and there was something lonely in that feeling you couldn’t put your finger on. You stopped before a door, one of the only non-glass ones in the whole place. Your manicured fingers against the shiny door knob made you pause. You caught your reflection for the second time that day, the distorted figure grimacing back at you.

  You would never open the paper so brazenly in front of other people, but it was the calm breath you needed before you opened the door. It was what would launch you, truly, from this office into the next part of your journey. You opened the paper and stared at each letter burning a hole in your retinas. 

             Sweetie, I miss you. Today’s advice is to never look behind you.

  You tucked the paper in your bra. Every inch of you wanted to look behind you, but instead, you opened the door to the dark closet and changed your clothes.

  You stepped out of the closet dressed in clothes one would find in the mens department. Sweatpants that could be worn playing basketball, a grey sports t-shirt with faded writing, and a black windbreaker. Your sneakers were white with little worn marks on the side, and your hair was thrown underneath a ball cap. If anyone thought you were crazy for entering as yourself and exiting as someone socially male passing, they didn’t bat an eye. 

  Passing by the cubicle, the woman whistled. “If I didn’t know you, I would have you bend me over this desk right here.”

You smirked. “Only if you pay me enough.”

  You threw the duffle over your shoulder and kept walking, all of the confidence in the world in the way you moved. People still looked at you, but it was in a new, illuminated light. You walked through the glass and made it to the elevator. 

“Excuse me.” you said, weaving your way past a man.

“No problem.” he said, eyeing you up as he stepped out. He stared at you until the doors closed.

  In the lobby, you waved hello to the woman at the desk and the security guard. Both were unbothered by your new attire. You swung open the front door and stepped into the sunlight where a black, unmarked car was waiting for you.

“Am I too early?” you asked the driver.

“Right on time, miss.”

 He opened the car door and you slid in, the leather feeling cool, even through your sweatpants. In a fancy car like that, you felt underdressed, but it was all in the job description. He shut the door and went around to the drivers side, any chatty banter he may have started falling short of his lips.

You took out your cell phone and unlocked it.

  Unread text messages: 72   Unread emails: 212

You looked at the very last message from Lucas sent right after he left:

             I love you more and more every day. See you when I get home.

  Trees. That was all you saw. Streets with trees lining them, parks with the healthiest limbs and most luscious green leaves. They stood proud and strong, only wavering with a slight wind. Occasionally, when you were lost in thought, they played against the glass of the car window, a kiss of a leaf here and there, as if to say, “Welcome, open your eyes.”

“We’re almost there,” the driver said. “He asked that I don’t escort you inside. I expect you know your way around.”

  You nodded, making eye contact with the driver in the rearview mirror. He was judging you, you could tell. He wasn’t new, by any means, but the lifestyle took some getting used to. When you first met the driver, you were scared of what he  thought of you, but now you didn’t spare a single thought for him at all.

 The car came to a stop in front of a three-story brick building, its red face powerwashed to pristine condition. There were flower boxes on every windowsill and forest green shutters. A wreath on the door felt welcoming, but only if you were someone who liked open invitations. In the neighborhood, that might have been plausible, but only you really knew what lay beyond the oak front door, its stained glass windows more expensive than Lucas’ monthly rent.

“Thank you.” you told the driver.

  You stepped out of the car, your sneakers crushing a twig. It was the only blemish on an otherwise clean street. You closed the door behind you and held your duffel bag in your hand. The driver waited a beat before driving off, his strict time schedule unable to be rearranged if you chickened out.

 But you would never chicken out. Before you was a place you had been to many times. Anyone who looked out of their window would recognize you, even if the flavor of you didn’t sit well under their tongue. As you ascended the stairs, no one bothered to push aside their curtain for a glimpse of the girl dressed in baggy clothes, every trace of her from this morning vanished completely.

 You walked right in.

  You were met with a smell that hit you instantly: cinnamon. Candles burned on a foyer table, the wick barely black. 

Just lit, you thought. You have to be around here somewhere.

  The home inside was cozy, deep blue accents and unexplainable modern art tucked into corners of the room. It was the home of someone with an eye for the unusual, but whose very facade made one feel more comfortable with themselves. You walked further inside, your fingers touching along the walls. When you were away, you missed the smells terribly.

“Where are you hiding?” you asked. “Little kitten.”

  You walked further inside, your shoes still perfectly on your feet. At his request, he wanted you to keep them on. You never asked why, but you expected that after you left, he got on his hands and knees and scrubbed his floor after your every footprint, in his bid to serve you. 

“Don’t you miss me?” you asked.

  There were so many doorways without doors. You weaved in and out of rooms, taking your sweet time to make sure he could hear you trampling through. You touched some things softly, and others, haphazardly. You didn’t wince as a part of a measuring cup family fell from its hook, clattering to the ground loud enough to make your teeth hurt.

“Tenny,” you said. “Come and play.”

  You wandered up the stairs, your manicured fingers tapping against the wooden railing. You let the duffel fall to the ground when you made it to the top, and rubbed your shoulders.

  If the downstairs was grandmother chic, the upstairs looked like the hallway of a sex club.The walls were deep sapphire and velvet, gold tassels dividing each door. You walked down the center, looking foolish and out of place. On your right, you went in through the first door to an empty bedroom. You looked around but could find nothing. 

“This is taking too long,” you said. “What if I just leave?”

  A sound tipped you off. Your head snapped in the direction you heard it coming from: the very last door on the left. You walked towards it, stopping before it. You rubbed the wood, massaging it in your palm. 

“My little kitten.” you cooed.

  You opened the door to find him in plain sight. His arms were above his head, his wrists strapped to a mechanism chained to the ceiling. He was naked and blindfolded, and there were headphones around his ears so he couldn’t hear anything. You stepped in but didn’t close the door behind you. You stood in front of him, watching as he mouthed the words to a song. When you pulled the headphones down his neck, he gave a little shake.

“You were right under my nose the whole time.” you said.

  You walked around him. His joints looked like they were straining too much. He could hardly keep himself up right. And yet, he began to smile as you made your way back to him.

“How long have you been waiting?” you asked.

“An hour.” he said, his voice hoarse.

  You took off his blindfold and was met with the most mischievous eyes. He looked you up and down, his cock twitching right as he got to the sneakers on his carpet. You had been in the room before, so all of the sex toys and contraptions lining the walls didn’t bother you. People liked to play, and in your line of work, you would do whatever they wanted for the right amount. 

 His name was Ten. He was your age, but there was something about him that felt older than your years. His eyes were that of an old soul, his body young and supple. You scraped your fingernails against his chest and watched him close his eyes and quiver.

“Should I leave you here for another?” you asked.

He shook his head. “I need you to hold me.”

  Ten was one of your favorites. It wasn’t so much about the sex but the companionship. Sure, there were things he did and wanted you to do to him that were a bit different, but your attachment to him was hard to explain. 

“Before I hold you,” you began. “I need to know I can’t disappoint you.”

He opened his eyes. “I don’t think you ever could.”

“You put too much faith in me.” you said. 

  You reached up to unhook him from the ceiling. He whimpered in pain as his arms fell. You massaged his shoulders and brought him against your bosom. Ten’s hair tickled your chin. You were scared to tell him that you forgot his blanket, that it was in your real apartment with the life you hid from Lucas. 

 You wrapped your arms around Ten and kissed the top of his head. You owed him honesty, so you opened your mouth and told him that you forgot the thing he wanted most from you. Tears welled in his eyes, and for a second, you thought about breaking the arrangement and asking if he wanted his money back, but Ten took your hand and started leading you out into the hallway.

“We can do the comfort blanket next week,” he said. “This week, we’ll do something else.”

  Briefly, he showed you the man he was when you weren’t there. He was straightened up and assertive, his eyes more disobedient. It was rare that you were privy to how he was when you weren’t there, but it was always refreshing that somewhere underneath it all, there was something you liked to think of as a friend.

  Ten brought you to a room with only a bed in the middle of it. An island of sadness is what you always thought of it. You remembered when you had found him there sprawled on his stomach, his puckered, wet asshole waiting for you to fuck it. You did as he asked, the money too good to turn him down.

  Ten waited for you to get on the bed by yourself. Before you did, you made sure no hair was peaking out of your ball cap before you stretched your body across the sheets. Ten climbed in and tucked himself into the side of your body. He moved down so that his cheek was pressed against your stomach.

“Tell me you love me,” he said. “And that you’ll never leave me.”

You let your fingers smooth his hair. “I love you, Kitten, and I’m never going to leave you.”

  You fell asleep on the car ride home, the sound of thunder waking you up just a stop away from Lucas’ apartment. You groaned because, for once, your sleep was dreamless. It was too good of a thing to wake up from.

“Drop me off at the corner,” you said. “I don’t want anyone to see me.”

  You had ditched the clothes at Ten’s place and changed back into your pantsuit, but you had hat head and felt like your body had been run over by a truck. You cuddled with Ten for six hours in the same position, your body aching more than his was when he was chained up. You cracked your neck and got ready to jump out of the car as soon as it stopped, just in case someone in the neighborhood was nosy enough to tell Lucas.

“Thank you.” you said for the second time that day.

“See you next week.”

“Yeah.” you sighed.

  You got out and walked the last block to his apartment. The duffel was in your hands, but it was empty. If Lucas asked, it was once full of office supplies the company let you borrow that you needed to return. He would buy into the lie. 

 You let yourself into the darkness, removed your shoes like you were a zombie, and thought about collapsing right on the floor. It wasn’t even that late, but there was something about being deceiving that sucked the life out of you. Deciding against it, you walked your way to the bedroom and flipped on the light. 

 After you usually left Ten’s, you felt too soft to the touch. Some nights, you cried the whole car ride, missing something you didn’t know what you were missing. Often, you would climb into Lucas’ arms and make the most passionate love to him. You just needed to be near him, to make sure it was him who would never leave you.

  Everything looked the same as you had left it, only Lucas’ gym clothes were on the floor and one of his drawers was half hanging open. You went over to it and stuffed his shirts down so it would close properly. Your fingers lingered on the soft fabric. You brought his shirt up to your nose and buried your face in it, inhaling deeply. When you went to put it back, your hand knocked into a small jewelry box.

Uh-oh.

 You took the box out and opened it. A diamond ring sat nestled in black velvet, the name of the jewelry shop printed in silver script on the lid. Feeling dizzy, you snapped the lid shut and shoved it back where it was.

[rainbowsky]

Hi! This has always intrigued me when I came across the BTS scenes of The Untamed. Who shoots these videos? Are there actually fans in the shoot or are they from the staffs themselves? Especially the ones that show GG/DD interacting more than what a normal colleagues/friends would do. How is this allowed? This is my only exp for C industry that I am used to seeing BTS from fans really far away. What's with fans buying vids from other fans to protect them? Isn't that a job by the mgt company?

This is an issue that is a source of some controversy so let me try to clear it up based on my understanding.

The BTS videos were filmed by camera operators who were part of the official film crew, specifically hired to film BTS video. They had full access to the set and the ability to move freely among the actors and film crew. The actors and crew knew the purpose of the filming of this footage and knew that anything that they said or did could end up being part of the official behind the scenes releases.

The film company then used whatever footage it wanted for promotion and to create buzz among fans, and then after a certain period of time (when the NDA for the filming crew expired, which was 2 years later) the footage was sold to the highest bidder. The details of the transaction(s) are of course not known (see end of this post for more on that).

Most of the clips were bought by fansites, and if reports about the volume of footage are true, 300GB of video and audio were sold to the fansites.

The fansites have since been releasing the clips mostly online, although they have also been selling DVDs of some unreleased clips.

The people who own the clips now - primarly fansites - have complete control over how, when and of course if any particular tidbit of BTS is released, and how long each clip remains up. As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t know exactly what criteria are used to decide how long a clip stays up, but the ones that get a lot of attention tend to disappear faster than the ones that do not.

Often the clips are heavily watermarked, have parts of the screen obscured or censored, or are released without audio or without video, presumably to prevent truly salacious, personal or potentially damaging content from reaching the public.

For example, there is a video where GG and DD are in the cold pond cave, sort of reclining in the water (sitting on the floor of the pond so that their lower bodies are submerged). At one point DD stretches back and lifts his hips out of the water so that his costume is clinging to his lower body in a ‘wet t-shirt’ sort of way, and GG glances over and gets a good eyeful of the contours of DD’s parts, his eyes go wide and he gives a startled giggle. The fansite that released that clip covered DD’s parts with a sticker so that the fans won’t see it, but what’s happening in the clip is still obvious.

So there is a bit of a balancing act happening, where fansites try to give the fans some good footage while trying to protect the boys to some degree.

I personally have mixed feelings about the BTS and I’m glad that they are getting less attention now. I talked about that in a bit more detail here.

Every time I express any sort of misgivings about the BTS I get overzealous assholes sending me hate mail (because apparently some people fail miserably at nuance, lack even the most rudimentary reading comprehension, and are so hateful that they feel the need to attribute malice to everything they see), so I just want to say to anyone thinking of sending me hate mail about this - don’t bother. Your words are going to fall into the abyss, never to be seen or heard again.

I should add that while GGDD’s behavior in the BTS is flirtatious and wild enough that it might seem shocking to see it being released, keep in mind that there was a certain degree of cover for that behavior because the film was based on a BL novel and would therefore involve some fan service.

So while the release of BTS might seem risky (and there is undeniably some risk associated with some of the BTS releases), the fact is GG and DD have a lot of cover for their behavior because they were romantic leads in a BL story. The vast majority of people dismiss these clips as fan service.

More on the sale

The Untamed production company New Style Media issued a statement Dec 2020 claiming they had nothing to do with any sale of the footage and claiming its release was unauthorized. This was long after the footage had been continuously released, often in multiple clips daily.

Most fans don’t believe the claim that the sale of the footage was unauthorized, because it was tolerated for so long. There are two main fan theories on why the statement came out when it did.

Solo fans were reporting the footage and the company was forced to make a statement.

Fansites were selling DVDs and photo books and profiting from the footage, and the company got angry and issued a statement.

Both could be true, neither could be true. I lean more toward the first theory - the company was trying to respond to/quell negative buzz.

It's possible the sale really was unauthorized and the company previously held back on releasing a statement because of the potential embarrassment it might cause, and then found themselves forced to make a statement when fansites started selling clips. We simply don’t know.

I think the idea that the company wasn’t in on the sale in some way (or at least aware of it) strains credibility. The releases were tolerated for a very long time, and there’s no planet on which they would have been unaware of them.

It seems to me that the theft and unauthorized sale of 300 GB of property from a production company would be a huge deal and would result in criminal charges and arrests, or at the very least, lawsuits. None of that has happened. I think it’s possible that the company did a backroom deal or else tolerated a backroom deal and then made a statement disavowing it all when the footage started creating a PR stir for them.

Keep in mind, this is a production company that has new projects in the works. The stir caused by these BTS clips probably would have created some headaches for them. I imagine that management companies dealing with actors being considered for parts on new productions would have some pretty tough questions for them about on-set privacy, just to name one headache.

But of course, that’s just my own opinion, and I could be wrong. No one knows for sure what happened except the parties involved in the transaction.

Frankly I find the whole thing a bit shady on all sides (and that includes the fansites).

We don't know for sure what the truth of all of this is, and probably never will. This is part of why I think it's best to move on from that summer and focus on the new and exciting things happening for GG and DD.

Edited for clarity on sale/letter released by the company.

Did GG and DD approve of the BTS release?

[queenofthenyx]

So, we all agree Sailor Moon is a big time gamer girl right?

Like, she collects the gaming manuals and the character figurines. Plays mostly PC and stans Nintendo and leans into the retro games pretty hard. And all her gaming accontrement matches the pink cat ear headphones. On an average day you'll find her in a cute dress, but it's highlighted by the glow of a computer screen and hitched up near ro her hips because "it's just comfortable that way Mamo-chan! I don't know why!"

Often because she's pretty. Because she's blonde. Because she's easily distracted. Because she dresses cute. People (men and teenage boys) think she's a fake gamer girl.

And. Oh. OH. Fourth best to cuddling with her boyfriend and cat simultaneously, kicking ass and spreading justice with her squad, or beating a high score at the local arcade (all tied for first) is making gamer boys suck it.

Cons have been flooded with the frustrated tears she's induced. She's caused riots that she flounces away from like a sprite on a moonbeam. Once, with Mamo-chan's help, she convinced a guy with deep pockets and shallow brain matter to buy her a glittery pink Nintendo switch. Because it was so pretty! And she was so sad! Her boyfriend just broke-up with her in front of everyone! How sweet and how vulnerable and how grateful she was that he had appeared to save her and show her around!!

Ten seconds after the purchase was completed and Usagi had the bag on hand, Mamo-Chan had circled back and asked casually if she wanted to get back together.

Today's Con proved no less productive.

As often happened, vendors took Mamo-chan for the gamer and Usagi as his cute little girlfriend. Half of that is true. Usagi was big enough to admit she was damn adorable. Usually it worked in their favor. Usagi got to view the merch without having someone trying to convince her to buy and Mamo-chan got to practice his calm bedside manner on people who clearly wanted the attention.

Sometime before lunch a vendor caught her ire. Hanger might have been a component. Cons were long and tiring and she'd run out of the trail mix Mamo-chan had packed for her two hours ago. (Okay, she'd picked out the last of the chocolate and dried fruit pieces. Leaving the disgusting nuts to be tossed away later.)

"Aw, you're a such a great girl for letting your boyfriend drag you around a Con."

Usagi is a great girl. The best girl. The many people she saves on the regular all agree. But coming from a grown man with a greasy ponytail and an MLP t-shirt depicting Rainbow Dash hog-tied by Apple Jack? Gross.

"I'm dragging him around actually. And yes. He is great."

"Oh!" For a brief, naive moment, Usagi takes the surprised smile as a sign that the guy isn't as terrible as originally thought. Oh how badly good things end. "Well, I hope he's showing you all the good stuff!"

How is it that an evil space queen can hear her from across an entire artic shelf, but this guy can't hear from two feet away?

Usagi shoots Mamo-chan a look that tells him that she's about to drag him into some shit. His responding look asks her to make it short. He's hungry too.

"Mamo-chan, how about you tell him what you thought the difference is between play station and x-box?"

"He'll laugh. They always laugh."

"Because it's hilarious. Now tell him."

Mamo-chan sighs. He'll do it. Because he loves his reincarnated-goddess-girlfriend-soulmate. so. goddamn. much. That and the glint in her eyes says she's two seconds away from moon-smiting the guy. And he is not down to hear her excuses of, "he was clearly evil! He was sucking all the joy out of the room! And those prices!" all afternoon.

"I thought the play station was the store where you bought x-boxes."

The man indeed laughs, an awkward chuckle that indicates the implosion going on to his world-view.

"It. It's okay man, everyone's gotta start off somewhere!"

A response Usagi knows she wouldn't have received to admitting the same mistake. Mamo-chan makes a grab for her purse before she can reach for her wand. Smart.

"His best friend literally owns an arcade and he thought a joy-stick was a type of popsicle! I asked him once to disconnect my controller and he took the batteries out of the tv remote! We play Smash Bros and he picks Little Mac! You have the audacity to think he's showing me, ME around? When you're selling stolen art prints for a 200% mark-up, which I can tell because of the damn watermark you forgot to clean up! At least he's-" she points very proudly to her boyfriend "-going to be a doctor! He's going to contribute to society! You're a talentless worm surviving off the insecurities and discomfort of people who- Hey! Mamo-chan! Put me down! I was just getting started!!"

Her boyfriend heaves her over his shoulder. With a pout she resigns to her fate and parts with the vendor with a glare.

Mamo-chan buys her a milkshake and french fries. After a few sips and half the fries disappear the world feels a whole lot better.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you sound dumb. You know besides Ami, you're the smartest person I know."

He smiles at her, soft and understanding and she feels incredibly lucky. "I know. After we're done eating we can go back and you can keep yelling at him if you want."

"Really?!"

He nods and Usagi nearly sends her milkshake to the floor to lunge across the table to kiss him.

[vinevsm]

My boy with good heart ❤️

P2.

2016.03.04

I still hope you can save money and recharge yourself! Carduo bought some small gifts for mom and dad to take care of myself and help the people around me

P3

20210916

You helped me verify that luck is inseparable from hard work, our top studentsYou helped me verify that luck is inseparable from hard work, our top students

P4.

#黄景瑜#枪#黄景瑜1130岁快乐# Korean fans took a group photo and shared a short story when they took a photo at the Seoul fan meeting: "Because I don’t want to show my face, I brought a mask. The staff came over and asked us to take off the mask. I asked why I wanted to extract, and the answer I got was: "Because the artist (Huang Jingyu) requested, the artist (Huang Jingyu) wanted to see everyone's face in the photo." In that short time, because I couldn't see the back row People, I turned around and looked at everyone. It’s really too warm.” @Johnny黄景瑜Before, the whale and the platform cooperated to launch their own peripherals, but when a fan chatted with the whale at the airport, he mentioned that every purchase was a little bit The surrounding areas charge a postage, so the extra postage purchased in the surrounding area will be a bit expensive. Although the whale only knew about this at the time, I didn’t expect that fans would receive news from the platform that they would refund the extra postage to the fans Jing Yuzhen He is a very good boy. In the early days, my wrist was injured during filming, and the plaster was stuck on it all the time. Once I got off the plane and quietly tore off the plaster before reaching the fans in order not to worry the fans. When the whale was filming, the fans went to Baotou to visit him and waited for him at the hotel. When he came back, he asked the fans if they had dinner, and he took out his bank card and asked the fans to eat. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

P5.

"The whale is not aware of the fact that we can't get handshake tickets from the surrounding area. Mimei told him that he was still holding the injustice for us and asked Brother Zheng to ask. Finally, he should go and ask if we still have grievances? Then no He left after he was too fond of the fan. 555555~* CL and shoot video

P6

Share dinner food

P7

If the images of Huang Jingyu I saw before were all bright and beautiful under the lens, then this time I saw Huang Jingyu behind the lens and recorded the real Huang Jingyu I saw. Scene 1: The sound of the old man singing with a loudspeaker came from the distance of the filming in the park. The crew felt that the singing was a bit interfering with the live recording, and was trying to tell the old man not to sing anymore. At this time, Jing Yu stopped the staff and said: "Singing in the park is also normal, so don't disturb others singing." So the filming continued. Scene 2: In the midst of filming, when the sun was scorching, Jing Yu stood in the crowd waiting for the director to start filming. There was a young group performer who felt sorry for him and fanned him silently with a prop foam board. Jing Yu said, "Do you need to fan me? Fan yourself.” Scene 3: Someone showed me a recent Reuters video after work. In the video, Jingyu was about to ride a motorcycle after get off work. There was a group of people taking pictures of whales. On-site staff verbally prevented passers-by from taking pictures. Later Passers-by and the staff had disputes and push-ups. The motorcycle that Jing Yu had just drove out came back. He immediately got out of the car and walked between the two to prevent this possible conflict, and then rode away on the motorcycle. Scene 4: After get off work late at night, Jing Yu got off work at one o'clock in the morning, and found that we were still waiting for him downstairs on the set. He turned around and said to us as he walked, "Respond to the call of the country and chase the stars rationally!"

P8.

1. Make an appointment to record in Beijing, Mimei: What size shoes do you wear, Whale: Huh? How big is zen? (I raised my foot and gestured after I finished speaking) Mimei: kkkkkk is os in his heart. So how big is a whale? I don’t want you to buy things again. Your goodness is never directly expressed Roubao SU

P9.

JOHNNY 23. Hengdian, a half-demon alluring city exploration class, there is a small dining car next to it, the whale: I treat, you buy something to eat, the fan girl: don’t don’t don’t stop the whale: buy hard, I see how much you can buy, Mimei: I'm flattered, laughing, Whale: Can you buy me poor today, Mimei: Big sister, give me the car key, I will drive away directly, Whale: Don't you want to buy the whale like this

Johnny man with good heart and helpful person ,I'm proud of you ❤️

CR. Watermark

[tracyshomesick]

25 things that were invented in NYC.

1. Toilet paper: In 1857, Joseph C. Gayetty began selling packs of “medicated paper for the water closet” out of his wholesale shop at 41 Ann St. The paper was made from pure Manila hemp and treated with aloe. Best (or worst)
of all, each sheet was watermarked with his name.

2. Chicken ’n’ waffles: After its 1938 opening, Wells Supper Club in Harlem was the last stop for jazz greats like Sammy Davis Jr., Gladys Knight and Nat King Cole. Catering to its night-owl talent, Wells created the perfect dish for acts who’d missed dinner but couldn’t wait till breakfast: leftover fried chicken on a sweet waffle.

3. Chewing gum, a New York invention, was first manufactured in 1870 by Thomas Adams in a warehouse on Front Street. Called ''Adams New York Gum No. 1,'' it was made from chicle, a form of sapodilla tree sap chewed in the Yucatan and Guatemala.

4. The Waldorf Salad: The Waldorf Astoria boasts two inventions on this list, the first of which is its classic salad, which combines lettuce, apple, celery and walnuts. It was first served in 1896.

5. Teddy Bears: In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot an injured black bear while on a hunt. Inspired by the story, Morris and Rose Michtom, candy-store owners from Brooklyn, sewed a plush bear and displayed it, calling it “teddy’s bear.” The toy was so popular, they gave up candy and opened a factory to make the cuddly critters.

6. The Tom Collins: In 1874, a hilarious joke swept through the city: A prankster would tell a friend, “I was at [insert local saloon], where Tom Collins was saying [insert insult] about you!” The offended party would rush off to defend his honor, but there was no Tom Collins. (Cool joke, bro.) Inspired by the prank, New York mixologist Jerry Thomas created the recipe in 1876.

7. Coal-fired pizza: Pizza was cooked with wood fires until Gennaro Lombardi introduced the tasty magic of coal. Legend has it he served the first coal-fired pie in 1905. Cooking pizza that way is technically illegal now, but the ovens of a few select haunts around the city were grandfathered in, including Lombardi’s, Totono’s and Patsy’s.

8. Scrabble: Out-of work architect and anagram lover Alfred Mosher Butts conceived this wordy board game in 1931 while living in Jackson Heights, Queens. The street sign on Butts’s corner in Queens now reads “35t1H4 a1V4e1n1u1e1” after the famed letter-scoring system.

9. Spaghetti primavera: When this faux Italian dish (fresh vegetables and Parmesan cream sauce on pasta) was served at Le Cirque in 1977, it was, according to The New York Times, “the most talked-about dish in Manhattan,” much to the chagrin of head chef Jean Vergnes. The classically trained Frenchie was so offended, his cooks had to prep the dish in a hallway—yet later he claimed its invention.

10. The remote control: Nikola Tesla conceived of a radio-controlled boat way back in 1898. The idea was so novel that nobody believed such technology could exist.

11. Sweet’n Low: Fort Greene entrepreneur Benjamin Eisenstadt teamed up with his chemist son, who found a way to create saccharin in powdered form (before it could only be a liquid or a pill). He named his pink-label brand after a Tennyson poem.

12. Eggs Benedict: Stockbroker and bon vivant Lemuel Benedict woke up one morning in 1894 with a raging hangover and booked it
to the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where he ordered a poached egg, crispy bacon, toast and hollandaise sauce. Legendary maître d’hôtel Oscar Tschirky was such a fan of the creation, he added it to the hotel’s menu.

13. The Bloody Mary:
 Fernand “Pete” Petiot imported his tomato-juice-and-vodka concoction from Paris to the St. Regis hotel’s King Cole Bar. Catering to the spicier local tastes, Petiot added Worcestershire sauce, lemon and
a dash of cayenne and black pepper.

14. Credit Cards: You have John Biggins of the Flatbush National Bank to thank for those interest charges and late fees: In 1946, he created the charge-it program, which issued customers bank credit cards for use at local Brooklyn merchants. The shop owners would then deposit the sales slips at the bank, who would then bill cardholders.

15. Baked Alaska: In 1876, the pioneering pastry chefs
of lower-Manhattan restaurant Delmonico’s conceived of piping-hot sponge cake topped with crispy meringue and filled with ice cream, naming this miracle
of food science in honor of the country’s newest territory.

16. General Tso’s Chicken: While exiled in Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War, chef Peng Chang-Kuei created a spicy-and-sour chicken dish as an homage to a famous Hunanese general. When he jumped ship to New York in the 1970s and opened Peng’s, the dish became a huge hit— after he added sugar to the recipe.

17. Frozen Hot Chocolate:
 Stephen Bruce, the cofounder
of iconic East-Side restaurant Serendipity 3, kept the recipe of this decadent dessert a secret for 40 years. Bruce recently revealed that the famous frozen treat is 14 kinds of cocoa mixed with crushed ice and topped with whipped cream. (The types of cocoa still remain a mystery.)

18. Air conditioning: In 1902, Willis Carrier created his “apparatus for treating air” to keep the humidity from warping the paper at a printing plant on Grand St in Bushwick. Saving workers from the sweltering summer heat was just a fortunate side effect.

19. The Reuben Sandwich: Alright, this one’s contested, but many say Arnold Reuben, owner of Reuben’s Delicatessen, invented the meat-and-krout combo in 1914. Legend has it, the sandwich was created for a famished actress, who came in after a show, using the few ingredients left on the deli shelves.

20. Mr. Potato Head: When New Yorker and toy designer George Lerner first created plastic facial features to stick on real vegetables, toy companies worried that food wasting wouldn’t fly with a postwar public. But in 1952, Hasbro bought Lerner’s
 idea and made the first TV ad ever for children’s playthings, selling a million units that year.

21. Hot dogs: Coney Island baker Charles Feltman had the genius idea to serve hot sausages in a 
bun for a dime each. His frank fortune bought him a beachside empire of hotels and beer gardens, until former employee Nathan Handwerker opened Nathan’s Famous and sold his dogs for only a nickel.

22. ATMs: the first money-dispensing device was conceived in 1939 by Luther George Simjian, who convinced the City Bank of New York (today’s Citibank) to test his contraption for six months. The bank declined to use the machine after that, because “the only people using the machines were a small number of prostitutes and gamblers.”

23. Cronuts: Dominique Ansel labored for months to perfect his doughnut-fried, fluffy hybrid from heaven. The pastry, which debuted in May 2013, still inspires down-the- block lines each morning.

24. Children's Museums: The Brooklyn Children's Museum, located in Crown Heights, opened in 1899 and was the country’s first museum dedicated to the education of kids. It was also the first to introduce a “hands-on” policy for its exhibits.

25. Hip-hop. Enough said.

[fahrhaus]

The Price of Performance:  Do You Really Get What You Pay For?

WARNING: EXTREMELY LONG POST AHEAD.  SKIP IF YOU DON'T HAVE ABOUT EIGHTEEN HOURS TO READ IT.  

:)

For those of you who shoot Fuji or Nikon in addition to your Leicas, you may find this very unscientific or unfair and very practical (some say amateurish) rendering comparison to be of interest.  

It just so happens that I ...umm, just happened...to find my old Nikon D80, with a Nikon 35/1.8 G lens.  With a crop sensor and a CCD chip, it's a pretty interesting camera.  I bought it new in 2008 and used it solidly for 5 years before getting my first digital M (rarely shot my M3s those days, and I regret it now that I can't get film easily).

I had been planning to compare the  Fuji X-E2 output with the Fujinon 35/1.4 vs. my Leica TL2 with Summilux-M 35/1.4.  When I found the Nikon, I figured I'd add it to the list for giggles.  I mean, what could a decade-old camera possibly do better than a current one?To make it all more confusing, I decided to try the Leica Summilux lens on the X-E2 (Fotodiox adapter) as a way to get some clue into the sensor and software differences between a (when new) $700 camera and a $3,250 camera.

The results may or may not speak for themselves, depending on your aesthetic senses or ocular abilities.

The full-res image files (or at least the maximum Facebook allows) are attached, with corresponding watermarks describing the lens manufacturer and body (Fuji Fuji = Fuji lens and Fuj body, Fuji 35 Lux = Leica M lens used with an adapter for X-to-M).  The Nikon was used only with the Nikkor lens because I didn't have an adapter for that camera.

Now this is by no means a scientific comparison. But I promise I tried.  I kept the environment the same, and the shots were taken within a span of about 10 minutes, so lighting is roughly the same.ISO ranged from 320 at the lowests (on the Leica) to 1600 at the highest (I set that as the max for all 3 cameras, set it at ISO Auto, and limited shutter speed to a max of 1/60th).  Funnily, the Nikon's highest setting IS 1600 - the CCD sensor, I'm guessing.I'm sure others would have used tripods, and perfected focus, and flash (I have no idea how, or why, to use those things) but I was shooting manual lenses on the Fuji and Leica.

At my age, I probably missed tack-focus a few times, but it doesn't really matter - something, somewhere in each image is in focus.  I was most interested in the color rendering, bokeh, clipping, and flaring.

ALL PICTURES were shot in their RAW equivalents, and converted to JPG via Exposure 3.5 with NO ADJUSTMENTS made to any of the sliders other than White Balance because the Fuji was rendering very dark blue.  The Leica was perfect, and the Nikon a tad too warm.  I left everything else, including exposure and contrast, alone, as I really wanted to see what out-of-camera RAW looks like.

My thoughts:

The CCD sensor, as dated as it is (2007ish) has spectacular color rendering and pop.  To me, it's arguably better than the CMOS sensors on the Leica or the Fuji, but the Leica does come pretty close.  I saw similar differences in the M9 vs M 240, but some post production sorts it all out.

The dynamic range of the Leica is significantly better than the Nikon (14 stops vs 10 stops), and somewhat better than the Fuji (12 stops).  This is clearly seen when you examine the images in Lightroom or Exposure.  The TL2 uses almost the entire Histogram range, whereas the Nikon skews to the right-side highlights and the Fuji skews to the left (heavily)

The Fujinon glass is spectacular, and is noticeably sharper than the Leica but nowhere near as creamy.  Lovely bokeh, but not Leica boke.  I prefer the Leica by a large margin, because for street photography sharpness is meaningless (at least to me) and "attitude" is more important.

The Leica Summilux still holds its own against the Fuji and Nikon in terms of light gathering and overall rendering/color.  The lens I use is  47 years old (!) and is neither aspherical nor apochromatically corrected.  It has some haze and scratches, and its coating is probably deteriorated. The Nikon lens is 11 years old, and the Fuji lens is 4 years old.  And yet the Summilux kills it every time.  It was also once the smallest fast lens made by anyone.  

The X-E2 is a damn good clicker, even though mine is 5 years old and there's newer tech.  I'm pleasantly surprised by that.  This is a camera I bought as a stop gap whilst waiting for my M-P 240 to arrive, and I've rarely shot it since.  Given its light weight, good autofocus, and great X Trans sensor, I may start taking it out again.

The combination of the Fuji sensor and Fujinon lens is more pleasing to me than the Fuji with the adapted Leica lens.  The Nikon with Nikon lens is similarly great.  But the Leica with Leica lens is certainly more interesting and more "3D" than the others.  Seems like the OEM lenses work best on the respective bodies.  That makes sense, given that the sensors/software are optimized to OEM lenses rather than 3rd party ones.

Conclusions?  Very few, actually.  As I said, OEM Bodies with OEM Lenses seem to work best and/or make the best out-of-camera images.   I'm guessing this has something to do with tweaking sensors and software to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of the related glass.  The TL2 is spectacularly good.  High ISO performance is better than my M.  The Fuji is a great buy for the money.  The X-E3 and 35/1.4 Fujinon lens will set you back about 1400 bucks.  The TL2 with the equivalent Leica lens would be about 7500.  

The Nikon D80 has no skin in this game.  Firstly, it's out of production, as is pretty much anything with a CCD sensor.  That's a shame, because studio work with decent lighting where you don't need to go above 1000 or so ISO is a great place to take advantage of a CCD's incredible depth and vibrance of color.  Secondly, I used it simply because I was curious about how it looked next to [the CMOS] Fuji and Leica images.  I am so pleasantly surprised that I think i may start carrying it around (in the daytime, of course) once in a while.

And so the chapter ends.  Next time I want to throw my M-P into the mix to see how the APS-C and Full Frame compete.

Hope this will be of interest to a few folks.  As I said, not a scientific comparison by any means, but rather, a real-world side-by-side that the pixel-peeper types will probably hate.  In which case, please keep scrolling

:)

[aion-rsa]

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 6 Ending Explained

https://ift.tt/3aA08S4

This article contains spoilers for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 6.

Deviating from the Marvel formula a bit, the ending of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier isn’t designed to leave viewers with many questions. There is only one, quite brief, post-credit scene that falls well short of the Nick Fury “Avengers Initiative” watermark. 

Before that, Sam Wilson a.k.a. Falcon a.k.a. Captain America basically articulates all of the series’ themes in great detail with an extended monologue to the world at large like he was Stan Marsh at the end of an early season South Park episode. Even the show’s final title card leaves absolutely no ambiguity, changing the series title from “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” to “Captain America and The Winter Soldier.”

While Disney+’s second major Marvel effort wraps much of its story into a neat little bow, it still does leave some lingering questions at the end of the day. Let’s examine those questions here and offer up some answers where we can.

What Happened to Torres?

Every new Marvel property must introduce a new sidekick for fans to identify with. Hell, that’s how we got Sam Wilson in the first place. When it came time for Sam Wilson to get his own Sam Wilson, First Lieutenant Joaquín Torres of the U.S. Air Force answered the call. 

Torres was a consistent presence in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s first few episodes. But as Sam interacted more with Bucky Barnes and John Walker, his military liaison largely fell by the wayside. He appears only briefly in this finale as we see him watch Sam deliver his speech to the Global Repatriation Council and smile at how far his friend has come. 

There probably aren’t any big plans for Torres to become his own Falcon-style superhero (but remember, he DOES have Sam’s old wings) but as WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier have made clear, the MCU always has a need for sympathetic “normal” characters. Don’t be surprised if Torres pops up again in a future Disney+ adventure to support his friend just like always. 

Is Batroc Dead?

Georges Batroc learns a very important lesson in this finale: never ask Sharon Carter for a raise. Yes, one of Captain America’s most consistent villains (though he’s more like an annoyance) has been working with Sharon a.k.a. The Power Broker this whole time. 

Read more

TV

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 6 Marvel, Captain America, MCU Easter Eggs

By Mike Cecchini and 2 others

TV

Marvel Fans React to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Finale

By Kirsten Howard

When Batroc finally fulfills his mission of subduing Karli Morgenthau he demands to receive four times his agreed upon payment from Sharon. Sharon responds by shooting him. Where exactly does Sharon shoot him? That’s unclear. But the French Pirate hits the ground very quickly. Given Sharon Carter’s superb marksmanship, it would appear that the shot was fatal. 

Batroc has had quite the run in the MCU. Who would have expected that he would even make it to a Disney+ streaming title after his brief debut in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier? This does, however, appear to be the end of him. R.I.P.

Is This the End of the Flag-Smashers? 

Very early on in this finale, Bucky warns Sam to be careful because the Flag-Smashers could be anybody. That’s what makes this group a bit trickier to stamp out from your usual MCU baddies. The Flag-Smashers aren’t a people, they’re an ideology. Now many of the group’s main players are dead and Sam gave a lovely speech urging for political tolerance. But was that enough for the Flag-Smashers movement to go away?

Realistically, it’s probably not. The so-called “Blip” of Thanos removing half the Earth’s population and the Avengers returning it five years later will continue to have enormous implications for years to come. In fact, in the continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is undoubtedly the single most consequential moment in all of human history. The issues of the blip won’t realistically go away and the Flag-Smashers are sure to become an embedded political movement within the MCU.

Granted, Marvel may soon decide that it’s no longer interesting to continue to harp on one event from a 2019 film for the rest of its filmmaking history and begin to move away from blip-storytelling soon. Rest assured, however, that the Flag-Smashers will still be out there somewhere, smashin’ flags.

How Does the Country Feel About John Walker?

John Walker made history in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by becoming the first human being to face consequences for killing someone. Hell, Sharon Carter is the Power Broker and killed Karli Morgenthau but she gets welcomed back into Uncle Sam’s good graces. The difference, of course, is that Sharon didn’t do her killing on camera for all the world to see.

What’s interesting, however, is that even though John Walker was stripped of all his titles and condemned, he did not face any lasting legal repercussions for killing. And that’s how he was able to throw on the stars and stripes, grab a makeshift shield, and head out to help Sam and Bucky save the day. 

That leaves John Walker in an interesting place as the show concludes. He’s certainly not a hero in the public eye but he’s also not a villain. “U.S. Agent” is a bit of a drab branding choice for his new superhero venture (even if it is comic-accurate), as is Val’s choice of a Cap costume that replaces the blue with the black. But Val’s first super-soldier appears to be on his way back to public respectability. And this leads nicely into our next question…

Who Is Sharon Carter Talking To?

As previously discussed, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s post-credit scene isn’t too Earth-shattering. In it, Sharon Carter receives a pardon from the U.S. intelligence community. As she leaves the courthouse (which gets A LOT of screentime in these last two episodes) Sharon calls someone and says “start lining up buyers. Super Soldiers might be off the menu but we’re about to have full access to government secrets, prototype weapons, you name it. Should be something for everyone.” 

That seems like some bad news! But who exactly is Sharon talking to?

Well one possibility is that she’s speaking with one of her Mardipoor underworld contacts from her time as Power Broker. But merely selling off government secrets and tech seems like a bit small potatoes for the now very powerful Sharon Carter. It’s more likely that Sharon is preparing to build her own superteam…which makes her quite like another powerful lady from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. 

Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine or simply Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) clearly has her eye on developing her own Avengers as well. Because one U.S. Agent does not a super team make. Sharon and Val could very well be joining forces to create a force that could rival Earth’s mightiest heroes. Whether they’re called Dark Avengers, Thunderbolts, or something else, a new crew seems to be on its way.

Will Sam Lead The Next Avengers Team?

Typically the Avengers don’t have an elected leader. Tony Stark provided the funding and Steve Rogers provided the inspiration to go into battle. But now Tony and Steve are both gone. Is the newest Captain America capable of stepping into a leadership role?

Well let’s make something clear from the top. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, it’s not even a guarantee that the Avengers are a thing anymore. Natasha Romanoff kept the lights on while half the world was snapped away. But even she is gone now. Thus far, Disney+’s series haven’t hinted at an incoming team-up aside from Val’s dastardly plans.

Still, the Avengers (or a team like them) will have to assemble again one day. Once they do, Sam seems to be in a prime spot to take on the mantle of leadership. He doesn’t just have Cap’s shield, he also has his moral clarity. 

What’s Next for Zemo?

Baron Zemo, bless him, got everything he wanted out of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. He got to take a little break from being imprisoned, wear a nice puffy coat, and most importantly: eliminate the threat of super soldiers once again. Yes, it was the Baron’s butler who took out the last four remaining Flag Smasher soldiers. 

All that’s left now is to retire to a life of quiet contemplation in his Raft prison cell, right? Well, not really. There is still one rogue super soldier out there in the form of John Walker. Zemo is simply too capable a schemer and too compelling a villain to stay in the Raft forever. It’s unclear what’s next for the Steve Rogers “tree” of Marvel movies. But whenever Sam, Bucky, and John Walker turn up in a film or TV show again, Zemo is sure to make another appearance. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Why Weren’t Sam and Bucky Cooking a Crawfish Boil?

Finally, the most important question. The final scene of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier features a lovely celebration where Sam returns home to Louisiana and brings his friend Bucky for a family food party. While much of the scene is devoted to seeing the novelty of the fearsome Winter Soldier playing with children, we do get some quick glimpses of the food being prepared and I’ve gotta say: grilled shrimp wouldn’t have been my first choice.

I have no doubt that the Wilson family grilled shrimp recipe is superb (particularly if it’s a Cajun recipe). But grilling some shrimp on a barbecue grill just seems woefully deficient for a party this size. Why not just go with a classic Louisiana crawfish boil? That’s a fun activity for the whole crew and will make a lot more food. Plus, they’re already boiling the corn cobs!

Also, it must be said that Bucky appears to come to this event with a pitiful store bought Oreo cake. That’s why Sam gets to be Captain America and you don’t, Bucky.

The post The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 6 Ending Explained appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/32HOaRT

[throughthewwods]

100 Days of Productivity

Day 31

📚 had a productive meeting with my Trauma professor

 excuse my happy dance that I’m almost done with this scavenger for misery 💃

She also gave me the option to write a three page research proposal instead of concocting a YouTube presentation. Much easier! If I can, I’m going to find a way to repurpose my research for the college student loneliness paper I’m working on for Health. Two birds with one stone would be nice.

📚 my Methods professor offered his zoom class meetings once that class gets to the course material that’s relevant to me completing my work, which will be very helpful

���🏻‍♀️ hula hoop for 40-ish minutes

📚 read an article on the correlation between stressors and health issues for non-hetero orientations 😞

🍪 helped kiddo start a thank you video for the people who have bought Girl Scout cookies so far

🎨 encouraged kiddo to make a drawing for her grandmothers birthday

🌙 everyone meditated before bed

———————————————-

I am still shaking off the fear in my body from a scene in some stupid dark comedy that got too real faster than I could fast forward last night. I’m much better off than I was, but still not quite myself yet. Normally my PTSD isn’t so problematic, but last night I could not quiet that beneath my skin my circulatory system had become an ant colony with flashes of images between blinks that lingered as a watermark even once my eyes were open staring hard into the goofy cartoon RB switched on for me. He is kind and patient. He pets my head with hesitation not sure what I need and in that moment nor am I. I do not wish to worry him. I want to be fine. I chuckle with the plot, but it is strange because I hear myself third person as a forced, frightened laugh even though cognitively I know I am safe. Eventually the beta blocker kicks in, but I still spend much of the night over and over shoving away the darkness only to shoot my eyes at the villainess floor lamp. I scoot over to RB and burry my face in the warmth of his skin.

I hate how trauma has a way of taking over your life so easily. In reality, that tremor was a very small portion of my day, yet it looms. I don’t want to end this entry on that note. I don’t want to give those memories that kind of power.

Kiddo is doing better and earned some privileges back. Who knows how long that will last, but I want to be optimistic. ♥️ I hate grounding her. She’s too damn good at amusing herself. I have to be tyrannical for it to phase her. The other day she turned an empty oatmeal box into a rocket ship. 😑😆

I am grateful for any blesses great or small that make academics less hellish ♥️ 😆

RB gifted her a charger cord for my old camera so he can teach her some things and help her earn her photography badge ♥️

We enjoyed listening to more of Narnia and it’s good for all of us to continue meditating nightly even if only for 10 minutes. ♥️



[aspirephotography1]

Let’s get Creative

Why not embrace The Creative Side Of Your Personality…

“How You Too Can Take Incredible Photos That Everyone Covets And That You’ll Be Proud To Look At Years Later – Without Ever Carrying A Bulky Camera”

I do a lot of Photography and have Canon 60D, Go-Pro hero 3+, drones, and other gadgets as well as my iPhone 7, each article I will give you my own opinion on best apps links to products I like or even websites that are good to hone in and improve your skills.



From: Lisa Mulholland/ aspirephotography1

RE: Taking Stunning Photos With Your iPhone/Phone

Who has ever looked at a photo and thought wow I’ve taken a better shot using only my camera Phone!?

I have and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

If you’d like to take better photos with your phone than most people can take with a DSLR, this might be the most important page you’re going to read in a long time…

If you think about it most camera phones today shoot in 12mp, (mp stands for megapixel). this is something to check in your settings.

And you are able to even enter photography contests with anything above 4mp.

I will add links below for you to have a look at.

That’s because I’m going to share a story about how I went from taking boring iPhone photos to creating incredible photos that most people don’t even believe were taken with the iPhone…

And you’re going to discover how you can do the same!



I shot and edited these photos with my iPhone… And you too could be taking photos like this with your

Phone not too long from now!

slowmow at sunset



The video above was stabilized using Emulsio, you can use a free version that will leave there watermark in the bottom left-hand corner or you can purchase a full version for £7.99 from iTunes which I have but wanted you to see what it was like with marking.

Emulsio – Video Stabilizer by Creaceed SPRL

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/emulsio-video-stabilizer/id397583851

I also use Photoshop, Darkroomand procam on my mobile apps are available from the app store also adobe photoshop is easy to use and is free to use on mobile when you sign up for an adobe id I do love adobe products on my laptop as well they have different bundles depending on your needs.

Dragonfly-above

Dragonfly-side

Dragonfly-front

Macro of Dragonfly

bugs up close you can even see the hairs when you look closer.

painted Lady Butterfly on a flower.

Now you’re probably thinking how can I get so close to the insects, bugs etc and here is another great thing that I am going to share – the above images were taken using the macro clip which has become the new favorite toy I don’t leave the house without these and can not praise them enough.

Bought from Amazon £32.99 the link is below yes there are other makes and models the same that are cheaper but what you get in this pack is well worth the money and if your serious about photography then this is the best I’ve seen or even used.

” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>9 in 1 universal mobile clip

One thing I will say make sure you have a clip or something attached to your phone this gives you added security ( safety first) and will also help steady your phone when you are taking images or video this is also from Amazon priced at £19.99

And don’t forget to print your favorite pictures either to display on your wall or add to your album. Most people don’t print as many as they would like as sometimes it can be a little expensive but with the below link to free prints, you get 45+ free photos a month and only pay p&p

Use this link to get 5 FREE bonus prints a month. No subscriptions. No commitments. Just free prints.

https://fpuk.app.link/invite?friend=lmulholland8&end=end

Don’t forget to follow on social media and as an #Amazoninfluencer I’ll aim to bring you the best products and the best prices.

And last but not Least great photography site Viewbug

https://www.viewbug.com/invite/token/dghdZJAwen

Share your best photos, get exposure & enjoy over 100 photo contests all within this unique community of creative photographers.

Download the app:

bit.ly/viewbugiOSapp

See you there,

Aspirephotography1

Lets get creative Let’s get Creative Why not embrace The Creative Side Of Your Personality… “How You Too Can Take Incredible Photos That Everyone Covets And That You’ll Be Proud To Look At Years Later – Without Ever Carrying A Bulky Camera”

[maafbox]

Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody

By Emery Columna --

Queen is one of those bands that you either get, or you don’t.

Before we go any further, it may be a good time, if you haven’t already, to read my article from February 11th, 2016 regarding Queen’s 1975 performance at the Hammersmith Odeon.

I saw Bohemian Rhapsody twice to sort of burn the images into my brain and weld the songs together better for me.

It is funny that Brian May is an Astrophysicist by calling, who happens to be one of the greatest guitarists on planet Earth. Could it be that the stars aligned specifically to bring about the Mothership that is Queen?

Think about it… each member of Queen is a maestro of sorts on their instrument. It should be noted that John Deacon is a highly underrated Rock bassist and in my estimation was overshadowed a bit by the prodigious talents of Mercury, May and Taylor, but it wouldn’t be the same band without Deacon.

I’ve always felt that the decade spanning 1975 to 1985 was Queen’s power stroke, their run for the ages. It’s great to see that others associated with this film felt the same way. See the February 11th, 2016 article.

Imagine someone born with a God sent gift, but something that lesser beings would consider a defect?

One can only imagine the indignity Freddie Mercury must have faced growing up with his unique dentistry and all the attendant mockery he must have endured growing up… But great gifts are not understood by the common man, who can only see what is on the surface. To be mocked and despised for having a gift that no one knew would be unleashed upon the masses like some meteor shooting down from the Heavens.

The movie deftly addresses Freddie’s physical blessing: He was born with an extra set of incisors which created more space in his vocal cavity, giving him more dynamic range than other mere mortals who’d ever deign to sing Rock music.

Ever wonder why Freddie performed with a truncated mic stand? It’s in the movie.

So on with it…

The most excellent PR department at Hollywood Records sent me watermarked sound files to listen to. My first impression of the sound was that the music was mastered for iTunes because it sounded lush and nourishing… and it is! I loved what I heard so much that I bought the soundtrack and that is how I discovered the mastering.

Here’s my signal chain for this review:

Soundtrack mastered for iTunes >> iPhone >> Flat response Beyerdynamic DT250 headphones >> My Golden Ears.

The sound of this album is pure sonic deliciousness! If you are new to Queeen, by all means enjoy… then work your way back through Queen’s formidable catalog to get a full grasp of the greatness of Queen.

The production value of the Soundtrack is at the top rung.

May and Taylor show run a team that includes engineer/producers

Justin Shirley-Smith, Kris Fredriksson, Joshua J. Macrae

and awesome mastering by Bob Ludwig and Adam Ayan.

May and Taylor took great care with song selection and worked with the producers of the movie to seat the proper songs so perfectly in this movie.

Rami Malek is spot on as Freddie Mercury and became the man we speak of. Bravo, Rami!

Gwilym Lee can play the guitar and does an awesome Brian May. Quite believable.

Ben Hardy and Joe Mazzello deliver top notch performances as Taylor and Deacon.

How can you not just love the adorable Lucy Boynton, who plays Mary Austin, Freddie’s life long muse.

Growing up on Long Island, Queen was always on (WNEW 102.7, WPLR 99.1, WBAB 102.3) the radio. Radio in Metropolitan New York in the 70’s and 80’s was awesome. I especially loved listening to 99.1 WPLR New Haven, which had amazing programming.

Can you think of a band with better harmonies than Queen?

Check out the harmonies on Somebody to Love! The multi-layered harmonies on this song are exquisite. Roger Taylor really is a Ginger Baker/Mitch Mitchell hybrid of a drummer and anchors the rhythm section with John Deacon thumping away on bass. Of course, there is always Brian May’s sweet top end on layered lead guitar.

Prior to Freddie joining the band and forming Queen, Taylor and May were in a trio called Smile with a chap named Tim Staffell, who handled lead vocals and bass at the time. For this movie, Tim reunited with May and Taylor to perform Doing Alright 50 years later. It’s a pretty cool track and has some astounding crunchy lead guitar work by Brian May on it.

Keep Yourself Alive finds Freddie riding a sonic surfboard in live performance with killer backing from  May, Taylor and Deacon.

Queen mastered the ability of placing gorgeous harmonies within the framework of hard rock. I don’t think any other band in history has ever been capable of equaling this feat. Queen has been hugely influential on generations of rockers.

Bohemian Rhapsody is an Epic on a Classic scale. It has classical movements in the sequence of the song. I count at least 5 or 6 movements to it. The movements leading up to Brian May’s titanic solo imply genius on the part of the band, who, it is an understatement to say, put a lot of effort in to perfectly crafting this song. Bohemian Rhapsody is the song Queen came to Earth to give to Us.

Now I’m Here displays Queen’s ability to involve a crowd in their doings. The crowd, involvement, participation and enthusiasm are palpable. I cannot emphasize enough Freddie’s amazing dynamic range!

What I remember of Crazy Little Thing Called Love is back in 1980, I was in a dark room developing film with a beautiful girl named Ann Marie, and there was a moment where I almost mustered the courage to kiss her, but I was chicken shit. A moment I can never get back and will always remember whenever I hear this song.

Freddie wrote Love of My Life for Mary Austin, his lifelong muse. This particular rendition is taken from a concert in Brazil at Rock In Rio. It captures what Queen was capable of: involving a crowd in their doings. The feeling in this song caused the Brazilians to memorize the words to the song and recite it back to the band as if they were singing the love song back to Queen.

Disco was really big in the mid to late 70’s and threatened for [a minute] to obliterate Rock Music.

The movie depicts the evolution of Another One Bites The Dust and the acrimony in the studio regarding whether the band should record a disco sounding song. John Deacon came up with a bass lick that would go down in History as one of the most recognizable… and would lead to one of their biggest hits.

Under Pressure - ...”love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night, and love dares you to change your way of caring about ourselves…”

Who Wants To Live Forever is tragically juxtaposed to the scenes where Freddie’s been diagnosed with AIDS. I just love the sound of this song and the orchestral arrangement. It is Queen’s sonic deluxe and puts on full display Freddie’s full dynamic range.

The sequence of songs from the Live Aid Set chronicle Queen’s triumphant comeback, so to speak.

May, Taylor and Deacon had been estranged from Freddie for quite some time prior to Live Aid and hadn’t played together for a spell. The movie depicts the circumstances leading up to their reconciliation and going into rehearsal in earnest preparation for their Live Aid set.

Freddie had a boyfriend who was blocking all contact from the outside, so he wasn’t even aware that his management and true friends were trying to reach him about playing Live Aid, the benefit for Africa. The Music Event of the century that everyone who was anyone in Music was going to perform at.

It is true that the doctors advised Freddie not to perform at Live Aid because his vocal cords were in disrepair and not pitch perfect, but Freddie, ever the trooper, soldiered on.

By the time Queen hit the stage at Wembley on 13 July, 1985, they were prepared to fulfill their destiny… to conquer England, and subsequently The World on that day.

If you listen closely, you can hear that Freddie’s voice wasn’t perfect on that day, but he more than made up for it with his heart! Freddie sang his heart out on that day.

& you could feel Freddie had the band and the crowd behind him all the way. There are certain moments during the set that you can hear Roger Taylor subtly back vocals for Freddie to fill in the spaces where Freddie faltered. That showed me Taylor’s sensitivity and instinctual feel for Freddie. The Love.

Oh, and the crowd at Wembley! The movie implies that the band felt that they were ancient history going into Live Aid and overshadowed by acts like Madonna, who was huge in 1985. Brian May doesn’t believe that the crowd at Wembley was a decidedly Queen-centric audience, but I beg to differ in the sense that Queen didn’t realize how greatly beloved the band is… all over the World, let alone at Wembley on that balmly Saturday in 1985.

The Movie also depicts how Freddie had a distinct sense of history and knew that Queen had the potential to create a lasting legacy, a performance to echo down the Halls of History, one for the ages.

And for this decision at the last moment to play Live Aid, Queen’s performance is widely regarded as of the greatest in History, indelible and permanent.

Just in time for Christmas, the perfect stocking stuffer!

Humbly submitted to Queen.

Your loyal subject,

Em

MAAF Box Rating: 5 Stars

MAAF Box Listening Pleasure:

Somebody to Love, Doing Alright, Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, Now I’m Here, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Love of My Life, Another One Bites the Dust, Under Pressure, Who Wants To Live Forever, The Live Aid Set, Don’t Stop Me Now.

[ohwowbabee]

Vidtasia by Cham Altatis Bonus

Vidtasia by Cham Altatis Bonus

Vidtasia Review and Bonus by Cham Altatis – the most comprehensive Camtasia training for marketers 2018

Vidtasia by Cham Altatis bonus

Vidtasia by Cham Altatis Make Money Online is the best, it will save your time and money.

And what’s more, just for now, you can try Vidtasia absolutely free for 30 DAYS!!! I’m 100% Confident That Will Love And Greatly Appreciate The Valuable Insight And Secrets You Gain From Vidtasia! Just In Case You Don’t (Yeah, Right!), I’m Offering A Full 30 Day, No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee! 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed with Vidtasia! And that’s not all…If you get inside Vidtasia today, you will also have COMPLIMENTARY copy of EasySketchPro 3! EasySketchPro 3 is the leading whiteboard animation software. You can get it for absolutely FREE if you get Vidtasia today…So now that you have nothing to lose, go ahead and get Vidtasia RIGHT AWAY.

I hear you…And so together with the comprehensive training, we also included…10 HIGH Converting Done-for-you Camtasia Templates. These templates are highly and fully customizable so you can easily use them regardless of your skill level. And the templates are not like most of the templates you see out there, which are just limited to animated slideshows for short video teasers. We created templates for live action video, screencapture video, and animated videos. You then have templates for selling your own product, providing services, reviewing affiliate products, and other types of video promotions. We even added some text guides in other templates so you will know what content you will add in those specific parts of the video. This is like a script + video template in one! And because we saw the popularity of square videos in social media, we included this square video templates as well.

We have made this so basic that you just CAN’T afford to keep your hands off Vidtasia. Awesome, EASY & Fast Video Creation is finally here! You just can’t afford to have your competitors making better videos then you are, and now you don’t have to watch them walk away with the winnings! With Vidtasia, you’re going to be the BEST ON THE BLOCK! As an editor, I see the importance of being precise and have seen for myself what great editing can do even for not-so-great video content…heck, that’s how Hollywood makes the big bucks! I think something so essential shouldn’t be out of reach for so many video marketers out there. That’s what inspired me to create Vidtasia, to let the process of piecing together a great video be out there for you to grasp with both hands!

Vidtasia Review and Bonus by Cham Altatis – the most comprehensive Camtasia training for marketers 2018 is the best. You will be like a professional.

Get Now Vidtasia :

Vidtasia Review and Bonus by Cham Altatis – the most comprehensive Camtasia training for marketers 2018

The Over-The-Shoulder Professional Video Editing Training Suite On the LATEST Camtasia That Generates Sensational High Converting Videos

Make Super Effective Marketing Videos With Over The Shoulder Training From An Expert Video Editor

Comes with Slick DFY Templates To Simplify Your Efforts

Easy to use in ANY Niche

This Is EXACTLY How You’re Going To PROFIT:

Some Examples Of How Vidtasia Will Boost Your Business

Produce INCREDIBLE Videos To Sell Your Products and Services!

Create Effective Marketing Videos Including Screen Capture Videos, Live Action Videos, Motion Graphics, Animated Videos, Green Screen Videos, And More

Churn Out Videos Faster With Captivating DFY Templates

Sell Videos To Other Businesses Willing to Pay Hundreds to Thousands For Just A Single Video!

Build Your LIST, Build your AUTHORITY! Captivate and Engage Your Audience With Your Videos!

Grow Your Traffic! With The Power of YouTube and a GREAT Video!

Nothing Else Even Comes Close… 

Your Average Video Training drones on endlessly on how to Create BORING videos that SUCK

High Quality Video Creation is EXPENSIVE to Produce or Outsource

Other Web-based Services WATERMARK Your Video. They piggyback on your videos to market themselves And They Charge You Monthly Fees!

High-end Video Effects Software Costs a Ridiculous Amount And You Will Need To Spend Months Learning It!

No Other Training Software Coaches You On The Latest Camtasia 9. Which Packs In The Best Of Windows And Mac Versions

Other ‘Coaches’ Are Just Marketers Looking To Make A Quick Buck At The Expense Of Your Business. Vidtasia Is Hosted By An Experienced Video Editor

Vidtasia Covers ALL You Need To Know About Video Making!

ONLINE MARKETERS ARE INCREASINGLY INVESTING IN INCOME PRODUCING ACTIVITIES LIKE CREATING:

Digital Info Products to sell to customers.

‘How- to’ videos to build your personal brand and trust in customers’ mind.

Video marketing content to expand their outreach and generate leads.

Udemy courses to sell to a huge marketplace looking for new things to learn!

Vidtasia Modules :

MODULE 1 | Choosing The Right Software

You may be on your way to learning the smartest tricks in the trade, but even for those to come into effect, you need a smooth platform that allows you flawless working and experimental space. Camtasia makes it easy to create professional screencasts (capturing all actions on screen) for demonstration videos, instructional videos, and other screen-recording projects. The interface is fairly easy to understand right away with your media, transitions, animations, and effects working in sync with your canvas. This is by far the easiest platform to build your videos on.

MODULE 2 | Screen Recording

If you’re doing anything with videos, know that screen recording plays a vital role in audience engagement. To literally take your audience by the hand and simplify any process for them makes your offer easily comprehensible and all the more lucrative for your target audience. You are literally breaking down the entire process and explaining to your audience step by step, which makes you a popular option for them!

Module 3 | Screen Capture Video Editing

You Have The Video Power.. Now You Can Add Some REAL Power To Your Video Creations — Starting With Screen Capture Video Editing! If you record more than what needs to be watched, it’s taxing for your audience. For an easy crisp video, we have a module on how to remove errors or unwanted parts of the video. Learn how to ace video engagement by adding elements like text and graphics!

Module 4 | Live Action Video Editing

Viewers remember and apply more of what they learned watching a video than by reading the same information. Because video delivers the knowledge prospects need to convert, customers are more informed and better inclined to find out more about what your company has to offer. But to get your customers to act the way you want, you need to deliver your message in the most effective manner possible and that’s why you need this module on how to shoot and edit quality live action videos from inside Camtasia.

Module 5 | Visual Effects and Motion Graphics

Motion graphics and visual effects are an important part of all video production. Whether it is incorporating motion graphics along with video, or producing a bespoke info-graphic or animation, graphics and visual effects are a great way of promoting your business. This module is all about simplifying them how to add some visual effects to your videos and creation some animated videos inside Camtasia for higher engagement values.

Module 6 |Green Screen Video Editing

With green screen, it’s simple to superimpose anything or anyone into any shot. Whether you can transport yourself to the moon, appear in your favourite film, or make a presentation along with all the relevant facts and figures, Greenscreen adds great aesthetic value and boosts the attention of your viewers. And even though it sounds difficult to produce, this module ensures that you get a firm grip on Green Screen talking head video and mock up editing in Camtasia.

Module 7 | Audio Editing

An often-overlooked aspect of a successful video production is the audio. Even if the quality of the video images is great- poor audio will make your video absolutely redundant! And good noiseless audio, with good leveling and sound effects will break the vocal monotony of your video and up its quality To help ensure that you get the best results for their video project, we have crafted this module that takes you through the technical essentials of audio in video editing.

Vidtasia Testimony

Forget about the next “shiny object” software that will make you rich with the push of a button… Vidtasia is a SOLID product you’ll be happy to invest in. Camtasia is an essential tool for business owners and marketers in order to succeed with online video. It combines all kind of high-end features with a low learning curve…One video software to rule them all!! About Cham, he’s not only a highly experienced video creator and marketer, but also a great teacher. He clearly knows his stuff better than most of guys out there, and you’ll learn all of the magic if you decide to invest in his training. If that wasn’t enough, the professionally pre-made templates included will help you achieve awesome results much faster. Really good, I can’t help but 100% recommend this. – Angel Corman, Graphic designer and Video Maker

Thank you for creating such a great course. It couldnt have come at a better time. I had just downloaded the latest Camtasia just a few days ago and Vidtasia is a great compliment to one of my most favorite softwares…Camtasia. – Steve Davies, Internet Marketer

Great training, I bought everything and am I so glad. I’ve bought a lot of stuff in my time, and this training is by far the best. Thank you so much! – Bob Santero, Owner of goodlocalmarketingexpert.com

Exactly What You Get With Vidtasia

7 Modules detailing the underlying factors that make for GREAT video marketing

DFY Templates to make simplify your video creations and give a slick professional touch to your video

Instruction and never heard before tricks of the trade from a top notch video editor with more than 10 years experience in the field

If you were to buy separate trainings, It will cost you…

Video Editing Training

Live Action & Animated Videos Training

Motion Graphics, Screen Capture Videos & Green Screen Videos Training

10 DFY Templates

Vidtasia : FAQ

Q. Is this a new video creation software?

No. This is a comprehensive training on how to use Camtasia (a highly recommended video creation software for marketers) in creating videos for your business.

Q. Can I use the templates for my clients?

Yes you can. You’ve got developer’s license to all the templates so you can use them for your own or clients’ business as many times as you want.

Q. Can I sell the templates as a collection?

No you cannot do that. You can only use them to create your own or clients’ videos.

Q. Can you help me when I get stuck?

Absolutely! There’s a comment section below each of the lessons where you can ask questions. We also have a private FB group where you can hangout with me and other members, for us to help you when have concerns.

Q. I’m a total newbie, will this work for me?

Of course. We did the training very simple to follow so whatever your skill level is, you can surely follow along. We have 500+ members and most of them were also beginners but they were able to learn.

Q. Do you have a money-back guarantee?

Yes we have. Although we truly believe that the training and templates are HIGH quality, if for some crazy reason you think they are not for you, within 30 days, just contact us and we will refund your money.

forget about wasted time end payment high price,. Vidtasia is something I’ve been waiting for, I had seen these kinds on many sites before but didn’t now of any tool that could create like Vidtasia. My advice don’t wait around, jump in! Vidtasia will pay for itself as soon as you start using it.

Vidtasia is the best software on the market right now (as far as I know). Vidtasia comes with easy to follow instructions. You don’t need any technical experience to make these improvements. is good news for online bussiness. Vidtasia by Cham Altatis Bonus

Get Now Vidtasia :

related Vidtasia

Vidtasia review bonus, Vidtasia bonus review, Vidtasia bonuses, Vidtasia discount, Vidtasia discount coupon, Vidtasia huge discount, Vidtasia

Vidtasia by Cham Altatis Bonus

[aprilsimpsonhunt-blog]

*This post may contain a few affiliate links, depending on whether I feel up to finding them or not. I’m trying to hurry a bit, as I have chaffeuring duties to attend to, as well as mountains of laundry and dishes. 🙂

Hi all! Hope this post finds your well! Welcome, or welcome back, depending on how you found me. Either way, I’m glad you’re here!

This post is going to serve as a catch up post. While I love to sew and love to share, I have kids a fairly busy life, which means that often, things don’t get shared. I’m really tired of looking at my pretties and realizing I didn’t share them. Sewing, for me, is all about the tangible item/reward that comes from it, as well as the feeling of having completed something. Lord knows, nothing else in this house ever feels like it’s really “completed”. (Laundry or dishes, anyone? They go on for days when you have 4 kids!)

To be honest, I’m a little lost on where to start. I’ve been sewing up a storm lately!  I suppose I’ll begin with the shirts i sewed up for my Duchess skirt blog tour post. I was a little nervous, as it was my first blog tour/colab, so I made several items…although looking back, i should have sewn up more than one skirt, since the focus was that. (To be fair: I’ve been dealing with a fabric budget cut back, though. all i currently have to work with is my small stash & my linen closet. The skirt called for more than 2  consecutive yards of fabric,  and I just didn’t have it. 😦 )

***You may notice that the images in this post are a little different than usual. For one, I’ve begun doing most of my photography on my own and the learning curve is HUGE. Also, I have a friend who just recently had a scare from a company stealing her images and using them for profit, so my watermark is now in the middle. Sorry in advance if it takes away from the aesthetic. You can never be too safe. I have updated my Terms of use/privacy policy and you can find it by clicking the main menu!***

So, without too much ado, I give you my first shirt (which ended up being my favorite). I used the free Key West Tank PDF pattern from New Horizons Designs. This is one of my favorite woven patterns. It’s a tank with a looser fit and features bands on the neck and armholes (I suppose you could bind them if you REALLY wanted to…but who has time for that? lol) . There is a crop length and full tunic length. It would also be really easy to take the tunic length and extend it, if you wished to have a swing style dress. If you were to do so, you would probably want to use something with a bit more drape than I used, though!

    For my version, I took the pattern in my size and used this gorgeous stretch woven  Stretch lace from Fabric Mart Fabrics. I received both as part of a mystery apparel box. I love those things! 6 yards for 10 bucks and I have NEVER been disappointed! (more on this another day!) I was originally going to just use the lace for the top, but hadn’t worked with stretch lace before (gasp!), so I wasn’t sure how the bands would work. I was also worried about how “finished” it would look, since I don’t use a serger (another shock, right? I did say I’m on the tightest budget ever. 🙂 )

So instead of cutting it to fit the top of the pattern to just above the bust (the middle of the armcyse), adding seam allowance and doing the reverse for the blue fabric…I cut a whole front and back bodice from the stretch woven, then just the top part from the lace. I folded it down over the bodice, RST, stitched a straight line (with a super tiny seam allowance) across the bodice, right where it would hit above thebust, then folded it back up and sewed the 2 bodice pieces together at the shoulders, then up the sides (like normal). The small amount I lost by not accounting for SA didn’t make a huge difference, as the lace stretched a lot more easily than the woven and it wasn’t hard to make it fit. If I did it again, I would probably do it a lot more technically, but I was in a rush. 🙂

  So that was that. I could have just stopped there, but being the ADD/OCD person that I am I decided I may not even like that shirt. (It was pretty hard to getthe lace detail to show up on my point and shoot camera, after all.) So off I went, to find more fabric and another pattern.

  Of couse, when you’re sewing and designing things in a rush, you tend to reach for those things that you’re most comfortable with. The Mama Cassie pattern by Made for Mermaids is definitely one of mine. In fact, one of my very first posts was made about the Mama Cassie. My writing and sewing styles have both changed since then. I also like to believe my photography has gotten a bit better (i.e.: my 4 year old no longer holds my camera for me), but you can be the judge and read it here.

I used this super lush DBP that was from Joann’s fabrics, but I purchased it via a destash page on Facebook for $2.50. It has been in my stash for awhile now and I’ve been staring it down lately, knowing that I wanted to turn it into a fall piece. I used the Mama Cassie cold shoulder bodice and 3/4 length sleeve pieces and constructed it as a top by lengthening the bodice by 2.5″ in front and in back. To be honest, I’m long waisted which means I typically have to lengthen peplum bodices at least this much normally, anyway. So it would have been great to lengthen it by more, or to add a band….but alas, I only had about 3/4 of a yard of fabric. I was amazed to have gotten the top out of it to begin with!  I love the bright colors, mixed with the softness of the fabric. I can’t wait to see this piece, along with the rest of my fall wardrobe. (getting there one piece at a time!)

  If you can’t tell from the Duchess skirt, key west top and Mood dress that I’ve made…I’ve had a big penchant for wovens this summer. Last summer, I had a pair of shorts that I bought at target that quickly became my favorite pair. I don’t know about you, but when something is my favorite, I quickly WEAR IT TO DEATH! I must have worn those shorts every other day last summer. So, needless to say, this summer when I pulled them out, I realized they were beginning to fall apart a bit. I began looking for a pair just like them, but everything was either too short, made of knit, or just not my style. (I’m 5’3″ so “board shorts” look like I’m trying to wear capris unsuccessfully. lol) These shorts had a front and back yoke, were made from woven material and were fitted in all th right places, but loose in others. They looked great on and didn’t make me look to much like a church mom OR a mom who is trying to look like a teenager.

Because of this, when Rebecca Page of Mummykins and Me released her Berry Bubble Shorts, I knew it was fate. They resembled my favorite shorts so much it was uncanny. They can be made bubble style or straight style, with a large or small yoke, with several different lengths, finishings, etc. Basically, a perfect pattern for shorts. I would venture a guess to say that they would even come out cute in a stable knit fabric! I intend to try, anyway!)

Indoor pictures with my Fujifilm Finepix 3280 camera are still a little difficult. You can tell here that my ISO was turned up too high, resulting in the “noise” that you see. Another lesson for another day. At least I’m learning, right?

  The shorts are available in girls sizes as well as womens and you can bundle them via her site. (Psssst: she may also have some great coupon codes to try a few dress patterns for free, if you join the Mummykins and Me facebook group!) I’m a big fan of Rebecca’s patterns, as everything fits in a very specific niche that she has never waivered from. She definitely has her own style and it fits along with mine quite nicely. She also has a great section of “curvy & plus size sewing patterns” and I love how she keeps the patterns relavant accross the board and available for ALL body types. The beauty in sewing is being able to make pretty things for yourself that fit you well and make you look your best, so I believe designers who leave out these sizes do themselves and the sewing community a great disservice.

This was one of my sons favorites, he said. I’ve never known him to get excited about me sewing something for myself, yet he loved these shorts!

But let me hop down off that soapbox! The fabric I used for the shorts was another from my mystery apparel Fabric Mart box. It was some sort of tweed, I’m guessing (?) and I had envisioned it as either a pencil skirt or pants, but it ended up being perfect for these shorts! I’m still not sure how I feel about the poofiness of the bubble style, so I may go back in and remove the bands from the bottom, then just hem. I love that I can keep my options open!

  Obviously, I struggle with top overlaod, as right after the shorts, I jumped back into making another top. This time, the new women’s Hera Blouse had been released from Wardrobe by Me, and I loved the look of it!

  The Wardrobe by Me patterns are lovely contemporary pieces that fit together so well, they can help you build a capsule wardrobe. I love that so much thought has gone into the aesthetic of it. Stephanie, the designer, has developed “wardrobe builder” pieces that include such basics as tops, pants, jackets, etc. Then there are other pieces that mix and match with the bases to build a wardrobe that is unique and beautiful! This was my first time sewing up one of her patterns and I’m officially a fan.

The pattern itself was well written, the instructions are on point and thorough and the blouse goes together very quickly. The only thing I may have done differently would be to use a less stiff woven. This one has absolutely no drape and the pattern specifically mentions that you should go with drapey fabrics. Rebel that I am…I quickly figured out why, as without a belt, this top resembles a very beautiful scrub top. 🙂 (hence the full on outfit pics 🙂 ) Don’t forget to join the  Wardrobe by Me Facebook group for support and to see all the other new patterns coming out! I know I’m definitely excited to have another designer to keep an eye on!

  I believe the Hera blouse will be a welcome edition to any end of summer or beginning of fall wardrobe. I can just picture it with a plain white long sleeved shirt underneath and it’s practically beggin to be worn with boots and belt, as I’ve shown! Bonus, for those of us who still have kids attached to our boobs constantly  nurse, you can keep the front wrap piece unsewn and voila! easy access! (although I’m not sure my milk monster needs her access to be made easier, seeing as she loves to flash me around! ha!) 🙂 I’m sure it would be excellent for a new mama, however! 🙂

    Without dragging on forever, I will say that I have a few more things I have made recently, but as pictures are now a ton of work for me, I haven’t photographed them yet! I am very excited to share the new tests and things I’ve sewn up, though, so keep your eyes peeled! Among my favorites, a little boys hoodie, some zombie fabric, ironing board cover, thread catcher and some fun felt animal embellishments!

I’ll be back again soon! thank so much for reading!

  Until next time,

Sewin’ and Swimmin’,

April Simpson-Hunt

  Catching up: Projects lost in the shuffle of the #momlife *This post may contain a few affiliate links, depending on whether I feel up to finding them or not.

[kinoalyse]

Lifesaver

I let the website die for a bit 'cause my domain is owned by a pirate, and there hadn't been much reason to buy the subscription yet.  This company swung in and bought my domain last year and was trying to charge me $280 initially, and it was up to $840 last month.  The domain expired on the first, but I still can't buy it, so I'm waiting for GoDaddy's chat to open so I can harass them as to why.

Bidness!  The past three days have been OBSESSED with behind the scenes.  Registering for photography websites (like NatGeo Your Shot, Viewbug, etc.), contests, and reediting photos has been so time-consuming, and mostly because you have to have titles for photos, and I give zero fucks about titles.  If my brain contained a wider vocabulary, perhaps it'd be easier, but, damn, girl, titles are difficult, and I think they take away from the photo.  I'd rather have an interpretation of the work instead of a guide for the meaning, you know?  I understand the value, but my enjoyment values differ.

Editing is a nightmare, too.  Most of these contests want specific sizes, dpi, file names, MEIN GOT, and it takes a good hour to edit the photos to their needs depending on how many photos they'll accept.  I've deleted the watermarks on my photos and changed some of the editing and I'm really proud of the new edits, especially the Villa Borghese family with the horse balloon - it looks totally different, and shows growth in the editing department.

Also, I have this weird habit of leaning on my pinky finger via my glasses when I'm editing...

Today, I'm packing for Pompeii, making sure all of my electronics are charged, packing clothes, and all the photo gear.  This visit is for survey as opposed to shooting because we aren't spending too much time running around the area.  I'll write down locations and possible times to shoot and return at least two times - one relatively soon, and the other during the summer.  My family says that the area is COVERED in flowers during the summer.  They make everything sound so lovely. 

Having a bullet journal is life-changing, too.  I am made entirely of chaos, and this journal is helping me with the business side of things.  I figure that if I want to actually play the bidness game, I should find some semblance of organization.  Little dude saved my life!

Hopefully I'll have the courage to vlog the initial Pompeii trip.  I never think anything interesting is going to happen, and EVERY DAY, something does, so... I'm totally out of excuses other than, oh no, the internet will know I don't always wear makeup!  WHAT A TRAGEDY!  Or that my boobs aren't actually that big 'cause no bra season is coming and I'm SO EXCITED TO WEAR DRESSES AGAIN!

Anyway, excited to see you guys in Pompeii!  The new 5D Mark III should be in the mail and totally not a scam this time, so... pray for me!  <3