#(checks canvas data)

[coyotemaximum]

"self-sacrifice champion 2022" is still the funniest joke i've ever made, i gotta redraw that with my current human designs so you all can see it

[atthebell]

i hate these kinds of posts (bc no one ever includes links and there's usually paragraphs of useless fearmongering) but heads up that pinterest changed some of their TOS and privacy policy shit and they now auto-opt you in for letting them train generative ai off your data. go to Settings -> Privacy and data and scroll down to GenAI to turn it off (same on desktop & mobile; for the former, settings are now accessible in the bottom left corner). i also recommend turning off all the ads personalization options, which i believe are also automatically checked.

they might've already been doing this for a bit, i know the canvas thing isn't new, but this is the first time they actually updated the privacy policy about it (that i've seen) and that i found the generative ai setting, so.

[drak3n]

TATTOO ARTIST/PIERCER!CHOSO

CONTENT WARNINGS: unestablished relationship, smut, public sex, mentions of body modifications, cunnilingus, implied blowjob at the end, choso has a prince albert-, tongue- and a vertical eyebrow piercing

sena’s note: i know there’s a lot of tattoo artist choso already but i folded — anywaysss up next is my man gojo 🖤

MINI-SERIES MASTERLIST

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who was very well-known for his talent despite being so young; who was always pretty gifted with his hands and used peoples’ skin like a canvas, gracing it with the prettiest designs, simple and small, or detailed and large

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who shared a studio with a few fellow tattoo artists and piercers, but had a goal of having his own studio someday

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who had just finished a 5h back piece on his last client and walked towards the front desk to retrieve his cigarettes and take a break, just for his hooded, brown eyes to set on you

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who saw you standing next to your friend and encouraging her to hand in her data sheet for her tattoo, and who watched as your friend was immediately guided into one of the rooms by a tattoo artist, just to leave you all by yourself

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who came back from smoking minutes later to see you sitting on one of the leather seats, flipping through pages of the shop’s magazine that showed many different designs of tattoos, and also piercings

“you want to get anything done?”

nearly flinching at the cold voice sounding a couple of feet away from you, your eyes met choso’s, who was leaning against the wall, revealing fully tattooed forearms through his loose-fitted t-shirt. he looked very… unique, to say the least.

“oh, no, i’m just waiting for a friend,” you smiled kindly, “she’s getting tattooed right now. think it’ll take some time.” you felt guilty that you stared at the man like he was some kind of alien. his features were just really captivating, the plethora of tattoos peeking out from his short sleeves and from the collar leaving little to the imagination that they continued even beneath that shirt.

his eyebrow tattoo shone under the light, but when he opened his mouth, your jaw nearly dropped at the sight of a tongue piercing.

you suddenly remembered what they said about guys with tongue piercings, and felt deeply ashamed about getting such thoughts about a hot stranger.

“come,” he invited you towards the room he usually worked in, “you’ll get bored here. you’ll get a piercing on the house.” he didn’t know why he offered that. maybe, just maybe it was because he didn’t want the other piercers and tattoo artists to charm you first.

at the end of the day, you left the studio with your freshly tattooed friend and a pierced nose.

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who hoped you’d walk in again, and whose shoulders nearly slumped in disappointment upon seeing your friend coming in by herself a few days later to get her tattoo checked, without your company

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who — totally on accident — saw that the studio had been tagged in multiple stories on instagram, one of which being yours, a spontaneous picture taken of your side profile that showcased the gem he had pierced into your cute nose

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who absolutely didn’t follow you after that, just to see mere minutes later that you did, and before he could stop himself, he followed you back

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who really wasn’t the best texter, which left you wondering if you should even try and talk to him at all; whose eyes went wide in surprise when you waltzed into the studio to get your thigh tattooed weeks later

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who showed you that same day how it felt to get eaten out by someone with a tongue piercing

“c—choso… fuck— what if someone—”

your hand clamped in front of your mouth to stifle a moan threatening to force itself out when the ball of metal on choso’s wet muscle bumped against your bundle of nerves. you were seated on the couch he’d previously tatted on, both of your bare legs thrown over his shoulders as he feasted on your delicious pussy.

“let them,” he spoke gruffly into your cunt as his tattooed hands dug into the underside of your thighs. he didn’t hide the smirk displaying on his lips at the way you drooled from the sensation of his piercing coolly gliding against your wet pussy lips.

“c’mon. use your words. i’ll let you cum if you do.”

“pleasepleaseplease let me cum… please choso.”

“cute. you want to feel what the piercing on my dick feels like?”

➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who totally did make you beg on his thick dick adorned with a shiny prince albert piercing, and who couldn’t even be mad at you when you flashed him a tongue piercing you had gotten at another studio to surprise and make him see stars just like he’d done for you

[purpdrawsthings]

You'll Be Back Mr Puzzles MAP!

No this is actually real soahsodhsoshsi

Hihi everyone saw my last post hahahhhh I wasn't joking 💀

READ THE ENTIRETY OF THIS IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ‼️‼️‼️‼️

I don't want no nobody to not understand anything

Anyways, onto the details!

Wait, what's a MAP?

Ah.. I should explain that shouldn't I?

MAP stands for Multiple-Animator Project. It's basically a collaborative project made up of numerous animations by different creators!

You might have seen these before in the art fandom, if not, you're not a real artist /jk /nsrs /lh

Jokes aside, these projects tend to be fun for most creators and I'm hoping that this would bring some fun to the people joining :)

Is this begginer friendly?

Why yes it is! Regardless you're good at animation or not, you're welcome to join! Just... At least put some effort rather than being lazy?

Regardless, everyone is welcomed with open arms here! So don't be afraid ;)

What canvas size should I use?

1280x720 preferably! Just to make sure it doesn't take up too much of my data ;w;

But you can use any canvas size you'd want besides that! A box shape, or that weird YouTube short form... Nvm exclude that one but anyways, yeah any canvas size that you're comfortable with!

Is there a specific theme?

There's actually none! The map is supposed to just be a silly Mr puzzles map :3

This includes the setting and etc like- go crazy! Do a sad, fun, crazy, angry moment or something! Do what your imagination can make out of that song using Puzzles ^^

Is it okay if I can't remove my animating apps watermark?

It's completely fine if you can't remove it! Don't worry you're not the only broke one here ;)

Am I allowed to put my watermark?

Yes! You're incouraged to add in your watermark so people know it's your part!

Dw, if you don't have one them I'll just put your name while I'm editing the entire thing :)

Can I include my OCS or my Mr puzzles design?

Yes you can! You can also change your Puzzles aus whenever you'd like.

E.g my Showman Puzzles on part 1 and my Puzzles kinsona on part 2

It's just an example! If you're adding ocs, it's good! But the animation should primarily focused on Puzzles! He can interact with other characters but it's mostly just him. Oh and if you're wondering, it doesn't have to be SMG4 OCS :)

How many parts can I take?

Hey hey don't be greedy /hj

2 parts! I want everybody to take their chances and do some cool stuff :D

Where should I ask for parts or send submissions at?

In the discord server I made! The link will be at the end of the post. I know I just replied to some in this blog and they got their parts, I will NOT be accepting any ask parts OUTSIDE of the server.

The same goes with submissions/finished parts, please do send it in discord.

Why is this? This is because I want everything to be easier for me so I could manage stuff. I get frustrated very easily so yeah 😭

Is there a deadline?

Well uh- I'm not sure! But it's probably going to be planned on the June or July, somewhere in the middle of the year. Though I will be making sure nobody feels rushed for their sake

Have you ever host a MAP before?

Wait where tf did that one come from-

No I haven't unfortunately, this is my first one! I've always wanted to make a MAP because of how cool the idea itself is.

Now that that's done, here are the parts! As time progresses a and people enter, I'll fill them up :3

Intro : me

1. @e-v-e-l-l-e

2. @rainbowrocketraichu

3. Entity-lol

4. @lari-the-dragon

5. @rat-n-atty

6. @madhalo

7. @mrtophat518

8. @fenicearts420

9. @cosmicoreo9

10. Entity-lol

11. @niranutcake

12. @madhalo

13. Me

14. @alex-dolmatescu2-0

15. @libbytwq

16. @alex-dolmatescu2-0

17. @rr3d2y

18. Me

19. @niranutcake

20. Rainbowrocketraichu

21. @messydoodlesyt

22. @messydoodlesyt

23. @icedbeverageenjoyer

24. @mrtophat518

Outro : me

Last but not least.. Please do enter your submissions in the discord server below this sentence :D

You can post your part outside the server if you want but I'm only taking the ones submitted in the server itself :)

Andddd that's about all! You can ask questions here and in the server. Yeetus chat!

[mcyt-fic-swap]

Interest check

So, another interest check for data! Please fill out the following form if you are interested in participating, and the pinned post for information! If you have any questions, feel free to send an ask!

For slight clarification in case anyone may be confused, there may be two types of mixed groups.

One is for people who are both artists and writers, and you'll have both art and fics circling around in your group.

The other is collage/web weave style, where a writer can add a little to a canvas, then an artist can add, etc! [If you are still not sure what this is, please look up a collage/web weave!]

Interest check will close at 21:30/9:30pm UTC on May 5th!

[moanologue]

Say It Again

Chapter 3 - Bribed Detective

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Rating: Mature

Category: M/M

Fandom: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)

Relationship: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Saturday mornings used to be my sanctuary. No calls, no cases, just me and a strong coffee, savoring a few hours where the world could wait. So when Steve McGarrett buzzes my door at 7:45 AM, holding two iced coffees and a bag of musubi, I open it in my boxers, one eyebrow raised, already knowing what’s coming.

“Really, Steve? Before eight?” I say, leaning against the doorframe, my voice more amused than annoyed. Five years of this guy, and I’ve learned his playbook.

“Breakfast,” he says, slipping past me with that grin that’s equal parts charm and trouble. He’s halfway to my kitchen before I can blink.

“Breakfast doesn’t mean you get to invade my space,” I call after him, shutting the door. But I’m already trailing him, my bare feet slapping the floor, curiosity winning over my fake protest.

He’s at my kitchen table, unpacking the bag like he’s done it a hundred times. I drop into a chair, eyeing the iced coffee he slides my way. “We working?”

“Nope,” he says, popping open a musubi container, the smell of spam and rice filling the room. He’s too awake for this hour, but that’s Steve, always on.

“Then what’s this about?” I ask, taking a sip of the coffee. The cold jolt wakes me up, and I tilt my head, waiting for the pitch.

“Thought we could do something. Hike, maybe surf.” He leans back, looking way too comfortable in my kitchen, like he’s got a lease on the place.

I snort, setting the coffee down. “You thought? What, I don’t get a vote?”

“You vote by showing up, Danno,” he says, winking. “Sun’s up, waves are good. You in or what?”

I roll my eyes and grab a musubi, biting into it. It’s good, too good, and I hate how he nails my taste every time. “Fine, but only because you brought food. Don’t think this means I’m signing up for your Navy SEAL boot camp.”

So by 9:00, we’re on some trail he knows like the back of his hand, not quite a mountain but steep enough to make me question my life choices. Steve moves like he was born out here, all smooth strides and zero hesitation, while I’m mostly keeping pace grumbling under my breath for effect. The humidity’s sticking my shirt to my back, but the view’s worth it: cliffs, green canopy, ocean sparkling in the distance.

“You alive back there, Danno?” Steve calls, glancing over his shoulder, that half-smirk telling me he knows I’m fine.

“Stop with the Danno,” I shoot back and smirking too. I pause to catch my breath, leaning against a rock, sipping from my water bottle. He slows up ahead, not pushing me to hurry, just waiting.

When I catch up, he’s leaning against a tree, looking out at the view. “Not bad, right?” he says, nodding toward the ocean.

I shrug, wiping sweat from my brow. “I’ve seen better. Jersey Shore’s got its charms.”

He snorts, shaking his head. “Keep telling yourself that.”

We fall into step, the trail leveling out. It’s quiet for a bit, just the crunch of dirt and the hum of the island around us. I don’t say it, but these moments - him not pushing, me not complaining - they’re why I don’t kick him out when he shows up at my door.

At HQ, we’re pulled into a robbery case. High-end neighborhood, clean break-in, no suspects. It’s routine: canvas the area, check footage, dig through reports. I’m at my desk, pulling vehicle traffic data, when Steve leans over, pointing at a camera feed on my screen.

“Try this one,” he says, his arm brushing mine.

I nod, already clicking into it. “Good call. I was getting there.”

He steps back, hands in his pockets. “Let me know what you find.” He heads to his desk, and I shake my head, a faint smile tugging at my lips. He’s always nudging, but I’ve learned to roll with it. Doesn’t mean I won’t do things my way.

Across the room, Kono’s perched on Chin’s desk, scrolling through her tablet. “You two playing nice today?” she teases, glancing up.

“Always,” I say, leaning back in my chair. “Unlike some people who hog desk space.”

She laughs, tossing her hair. “Chin doesn’t mind. Right, cuz?”

Chin looks up, deadpan. “I’m just trying to work here.”

Lou, sprawled at his desk, chimes in. “McGarrett, you bring anybody else breakfast, or is Danny the only one getting VIP treatment?”

Steve doesn’t look up from his screen. “Danny’s the only one who needs bribing.”

“Bribing?” I scoff, pointing at him. “You’re the one who can’t function without me.”

“Keep dreaming, Williams,” Steve says, but he’s grinning, and the team laughs, the room settling into its usual rhythm.

Kono slides off Chin’s desk, walking over. “What’s the deal with this robbery? Anything good?”

I sigh, rubbing my eyes. “Just rich folks missing their shiny toys. No prints, no witnesses. You want to pull neighbor’s security feeds? Might catch a repeat vehicle.”

“On it,” she says, heading back to her desk. Chin calls out, “Steve, you got those traffic logs?”

“Almost,” Steve replies. I glance over, catching the way he’s hunched over his keyboard, like the case is personal. I don’t ask why. Not my style.

At lunch, I suggest we split up to cover more ground. “I’ll take south,” I say, grabbing my keys, already moving.

“North it is,” Steve says, following me out. There’s a beat where he hesitates, like he wants to say something, but he just nods and heads off.

Two hours later, we regroup, and I find traffic logs on my desk for my sector and his. I raise an eyebrow holding up the stack. “You did my homework?”

“Just helping out,” he says, leaning against the wall, casual as ever.

I shake my head, flipping through the logs. “Appreciated, but I had it. Next time, let me pull my own weight.”

He nods, no argument. “Fair enough.”

Kono walks by, sensing the vibe. “You two good, or do I need to stage an intervention?”

“We’re golden,” I say, waving her off. She smirks, heading to the break room.

Back at the office, I notice Steve’s fancy pen on my desk again. I toss it back to his drawer, grabbing my cheap one that clicks too loud. He glances up, smirking but saying nothing. When I step out for a bathroom break, I come back to a printed case report on my desk. His margins, his spacing, his pen on top.

I laugh under my breath, picking up the pen. “You’re relentless,” I say, loud enough for him to hear.

“Efficient,” he corrects, not looking up.

I rewrite the last page with my pen, just to make a point, but I’m not mad. It’s Steve. He’s always been like this, and I’ve learned to pick my battles.

Chin, catching the exchange, shakes his head. “You two are something else.”

Lou leans over. “They’re like brothers. Always gotta one-up each other.”

“Brothers?” I say, raising an eyebrow. “I’m the responsible one, then.”

“Sure you are,” Steve mutters, and the room laughs again.

That night, we’re at Steve’s lanai, the usual post-case ritual. He hands me an open beer, and we sit, the ocean’s rhythm cutting through the silence. It’s comfortable, familiar.

After a while, he speaks, voice low. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I say, meaning it. “Just navigating your chaos, as usual.”

He chuckles, but there’s a question in his eyes. “You’ve been… pushing back more lately.”

I turn to him, considering. “Not pushing back. Just doing things my way. We’re partners, Steve. Not leader and follower.”

He nods, slow, like he’s turning it over. “I know. Just want us to keep syncing up.”

“We do,” I say, clinking my bottle against his. “Most of the time.”

Kono’s voice cuts through from the driveway. “Hope you’re sharing those beers!”

“Get your own!” Steve calls back, grinning. Kono, Chin, and Lou appear, six-pack in hand, settling into the lanai like it’s their second home.

“Crashing the party?” I ask, leaning back.

“Saving it,” Kono says, tossing Steve a beer. “You two looked like you needed backup.”

“From what?” Steve asks, amused.

“From brooding,” Lou says, cracking open a beer. “You’re both too serious tonight.”

Chin raises his bottle. “To the team. Keeping it real.”

We all clink, the night easing into laughter and stories: Kono’s surf wins, Chin’s tech obsession, Lou’s kid’s soccer drama. Steve’s watching me, just for a second, and I meet his gaze. We’re good. And after five years, that’s enough.

[determunition]

INSCRYPTOBER 2024 is here! the annual art/writing-based inscryption event for the fandom to get creative and share cool art and writing for the spooky season!

as usual, we have one theme per week, and thanks to the way october is structured this year, we have five whole weeks of themes! and of course, there's no lower limit on participation: i’ll likely be doing one or two art pieces a week, and you all can choose to participate as much or as little as you’d like depending on your own schedules and creative stamina! this event is for fun, not stress ^^

thanks to the scrybruary and more discord server for helping me nail down the themes this year! if you'd like to join the server you can do so right here, it's a chill spot for sharing art and fandom discussion; though of course you don't have to join to partake in this event!

if you're new to the event, i highly recommend checking out the #inscryptober tag to see what other folks have come up with in recent years, and to see the themes we've had previously! i'm excited to see what everyone comes up with this year :D happy inscrybing!

my descriptions for the themes got a bit long this time, so if you'd like any guidance or inspiration for these themes you can find all that along with the plain text under the cut!

INSCRYPTOBER 2024

Week 1: Oct 1-5

Transformation

Between the changes undergone by the Disk’s characters to suit each takeover and the manner in which Inscryption itself has altered those unfortunate enough to encounter it, this first theme has quite a few spooky avenues to take! Let your canvas be bathed in the light of the full moon however you see fit…

Week 2: Oct 6-12

Elements

Blood and bone, energy and mox…the world of Inscryption has an unconventional array of core elements that make up its cards and residents! And considering that deep beneath the surface, each of those elements are mere lines of code and digital data…it’s entirely up to you how deeply you’d like to explore those elements.

Week 3: Oct 13-19

Out of Bounds

Inscryption’s disk has many characters, sequences, and secrets that were never meant to be seen…or were simply never completed. This is the week to poke around those dark corners and catalogue whatever horrors and oddities make themselves known.

Week 4: Oct 20-26

Transcendence

Named for the grand design of the Scrybe of Technology, but it could refer to any of the Scrybe’s varying ideal forms (or lack thereof) for the game of Inscryption. And, of course, it would be remiss to mention the possibility of transcending the digital realm itself.

Week 5: Oct 27-31

Masquerade

As always, Inscryptober’s final week is themed for the season! This is the week to dress Inscryption’s characters in spooky regalia and eerie accessories…or merely to make use of the game’s existing ties to elaborate masks and sinister guises! 

Special note: Inscryption's anniversary is on the 19th!

[the-californicationist]

Hello hello! I got super happy once i saw your requests open again <3 i love your writing and i would love to see Price and a reader who is too recluse and uptight, cold and distanced. He somehow noticed she likes him and stuff and it turns into what you write best, something hot and more. Basically Price shaking some sense into her, breaking her down? I don’t know if this is too much detail and I don’t know if it gives any ideas. Feel free to ignore. Love you, have a best day 🧡

Thanks so much for the ask! This is really unique, and I like the concept. I'll do my best! <3 <3

TW: female reader, afab, cunnilingus

Price scanned the meeting room as his teams filed in. The 141's operations had grown, now that Shepherd was out of the way, and new recruits with a lot of promise had come in to aid in the operations. Gaz, Ghost, and Soap sat up front, reports prepped and ready to be handed out, the logistics team sat around Alex and Farah, and sometimes, when she wasn't out doing the dirty work, Laswell would hang around the back corner, arms crossed, watching the meeting unfold. But, he was waiting for you.

You were the newest addition. Your specialty with data analysis and reporting had meant a stream of fresh, sparkling intel that was immediately actionable and nearly allowed him to predict the enemy's movements. You were a magician, and you never talked over anyone's head. Very professional, but kind. Beautiful, even though you were not a fresh-faced youth.

You also had a body that would not let him rest. He'd taken more cold showers in the past two weeks than he ever took as a teenager, and his cock was in his hand, hard and drooling, hungry to bury itself between your thick thighs.

He tried not to stare, really, he did. But, you would wear those cargo pants, belted to your waist, and he could see where your generous ass stretched the tight canvas. The way your hips swayed when you walked across the base with your data-tablet made him want to fight someone for you, even though, as far as he could tell, there was no competition in sight.

That was part of the problem. You kept everyone at arm's reach. Well, that was about to change.

Price started the meeting and tried not to keep glancing back to you in your seat. You were listening diligently, doing your job, and he felt downright lecherous at what he was about to do...

"...and so we'll be pairing off for a full facility inventory."

Groans resonated throughout the team. Complaints flooded in.

"Check the board for your partner and meet in Hanger 3. We'll start in the back storage."

"Back storage! Cap'n, unless you're lookin' for flip phones and manuals from 2007, there's nothin' we need in there," Soap protested.

"Well, Sergeant," Price grinned, "We're about to find out. Spring cleaning!"

He felt someone's presence behind him, and when he turned, he was delighted to find you there, shifting from foot to foot, waiting to be heard.

"Yes, Corporal? Do you need something? Going to whinge about the inventory as well?" He joked with you.

"N-no. No, sir. I just... I checked the board, and you are my partner, sir."

Your eyes were wide and bright. You were staring up at him and clutching that data-tablet to your chest like a shield.

He threw an arm around your shoulder and walked with you side-by-side,

"I'm just pullin' your leg, Corporal. Let's get to it."

As you worked together, the ever-observant John Price noticed a few things. First, you would stare at him when you thought he wasn't looking. Second, you would move to the opposite side of the room to work if he decided to relocate. And third, you had a bad habit of chewing on your bottom lip when you got nervous.

"You'd be no good at poker, Corporal," he commented, stacking a set of boxes near you.

"What, sir?" You looked up at him, biting that poor, innocent lip again.

"That bottom lip gives you away," you fixed it as soon as he said it, but he forced you to sit with him and asked you, "Hey, what's going on? You're doing a great job here, but I can't help but feel like you're not keen on being a part of this team."

You shook your head, sighing,

"No, sir. It's not that. I love this team... I just..."

"Just what, Corporal? We're not leaving this storage crate until you tell me. You have a crush on one of my soldiers, or what?"

Fear, now. He could see it all over your face. He reached out tentatively and put a hand on your knee,

"Hey," he dropped his voice to a dark whisper, "It's alright. I won't tell anyone."

Your voice was so small when you answered him, but gods you were brave for answering him,

"Sir... it's you who I shouldn't tell."

Price's breath caught in his chest. All this nervous energy, all this seriousness... for him? You were nervous to be around him?

"Corporal..." He was stunned.

You stood up, quick as a flash,

"I'm sorry, sir. Please forget I said anything."

You were backing away towards the door, looking like you were ready to bolt, but he reached out and grabbed your wrist, stopping you.

"Me?" He stood above you, his body looming, covering you in the small storage room. It felt like it was getting smaller by the second.

You swallowed, nodding,

"Yes, sir..."

Price reached behind you and popped the metal lock into place, sealing you in,

"Mmm... Corporal, if you only knew how long I've been prayin' you'd say that to me."

"Wh-what? Really? Captain, I didn't --"

He put his thumb on your chin, pulling the skin so that your bottom lip would be freed from your teeth, and he bent to suck it into his mouth. He wasn't kissing you so much as he was working your full, lower lip, slowly and gently, taking it between his own lips and tongue, making you catch your breath.

"In here... I'm not your captain," he smiled, kissing you fully now, "And when I'm not your captain... you give the orders. We can stop, if you want to stop."

He let the news register, showing you how true it was, backing away a bit, giving you room to say no. Price watched your face as the information sank in. It was understood, analyzed, and filed appropriately in that beautiful brain of yours, and then, the results.

You set your tablet down on the boxes and took off your shirt. He still hadn't touched you, happy to let you drive. You pulled his face to yours, placing your hands on his furry cheeks, petting his hair and knocking off his hat until it hung around his neck on its string, almost letting him kiss you, but just before he could, you whispered into his open, gaping mouth,

"I don't wanna stop."

He kissed you, then. So softly it was almost chaste. He matched your energy. If you explored him with your tongue, he explored you just as far. If you spent time kissing his jaw and neck, so did he. After a few minutes of such restrained torture, though, he was breathing heavy, and his body was begging for more.

His hands rubbed across the tight muscles of your neck and down your arms before finally discovering your heavy breasts. He let them fill his warm palms, plucking softly at your nipples and making them harden beneath his fingers.

Price spoke to you as he kissed you, as he fondled you into pliant submission,

"Do you wanna stop, love?"

You shook your head, whispering back,

"I don't want to stop..."

He bent himself like the bough of a great tree, leaning to suck your sensitive nipple into his mouth. Price warmed it with his tongue, and put it between his teeth just enough to make you writhe. Then, he slid a huge hand between your legs and felt the heat you were hiding from him there. He sighed raggedly when he found it, like he had just dropped the weight of the world from his arms.

John pressed the canvas of your pants up into the spot where your folds would part, rubbing the seam against your center, making it shove your clit back and forth along its line, making it swell and tingle. You writhed beneath his teasing, moaning from it.

"Mmm. Do'ya wanna stop, love?"

"No, fuck, no. Don't stop."

He forced open your buckle with a swift pull, snapping the metal tines and popping open your button fly. Tucking his fist into the elastic of your panties, his fingers found their soft, wet prize.

The captain sighed again, that same ragged relief, and just before he opened his mouth to speak to you again, you clasped your hand over it furiously, and warned him,

"Don't you dare fucking stop."

He chuckled, but he said nothing as he sank to his knees, looping one of your legs over his shoulder as he began to eat from your body, hungry and thirsty and needy and ready to be full of you, smearing you all over his beard, smiling all the time.

If you liked this story, please consider buying a coffee for your favorite feral cat <3 Comments, reblogs, and kudos are also appreciated!

AO3 Link

[amynchan]

Computer Troubleshooting

Because I have some students who are of adult age and do not know how to troubleshoot their problems. When they get an error message, they, too, freeze as though the Great Computer Overlords have done them a personal disservice, and there is no way through. The helplessness is Real, guys.

But there is usually a way through. Computers are big input/output machines, so there's usually a way through. It's just annoying as fuck.

Step 1: Read the error message. No, I do not mean skim it. I do not mean let your eyes pass over it while you panic. I do not mean scream at the error message as it pops up repeatedly while you try the same thing over and over and over again. Sit your butt down, turn your eyes and brain on, and read it. The computer is an intricate connection of wires and hardware and software with specific parameters, and it is also a big baby that usually has the language to tell you exactly what is wrong and how to fix it. Once you read the error message, do what it tells you, and your computer should be a happy lil' clam.

Step 2: Go back and read the directions. Same thing. Sometimes, the error is "whoops, something went wrong!" In that case, find the directions on the site itself. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a student at a login page and Very Frustrated that they can't log in when the instructions on how to do so are Right Next To The Login Button. It's right there. Turn off autopilot, read the directions, and follow the directions.

Step 3: Explore the software itself/retrace your steps. More reading, but treat this like a point-and-click adventure or some kind of rudimentary detective work. Sometimes, you just missed something x amount of steps ago, or you didn't see a specific button that you needed to click. Usually happens with Canvas where students kinda forget that in order to open an assignment, you've got to go through the module itself, which may include pages that you need to look at first. =_= You can't just use the to-do list. Usually, there are directions on how to use the software properly. Find it, then follow it. See if that fixes the issue.

Step 4: Check your internet. A lot of this shit is now internet-connected. Check that you're connected. This could be that your modem power switch got hit by the cat, you haven't logged in doing what the internet service asked you to do, or you're on data and have hit a major slow down. Make sure the modem is on and powered, make sure that you've done any logging in that needs to be done, and check your data.

Step 5: Look up any error codes. Look, computers use the language that was given to them. If the coder said "present this code when you freak the fuck out" to the computer in their fancy coding language, then the computer is going to do that. Put in the elbow grease and use duckduckgo or any other search engine to figure out what the code means. Someone somewhere already wrote it down for you. Find it.

Step 6: Close the software and reopen it. Sometimes this requires opening up the task manager (ctrl+alt+delete and click 'task manager' and similar for mac), finding the software, right-clicking, and hitting 'end task.' I have to do this to discord sometimes. Kill that bitch with No Mercy, and then revive it. Sometimes, this helps without having to turn the whole thing off and then on again.

Step 7: Turn your hardware off, wait at least 10-30 seconds, and turn it on again. No, don't hit the 'restart' button. Let it die. Die, die, die, die. Then revive it. Sometimes--many times--this works.

Step 8: Call IT. This is basic troubleshooting for your computer. Lil' bit of first aid so you don't end up hopeless and without your computer when you Really Need It. If the above steps don't help, call in an expert. But make sure you follow these steps first.

Also don't wait until the last minute istg.

Also, bonus step, if you've lost a document, check the downloads folder and the recycling bin on your computer. Chances are that it's in one of those places.

Now, obviously I am talking specifically about students who are having trouble with the Learning Program/Software, but this usually works for anything else, too. I hope this is helpful to more than just the target audience.

[oneslimybastard]

A lot of people can tell AI generated art Looks Off but lack the technical terms to be able to describe why in ways that doesn't swerve back to just vibes or the lack of a ~soul~, but worry not, papa snail is here to tell u exactly what feels kinda off about AI art when you look at it:

AI knows how to render like a beast but it's severely lacking in skills when it comes to image composition. Elements present in an AI piece rarely harmonize, they are not put there as part of an intentional scene, merely collaged in to fulfill whatever prompt was put into the machine. If you prompt an AI image generator with "Mushroom fairy in a forest" the machine will search through its database to diffuse something which checks off the correct labels while looking technically impressive; but it will not add any context or interiority to the scene. Basically; nothing visualized will have a reason for existing other than to fill a quota, which makes for an uninteresting and bad illustration.

This is something that isn't unique of AI, beginner artists operate in a similar manner, since composing a compelling narrative within a scene or a character design or abstract mural or what have you is its own skill-set that you have to learn. Where AI differs is this steep skill difference that clashes against itself. A technically lacking drawing of a sparkledog on DA is internally consistent, the composition is kinda ass the linework is kinda ass the colors and shading is all kinda ass, adding up to an earnest effort that still has charm because you can tell this was made by a 13 yr old doing their best with GIMP or MS Paint, you can tell that they probably like dogs and rainbows and theorize that they will get themselves some neopronouns in like 10 years. There was probably more the artist wanted to say with the piece but they lacked the skill to communicate it any deeper than "here is my rainbow dog oc that is half angel", give them 5 years and intent will start to materialize.

Enter an AI Generated sparkledog sourced from data scraped off the internet. The rendering is detailed and beautiful and there's a background and complex lighting but none of these things still say anything more than "here is my rainbow dog oc that is half angel", that is where the clash happens. Since the technical skill is so high, we look for depth, we look for intent, we look for artistic choices but there are none present. Even if a prompter wanted the AI generator to express something more specific, the amount of re-rolls needed to get even close to what whatever that is are plentiful and will still yield something very surface-level. You can probably make the dog look sad or angry, but it's going to be difficult (if not impossible) to make the dog look divorced or gay repressed or so distraught all of their brain synapses stopped working. That is what this vague sense that AI art lacks ~soul~ is, the machine simply isn't competent in visual communication deeper than a kiddy-pool, nor do I think it can be since it doesn't have its own interiority to begin with, which is what you need to pull from to develop this skill yourself as an artist. What you like, why you like it, what it means to you, learning how to put that on a canvas is integral for a compelling illustration.

Because I will simply say it; some human people artists are also very technically good, but can't communicate for shit. Sakimichan is my go-to example for this, her art is Very Rendered, she is good at Rendering and Anatomy but to me her art is still mid since she prioritizes conventional attractiveness above all else in her pin-ups. This is allowed, of course, and it gets her the patreon moneys, get that bag, but it is also kind of just slop. A lot of glossy anime people artists have a similar thing going on, which unfortunately makes them harder to distinguish from the output of AI Generators. Mind you, I can usually tell the difference, because there's still a lot of intent that goes into these pin-up pieces (choice of lighting, what to render/fade into the background, what kind of background would be best, color, outfit, which material textures to emphasize etc. etc. etc.) that AI still doesn't have since it's only concerned with aligning with the prompts, but it's way more subtle and lots of normies can't pick up on it, I can't pick up on it either all the time.

Similar things can be said about AI Writing, AI Music and AI Graphic design, it boils down to AI Generators not having any desire nor ability to add their own input, only replicate whatever elements are shoved into their database and align it best they can with whatever prompts gets typed in; which makes for sparkly products that remain terminally mid at best. Sometimes "Mid" is what the people want unfortunately which is why Pinterest is full of AI slop —but people interested in compelling art will gravitate towards it. The first step to making compelling art is meditating on what you want out of it to begin with, a shortcut is to make shameless fetish-art catered to you and you alone because it's gonna make you confront the things that you want to hide from people, and meditate on if maybe you should start shoving it in their faces instead. The sfw version would be other visual interests or fixations that foster this sense of shame or fear of judgement. AI generally veers conventional across axises, it always looks exactly like you'd expect it to because it's composed of such a big melting pot, so if you want to carve a space out for yourself where AI can't touch you just figure out the niche specific things your heart wants, and draw that, and get really good at drawing that.

AI Art is the fast fashion of illustration, basically, it's just cyberwaste instead of landfill-fodder and I do think AI technology utilizes slightly less slave labor (key word: think), not a fully consistent analogy but it is the gist. Which I have my own more-nuanced-than-average onions on fast fashion but that's for later, or never. if i feel like it.

anyway that's why AI art usually looks wonk. cus it has noob tier compositions and concepts with advanced technical execution. the most efficient way to distinguish urself from ai is to git gud at compositions and also be cringe and free. and people who turn to AI generators would have more luck visualizing their ideas if they commissioned an artist instead of editing prompt chains until the image kinda sorta looks like what they had in mind (if you squint), or used picrew or something, if ur gonna generate AI art at least dont fuckign poooost iiit maaaaaaaan MY PINTEREST FEEEEEEEED!!!! MY DA HOME PAGE!!!!!!! RUINED!!!!!!! BY SCARY GLOSSY ANIME PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

[lady-gothique]

Royale High Outfit Icons for the Stream Deck

I've made these icons on Canva to save me some time changing my outfit in between classes using my saved outfits. Feel free to download and use them if you're like me and get immersed in the RH school life spirit while playing.

The list for the icons is as follows:

School Uniform - This can be used for various classes like Computer, Study Hall, English, Math, and detention.

Cheerleading practice - Not yet available.

Lap Pool Activities - Meaning the swim spinner and Baton Swim. The swimwear fashion show theme changes every time so you'll be better off saving a basic swim outfit that you can build upon with the given theme.

Princess Practice - Not yet in game but it won't hurt to have an outfit at the ready.

Flight Class

Mermaid class - Not yet available.

Magic Powers 101 - Not yet available.

Magic Fencing - Not yet available.

Potion Class

Basketball

Archery

Dance Studio - Not yet available.

Bubble Ball - Not yet available.

Baking Class - Not yet available.

Home Economics - Not yet available.

Student store rush - Idk, it's just fun to make a casual shopping outfit 😅

Shower

Sleepover

Workout Gym - Not yet available.

Yoga outfit - For the Stretch Lounge

Spa outfit - Spa not yet available.

Rainy day outfit - This is optional as there's no such thing as weather in Campus, but still fun to use! It can also be used for Rainy day Classroom.

Dress form - Optional but I like to keep a clean basic outfit with no accesories so it is ready when I want to create a new outfit slot.

Farming Outfit - You know the one that includes the Noslats Butterfly Set w socks, the P.E. shirt and now wings!

Sunset Island - To save and outfit with my most used Sunset Island accesories.

Seasonal - This outfit will be overwritten to match the current season.

Elemental - Outfit with your main power.

*You can save the ones you find useful for your gaming style and if you don't have a stream deck at least you can take some ideas for your saved outfits 🥰

How to set up your Outfit Hotkey on the Stream deck.

Step 1: Drag the Multi Action button to your deck, click the new action button, then click on the Content arrow

Step 2: Drag two text actions and a hotkey action from the System dropdown menu.

On the first 'System: Text' type a "/" in the Text box like shown in the image below. This will trigger to open the Roblox chat box.

Step 3: In the second "System: Text" you'll need to type: "/e saved outfit name" For example: /e schooluniform

Check on the Press Enter after message box.

This will prompt an emote attempt so it won't appear in chat to others but it will prompt the pop up window to wear that saved outfit.

Step 4: In the "System: Hotkey" button you need to click on the Hotkey box and press the "Enter/Return" key to assist the Step 3 process, so it runs smoothly. For some reason the "Press Enter after message" checkbox wasn't working on Roblox so adding this step fixes that issue.

And there you have it! Now you can set up your saved outfits to hotkeys in the Stream Deck and save a little time without having to type or remember the names of your fits! Just click YES when the pop up window appears 💗

Important Notes:

This trick seems to work only on public servers for some reason. It might be a glitch for me idk, but I do want to mention it so you are aware of this issue.

The limit of saved outfits is different for everyone, and it is influenced by how detailed your saved outfits are as they take more data space. If you want to be like me and have an outfit for different classes my advice is to use only what's necessary in that outfit. I ran into trouble due to this reason; my saved outfit limit was capped at 22 so I made a few adjustments and was able to increase the limit to 25 as of now.

Most of my fits had invisible wings so I could always use them in flight class but since I no longer need that bc having the hotkey button makes changing more quickly I removed my wings on all my fits except flight class and elemental fit.

If earrings or other accesories are not visible due to hair, sleeves, etc. take them out. Body glitter also counts. Halos too, we do not need to wear halos on every single outfit.

Combine outfit slots if necessary. In my case, I had to eliminate Home Ec. fit and decided to wear just regular uniform for that class too. We still don't have it available, so we really don't know what we'll need. I also removed the Sunset Island slot since that one always changes and now I use the dress form icon for the purpose of having a basic, bare outfit that I can build upon with the given theme.

[mustikkaotso]

If you use Pinterest, MAKE SURE THEY CANNOT USE YOUR DATA TO TRAIN AI.

Unfortunately this setting was already on for me, but you can check it's disabled by going into your SETTINGS>PRIVACY AND DATA>USE YOUR DATA TO TRAIN PINTEREST CANVAS

Make sure the setting is off, and while you're at it you can also turn off the ad tracking stuff so they can't track what you do on other websites.

[samueldays]

Plagiarist's Cant, and Plagiarists Can't.

"This was merely a single skirmish in a broader war to unravel public faith in pillars of American society."

-Claudine Gay, NYT, 2024.

That's four metaphors combined in one sentence: military, fabric, religion, architecture.

"The Ogre does what ogres can, Deeds quite impossible for Man, But one prize is beyond his reach, The Ogre cannot master Speech. About a subjugated plain, Among its desperate and slain, The Ogre stalks with hands on hips While drivel gushes from his lips."

-W.H. Auden, 1968, originally about Soviet cant.

The Gay affair (thank you English phraseology) has gotten headlines with Claudine Gay, plagiarism and antisemitism, but my interest in it is more about the entire class of people eagerly telling lies and talking cant. Lying is wrong. Cant is ogrish.

Gay lied, and the Harvard board lied to back her up, and an entire class of allegedly truth-seeking, fact-checking journalists lied some more. Several "professional" people who are well paid to be well informed were revealed as aggressively ignorant and less informed than I was after an hour with Sci-Hub and Google Scholar. I already felt cynical and jaded beforehand, and I nonetheless kept being disappointed by the sheer torrent of lies in the Gay affair.

I say "lies" because the alternative is that they are delusional imbeciles who genuinely believe that this canting midwit is a groundbreaking scholar. Look at her. Look at her and laugh.

Given a NYT column and a last word of sorts, she delivers neither competent workmanlike prose, nor literary excellence, but instead a grab bag of cant and overused metaphor and pompous self-importance.

My hope is that by stepping down I will deny demagogues the opportunity to further weaponize my presidency in their campaign to undermine the ideals animating Harvard since its founding: excellence, openness, independence, truth.

She did not bring excellence, nor openness, nor truth, and I'm skeptical about the independence. She is at best spouting cant, at worst lying again. She communicates in emotive connotations, unfitting of a Harvard scholar.

It is not lost on me that I make an ideal canvas for projecting every anxiety about the generational and demographic changes unfolding on American campuses: a Black woman selected to lead a storied institution. Someone who views diversity as a source of institutional strength and dynamism. Someone who has advocated a modern curriculum that spans from the frontier of quantum science to the long-neglected history of Asian Americans. Someone who believes that a daughter of Haitian immigrants has something to offer to the nation’s oldest university.

What a lot of blather. "Diversity" in particular is a bait-and-switch word that changes between meaning "More black people" and "Variety of opinions" depending on whether the speaker is engaged in rhetorical attack or defense. The four sentences of this paragraph could be reduced with little loss to the four words "Black. Race. Asian. Black." and in the process constitute evidence that the anxiety about changes on American campus is justified - the campus is becoming race-obsessed to the detriment of everything else. It's race-cant, similar in spirit to plagiarism, and to Orwell's complaint: "his brain is not involved as it would be if he were choosing his words for himself."

The plagiarism is not the only problem. Even the broader issue that she writes and talks sloppily is not the only problem. Her papers were bad as scientific papers. Her p-values were absurd, her statistical analysis was confounded, she dropped an inconvenient data point, she failed to distinguish correlation with causation, she asserted overly strong conclusions from tiny sample sizes processed through interpolative models, et cetera. I've got Tumblr mutuals who write better and more factful analysis.

There is nothing inherently wrong with plagiarism as such: for example engineering approaches to the same problem, studies of the same object, or entertainment in the same genre ought to be similar to one another with good reason.

Much like Van Halen's famous "remove the brown M&Ms from the bowl" contract, though, a ban on close plagiarism can serve as a simple and visible test of someone's ability to follow correct procedure. Hence the pun: plagiarists can't. Claudine Gay is a serial plagiarist who sucks at expressing herself, so she copies, and she cants.

[ilajue]

i hope the entire internet collapses and we can finally be free I'm so serious I loathe the internet I need it gone I hate ai I hate chat gpt I hate google docs I hate using the computer for everyone of my godforsaken assignments 300 to 400 word reading response make a video or a podcast or a paper if you want to write a paper you need to jump through 100 little hoops to find peer reviewed sources that are actually reviewed and accessable I hate paywalls I had the commercialization of the internet I hate capitalism I hate that I could never go to school without a computer I hate that all my data is being collected and stolen I hate that I have to use google I hate blackboard I hate canva I hate google I hate Microsoft I hate the money I hate how much money the internet produces for the greedy freaks that run our godforsaken planet I hate it I'm so so tired and I wish that I had options I wish I could just get an assignment, write it up and submit it the next day I hate you 11:59 pm deadlines I hate schoology I hate zoom I hate you zoom classes I hate that I spend so so so much money to attend college and half of it is already online why am I here I hate growing up in the transition period I hate knowing what classrooms where like before chromebooks I hate you chrome books I hate you google I'm so tired guys I want to throw the whole thing out and start over I hate you deregulation I hate you extractive industries I hate you lithuium ion mining I hate you planned obsolescence I hate phones I hate computers I hate all of it I want it gone I hate screens I hate bluelight I hate you bluelight glasses no I should not have to buy a product to fix the problem created from another product get rid of all of it I hate checking and double checking my spelling because I've been conditioned to always doubt my knowledge and why wouldn't I check its so easy the information is right there I hate that I've gotten lazy and complacent with technology I hate you Grammarly I hate you grub hub I hate you uber eats I hate you temu i hate you shein i hate you blackboard i hate you college board i hate you online standardized testing i hate you digital sat i hate you software updates i hate you censorships i hate that in the past few years the internet is so enmeshed into american culture that we dont even use money anymore i hate our dependence i hate our consumption i hate technology in places where we dont need it i hate typing i hate arthritis i hate back pain i hate migranes i hate the fact that i know it was never like this before and i hate the fact that im expected to accept it as normal now i need to throw my laptop into a volcano i need to eat my entire phone and spit it back out and smash it with a hammer and eat it again and then shit it into a volcano i hate the internet release me

[britt-kageryuu]

The guys are sitting around a large table that has a long grill through the middle, with a couple metal plates on some parts that act as griddles. The table seems to be on a rooftop somewhere, but the skyline is blocked by canvas sheets painted to look like a New York City Skyline.

The guys are all dressed in color coded shorts, their masks, and shirts with different graphics on them. Raph = an Aligator Snapping Turtle holding a barbell in its mouth wearing sweatbands, Donnie = Reboot Process Interrupted Current Mood: Murderous, Leo = a turtle covered ing glitter with a unicorn horn on its head, Mikey = I have a Psychology Degree and am Eager to Use It! (Threat).

They were having Yakiniku, with a few other things on the grills and griddles, chatting among eachother, and answering questions from the chat. On one end Mikey was experimenting with 'steam baking' a cake on the griddle.

Shelldon is flying around the area announcing the questions, while River is in stand-by/sleep mode on a box in the back charging. Shelldon is also acting as a speaker playing music as he floats around.

"So we had to send someone to grab some more ingredients, the poor new guy was so confused by the list, so I volunteered to go with him." Mikey says as he checks his experiment, "This guy apparently never went shopping in the marketplace before, and I swear he almost overpaid on ingredients, so many times. Senior Hueso gave us a budget, and I wanted to make sure we stuck to it."

Shelldon swerves around next to Donnie, "Hey Dad, TechnoTurtle, wants to know how you have so many 3D models in such a short amount of time. Got any answers Dude-Dad?"

Donnie was in the middle of eating so it took a minute for them to answer, "Well to be honest, I have planned to make numerous games with 3D models in the past, and then lost interest for various reasons. So I had all the Models saved on a spare memory bank." They pause to take a sip of their drink, "And before we get a question about the many outfits, I left some odd videogame clothes/costume data attached to the models so it's very easy to add new outfits. Think of our Models as videogame avatars instead of VTuber models. Also I don't know what programs others normally use for making VTuber models, Mandarin and I have been using a mix of my programs, and some free to use art programs."

Mikey is seen moving his cake experiment to a counter near the table to cool under a netted cube, "I may have made our original model concepts, and done some minor rigging for them, but once we discovered the mix of programming we use now, yeah definitely better for us. I may love doing art, but making models for VTubing was more complicated than I wanted to deal with." Mikey quickly grabs a few pieces of meat and veggies from the grill with tongs, "Heck, once I told everyone I designed our models, I had to emphasize on my commission page that I don't do models. But I have been making 2D, 2.5D model Assets, with a wide variety of skin tones, and even different species variants." Mikey says with some pride in his voice.

Leo was about to say something, but stopped to stare as Donnie starts to eat a sandwich, he made with grilled meats and veggies, whole. It wasn't an unusual sight for the guys, but it's been a while since he last saw Donnie do this. And that's not to mention the audience who are all very confused and concerned by this.

"I don't know why I'm surprised to see you eat like that Dee, but Wow. I forgot you could-" Leo paused for a sec, "That almost came out very wrong. And not in a way I would want to say."

Sadly some of the audience was able to pick up on the almost innuendo, thankfully they didn't mention it in chat, but they did make memes out of the clip.

Donnie looked at Leo with great offense after finishing his sandwich. "Annoyed Huff. Rude. Dear Brother, you can not fault me for my softshell instincts!" They say with a huff and crossed arms. Their tail seen whipping around behind them.

Raph just lets out a sigh with a shake of his head. "You two are always so chaotic with eachother. But you're my knucklehead brothers." He uses some custom chopsticks to flip the meat he put on the grill before eating it after a few seconds.

The stream goes on with more chatting, and eating, though after a bit of time they're joined by April, Cass, and CJ. With a note that their Dads are on vacation, to get away from some the guys chaotic antics recently.

The chaotic antics in question were not mentioned, much to the audiences great disappointment.

--------------------

Masterpost

This was at least partly my original idea for their 4th of July post, but I decided that the guys would rather just enjoy the festivities instead of streaming the entire time.

And yes Donnie is swallowing the sandwich whole. I just realized how wrong/weird it sounds to describe that hence the 'unspoken innuendo' line.

[arcane-fanfic]

"The Price of Remembering"

HexguardHeart

Chapter 8: Perfect Sync

They met again days later to process everything that had been unfolding.

The Memory Den's makeshift war room was a chaos of holograms and possibility. Vi sat cross-legged on the old ring's canvas, while Caitlyn paced between floating screens of security protocols and building schematics.

"The authentication override requires board-level access," Caitlyn muttered, manipulating data with practiced grace. "But the secondary systems..."

"Run on a separate network," Vi finished, making Caitlyn turn. "Underground cables. Old tech. Harder to hack but-"

"Also harder to monitor." Caitlyn's eyes lit up. "How did you know that?"

"Found the blueprints when we..." Vi frowned, implant buzzing. "Viktor, when did we find those?"

"Last month's server raid," he supplied from his workbench. "The one where you stopped to help that kid and nearly got us caught because you couldn't resist punching that vending machine for him."

"Hey, that thing ate his lunch money!" Vi protested with a grin. "Besides, it was a very therapeutic punch."

Caitlyn moved closer, sitting on the canvas beside her. "The authentication protocols are designed to flag any unusual memory patterns during extraction. But." She pulled up new data. "If we introduced a specific type of feedback loop..."

"It would look like routine maintenance." Vi leaned in, their shoulders brushing. "And if we time it with the weekly system purge..."

"Every memory seller could keep a copy without setting off alerts." Caitlyn turned, finding Vi's face inches from hers. "How do you understand these systems so well?"

"I don't. Not really. But I understand people. How they think. How they hide things." Vi tapped her implant. "When you can't trust your memory, you learn to read everything else."

Their eyes held. Something electric passed between them.

"Here." Caitlyn pulled up the central processing hub's layout. "This is where they store the enhancement protocols. But the security..."

"Is focused on the main entrance." Vi pointed to a maintenance shaft. "They never watch the small things. Too busy guarding the front door to check the windows."

"And I have access to the quarterly maintenance schedule." Caitlyn's fingers danced through data. "We could..."

"Slip in during shift change." Vi nodded. "When the day crew's tired and the night crew's not fully alert."

They worked like this for hours, finishing each other's thoughts, seeing patterns the other missed. Vi knew the streets, the blind spots, the human weaknesses. Caitlyn knew the corporate architecture, the digital vulnerabilities, the procedural gaps.

"It's perfect," Ekko admitted finally, watching them work. "The princess knows exactly how they think they're protected, and Vi knows exactly how they're not. It's like watching a cop show where the cop and the criminal finish each other's-"

"Sentences?" Vi and Caitlyn said simultaneously.

"See? That's exactly what I mean!" Ekko laughed. "You two are like an old married couple, except one's a cop and the other keeps forgetting where she put her keys."

"Very funny, time boy," Vi rolled her eyes, but smiled. "At least I remember where I put my sense of humor."

Caitlyn looked up from a particularly complex security schematic. "There's just one problem. The final override needs physical authentication. Biometric. From a board member."

"Your mother," Vi said.

"My mother." Caitlyn's jaw tightened. "Who will definitely notice if I try to access her credentials."

Vi stood, offering Caitlyn her hand. "Then we don't access them. We make her give them to us."

Caitlyn took her hand, letting Vi pull her up. They stood close, energy humming between them.

"How?"

"By showing her exactly what she's afraid of losing." Vi's smile was sharp. "Her reputation. Her legacy. Her perfect daughter."

"You want me to threaten my own mother with exposure?"

"No." Vi touched Caitlyn's cheek, gentle despite her fading memories. "I want you to offer her a choice. The same choice she never gave any of us."

Caitlyn leaned into the touch. "The data crystal. The evidence."

"All of it. Released to every news outlet, every regulatory board, every competitor."

"Unless?"

"Unless she helps us make it right."

Their faces were very close now, plans and possibilities spinning around them in glowing light.

"It could work but she’ll hate me," Caitlyn whispered.

"It will work." Vi's voice was certain. "Because you'll remember the plan even when I can't. And I'll remember why it matters even when you doubt."

Caitlyn's hand found Vi's face, mirroring her touch. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Trust so completely? Even knowing you'll forget?"

Vi smiled, soft and real. "Some things you don't need to remember to know. Like how terrible Ekko's jokes are, or how Viktor secretly names all his machines."

"I do not!" Viktor protested from his corner.

"Really? So that's not Margaret the Memory Scanner over there?" Vi teased, making Caitlyn laugh despite the tension.