Command strip picture hangers

If anyone has apartment friendly advice for hanging up the skulltimate secret coffins, I’d really appreciated it! I’ve never hung up anything heavier than paper prints with sticky tack/tape, would something like command strips work?

My 5 year old is almost 50 lbs, 47 inches tall, generally healthy and active. She swallowed a picture hanger. Is there anything that we need or should do or just let it pass? It's triangle shaped on one side and oval-shaped rounded on the other side. Smaller than the first joint on your first finger.

Timestamp
Build plans changed.
Looking to trade my new stripped A1 upper for your similar condition A2 upper. Also interested in an assembled upper with some $ on my end.
New in packaging. Has forward assist and deflector. Pictures are color accurate.
Trade Value: $170
Pictures
Comment and PM me.
Cheers 🤙

So, being the writing enjoyer, huge lore nerd and general Project Moon brainrotter that I am, I decided to make a bunch of Project Moon OCs. I really like how Limbus Company does their "character profile" set-ups (both dialogue and in-gameplay stat blocks), so I decided I was going to start filling those out for said characters. However, as a certified goon, I realised that a) it's important to me that said statblocks are not incredibly broken or underpowered (say, around, A-tier?) and b) I didn't have the understanding of the game or its mechanics required to avoid that.
As such, I am going to enlist some helpful fellow PM brainrotters (that's you) in order to ensure that I do it in a way that is interesting, in-character, not too strong, and not too weak. That is, if people are sufficiently nerdy to do so.
Just a preface - these are meant to be their own characters. As such, they aren't meant to be Identities which a Sinner would wear, but nor are they "an alternate group of Sinners Vergilius would collect to find the Golden Branches". I just like how the Limbus Company stat profiles and dialogue and EGOs and such work.
Here are summaries of the OCs, for preliminary overview and suggestions. I'll probably end up making a post for each separate character once I have a better idea of how I want to present them but this should give you an idea of whether I have anything interesting cooking or not.
Amy: Hana Director (West Branch, Section 2/3?). A huge stickler for the rules, who does everything "by the book". She absolutely hates corruption, and people not living up to the "expected standards" of their job or role, and personally audits Offices and businesses she comes across, earning her the nickname of "Hana's Inquisitor". She wants to believe in justice, but she lives in the City, so that's no easy feat. Gameplay-wise, I thought that a heavily single-target character which focuses on Rupture would make sense - with the addition of a debuff called Scrutinized which interacts with her skills in various rupture-related ways, and itself causes allies to heal for SP if the target dies to an attack that triggers Rupture. I would do something with the Trigrams, but that doesn't feel "unique" enough, and also I have no clue how those would be implemented in Limbus' style.
Antonio: A young, ruthless capo of the Thumb. Antonio made it quickly up the ranks with his quick tongue, quicker wit, and absolute loyalty to the hierarchy of the Syndicate. He is frequently sarcastic and critical, though he obviously reigns in these tendencies around his superiors. He and his men make much use of concusssive rounds, and his marksmanship is as impressively precise as he is brutally efficient. Gameplay wise, I thought that an ammo-based character would be interesting, with a focus on: blunt damage (he is using concussive/pellet rounds), bleed (he ruthlessly aims for vitals and is quite good at it, he's also a member of the Thumb), and a reload mechanic (we don't have one yet, and he's a member of the Thumb).
August: A member of Nagel Und Hammer's research teams, August frequently impales themselves with numerous (memory-containing) nails in a strange ritual of self-mutilation. Despite this alleged waste of N-Corp's Singularity, and August's concerning personality, the higher-ups overlook this for two reasons: August's innate genius competence, and August's absolutely fanatical work ethic and loyalty to N-Corp. Both as a crusader against the only things August considers "filthier" than themselves, and as a researcher on N-Corp's Singularity and the information and experiences gained from it, August is tireless, intelligent, and without scruples. Gameplay-wise, Nails, obviously, but possibly self-damage and self-healing? I wasn't really sure where to go with this, so suggestions would be appreciated.
Jason: The Operator of the Argo Office (a Zwei Associate, Grade 3). Young, naïve and absolutely prodigious, Jason spearheads a comprehensive peacekeeping operation through charisma, a sparkling intellect and impressive combat talent. Despite all of this, he cannot bear to see humanity in its current state, and searches constantly for any means to spread his peace across the entire City. Gameplay-wise, I thought a support character based on granting buffs to allies would be sensible. Protection, Haste, SP buffs? Something else?
Saz: An actress from District 9 who became enraptured by the Pianist's performance. Mysterious, joyful and cryptic, she seems to dance to a tune all her own, and meanders across the city from District to District. She has a bounty on her head as an Urban Nightmare due to her capriciousness: despite occasional actions of seeming selflessness, she sometimes kills random Nest-dwellers wherever she happens to be. She has been noted to say that she wishes to change the City in some way, considering its current state a "dull backdrop" to her performance, and wishing for a "stage with greater freedom to act". Gameplay-wise, I thought a character similar to W-Corp Don Quixote would be best - namely, a character who functions off of an incredibly powerful but potentially detrimental third Skill. Saz stacks Haste and Charge in order to reach a third skill that is absolutely devastating at full power, but targets herself if she doesn't possess the right resources.
Paul: A chef from District 23, Paul is quite unique for his distaste for overusing human meat. That is not to say he doesn't use it - after all, it's "the ultimate taste" - but to him, he finds it disrespectful to use too much of it. He believes it "cheapens" the flavour, which is very important to him as an artisanal chef. He also requisitions rare and expensive meats from the Outskirts and Ruins, from "exotic" ingredients, and produces his own homemade breads and other foodstuffs, making his food very high quality, if a little expensive. This limits his clientele, effectively forever barring him from reaching the level of the Eight Chefs, but Paul has come to terms with this. Gameplay-wise, bleed and self-healing are obvious staples, but I was thinking about having him be affected by high Sanity in some way - perhaps an abnormal number of [Heads Hit] effects?
Jacob: The Head of the Information Team in a branch facility of Lobotomy Corporation, Jacob was the only survivor after the White Nights and Dark Days commenced. He managed to escape thanks in no small part due to his Synchronization with Crimson Comet, an Aberration of Blue Star. Jacob himself used to be very idealistic and talented, having come to LobCorp for this reason. However, as the years went on, Jacob became more and more cynical and jaded. He is presently looking for work in T-Corp, seeing that as his next best option and knowing T-Corp had a relationship with his previous workplace, but for now he is doing Fixer work with Crimson Comet in order to pay the bills. Gameplay-wise, I found Tremor and Sinking to be the best way of representing him. Sort of like LCCB Ishmael, but rather than Ammo as his "resource management", I was thinking negative Sanity (to represent Crimson Comet's effect on his mental state and combat capability).
Enzo: A Senior W Corp Cleanup Crew agent, Enzo is well-known internally for his ability to make light of even the most heinous situations - a useful ability considering his line of work. His tendencies to crack genuinely funny jokes and his general sociability do not distract him from his job, though - despite his jovial, sometimes even flirtatious behaviour, Enzo is brutally efficient at "cleaning up" the aftermath of W-Corp's Singularities, and is fiercely loyal to the Wing. Owing to his adoption from the horrifying Backstreets of District 23 by a W-Corp Feather, Enzo considers the Cleanup Crew (and the Wing as a whole) his "family", and won't hesitate to protect them with his life, which has won him many favours. Gameplay-wise, Charge is obvious. Ideally some form of "tankier" ID, perhaps? I'm not really sure of the validity of tanks in a game like Limbus Company, though.
Manasseh: A peculiar Messenger of the Index, Manasseh was previously a Weaver, but the Prescripts demoted him to Messenger after his hubris got the better of him. Rather than be dismayed at this turn of events, Manasseh was amused - the sadistic thrill he got from watching the whims of the City crush a stranger's soul was even better in person. Now, he acts as a herald of the Prescripts in truth, an ill omen, a harbinger of bad news. Fate may not be his to command, but it is his to proclaim, and who better than he to be a bridge between the present and the inevitable future? Gameplay-wise, I pictured a character who has an easier time winning clashes, and slowly applies more and more Paralysis and Fragility as the fight goes on.
Julia: A diplomat, coordinator and "fieldwork operative" from the April Office (a Cinq Associate, Grade 2), Julia is a competent, well-reputed Fixer who handles her contracts with demure composure and frank professionalism. However, this persona is a facade: a shell meant to disguise Julia's disgust and contempt at the state of the City and its residents. Recently, her cocoon has begun to break open, leaving her with unusual abilities she is only too happy to use to vent her frustrations through her work. Gameplay-wise, I believe Charge and negative Sanity might be reasonable mechanics, though I find myself drawn strangely to the idea of a character with big benefits on [Clash Lose] (which would be quite hard to balance, unfortunately).
Sasgonei: A senior member of the Dragonbone Workshop, a workshop specialising in semi-autonomous body augmentations and weaponry constructed from exotic materials, Sasgonei specialises in instruction and training of his suboordinates. He is close with his fellow Dragonbone Fixers, and is seen in a somewhat paternal light by his students. Despite the City's usual policy of "it's not personal", Sasgonei has been known to go on a rampage when his Workshop or its personnel have been threatened, and has generated enough of a reputation to be known by name to certain Tres Association officials. Gameplay-wise, I was thinking of a character who hands out simple but effective buffs: stuff like Protection, Damage Up, Haste and so on. I was also thinking an actually usable Counter skill could be cool, but I'm not sure how that would function (self-healing, to make it viable to take damage?).
Zoroas: A reclusive member of the Seven Association's Western Branch's Section 1, Zoroas sees his work as artistry. From combat to information gathering, he fulfils his assignments with a certain sense of dignity and discretion that leads clients to be favourable toward him. His refined taste extends to the battlefield as well, disdaining weaponry or techniques with a lack of finesse, and procuring information and removing obstacles with much the same elegance that he displays otherwise. He has recently shown a fascination with the Distortion Phenomenon, believing it to be a sacred representation of the beauty of human struggle, and seeks to analyse any Distortions he comes across. Gameplay-wise, I believe Poise (obvious) and Fragility (as a member of the Seven Association) would be appropriate, but I'm accepting suggestions.

Growing up, I only had my hair done in natural hair colors (1B/2). I felt that most colors did not look good with my darkskin complexion bc that's what my family said. I tried colored braids for the first time when I was 18 when my braider basically forced me to try it out! I am forever grateful for that....now i've done blonde, red, ginger wigs/braids and I am so excited to try out even MORE fun colors. I always get complimented so much when I try new styles with different colors.
Last week while I was at work, a patient complemented my hair and then compared our complexions to see if the color would look good on her. We are both darkskin, I am more of a neutral undertone and her was more warm. She said she was too dark to try ginger and that broke my heart. I tried to reaffirm her that ginger would look good on her but she kept saying she's too dark. I am about to turn 22 but I still remember the shame and embarrassment of family members comparing/discussing my complexion. To see a woman almost 10 years older than me having to do mini paper bag test while receiving healthcare services....well it was jarring. The fear of looking to dark or bright colored hair doesn't look good on us....is tiring and sad.
So if you were thinking of coloring your hair but you are worried about how it would look with your complexion. Just do it, Nike!! Your skin in beautiful just the way it is. Colors would only enhance your radiance, not dim it :)
Tip for figuring out your next hair color: 1)If you know your undertone, great!! Research Black celebrities who share the same undertone and draw inspo from how they colored their hair. 2) When you go to the beauty supply, check out the little adore hair bottles and take pictures of the dyed hair strip on the inner and outer sections of your wrist. I feel like this gives you a good idea on how the color would look on your face w/o committing to a color yet :)

Back in November 2022, something interesting happened.
My wife set up a family photo shoot for us to use the picture on our annual Christmas card.
And the whole time leading up to that event, my wife was showing me (almost daily) how great this photographer’s pictures were, the number of glowing reviews she had received, and how amazing she was at working with stubborn kids who won’t smile on command, can’t stay still, and have arm flailing tantrums, which are the exact qualities my kids were blessed with.
Anyways…
We show up to the location and out hops the photographer from her van, yelling, “Stephen? Is that you?!”
And standing right in front of me was an old friend from high school.
Which was a surprise because I had moved away from my hometown and hadn’t seen a soul from my old stomping grounds in the past 20 years.
But out of nowhere that friend appeared, who now had 5 kids of her own and a thriving portrait photography business in the next town over.
After the photoshoot, we did some catching up.
She asked me what I was up to these days and I told her all about my SEO Chatter business and how I enjoy teaching people how to rank their websites higher on Google, refine their digital marketing strategies, and ultimately, rake in more money to support themselves.
That’s when my friend interrupted me.
She started bursting with details about how she had recently been dabbling in SEO and it paid off immensely after a single blog post.
Recently, she learned a lead capture method using SEO where you write about topics that have local interest and posted them on her photography blog.
In this case, she wrote a blog post about the pros and cons of prenatal clinics in the area for expecting mothers. She had 5 kids of her own and clearly had some keen insights on these places over the years.
The result?
That single blog post ranked locally for its target keywords and brought her several new clients for newborn portraits.
But sadly, nobody cared about it.
She had no one to talk to about her accomplishment. And no one cheering her on asking her to tell them about her new SEO blogging strategy.
No one in her circle of friends, not even her husband, understood how awesome it was that she used this thing called SEO and a simple blog post to drive paying clients to her photography business.
In a weird way, that chance event of seeing an old friend was one of the seeds that were planted in my mind to create the new SEO Chatter Mentorship program.
It’s built around the fact that although there are more than 30 million of us bloggers, niche site creators, and affiliate marketers, most of us don’t have a group of friends to brag to, tell stories to, or just hear us out. There’s nobody to talk to about our passion or goals.
I’m sure you can relate.
That’s exactly why I created a Member Hangout in the SEO Chatter Mentorship.
It’s a place for us all to get together, hear what’s going on with our websites, share our wins, give each other tips and ideas to grow our businesses, etc.
At the end of the day?
It’s all about you.
And all of us connecting about our passions we spend so much time thinking about and trying to master.
If you want to become part of a community like this, then I invite you to go here:
SEO Chatter Mentorship Program

VFC 416A5 AEG Siegetek Build
Fully built and fully functional gearbox and rifle. Comes as is, missing a few external parts (might be able to find the trigger guard, for example).
Parts list:

• Laylax Heat Gradation outer barrel
• Magpul UBR GEN.2 Stock (real, modified to fit)
• Siegetek 13:1 Gearset
• SHS Air Seal Assembly
• BCA Nozzle
• Guarder Tappet Plate + BCA Reinforced Tappet Plate Spring
• ASG CNC Ultimate 30K High Torque Motor
• MAXX PDI Rhop Barrel Group
• Jefftron Leviathan (Microswitch ver.)

Looking for $700, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/ZWx0zIO
​
VFC 416A5 AEG
BNIB, never used. Thinning down collection of builds that I wanted to do but will never get to.
Comes with original packaging, mag, manual, etc.
Looking for $600 OBO, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/87Ly451
​
VFC MPX-K
Lightly used, fully functional.
Has a Warhead Black Brushless 37K motor installed and is wired to Deans.
Comes as pictured with Maple Leaf P.E.W. Modular Suppressor and 4 mags (3 not pictured, like new never used). Box and extra (stronger) spring included on request.
Looking for $700 OBO, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/Wb3VD3V
​
VFC Licensed HK UMP45
BNIB, never used. Bolt catch pin and spring is missing. Doesn't usually affect function, but sometimes the bolt catch can walk itself loose (doesn't fall off though). You can probably email VFC directly to get replacement parts, or find them online maybe from WGC shop or something. Too lazy to fix.
Comes with original box, manual, and one mag.
Looking for $400, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/tJbreGI
​
VFC Licensed Glock 17 Gen 4
Only tested for function, never used otherwise. Outer barrel is damaged from orange tip removal but gun is fully functioning otherwise.
Comes with one green gas magazine and box plus manual.
Looking for $200, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/NhALrsH
​
VFC Licensed HK VP9
Only tested for function, never used otherwise. One of the hopup screws is stripped, but otherwise gun is fully functional.
Comes with one magazine and box plus manual.
Looking for $200, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/AvhS7Qt
​
WE F226 SEAL (P226)
Lightly used. Double action sometimes doesn't work, but otherwise everything else is functional. Comes with one magazine and box.
Looking for $140 OBO, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/81AsziY
​
Warhead Industries Black CNC Ultra-High Speed Brushless Motor (Long shaft)
Lightly used, fully functional. Pinion installed, shaft spring included. Perfect for all your speedy builds and/or 7.4v shenanigans.
Looking for $150 OBO, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/rxGvhDf
​
Holosun AEMS Green Dot
BNIB, never used. Comes with all original parts and packaging. Battery already installed and is fully functional.
Looking for $500, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/TN9gYR3
​
Vortex Viper 6 MOA Red Dot
Mounted only, never used. Comes with box and picatinny/weaver mount.
Looking for $250, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/W9amrs8
​
Unity Tactical TAPS (Flashlight/Laser)
Real Unity Tactical TAPS for your flashlight/laser unit combo. 9" version in Black. Lightly used but fully functional.
Looking for $200 OBO, shipping extra. EMT only.
https://imgur.com/a/pyrNk1k
​
No trades, located in Waterloo.

Item	Description	Cost (shipped in US, USD)	Timestamp
AN-C 60 PBC	Mill-maxed with 7305 sockets. Full Backspace. Split right shift. Tsangan bottom row.	50$	Timestamp
ePBT Blank Pink Keycaps	Mounted once or twice.	50$	Timestamp
CannonKeys Brutal 60	AN-C 60 PBC. Mill-maxed with 7305 sockets. Full Backspace. Split right shift. Tsangan bottom row. FR4 and POM plate. Plate foam. Purchased from another Reddit /meckmarket user as B-Stock due to scuff on the top (see pictures). Always planned on this being a painting or strip ano. project board but never got around to it.	160$	Timestamp

Hello! I'm trying to use my Pico W to power a stepper motor. This is my very fast electronics project so I'm completely clueless, I think I'm making some mistakes that would hopefully be very easy to point out.
These are my components:

• Expansion board: https://www.tinytronics.nl/shop/en/mechanics-and-actuators/motor-controllers-and-drivers/adapter-boards/stepper-motor-expansion-board
• Motor driver: https://www.tinytronics.nl/shop/en/mechanics-and-actuators/motor-controllers-and-drivers/stepper-motor-controllers-and-drivers/tmc2208-motor-driver-module
• Motor: https://www.tinytronics.nl/shop/en/mechanics-and-actuators/motors/stepper-motors/stepper-motor-0.41n.m-1.7a-nema17

I've connected everything like in this picture: https://imgur.com/a/EFVR52E
So like this:

• My Pico is powered via USB
• The motor driver is installed on top of the expansion board, and the motor is connected to the expansion board
• The pin marked with V on the expansion board is connected to the Pico's 3V output
• The pin marked with G and the EN (which I understand stands for Enable) are going to two different GND pins on the Pico
• The DIR pin is going to to GP14 and the STEP pin is going to GP15

When powering the Pico, a light on the expansion board turns on, so I understand it has power. But no matter what commands I'm running (using MicroPython), the motor doesn't move. I've assumed I need to do something like:

Pin(19, Pin.OUT).on() # GP14 Pin(20, Pin.OUT).on() # GP15 

But running this code doesn't move anything. I'm not sure if the problem is with my code, my wiring, or perhaps powering the motor itself? The specs for the motor say that it needs a minimum of 2.6V, so initially I assumed I do not need to give any external power to the expansion board, but since nothing worked I also tried doing that and connected a 12V DC to the green VIN/GND connector (it says 12V-24V).
I'm kinda lost regarding what to try next... I'm not sure how you people do all these things - I'm used to reading documentation for code, but with this expansion board for example I can't even figure out the brand...
Would really appreciate any help here!
Thank you very much!

Payment method Paypal F&F, Venmo, Zelle, insured shipping included via USPS in US
Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/HxMce1z
Skiff Drifter tastefully modded by Transparent Knives (SV $700) SOLD
Pics/Video: https://imgur.com/a/UWuxiql
Have a wonderful Skiff Drifter here that’s been modded by Transparent knives who grinded down the flipper tab to a more comfortable level that doesn’t poke and stick out, grinded out a more comfortable and ergonomic finger choil, and put his ‘mirror stonewash finish on the blade and sharpened it. The best Drifter you could get. Blue ano accents with some minor ano wear mostly just on the clip.
Hinderer XM-18 3” Ti - (SV $400)
Video: https://imgur.com/a/fek2hxp
20CV Working finish blade. Tri-way but no extra parts or box but the knife. Was originally factory flipper but was ground to be non-flipper for easy and comfortable choke-up. Can break the detent with the flipper tab still but requires some wrist action to actually open it. This is a user for sure, carried a lot in pocket, original ano was stripped with a some tiny spots of bronze ano still visible, but scales are a light stonewash. Hardware was ano’d blue. Flicks super easily for this lefty, bulletproof build quality, I just don’t need a small yet beefy knife anymore.
Don Hanson III Saw Blade Hunter, 4” Blade, 8.5” overall (SV $275)
Pics: https://imgur.com/a/3RwFJno
This is unused safe queen. Gorgeous blade, made by Don at Sunfish Forge (also known as Steam Mill Hollow Blades) from ‘Old Ass Sawmill’ 8670 carbon steel hardened to 61 HRC with a beautiful hamon. Stabilized American Black Walnut handle. Don sells these for $450 over on his Instagram and hasn’t made anymore in a few years. Comes with the really nice leather sheath
Meton Boss Hinderer XM-18 3.5” Smooth Oil Slick Zirconium Scale (SV $150)
Pics: https://imgur.com/a/tG1cWQw
Second owner, first owner had it as a safe queen. I installed it and took it off unused. Completely clean with no marks at all. Noticed a very minor mark probably when manufactured on the edge by the lockbar, you can just barely make out in pictures. This is $350 new from MetonBoss on Ebay/Etsy, so it’s $200 off and uncarried.

(from oca.org)
Saint Marcellinus was Pope of Rome during the height of the persecution against Christians under Diocletian and Maximian (284-305), when 17,000 men were martyred a single month. During this time Saint Marcellinus was also arrested. Afraid of the fierce tortures, he burned incense and offered sacrifice to idols. The emperor called him his friend and clothed him in splendid robes. Although he had encouraged others to undergo torture for Christ, he gave in to cowardice. He wept bitterly, filled with remorse.
During this time, a Synod of 180 bishops and presbyters met at the city of Sinuessa (in Campania). Saint Marcellinus appeared at the assembly in penitential sackcloth, his head sprinkled with ashes. He confessed his sin before the delegates and asked them to judge him. The Fathers of the Council said, “Judge yourself! From your lips this sin came forth, from your lips let judgment be pronounced. We know that even Saint Peter denied Christ out of fear, but he wept bitterly for his sin, and received forgiveness from the Lord.”
Then Marcellinus pronounced sentence upon himself, “I strip myself of the priestly dignity, of which I am unworthy. After death, do not bury my body, but instead throw it to the dogs. Cursed be the one who dares to bury it.”
Upon his return to Rome Marcellinus went to the emperor, threw down the fine clothing given him, and said that he regretted his renunciation of Christ. The enraged emperor had him tortured, and sentenced him to death.
Saint Marcellinus prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who mercifully receives sinners who repent, then willingly placed his head beneath the sword. The holy martyrs Claudius, Cyrinus and Antoninus were beheaded with him.
The body of Saint Marcellinus lay for thirty-six days along the wayside. Appearing in a vision to the new bishop Marcellus, the holy Apostle Peter said, “Why have you not buried the body of Marcellinus?”
“I fear his curse,” replied Saint Marcellus.
“Perhaps you do not remember,” said the Apostle Peter, “that it is written: ‘He that humbles himself shall be exalted.’ Therefore, go bury his body with reverence.”
Fulfilling the command of the Apostle Peter, Saint Marcellus buried the body of Saint Marcellinus in a crypt, built for the burial of the bodies of martyrs by the illustrious Priscilla, along the Via Salaria.
Troparion — Tone 4
Your holy martyrs O Lord, through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Hey guys, I’m looking for an Ai that creates a picture of text basically, like a graffiti for example
Every Ai I tried couldn’t handle the “create the letters “XY” on white background, ink” - command. Am I doing something wrong here ?
TIA

Side by side, we continued on our path, skirting through the lower section of the factory. After my initial shock, my heart rate had slowed to a healthier pace again. Frankie had assured me that his old boss most likely hadn’t heard us (“She used to have her earbuds in all the time with the volume cranked way up—you couldn’t have gotten her attention if you’d tried”), but we still considered it prude to move forward at a more hurried pace.
We soon came to the conclusion that we would have to go up one of the outside staircases. Frankie admitted in humiliation that his memories of the factory weren’t as accurate as he’d thought—either that or FunFlair had made a few changes to the building. The upper floor containers all had glass doors, presenting us with a sticky problem. If we were to go up there directly, we’d probably be spotted immediately.
“This warrants a change of plans,” I declared soberly, keeping my voice low. “We’ll have to knock her out, then.”
Frankie whimpered.
“Wouldn’t you like that?” I prompted. “I’d be the one to do it, of course.”
“Ye-es.” He shuddered. “It’d be satisfactory for sure, but that’s only assuming nothing goes wrong.”
“She can hardly be stronger than I am.”
“No. I guess not. She, uh… yeah.”
“Let’s go, then.” I offered an encouraging smile as I started leading the way back outside.
We rounded the container with the lights on inside, ascending the metal grate staircase connected to it. Every step carried us closer towards the light. Just before the door fully came into view, I turned to Frankie one last time. “Are you alright? This’ll be it in a moment.”
He made another chew-toy sound.
“Fran, what is it? If you know something I don’t about what might happen in there…”
“She shouldn’t see me,” he squeaked out. “I can’t control myself around her.”
“I don’t understand; did you two use to be an item?”
“No! No, no, no. I can’t explain it any other way. She can make me do things I don’t want,” he told me, his tone growing in desperation.
“How?”
“It’d take too long to explain now, it’s… it’s really very complicated. Please, can you do it without me? I can’t go up there after all, I’m so sorry but I can’t…”
I sighed, leaning in to put my arms around him. “It’s okay,” I whispered into his hair. “I’ll do it. Wait here.”
“I’m so, so sorry, Eva. I swear I’ll make it up to you. This is the last time I’ll ask something like this of you.”
“I doubt it,” I replied. “But it’s okay.” I drew back, reluctantly letting go of him. “For now, it’s okay.” I continued marching up the stairs. Behind the glass door, a feminine figure in a black rubber apron came into view. She seemed to be nimbly skirting around another operating table, this one occupied by a fully formed, petite doll. Now or never. I reached for the doorhandle, pushed it down and crossed the threshold in a single, large step. I slammed the door shut behind my back, drawing the attention of the woman.
She looked up at me, her eyes widening in shock behind her thick glasses. With a swipe of her slender fingers, she removed her earbuds, dropping them into her pocket.
“Are you Philomena Wallis?” I asked.
For a split second, she appeared to be too stunned to speak. Her pale face was framed by messy strands of jet-black hair that had worked their way out of her long ponytail. When she broke from her silence, she spoke with an irritatingly pearly voice. “Who’s asking?”
“A former delivery girl. Well, are you?”
“I am. I don’t understand; I-I’ve never seen you before… How did you end up here? What do you want?”
I took in a deep breath. I glanced over at the door, inwardly cursing myself for what I was about to ask her. “I need to know what you did to Frankie Preston.”
For a couple seconds, silence reigned. The other woman was staring at me with knotted brows. “I don’t know who you’re talking about,” she said finally.
“About yay high—,” I raised my hand above my head, “slightly built, blond curly hair, dreamy smile…”
Philomena narrowed her eyes. I cleared my throat, holding her gaze. Then a look of cold comprehension settled on her features. “Oh my god,” she muttered. “Holy shit… hold on.” She turned around, pulling up a photo on her computer. “Is that him?”
I cautiously stepped closer to get a better look, only to shrink back slightly. It was, indeed, a picture of Fran. He was entirely naked in it, lying on a table similar to the one I was standing in front of now, his wrists and ankles locked in restraints. His neck was craned, his face averted. The camera had caught him mid-motion, a blur around his head visually conveying a kind of violence in the movement. I couldn’t bear to look at it any longer. Instead, I moved closer to the doll on Philomena’s table, taking her in fully. Another blonde—her hair was straight, though. Her body was exaggeratedly curvy, her face delicate and fawn. Speechless, I locked eyes with Philomena from across the room again. She gave me a light shrug. “You look like you need some time for this to sink in,” she remarked, drawing out the words. “I take it you didn’t have all the information previously.”
“That’s okay,” I replied. “I think I get it now.” My head felt empty, my own voice seemingly echoing back and forth between my ears.
“So, you know my prototype,” she stated, confusion and disbelief mixing in her tone. “He told you how to get here, then?”
“In a way.”
“And you came here to find out,” she concluded. “There’s not much I can tell you that you haven’t figured out by now. We wanted to create the most detailed doll there was. He was our first attempt. I started developing him back in the late nineties as just a hopeful pet project. I kept adding more functions as time went on, though, and he turned into an insanely lucrative prospect. I wanted him to be able to move and dance and mimic an airflow, and it worked out better than I’d ever expected. So he can do a lot of things, but I never intended for him to have any sensory awareness or to talk… I have no idea how that happened. It just did. One day, I turned him on and he simply looked at me. There was something different about his eyes, and I knew right away he wasn’t the same as before. And then of course he spoke.”
A shudder ran through her entire upper body at the memory. “I have no idea how. None of us did at the time. He had no recorded voice lines or anything of the sort. And yet, he opened up his mouth and there was just… words coming out, like.” She shook her head in bewilderment at the memory. “After I got over the initial shock, I realized how big of a problem this was. He was telling me to stay away from him; he wouldn’t do a thing I told him anymore. There was my best invention in the entire field yet, rebelling like a teenager. When I tried to get him back in line, he got physical, too. Thrashed around like crazy. One of my assistants ended up concussed because that thing threw him down a flight of stairs. So we had to put an end to that, as well.”
A faint feeling of nausea seeped into the pit of my stomach, strengthening by the second. “What did you do?”
“Well, we had to take him apart, of course! And put him back together. Wash, rinse, repeat. We kept trying to figure out what was wrong with him, or at least to find a way to stop his babbling and hitting people. We didn’t, though. We managed to control his outbursts, though. He was made to react to voice commands, but obviously, that wasn’t working anymore. So after the umpteenth time we rebuilt him, we managed to make it so he couldn’t physically attack people. Don’t ask me about the finer details of his programming; the process was beyond tedious. Anyways, he kept talking and moving around on his own even afterwards. He’d only listen to what we told him occasionally and even then, he’d mouth off. We didn’t want to discard all the progress we’d made, though. He was still an incredibly well-made doll, even if he was… apparently possessed and sentient.
“We built two more like him. We tried harder with their faces seeing as that of the prototype had fallen very far into the uncanny valley. They turned out great, perfectly shaped and working smoothly. Their development took a lot less time than that of the prototype. Once we were sure they were all good, we started talking about destroying the first one. We’d kept him locked up in the meantime, but the little fucker kept on breaking out. We’d literally cuff him to the wall and moments later, he’d come up behind me and scare me half to death. He was becoming a bigger nuisance every day. We were set on taking him apart a final time, but before we could, he disappeared. He’d destroyed all our equipment he’d gotten his hands on, stolen unnameable sums from our online banking accounts—Lord knows how he did that—and worst of all, he somehow managed to… activate the two new builds. He destroyed most of the cameras, but the footage that was left clearly showed them walking around with him. And that’s that.” She palmed her forehead. “How did he get away from the people I sent after him?”
“Largely with my help.”
“Huh. So who are you?”
“Still just a former delivery girl.” Shrugging off my jacket, I made room for my extra limbs to breach my skin, simultaneously opening my mouth as my teeth morphed into fangs.
Philomena watched my transformation almost disaffectedly. Her steps as she carried herself over to her operating table however nearly faltered. Before I could advance on her, she’d cupped the sleeping dolls cheeks, causing the limp body to spring to life. The mannequin’s head jerked up along with her torso. In several clipped, mechanical movements, she slid off the surface, placing her naked feet on the floor. Her eyes flew open, fixing me with an empty glare.
“I don’t know what the fuck you are or what you want from me,” Philomena began, “but I’ve got weak nerd arms. So have fun dealing with this instead.”
I shrank back a step, the memory of Frankie picking me up like I weighed nothing fresh in my mind. Phil pressed her lips to the side of the puppet’s face, whispering something I couldn’t make out before quickly drawing aside. Before I could do so much as blink, the doll was upon me, crossing the distance between us in one impressive leap. She toppled me over, instantly reaching for my throat. I batted her cold, rubbery hands away, then pried her off of me with all my might. Using two of my tentacles, I flung her aside, sending her crashing into a shelf in the corner. Not wasting another second, I lunged at Wallis, delivering a blow to her head that sent her staggering. She sank back against her desk and I lashed out at her once more, briefly shutting my eyes to spare myself the sight of her face connecting squarely with the wooden surface as I bashed her down on against it.
She fell limp, and while I wasn’t sure if she was still breathing or not, I didn’t take the time to check. Her puppet was rising to her feet again, striding towards me in a vacantly determined fashion. I whirled around, bursting through the door and taking two steps at once. Frankie was waiting for me at the bottom of the metal staircase, his face falling when he caught my expression.
“Knocked her out,” I gasped. “We have a problem, though.”
Fran looked up at the glass door, the hinges of which were already groaning under the pressure of the mannequin throwing herself against it from the inside. With a sharp crack, a tear began to grow on the thick pane, and Frankie cursed loudly. “Get away from here!” he hollered, nudging me into the general direction of the woods. “I doused everything I could find down here,” he explained quickly. “If Phil’s out, I’ll do her room, too.”
“What about the—”
“Never you mind that! I can hold her off no problem.”
“I won’t—”
“You literally took out the one thing holding me back,” he insisted. “I’m not letting you get hurt out here. Just wait for me over by the trees.”
I still wouldn’t budge, so he grabbed a bunch of my tentacles and used them to turn me around. “Get your cute-ass face out of here, Sunshine!”
I started running, albeit reluctantly. A loud crashing noise rang out from behind me as the door burst under Phil’s puppet’s onslaught, but I forced myself to keep from turning around. Ignoring the searing hot feeling of panic raging inside my chest, I carried myself further and further away from the scene, only stopping when I reached the treeline. There, pressing myself up against the rough bark of the nearest trunk just to ground myself, I resigned to staring at the containers. I couldn’t see the waiter from where I was standing, but my eyes remained trained on the factory. They were gradually drying out, but despite the pain, I kept them wide open. I didn’t dare to blink.
For several minutes, all was still. The only sound I could hear was the frantic beating of my own heart and my pulse thrumming in my ears. Then, all of a sudden, inferno broke loose. Bright flames started to spread from around the sides of the building, quickly rising high into the sky. Crackling and roaring, they soon enveloped the entire site, lighting up the rooms behind the formerly dark windows. And emerging from the fire like a bird of myth came Frankie Preston. He was running, but with a light spring in his step that almost made it look like he was dancing.
He came to a halt in front of me, lifting his head to meet my gaze. His expression was difficult to read. It still looked empty, but in a different way. In a good way. “Hi,” he began.
“Hi.”
The firelight was bouncing off his curls and playing on his thick lashes, putting a reddish glint into his eyes. “You’re beautiful,” I added.
He drew in a little closer. No gasp preceded his smile. “Thanks.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I, uh… I don’t know yet.” He glanced between me and the burning containers.
“Okay. Take your time.” I stretched my arms and rolled my shoulders, shrugging my additional limbs back into the inside of my body.
“Say, where do they go when you don’t have them out?” Frankie asked with a raised brow.
“I never know.”
“Hm.” He turned to stand at my side. At first, his knuckles merely grazed mine, then he flipped his hand to link his fingers with mine. I briefly smiled at his profile, then went back to admiring the flames.
“Do you think the whole woods are gonna burn down?”
“Probably not,” he replied, shrugging. “Though that would be pretty cool…” He trailed off when I shot him a reprimanding look. “Yeah, yeah, we can call the fire fighters or whatever. Later, though, alright?”
I rested my head against the side of his arm. “Sure. Later.”
For a couple minutes, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the steady crackling and occasional thump as bit by bit, the structure collapsed. “So, um… this is pretty amazing,” Fran said in a low voice. “I mean, it’s not like I’ve never been happy before; my life’s kind of had its ups and downs, it’s just that this is better than any up there’s been so far. I guess I’m just really grateful and you ought to know that.”
“Don’t worry, I know.” I paused. “Can we get out of here? The place is starting to stink.”
He nodded agreeably and we turned our backs on the scene, only for our retreat to be abruptly stopped by a garbled, drawn-out screech. We spun around in perfect synchronicity. I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a sharp cry of shock. From the burning wreckage, a figure dragged itself forth on her hands. Philomena’s puppet had suffered immense damage in the fire. Her skin, obviously not made to withstand extreme heat, was melting off her face like molten candle wax. The wires that were bared beneath gave off angry sparks. She couldn’t seem to get up anymore, her legs were beyond repair and her movements overall were getting more and more arduous. She dug her fingers into the ground, pulling her body across the forest floor in slow, pained jerks.
“What the fuck? I thought I switched her off,” Frankie uttered beside me, sounding just as terrified as I felt.
“What do we do?” I exhaled the words in a single quick breath, unable to take my eyes off the doll.
“I got no idea… I-I don’t wanna deal with this…”
“We need to help her or something, she’s—she’s awake!” Before I could say anything else, the doll had emerged from the blaze. Rolling around, she managed to quench the remaining flames, pressing the dirt and leaves into her own dripping, melting body. Finally, she started trying to push herself up into a sitting position, only to fail miserably. I took a slow, tentative step towards her twitching form. Her face was contorted into a nightmarish grimace, and she let out an incomprehensible gurgle upon noticing me approaching. She reached out a mangled hand and I stumbled backwards before she could grab my ankle.
Despite the heat, beads of cold, fearful sweat were running down my face. I had no idea what to do. “We can’t leave her,” I said, my throat bone-dry. “There’s something in there, she’s not like before.”
Fran let out an exasperated, long-suffering sigh. “Is there any use in arguing?”
“Don’t be so cold.”
“Aren’t you used to it by now?”
I turned to look at him over my shoulder. He met my gaze and I could see something in his features change or perhaps even soften. He threw his head back, then pulled out his phone. “This is gonna ruin my night, but fine. I’m calling that insufferable news lady.”
X
1
2: deadbeat roommate
3: creepy crush
4: relocation
5: beach concert
6: First date
7: Temp work
8: roommate talk
9: a dismal worldview
10: warehouse
11: staircase
12: explanation
13: hurt
14: hospital
15: ocean
16: diner
17: government work
18: something in the caves
19: shopping cart
20: olms and Jewels
21: long hair
22: recruitment
23: waitresses
24: dollhouse

Pt5
I tried my best the next night to but I forgot to clean the drink glasses for the drinks I made them. “But it’s just two glasses” I wined.
“Listen I know you are trying hard. But rules are rules” Kay said. “See you tomorrow” and as she walked up the stairs she added “and I hope that is the last I hear you question the rules” After I was done my chores I headed up to the guest room and jerked off all night to the sounds of them fucking.
For the next two weeks we followed the same pattern. Jason would come over Friday night I would make dinner while they caught up. Then after we would hang out in the living room for a while. Though they never started anything downstairs anymore. At pretty much 10pm on the dot he would tell Kay to meet him upstairs after she checked on my chores. And every night she would find something. A glass out of place, a plate put away dirty or even one time I didn’t push the chairs in correctly at the dining room table. She would explain that I hadn’t finished all my chores so I would not be allowed to join them in the bedroom. I would sulk for a bit then finish my chore and go upstairs to the guest room by myself.
During the week when Jason wasn’t here also got into a pattern. While things where somewhat normal during the day at night when Kay got horny (which was all the time recently) I would have to leave the room because I was still not allowed to she her naked. At first she will wake me up gently and ask me to leave for a few minutes so I would head to the guest room to lay down. Sometime I would return but most often I would just spend the rest of the night there. Soon through it changed to just a tap on the shoulder and I knew to leave to eventually all I needed was to hear the sound of her vibrator turning on and I would head out.
After one weekend as Jason was getting ready to leave he sat me down. “Listen you haven’t been pulling your weight with your chores.”
“Sorry sir. I am tryin…”
He cut me off. “I don’t care why. But it can’t continue. And there has to be consequences. So all this week I want your to wear panties instead of your own underwear. “ he hands me a bag of bright pink panties. “No excuses. I will know if you don’t were them. So go on put them on”
I nodded as I stood up and stripped down. As I pulled up the new pair of panties I noticed my little dick already getting hard. The felt so soft and nice I didnt think I was going to mind wearing them. Smack! “They look great on you sweetie” Kay said as she slapped my ass as she came back into the room.
This was so embarrassing. I almost cam right there.
“Thanks?” I said as I tried to quickly put the rest of my cloths back on.
“Now I’ll know if you try and cheat. You have to wear them all week understand?” Jason asked
“Yes sir” —————
And I did wear them all week. But it was only a five pack so when it got to be Friday I washed them all so I would have them all clean for when Jason came over for the weekend. As I was sitting on the couch folding Kay walked by and gave me a quick hug and we talked to a bit.
“Jason just sent a message he should be here soon”
“Ok I am done here. Let me clean this up” I took the clothes upstairs and got changed back into a pair of the panties. By the time I got back downstairs he was here and I walked into them making out on the couch. When I got close I saw Kay whisper something in his ear. And I saw his expression change.
“I left pretty clear instructions last week.”
“Yes sir. And I followed them”
“Listen I know you have a tiny dick, but I thought you were able to follow instructions. You were supposed to wear the panties all week. Jay when are you going to learn?”
“What do you mean? I wore them all week” I cried.
“Really. Kay tells me she noticed you had them all on the couch here about a hour ago. If they were all here that means you were not wearing them”
“But I was washing them…” I tried to say as I stared at Kay in shock. I thought she had my back. I did all this for her.
“No more excuses. Strip down to your panties right now and come here.” He said more sternly them I had heard before. I did as he said and walked over in just my pink panties. And by the time I got over to him I noticed I was hard.
“Oh my god! Your hard aren’t you?” Kay said. “Even with just the panties it’s difficult to tell since it’s so small. Hehe”
“Bend over” Jason commanded.
“Aaa what?” I couldn’t even finishing talked before he had me bent over with my ass in the air.
“I am in charge here. And you need to learn that”
Smack! He slapped my ass hard.
“Ouch!” I cried. “ but but sir…”
“Shut up! I told you to wear the panites for a week and you couldn’t do that. Now you will be spanked until I fill you have learned your lesson.”
Smack! Smack! Smack! “But I have si….” I tried to say. Smack! Smack! Smack! Each one hurt like hell and I tired but I could not hold back the tears. Smack! I started crying! “Please sir. I’ll do better” Smack! Smack! Now it was just crying hoping for it to end soon. My ass was on fire. Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Don’t disobey me again.”
All I could do was whimper out an ok. As I crawled onto the couch trying to stop the tears.
Jason took Kay by the hand and walked her upstairs. Soon as I began to calm down I heard the sounds of her screams of pleasure. And my before I knew it my tiny cock was rock hard. But I was too sore to jerk off.
———
I woke up the next morning still on the couch and still very sore. But I heard sounds coming from the kitchen. I walked in still just wearing my panties to see Kay and Jason making breakfast.
“Hello there.” Kay said. She was wearing just a silk robe that looked amazing on her. I could almost she through it. Almost see what I used to always see. But she was covered up just enough. She walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I am sorry you had to experience that” she said. “ but I think it’s important that you know your place. Don’t you?”
“Yes.” I said with my head down.
“That’s good to hear. Please clean this up and then get ready to go out” Kay said as she left the room with Jason.
“Oh and leave the panties on.”
The rest of the day they treated me pretty well. As long as I did what I was told we had a good time. Though while we were out it did look like I was a third wheel crashing a couple on their date but I didn’t mind. I was happy to be out with them. We got home late that night and as soon as we got in the house they started making their way right up the stairs. For a second l thought I would be invited to join them. But then I saw a mug I left out from the morning. So I started back down. “We’re are you going?” Kay asked
“I didn’t finish cleaning this morning. Sorry.”
“Oh wow. I missed that. Thank you for being honest.” She said as she walked down to give me a hug. “I first I just assumed your were just doing this to make me happy. But you really enjoy this don’t you?”
“I… I don’t know. It just feels right somehow.”
“Yes it does. It feels so right having Jason’s huge cock in me.” She moaned.
“Do you think I’ll ever..”
“Ever what?” She said as she rubbed her hand over my crotch. “How did I put up with you small dick for so long?”
“Ever…” I moaned as she rubbed. “ ever get to watch you two again?”
“Haha. I thought you were going to ask if you could fuck me again. You really have changed a lot. I like that you know your place and who my pussy belongs too.” She gave me a kiss on the head. And walked back upstairs leaving me with my hard on.
I should of just gone upstairs to jerk off right then. But instead I knew to had to finish cleaning.
——— The next morning I woke up to Jason In my room. I startled awake.
“Sorry sir. Didn’t realize I slept in.” I said as I rushed to get dressed.
“No need to apologize it’s early and I have to get an early start this morning. I am going away on business for the next two weeks so I won’t be coming over. I have a task for you”
“Yes sir. What do you need” oh wow Kay was right. I really have gotten comfortable in this role.
“In this bag is a dildo replica of my cock. And I want you to use it on your wife every night. And when you do use I want you to remind her that it’s my cock in her and you could never make her feel this way.”
“Yes sir… does this mean I will get to see my wife naked?” I asked cutting him off out of excitement.
“No.” He said. “You don’t get to ask for things. Ok? You’ll also find a blindfold in there. I expect you to use it! You and your small thing you call a penis don’t get to have any choices. You do what I say and you do what Kay says. Understand?”
“Yes sir.” I said as he left the room. As soon as he was gone I took the dildo out and stripped off my clothes. I started to lick it and I feverishly rubbed my cock and cam all over the sheets. I couldn’t believe what I was doing and how horny I was. …

Timestamp
Hi! Selling some stuff :)
Prices include PayPal fees but NOT shipping. OBO for everything and bundle discounts available on request.
I normally ship within a few days, but shipping may take up to a week. I will only ship to your PayPal address ;)
​

Item	Description	Price
Scuffed "Weighted" Custom Bakeneko with 1.75M Broken- In Vintage MX Blacks L+F+SS on Alu	Pretty scuffed. You can see some damages from shipping and other stuff on the last pictures of the album. The manufacturer fucked up and didn't do the 4 holes on the board, instead he only did 2... so the weight is unusable. Weight is patina'd and has scratches from stripped screw. Case has some marks. For full details about the build, check the description of the sound test. It will also come with the full JCStudio Tulip set shown in the pictures. The board works, but sounds pretty metalic and without the weight its just a simple Bakeneko60 in purple (with a barely visible engraving on top right). Sound Test. Album	330€
x108 Broken-In Cherry MX Brown	5-pin. Never soldered or placed in hotswap. 500k actuations. Album	70€
Surprise Attack! Deskmat	Used and has some marks. Album	30€
Bolsa Supply Ink Blossom (Minimal Black) Deskmat	Used and has some marks, mainly on the mouse area. Album	30€
GX16 Custom Cable by Steelapes	Has been used but in perfect condition. 15cm + 2m. Black with gold. USB Type-A to USB Type-C. Album	20€
Triumph Adler Gabriele 7007L Dye-Sub Keycaps	Perfect condition. Cleaned. Kitting and GMK comparison somewhere in here.	15€

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(This story is set a week after the events of Part 30 of The Exploits of Irving Reese.)
(You can also find this story here. My other works are here.)
Fritz was relaxing on the couch. His children were at school, while Tirpitz was on a mission. He was busy reading the base’s magazine.
A doorbell derailed this train of thought. Fritz got off the couch and walked to the door to open it.
The Commander smiled at Fritz.
“Hello, Fritz. May I come in?”
Fritz nodded. “Of course.”
The Commander nodded as he entered the house. The two men walked to the couch. Fritz walked up to the liquor cabinet.
“Can I offer you some schnapps, Commander?”
The Commander shook his head. “I would not recommend drinking today.”
Fritz raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
The Commander nodded. “We are both needed in a meeting.”
Fritz looked at the Commander. “A meeting?”
The Commander nodded. “Yes. We are meeting with the sub-commanders. I will explain more in the car.”
Fritz nodded. “Then let me get my formal uniform on. I’ll be with you a few minutes.”
The Commander nodded as Fritz walked upstairs to the bedroom. He put on his formal uniform, as well as all his medals. He smiled as he looked in the mirror.
Fritz walked down the stairs to the living room. The Commander smiled at him.
“You ready?”
Fritz nodded as the two men walked to the driveway. Fritz looked at the car with wonder.
“What kind of car is that?”
The Commander smiled. “A 1948 Studebaker Commander. Larry got it for me.”
Fritz smiled as he entered the car. The Commander entered the driver’s seat.
The two men drove to the base. Fritz looked at the Commander.
“Commander, I always call you Commander. I never learned your real name.”
The Commander giggled. “You want to know?”
Fritz nodded. “You don’t call me the Flotilla Commander, so you might as well tell me your name as we both are on a first-name basis.”
The Commander smiled. “Very well. My full name is Commander Ira Howard Stevenson.”
Fritz nodded. “That sounds like a mouthful.”
The Commander giggled. “Why do you think I mostly go by just the Commander instead of my complete name?”
The car stopped in the parking lot. The Commander smiled.
“We’re here.”
Fritz smiled as he exited the car. The Commander went to the trunk and pulled out a black leather briefcase. The two men walked into the building.
As the men walked into an elevator. Fritz looked at his watch and then at the Commander.
“So, who will be at the meeting?”
The Commander closed his eyes. “From what I recall, Sub-Commander Johann Krunz of the Ironblood will be there. As well as Ivan Borislov, Sub-Commander of the Northern Parliament, Takashi Wata, Sub-Commander of the Sakura Empire, and Paul Higgins, Sub-Commander of the Eagle Union will also be there off the top of my head.”
Fritz nodded. “What is the purpose of the Sub-Commanders?”
The Commander nodded.
“The Sub-Commanders help me with work. My secretaries and I can only do so much, so they help me with the administration side of things. There is one Sub-Commander for each faction. Think of them like the cabinet of the president of the Eagle Union.”
Fritz nodded. “That makes sense. So why does my position exist?”
The Commander smiled. “You are the Flotilla Commander. You are in charge of the KANSEN U-boats of the Ironblood. If needed, you are also in charge of the surface KANSEN, including your wife, Tirpitz.”
Fritz raised an eyebrow. “So sometimes, I will be in charge of my wife?”
The Commander giggled. “Don’t worry. I command the KANSEN most of the time. You will only need to command the KANSEN if I am incapacitated and unable to command.”
Fritz sighed. “So I basically do nothing?”
The Commander shook his head. “Fritz, the U-boats trust you. They see you as one of them, as you were a U-boat captain. They are more likely to trust you and tell you if something is wrong. This makes you invaluable to Azur Lane.”
Fritz nodded. “Thank you, Commander.”
The Commander nodded. “You’re welcome, Fritz. If you want a comparison for your position, consider yourself the U-boat’s manager and coach. They look up to you.”
The Commander giggled.
“That, and you are my de facto second-in-command. In case something were to happen to me, you would take over.”
Fritz raised an eyebrow.
“Then what about Samuel? What does he do? I always see you two together when there’s a mission that involves boots on the ground?”
The Commander nodded.
“Samuel and Larry work together as my advisors when I need boots on the ground. He also acts as your backup in case you are also incapacitated.”
Fritz nodded as the elevator doors opened. The two men walked to a door that led to a sky lobby.
“You ready Fritz?”
Fritz smiled. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
The Commander nodded as he opened the glass doors. The sub-commanders sat as they looked at them. Musashi, Akagi, and Shinano were also there, along with Nagato, Prince of Wales, and Bismarck.
The Commander smiled.
“Are you all ready to get started?”
The group nodded as the Commander sat at the end of the conference table. Fritz sat near the Commander.
The Commander cleared his throat.
“As you all know, five years have passed since our victory at the Battle of Progenitor Island over the sirens. We have so far not found any siren presence that is a risk to the base.”
Sub-Commander Krunz raised his hand.
“How have the children of the KANSEN been?”
Bismarck smiled.
“Helga and Joachim are doing well. They are learning to control their rigging. Helga is learning to use her rigging in training exercises with Tirpitz and me. While Joachim cannot use his rigging for a long time, much like all the other male children of the KANSEN, I have noticed he has a quick attention span. I have noticed he has taken an interest in aviation, and I believe he could excel as a pilot in the future.”
Fritz nodded.
“That’s good to hear. Moritz and Max are in the same boat Joachim is in. However, I have noticed they are both intelligent for their age. I am currently teaching them how to become military officers of the Ironblood. I have a feeling Moritz will want to become a U-boat captain, just like me, while Max will want to be an infantry officer.”
Prince of Wales smiled.
“My children are doing well. Matthew knows he is my successor, and I have been teaching him how to rule a country and all the formalities with it. My daughters Edith and Oliva have so far proved themselves in training missions with Tirpitz and Bismarck’s daughters.
Sub-Commander Krunz nodded. He looked at Sub-Commander Higgins.
“How about the KANSEN’s children that are part of the Eagle Union?”
Fritz smiled.
“I have information about Olin. Irving and Enterprise’s child. He has started school, along with Oklahoma and Malcolm’s son Louis. They have so far not started any training for their rigging. However, we expect them to have the same issue as Moritz, Max, and Hideki, which is becoming tired after a few minutes. Samuel and New Jersey's son Merle is in the same boat. New Jersey and Samuel are also expecting a daughter they are naming Nicole in a few weeks."
Sub-Commander Higgins nodded.
“Do you think Irving will allow his children to be trained?”
Fritz nodded.
“Of course. He was a soldier, and I believe he would be proud of his son if he became a soldier like him.”
Sub-Commander Borislov raised his hand.
“Speaking of Irving, have you finished your investigation into how he, Samuel, Larry, and Malcolm all ended up in this world, Commander?”
The Commander nodded.
“I have. We are theorizing the sirens have been experimenting with something. It interferes with the space-time continuum. We are also theorizing the sirens wanted to bring Irving, Malcolm, Samuel, and Larry all from the past in order to use their DNA in their experiments.”
Sub-Commander Borislov nodded. Sub-Commander Wata raised his hand.
“I heard you have these men doing odd jobs around the base. Do you have any plans for more permanent employment for these men?”
The Commander nodded.
“Yes. I plan on opening some facility management facilities on the base in order to produce more income. Along with some businesses.”
Sub-Commander Wata nodded. Sub-Commander Higgins smiled.
“Of course. Managing a military force does not come cheap.”
The Commander nodded. “Yes. Even with Akashi and her prices, we are barely breaking even.”
The Commander looked at his watch. He smiled.
“It seems this meeting is nearly over. Do any of you have anything else to note?”
The Sub-Commanders looked at each other. They each shook their head.
The Commander smiled.
“Well then, I suppose this meeting is over.”
Fritz got up as the Commander grabbed his briefcase. The two men walked to the elevator.
The Commander smiled at Fritz.
“Well, that meeting went well.”
Fritz giggled. The two men walked out of the elevator to the parking lot. They entered the Commander’s car.
“So, where to?”
Fritz smiled. “Can you take me home?”
The Commander nodded as he turned on the car’s engine.
Fritz looked at the Commander.
“So, do you have a job for Irving? I heard he is still doing odd jobs around the base.”
The Commander smiled.
“I have an administration job lined up for him. I was thinking of opening a few factories for Samuel and Malcolm to manage.”
Fritz nodded. The Commander giggled.
“It’s good that you are concerned for him.”
Fritz nodded. “He’s a father like me. I don’t want him, Enterprise, or his children to struggle.”
The Commander nodded.
“Don’t worry. I will pay Irving well.”
The car stopped outside Fritz’s house. The Commander smiled at him.
“Well, Fritz. I hope you have a wonderful day.”
Fritz smiled as he exited the car.
“Thank you, Ira.”
The Commander smiled as he drove away. Fritz saw Tirpitz in the backyard with Moritz, Max, and Marlene. He smiled as he walked into the backyard.
“Hi honey, how was the mission?”
Tirpitz smiled. “It went well. Marlene and Helga did well during their training. Helga went home with U-556.”
Fritz smiled as he embraced Tirpitz. He embraced her on the lips.
“I love you.”
Tirpitz smiled.
“I love you too, mein kleiner Kolibri.”
Meanwhile, in the Reese household, Irving entered the house.
Enterprise was lying on the couch, with Olin and Little Enterprise sleeping with their heads on her lap. She smiled as Irving wrapped his arms around her.
“Hi, honey. How have you been?”
Enterprise smiled.
“Good. Little Enterprise is loving her training with me, Yorktown II, and Hornet II. Olin just came back from school.”
Irving smiled as he sat next to her. He kissed Enterprise on the lips.
“I have some good news for you, honey.”
Enterprise smiled. “What is it?”
Irving giggled. “I’ll be getting an actual job soon. No more odd jobs for me.”
Enterprise’s eyes went wide as she smiled. She embraced her husband.
“That’s amazing news, honey!”
Irving smiled.
“Do you want me to make taco dip to celebrate?”
Enterprise nodded. “Of course!”
Olin woke up. He looked around the room.
“Mommy, what’s going on?”
Enterprise smiled as Little Enterprise also woke up. She looked at her children.
“Daddy’s got a new job. He’s making taco dip for us to celebrate.”
Olin’s eyes went wide as he smiled.
“Yay! Taco Dip!”
Irving smiled. “I know that’s someone’s favorite.”
Olin nodded as he got off the couch. He ran up and hugged his father.
“I love you, Daddy.”
Irving smiled. “I love you too, my little tack.”
Olin giggled as he ran into his room. Irving and Enterprise smiled as they entered the kitchen. Little Enterprise followed them.
Enterprise turned around and looked at her. “What's wrong, sweetie?”
Little Enterprise looked at Enterprise with her arms behind her back. “Can I have a snack?”
Enterprise smiled as she grabbed an apple from the fridge. She grabbed a knife and sliced it. She grabbed a plate and placed the apple slices on the plate.
Little Enterprise smiled as Enterprise handed her the plate.
“Thank you!”
Enterprise smiled. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”
Little Enterprise nodded as she sat at the kitchen table. Irving and Enterprise smiled at each other.
“So, do you want to get started, Irving?”
Irving nodded as he grabbed a glass casserole dish. Soon, the taco dip was complete.
The family grabbed some as Irving held up a bottle of cherry soda.
“Hey, to Daddy, getting a new job!”
Enterprise, Olin, and Little Enterprise smiled as they held their glasses in the air.
Once the family had finished eating, Enterprise helped Irving put dinner away. The couple walked to Olin’s room. He was lying in bed, smiling.
Irving sat on the bed and pat him on the head.
“Goodnight Olin.”
Olin smiled.
“Goodnight Daddy.”
Enterprise smiled as she kissed Olin on the head. “Goodnight, my little tack. Sweet dreams.”
Olin giggled as he closed his eyes. The couple smiled at each other as they walked to Little Enterprise’s room.
Little Enterprise was already sound asleep. Irving smiled as he kissed her on the forehead.
“Sweet dreams Little Enty.”
Enterprise smiled as the couple walked upstairs to their bedroom. They stripped down to their underwear. Enterprise laid on her husband’s chest.
Irving smiled.
“Well, good night, honey.”
Enterprise smiled as she kissed her husband on the lips.
“Good night.”
The couple fell asleep in each other’s arms, excited for what the next day would bring.
​
(I made this story as I am making a sequel to The Expoilts of Irving Reese. I have so far written three parts, with two already edited.)
(I hope you fellas have a wonderful day.)

In the past 20 years or so, the line between pro, prosumer, and hobbyist level gear has been blurred. Those terms don’t even have meaning, anymore (and it’s debatable if they even had merit in the first place in the bigger picture). We’re currently in some crazy future fantasy where even the cheapest of gear is actually quite good with regards to tech specs and capability, and if you put up the curtain, it’s actually quite difficult to differentiate the cheap from expensive in blind tests. Several brands that started off as super affordable have slowly been upping their game, but the discussion here is about brands that have incidentally managed to go “backwards” with regards to brand perception.
My submission for this topic, is Focusrite.
Let’s do a quick word association: Peanut butter and? …Jelly. Salt and? …Pepper. Focusrite? …Scarlett.
Success through high volume sales is apparently a double-edged sword.
Focusrite ISA series preamps have Rupert Neve lineage, and although he only designed the ISA110 as far as I know, everything based on that is still using his general design. Something something transformers, but put simply, ISA series is not some cheap shit— excellent preamps.
Focusrite used to make a bunch of channel strips and random whatever on the edge of prosumer whatever, but one of their notable releases was the Red 3 compressor. Despite the backwards ratio knob, it’s just solid through and through- “high end” as fuck. If you only know of their interfaces, you’d never know that they made such quality gear, unless you’re a bit older. Weird how that works out. They had some other pieces of quality gear, but I haven’t used them.
What are some other brands that used to be seen as “high quality” but are now seen as more lower end?