Idk if your avoiding spoilers or not but when I saw Sam's winter glow up I immediately got excited to see your reaction to it

Hahahah nope not avoiding any spoilers. I am living vicariously through people playing because the update is not available for the ipad yet. 😭😭😭

Samson Samsonite Sammy Sam Sam boi. Looking saur baby gorl 💅 with his lil beanie. I'm mostly surprised he was able to fit all that hair underneath his hat hahaha. Also can't help it but also draw his other 2/3s.

The Beginner’s Guide to The Void

(by caspiancomic)

The Void is my favourite game that I’ve never played.

Released in 2008 under the name Tension, it’s the second major release from Russian studio Ice-Pick Lodge, following 2005′s Pathologic. If you are familiar with this foreign indie art game, you are probably full to bursting already with indie gamer snob cred, but I implore you to help yourself to a bit more. If you’ve gone so far as to play it, you’ve got more snob cred than even I, so congratulations on that. For those of you interested in experiencing it, which will hopefully be all of you, it is available to PC users on Steam, but for the rest of you, I recommend CannibalK9′s spectacular Let’s Play.

Let me repay my debts right away. In this essay, I hope to open your eyes to some of the thematic through lines of The Void, encourage you to experience the game yourself, suggest that in the future you think more fully and deeply about the thematic core of your chosen games, and maybe expose you to a beautiful, little understood, and criminally under appreciated diamond of a video game. But if all I accomplished with this essay was CannibalK9 reading it and learning how much his LP affected my ability to read and appreciate games, media generally, and life, I would still consider it an unqualified success. CannibalK9 speaks beautifully, a trait I admire in others and seek to cultivate in myself, and he has a great deal of knowledge and wisdom regarding this game. Many if not all of my own ideas are indebted to his observations of and reflections on the game. If you know him, or are in contact with him, send him this way. I’d love a chance to thank him for everything he’s done for me.

And before we get down to it properly, one last thing. Ice-Pick Lodge is, at the time of writing, running a Kickstarter to fund their next game, called Knock-Knock. If you’re a fan of either The Void specifically, or atmospheric horror games generally, I’d highly recommend chucking them a few bucks. They’re only looking for a modest $30 000 to fund the game, and even a tiny donation gets you access to the finished game, so please do go check that out.

But enough sentiment for now, eh? Let’s get down to it.

Once, when asked what Neon Genesis Evangelion is about, I cherished the opportunity to glibly respond with “everything.” It’s an answer that only makes sense to those already familiar with the series, and as such, was completely unhelpful to the person who asked me. But I maintain that it’s true. On a textual level, of course, Evangelion is about children who pilot giant robots to fight against alien invaders. But thematically, Evangelion is about religion, death, parent/child relationships (and as an extension, God/creation relationships), sex, puberty, loneliness, identity, free will, science, and basically anything you care to name. The Void is similarly weighted with thematic theses. The primary difference is that even on a strictly textual level, The Void is borderline incomprehensible, particularly on a virgin playthrough.

Still, that’s all just stage setting. I’m here to provide as in-depth an analysis as I can manage for a couple of The Void’s thematic hearts. Like Evangelion, The Void has a lot to say, and it says it quietly and clearly. For the purposes of this essay, I will be examining The Void’s relationship with death and the afterlife, and feminism and patriarchy.

But first, crib notes! The Void is dense with information, and I’m going to be referring to characters and concepts by their names from now on. The section that follows is more comprehensive than a “Beginner’s Guide to The Void” probably should be, but nowhere near an all-encompassing overview of the game. Some of the elements of the game that are not of importance for the discussion to follow- like glyphs, the presence and role of predators, etc- have been excluded from this explanation to keep the focus tight and the length tolerable. Also, where multiple characters give conflicting information on a topic (which happens all the time in this game), I’ve either attempted to include all the information, or focus on whichever version of events ended up being most true.

It features what you might call spoilers, but in order to progress through this discussion it’s important that we all know the characters and terms I’m about to discuss. So if you’re hellbent on a blind playthrough (the best way to play, according to CannibalK9), go play the game and come back when you’re done, the essay will still be here. As for the rest of us, let’s dive on in.

How do you feel? Dizzy? Overwhelmed? Confused? Well, believe me, it only gets worse. This information is presented gradually, obliquely, and resentfully by multiple characters all whispering different lies and half-truths in your ear over the entire game. Detangling this particular Gordian Knot has taken a lot of careful examination and consideration of the game’s glut of information. Even so, I am 100% open to the idea that I have misinterpreted or otherwise misunderstood some element of the game and its mythology. Necessarily, any summary of the events of the game is going to involve some conjecture, a bit of artistic interpretation, and your own interpretation may differ from my own. This is as close as I could come to the “truth” about this game, but the beautiful thing about The Void is that finding your own truth amid the cacophony is one of the most satisfying facets of the story. If the above summary doesn’t mesh with your interpretation of the events of the game, I’d love to hear about it. Otherwise, definition of terms aside, we can now jump into an examination of the thematic undercurrents of the game.

The world of The Void is married to death. The first character you meet, the melancholic Nameless Sister, is called Sister Death by her siblings. Throughout your journey, when you are approaching death, it will be Sister Death who warns you. Towards the end of the game, Sister Death will also make the ultimate sacrifice: she rips out her final heart and surrenders the last of her Colour to you to aid you on your quest. This act of generosity deeply disturbs the Sisters and Brothers, and I don’t mind telling you it deeply disturbed me. The characters of the game were shocked because “giving” in this world is either impossible or taboo, depending on who you ask. I was shocked because I didn’t realize until her sacrifice how much I really cared for Sister Death, and how much she obviously cared for me.

But for all Sister Death does to keep you alive, it is implied from the very beginning that our character is dead already. The Sisters, or at least Sister Death seem to believe you fell into the Void from above, while the Brothers insist you came up from below. Brother Triumphator insists that the Guest is “not alive, he’s quite dead.” In any case, Master Colour makes it perfectly clear (if his word can really be taken on the subject) that the only way to travel between Limits is to die. In the final leg of the game, Master Colour will also tell you that you are the soul of the Void- that you are the reason the Void is dead. Should that be true, you would be the wandering spirit of the well and truly deceased Sleeper, and therefor quite dead indeed. No matter how you cut it, the Guest is almost certainly dead, as the accounts of the various factions of the game only disagree in this respect on where you came from.

In spite of your posthumous nature, the threat of death still looms large over The Void. The sprigs of Colour you harvest to survive will periodically tell you that “there is no death in the Void.” This is, of course, patently untrue. Sister Death warns you early that beneath the Void is the Nightmare, the realm of Absolute Death. Should your hearts empty, you will sink into the Nightmare. In addition to this, Brothers can be killed in combat, and Sisters can be cannibalized with Aya’s Vampire glyph. At the end of the game, you will allow a Sister ascend, and if Colour is to be believed, travelling up to a new Limit requires death in the current one. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s made unambiguously clear that one Sister will ascend to the detriment of her siblings: everybody but the selected Sister, including the player character, must die for her to reach Breakthrough.

When we examine these elements of The Void’s mythology, then, we can reach a conclusion about its thesis regarding not only the afterlife, but life. Let’s sum up. In The Void, reality is described as being like a chain of Limits, one above the other, travelling up infinitely high, but with a definite bottom in the Nightmare. Travelling between Limits is only possible upon death, and the deceased will either travel down, or with a great deal of effort and sacrifice, up. The Brothers, nightmarish creatures themselves who believe yourself to be one of them, and believe you ascended to the Void from the Nightmare, refer to the Void as Paradise. The Sisters, beautiful human women in appearance, aspire either secretly or obviously to reach Breakthrough and ascend. Sister Ole and Sister Yani, the uppermost Sisters in the Void, occupy chambers almost uncannily similar to the Limit above, and Sister Yani even claims she has been there. From these elements we can draw the conclusion that afterlife and life are, essentially, one and the same.

What we perceive as the world of the living is merely our own Limit, and upon death our spirit will either sink into the Limit below, which we will perceive as either a purgatory like the Void or a kind of hell like the Nightmare, or we will travel up, to what we might call Paradise. The Void suggests that there is no after life: only life.

There is, however, an interesting caveat to that unique interpretation of the after life. The chain of Limits has a bottom, the Nightmare, which we could call Hell, but it is infinitely tall. The Brothers (who, it is my belief, ascended to the Void from the Nightmare) refer to the Void as Paradise, in spite of the fact that to our eyes it is miserably bleak. From this we can infer that the Limit above our own would be perceived as a Paradise. In fact, ascending a Sister with the Rite of Devotio is said to create a world “for” or “from” that Sister- a world both created from and perfectly suiting the ascended soul. This is all evidence that the Limit above our own is equivalent to the concept of Heaven. But, the chain of Limits is infinitely tall- meaning that “Paradise” is, essentially, relative.

In a couple of ways this is sort of depressing. First, it implies that something approximating “perfection” can never be achieved. Sister Aya refers to Breakthrough as “creating a life from mere existence”, but no matter how high you manage to ascend, you will never reach a sort of “Absolute Life” to counterbalance the Nightmare’s Absolute Death. The second way this chain of Limits can be interpreted negatively is the implication that there is a Hell, but no Heaven. The Nightmare is a very real and definitive dead end on the chain of Limits, but no such finish line exists at the top of the chain. This means traditional western concepts of Heaven- perfect happiness, tranquility, peace, and togetherness with God- simply do not exist in the world of The Void.

And yet in spite of this, I personally can’t help but interpret this positively. Consider it a facet of my- to borrow a phrase from CannibalK9- “gratingly optimistic” personality. For a start, as an atheist the idea of Heaven isn’t compatible with my belief system. But more than that, the idea of a final resting place in which souls spend the rest of time in perfect harmonious bliss is not in keeping with the tone of The Void. The Void is about struggle- tension, if you like- and it values hard work and dedication above all things. The idea of struggling your entire life to make the world around you a better place, and being rewarded with a higher Limit to work your craft on, is much more appealing to me than a kind of winner’s circle in which spirits congratulate themselves for the rest of eternity.

In his Let’s Play, CannibalK9 makes an inspired comparison between the infinitely tall chain of Limits and creative pursuits: you can always improve, but never perfect, your given craft. Perfection is dull. Everything interesting in life comes from tension, from learning, practicing, struggling, trying, failing, and succeeding. Why should the after life sanitize the most rewarding elements of life? In the cosmogony of The Void, there is no resting on laurels, no pats on the back, and no air of self congratulation. The end of every life represents a new opportunity to improve yourself and the world around you. How often have you looked back at your own life in abject embarrassment, wishing you knew then what you know now? Have you ever looked at something you wrote or drew several years ago and been repulsed by your own inexperience? Are you haunted by the time you were cruel or inconsiderate to someone who trusted you? Did reckless mistakes you made when you were younger have a disproportionately strong effect on the course your life took? In The Void, the end of every life represents an opportunity to approach the whole ordeal again with more and better wisdom, inspiration, trust, intelligence, and kindness. Consider it a New Game Plus mode for life. How many people here would prefer that option to an eternity spent strumming on a harp?

You might think it’s strange that a game in which a host of powerful male characters protect and repress a sorority of helpless little girls could be considered feminist. Is it possible for a game in which women are literally bound, have no power except their beauty, and depend on a male spirit for sustenance, could have a healthy and sympathetic tone for women? What are we to think of a game in which the only female characters are forced to provocatively pose and strip in exchange for the substance they need to live, like a gentleman’s club where the dancers beg for food stamps? Well, it’s my opinion that this game has deep, strong feminist themes in its very DNA.

When feminism and video games enter the same conversation, more often than not attention is drawn to female characters with strength and conviction. Well, no, when feminism and video games mix more often the result is entitled children throwing their toys out of the crib and making fools of themselves. But in the more civilized corners of the internet (they do exist), great attention is payed to Lara Croft, Jade, Samus- the girls who kick ass and take names. And rightly so- a woman who can accomplish any task a man can and doesn’t make a big thing out of it is commendable progress in an industry that is overwhelmingly male-dominated.

However, while these characters and games are great examples of feminist game icons, I think they all fall into the same category: feminist power fantasies. There’s nothing wrong with a good feminist power fantasy, of course, but it’s only a single facet of what could be a much larger jewel. The Void has a more subtle, more literary feminist streak. It’s my belief that The Void can be very satisfyingly read as an allegory for modern feminism- a woman’s eye view of life amidst the patriarchy.

The Void’s gender politics are extremely obvious, and impossible to ignore. The Brothers and the Sisters have gendered names even as factions. They are totally segregated by gender, and the Brothers are the exclusive wielders of all the power there is to be had in the Void. With the exceptions of Echo and Aya, the sisters are prisoners in their chambers, each one both guarded and dominated by their respective Brother. Even those ostensibly “liberated” sisters are only free to move about the Void at the behest of the Brothers. In other words, the women in this game are utterly repressed by the men. This isn’t a coincidence- the singularly male ruling class keeping the female population in their place is a literal manifestation of the concept of the patriarchy, silently handicapping women to benefit a small ruling class exclusively composed of men.

Although women in video games being attractive by traditional standards is nothing new, the way the Sisters’ loveliness contrasts with the monstrousness of the Brothers is significant. Divorced from its here strictly physical manifestation, The Void seems to suggest in this way that all women are beautiful (intelligent, courageous, selfless, inquisitive, creative, etc) while all men are ugly (vain, egocentric, hypocritical, self-righteous, pompous, and so forth). This is an extremely strong stance to take, and contrary to the opinions of many a Youtube comments section feminists do not believe that women are superior to men, and certainly not to the degree seemingly hypothesized by The Void. But, The Void does not strive to create an allegory representative of the real world, remember. The Void represents the patriarchy as viewed through the lens of its female victims.

As long as we keep this in mind, the loveliness of the Sisters and the striking grotesqueness of the Brothers will make more thematic sense. Through this lens, many of the character decisions made by Ice-Pick Lodge will come into focus. For example, the fact that the Brothers consider themselves the infallible champions of the Sisters, or that the Brothers consider the Sisters somehow dangerous or threatening, or even that the Sisters resent rather than fear their Brothers. Using this interpretation we can also make sense of the seemingly problematic concept of the Sisters being unable to free themselves: one of the core tenets of a functioning patriarchy is that it is a system in which women are powerless, subservient, and subordinate. If the Sisters were capable of fighting the Brothers themselves, The Void would cross over into the above mentioned “feminist power fantasy”, and would not be representative of a “pure” patriarchy. In order to represent an airtight allegorical representation of the patriarchy, the female characters are necessarily powerless.

There are two factions still to incorporate into this formula, though: Colour, and the Guest. Colour is certainly a masculine presence, and Colour in The Void is representative of power. The patriarchy is so entrenched in the Void that the very voice of “power” is male, and what’s more, power itself desires to remain exclusively in the hands of men. In the final leg of the game, Colour begins speaking to Golden Eyes constantly and aggressively. Although Colour introduces the player to the concept of Breakthrough, and teaches you that this rite ought to be performed on a Sister, as the game progresses Colour at first suggests, and then demands with increasing annoyance, that Golden Eyes perform the Rite of Devotio on himself. It is never suggested that a Brother could achieve Breakthrough- although they are explicitly referred to as being able to “take”, they consider Nerva to be poisonous- so Colour’s only option for keeping power in male hands is to ascend through his male vessel, the Spirit.

The final piece in this particular puzzle is the Guest. The Guest is by all accounts outwardly male. He has a masculine body when you view his hearts, and he spends much of the game successfully disguising himself as a Brother. However, the Guest lacks many of the qualities The Void associates with masculinity. He doesn’t speak, which contrasts him with the Brothers and their interminable self-righteous tirades. He also, strikingly, lacks genitals. Don’t dismiss this as censorship or authorial restraint either: any one of the Sisters will stand as naked as a newborn should you unlock all her hearts, and all their sex organs are clearly visible. In these ways The Void differentiates between a character who is a pillar of the oppressive patriarchy- the Brothers and Colour- and a character who is simply male.

But why is the Spirit male at all? The suggestion to me seems to be that overthrowing the patriarchy and creating a society in which women are truly considered equal to men is the responsibility of everybody, including men. In the Void, Colour is power. In a power-unbalanced society, evening the odds requires the empowered party to sacrifice power to the powerless party. The relationship between the Guest and the Sisters is collaborative- it represents men willingly and happily draining their own privilege and power and offering it to women. With this interpretation, it makes one male character offering power to women under the disapproving gaze of ten empowered men that much more significant: according to The Void, the power equalization between men and women is going to come slowly, from a dedicated minority of male feminist allies, and is going to be met with outrage and violence from the vast majority of men.

This makes Master Colour’s description of the barriers between Limits as a “glass ceiling” much more meaningful. By willfully surrendering his own power to a woman, against the wishes of the ruling patriarchy, the Spirit allows a Sister to literally break the so-called glass ceiling, and ascend to a position above that of even the Brothers. Now that we accept that it is the responsibility of men and women both to overthrow the patriarchy, we can make more sense of the Spirit’s systematic elimination of the Brothers. The Void’s contention is that for women to truly ascend, feminist men need to not only empower women, but actively destroy the patriarchal elements in their society and themselves. The Guest- the male feminist- literally destroys the patriarchy in his quest to empower a Sister.

Finally, the ultimate goal of The Void is coloured, if you will, with feminist (or at the very least, feminine) themes. The Rite of Devotio will allow one Sister to ascend to the Upper Limit- creating life from mere existence. This is tantamount to a kind of birth. If the Upper Limit is where true “life” occurs, then the Void is not only an afterlife, but prelife. You could call the Void a kind of womb, in which there exists the possibility for many different lives, but only one can be chosen. Even the concept of the Void- vacant, hollow, accepting- is symbolically vaginal. The layout and design of the Void even echoes the appearance of a uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. The Sisters in their chambers could be said to be unfertilized eggs. In this analogy, then, Colour becomes seminal. It’s the substance used to fertilize a Sister so that she can ascend to the Upper Limit to be born. After all, in order to perform Breakthrough, the Spirit must reach a state of Turgor- turgidity, the opposite of flaccidity, being the state of tissue that has become rigid with the absorption of fluid. In other words, for humans, an erection. In this light, try not to think too hard about the fact that the oldest Sister is nineteen.

Well, that represents just about the sum total of my most concrete theories regarding The Void. The Void is a spectacularly nourishing experience, and I had to trim away several potential avenues of thematic exploration to save on space and time. In the future, I may return to The Void, and use it as a jumping board to discuss art, love (platonic, familial, romantic, sexual, it’s all there in some form or another, and every player will have a different reaction to every Sister), religion, truth and lies, how we define ourselves against those around us… essentially any topic you care to mention can be meaningfully addressed using the language of The Void. For today, though, I hope I’ve managed to enrich your understanding of this and all games, the way CannibalK9 nourished my own understanding of this and all games. Once again, I’d like to implore you to check out Ice-Pick Lodge’s Kickstarter, and for any PC users, don’t forget that The Void is available on Steam. If you good folks have something to add about The Void (and anybody who has experienced it must have something to say about it), whether you’re building on or tearing down something I’ve said above or you’d like to pursue your own avenue of thought, please feel free to drop a comment, or even contact me personally. I could discuss this game to the end of time, so it certainly wouldn’t be an imposition.

PC Fund Commissions are Open!

So due to the fact that my new laptop is literally incapable of streaming, I'm even more determined to get that new PC. Since my job can apparently only pay the bills right now, I'm opening commissions back up for the first time in forever so I can stream again! Now with new prices.

There is a goal of $1,750 for the new PC up on my Ko-Fi to track it's progress.

There will be three slots at a time, I will be updating my pinned post for open slots in real time.

All currency is converted through Ko-Fi to USD

For commission rules, what I will draw, and another place to see if slots are open in real time, please go to my carrd - https://chaomingo.carrd.co/#commissions

To pay for commissions and to see the fund and how much of the goal we've made, please see my Ko-Fi - https://ko-fi.com/chaomingo

If you don't have enough money for a commission any donations are appreciated! If you don't have any money to spend at the moment reblogs are also greatly appreciated!

Image description under the cut

Full Render Commission prices -

Full: $90

Half: $70

Bust: $50

Color Commission prices -

Full: $55

Half: $45

Bust: $35

Clean Commission prices -

Full: $45

Half: $35

Bust: $25

Rough Commission prices -

Full: $20

Half: $15

Bust: $8

Backgrounds/Props:

$5-$40

Solid/Gradient Backgrounds are free

Master Ciara's Counsel - 08/25/2022

AC15 - Brotherhood Discovery Tour

Happy Fryeday! My AC Podcaster friends - The Science of Assassin's Creed, ACLandmarks & Historian's Perspective - and I will be continuing our AC15 Discovery Tour series on Sunday. We will take you on a Virtual Tour of Rome during the Renaissance in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood! We will also be joined by a special guest - Ammit - an archaeogamer and Ph.D candidate with a background in antiquity.

We’ll be streaming on Sunday, 08/28, at 12:00pm EST/9:00am PST on my YouTube channel. Hope to see you there!

Valhalla Giveaways

On this stream, ACLandmarks will be doing two giveaways for codes to Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ultimate Edition, which includes:

Main game

Season Pass, which gives access to Year 1 DLC, Wrath of the Druids & The Siege of Paris

Ultimate Pack, which include a set of Gear, Settlement items, Longship items, and Runes

The codes are good for any platform - PC or console - in US and Europe only.

The Ones Who Came Before & Assassins In Need

For this stream, we have partnered again with The Ones Who Came Before, who are doing a fundraiser called Assassins In Need: Heart of the Creed. This fundraiser campaign will raise money for the British Heart Foundation and the American Heart Association to fund critical cardiovascular medical research and provide education to families around the world. If you're interested, please donate to the campaign at the fundraiser website: Fundraiser by Colum Blackett : Assassins in Need: Heart of the Creed Fundraiser (gofundme.com)

Trivia Time!

From the Revelations Discovery Tour streamed by @science_creed:

Complete the following sentence said by Yusuf Tazim: "Unless the legend is a lie, you are the man I long to meet - renowned Master & Mentor ______."

Who rescued Ezio and took him to Rome after escaping the Siege of Monteriggioni?

Which was the armor that Arno could get when he completed all of Nostradamus's Enigmas?

Who are the two Vikings who visited the Hagia Sophia?

Where is the Abstergo facility where Desmond is being held located?

What was the name of the human tax imposed by the Ottoman Empire on Christian territories which forced young boys into the Janissaries?

Going live with Hex, playing Empyrion!

Hey guys, we're going live over on Hex's channel with some Empyrion Galactic Survival so head on over and check us out!

Today I'm in alot of pain so I might be taking more breaks than usual, but plus side is that I'm not the one streaming so its easier for me to do so. Please remember to be kind and respectful of everyone's abilities and disabilities. You never know what someone else is going through and sometimes its hard to let others know what you're going through. *Side note, help me hydrate Hex and myself to death and back!*

Hex's stream: https://www.twitch.tv/hexeqprime

Also if you want to support me consider donating to my thronothon! Even $5 would be helpful towards the cause! I'm currently trying to fund for working on my streaming setup. This includes things like a new chair so I stop getting injured by my current one, a stream deck, go xlr, mousepad, etc. as well as things like a lightweight vacuum and duster for my room so that I can reduce the dust and fur in here. My old pc had alot of issues due to the fur and dust accumulation so while those kinds of items are usually for health stuff, it will impact my pc long term so I threw them in the list of things we're trying to fund for!

Getting My Omaha Air Conditioning Repair: Furnace & HVAC To Work

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Find each deal for extra information, expiration time, and phrases and problems. Your purchase will not be satisfied until we receive your remittance. Please validate and send out your ask for within 30 times of acquiring your repayment. Present PRIORITY Please contact if you have any inquiries. We are really thankful to possess you on panel because we know the time is very essential. Please bear in mind we set aside the right to call off your purchase if we are told as well little bit of to fulfill your assumptions. This Is Cool -new HVAC Systems as Reduced as $120 Plus Get a Free Nest Thermostat Purchase and installation of comprehensive heating and cooling unit required. This installation is free of cost for low-income house owners. In a current character to the Homeowners Office, Mayor John Tory stated there are no program to construct solar doors or thermostats in existing properties, and had mentioned he was thinking about minimizing authorities aids for solar energy. Nest temperature must be compatible with bought body. Merely authentic for new, non-frequent make use of. The Nest is operated making use of a USB hookup that will certainly make it possible for all Nest products to be set up in a solitary, connected property. A user-adjustable electric battery pack device An device chamber (likewise phoned an add-on sky bag) that plugs into the edge wall of the house. Make use of this chamber as an device. Any sort of essential upgrades may accumulate an added fee. The cost of additional tickets, upgrades or fixings is dependent on performance. Some players would as if the expense of their tickets returned, others would like the price of remittance taken out or that they would no a lot longer be capable to pay for their tickets. Please check out your ticketing organization for even more information. Credit history and fundings given through Regions Bank d/b/a EnerBank USA, Member FDIC, (650 S. Main St., Suite 1000, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-2844) on authorized credit rating, for a restricted opportunity. Settlements due on a new deposit might be topic to a handling cost of 50% of harmony on the authentic installment. Credit ratings may be taken out every order to be refined within 30 days. Passion begins accruing when funds are disbursed. In exchange for their companies, the contributor needs to fulfill certain financial standards. In addition, the donor should observe the "donor-for-benefit" income tax regulations, which need such donations to be tax-deductible and pay their taxes. If the benefactor meets certain standards, they need to provide funds in the form of passion, down payments (generally a corrected buck volume), funds gains, reductions, and unique rewards. Monthly payment conditions vary coming from 12 to 144 months. The brand-new suggestions seem to contradict previous advice provided by the US government. The US is required to give instruction to companies and entities on how to stay away from a credit scores default if a business would face nonpayment without giving them appropriate financing or paperwork showing a nonpayment has been entered into into before the loan provider is made it possible for to sell the possessions in situation they are defaulted. Genuine financing term might be much shorter if much less than the total authorized amount of credit rating is used. Such terms are usually for noncredit contracts. The deal may take up to 6 years to apply and may even be extended with the option of a briefer condition for other main reasons, such as to minimize monetary danger, transform the credit rating service provider's rate of interest fee timetable, or terminate the contract. The enthusiasm cost at that point in the contract might be the fee that exceeds the permitted amount. 1st month-to-month lending payment due 30 days after funds are disbursed. Repayments as a result of on a brand new down payment may be as a result of within one year. Financings for Social Assistance (PSAs) The authorities allows up to three loans under the Social Security course, each at a solitary rate. These car loans supply folks along with incomes listed below approximately 40 per-cent of the federal government scarcity degree a opportunity to live on an income at the rate that they would have under an personal strategy.

24 Days | Wilbur Soot

30 days to fall in love with someone? Sounds easy right? It would be if that person wasn’t so unbelievably annoying in almost every sense.

You’re not sure how you found yourself in this situation, but you were positive there was no backing out now…

Series Warnings: Mostly fluff and angst, and a very poorly constructed enemies to lovers plot.

Word Count: 1685

Masterlist Series Masterlist

24 Days

It was Friday, you were in the middle of doing your two-hour-long stream that you did every Friday. Since you took weekends off from your own streams you did a long one every week. It worked out, you seemed to get a lot more views on Friday anyways.  All the donos seemed to ask about you and Wilbur, you forced a smile to tell everyone you guys were well and that you’re very happy together. The viewers seemed to be happy with your responses and didn't catch you falter.  You were on the DreamSMP cleaning up things and repairing things from any creeper explosions, as having holes in the walkways annoyed you to no end because it didn't look pleasing to the eye. Many ties you were passed by Fundy, Tubbo, and even Tommy.  The in-game chat stated to be spammed by Tommy, VC 2 VC 2 VC 2 over and over again. 

“Well chat, let’s see what Tommy wants,” You giggled and switched to discord.  “Hello Tommy,” You smiled, wondering what type of shenanigans he was up to today, you noticed he was also streaming so you knew it was something that was going to be very entertaining to the stream.  “Y/N!” He yelled  “Tommy!” You yelled back, matching his energy.  “How do you do?” His sudden calm tone almost made you burst into a fit of laughter.  “I do well, Thomas. What are you up to tonight?” You asked, smiling to yourself when using his full name.  “Well, you see, Y/N. See here’s the thing. I am out of supplies, I don’t even have iron to my name Y/N-” “Do you want me to help you get some?” You offered, cutting him off  “Well, actually I was hoping you could just give me some.”  “Tommy,” You laughed, “That’s- unfortunately, that not how it works my friend.” You paused, taking a sip of your water, “I am more than willing to help you go mining, I know a pretty good spot actually, but I’m not going to just give you stuff for nothing.”  “C’mon Y/N you could write it off your taxes as a charity donation,”  You had to give it to him, although Tommy could be annoying at times he was so effortlessly funny, you were almost certain that he didn't even have to try. 

“Ah yes, hang on let me see what I have to give to Tommy’s charity fund,” You laughed, looking through your inventory, pondering for a few moments, making it look like you were going to give him half your stack of iron only our stream before clicking to the three seeds you’d picked up some time ago and throwing them at his feet. His character's head went from looking at you to the seeds, then back to you and back to the seeds again, you pulled up his stream on your other monitor so you could see his face, trying so hard to not burst out into laughter when you saw his unamused look. 

Feeling bad you pulled up a donation, giving Tommy Five bucks so the text-to-speech would work, “Tommy Charity Fund.” You sent and waited for it to go through.  He paused, hearing the dono tts voice, before looking back up at you in the game.  “Fuck you,” He said running away. You couldn't suppress your laughter any longer and it all fell out at once, chat exploded into laughter and emotes, everyone found it hilarious.

A few seconds after you were still in the voice chat with Tommy, he had ventured off to go mining, I guess stealing from people wasn't going well. Since the last war, nobody has really been gathering supplies, taking a break from the lore to just get things done around the server. Tommy still bringing up the ‘charity fund’ you found it hilarious. 

“You’re a bitch you know that,” He mumbled, you knew he was only joking, with Tommy you never took anything to heart, if he had a true problem with you, you know he would message you privately.  “Tommy,” Wilbur's voice came over discord, making you jump slightly.  “Hi Wilbur,” He said, sounding like a little kid when their mom gets them in trouble.  “Apologize to Y/N.'' Wilbur's voice was playful, yet stern, sounding exactly like the older brother who was put in charge of his younger siblings. 

After a second, you could see Tommy bow his head on his stream that was still pulled up on your other monitor.  “Sorry, Y/N. You’re not a bitch.” He said  “It’s okay Tommy,” You chuckled  “Thank you.” Spoke Wilbur before leaving the voice chat. 

You and Tommy stayed on call until his stream ended. You were left alone, talking to your chat. Without anyone else there to keep a consistent conversation you started to daze off, forgetting you were on stream, yawning and leaning forward onto your desk. Your back hurt from how long you’d been sat in front of the monitor. 

Your discord made a noise again, but this time you didn’t bother tabbing out to see who had joined.  “Hey, Y/N,” Wilburs soft voice came across your headphones  “Will,” You smiled, sitting up  “You look tired, how long have you been up?” He asked 

You looked at the clock, it was only 11 PM but you could have sworn it was later.  “Since one,”  “AM or PM?” Will asked  You looked down, “AM,” You mumbled. “You should go to bed,” He said You sighed, knowing he could break you eventually, as your eyelids were drooping shut and your eyes were burning. “Its not even that long, Wil, I’m fine.” You argued 

“How long have you been streaming?” Wilbur asked  “I’m almost at my five hour mark, I’m like forty-five minutes away,”  “End your stream early and get ready for bed than we can chat,” His voice was soft and warm speaking over your stream, your chat exploded, loving Wilbur and you together.  “But I’m so close, just a few more minutes,” You sighed, tabbing out of your game and switching the stream to a full face cam. “I’m sure they wont mind if you end a little early, you've been streaming for a while, love.” He continued, slowly wearing you down. “I can even entertain your chat for a bit while you go get ready for bed, or even make yourself a cup of tea, then when you come back, it will be close enough that you can end the stream, how does that sound?”  You sighed, knowing he had won. You looked at chat and back to the timer of how long you've been on stream, “Okay.” You nodded. 

“Alright Chat, I’m sorry for ending early but you heard the man. Next week will be extra long to make up for this, I promise.” You said, looking at the chat, everyone was spamming ‘goodnight’ and ‘goodbye’  “It was nice spending this fine evening with you all, but I must go now, I will see everyone Monday. Bye!” You ended stream 

“Hi, Wilbur,” You smiled to yourself after ending stream  “I’m going to call your number now, and you can go get ready for bed, okay?” He said  “Alright, Wil,” you nodded, closing all the windows you had open on your pc. 

After shutting everything off you grabbed what you needed and went to the bathroom. Wilbur called you halfway through taking your makeup off, you had eyeliner smudged all around your eyes when you answered his facetime.  When his face popped up on your screen, he was wearing his glasses and a big smile, his hair was a mess and he was already in bed. 

“Getting ready for bed?” He asked, as if he didn't already know.  “Of course,” You shook your head, leaning closer to the mirror making sure you had all the bits of makeup taken off before washing your face with warm water  Picking up your phone you held up a peace sign, making Wil laugh and attempt to take a sneaky screenshot.  “Hey, no, delete that, I look terrible.” You quickly argued after hearing the noise.  “You do not.” He was fast to respond. “You look refreshed, you're glowing.” you shook your head at him as you walked back to your room through the dark house. 

Your roommate had already gone to bed, close to an hour ago. You were always the last person up, being an internet person with many American friends who are in a different time zone and a night owl at heart. You flopped down into your soft pillows, pulling your duvet over yourself and propping your phone up on your laptop so you could still see Wilbur and he could see you. You pulled the corner of the blanket up to hide your face. 

“Don't do that, I want to see your face,” Wilbur frowned.  “No you don’t,” You shook your head  “Yes,” He spoke, “I do.” You moved the blanket so it wasn't all the way covering your face but it was still pulled up enough that your shoulders were covered.  “You realize next week you’ll be here for your stream?” Wilbur said.  “I do now,” You pinched the bridge of your nose, “I’m sorry, I didn't think of that,”  “Its okay, you can stream from my computer,” He smiled. “It will surprise chat,”  “Oh my god, can you imagine, they're going to go crazy,” You chuckled  “They will,”

Wilbur continued to tell you about how he was truly getting excited to have you meet him in person, but his soft voice had been lulling you to sleep, your eyelids struggling to stay open and your warm bed weighing you down. Eventually you were out. Wilbur didn't notice until he asked you a question and did not respond. Your laptop screen was still shining light on you, and he saw you were asleep against the black screen, smiling at you. He snuck another screenshot, making sure the sound was off this time. 

“Goodnight, Y/N.” He said sweetly before getting comfortable in bed himself and slowly drifting off. 

My friend Trace Complete and Chicago Tekken have partnered to host RESIST THE IRON FIST, a Tekken 7 event in support of The Bail Project. The Bail Project is a 501c3 operating in 20 U.S. states to advocate for bail equality and to support individuals who cannot make the high bail expenses regularly imposed in American courts. The Bail Project has been active in supporting Black Lives Matter protestors and just this week one of their own employees was himself arrested doing his job

The event will be hosted Saturday, June 13th, and Sunday, June 14th, on https://twitch.tv/tracecomplete. Players from all over the East Coast and the Midwest will compete in tournaments on Saturday and on Sunday we'll be hosting FIGHT TOGETHER, an exhibition event with some of the United States's best Tekken players, for your viewing enjoyment--and you'll be able to donate money in the name of your favorite players to support them in their efforts.

- PS4 open tournament: Saturday 6/13 @ 2PM ET/1PM CT - https://bit.ly/RTIF_PS4 - PC open tournament: Saturday 6/13 @ 7:30PM ET/6:30PM CT - https://bit.ly/RTIF_PC - FIGHT TOGETHER exhibition event: Sunday 6/14 @ 4PM ET/3PM CT

We've currently raised almost $2,400 through our community contributions and we've got another $1,500 of sponsored donations committed, plus a bunch of cool merchandise for giveaways for donors, viewers, and players alike. And we've got a bunch of very interested potential sponsors that we'll be working with throughout the next week to see if we can raise that even further.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

- Do you play Tekken? Come join our tournaments on Saturday, June 13. Don't worry about being "good"--it's a fun time and it's for a good cause. Your $5 entry fee will be matched by both me and Chicago Tekken, turning $5 into $15 for the cause. PS4: https://bit.ly/RTIF_PS4 -- PC: https://bit.ly/RTIF_PC

- Spread the word! Retweet and share this post; more eyeballs always means more money for the cause.

- We're looking to put Black content creators front and center and to connect our audience with their work. We're looking for content we can use to fill out breaks and bumpers during the show. If you're a creator and you're interested, we'd be delighted to have your help and we've set aside time to help make your content fit the format. Please email [email protected] with links to what you'd like to see us use. We can use still art and video; we can use a video of approximately five to seven minutes' length as a break during the show and we can use exciting clips--hype moments on Twitch, clips of a show or a video game, etc.--to play out into shorter breaks. You can retweet this, too, as a way to get the word out.

- Donate at https://bit.ly/RTIFDonate. You can help there in other ways, too--click "contribute" and use the code RESIST to add $1.00 to the community fund free of charge, and complete the "quests" on the right side of the screen to help increase your contribution even further.

Feel free to reach out to @edropple and @ChicagoTekken on Twitter with any questions. If you don’t use twitter, you can also send me an ask and I’ll pass the word along for you.

Hope to see you next weekend!

Black Navy Print Cashmere Leopard Scarf In Blue

This offer isn't relevant to purchases being shipped internationally. Take your fashion to the wild aspect with this leopard print Autograph scarf. Crafted from ultra-soft and opulent cashmere. Please email us on to advise us you are returning the garment and if you'll like a refund or exchange for one more garment https://strandfirm.com/product/cashmere-leopard-scarf/.

My new scarf was beautiful over simple black pants and prime, seemed very glamour.

We will organize a return postage label so the merchandise could be returned to us when in a position. We will ship you an e mail as quickly as we obtain the returned garment and purpose to course of your return inside 2 enterprise days of receipt. All items returned should be in the identical situation during which they had been acquired.

Scarves are uniquely hand woven and hand printed making every bit tremendous luxurious and tremendous gentle. Embrace fine and opulent layers with this pure cashmere leopard scarf from hush. With a sizeable size and width, this scarf is roofed in a catchy leopard print that is related and on-point season after season. I ordered this online and was really disappointed when I opened the parcel. For virtually £70 I was anticipating a luxury merchandise - nevertheless it fell well short.

We have never met a Leopard print we didn’t love !! And we are huge fans of this lovely deep cobalt blue color. This cashmere scarf was created to put on all winter lengthy with leather jackets and good blazer fits to offer you a luxury look. Update your 2018 accent assortment with the hanging colors of our new scarf. Created from the best cashmere and silk and that includes our classic leopard print, unique to Leatham Cashmere, this scarf will smarten any outfit. All 100 percent cashmere, our scarves, hats and socks are loving made by hand within the tiny kingdom of Nepal.

If you have already got items in your basket, please note that they wiil be shipped to the country you will choose. Please also note that the shipping rates for lots of items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be discovered on its element web page. To reflect the policies of the shipping corporations we use, all weights shall be rounded as much as the following full pound.

Please note that lots of our merchandise are individually crafted by skilled artisans. Slight variations are a pure results of this process and add to the distinctive magnificence and persona of every piece. Our Leopard Scarves are hand-woven and hand-printed in Nepal. The weavers "dress" the loom in a width that's higher than the finished size, and make it longer, too. The resulting fabric is then felted by hand, which involves washing and mild agitation to aid within the interlocking of the very fine cashmere fibers.

All clothes are checked by us earlier than preparing your order for packing. In the unlikely event that the garment is faulty on arrival, incorrect or broken in transit, please notify us immediately on receipt of goods. We will arrange for the merchandise to be returned to us. If we're unable to provide you with a replacement, we will refund your cost of the merchandise. This is a 100% cashmere fine-woven scarf, however it is massive sufficient to also make a comfortable wrap. The background is the pure white color of the cashmere goat hair, with pale camel and black spots screen printed on the individual items.

We won't accept returns of used, dirty, or broken merchandise. We have the best to deny a credit if the merchandise returned doesn't meet our return policy necessities. To return an alpinecashmere.com item, email to acquire a return authorization quantity and pay as you go return label.

This wrap is noted as one hundred pc cashmere, however the weave and thread rely is similar to that of a burlap bag. To calculate the general star rating and proportion breakdown by star, we don’t use a easy average. Instead, our system considers things like how current a review is and if the reviewer purchased the merchandise on Amazon. It additionally analyses critiques to verify trustworthiness.

Modifying the language doesn't modify the chosen country and currency. 3) The color perhaps slightly difference compare the picture with actual merchandise as a outcome of monitor replicate. Sign as a lot as our newsletter and be the primary to hear the most recent offers, occasions, information and updates from Wolf & Badger.

The leopard print is just on one facet of the fabric and the quality of the cashmere wasn’t as anticipated. Machine wash your 100% cashmere scarf underneath the wool setting with temperature set as cold, and spin it at 500 rpm. You can also hand wash your cashmere scarf in chilly water. Handwoven cashmere scarves printed by hand with striking leopard prints in all the richest trend colours imaginable. Asneh's leopard scarf is a recent tackle a timeless classic. It’s crafted from the softest cashmere, expertly woven and screen printed by hand.

The delivery provide is mechanically applied at checkout when standard transport is chosen and the threshold is reached in a single transaction. Orders arrive inside three to four enterprise days if orders are positioned by three PM ET . Orders containing fragrances, rugs, or lighting and orders higher than 30 units are not eligible for quick delivery. Regular expenses will apply to all other transport strategies. Amounts donated to the Pink Pony Fund don't count towards the brink quantity.

1) Selecting high quality cashmere materials, keeps you heat all day lengthy. Please observe we're unable to supply a value match for merchandise sold through impartial retailers, or being shipped internationally. Every time you put on or wash your cashmere, it'll reward you by changing into somewhat softer. Please be assured that these cookies don't retailer any personal knowledge.

This course of provides bulk, softness and loft to the completed scarf. Pashmina is the traditional name for the very finest grade of cashmere wool. Ralph Lauren presents packaging designed to reduce waste. To receive your order with Reduced Packaging, choose the verify box on the Shipping web page during checkout. Register to obtain exclusive offers tailored to you, plus rewards and promotions earlier than anyone else. Just choose ‘YES’ throughout step three on the subsequent web page and by no means miss a thing.

In the case of an exchange, if the garment is in inventory we'll dispatch it inside 2 enterprise days of receiving the returned garment. If we do not have it in stock, but will probably be arriving into inventory shortly, we'll notify you and you'll determine whether or not you want to wait or obtain a refund. If there's a distinction in price between the returned garment and the garment you wish to change for, we are going to contact you to organise fee. Your personal data might be used to assist your experience all through this web site, to manage access to your account, and for different purposes described in our privacy coverage.

This is a timeless accent that will elevate any outfit and keep you toasty through the colder months. You might return your purchase for a full credit, so long as the product is returned in the identical situation because it was despatched. Altered products can't be returned for refunds or change.

They additionally improve the functionality and personalization of our website, such as using movies. Receive by Thursday, May 27, when you order by 3 PM ET and select Fast transport at checkout. Scarfe exactly as described and superbly packaged. This company clearly cares very a lot about who they're and their buyer's experience. I think I will get a lot of use of the wrap this winter.

Items are shipped to you instantly by our brands, using tracked, contactless supply. Instead of hanging, retailer your cashmere folded so it'll keep its shape. Smooth out the garment on a clear, dry towel and allow it to dry naturally, molding it back to its authentic form because it dries. ALL FLASH SALE ITEMS FINAL SALE. All other claims have to be made inside 10 days of supply for a refund. Please note, we don't ship on Saturdays, Sundays, and U.S. holidays.

Personalized items and reward packing containers can't be returned. I bought this scarf on-line after a lot of deliberation contemplating hearty value. The service I acquired in local M&S meals corridor on choose up left me very upset. I had obtained notification my parcel was prepared for choose up. Staff arguing with me in retailer in front of orher clients made me feel very uncomfortable. The scarf is so gentle and warm, it is a pleasure to put on - which I have already got.

Please notice, we can not provide pay as you go return labels for international returns. Customers are answerable for the delivery for all returns coming from outside the United States. Luxurious handcrafted cashmere knits and hand woven scarves from Nepal. Designed in England for a up to date wardrobe. A Lily and Lionel signature, the leopard print has been shrunk to a micro scale this season for an summary, polka dot design, on a caramel-toned backdrop. Printed on one hundred pc cashmere, finished with an eyelash hem.

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The return delivery is your duty. We make elegance easy with trendy laid-back designs for real life. All our designs are made from cashmere, silk and other natural fibres. Our products are fall-in-love-pieces in irresistible quality and design.

We do not compromise; looking gorgeous and feeling good are mutually imperative for us. Woven in Italy from a lustrous cashmere-and-silk mix, this elegant scarf showcases a traditional leopard print. Meticulously completed with hand-rolled edges, its elongated silhouette makes for a highly versatile accent. Free Fast Shipping on Orders $150+ & Free Returns |Details Enjoy free quick delivery on orders of $150 or more and free returns at RalphLauren.com only.

In caramel tones, our monster leopard scarf is a worthwhile cold climate funding piece. In this classic color way, it'll work with all of your present wardrobe and can look good draped casually spherical your neck. Enjoy free returns and exchanges within 30 days of the order shipment date.

Shipping time is calculated primarily based on when the order is shipped, not when the order is placed. We wish to get your Alpine Cashmere gadgets to you as quickly as possible and so strive to ship orders positioned by midday EST the identical day, but that isn't assured. Typically orders ship within one business day. Cookies permit us to report details about shopping through our web site so as to give you personalised provides.

Wear it with a jacket for or layer it with a sweater and coat in cold weather. We recommend teaming it with our Fallon beret and fingerless gloves. A luxurious scarf in basic leopard print and crafted using Grade A cashmere.

hey guys! i’m starting Another gofundme to try and collect top surgery money bc the one i started years ago didn’t really help at all

i thought i’d give it a shot again now that i have more followers, so it would mean a lot if y’all could help a mentally ill trans guy out. i don’t make enough money at my job to pay bills AND save up for top surgery or a new car once my lease it up or anything else. i desperately require help.

even if you can’t donate, please reblog. i know there are plenty of these going around so this is probably annoying by now, but i’m at my limit. binding 5-6 days out of the week for 8 hours a day is giving me chronic neck and back pain. in addition to car expenses, bills, and medical surgery, i also need to be able to move out of my abusive household. please consider donating.

and if you want, you can also buy my music! sales go to my paypal directly. i write songs about being trans, being mentally ill, and romanticizing the little things.

here’s my first ep, all sung before i started T

here’s my second album, mini songs i wrote after my voice dropped (minus the extended bob’s burgers song)

and here’s my most recent single!

https://www.gofundme.com/spencers-top-surgery-and-living-fund&rcid=r01-1559870549-544e3639b0794d5d&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_m

13th update on the Wet PC!

Over the weekend, you all helped me to fund a new video card, which thanks to my built up discount and EVGA’s timing on an instant rebate, we got for 40% off, roughly! What’s left is a water block addon and a backplate, both of which are currently listed on @deadcatwithaflamethrower​ ‘s Amazon wishlist (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/JS0BYXY3F2E9?type=wishlist&filter=unpurchased&sort=priority&viewType=list)along with some remaining fittings and fans that will ensure I will be able to make future changes to the water loop with no issue.

If you are unable to flat out purchase any of those from the list, but still want to help, feel free to donate to my Paypal, where as soon as the funds do total over the items listed, I’ll go right ahead and buy them direct myself - https://www.paypal.me/drougnor

If, somehow, you all manage to drive me OVER the needed remaining funds? That will go towards a new case as well, which comes in around $240, but it’s a BIG sucker with lots of room (And ELBOW SPACE) for better water cooling layout.  But that’s a future dream now.  Thank you all for your assistance and please do NOT forget to go give us a hand over at @deadcatwithaflamethrower ‘s KoFi - https://ko-fi.com/JerKeene

I’m still waiting on confirmation of my second interview, but found out that the manager in question did NOT have availability for today, but the headhunter is doing their best to lock down a time ASAP, so well wishes on that front are also always welcome! And as always, if you can’t help directly, helping by sharing/reblogging this is still an amazing way to help. The further you spread these messages, the more eyes see them!

Thanks again, everybody!!

Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to click on this. I've put off making this post for as long as I could, hoping things would get better, but unfortunately they have not.

As most of you are aware, the last few months have not been kind. Back in November of 2018 I wound up needing an emergency MRI to determine whether I was at risk of a stroke or brain bleed, following a severe trauma to my neck that left me in profound and debilitating pain for several weeks, on top of my other chronic long term conditions and disabilities. It was extremely scary and worrying, but thankfully I had a good support base, and look good in scrubs.

Fortunately the scan came back in the clear, and the pain and other symptoms were attributed to a severe muscle tear that spanned from the base of my skull, all the way around the entire right side of my head. I am now 9ish weeks into the estimated 12 week healing process and doing well, and while we are truly grateful my brain was okay, unfortunately our finances have taken a major hit as a result of the MRI, as it was also during this emergency visit to the hospital that we found out our health insurance had wrongly dropped me due to a change in my immigration status, meaning I was completely without coverage without any idea of having been dropped.  We contacted our insurance provider (Blue Cross) immediately about this and were told they would look into it, but nothing has come of it and I have been left to pay the MRI bill. The initial cost of the MRI was estimated to be $2-3k, but following some complications and needing a more complex scan, the bill wound up at $5,731.33. This does not include the cost of pain management or physical rehab. 

As you can see, the hospital has already removed $2,636.41 from this total, (though an additional $800 was tacked on from a separate radiology department where my results were sent to for processing) leaving us with a bill of roughly $3,094.92 which we could have managed in monthly installments...if my partner, known affectionately to most of you as ETD and on occasion "Mothman" hadn't been told he needed wisdom tooth surgery as a matter of some urgency or risk major infection. We took out a loan to cover the cost of his surgery and he's scheduled to go in for the procedure this month, and while we could have managed to juggle things for a bit, we also found out at Christmas that my mother has cancer, and I will likely need to fly home to the UK (on my own) pretty soon to try and help deal with that. Even still we had hoped to muddle through for a while, but as of today February 4th 2019, my desktop computer has died, taking with it my ability to work. It's my sole source of income and needless to say I'm lost without it. Worse yet Patreon announced this last week that they are suffering from delayed payment processing again, meaning I will not get paid in time, and the month of February and beyond has finally gotten too much for us and we need help. I know times are hard for everyone, and I always hoped I would never have to do this again, but anything you could do to help would be greatly appreciated.  In reality we need somewhere around $4-5k, but I am hoping to get just enough to take my monthly bills to the hospital down to a manageable amount. Doing so would allow us to pay it off gradually over time, and afford us time to breathe. If we somehow manage to meet and go over the target goal, all extra funds will go toward clearing off the medical debt in full, and also possibly PC repairs to get me back to work asap. If you would prefer not to use go-fund-me, I also have a Patreon and a Ko-fi. Please do not give more than you can afford, your own well being takes priority, and if you can’t donate please don’t feel bad. Kind wishes and signal boosting are greatly appreciated too. Thank you for your support and kind words over these last few months, it means the world to both of us and we're beyond humbled that you allow us to be part of your lives. Take care, and thank you again. With all our love and gratitude, Joy & ETD.

How to Fight COVID-19: Geek Edition

Hi friends! Given the pandemic going on, I thought I’d interrupt my irregularly-scheduled artist alley tip posts to point out some resources and tips on how to help fight COVID-19 in the U.S. First, choose your fighter: Are you a gamer, an artist/cosplayer/craftsperson, a merch enthusaist, or some combo of the above? Once you’ve chosen, keep reading to find out what you can do! Let’s gooooo!

Gamers

Donate computing power! Do you have a sick gaming rig? Put it to work for science when you’re not using it! Folding@home is a project for crowdsourcing simulations of proteins to help find cures and treatments for various diseases like Alzheimer’s, Ebola, and now, COVID-19! You just download a program that runs in the background on your PC, and you can pause it whenever need need that computing power back. (Don’t forget to turn it back on though!)

Pay what you want for the Humble Conquer COVID-19 Bundle! Get a WHOLE bunch of really great games for whatever price you name and support charities like Doctors Without Borders and Direct Relief! Ended April 7, 2020. Thanks to those who bought the bundle!

Artists/Cosplayers/Craftspeople

Donate personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals! Do you have leftover gloves, safety goggles, or N95 respirator masks you use in your art that you’re probably not going to be using since conventions are cancelling left and right anyway? Check out GetUsPPE and let them know you have supplies. You’ll be contacted by a volunteer to arrange a time for them to come by to pick up the stuff (and you can just leave it outside your door at the appointed time, so no contact needed!)

PPE also includes hand sanitizers/wipes (that I know a lot of us artists carry to conventions to prevent con crud after handling money all day!)

Sew and donate facemasks! Yes, cloth facemasks are not going to protect you from coronavirus, but they can help as a last resort to mitigate spread of the virus. There seem to be less official donation drives for this sort of thing, but consider giving a couple to folks that are in non-medical but essential jobs like grocery store cashiers or delivery folks (and make sure to instruct them to wash them often). Some hospitals will also take cloth masks for use in cases when N95 respirators aren’t absolutely needed so that they can conserve their mask supply (see below Vanderbilt link for source).

Here’s one tutorial for cloth facemasks from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

More tips and info on cloth facemasks from Good Housekeeping.

Sew facemask headbands! Get some stretchy fabric and buttons to make it easy to wear masks for hours on end! See this Twitter post for inspiration. Consider giving them to people you give masks to!

Keep making art if you can! It’s easy for us to tell ourselves that art isn’t important in times when many are just struggling to survive. But remember that art can help people feel less alone in bad times, and can remind people of good times.

Merch Enthusaists

Donate money! Got extra cash you were saving for artist alley/exhibit hall shopping sprees, but no conventions to go to? Donate to a good cause! Here’s some ideas:

World Health Organization COVID-19 Response Fund

GetMePPE: support the volunteers who are collecting PPE donations for hospitals

Feeding America and Meals on Wheels: support getting food to people who need it, especially in times when many grocery stores are wiped out.

Local homeless shelters: to prevent spread, everyone needs to be able to social distance -- and that includes homeless folks too! Help keep shelters as uncrowded, safe, and healthy as possible.

Support small businesses! Many of your favorite artists have online stores (look for Etsys or Bandcamps), so you can still support them there! However, because many artist’s suppliers (think charm printers and such!) are still closed, artists are having a hard time keeping things in stock. Consider asking for custom commissions!

Buy gift cards if you want to support a business but don’t need anything right away.

If you’re getting takeout/delivery, remember to tip extra well!

All Geeks

Stay inside as much as possible! It’s a good time to get through your video game or anime backlog. Tell everyone how good your shows are so they’ll stay inside too.

Put your internet-savviness to good use! 

Make sure your friends and relatives are getting accurate information about COVID-19 prevention.

Set your friends and family up with apps so they can watch shows/play games with each other online.

Consider giving blood. Unfortunately, the need for blood to help people in critical condition in hospitals doesn’t stop because the pandemic is here. If you’re healthy and can make it to a donation center near you, please consider giving!

A tip I really liked from one of my favorite podcasters: call your dumbest friend and tell them about all the tips above!

Any other tips (or categories of geek!) I should add? Please feel free to contact me to let me know, and please spread far and wide if you found it helpful!

Last updated: 2020/03/31

4/9/19

Hello All

For those who have been following for a while, you will notice that there has been some major editing of the campaign. For those who are new, I have changed out the furnace which was actually funded by a local church before the first donation on here happened, with the rent. I have also changed out categories, in hopes of reaching more people and potentially getting more help.

There are two things that are urgently needed help with: the first is lot rent, the second is getting a car. While trying to get a car is the older goal, in order to pay bills, not becoming homeless with two children under ten who may end up with a bad parent is more important at this moment.

I implore you to share this far and wide, and if you have anything, even five dollars, to donate it. Please.

The image is a copy of the eviction notice, with the names and address mostly blacked out for privacy reasons.

Please share this, retweet, Facebook, wherever you think someone might be able to help my wonderful sister who is struggling but still trying her best.

Thank you all,

Jaimi, on behalf of Shelk & the boys

4/10/19

Hello All Today was spent doing another round of applications since it is hiring season. We also called every organization that helps with rent, just to be told by all but one of them they do not have the funds or not the type of rent that she does.

Apparently that matters, I don't understand why however.

Please share this as much as possible. We have until next Tuesday, April 15th to come up with the money. Right now we have $100 for sure from a local church. I am going to pull money out of my other bills to cover as much as I can, but it will lead to me needing the help on my gofundme, so I'd rather not do that if I can avoid it.

Anything at all, even five dollars, is amazing! Thank you greatly! Jaimi, on behalf of Shelk & the Boys

Short review about Omniblend: A Contract Food Manufacturing

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The blades will want to be able to produce a vortex, pulling every thing from the blender down to them to become boiled into a thousand pieces. Additionally, it is great to have blades that get close to the bottom of the pitcher, so and so food pieces don't get stuck inside that mystery zone in between the blades and also the bottom of the pitcher.Has that a plunger - Now, I understand a number of these premium superior blenders available claim they don't want plungers in any respect. Of course, when that were authentic, it would seem amazing. But from that which I have noticed, no blender can promise that it does not need some josteling. Possessing a plunger that could jostel the foodstuff inside the toaster whilst the grinder is operating is a huge - With and the cabinets overhead can be a real nuisance! I really can't consider how many times I'd have knocked within my blender if it did not fit underneath my cabinets. 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At the USA , the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and also Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the U.S. food-waste Challenge"to direct an essential change in how we consider and handle meals and meals waste within this nation." Business leaders like the Food marketing and advertising Institute (FMI), the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), and the National Restaurant Association (NRA) joined forces at the food-waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) to discharge their first questionnaire, offering sound industry waste and recycling data across the production and retail/wholesale businesses. This info may induce companies to not only consider its commitment to food waste loss, but also the way it assigns charge towards the waste.According into the FWRA, '' the U.S. food manufacturing industry made over44.3 billion pounds of food waste at 2011. Waste generation creates lower profits during the distribution chain, resource inefficiencies and noticeable environmental influences. With food manufacturers recycling or donating 94.6% of their throw away, the has definitely seen more applications for food-waste. The greater issue today is locally identifying/reducing special solution throw away and linking it back to the ultimate price of their product.Product costs are generally calculated with materials, labor expenses and overhead. Food manufacturers use the bills of materials (BOM) to learn the cost of supplies like raw elements and packaging materials. Along with labor costs, overhead broadly speaking includes insurance facility/equipment costs, utility outlays, depreciation and salaries. Among BOM being used by all services and products At the food manufacturing industry, the cost of waste is spread. By way of example, there isn't any delineation between your garbage created also the waste associated with the bread and also by way of a niche bread. The throw away each product's total cost does not influence the cost of the item. Government and marketplace targets in 2014 will remain steadily to pressure meals manufacturers, retailers/wholesalers as well as also the restaurant/foodservice business to think about environmental and social expenses of foods items dues. Internally, the constant momentum will probably be driven with the identification of this supply of waste. Throw away tracking systems offer companies the chance to monitor specific product waste amount. By pinpointing the purchase price of a garbage flow, this info can be related by a manufacturer back to the cost of a specific product line. Ultimately, the pricing structure will then be much more accurate index of cost tag because influenced from the cost-per product.In overview, food-waste calculated onto a high level with operations makes an inefficient pricing strategy. The expense of food waste must be correlated into the product causing it.More and more plants are choosing a computer system enclosure to get a single rationale or some other, let's take a examine them and also to see if the funding would be well worth the possible saving.With most generation companies using some sort of transit system to monitor production and to run computer software programs that dominate the machines onto the manufacturing lineand they need to protect their investment from the technology, like a standard information collection position is thought to exercise at $2000 for all the PC system and a PC enclosure, in spite of this the yield on investment is documented to become as short as 4 months.Once the system cables are set up and also the Display enclosure is installed and fitted, the workstation and also the display will be fitted into the shell together with the keyboard at an telescopic drawer - why you ask?The fundamental reply is that the computer systems require protecting from your dust, grime and fluid from facilities, those of these components can decay the motherboard either the monitor, the the keyboard.The difficulty takes place when the manufacturing facility has a wash down area, as an ordinary Computer case has to be beefed up, changing light steel with stainless steel unit, normally connected with food organizations because of this manufacturing industry has to make sure their products are free of germs, that is the motivation they washdown at the least once each day. To acquire additional details on this please Go Here. Free of safety of the PC enclosure the tech will definitely neglect causing costly delays in comparison to the manufacturing line, those components offer IP56 and IP65 as conventional, these really are the opposite number of NEMA 4 and NEMA 4X (in metal ).These are metal casings that accommodate the computer monitor, processing unit and also keyboard, offering the perfect number of chilled, clean atmosphere to prolong the life of this clear answer along with minimize creation downtime.When in regards in compound manufacturers UK organizations could offer an assortment of chemical processing services both locally and even globally. Using a reputation for stellar chemical supplying, drying, and fabricating, enterprise is continuously received by united kingdom compound manufacturers . Manufacturers commonly work with pharmaceutical companies and fabric factories.Chemical fabricating plants may be responsible for creating the processes that result in creation of the item. The companies can fulfill customized orders from customers and use cutting edge engineering and advanced approaches to develop fresh services and services. The chief aim of most manufacturers will be to give clients with superior customer assistance, create the needed chemical stuff fast and economically and provide compound storage if needed, and match time lines set forth from the client.Dry powder, such as chlorine and sterile extinguishing chemicals, needs to go through a certain drying procedure. A compound manufacturer has driers which can dry batches at the same period and then package the substance at kegs or baggage for dispatch. Many manufacturers utilise a vacuum system to transport the sterile compounds, that means hardly any wax has been lost from the transfer from drier to shipping package.Chemicals used to colour paper, food, and also materials could be created in a manufacturing plant that specialises in dyeing. The maker may synthesise the substance predicated on customer requirements to make sure the correct colouring is created. Chemical suppliers UK dyeing techniques needs to meet with the standards needed to provide bespoke substances to industries all over the world.Manufacturers will take customer orders for processing and exhibit how they can meet compound production needs. Utilising laboratory processes, they report that the ending effect and then will continue to work about processing the specs. The manufacturer will proceed ahead to providing the sequence each your customer's specs, in small or substantial batches once the customer agrees. Companies who want sample batches of this product can depend on professionals to assist make just sufficient product for a demo run. Experienced manufacturers can simply move from producing sample sizes into a operation that'll produce the product. They should additionally possess storage selections for organizations which need to store extra item or need temporary storage till and including certain transport date.Outsourcing your manufacturing needs to businesses in the UK is a major enterprise. But clients will want to have a look at the products and services offered by each company to ensure plant can satisfy up with the provider's special wants. Chemical suppliers UK plants may offer international customers with a variety of manufacturing services, while still meeting the needs of community clients.What is more stunning is how our foodstuff manufacturers benefitting and ignoring that the damage caused by American overall health from mislabeling omega-3 on their services and products when they have additional omega-6 instead. And the trusting, unsuspecting American that has never the opportunity to look into this confusing research jumps onto the omega-3 ministry buying products off the shelf expecting that they purchased some thing good. From omega-3 eggs to omega-3 bread, also the addition of Omega 3 in their solution is plant based, the offender. Little did the consumer know that they just added chronic inflammation. "research shows that omega-3s found only in fish and a few plants really are"excellent" essential fatty acids, also help prevent heart disease. However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) claims consumers're now being hoodwinked when it comes to omega 3 eggs. All these egg manufacturers, egged on by their trade association, is overtly putting omega 3 claims in print in front of their labels,'' realizing that is clearly a buzzword that will bring in persons," claims Michael Jacobson of their CSPI.On Thursday the company named on the FDA to enforce its own regulations and also stop the egg industry out of using exactly what it calls for misleading labels and advertising. "It's similar to using filtered smokes to avoid most cancers. It ain't gont occur. These eggs have been filled with cholesterol, and this boosts heart disease," Jacobson claims.The egg industry is not the sole culprit of economic fraud. It is uncontrolled throughout the foodstuff business and we are falling to it. And the FDA and the USDA, the opinion dogs for wellness that is American manufacturers makes it possible for this to continue. Michael Jacobson requires it fraud - my emotions operate to gross havoc, unethical, and one most destructive mislabeling of foods into wellbeing. And meats.