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[vanishingcherry]

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

pairings: f1 grid x leclerc!driver reader, charles leclerc x sister!reader

warnings: sexism, hugging, talk about the possibility of a car crash, 2021 f1 grid

authors note: i was thinking of making this a series, so let me know if thats something you would be interested in! (like leclerc driver in different situations throughout the seasons after her debut in 2021)

masterlist

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

Sitting on a flight to Bahrain, it would be an understatement to say that Y/N was nervous. She sat next to her brother, Charles, with Arthur sitting across from her, fast asleep against the headrest of the plane seat.

Charles was going into his 4th season in Formula 1, his third with Ferrari. Y/N, however, was going into her first, following her older brother's footsteps as she started out her rookie season with Sauber, or Alfa Romeo as it was now called.

Looking out the window, she watched in amazement as the city lights sparkled in the night. She had been to Bahrain before, during her time in F3 and F2 with Prema, but landing as a Formula 1 driver was a different feeling altogether.

Y/N was confident in the car. 3 days of preseason testing allowed her to get accustomed to all the differences from the F2 cars. While it definitely wasn't at the level of Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull, she was sure that she would be able to get at least a few points over the course of the season.

She was also extremely lucky to be paired with Kimi for her rookie season. The seasoned driver was known to be extremely less talkative, but she was sure she would pick up a few tips by just being in his presence. They had even had a short conversation during the pre-season testing during which Kimi told her that he was glad to have her as a teammate. Y/N never really realised just how much that statement meant to her until now, easing some of the nerves.

After landing, she and Charles walk through customs and head outside together, Arthur and Lorenzo following not too far behind. Immediately met by thousands of fans, she watches an unfazed Charles make his way towards them, smiling and signing posters and caps. She watches in awe for a second before a voice calling her name catches Y/N's attention.

"Y/N! Can you sign my cap please!"

She looks over to see a young girl amongst the crown and makes her way to the barrier. Kneeling over, she grabs the pen and signs the cap with a big smile.

"Are you going to watch the race?" Y/N smile turns even bigger when the girl nods.

"We've got seats at turn 3. I hope you get points! I love you!"

She laughs at the response, giving the girl a quick hug before making her way down the fans lined up.

There were dozens of people there, waving flags and notebooks for her to sign. Others just wanted a quick hug or a picture, which Y/N quickly obliged to. While she couldn't interact with everybody there, she made sure to as many people as possible.

Almost all of them were shouting words of encouragement and support, compliments hitting her from all sides. Surprised by how many people wanted her to sign things and take pictures, it was almost half an hour later when she finally sat down in the car, slumping against the seat as it made its way to the hotel. Her hand hurting from the number of autographs she had given out.

"There were so many people who wanted me to sign stuff" She said to Charles. "I didn't think there would be that many. All the girls were so excited."

"You're the first female driver Y/N, of course they were excited. I'm so proud of you, everyone is." Charles smiles as he replies, knowing just how hard it was to make it to F1, even more so as a girl. "Papa and Jules would be so, so happy."

"Thats P12 Y/N! Great job!"

The engineer's voice comes through the radio, conveying to Y/N her qualifying results.

"Oh my god! 12th is crazy, thank you! Where did Charles place? And Kimi?" Happy that Charles qualified 4th she celebrated, although she was slightly confused as to how she qualified ahead of Kimi who was 14th.

"There was an issue with his car." Her engineer explains, before telling her to switch off the engine and prepare for strategy discussion.

Y/N was just a few tenths off from making Q3 in her debut. Nonetheless, P12 was an amazing standing for the start of the race, and she was overjoyed at the prospect of getting points at her first ever F1 race.

As she makes her way to the driver rooms, Charles catches up to her, giving her a quick hug. "Xavi told me you qualified 12th! Congratulations! Get points tomorrow okay?"

She nods in response, congratulating him for qualifying P4 before once again making her way to the driver's room. She received many pats on the back on her way there, some from drivers and others from reporters and general people around the paddock.

Walking into the motorhome, Kimi is quick to congratulate her. Y/N expresses her sympathy for his qualifying position, but Kimi is quick to brush it aside. Having been in the sport this long, he knew that a bad qualifying doesn't mean a bad race.

After the discussions with the team for the next day's strategy had been closed, Y/N heads out, wanting to get a good nights rest before her first race.

The only goal for the next day was to race well and hopefully get a few points. Y/N knew that Alfa Romeo was feeling the pressure just as much as she was, being the team that signed the first female driver. All she wanted was to learn as much as possible while proving herself to the world.

"Just learn", is what the team principle had said not an hour ago. "Learn as much as you can, enjoy, and try not to crash the car."

Just as the rookie opens the taxi door, a voice calling out her name makes her turn around. At the sight of Sebastian, she pulls out her earphones.

The driver had just made the switch to Aston Martin, being Charles's teammate the year before. "I heard you qualified 12th! Thats amazing!"

Shyly she laughs. "Yeah, thank you so much!"

"Is anyone giving you a hard time?" he asks, fully prepared to defend Y/N. Sebastian had been an advocate for women in this sport for a long time, and was truly delighted that the step had finally be taken. Truth be told, he was honoured that he would be getting the opportunity to race against Y/N, even though she would insist it was the other way round.

"Not really," she replies. "Just a few fans on social media and stuff, saying it's a 'mans' sport."

"Ah, I think Hanna showed me a few of those posts." Sebastian mutters, thinking back to a weekend ago when his wife showed him the latest news, courtesy to the driver not having any social media accounts of his own. "Ignore them, we all know that you're amazing and believe me, you absolutely deserve to be here."

The 4 time world champion was speaking from experience. He had kept an eye on her the previous year. Although they hadn't talked much, other than when she was in the garage to visit Charles, Sebastian was ecstatic when he heard that the young girl had won the F2 Championship.

"I bet you'll get points tomorrow, you're just that good."

"Ah thanks Seb!" Y/N is close to blushing at that comment, overwhelmed with the number of compliments she had been receiving over the course of the day.

After another few moments of chatting, Sebastian walks away to his own car, leaving Y/N to get in hers and get back to the hotel. Popping her earphones back in, she relaxes against the seat, ready for what the race would bring.

"It's lights out and away we go for the first time in the 2021 season!"

The voice of David Croft is heard all around the world, thousands having tuned in to watch the start of the new season. Y/N gets a good start, overtaking Perez and moving up to P11 by turn 1.

Ahead of her now was Stroll in the Aston Martin. Staying close to him for the next few laps, she manages to overtake him on the straight when DRS opens.

"You're in the points! Push!" Her engineers voice comes through. Behind him the team was watching the screen in suspense, hoping that she would be able to keep the position. They jumped out of their seats nearly every time she got close to another car, worried out of their mind for the driver but excited nonetheless.

Choosing to stay out on track for an extra few laps earns her another two positions as most drivers go in for their pitstop, putting her at P8. Y/N manages to defend her position for majority of the race, keeping the Aston Martins and Red Bull behind her.

Towards the second half of the race, Y/N went in for her pitstop, unfortunately losing a spot in the process. Still, just 13 laps later, Y/N crossed the finish line in P9, having gotten 2 points for the driver standings and the team.

"Thats P9! P9 Y/N! Amazing, amazing job!"

Body in shock, she thanks the team and engineers profusely, jumping out of the car the second she parked it.

"Y/N Leclerc crosses the line in P9, an absolutely stellar performance. The first points scored from a woman in decades, and that too in her first race. I'm sure we can expect nothing short of brilliance from her in the future." Martin Brundle's voice can be heard by all watching.

Still in awe at the moment, all Y/N can think about is the fact that she got points. You did it, you did it, you did it. She runs into the barriers, giving a hug to everyone from Alfa Romeo standing there.

Behind her, Charles comes in for a hug, having heard from his engineer that Y/N placed 9th. "Je t'aime, je suis si fier" i love you, i am so proud

The next few minutes were a blur. Waving to the fans, Y/N can hear them cheer in the background as more and more people come up to her. Lewis pats her helmet on his way to the podium, Max and Valtteri doing the same. Sebastian walks by and offers a hug, widely grinning as he winks and says a quick "Told you so."

It was an out of the world experience. While not everyone may see the importance, everyone on the grid knew exactly how she was feeling. Having worked your entire life to reach F1, the feeling after getting your first points is one that no one would ever forget. One that Y/N would never forget.

"So Y/N, how does it feel having won points in your debut race?" The reporter asks when she enter the media pen. Replays of her crossing the checkered flag in P9 can be seen playing on the television in the background.

"There was a lot of pressure on me to perform well, being the first signed female driver and of course Charles being in Ferrari. People expected a lot. So, I am extremely happy that I was able to deliver."

Her response is short and sweet, as directed by the PR manager, but true nonetheless. There was a lot of controversy when Sauber announced that she would be joining F1 that year, with people on both sides of the spectrum making statements. It meant heaps to her, knowing that she had already started proving the haters wrong.

Toto and Susie Wolff were in support, both mentioning how important it was for more females to enter the sport. The Mercedes Principle having mentioned how "proud" he was, and how her presence would likely "encourage more girls from around the world to enter motorsport."

Susie being having participated in motorsport herself had reached out to Y/N when the news broke, sending her congrats and sharing her enthusiasm. Y/N and her still stay in contact, having just replied to another congratulatory message from Susie before coming out to give interviews.

On the other hand, there were also people who were doubtful of her. "She's entering a sport that has been predominantly male for over 7 decades. The way I see it, I'm not sure she'll be able to handle the needs of this sport. It's a tough sport, and there must be a reason females have never lasted long before." The statement that Red Bull released via their team principle was nothing short of enraging for Y/N, but she knew that she would have to stay calm and prove them wrong on track.

Nonetheless, Y/N knew that she had the support of all the drivers on the grid, all of them having talked to her and shown support during the pre-season testing. It meant a lot to her knowing that world champions like Lewis, Alonso and Sebastian were all rooting for her.

"And how did Charles react to you coming P9?"

"He was very happy," she exclaimed. "A bit jealous I think, because he didn't get points in his debut." Y/N adds, softly chuckling before moving on to the next reporter.

The rest of the media session went well, all the reporters being respectful and truly happy for Y/N. Finally, once the day was over, she went back to the hotel, ready for a night of relaxation.

Not too long after settling down on the couch, she heard a knock and the door handle turning. Charles walks in.

Falling back onto the couch next to her, he says. "The reporter told me what you said to her."

Frowning in response, Y/N pauses the movie. He elaborates. "About me being jealous? Because I didn't get points in my debut?" He gently elbows her in the rib and she laughs in response.

"But its true, no?

๑ ⋆˚₊⋆────ʚ˚ɞ────⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

#f1 x reader #f1 x oc #formula 1 #f1 #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc x sister!reader #f1 instagram au #formula one #charles leclerc #arthur leclerc #sebastian vettel #kimi räikkönen #f1 grid x reader #f2 #formula 2 #vanishingcherry #lewis hamilton x reader #sebastian vettel x reader #f1 fic #female f1 driver #kimi raikkonen x reader #leah writes ──⋆˚₊⋆ ๑

[jinjeriffic]

DCxDP Prophecy Universe Part 7

Part 6

It took Damian the rest of the afternoon to prepare for his trip to Amity Park. Jon helpfully agreed to cover for him, on the promise of a copy of the upcoming Cheese Viking 2 and getting filled in on all the hot Bat gossip afterwards. Wasn’t friendship grand?

Pennyworth thankfully agreed that ‘bonding time’ between the Super Sons was a good use of fall break and even took the time to ‘Prepare some healthy snacks for the young Masters, lest you eat junk food the whole week’. The task also handily distracted the butler while Damian packed the Batwing with all the necessary surveillance equipment he would need and set up the program to spoof his flight data. Damian had no doubt that Father wouldn’t be fooled for long, but with the Bat it was always better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.

The flight to Illinois was mercifully uneventful. Damian rappelled off in the middle of the eponymous city Park, then instructed the autopilot to take the plane to a wooded area outside city limits and park there in camouflage mode. Once he was sure his arrival had gone undetected, he changed into civvies and with his backpack full of gear set off in the direction of Fenton Works on foot. In jeans, sneakers, a dark hoodie and a baseball cap he looked like any other kid his age, even if he was out after curfew. Damian made sure to stick to the shadows and ducked behind cover whenever a car passed him.

All in all it took him until the early morning hours to arrive at the correct address. Intellectually, he had known the Fentons operated their workshop out of the family home, but he was in no way prepared for the monstrosity of a building that greeted him. Damian couldn’t help but stop and stare in disbelief.

What had once started out as an ordinary brownstone building had a glaring neon sign out front, proudly proclaiming the company name. Perched precariously on the roof was a gigantic metal structure that looked like a cross between a cartoon UFO and an observatory. There was no way this was legal or sane. If something like this had popped up in Gotham it would have been flagged as a Rogue hideout and bugged to hell and back. Hell, Damian was half tempted to break in immediately to start planting cameras but was held back by the likely presence of a custom security system. Mad scientists were rude like that and Damian didn’t want to tip his hand too early. He would have to at least wait until he was sure the Fentons weren’t at home.

Damian tucked his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and strolled past the building at a fake casual pace. The windows were dark and the building was silent, except for the faint hum of the neon sign. This early on a Saturday morning, the residents were likely fast asleep. He spotted an electric scooter chained up next to the stairs leading up to the entrance and made the deduction that it likely belonged to Daniel. Under the guise of retying his shoelaces, he dropped to one knee and surreptitiously attached a bug to the vehicle. Ideally he would get the opportunity to bug Daniel himself, but for now this would have to do. Hoping that no one had noticed him, Damian continued down the street.

He had researched the area ahead of time and had found an apartment a few buildings down and across the street that was advertised as available for rent and was unoccupied. Breaking in and disabling the home alarm was child’s play, and after making sure he was alone in the apartment, Damian settled in to begin his surveillance.

He pulled the handheld radiation detector out of his backpack and after making sure it was operational he slipped it into his pocket. With no way to boost its range he would have to get pretty close to Daniel with no major obstructions in the way in order to verify if he had been in contact with the marked bills he had slipped Phantom. But Damian was confident in his ability to stay undetected. After all, Daniel had no reason to suspect he was being stalked by a curious Bat.

Damian kept himself occupied by listening to the local radio broadcast over his comm. The hosts sounded like chipper twenty-somethings, excitedly shilling for various local events happening over fall break, in-between shilling for local businesses. Why anyone would want to eat at an establishment called the Nasty Burger was beyond Damian. Whenever they stopped nattering to play actual music it was a blessing even if the appeal of the songs was entirely lost on the young vigilante. Finally, at 8am they had an actual news segment. Most of it was covering major US and global events, nothing Damian hadn’t already heard. Elections, natural disasters, rising tensions in Bialya…

“...and in local news, the City Library has announced that clean-up after last week’s ghost attack is finished, and they will be open at their normal hours on Monday!” the female host said cheerily, as if she was talking about the weather. “As usual, we would like to remind our listeners to keep their third eyes peeled for any ghost sightings! In case of a ghost attack, follow standard protocol and head to your nearest ghost shelter. Thank you! And here’s Mark with sports!”

Damian was flabbergasted. Ghost attack? This city experienced supernatural incursions and treated it like it was a normal occurrence? He’d read that the Fentons were ghost hunters, but he hadn’t thought anyone was taking them seriously! If Amity Park was under attack on a regular basis, how come the Justice League didn’t have a file on the city? Surely the news should have leaked to the outside world by now!

It was rare that Damian was caught so utterly wrong footed. His cursory research into Amity Park had turned up nothing like this! He was itching to get back to the Batcomputer to do a deep dive on the city and its history. Unfortunately, all he had on him was his phone which was ill suited for serious data compilation. At best he could scour local news sites and social media for any hint as to what was going on.

After half an hour of fruitless searching, he gave up in disgust. There was no mention of ghosts anywhere, save for the Fentons’ own website. Yet the news report had been almost blasé about the subject! Something was rotten in the State of Illinois.

All he could do for now was stare out the window at the Fenton’s front porch and hope his quarry made an appearance soon.

At 9.13 AM there was finally movement at the Fenton house. A dark-haired teenager in jeans, a light T-shirt, a backpack and a bicycle helmet bounded down the front steps and unlocked the electric scooter. It was unmistakably Daniel.

Damian hurriedly packed away his things, grabbed his backpack and left the apartment. He made sure to rearm the security system and lock the door, leaving no trace of ever having been there. Of course Damian wasn’t about to pursue his target across the rooftops of an unknown city in broad daylight. He would just have to wait for Daniel to arrive at his destination and follow him there. He retrieved his phone and pulled up the tracking data. It looked like the teen was headed towards the city center.

Damian tuned his comm to the listening device he had planted and set off towards downtown Amity at a light jog. For a while, all he heard was background noise. After about ten minutes, Daniel came to a stop.

“Hey Tucker, ready to go?” That had to be Daniel.

“Hey Danny!” a second male voice answered, “I was just waiting for you. Sam says she’ll meet us at the main entrance of the mall.”

“Sweet. Hopefully we can grab something cool from Game’O’Rama if we beat the rush.”

“You said it, my dude. Come on!”

The tracker resumed its movement. Now that he had a destination, Damian used his phone to call a cab. There couldn’t be that many malls in a city this size.

Daniel and his friend ‘Tucker’ kept up a steady stream of idle chatter on their journey. Damian learned more than he ever wanted to know about the attractive qualities of the female students at their high school, the tediousness of the homework assignments they had received for the week and the reviews of recent horror movie releases. Inconsequential chit chat as far as Damian was concerned. Once the pair arrived at their destination they parked their scooters and were soon out of range of the listening device. Damian cut the transmission and spent the rest of the short cab ride trying to find information on Daniel’s companion. Since they were apparently classmates and he had a first name to go on, it didn’t take long to narrow it down to Tucker Foley. Damian made a mental note to investigate him in depth later.

The mall was moderately busy when he arrived but nowhere near as bad as Gotham. Luckily there was a floorplan displayed at the entrance and it didn’t take Damian long to find the Game’O’Rama store. Predictably, it was dedicated to video games, gaming accessories and memorabilia. A sign in the window announced a major weekend sale, likely what had drawn Daniel and his companions. Damian slipped on a pair of mirrored sunglasses to conceal his eyes and meandered into the store. Wandering between the aisles, pretending to examine the games on offer, it didn’t take him long to find his quarry and Damian got his first good look at the trio.

Daniel was almost a head taller than Damian, slightly paler and with his dark hair mussed up from the scooter ride earlier. His clothes were slightly threadbare, and not the kind that was intentional. His white T-shirt bore a faded NASA logo and his jeans were frayed at the cuffs. He had dark circles under his eyes, though not nearly as bad as Drake got when he was on a case. Nonetheless, for the moment he seemed cheerful and at ease. He was examining the back of a disk case.

“I don’t know Tuck, I’m not much for medieval fantasy,” he said amusedly, “and a lot of these monsters look like ghosts we’ve seen. I get enough of them on a day to day basis, I don’t need them in my video games too.”

Again, this talk of ghosts.

The African American male next to Daniel had to be Tucker Foley. He was just a few inches shorter than Daniel, with his hair in shoulder length dreadlocks partially covered by a red beret. A matching red T-shirt with white Atari logo and baggy camo pants screamed nerd even before you got close enough to notice the black rimmed glasses and the clunky looking device he was tapping away on. Where did he get it from, the middle-ages?

“Look, the reviews are pretty great, and if we avoid everything ghost related what’s even left?” the boy argued, “You can’t let ghosts ruin your fun, man.”

“Tucker’s right, Danny.” the third member of their group chimed in. She was dressed head to toe in black, with a sheer, lacy top, a knee-length skirt, fishnet gloves and stockings and a pair of combat boots. With the thick soles giving her added height, she was almost as tall as Daniel. She wore eerily pale foundation making her dark purple lipstick and eyeshadow pop out even more. She had a small nose stud with a matching purple stone. Her earrings were shaped like spiders dangling from a web and she wore a pentagram necklace. Damian knew some of his schoolmates belonged to the goth subculture, but Gotham Academy’s dress code heavily limited such self-expression on campus. He guessed this girl was either really dedicated to the style or really dedicated to pissing off her parents. Maybe both.This had to be ‘Sam’.

“Besides, if Technus couldn’t ruin gaming for us no one else should either!” she continued.

“Fiiiiine,” Daniel sighed, clearly playing up his reluctance. “but if Amity gets attacked by an army of goblins next I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’!” He double checked the price tag. “Splitsies?”

The girl scoffed and plucked the case from his hand. “I’ll take this one, you can pay for lunch later. Why don’t you two go ahead to Pineapple Republic for those jeans you wanted? I’ll catch up to you.”

“If you’re sure. Thanks Sam!” Daniel leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. “I guess we’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, thanks Sam.”

“Go on, shoo!” she laughed and headed over to the cash register as the boys left the store. Making a split second decision, Damian grabbed a random game from the shelf and got in line behind Sam. He leaned slightly towards her, pretending to examine the figurines behind the counter and stealthily stuck a bug to her skirt. Now he could listen in on their conversation without having to risk being noticed.

After paying for his purchase he wandered off in the direction the other teens had taken. He would just have to leave the game somewhere ‘accidentally’ at the earliest opportunity. Pretending to check his phone he tuned his comm to the frequency of the new bug. 

“...I think those are still a little short on you.” Sam said amusedly.

“Man, I’m glad I finally got my growth spurt, but having to replace most of my wardrobe is gonna be a pain in the ass!” Daniel complained.

“Look at it this way Danny, this could be your chance to branch out. A whole new style, a whole new you!” Sam countered enthusiastically.

Damian walked towards the source of the signal. He didn’t follow the trio directly into Pineapple Republic, instead heading into the shoe store across from the clothing store. Browsing there would let him keep an eye on the entrance.

“Let me guess, would this style include black, black and more black?” came Foley’s snarky voice.

“Black is timeless, I’ll have you know,” Sam sniffed in mock offense, “and Danny does look good in it. Just try it?”

“I don’t know Sam, I don’t wanna blow my allowance on clothes that don’t feel like me.”

“Oh! We could always try the thrift store, they have plenty of cool stuff! And upcycling is great for the environment.”

“Uh, hard pass,” came the flat reply, “I would like to survive the year with some of my dignity intact, please.”

“Yeah dude, if Dash and his cronies caught wind of Danny going to Goodwill or something they’d never let him live it down.”

“There is nothing wrong with buying second-hand!”

“Says the girl in $500 guaranteed cruelty free designer boots.” Foley shot back.

“That’s different!” Sam sputtered, “And besides, I don’t see why you still chase the approval of those jerks.”

“Easy guys, settle down,” Daniel said placatingly, “Sam, you know it’s different for us. You might be able to brush off Paulina’s snarky comments, but I can’t just brush off Dash trying to rearrange my face. I’d rather not paint an even bigger target on my back.”

Sam gave a loud sigh. “Ugh, stupid high school politics. I can’t wait to graduate.”

“I dunno, if things go according to plan you’ll have to deal with real politics, Ms Future Administrator of the EPA Manson.” Daniel teased.

“You mean Senator Manson.” Foley chimed in.

“Madam President Manson!”

“Stop it guys!” the girl laughed, “I’ll leave the political ass kissing to someone else. I just want to save the planet! But I gotta get my doctorate first.”

“Well if you do end up having to take over the country to do it, there’s one thing to keep in mind,” Foley said sagely, “You can’t be much worse than President Luthor.”

The two replied with fake gagging noises while Foley just snickered.

“But seriously, since you brought up mixing up my style… I was thinking of getting my ears pierced.” Daniel said hesitantly.

“Really? Ooh, do you want studs? Danglers? An industrial?” Sam gushed excitedly.

“Well… aw nuts.” Daniel’s voice was suddenly tense.

“You know what?” Sam rushed out, equally tense, “I think you should go and try these pants on. In the changing room. Right now.”

Damian frowned. What the hell had happened? He glanced out the shop window but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, he heard distant screams and the sound of glass breaking. It’s almost like being back in Gotham.

Part 8

#dcxdp #dpxdc #dc x dp #dp x dc #danny phantom #batman #batfamily #damian wayne #robin #prophecy universe #the one where clockwork uses prophecies to mess things up (and set things right) #no beta we die like danny #tucker foley #sam manson #help the length of this fic has run away from me #team phantom is 16 btw #damian is 12

[cazzyf1]

Some James Hunt lore ✨️

Because man needs to be appreciated

Warning, potential nsfw and other triggering topics under the cut

James Hunt brought a v*brator to a Mclaren mechanic asking if he could fix it.

James Hunt supporting black-led groups in South Africa when trying to gain their independence. He didn't want to commentate the South African GP because of what was happening but the BBC forced him to. So he purposely revealed during the race that him and Murry Walker were not actually in South Africa commentating (which was not known to the public at the time). He also donated all the money he got from commentating the South African GP to charities to support the apartheid's even though at the time he was struggling for money

James Hunt learnt to play the trumpet at school and was rather good at it. He got to play at the Royal Albert Hall and everyone was suprised when he played well and got invited back to perform at another show.

At school he made his younger brother a pair of pj trousers and his brother proudly wore them around. James loved his younger siblings dearly.

James studied the female anatomy to understand and help his girlfriend at the time who kept having miscarriages.

Niki had to convince German guards not to arrest James when he tried breaking back into the track after a night out.

James having to convince airport customs to let him bring a playboy magazine through because it had an interview piece with him in.

James would throw up before races and Niki sometimes would piss beside him.

After retiring from F1 James brought a farm however he couldn't kill any of the animals so it fell through. His son, Freddie, now owns a sustainable farm in Scotland.

James loved the game backgammon and made everyone play it with him.

James sent Niki a telegram after his crash trying to motivate him to get better. Niki called James up on his birthday from hospital and they chatted for hours.

James owned a nightclub called 'Oscars' named after his dog.

James Hunt slept with a journalist then got upset when she rated him in a newspaper article.

James seized the PA system from a flight attendant and gave his own version of the welcoming address as they landed. Later on he appeared sitting on luggage riding the carousel.

One day during practise James felt tired and halfway through he pulled the car over and fell asleep. Niki who was sitting out watching James practise panicked when James didn't return and jumped on an ambulance that rushed around to find James, only to find him asleep in his car.

James went to therapy and concluded that he struggled with emotional intimacy with women likely down to the lack of emotional availability in his childhood.

Once, while being interviewed, James pointed to his hotel room and him and the interviewer watched as a woman broke into his hotel room.

James was happy when Suzy left him for Richard Burton as he felt responsible for her even though their relationship had fallen apart.

James was given a toy monkey after winning the championship and carried it everywhere.

He would refuse to wear suits to formal events, preferring to wear jeans and no shoes.

In his early days he tried to enter a mini car he had made with missing doors and a garden chair in the passenger seat.

Once James was stuck in the back of a car in traffic and he needed to go to the toilet. His then girlfriend suggested he piss out the window as the car tried to rush past all the traffic but as it was so cold his c*ck wouldn't work so he was just accidentally flashing everyone as the car rushed by.

After winning the world championship, Britian hosted a 'James Hunt' day. Niki went along to wave a flag for one of the races.

One of the first times James Hunt and Murry Walker worked together, James leg was in a cast, and he sat down and put his leg on Murray's lap which really annoyed Murray. He also drank two bottles of rose wine during that commentary session.

James was utterly dedicated to his dog Oscar to the point that they were inseparable.

James said that what brought him pleasure in the bedroom is the woman feeling pleasure and that he liked a woman who knew what she wanted and told him

He became very depressed and would call the bad days his 'dippers'

He struggled with a lot of addictions but got sober for his sons

#i've become number one james hunt fan on discord so might as well share some reasons why #james hunt will forever be that icon #so much more than that playboy image #james hunt #classic f1 #f1 #formula one #formula 1

[fuck-customers]

Today's asshole customer of the day: An old white guy with a white truck with a bunch of patriotic writing on it and like, 10 American and Texan flags on it. He comes in, orders a burger for inside. That's fine and good and all. He tells me he just got back from Mexico, the border, and that he loves supporting small businesses. A bit weird to tell me, but w/e, people tell me weirder shit. Anyway, I ring him up. I saw that he parked perpendicular towards the building in the parking lot where he should be facing parallel towards it. I, very calmly and politely, tell him that he can't park that way in that specific parking lot, and he immediately goes "give me my money back." Needless to say, I'm kinda shocked, and I try to explain to him that he simply just can't park like that there. And he goes "oh you want my flags to snap off??" I tell him no, of course not, and then I direct him to another parking spot by the mailbox in front of the building where he can park like that, and it's like, maybe 10 feet away or so from the one he was at. He was like "oh I need to make sure I can see my car because I need to make sure no one keys it!!!" There are windows LARGE windows that give customers a great view of the parking lots. Eventually I just concede and give him his money back and he leaves in a huff, telling me he spent all that time at the border with Mexicans, and Asians, and Black people, but he won't stand to be treated like this. He said that I'd been acting like I hadn't liked him from the start, and left in a huff. Guess he only supports small businesses that don't tell him he's parking wrong.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[tennypress]

Gun x Goo x reader smut

I’ll write another one !

(No smut sorry, but I might make a nsfw part to it

Street racer AU

(Inspired by fast and furious)

WARNING: love triangle, gender neutral reader

“Ooh, Mami, this a new 'Rari. Hit 150 on the dash, I bent the corner, then she bent it for me sideways, uh I might have to fuck her on the highway, yeah”

You just stepped out of your white and red 1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR 4 hugging your friend Zoe park after she ask you to drive in her place in a local street race. There you see three other cars. A yellow and black 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T and fuzzy dice hanging in the rear view mirror with a guy with blonde hair and sunglasses chilling outside chatting with others.

A green 1993 Toyota Supra Turbo with an older guy with a shaved head and wearing a tank top chilling outside while listening to music with his friends.

Then you see a car that caught your attention. It was a black 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 with a custom painted oni design on the side. You can see the owner on the side smoking a cigarette and just waved to you. Your intrigued.

But your car was amazing too. It was gifted to you by your father. It was white and red 1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR 4 with a custom paint with hello kitty in the side.

As you enter the race the other racers were snickering and making fun of your car. Saying how it looks girly and too old. However the owner of the nissan just glanced at your car before turning back to focus on the race.

You held onto your wheel as you see the flag girl raise her bandana? Or cloth and just waved it before stepping aside for you guys to race. Then you hear a speakerphone of someone you knew. Daniel park, signaling and counting down. 3, 2, 1, and go! You all step on the pedal

Your racing and your in 3rd place before you see the bridge pull up. The green car owner stopped before you see a flash of yellow also slow down. Now it’s between your Mitsubishi and the owner of the Nissan to finish this race.

Both of you speeding up you drove off the bridge and managed to land on the other side safely.

You both returned back safely and exited the car.

There you get out and a crowd comes rushing to the both of you. Including Zoe and Daniel. They just come up to you and congratulate you. Before you see the Nissan owner also coming up to shake your hand.

“That was impressive, no one has beaten me in a race before. I’m Gun. Gun park” he just greets you with a prideful smirk.

You just smile back and shaked his car before seeing the other racers come up. The green haired guy, or Taejin just comes out pissed and throws his steering wheel out on the ground while another man with tan skinned with glasses comes up to comfort Jin. While Zoe just holds onto you and Daniel looks at Gun with caution. You noticed that the two of them had tension.

“GOD DAMMIT” you see the Blonde glasses man come up with his car totaled and goes up to Gun and grabs his collar.

They were just arguing until you came up to the both of them. “Maybe I can fix your car? I own a auto shop near the city.” Goo just comes up and holds your hand into his and smiles while tears come out of his eyes and agreed. You all bid farewells and drove home. The next day you open your shop and see them both outside with their cars. You welcome them both in offering them drinks while you fix their cars.

Goo just took a coffee while Gun took a beer and you took in Goos car to fix.

Gun couldn’t stop staring at your ass. How it fitted the suit that was covered in dirt and oil. Or how your tank top perfectly outflanked your tits. And how you had that cute hat on your head.

Goo just stared at you with admiration while you fixed his car.

It took a while but you managed to repair the man’s car and took them to the register to tell them the price.

“Good thing most of the car was alright. But for the Windshield crack repair, window replacement, windshield replacement, bumper repair and replacement, scratch repair, frame damage repair, and engine replacement it’ll cost you around 3.4K. How does that sound?” You said ringing up the prices

Goo just nudges to Gun and he groans taking out his card and swiping it. You give the receipt and take out the vehicle out of your shop.

You wave goodbye as you see them leave. Closing up the shop you see a letter left on the counter. Curiosily you went to go pick it up and read it. You see tears swell up with happiness as you see the same love letter you wrote to a good friend of yours after he had left to Japan.

#lookism x reader #x reader #angst #gun park #goo kim

[beardedmrbean]

David Liu's gun shop looks unsuspecting from the outside. Nestled into the back of a quiet strip mall in Arcadia, near Los Angeles, Liu keeps the overhead sign of the sushi restaurant that once occupied his living-room-sized shop. He does this to remain discreet, saying the people who need to find him will seek him out. 

Liu posts fliers on his windows offering Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) license classes in Mandarin and English, pasted below his Trump 2020 flag, orchids and decorative fish.

Liu says roughly half of his customers are Asian — primarily Chinese — and conduct transactions in their native language.

Many of his customers at his shop are like friends — regulars who come by for multiple training sessions, paperwork, or to chat. Several of them are new gun owners driven by fears over rising levels of violence and hate crimes, which increased by over 330% between 2020 and 2021, according to a report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism published in 2022.

Arcadia is a predominantly Asian area just a few minutes from Monterey Park, the site of a deadly mass shooting following a Lunar New Year Festival this year.

A growing demographic of gun owners

Asian Americans traditionally have the lowest rates of ownership than any other measured demographic in the US, but saw a 43% rise in ownership between 2019 and 2020, starting with the pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak reportedly spurred public scapegoating of Asians in the US. Crimes such as robberies and home burglaries have also increased in recent years following the pandemic and a rapid rise in the cost of living.

Liu says that in the LA area, Chinese people are sometimes violently targeted both publicly and in their homes due to a stereotype of keeping large amounts of cash on hand.

"The situation is getting worse," says Ray Gong, 27, a customer of Liu's. "I just got out of the military recently, and hearing the news, my mind changed."

Gong arrived in the US in 2016 from Hangzhou, an eastern city in China just south of Shanghai. He purchased his first pistol in August and another two firearms in September, hoping to "be ready for anything." ____________________

The correct answer is, it's none of your business why people are exercising their constitutional right to bear arms.

He says that while he hasn't experienced violence related to his ethnicity, he was discriminated against in the military, where he was prevented from taking on higher roles due to being Chinese and was often handed the work that nobody else wanted.

He is also in the process of obtaining his CCW, which typically takes over six months in California. "I'm thinking about carrying it (a gun) all the time."

Gong is now a member of a nearby shooting range and says he works on target practice at least once a week.

In a Public Policy Institute of California survey last year, two-thirds of Californians saw crime as a serious problem.

"Everyone (not just Asian Americans) is buying more guns," says Liu. "People are scared."

Ricky Wong, 44, a legal administrator, says that in the last few years, he survived a violent attack with a baseball bat and two car thefts. The attack, he said, was carried out by other Asians. He was a gun owner before, but the attack and robberies validated his decision to be armed.

Calls for justice system to get tough on violence

One of the solutions to rising violent crimes in California, Wong and Liu say, is to get tough on crime again, citing multiple murderers who were released after what they see as much-too-brief stints in prison.

Chris Cheng, a sport shooter and founding member of the Asian Pacific American Gun Owners Association, echoed the sentiment that law enforcement is not effectively tackling violent crime.

"The lack of prosecution" by district attorneys in major cities, including Los Angeles and his home, San Francisco, against criminals perpetrating racist attacks against Asians decreased the community's confidence in the criminal justice system.

"Combine that with the increased civil unrest with the George Floyd riots and the January 6 insurrection, it should come as no surprise that many Asian Americans began to understand that law enforcement cannot protect them."

However, not everyone feels that firearms are not the answer to rising hate crimes. "The firearms industry and gun lobby are currently targeting minority communities in their marketing in response to long-term stagnation in the traditional gun market of white men," according to a report issued by the Washington-based Violence Policy Center.

"As a result of their increasing size and consumer power, Asian Americans are viewed as an untapped market by gunmakers," it said.

Liu sees the motivation of his customers not as a result of marketing but as a result of fear. "It's just so dangerous out there. A lot of people buying are victims already."

#nunyas news

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Working on fast food I’ve met a lot of different people, especially when I worked overnights. Here are some of the customers I remember the best (some of them I still see around):

An actual Nazi with a swastika tattooed on his thumb. I always make sure he’s charged more when he comes through.

A guy who asked me to cum in his ice cream.

Two seperate old guys who harassed me while I used the bathroom. One gif banned for being racist to the cashiers up front, the other one tried to break into my stall.

A tired, bruised woman who seemed a bit on edge. There was a guy passed out next to her in the car. She told me to keep the change (it was a lot) and drove off. I never saw her again.

A woman who broke down sobbing because her daughter who had recently died of cerebral palsy loved the rain, and it was raining out.

A man who pulled up while on the phone and loudly shouted into it, “What do you mean I have AIDS?! …Is it the good kind?”

A dude on drugs who choked me against a wall because he thought I made a pass at his sister, smashed a window, got into a fistfight with a manager, and begged the cops to beat him to death when they showed up.

A couple who were exceptionally rude and harassed me, then tried to stalk me home. They got banned.

A drag queen who always wanted extra sauce. I gave it to them free even though the store I was at charged for it.

A kid with a confederate flag hat or shirt (this was over a decade ago, I can’t remember which). I gave him free sauce because I felt bad for him. If I saw him today, I’d charge him twice.

An anti-vaxxer who flipped out because we couldn’t do half hot, half iced water, got out of her car, and demanded to know what my problem was.

The main character of life, who came at a busy time, honked at everyone, and demanded I get a manager to move the line somehow.

A lady with massive breasts that were practically exploding out of her shirt who complained to a manager I was rude to her because I explained how a coupon worked.

A customer whose order was exactly correct, still asked for a manager, and then complained to the manager how I was rude because he overheard me explain to the manager I wasn’t sure what the problem was.

An old man who frequented the drive thru and was entirely innocuous until the day he harassed a woman to the point she was in tears and shaking.

An old guy who consistently pays for his order entirely with change and always drives off before I can count it. He is consistently short ten to twenty cents.

A man who insisted we served pizza.

A guy who tried to order lo mein.

A nice, sweet old Asian man whose initials are “KKK.” He’s one of my favorite customers.

A person whose name is “Barbarian.” Another favorite.

A person named “Icelyn Snow.” Yet another favorite.

A woman who comes through with her cats. Another fav.

A lady who came through with her pet skunk.

A guy with a bearded dragon in his cup holder.

An old man who held the line up for ten minutes because we don’t accept any bills over twenties. He insisted we legally had to and refused to budge even after two managers and I explained the rules to him, and who we had to walk around to get other customers. He finally left after the police were called.

A bunch of kids who jumped a teen in the lobby and ripped her earring out. There was blood on the floor.

A guy who tried to come through while being chased by cops. He caused an officer to chip a wall with their car before escaping.

A guy wit a studded hat that said “Hentai” with an ahegao seat cover to go with it.

A guy who insisted the confederacy weren’t losers and that they were making a comeback.

A guy who tried to hustle us out of ten bucks. I caught him, but he kept insisting I owed him money. He came back months later still yelling about it; I pretended to not know what he was talking about.

A man who came back through after being given sweet tea he was told was sweetened artificially (he and his wife were diabetic). Despite having to take his wife to the hospital due to high blood sugar, all he wanted was his tea fixed and an apology. I apologized profusely. My coworker insisted he was lying for free stuff.

[dadonbabysworld]

Spotlight (part 1)

Author's note: I have finally decided that it is a good idea to post this. I have been so inspired to write a streetracer!au. Thank you to @crispy-chan for reading over this and making suggestions. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.

Synopsis: The reader is a racer, and she is good at it. What happens when she challenges someone other than her normal rival? (Reader's racing name is Sunflower)

Genre: angst? idk honestly lol

Word count: 1,732

“The feel of the acceleration. It’s the whole reason I kept going knowing it would eventually lead me here.” 

The officer nods, noting your statements down. “You’re an adrenaline junkie,” he acknowledges. You shake your head. 

“Not really. I just… I wanted an escape…” you finally admit with a heavy sigh. Things were going well until now. You swallowed the bitter pill of knowing that it was a single mistake that led you here. One small mishap that could potentially land you in jail…

Your body rattled with the speed of the car, gloved hands gripping the wheel. The juxtaposition of the two materials was something you had already gotten used to over the years. Even if the vehicle was primarily for racing, it still had some customization. Your seat covers were orange and black, a vanilla diffuser sat in the back cup holder, the front being a bottle of water, and some led strips were taped on the inside. It looked regular during the day — cars with personality usually don’t get flagged as race cars. 

Your foot was all the way down on the pedal, chasing the end of your thoughts. The highway was clear, but your mind was full. Far too many people saw you and thought you were weak, fragile, soft. 

Yet that couldn’t be further from the truth; you were powerful, strong, independent and a force to be wrecked with. Anyone who saw you race knew that. 

Eyes on the road you took so often it was child’s play to zone out and still know the way to go. You checked the time; it was 4:37 am. Music came back to the forefront of your mind when you looked at your opponent. You let the window down and pulled your sunglasses up as you sped past.

 “Catch me if you can!” you grinned cheekily, shooting him a wink. He looked furious knowing he couldn’t. He would never catch up with you. You let all the windows down as you drove off, smiling.

Even at night, you put your sunglasses back on. They were your key accessory. Even if you forgot your gloves, you’d never forget your sunglasses. Most people didn't deserve to look into your eyes. It was a right to earn, and your opponent was the only one who had the pleasure of gazing into your orbs often. He was the start of your obsession.

As your vehicle's acceleration slowed, you passed the finish line with him on your bumper. You parked smoothly in the garage. Screams and congratulations greeted you as you let your windows up. You cut your car off and got out. 

“Congratulations, Sunflower”, you heard from behind you. You turned around and nodded. “Thank you, but shouldn’t you be consoling your boy?” you queried with a smirk. Chan hummed a tune of acknowledgment “That’s true, but he’ll be fine. I don’t think he minds me just thanking you.” 

You smiled. So, he wasn’t a sore loser. Good to know. You grabbed your prize money from a woman who congratulated you, easily slipping past the hordes of people in the garage.

As his eyes searched for yours under your glass, you smiled. Chan was handsome and he knew that. You had a small soft spot for him, but no one compared to your opponent. He was gorgeous and, just like Chan, he was painfully aware of it. Chan waved while walking away, heading back to his friends which now included your opponent.

As if on schedule, he approached. “Sunflower!” You lifted your sunglasses. “Know”, you answered, small smirk playing on your lips. He looked just as furious as before when you passed him on the track. 

“What the hell was that?!” 

 “Whatever do you mean?” Usually, the sight of his rage was somewhat attractive to you — you liked seeing him so worked up. But this… it was a bit much, even for you.

You smirked. You had just upgraded your car. Well, not alone, but he’ll get the point.

“Your car was not as fast last time we raced.”

“Neither was yours, but I guess we both have surprises.”

His lips formed a lopsided smirk as he ran a hand through his messy hair. “A worthy one…” 

You raised an eyebrow. “Hm?” 

“A worthy opponent you are.” 

He walked away after that statement, leaving you to think about his words. What was he trying to say? Did he think everyone else wasn't?

You got in your car to prepare to leave. Letting your sunglasses fall back down, you put on your seatbelt. You prepared for the radio to be as loud as it was when you turned the car off by covering your ears. With one hand, you started the car then immediately turned it down.

As you were about to put it in drive, Chan pulled up next to you, a playful smirk gracing his lips. 

“Leaving before my race, Sunflower? I'm a bit disappointed.” 

You laughed. “Do you want me to stay?” 

“I wanted to race, maybe? Would it be too much to ask for?”

To say you were shocked would be an understatement. None of Lee Know’s friends ever asked to race. Never. Hmm… maybe he wanted to see if Chan could get the best of you. 

“Sure! Let's go then. We can take the west route. Lee Know and I already did the North one.” 

You didn't know who decided the routes, but they were probably the same ones that started years ago. You backed up to make space for Chan to turn. As he moved, you followed slowly. 

You noted that Chan had someone in the passenger seat. A bold move. Weight meant he was losing speed. You never saw Chan race before, so he might surprise you. Out of all the friends Lee Know had, you'd only seen the Puppy and Hanji race. You chuckled at the thought. His' nickname was quite fitting—he was the youngest one, a beginner by your standards, but he was someone to watch out for. Just like a puppy, you never knew when he might finally bite... 

Glancing out the window, your eyes scanned over Chan's dark blue McLaren... Did his parents buy it for him, or did he work for it? Did he refurbish it? It was clean and the interior was filled with intricate little details that hinted at him having a hand at redoing it to fit his own style. According to some people, Chan worked on cars, yet he didn’t seem like the type. He was a pretty boy, by all means, but you had already learned the hard way that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. 

People thought you were just a simple nursing student. In the daytime that was true, you worked your ass off to study nursing in med-school. You wondered what would become of you when you’d be working nights at a hospital. Right now, all the problems and anxiety from medical school weren't important. The only thing that mattered was the race.

Chan took you out of a trance when his engine roared. Maybe it was a flex or just a way to pick up women. Multiple women cheered at the noise. It helped you focus, nonetheless. The doors opened so you could leave. As the countdown started, you tightened the straps of your seatbelt. You put the race car seatbelt that clicked in the middle in your seat like a harness. You read somewhere that it was safer for women in those.

Your Ferrari was jet black with slightly tinted windows. The exterior was basic —you had a license plate cover installed for when racing. The last thing you wanted was to get caught. The normal life you lived would be gone, and your grandmother would be alone. In jail, you couldn’t do anything for her. 

You floored it as soon as the countdown got to one, but Chan was close. He never looked so calm; he was in his natural habitat. His passenger had their hand out the window. Seemingly happy and enjoying the ride, would you ever get the chance to have a passenger? 

Your Ferrari was a blur to anyone not going at yours and Chan's speed. 

The closer to 180 mph you got; the more adrenaline rushed through your body. You turned the radio back up. It was amazing how you could listen to the same songs, but the song felt so different at nearly 200 mph. Every song was a hype one. Music was everything to you. The ultimate escape. 

Chan had passed you at the halfway mark. He must've been pushing 200 mph if he was passing you. It was a smooth transition to the lane you were in. It was admirable how seriously Chan was taking this. At first you honestly weren’t, you sat up some maneuvering out of the lane Chan got in.

You felt like a dude playing 2k when they started losing and they sat up. You couldn’t lose to Chan; your opponent was Lee Know and it would stay that way. You wouldn't allow Chan the right to brag to Lee Know about how he beat you. 

You had no beef or history with Chan, and you didn’t want to start any. He was always respectful and friendly. However, you couldn’t let him get one up on you if he did win. You’d have to race him again. You couldn’t leave one stone unturned. 

You rode on his side for the next five minutes. You caught the lead when it came time to get off the expressway. He couldn’t overtake you until you got at least half a mile ahead.

“Should’ve got over first!”, you yelled out the window. He looked focused. Not as easily phased as Lee know. Nice to know. 

It would be a picture-perfect win. You’d left Chan in the dust for a while. Until you looked to your right to see Chan coming close. With the finish line in your sights, you both wanted to win badly. 

Your grip on the wheel was hurting your hands. You were going to have marks on your hands from the sewing in your wheel cover. You were stressed to the max. You had to win. Had to. You hyper focused on the road, blocking out the radio focusing on the winning shot. 

BANG! 

And the winner is…

Taglist (please comment to join): @kflixnet @l-luvr @lino-jagiyaa 🐶 @moonmukamiamajiki

If you like this post, consider reading my other works listed here. I, also, accept requests here. Thank you!

#kflixnet #skz imagines #skz x reader #skz x y/n #skz #skz lee know #skz lee minho #lee know #lee minho #christopher bang #bang chan #skz street racer au #skz street racer! au #skz street racers #angelwroteit

[atlasflags]

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#custom car flags near me #custom car flags #custom flags manufacturers #custom car window flags

[thewingedbaron]

Coffee Shop

There was a coffee shop on the corner, squeezed between the highway and a little backroad. Some cars would turn there, others would stop, but most would roll on by, bound for places unknown. Most would not even notice the quaint little building constructed of aging brick with a weather beaten sign over the door. But if one were to happen by, they were welcomed by a cheery green door, and the vast windows that offered a glance into the interior. Someone had taken brightly colored paints and written the day’s menu on those windows, inviting all to stop in and cool their heels for a while.

The interior was as colorful as the menu, filled with mismatched tables and chairs. Massive portraits and tiny paintings decorated the walls like a slapdash art exhibit. The counter, itself, was a mess of expresso machines, homework, and little keepsakes that spoke to the chaos of the average barista’s day. Someone had plastered a little rainbow flag on the front of the cash register; it added a little extra welcome to customers as they ordered their drinks. Overhead, small chalk doodles danced between the rows of menu items. There was a special today for students who had survived the latest round of exams.

Yet the most comforting part of all was the noise. Scratchy speakers that belted out guitar chords like the background of an indie film. The low roar of conversation nicely complimented the clicking of laptop keys and the scratching of pens on assignments put off a little too long. Bursts of laughter were like sprinkles of daylight between the rolling thunder of the old expresso machine. If one were to listen hard enough, they could even hear the rustle of paper and the flipping of a page from the ever present novel reader cozied up on the couch.

Rain or shine, day or night, it was always warm here. It seemed no matter what, there was always a hot cup on the counter and a story being told.

There was a coffee shop on the corner. And it always felt like home.

#writing #writers on tumblr #writing inspiration #coffee shop #feels like home #thewingedbaron #writing practice

[chernayavidua]

TIME: 1620 hours  LOCTAION: a diner, in a small town, in the middle of no where. 

                  THE  DAY  HAD  TURNED  DREARY  AND  COLD.  the  first  signs  of  winter  hung  in  the  air  and  were  cause  for  comment  from  most  of  the  customers.  heavy  grey  white  clouds  were  visible  from  within  the  diner  and  the  only  sign  of  possible  rain  was  out  far  in  the  horizon,  a  thick  line  of  dark  ominous  sky.  the  blonde  woman  broadcasting  the  news  from  the  tv  nestled  on  the  far  wall  was  saying  that  those  ominous  clouds  would  bring  rain  and  possible  hail  to  the  region.  hours  ticked  by,  the  diner  and  subsequent  small  town  started  seeing  more  people  lingering.  stocking  up  on  gas  and  food  for  the  road  ahead.  while  others  sat  in  the  diner  questioning  their  trip,  wondering  if  they  should  turn  back  now  or  keep  going.  

                  A  BALANCING  ACT  BETWEEN    keeping  her  cover  intact  and  breaking  a  few  bones  of  those  who  thought  the  california  valley  girl  accent  meant  that  she  was  really  a  dumb  blonde.  coupled  with  the  way  she  kept  to  herself  being  interpreted  as  shyness  and  playing  into  the  aspiring  actress  with  dreams  of  living  in  new  york,  men  thought  they  had  free  access.  late  one  evening  and  after  too  many  gas  station  beers  some  truck  driver  thought  he  could  get  lucky  with  her  but  the  drunken  attempt  had  only  resulted  in  the  man  lying  unconscious  on  the  asphalt  while  she  drove  away.  (  it  brought  a  small  smile  to  her  knowing  that  his  hangover  was  surely  made  worse  by  the  kick  to  the  jaw.  )  the  uptick  in  customers  this  type  of  weather  brought  had  resulted  in  no  one  being  dumb  enough  to  try  a  pass  at  her.

                  ❛  what  can  i  get  you  started  with?,  ❜  asked  the  waitress,  hazel  eyes  landing  on  the  dark  haired  man  before  her.  his  dark  hair  was  messy,  mostly  courtesy  of  the  light  breeze  that  had  started  up  a  handful  of  hours  ago.  she  noted  that  he  looked  tired  and  had  at  least  a  day’s  worth  of  stubble  on  his  jaw.  (  an  alcoholic  probably.  or  maybe  a  chronic  gambler.  )  he  wasn’t  from  the  town  and  he  wasn’t  dressed  like  the  rancher  types.  his  attempt  to  blend  in  was,  in  her  mind,  flagged  by  the  trench  coat  he  wore.  she  knew  quality  when  she  saw  it.  he  must  be  a  city  boy  trying  to  put  distance  between  himself  and  something  he  doesn’t  want  to  face.  

                  ❛  fresh  coffee’s  going  to  take  a  minute  to  brew.  ❜  she  added,  gaze  flickering  out  the  window  off  to  one  side  from  where  he  sat.  the  weather  is  going  to  hinder  the  shipment,  she  thought  to  herself.  the  waiting  game  of  it  all  was  something  she  would  never  get  used  to.  ❛   talia!  order  for  table  twelve!  ❜   connie’s  loud  drone  of  a  voice  yelled  out,  causing  the  waitress  to  sigh.  

                  ALL  THE  NOISE  AROUND  THEM    stopped  when  she  glanced  over  her  shoulder  at  connie  only  to  see  her  target  sitting  in  one  of  the  back  booths  with  someone  he  knew.  with  all  the  cars  out  front,  he  must  have  parked  around  the  side,  near  the  back  and  slipped  in  through  the  door  to  her  left.  the  one  door  she  currently  couldn’t  keep  an  eye  on  due  the  direction  the  man  before  her  was  facing.  making  a  mental  note  to  offer  to  take  the  trash  out,  the  woman  caught  the  man’s  low  timber  and  pulled  herself  out  of  her  mind.  

                  ❛  i’m  sorry,  what  was  that  again?,  ❜  notepad  and  pen  ready,  an  apologetic  look  upon  her  face  that  said:  it's  been  a  long  and  busy  day.

semi-plotted starter / @crimefightr​

#crimefightr #i was trying to set up the scene i hope i didn't g*dmod too much #if i did i apologize & if you need me to change anything lmk ! #семь › most dangerous woman in the world. ❪ 𝟨𝟣𝟨 ❫ #q.

[mailboxesetcuk]

Top print and marketing products to boost your business

A guide to choosing the best print and marketing solutions for your business

Starting a new business means having to deal with the competition immediately and stand out against more established brands.

When you create a new brand or, if your brand is already established, you intend to relaunch your business, it’s essential to invest in marketing and communications activities to make yourself known, educating your target consumers and strengthening knowledge of the brand within your sector.

Despite the proliferation of digital channels, printed collateral is still a very effective way to create an identity from scratch. It is also great for established companies looking to tap into existing customer loyalty and reach out to new audiences.

In both cases, however, it can be a challenge to identify the right tools to engage your audiences and ensure the best possible return on investment. Our quick-reference guide is designed to help.

First get your brand right

The marketing materials you choose to promote your company will depend on several factors – chief among these are your business type, target customers and your mission and objectives. Branding activity is obviously not limited to creating a logo: the visual elements include colours, typeface and layouts that must consistently represent the company’s philosophy and values and create an emotional connection with your audiences.

Updating your graphic design is a great way to evolve your brand image and help distinguish it from your competition. You could start with a branding (or rebranding) exercise that establishes your strengths and key characteristics; the colours and imagery that best reflect your company and your products or services; your values and your customer promise. It’s also worth looking at competitors’ branding, as well as considering the attributes of any companies you admire – they don’t have to be in your chosen sector – and why you think their visual representation is successful. Is there anything you’d want to emulate?

5 top print choices for promoting your brand

Consider any or all of these top five print choices to promote your brand:

Business cards. Business cards are one of the most useful ways to promote your company. Make sure you always have them to hand for meetings and events and choose a design or format that stands out. Extend your corporate image across your letterheads, envelopes, handouts and into the digital space – on your website, blog, social media channels and online directory listings.

Labels and stickers. These are a quick and easy way to ensure your brand is advertised at networking events, exhibitions and trade fairs. Make sure your mail and parcels carry your branding too.

Brochures and flyers. The perfect way to engage customers and prospects, brochures and flyers are the ‘leave-behind’ of choice at customer meetings, exhibitions and trade fairs. Extend your brand touchpoints with flags, roller-banners, A-boards and exhibition stands to help promote the company image at every event.

Boxes and packaging. If you’re sending products to customers or stores, make sure your boxes, tape and other packaging materials are beautifully branded.

Decals and corporate branding. Brand your company cars, vans, and lorries with high-quality adhesive decals. This can be extended to shop windows and is particularly effective for highlighting seasonal and other promotions.

These are just some ideas for reaching new and existing customers and optimising your marketing campaigns. MBE centres can help you design or evolve your brand and then display it on a wide range of materials to expand your reach and amplify your impact, across both digital and offline channels.

Contact us for the best solutions to promote your business.

[masterroofersmktg]

Selecting a High-Quality Skylight Contractor (Podcast)

We talk with Ryan Sturgis, Senior Sales Representative at Velux, about selecting a high-quality skylight contractor. We also discuss the essential qualities to look for in a skylight product, certifications and warranties homeowners should prioritize when selecting a skylight brand, and common misconceptions about skylights.https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1761442182&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true

Master Roofers · Selecting a High Quality Skylight Contractor (with VELUX Skylights)

John Maher: Hi, I am John Maher and I'm here today with Brett Rogenski, General Manager of Master Roofers, the most trusted roofing company in New Hampshire for over 80 years. Welcome, Brett.

Brett Rogenski: Thanks, John. Thank you for having me.

John: Sure. And our special guest today is Ryan Sturgis, Senior Sales representative at VELUX, a residential and commercial skylight and roof window manufacturer. Welcome, Ryan.

Ryan Sturgis: John, glad to be here. Thanks.

Essential Qualities to Look For in Skylights

John: Sure. Today we're talking about some important factors in selecting a high-quality skylight contractor, but Ryan, let's talk a little bit about skylights in general. What are some of the essential qualities to look for in a skylight product in terms of durability, energy efficiency, and safety?

Ryan: Well, John, skylights are all over the world. They need to withstand summer heat in Florida, Arizona, Texas. They need to withstand the cold of Canada, of Northern Scandinavia. So, everything about the skylight is chosen with that rigor in mind, if you want to think of it that way. The gaskets, the sealant, the glass, thermal characteristics. There's a lot that goes into it and it's always being iterated on, if you will.

But really, probably one of the most important things is regarding safety. Skylights come standard now with laminated glass. I don't think a lot of people are aware of that. It is the most safe because that inner pane of your skylight, it's glass on a slope above you, sometimes above your bed, and so it behaves like your car windshield, which is also a skylight when you think about it, and so if that glass were to ever break for any reason, it would just hang there stuck to that acrylic interlay of laminate. Skylights are very durable and definitely code compliant in the safety department for sure.

John: Do all skylights have that safety measure or is this something particular to VELUX?

Ryan: No. A lot of manufacturers, that would probably be a choice and an upcharge, something that you would have to be educated, have a certain knowledge to specify and you would have to pay extra.

For us, it is just a standard. When we feel like we carry the flag for the skylight category, we have to take leadership and we want to make sure that everything that we put out into the world, if you will, is code compliant almost no matter how it's used, basically. And that's what that laminated glass assures us.

Skylight Energy Efficiency

John: What about in terms of energy efficiency? Are modern skylights more energy efficient than older types of skylights?

Ryan: Very much so. You would find if you were driving by older skylights from the '80s, in the winter, that the snow would be melted off of it, but also melted sometimes even all around it, which is indicating how much heat's being lost. Glass has come a long way, not just for skylights, but for regular vertical windows as well and with the glazing variant that is standard, it's so efficient that when you add a shade to it, a solar-powered shade, which we provide frequently for customers, the tested U-value that the government uses for Energy Star drops all the way to 0.25. And that may not mean too much to a lot of people -- what it amounts to, though, is if you can see behind me, the snow doesn't immediately melt off that skylight. The snow can last a couple of weeks. And some people don't like that. I do like it. I feel that the snow is adding another layer of insulation and it's just indicating that it's not just a hole in the roof. It's quite well insulated. The snow finally melted off that skylight behind me when it warmed up outside, Brett, because it's been unseasonably warm for the last week or two.

Skylights can be quite energy efficient, and that's something that a lot of people aren't aware of if they're just used to skylights from the '80s.

Brett: Yeah, I think that that's something that we... That's feedback that we get very commonly from customers and prospects, people who are looking at maybe replacing older skylights, is they're really shocked at how much more efficient modern skylights are, how much more well insulated they are.

Going back to the other discussion on the safety, that's something a lot of people don't think about and, living here in New England, a lot of folks have skylights because they have beautiful trees around their home and that sort of thing. I lived in the lakes region for a long time. Well, occasionally that beautiful pine tree loses a large limb and it lands on your roof, which is a problem. But you and the owner and the insurance company and a roofer will help figure that out. But what you don't want to have is a family member get injured with glass raining in, and you're right, with VELUX, you don't have to worry about that. With some other manufacturers who do not use laminated glass, that's a distinct possibility.

The whole key to a situation like that is we don't want anyone to get hurt, and we certainly don't want them to get hurt from that, so that added protection is fabulous.

Skylight Certifications and Warranties

John: Absolutely. Ryan, what sorts of certifications and warranties should homeowners prioritize when they're selecting a skylight brand?

Ryan: I would say unless you have an unusual local code like Miami-Dade certification or something like that, then skylights have a wide range of certifications that are most relevant to, probably more so, architects, they certainly fulfill every requirement where we're at, which is New England right now.

The most important thing that I would want a homeowner to know is about the warranty, specifically, there are different warranties for different aspects of the skylight. The hardware, any electronics, the glass. The glass is warrantied for 20 years, as a matter of fact.

But the most unexpected one may be that we have a no leak warranty. If that skylight leaks, under any circumstances, then we cover damages, product, and labor for 10 years. And it certainly isn't that we expect there to even be an issue in 10 years, it's just that the idea is, within a decade, that skylight has been put through its paces. You have had that storm come up the coast, you have had that ice storm, you've had a lot of snow and then had it rain and freeze. You've had all these conditions occur and the skylight has come through on the other end and performed.

So, you have cut a hole in your roof and we just need to be worthy of that trust. It's a big deal to us and part of that is taking explicit ownership of that hole in the roof with that no leak warranty.

Common Misconceptions About Skylights

John: Are there any common misconceptions that people still have about skylights and roof windows that they should be aware of?

Ryan: Yeah, I would say there are probably two primary ones. One would be that skylights leak, that all skylights leak. An enormous amount has been done with that. Starting in 2010, we redesigned our skylight, again to take ownership of that hole, and that's when that no leak warranty started. Everyone likes what skylights do, John. Everyone likes natural daylight, everyone likes fresh air, but there are some for whom the risks of a skylight outweigh that. And so we had to take ownership at that time and we redesigned everything, putting it through real world practical tests, not computer modeling, to make sure that it performed to our expectations. So, we've hit that on the head and folks that are inclined to get a little extra day lighting into the core of their space, they can do so with confidence. That would be the first one.

The second one is just that the skylight is an energy drain. There is that thought out there, and what we've done there…I mentioned earlier about U-Value, and that's probably a little bit obscure for listeners, I guess, but all reputable companies submit a product to a third party lab for testing, and that is used by the NFRC and Energy Star. And what that effectively does is, our skylight has a 0.42 U-Value without a shade, but with a shade people would be, I think, shocked to realize that it improves the energy efficiency about 40% by adding a shade to the skylight. Creating that dead air space between the fabric and the inner pane of glass makes an enormous difference in energy efficiency and provides a very, very generous federal tax credit at the same time, in the amount of 30% on the entire project.

I mentioned earlier about the snow on my own skylight. That's demonstrating that in a very clear, real world way to me as well. So, I feel like both of those common misconceptions, we've hit right on the head. Confidence and energy efficiency.

John: Right, with that snow on the roof, like you said, if your snow is immediately melting off of your skylight window, that just means that all that heat from your house is just going right through that window and melting that snow, and so the fact that all that snow is just able to stay right on the window and not melt means you're not losing that heat from inside the house.

Ryan: Yeah. A roof certainly has a certain insulating value, R-Value, and the skylight is not quite at the level where the roof is, but neither are regular windows compared to the walls that contain them either. But you get twice as much light per square foot from a skylight on a slope as you do from a vertical window, like a double hung or a casement.

So, usually when I'm talking to architects or design professionals, I'm explaining how skylights punch out of their weight class, if you want to think of that expression in that regard. Surprisingly energy efficient, even, because they're in a roof, they're a very small part of the roof in terms of square footage and they bring in twice the light per square foot of other windows as well. It's very possible, Brett, when you're replacing a skylight on any given house in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or what have you, that window will be the most energy efficient window in that house.

Brett: I would tell you, Ryan, that I 100% agree with you. I guess every case is a little bit unique, but I would tell you certainly in 9 out of 10 cases where we're retrofitting, replacing, someone's older skylight or maybe even installing a brand new skylight, it's going to be newer than most of the windows in that home, if not all of them. And I would agree with you, it's probably going to be the most efficient opening in that space.

And to your point, Ryan as well, I was just thinking as you were expressing it, skylights today, this is not your grandpa's skylight. There's a lot of misconceptions that may have been true, or truer, once upon a time that are no longer the case because of, like you said, a couple of misconceptions that they're inefficient and that they all leak. Well, once upon time, I don't know if that was true, but it was more prevalent and you're absolutely right. VELUX skylights now, they're standing behind that with that no leak warranty and it stands up over time. And the efficiency, of course, that can just be measured by third parties as you said, and we can prove to people that, "Hey, this is very efficient."

So yeah, it's not your grandpa's skylight. They're really quite a joy to live with.

Factors in Ensuring a Successful Skylight Installation

John: Brett, while we're talking about installations, beyond the quality of the product from VELUX, what are some of the crucial factors in ensuring that a skylight is successfully installed in a roof, especially when you're working with the existing roof structure?

Brett: Sure. In general, I tend to think of skylights in two classifications. There's a new installation, so someone who does not have a skylight currently and chooses that they would like one, and that comes with some structural change. This isn't just re-roofing where someone's taking your old shingles off. They're actually cutting into the structure of your home's framing and doing this, so this bridges between just roofing and construction because you have to box that, you have to do finish work inside, all that stuff.

And then the other part is replacing an existing skylight, which is probably the more common situation. Most homes either get built with or don't get built with skylights. What are some of the most important things to be looking for there? Experience. The more skylights you and your crew, your company, have experience with, the more competent you're going to be in either of those categories, either replacing a skylight or installing a new skylight.

Not every company is actually built to support skylights, either. Any roofing company can go to their distributor and purchase a skylight. They all can do it. My question would be how often are you guys doing this? How often are you replacing skylights? Do you have a crew of team members who are certified by the manufacturer to replace skylights?

In our case, for instance, at Master Roofers, we're a five-star certified contractor by VELUX, so we've had to, in essence, prove to VELUX that we are experts in skylight replacement and in skylight installation.

So, the biggest things are coming down to experience with skylights and do you have team members with those right skill sets, which again crosses really into construction, in some cases, not simply, "Do you have a guy that's a roofer?", who -- not to demean that at all, that's a skill set in its own, it's just different than installing skylights. Any thoughts on that, Ryan? You work with a lot of folks in this space.

Ryan: Yeah, you would definitely want to partner with a company that has seen it all, I guess, for lack of a better term. There are certainly skylights that are VELUX now and they're 25 years old and you're replacing with the exact same size, and those are a little bit more pedestrian, whatever you want to call it. But there are less optimum applications. Sometimes you're close to a valley or close to a ridge.

Sometimes you're replacing a competitor from the eighties that is not around anymore, of which there are many. Now we have to navigate and flow like water to an efficient solution, and you need to have all of the solutions that VELUX offers at your fingertips. A different installation method, different sizes than you're accustomed to, different flashing kits sometimes. You have different roofing, particularly in New England, you can have metal roofing. That is another not-insurmountable challenge, but it's just a different installation that experience pays off with.

It's definitely always an advantage to, as I say, partner with an installer, an applicator that has seen it all before, for sure. Absolutely.

The Skylight Installer Certification Process

John: Can you give us a little insight into what that certification process is in terms of certifying a company like Master Roofers to install VELUX skylights?

Ryan: To be a specialist, which is what Master Roofers is, you need to go through a physical roof section, installation training on a variety of products, ganging our products together, which is a bit of a different and more detailed installation. Installing roof windows, installing sun tunnels, installing shades. I think even at that time it was re-glazing skylights probably as well, so it's a quite wide-ranging installation training.

These days, you have to know about how to register electronic components, remote controls to windows, so that you can operate your shades. Comfort level with our active system so that you can run our products off of your phone with our app or our other touchscreen remotes, so it's even more wide-ranging and stringent than it even would've been in the past, and a significant part of that is also understanding, as I mentioned, all of those solutions.

You never know what you're going to encounter based on the roofing material, based on the application and the functionality that the homeowner wants from their skylight now as opposed to what the homeowner wanted 30 years ago. So, how to best explain the correct installation method and the correct method of control for the skylight for each homeowner. A lot of the training is sales related in that regard so that you can understand your solutions, provide that for a homeowner.

Brett: Ryan brings up a good point with the sales related, and when we talk about differentiators, at least our approach at Master Roofers, our salespeople are very well-trained and they're going in... It all starts with a good design. Yeah, you need experience to go execute it and do it right and we literally have "master roofers" on staff. We have folks who work on metal, slate, copper, asphalt shingle, everything in between.

I'm thinking of one particular gentleman, Pat Shea. Pat's been doing this for 40 plus years. He went to a roofing trade school and Pat literally is a man who can do anything. But what Pat needs, the real beginning point, is from visiting with the homeowner and aligning on what's possible and what their goals are, starting off with a great design. Otherwise, we're putting Pat in a position where he has to maybe pull out a miracle that he may not have. And our relationship with VELUX goes back, gosh, what Ryan? Is it two decades or more?

Ryan: Well, almost certainly the skylights have been used for many, many, many decades, but as a certified installer... Geez, I would say probably 12 years maybe? I would guess.

Brett: Yeah, I was going to say…long time. A long time.

Ryan: That is a lot of skylights. Yes.

Brett: That is a lot of skylights. And one interesting thing is that most roofers avoid wanting to cut holes or mess with holes and roofs. Their goal is, if it's not leaking, don't touch it and don't cut a hole.

We're a little unique. We like it, and that's just because we're so comfortable in our skillset and with the product that we use, that cutting in a new skylight sounds great to us, doesn't scare us. Want to replace the skylight? Super. We love doing that. We love helping people like that.

Whereas I think that you'll find with some other roofers, there's some apprehension. They're pretty happy sometimes to say, "Oh, what? We're re-roofing your home. We're taking a 30-year-old roof off and you've got a 30-year-old skylight? Oh, it's not leaking. Go ahead and leave it."

Think about it. Now you have a 30-year-old window in your house with your brand new roof. What's the likelihood that's going to work out well? And it's because they're not comfortable with their skillset, whereas we embrace that. We enjoy that.

Choosing a Skylight Contractor

John: Brett, what else is involved in choosing a good contractor for installing skylights? You mentioned experience, which you obviously have, and what about licensing and insurance, things like that?

Brett: Sure, absolutely. Yeah, you should absolutely be seeking someone who's a certified home improvement contractor, and can prove that on paper. They should provide you with copies of all. So that's essentially your licensing in that space. You should also be getting copies of their certificates of liability, etc. Any reputable contractor is going to be able to provide those to you in real time and make you a named insured of their insurance and of showing that they're a certified home improvement contractor, which of course, the state regulates that.

Another great resource, as well, is the Better Business Bureau and things like Google. That's one of the neat things of the modern era is that if someone's out there doing a bad job, it's going to catch up with them. You can't control what people say about your business on Google. They can just do it. And we all know that occasionally there's some folks who give poor reviews, because they're whatever, they're just having a bad day, but if you see a company with a lot of reviews and they're overwhelmingly good, that's a good sign from the field as well.

But the three biggest things I would look for, absolutely insurance, absolutely that they're a certified home improvement contractor, and then the next thing I would actually look at is their longevity.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of folks in the roofing space who are around for a few years and then they disappear. There's a lot of folks in the roofing space who decide to, "Hey, I'm a roofer. I worked for someone else. I'm going to go out on my own." And they don't do things like get proper insurance or they, "Oh, I'm supposed to pull a permit in your municipality for this? We won't pull a permit. I'll save you some money." They're probably not trying to save you money. They probably don't have proper licensing to be doing that.

So yeah, absolutely seek people who have that longevity, can provide you with proof of insurance, can provide you with proof of licensing. And you're also going to find that they're aligned with quality companies, that they're going to be aligned with companies like VELUX where we have their certifications. In roofing, where we're a master elite roofer with GAF. That comes with very similar needs to being certified with VELUX, and that'll put you on the right track to finding someone that you can trust to be your homes partner.

Skylight Project Timeline

John: Right. And then Brett, what else is involved in the project timeline? You mentioned it starts with the sales and the design of the project. What happens after that?

Brett: Sure. Great question. The initial sales call is going to align with our skylight expert about what you're trying to achieve. So, we do that. We actually do full measure calls. We actually get up on the roof, so whether it's a replacement or it's a new installation, we're getting up on the roof doing a physical inspection in most cases, too, depending on the design of the home, if there's an attic that needs to be addressed, some sort of space that needs to be addressed for getting in there. We're doing that on what we call our measure call. The key components of that are aligning with the customer's expectations and then the second of all, accurate measurements, because again, remember this is a construction project in some cases, so where do roof rafters lay? To Ryan's point earlier, where are valleys, etc.?

Once we've designed it, presented the solution to the customer, they choose to accept it, the next part is ordering skylights, so ordering the windows to go in the roof. There are some standard sizes that we can adapt with. There are custom sizes that Velux can actually make for us. So, depending on the need, the lead time -- in most standard cases, roughly a two-week lead time on us getting the material in and getting it into our schedule.

Once that material is successfully available to us, so it's been distributed to us through our distributor by VELUX, then we're going to align with you on what time works for that. Obviously we're going to be putting holes in your roof or we're going to be taking what's not a hole and opening it up and making it a hole. We have to work around weather.

So, I guess what I would tell you is, from the time that you sign that agreement after the measure call to the time that you're actually executing, replacing, or installing your skylights is going to be in the two-week to four-week time range for most cases, depending on weather, depending on if you're getting a custom skylight, those can make it longer of course.

Common Questions and Concerns About Skylights

John: Okay. And this can be a question for either one or both of you. What are some of the most frequent questions or concerns that you encounter from homeowners regarding skylights?

Ryan: Sure. Well, I would say from my part, there are probably three different common questions.

Identifying Skylights

The first would be people want help identifying. They have an old VELUX skylight or an old skylight of another manufacturer, and they need to identify what is the current comparable VELUX to be able to go into that opening gracefully, either on its own as a separate project or as a part of the roof. Or just recommendations, if it's a new skylight, for size, they want to daylight an area.

I'll give you an example with COVID, a lot more people were in their offices and all of a sudden they realized that their home office wasn't especially pleasant. It didn't have as much natural daylight. So, we would get a lot of calls from people with basically a Teams meeting showing us their space and asking us how many skylights it would take to be able to have a pleasant amount of natural daylight in their area. And there's a lot that goes into that with framing, and even the color of the walls can help make it more reflective or less.

Tax Credits

But probably the most common question that I get these days is related to tax credits. Solar-powered motorized skylights run off a remote. They close if it rains so that you can use them spring, summer, and fall at will with confidence. But probably the most important thing about them is they're eligible for 30% uncapped federal tax credit on the entire project, installing those skylights. Everything that you pay because you decided to put this skylight in, you can take a 30% federal income tax if it is a home in the United States and if you do pay federal income tax, if you have a federal tax liability. So, if you have a number of skylights, you can see where that would add up to a significant amount of money.

The federal government is helping you to replace old skylights when you do your roof, if you want to think of it that way. It makes all the difference in the world in the calculus of what you do when you're replacing a skylight. And we did that for a few years and we realized that if we, the manufacturer, pre-install a solar-powered shade into any type of skylight, even a fixed skylight or a manually operated skylight, it imbues that skylight as well as a solar electric property and you can take a 30% federal tax credit on the entire project related to the installation of it.

So, really almost all of our skylights that we sell now, unless they're custom sized, you have it within your power to take a 30% tax credit on the work that Brett and his team are doing, and that is a powerful tool to help people with their project.

John: Yeah, that's an important consideration. Absolutely.

Brett: I think for us, a lot of the questions we receive, especially during the sales process, go back to something we chatted about earlier that, hey, this isn't your grandpa's skylight anymore.

A lot of folks maybe have an existing skylight and for whatever reason, it's time to move on, replace it. A lot of what Ryan just spoke about, about solar-powered shades, about being able to vent it without having a giant pole that you're cranking up and that sort of thing, about the fact that it will close automatically when it senses rain and seal up your house. Most people aren't aware of that, so we like to take time and educate in the process because people love the light of skylights. They love, in many cases, the ability to vent and get fresh air. Most of them don't realize how much more convenient it is, maybe more now than it ever was before, certainly.

And even doing things like home automations. Ryan mentioned the app and then there's some other stuff that's associated with it. You can set it up so shades are opening and closing automatically on preset times and same thing with venting your home, having these open and close. And for us, I guess, maybe a lot of the most gratifying part is educating people to... In addition to the light that skylights provide, how easy they are to live with now with these modernizations that have occurred to them over time, and the fact that you're not going to have to worry about this thing leaking. The product is going to be leak proof. And then when you work with a quality contractor, they're going to do a great job and you're not going to have issues there. So, it's not going to leak at your roof either.

John: Right. Speaking of quality contractors, do you have any cautionary tales, Brett, things that you've seen where maybe a homeowner got a skylight installed by a different contractor and now they're having problems? What have you seen?

Brett: Sure. Unfortunately, we meet a lot of people in that situation. "Hey, I'm getting leaks around my skylight," that sort of thing. "I had some guy do it. He doesn't call me back anymore," And that sort of thing. So we do get that. We don't like meeting people in those circumstances, but what we do like is the fact that we can help them.

So, again, it goes back to working with someone who works with and who installs skylights all the time and is really competent and confident in their skills.

A lot of times what we do is we get up there,and the skylight itself may not be leaking, but it's leaking around the skylight. We do what's called a water test, which is exactly what it sounds like. We're up there with a hose figuring out exactly where the permeation is and we're helping then. We usually have to remove shingles and redo flashing and then make it so that this is truly watertight around that opening.

Occasionally, we may find the skylights themselves, not if they're working with a VELUX skylight, as long as it was properly installed, the skylight itself is not going to leak. We're pretty confident of that. It's usually all the other work around the skylight that is where the risk is, if you will.

So yeah. A lot of folks go, "Wow, I was able to save. I worked with Joe in a truck and I was able to save 10% over that certified company." Well, some days you get what you pay for, and I'm not trying to dump on any other contractors, whatsoever, but I guess my cautionary tale would always be, work with that certified contractor, work with someone that the manufacturer recommends, because they have standards in place that help ensure that you're going to get a quality installation by a competent company that will stand behind that work as well once they leave.

Collaboration Between Skylight Manufacturers and Roofing Companies

John: And then finally, guys, what collaborative efforts between manufacturers and roofing companies and roofing installers can be taken to ensure a seamless and positive experience for homeowners who are choosing skylights?

Ryan: Well, we do ask for regular training to keep folks up to date so that you have the right…At any given application, you have the right solution at your fingertips if you're a salesperson for a certified company. So you know what's available, you know what the best way to approach it is, if they want it venting, if they want it fixed, know the best way to approach that. You're conversant with the tax credit information that I mentioned earlier.

One thing that's unique about this area is that the majority of skylights are venting. Most skylights are venting around here in this part of New England and so people are usually trying to evaluate the best way to do that. What's the best experience? And if you don't understand the tax credit in its totality and believe that you're going to be able to achieve that when you do your taxes, then you might wind up with a suboptimal result, I think. Definitely ongoing education and touch points.

Also, to me, a good roofer knows when to bring me in as the rep, which I go out and look at stuff, or maybe it's someone from another part of the country. They should have access to their VELUX rep. We want these things going smoothly. We want people putting in the correct skylights, enjoying them, and when they are working for them and they're using them on a day in and day out basis, then someday when they build another home, they will put more skylights in presumably. And that's the best result for VELUX for sure.

Brett: Yeah, absolutely. And ourselves, being the roofer integrator, if you want to think of it, that's a lot of our job is to work with manufacturers, both shingle manufacturers, work with construction consultants, work with folks like Ryan at VELUX, and make sure that we're staying fully trained and that, number two, we're using the best and optimal products and methods for all those things that come together. Because there's a skylight there that's being built into construction that now has shingles around it. So, at the end of the day, they all converge, and that's our job is to stay current and fluent with each of those facets of the game to give the customer the best experience.

John: All right, well that's all really great information, Brett. Thanks again for speaking with me today.

Brett: Oh, thank you so much. I appreciate you having me.

John: And Ryan Sturgis from VELUX Skylights. Thanks for joining us as well.

Ryan: You bet. Glad to be here.

John: And for more information about Master Roofers, you can visit the website masterroofers.com or call 603-825-4856.

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[automedsolutions]

The Art of Privacy: Window Tinting in Tyson’s Corner

Many car owners like to have their windows tinted for numerous reasons. These could include protection from the sun’s rays, privacy, and more. Various shops for auto cosmetics offer these kinds of services. You can achieve a privacy-centered car with a reliable expert that secures you from anything. Continue reading to learn more about window tinting in Tyson’s Corner.

Understanding Window Tinting

To begin, there are several perks to adding tints to your car’s windows. Tinted windows deter robbers, prevent people from peeking into your car, and overall bring an additional feeling of safety when you’re in the vehicle. This article aims to break down what window tinting could do for your safety in general.

The Benefits of Tinting Your Windows

Tinting your windows is one of the most ideal ways to build privacy in your car. Unlike cars with no tinted windows, it gives a better sense of security and privacy.

Enhancing Privacy

While tints may look appealing to passers by, it also limits the visibility of your vehicle’s interior. Since many individuals keep valuables in their cars, it should be important to make them safe. These additions prevent thieves from peaking into your car and knowing what’s inside. This, in turn, discourages them from stealing since unsubtly peaking into vehicles raises red flags in public spaces.

UV Protection

On top of being an auto cosmetics service, tints also improve UV protection against the sun’s harmful rays. Most brands claim their window tints block up to 99% of these beams. These additions protect the driver's and passengers’ skin and maintain the vehicle’s integrity so it doesn’t get ruined by these rays.

Energy Efficiency

Additionally, tinted windows promote energy efficiency by optimizing the car’s interior temperatures. In short, it minimizes heat transfer. In line with this, car owners require less air conditioning due to the tint’s role in decreasing the influences of outdoor weather.

Safety and Security

Another perk of installing a tint on your vehicle is that it increases the window’s durability. However, they do not make them impenetrable. With the use of a tint, it will make your windows scratch-resistant in the long run.

Maintenance and Care

Several tips are accessible to the general public on properly caring for their window tints to maintain them. A popular tip is to use foam cleansers when washing windows. These cleaning solutions usually don’t have chemicals that can potentially damage the tint and do not create streaks.

A second tip is to use foam cleansers and partner it with a soft cloth. These fabrics ensure that your tints are not scratched in the process. Additionally, using paper towels when cleaning is not advisable since the rough fibers may damage the tint.

Third, letting the film dry completely is paramount to avoid bubbles or other issues. Owners can let it air dry or use a rubber squeegee or a clean and dry microfiber cloth to speed up the process. Moreover, keeping an eye on the edges is essential to minimize lifting.

Trends for Window Tinting in Tyson’s Corner

Businesses are in the area, and cosmetic and reconditioning services are growing in popularity. That said, various providers offer different services to improve your vehicle’s appearance. Moreover, they offer innovative services for window tinting and other protection films.

Choosing the Right Window Tinting Service

As mentioned, many service providers in the area offer similar assistance. If you’re looking for “cosmetic auto repair near me,” it is essential to take note of the following considerations:

Reputation as local providers

Evaluating options by comparing offers, pricing, and customer reviews

Requesting consultations and asking for quotes on your needed product or service

So, why is it important to follow these points? Well, there are a lot of car enthusiasts out there who only want the best for their vehicles and who can provide the best products and services. To begin, cars are investment items that require significant money. It would be best to partner with reputable shops with positive reputations. Ideally, you should consult with trusted peers with the same passion for automobiles when seeking local auto shops.

In addition, reputable shops will advise automobile owners on properly caring for their new accessories. Numerous services for window tinting in Tyson’s Corner leave customers satisfied with their services and offer a warranty in case any problems arise within a given period. Among these providers is AutoMed Solutions, offering different auto cosmetic services.

Why Choose AutoMed Solutions for Window Tinting?

As a trusted service provider, we aim to change how our customers look at auto repair. Our team believes in transparency, friendly service, and speed. This idea shows that we are committed to helping them achieve their dream appearance for their vehicle.

One thing to look out for in a reputable auto body shop is its quotations. It’s good that our company offers free estimates upon request. So, if you’re looking for window tinting in Tyson’s Corner, consider us your top choice and visit our official website for more information.

#auto cosmetics #cosmetic auto repair near me #best auto body shop #window tinting tysons corner #3m paint protection film #reconditioning services #window tinting near me #best auto body shop near me

[stefansenhorne40]

Get The Right Home Security System With These TipsWhether you've just bought a home, built a home, or have been in your home for quite some time, you have thought about home security. Have you taken any action? It's time to read about home security systems so that you can make the right decision for you and your family.<br/><br/>When choosing a security company, it is best if you find a good one that has a local office in your area. This will mean that any incidents will be handled expediently, and it also makes for much better customer service in general. Look to see what is available in your area.<br/><br/>At the end of the night, close the drapes and blinds to your home. In addition to giving you more privacy, this blocks the valuable items in your house from view. Keeping your blinds open only serves as an open invitation to anyone who wants to take something from your house.<br/><br/>Make sure that your home security system has a backup power source. Many burglars cut wires inside home security systems before entering a home. If you have a backup source, the alarm will continue to work as it should. It may be more expensive to install this type of system, but it will be worth it.<br/><br/>Store your car in the garage if you have it. If your car is in your garage there is less of a chance to vandalize or steal it. When your car is hidden, it will be hard for intruders to tell if you are home or not.<br/><br/>Check the street address at the end of your block to make sure that it is noticeable in the event of an emergency. If you see that it looks illegible, call your town center to see if you can get a new sign for your street. This is crucial as firefighters or police cars will need to get to your house immediately in an emergency.<br/><br/>Add lights to your lawn. You don't need crazy bright spotlights to keep thieves away. All you need is some decent general lighting that makes your property just a little less appealing to criminals than homes that offer a lot more cover. You can even use lights on timers to help save on the overall electricity bill while still helping to keep you safe.<br/><br/>Never open the door if you are not expecting company. Always look first, whether it is through a peephole or through a window. If you don't know the person at the door, and you feel uncomfortable, just don't answer it. If it is someone important, they can always come back or call you on the phone.<br/><br/>Make sure you have several flashlights that are charged and ready to go in the event of a power outage. Having these in an easy to find place will allow you to see in the dark much quicker. Make sure each member of your family knows where the flashlights are and how to operate them.<br/><br/>If you live in a building that has a secured door, do not allow anyone into the building that you don't know. Many people will hang around and pretend to be a resident or someone else that should be there, so be very careful. If <a href="http://www.laba688.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=2813714">security alarms auckland</a> do not recognize the person, let them know that you cannot let them in.<br/><br/>Never leave a note on your door for deliverymen or service people as it is a big flag announcing that you're not home. Instead, call the company and let them know whatever it is you need to tell them. Not having your home robbed is worth the extra effort it takes.<br/><br/>If you would like a home security system, but cannot afford the expensive installation and monthly fees, you have another option. You can purchase a wireless DIY home alarm that has most of the features you desire for less than $200.00. In addition, there are no monthly fees and the system is portable.<br/><br/>Now you know your options, and you can better make a decision regarding home security. If you use the tips and tricks that have been given to you, then you are going to be well on your way to enjoying peace of mind. Put the safety of your family first.