#I still shared the notion link but it isn't working

[ramayantika]

She's my roommate and if she were absent for days or were having a medical problem, I would have gladly sent the answers to her and helped her

But the thing is nobody is sick and she has attended all the classes. I made my notes in question answer form, sat hours on the laptop to make flashcards and mock questions for practice and even answered it. Now she wants them all because I am done with all the material.

Like it would actually just take the same time as me to make your own answers instead of copying it of me. If I wouldn't have done it, she wouldn't have bothered with me at all for it.

The thing is I feel annoyed when people do, because I sacrifice outings and many social activities just so I can study, and prepare for classes because I have dance classes and practice to attend too

And then see another person who will spend classes talking to every other person, getting up late etc. She studies yes and can even score better than me sure.

But I hate to see my hardwork be used when you were in perfect health and were present all the time, but chose to spend the remaining time roaming around after class.

And the material is really easy, like just make answers from the damn slides.

[the-therapist-is-ace]

Hello! As promised to @rubberduckyrye, here are some of my notes I got about my social psychology class, about leadership! (And of course I thought of V3. Of course. So I'm sharing the ones that could be linked to it x)

(Please keep in mind that those datas were extracted from social experiments in real life, not a killing game tho xD)

There's four "main" types of leadership:

Authoritarian (like in the army)

Transactional (preferably one for a short period of time or objective; this one is quite literally, a transaction. You do this task, you get this reward. It's not a long-term option)

Transformative (This one is the most looked after in companies: it's one that focus on changing things for the better, helping employees too in the process, but also it's looking for long-terms solutions and practice. The one that can motivate others, and help employees with their problems)

And lastly the "let it be", a type of leadership that let the "employees" -keep in mind those experiments were done in companies' settings- do what they want and doing much about it.

First of all, it's good to know that the leadership authoritarian is less performant than the transactional, or the transformative. But it's still WAY BETTER than the "let it be"! To give a hierarchy:

"let it be" < authoritarian < transactional < transformative.

(Again, in a company's setting. But I think it would work best in a killing game too, since everyone have to collaborate for a long term objective, leaving, when there's one actual traitor in their group)

Kaede and Kokichi (because I am still talking about V3, of course!) both tried -Kaede... more or less- a transformative leadership. Which, good idea! The problem being that Kaede also took some major part of the "let it be" type as well. Asides from the Death Road of Despair, and when she asked Miu for help, she pretty much didn't let the others contribute.

Kokichi too; well he let Miu, Gonta and maybe a bit Shuichi contribute, but after the first trial there's not a lot of people willing to listen to him asides the first two I mentionned.

Angie in chapter 3, tried an authoritarian leadership. Which... works, until the authority figure isn't respected (or feared) and people start doing whatever they want again. (And the problem with her, is that she only was respected by half of the class to begin with. It was bond to fail)

And all three of them struggle with the notion to let others than their allies do the work for the group (which, in a killing game is understandable. There's a mastermind lurking around) but it doesn't help the overall cohesion, conflicts in the group happens because "it's always the same doing the things" (in a company setting anyway.)

An annoying thing too, is that once a leader is designated, all the others around are like "oh cool, they'll do all the work and I can chill" only doing things if the leader actually tell them to. In a company setting (or in a group project...) no problem. In a killing game on the other hand...

The followers have the tendency to take the values of their leader in mind when taking decisions; in a company, it's seen as a HR employee avoiding to recruit women because he knows his superior is mysogynist. In the killing game, it's seen when Kaede declare they're all friends, and despite the murders that happens, everyone claim this mentality. (Claim. Not necessary follow... *look at the murders*)

Because yes, having people with differents values/goals (i.e: the mastermind working against them) obviously doesn't help the group.

And then, interestings things are seen.

It has been shown in the experiments, that the one stepping up to be the leader, isn't always the most qualified for the job.

Not only that, but people that chose their leader doesn't necessary makes the right choice, and prefer to have someone they like in charge, they are biased.

Looks familiar to anyone?

And now the most fascinating thing:

If no real leader (recognized, followed by everyone or the biggest majority and most importantly: DOING A GOOD JOB) is there, that's when a scapegoat is "designed".

You know, the one that everyone claim to be the source of all problems (the "villain") the one that get ignored (even when they are BLEEDING) the one that can get all their hard work for the group overlooked, even when said-work help to end the crisis? (AKA, the killing game?)

Hm, wonder who that is in V3!

On a lighter note, homor is a great idea in leadership. Studies showed that a joking leader eased the tensions in the group, and help motivate people to go forwards.

Hm, wonder who could try to make jokes to ease the tension...

[animehouse-moe]

Link Click Season 2 Episode 4: Let It Unfold

As we enter into the heart of this season in terms of story, the opening of this episode does struggle a little bit with some all-too-convenient exposition about Qian Jin, which thankfully the latter half makes you forget all about. Potentially a bit of rough writing to give viewers information, as we slip into the past we shed those struggles and present a more expected but refreshingly different plot line. Certainly still a good episode, and certainly still a good bit to talk about.

So like I said, the episode itself doesn't start off incredibly strong by any means. It details all the information leading up to the current events: the phone missing, the picture Lu Guang has, Qian Jin's past, and so on and so forth. I don't think it's explicitly bad, but it feels like rushed writing for the story. A big old exposition dump from multiple parties, it feels like. Personally, I definitely believe they could have done a better job with conveying the information, but I also think it would take considerably more screen time to do so which is where this tradeoff stems from in the first place most likely.

Anyways, I'll just quickly expand on a few of those key details here.

Qian Jin's contact with Xixi. They're obviously aware of one another, but apparently were not working together explicitly at this moment. Qian Jin's surprised to hear that his lackey doesn't have Liu Min's phone, but isn't unaware of who's calling or shocked at the phone call when (presumably) Xixi makes contact.

Qian Jin's past. A by the books cop that gets turned sour after the death of a loved one. It's not a novel story by any means, but is clearly the foundation for some sort of interaction with Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi. It does make me wonder though if Xiao Li will play a role in talking down Qian Jin, or if Cheng Xiaoshi will take over Xiao Li himself, since he's the one who oversaw the murder case.

And the last piece: the weight of Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang's powers. Not quite exposition, but definitely the most important piece of dialogue through this front half. It continues to establish the regret and grief the pair feel over their previous forays into the past, and their hesitation and wariness of continuing with it once more. It's the natural conclusion from the first season, so I'm glad to see it referenced so heavily whenever the past arises between these characters.

Anyways, into the past we go with Cheng Xiaoshi as Xixi. I think similar to the first half there's not a world of stuff to talk about, but overall it's the much stronger and more put together sequence in the episode. The struggle of a single mother with a mute daughter is felt rather quickly through the story, and Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang are firing off piece after piece of information for the viewer to soak up.

Overall, it's a really solid sequence that teleports viewers back into the season 1 mindset as we explore experiences of the past and their regrets, challenges, and fears. Considering how well fitted it is to the overall idea of this season, I'm really curious to see how they move forward and how often we find ourselves diving back in time.

Regardless of my thoughts though, as I just said there's quite a bit of info here and there to take in, so let me highlight it really quickly.

We'll start off with this interesting notion. By pulse alone, the doctor could tell something was different with Xixi. This itself means that when Cheng Xiaoshi takes over the body of a person, they exert physical changes to some degree. Arguably only temporary changes, but a stronger pulse and physical capabilities were shown here specifically.

It's also just funny because Cheng Xiaoshi was worried about this specifically.

Next up is the eyes of the mother. This one makes things more complicated, as she shares the same eye color (but not pupil shape) with Lu Guang. Equally as interesting is the fact that Xixi's original eye color (that reddish-pink) does not come from her mother, but presumably her father? Considering that, is it possible that Xixi's father is the source of Lu Guang's abilities, and that the father (who has Xixi's eye color) is the one chasing Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang? That presents the question though of why a father would attempt to kill his own son, which is the right kind of dramatic for Link Click, if not a bit of a stretch.

Next up is our first callback to the opening, our stuffed animal. I know it doesn't look exactly alike the 3D one because of the style, but if you pay attention the design on the ears is the same. A rounded triangle on one, and a star on the other.

This indicates to viewers both the number of pasts we visit in this season, and also the order of them. We've started with the stuffed animal, will move onto the gun, and finish with the diary. Now, I'm unsure of who the diary may belong to, but I'm somewhat confident that the gun story will be related to Qian Jin who's past we learnt of today.

The next piece is this curious question: the deceased owner of a phone that was texted information about Qiao Ling. The name is Liu Lan, which has the same surname is Liu Min. Are they actually related? Is Liu Min the real brother of Xixi? It raises an incredible interesting question of just how things came to be, and if it actually is Liu Min that's Xixi's brother, or if there's any relation to Lu Guang. Incredibly curious detail to reveal, that I'm very interested to learn more about.

And last but not least, Cheng Xiaoshi's realization. Is it Liu Min's father that touches Xixi's mother on the shoulder? Or is it someone else that Cheng Xiaoshi would recognize? Whoever it is, their expression relays the notion to the viewer that Cheng Xiaoshi knows the person that's in front of them at this moment.

From here, we end the episode with (presumably) Xixi waiting for Cheng Xiaoshi to discuss things with him. Are they planning on airing out all of the pasts to provide a reversal of events? Knowing the past they now aim for the future? It's an interesting question to pose, but without knowing what it is that (presumably) Xixi wants to tell Cheng Xiaoshi, it's hard to say for sure what direction we'll be moving in with the next episode.

Building a mystery atop several smaller mysteries, all the while taking into account timelines and order of events can be challenging. So far though, Link Click S2 seems to have a pretty confident read on how it wants things to go down. At times it might be a little too literal with how it hands out information, but at its core it still aims for the heart like season 1 did, which leaves me very hopeful for how things go as we continue on here. Very much looking forward to the next episode.

[genericpuff]

I have a question....So I like doing art and drawing comics. I usually go for a dreamy fantasy vibe like Lore Olympus did. But I want to try a new different style, I usually go for Watercolor brushes when doing my usually style but started using Oil brushes.

Can I have some advice on changing art styles and body details.

This is where I fully support the saying "good artists copy, great artists steal", because the whole notion of 'style' is just mileage + referencing. So really, if you're wanting to try out other styles and mediums, go find artists you like who work in that style and reference them! Do studies of them! Redline their JPG's! Experiment with brushes and see which ones get the closest! Analyze their work and reverse engineer it until it makes sense!

(of course, this is all for educational purposes, so don't go literally stealing any artist's work, if you do share anything that you've experimented on be sure to credit the original artist and link to their socials or something to pay it forward <3)

With LO, a lot of how I've studied Rachel's style (and I still do because man it's hard to nail) is literally just by taking old LO panels that I like and redrawing them. Whether it involves ground up "drawing what I see" or tracing (yes, I said tracing, it's completely fine if it's for learning!!), whatever gets the piece close enough that I'm happy with it. And then from there, I refine the process - if I did a lot of dumb little steps during the experimenting phase, then I do it again and again and again until I figure out what steps can be skipped and which ones can be kept. I was actually just doing this today earlier at work because I'm STILL trying to get Rekindled closer to that S1 LO look. There's nothing even really wrong with the art in Rekindled, I like it a lot, but I'm still far from my original goal. So I study, and I study more.

Also - and this isn't something that's always going to be doable but I suggest you try it - if you're working digitally, one thing that I find helps a lot with learning an artist's process underneath the final project is finding artists who sell their PSD/CSP/art files and brushes. Some artists do and it's so helpful for pulling back the curtain and seeing what they're really doing underneath that final result. There's a lot of great info you can get just by picking things apart and making a mess. Of course, that's only applicable to artists that sell their files, and they're for studying ONLY, for obvious reasons, but it's a great way to support those artists. Some artists I've gotten PSD's from include wlop and sakimichan!

I hope that helps!! Basically, just don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and always be on the lookout for what you can learn from the art you consume :)

[deathswcrn]

so a few people have been asking about my thread tracker, since it's relatively custom built and a lot of folk seem to like it. i'm gauging interest on how much people would like me to build a freely-shared version they can copy and use themselves

some features it has that I built and use regularly

full character sheets, fit for multimuses and single-muses

(i'm super proud of those sheets because they contain a bunch of neat timesaving interlinking - once you link your main character sheet to a 'verse specific character sheet, a BUNCH of info gets instantly carried over. so you'll only enter info that won't change 'verse to 'verse like a character's parents once, and you can change it across every sheet at once, too)

character sheets that support pinterest and spotify embeds for the characters i have boards/playlists for.

partner tracker (no more changing the url on fifty different threads when your partner does lmao)

verse-tracker (refer back to the bit about linkage to character sheets)

thread tracker (UNfortunately not as in-depth as rpthreadtracker, it can't detect when someone's replied, but it can do things like track starters and asks and prompt you to check whether a thread HAS a reply yet on a customisable schedule. but i know notion has an API so i'm considering my options if people really like this. i still find this better than rptt but ymmv.)

to-do list linked to thread tracker (this is the big one that's gonna be a FUCKER to recreate because rn it's attached to MY to do list for everything in my life lmfaooo)

not built yet BUT interest tracker! which i found out TODAY is going to be possible :D

a bunch of customisation thanks to it being built in Notion

all of it is in one place.

this isn't something I built but Notion has a webclipper extension for firefox that I use to quickly put threads and thread to-do lists into the database, so if the RPTT extension is a necessary part of your set-up, fear not.

the only thing i'm waiting for at the moment is for the next notion update to hit me. this is because it has a bunch of features i want to build with. it should be rolled out sometime today or tomorrow i believe? but it's coming. and again: if people like the idea of this i will keep working on it to release

[britanniabay]

For those of you following One Night on Britannia on AO3, all I'll say is today is February 13th!!

In our glorious alternate universe, we all know what happened 41 years ago tonight! 😉🫠

In honor of such event, I decided to wear my "Feelin' Festive" shirt and a pair of double heart earrings to work today. Call me crazy, but I can't help it.

I also wanted to say many thanks to all of your wonderful comments. I am always hesitant about posting any of my writings, but many of you have surprised me that you've continued to read, comment and support my crazy notion! I apologize to @grandmaster-anne and @thiziri for also inciting waves of tears! This story isn't yet finished, as I'm still writing, but I'm also mulling over a few new ideas.

Have a great day! Enjoy February 13th in the alternate universe, and if you're lost reading this, here's a link to the "fannefiction"

Above is a photo from Cheltenham in 1993. This was referenced in one of the latest chapters. Again, folks, alternate universe. Live a little, laugh a lot, and share the love!

[kiefbowl]

https://www.tumblr.com/imanes/181546472260/httpswwwtumblrcomdashboardblogluckystrabis?source=share

would you analyze this queen

>bc that one post about attachment to womanhood is still hurting people’s feelings, let’s keep talking about it.

There is a link they have at the top of this post that doesn't work for me, but otherwise I'm not sure what post they're talking about. So that might have some missing context. I also want to point out that you sent me a reblog of the op, and the reblog is dated 2018, so this is more than 5 years ago written.

>radical feminist notions of gender socialization correctly frame it as a traumatizing process.

Now there are two ways of interpreting this: 1. they are actually talking about radical feminists or 2. they are talking vaguely about the women online who may or may not call themselves either radical feminists, radfem, or terfs who might say any number of things.

Generally speaking, the idea that radical feminists talk explicitly about "gender socialization as a traumatizing process" is a little wonky. This isn't a tenet of radical feminism specifically as I understand it. Gender socialization has garnered a lot more discussion relatively recently in more explicit terms by public self identifying radical feminists because of the concerns of transgender ideas, sometimes even developing in response to ideas set forth by transgender activists. I don't think many radical feminists would hold tight to the idea that gender socialization is traumatic to men, since men are socialized to benefit from the sex hierarchy. If it's traumatic to anyone, it's women, though the idea that being socialized into womanhood is always and totally a traumatic experience just feels a little...rote. Not truly grasping the entirety of what socialization is. But to be clear, I don't think a lot of feminists go about making this point first and foremost, but rather talk about specific ways gender socialization is traumatic to women and girls (which is in service to argue the larger point that the sex hierarchy is real and that women are a marginalized class). I doubt op is truly interested in engaging with those ideas meaningfully, despite calling radical feminists "correct" about it.

The other interpretation is, well, "I read some tumblr posts that said this." I'm sure you have. Me, too. Some really intelligent women are on tumblr and they make a lot of intelligent posts about gender and gender socialization. I also know that when you have a little insular pocket online in any community, it's easy for those people to mimic what they say to each other unthinkingly. This is not a moral judgement on my part, and I don't think it's exclusive to feminists...it's inclusive to everybody (finally something that is!! the weak human psychology!! lol). My only point is, if you want to go find someone saying things that will make you mad, you can go do that online because you can find at least one person saying the exact thing you want them to say, so you can respond to it. It becomes an outrage machine, despite not really reflecting what a group truly believes, or what most people believe, or what is meaningfully understood. I only say this to suggest perhaps this post is one of those posts that is responding to a general sentiment they have vaguely seen and not meaningfully tried to understand and have reinforced by reading posts that are just sort of nothing burger but have the right words strung together in the precise way to make op cringe or whatever.

The point is, if you want to understand what someone is saying to truly understand it, you have to ask them. So if someone posts "gender socialization is traumatic" with not much else context, that's already such a vague sentiment it would behoove you to be intellectually curious enough to ask them "what do you mean? can you expand on this so I understand it?" And if you're someone who wants to be understood, it would behoooooove you to welcome the opportunity.

If you were to ask me if I think "gender socialization is traumatic" I would say "It depends on what you mean." So we're already hitting a wall to understanding each other. Anyway...

>a contradiction arises, in that case, when they assign positive moral traits to female socialization

This is another example where I'm not going to say this doesn't happen, but this is not an understanding within radical feminism. That doesn't mean a radical feminist couldn't believe this, it just means that the texts that support radical feminist ideas are not interested in sanctifying being a woman as some de facto morality. That is a ridiculous claim and proves that op is not interested in engaging with radical feminist texts as serious scholarly works. In defense of op, they are probably young and have never had their analytical skills challenged outside of, say, high school class. It does lead me to believe this person is responding only to vaguely feminist ideas they've seen in posts that have made them mad without trying to meaningfully understand them. So, +1 to me for guessing that :)

>(and femininity by extension)

Even more factually wrong than the statement above. op cannot understand when feminists discuss womanhood, that it is not an interchangeable word with femininity. Because in op's mind, femininity is innate, whether they realize they believe that or not is no matter.

>because, much like society in general, they believe that an ideally traumatized woman is able to access moral high grounds that other people cannot.

Truly offensive and in fact betrays that this is what op believes. op believes in a connection between morality and suffering. Why do I know that? Because they interpret this from ideas that have nothing to do with morality. If someone says "women are oppressed" they have not made a moral statement about women. If anything, they've made a moral statement about men. If you read "women are oppressed" and you read "women are moral" you have made that connection.

This is also a good time to point out that if this was something they were writing for school, they would need to then support their claim with sourced quotes. It's convenient that this is tumblr where they aren't compelled to do this. Who said this? When did they say this? How many of them said this? Did they say this explicitly? Are you extrapolating? What was the context? Where was it said?

But the true interesting part is "society in general." It's so fun to see in action MRA points infiltrating supposedly quote unquote liberal/leftist gender ideas...how does society in general demonstrate seeing the traumatized woman as the most moral person? Outside of your favorite genre tv scenes you're able to recontexualize to your heart's content. When a woman kills her abuser, how likely is she to serve more time than he would have if he had been sentenced to abusing her? QUICKLY!

>“i was socialized female” becomes an admission of guaranteed prosociality, a set of traits that are only ever harmful because they are at risk of exploitation via external forces.

Even if I didn't just argue that this point is moot because the previous points are not true or supported by evidence...hwuh?? What are they saying. Does this even follow from what they've said so far. "prosocial" is a word I had to look up, and it's a psychology word meaning "intended to help or benefit another person or group." They haven't talked about this at all. Also, prosociality is not really a form of the word, "prosocial behavior" is a phrase used.

So, to rephrase: "I was socialized female" becomes an acknowledgment (by feminists) that prosocial behavior is guaranteed, a set of traits that do not causes harm but are at risk of exploitation which would then cause the traits to be harmful [editor's note: to whom?].

Again...what? (I also cut the "via external forces" because how are you at risk of exploitation via internal forces lmao).

Even if I was to do a good faith read of this, it would be like "when feminists argue that women are socialized female, they are saying that women are socialized into prosocial behaviors." Which, yeah okay...but what of it? Prosocial behaviors are good therefore women are morally good because of femininity? This is just not a thing feminists really say.

>this is why many radical feminists view trans men as safer & more politically enlightened than trans women

The religiosity of op is apparent all the way through. The talk of morality, "politically enlightened"....etc etc. Feminists aren't really interested in who is more politically "enlightened." Trans men aren't included in feminism because of how safe they are or even how politically enlightened (whatever the fuck that means) they are...it's just that they're female. They could be the nastiest most awful person in the world and they're still included. Like come on now, did someone go to bible camp when they were younger? I think someone went to bible camp when they were younger. (It wasn't me)

>- because of their proximity (imagined or otherwise) to femaleness, to daintiness, to softness and benevolence.

boring sentence

>“male socialization” is synonymous with antisociality, and becomes lobbied at trans women as a whole when individual trans women do things that radical feminists deem “unwomanly,” from having controversial political opinions to committing violent crime.

Feminists don't care about womanly-ness. I know op thinks we do, and specifically "radical feminists" because that's who they said (I haff to laff), because they see the argument that feminists have that "woman are female, and women are socialized into femininity" as saying "women are feminine, which includes being female", but anyway...let's talk about how they include in "unwomanly" committing violent crimes???!!!???!! whuahauhahah???? Is it perhaps not more sane to think that women are concerned about violent crimes men commit because of the harm they cause not that they aren't feminine behaviors???? A deeply unserious post I am regretting writing 1K about it.

>the gender socialization model becomes a way to moralize sex assignment by prescriptively linking particular experiences of trauma to particular personality outcomes.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, it's a way to describe OPPRESSION BASED ON THE AXIS OF SEX!!!! AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MORALITY OF BEING BORN FEMALE!!!! TRAUMA IS A SIGN OF MISTREATMENT HELLO??????

Here's a fun tip when analyzing the work of someone: if they start talking about the moralizing within an argument that is not about morality, they are in fact the moralizing one and do not know what they're talking about. Go ahead and disregard whatever they're saying, they don't do their homework and will never seriously try to understand anyone without bringing up morality.

>it is no longer a theoretical framework meant to honestly and meticulously analyze how children become gendered subjects.

weird online speak, why do people talk like this. how "children become gendered subjects"....okay. Well they become gendered subjects, you weirdo, by gender socialization...they thing you pointed out "radical feminists" were correct about as being traumatic? also why meticulously. again the religiosity...we must suffer through the virtue of hard work by being meticulous. I would guess that when this was written op was 16 years old, had definitely been to bible camp once, and had their own laptop that their parents didn't monitor, and are deeply afraid of being a bad person more than anything in the world (but only as judged by their peers).

>it is now used to reproduce the very gender roles that proponents of the framework claim to be against.

10 second fart noise this conclusion is not supported by your own argument. In this essay, I will talk about how women are always nice and that means feminists think women are always good. In conclusion: feminists meanie weanie actually. Yeah okay buddy.

[dye-it-rouge-et-noir]

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent and more Rogue Agents

Art of Jonathan Hunter from GoldenEye: Rogue Agent! (The game!)

A 580~ word meta revolving around Hunter and the rogue agent archetype in James Bond is under the cut! I will admit, this isn't up to par to my typical essays (no proofreading + I'm sleep-deprived), but I felt like GoldenEye: Rogue Agent deserved a meta/ramble.

The notion of a rogue agent has been implemented in the Bond franchise in a multitude of installments. This includes the titular James Bond in License to Kill and a plethora of other characters utilizing this archetype. Particularly, the 2004 EA game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent exemplifies this archetype through the main character, Jonathan Hunter. Indicative of the game's title, the player takes on Hunter's role as a rogue agent who was denoted as too brutal for MI6 by M. He works in tandem with other characters of this archetype whilst also providing a unique take on the formula.

Many characters of the rogue agent archetype within the series develop this role due to conflicts with their superiors. Placing Hunter in comparison to other characters, he shares many similar aspects that serve to establish him as this role. For example, ex-KGB operative Nikolai Diavolo from another EA game entitled Everything or Nothing, shares Hunter's quality of being overly brutal which catalyzed their status of rogue agents. Though brutality is not inherently a part of the archetype, it demonstrates one form of conflict between an agent and their superior. Despite MI6 and the KGB being different organizations, the two sharing a similar conflict demonstrates how the notion of a rogue agent is not necessarily linked to one particular group. To further elaborate, the implementation of a rogue agent in regards to MI6 utilizes the organization's familiarity to the player as a means to establish him as an imposing figure. In the case of Diavolo, the same is done to illuminate how ruthless he is in comparison to other KGB agents (like mentor [Zorin], like student) in the series. 

Moreover, Hunter particularly parallels Alec Trevelyan as an homage to the movie Goldeneye. While Trevelyan's conflict stems on a more systematic level, the two still are placed in opposition to English intelligence. Not only is the backdrop of MI6/England implemented to establish their respective characters, but they also both share a personal vendetta. In the case of Trevelyan, he was betrayed by the English government whereas Hunter personally lost his eye due to Dr. No. Similarly to the trait of brutality between Diavolo and Hunter, a grudge is not needed for the archetype but can act as an origin for it. In addition, this establishes their respective character motivations which in turn fuels the plot. 

Distinct from other rogue agents, Hunter suffers a secondary betrayal from Goldfinger due to the former's potential danger. In addition, towards the end of Rogue Agent, Blofeld and Scaramanga discuss how they potentially created a newfound threat to SPECTRE through facilitating Hunter's endeavors. This parallels the beginning of the game with Hunter being deemed as too brutal for MI6's operations. Regardless of his affiliations, Hunter has been deemed as a threat for the danger he poses to his superiors no matter who they are. This contrasts those with a more stagnant allegiance such as Bond returning to MI6 or rogue agents having their own affiliation. Though in the case of the latter, the rogue agent in question will formulate their own side after being jeopardized/betrayed in some way. This is similar to Hunter's circumstance considering how he aligned himself with Goldfinger. However, the critical difference of another betrayal implies that Hunter will inevitably only have himself in the end. No matter where he stands, he is marked as a threat by both sides.

He is alone with no one to trust him and no one to trust.

[horce-divorce]

This is high on the list of stupidest fucking things I have ever seen. "entrepaneurs" will literally sell you mud inside a bead for $20 fucking dollars.

I was initially speechless about all of this. Oh the tragedy of my grandfather's illness really just inspired me to make a product. Not something useful or related to his illness whatsoever. No it was a cheap, fugly silicone bead bracelet, I was just sooo inspired by the highs and lows of life and I thought this tacky piece of fucking plastic needed to exist to lift others up. I made sure to bastardize a Hawaiian word for My Brand because it just wouldnt be inspirational if I used English. Yeah its made a ton of fucking money, obviously.

I know this company started in 2013, but how do you make so much money on PLASTIC BRACELETS that 10% of sales amounts to almost $10 million? Is this Claire's for rich kids?? Idk how to dig up the real numbers on their profits but boy if I did I'd be so curious.

This is the CEO btw. He turned 30 in 2021 :)

what I'm MORE curious about is, like, what is this genre of bullshit product called, and why this is successful? I mean, I know why, but I want to lay it out in plain English. Are we still calling this shit "snake oil"? Cause this falls solidly into but also beyond the snake oil category for me.

I get ads for stuff like this a lot, or Zox, or the related "health and wellness Lifestyle Products" that these brands inevitably always end up putting out alongside their Exclusive, Exquisite, Collectible, Grounding And Balancing Jewelry. There's some perfect storm of "business sector nepo babies* Starting Their Own Companies" and "American laypeople with no health insurance desperate for absolutely anything that will make them feel better" that coalesces, somehow, into these Health Bead Success Stories. These obviously share some kind of space with like, crystal healing energy infused water bottles and shit. *and I know nepo baby is used wrt celebrities usually but isn't it kind of the same thing when they have rich business owning parents and they end up also having a very successful business? Or is there no specific word for that because that's just capitalism and privilege working as intended lol.

I feel very strongly that this is exactly the type of business capitalists have in mind when they say, "just start your own! Its so easy!" I feel strongly that this kind of brand helps fuel that bootstraps myth that Anyone Can Do It. See, look at this idiot kid, all he did was slap some mud into some bracelets and he's already secured his unborn children's future privilege. There's a "certificate" on the website "confirming" the quality of the materials and everyone eats it up! It's that easy! You just make some ugly beads! Anyone can do it!!!! You just bullshit about anything and people will buy it!!!!! Why don't poor people do this every day!!!!!!!

Not a link btw ^ lmao. 'Watch our sherpas' in your imagination, which is where they live. There's no actual video.

I must add a reminder here that it costs tens of thousands of dollars to summit Everest. The CEO does seem like the kind of person who would summit everest and never shut the fuck up about it, but how much water would the team have to cart back down with them to make that profitable? Even if there's only a drop in each bead, you can only attempt to summit Everest about once a year due to the weather conditions. How many bracelets would they have to sell to justify summitting everest for a fucking production material? I guarantee you no capitalist is doing that rofl.

Btw the only reason I'm even entertaining the notion to this degree is because I saw actual honest to goodness comments on their IG page trying to argue "yeah but I think I saw a video where they tested it and proved the mud came from the dead sea?" Like. Babe...

I guarantee you that an average, everyday human with no ties to wall street cannot "start a business" like this and achieve the same success. You can WATCH these attempts happen in real-time on Instagram, there are a TON of jewelry-specific small businesses to choose from, even. There are thousands upon thousands of talented artists on insta who make exquisite work and who are about to close up shop because they cant keep up with the IG algo, or Etsy fees and scammers, or whatever. Those people have to learn everything from scratch and they don't get nominated for any fucking awards. More often, they get jerked around by Etsy until they can't take it anymore and then retire from posting about their hobbies.

I would love to know where this guy outsources his actual production to. I would love to know how much money this company actually makes, and how much of that was brought in simply due to the fact that this kid already had connections. (He has expanded into the adaptogen health tonic sphere too btw!) I would love to know how many BS, cheap, outsourced trinket-making companies that just sell beads, or whatever, actually exist and make a profit. It must be a good racket.

[yngai]

❛ you think i’m weak don’t you? ❜

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE  «  𝘈𝘊𝘊𝘌𝘗𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 .

it was through no fault of his own, her job has always been to find the weak link, look upon a structure for a crack to pick at, an easy access point . john, a man with a soul too large for his employers to countenance, annette, a woman so trapped between a failing marriage & too many schemes to break herself free of her work she found respite at the bedside of a pretty coworker in a pencil skirt, leon, a chance meeting in midst of hellfire that wasn't meant to end with him the rube & yet his coercion into government service made him that much more useful & now— luis serra navarro .

no one has a gaze as piercing as hers, seeing that bleeding heart in his chest as a perfect organ to jimmy the lock with, get her foot in the door of los iluminados where her undercover work would be a waste . she isn't donning robes & cursing herself with a tapeworm . luis' need to make good on his sins both here in spain & abroad at umbrella . she can recount the sorrow in his e-mails, the desperation, every line begging a dead friend for help only to find her & her employers at the other end, wesker ready to strike a deal for his rescue at her behest . the consortium knows he wants luis to be another of his many pet scientists, slave away at one of thousands secret research projects they're still trying to uncover, that's why they sent her in after krauser, to ensure neither luis or the amber fall in the wrong hands .

she remembers her report, how his history betrays an enthusiasm she once shared, an echo of the days she was a young undercover agent at umbrella, so very ignorant to the true extent of their pharmaceutical developments, thinking the future they promised a genuine possibility, that even if she were a traitor her work was meant for something greater . the darkness that john would unveil for her would rip those notions from her mind as she played on his infatuation, as she promised him an escape too, a life together outside arklay free of umbrella grasp on their lives . it's funny almost, she wants to laugh & she settles on a sing-song hum, something aloof, darkly mysterious & deeply practiced . she hasn't thought about john in a very long time, he was just the first mark .

“ i think you're becoming a liability . ” another way in which they parallel, though the mirror held between them is one way, all she lets him see is ada wong, “ if you keep misplacing the sample, ” she brandishes a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket, marlboro reds, one placed between her lips, a stylish flourish seeing it lit by a zippo . after inhaling, she blows the result into his face, “ you won't get that smoke break you've been begging for . ”

[gorey-gorella]

I was going to ask about your thoughts on the previous articles now that the broken link thing was cleared up (Prev links: pewresearch. org/global/2011/11/17/the-american-western-european-values-gap/ ; theguardian. com/commentisfree/2021/may/28/centrism-insidious-bias-unjust-status-quo ; cbpp. org/research/health/republic ; sapiens. org/biology/is-race-real/ ; amnesty. org/en/latest/news/2018/10/its-intersex-awareness-day-here-are-5-myths-we-need-to-shatter/ ; fitchburgstate. libguides. com/c. php?g=1046516&p=7616506 ; subversions.tiss. edu/vol2-issue1/gayatri/ ; dailytargum. com/article/2020/10/rizvi-avatar-the-last-airbender-explores-important-sociopolitical-issues), but now that you've listed Dr. Shaym, Short Fat Otaku, and Shoe0nhead (who had a very brief redemption arc but has fallen back into grifterdom) as the individuals who help guide your politics, I can see that trying to have a serious discussion about this is probably not going to be fruitful. Not to say YouTubers can't provide insight (e.g. Lindsay Ellis, Anansi's Library, Boy Boy, F.D. Signifier, etc.), but consuming the works of academics and experts (e.g. Albert Einstein, George Orwell, Judith Butler, W. E. B. DuBois, Amitav Ghosh, Angela Davis, Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, bell hooks, Frantz Fanon, Audre Lorde, Emma Goldman, Kimberle Crenshaw, Cathy Cohen, etc.) is an important part of staying appropriately informed. Observing human behavior is something most people do; what influences the outcome/ conclusions of said observations is what matters and requires a consistent moral framework. What you consider "logical" is shaped by historical context and propagandic efforts (i.e. the notion of information without bias is essentially myth). Also, your exaggerated description of the left reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of their positions (i.e. what intersectionality means—ted. com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en). Finding right-wingers who care about universal healthcare is like finding a needle in a haystack. The left (which is not the dem party because they're mostly neolibs) consistently support policy that upholds equity in comparison to the right (which includes neolibs, Trump republicans, and extreme right-wingers like literal neonazis). You talk of being tired of left-wing vs. right-wing bullshit, but what you're describing as the left proves that you're actually still stuck in said culture war bullshit when the actual war is class war. You are misconstruing ATLA's focus on balance as a Buddhist principle with centrism despite its clear anti-authoritarian/fascist and other left-leaning themes. Hell, Michael DiMartino even shared a quote which compared the Fire Nation to America under Trump.

If Cathy Cohen is considered an expert, then I just don't know what to say. Also, right-wing and even Christian experts exist, so I can easily use what they say and treat them like true sources for everything, but I don't.

I didn't become an atheist because of some long evolution study.

I became an atheist because of the logic of there being a God isn't enough, it doesn't add up, it simply makes no sense, and by observing stuff, I became more and more atheist.

Yes, I do use studies. It's just not the only thing I use. Especially if the study is half-ass like those HAES/fat acceptance studies. And I rarely read long, excess things that don't get to the point quickly enough. I don't use studies that use many buzzwords and very emotional language.

Just because years later, Mike said some dumb shit, comparing Trump's America to a magical, fascism, ancient fiery Japan doesn't defy what the series taught back then.

The Fire Nation didn't turn into a government. It still had the Fire Lord and monarchy stuff at the end of the show, with Zuko becoming Firelord, his daughter becoming Firelord, and Prince Iroh II would also become a Firelord in time. So it's not full on anti-auth. It's anti-fascism.

Authoritarianism isn't inherently bad. Just like how Liberalism isn't inherently good. Rules need to be set in place.

Being a fascist is different from being auth in it of itself. Being fascist is the extremes.

The Airbenders died because they were too pacifistic.

Yes, it had many leftist themes, but it didn't treat the Airbenders and Toph's mindset as perfect. The whole point is balance, and the extremes are bad. The Fire Nation wasn't bad because it was more auth than other nations. It was because it was extremely auth, very fascist and nationalistic at the point they killed all the Air Nomads.

My point is that not all right wingers are the exact same. That's why the far right hates Trump and stuff. Trump was actually very openly pro-gay back in the day. It's why leftists are always infighting.

Also, you have your own bias. I know I have mine, I just don't let it fully control me, but you are acting like you're above it all.

Also, you asked for extremism from the left, not just simple left wing opinions, so what I did? Give you extremist ideas on the left.

I know I'm not above bias, but I try not to be overwhelmingly biased compared to the people in my homeland and here.

I'm not sure if this answered what you asked, but to me, it did.

[ilykirara]

Hey! So, I was wondering...will you elaborate on the memory of spears that the Reader had involving Sektor?

And if it isn't too much...can you please share some writing tips??? 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙇

Your storytelling is superb, (especially in the bi-han's perspective chapter) and I'm sitting over here wondering like...how does she make it flow this nicely???

Honestly, I mean it. Thanks in advance if you do.💗

Hello! I just finished skimming through my story to answer HHAHA. I'll admit, I get forgetful about what happens in my story and I usually have to like briefly skim my published chapters whenever I'm writing the next one

So, the 'certain memory' was referring to a spear interaction with Sektor in chapter Daggers, Spears, and More Smoke. It was a fun Easter egg and I wanted to incorporate how Sektor and Cyrax have different opinions regarding how the Lin Kuei should function WHICH will link back later into the story... waayyy later. Reader already interacted with Sektor once and finally met Cyrax later on which sets up some stuff that I won't spoil :D

I really like it when stories/plots link back to stuff that have already happened so I tend to do that... not even tend to I consistently do that in my story. I think it also serves as a great reminder for what has already happened in Kombat Hearts since I post like pretty much monthly HHAHAA (I'm planning on posting two chapters at once when i next update, or really closely because of how the plot is right now)

Thank you so much for the compliments!! Your words are confident boosters and readers like you motivate me to continue writing (*^▽^)/★*☆♪ I'll explain my writing process and mention some tips (I hope thats okay!)

I think my best chapters so far are Is It Getting Cold in Here? and En Passant (which is a title that has a hidden inference to reader's current relationship with Bi-Han!). For specifically En Passant and Bi-Han's background, what I did was I briefly planned out what I wanted to happen between reader and Bi-Han (ie how does this affect them?). I actually do short character analysis profile sheets of the different love interests on Notion — I'd share but it contains like all the spoilers possible for my story.

Using the little information we were given about Bi-Han's past from the game, I built on it by jotting down what I think would cause Bi-Han to eventually cause his betrayal. For me, it definitely stemmed from his father figure — to me, his core reason for becoming so cold was because of his father's cold treatment that burned out Bi-Han and to cope with the burn-out, he froze his heart and feelings so he could convinced himself that all his suffering was so he could surpass his father and reform the Lin Kuei (and he got to the reforming belief after making the correlation that the Lin Kuei was essentially dying out because his father was becoming more lax but was still making Bi-Han complete hardcore regimes. Why does Bi-Han have to spill blood over his training sessions whilst the actual Lin Kuei assassins sit idly waiting for the next mission?). He's the type to make sure that he's suffering for a reason, everything he does is for a reason. I think the past of Bi-Han explains the majority of my thoughts so I won't go too deep into that.

In terms of technicalities when I was writing the perspective, I made sure to add information that I could reuse later into the story, and I had to make sure I re-mention information I already said in the previous chapter to make sure there's no plotholes (or at least... I think so :D). I also had to consider the different connections that Bi-Han had and how they affected eachother. I had to consider domino effects too and how it would eventually affect Bi-Han's development. Basically, everything has a meaning. I really love story plots that have intricate meanings, or even several meanings which is why my work tends to be quite descriptive

At the start of writing Kombat Hearts, it was actually my first time dedicating myself to writing violent, pure action-based fight scenes. I had to search up how to write fight scenes, and one of the tips said to not make fight scenes too long - a page will do (size of a standard book page so I kinda had to go well that seems long enough on Notion). I think that really helped me because I do understand how fight scenes can been really dragged out and boring. It was difficult at first because Mortal Kombat is fulllll of fighting but limiting how much fighting I put in my chapters allow me to focus on other stuff (e.g. how the characters are feeling and how the aftermath rolls out). To write fight scenes, I'd actually watch a short video on insert character gameplay and incorporate canonical moves. Highly recommend if you're stuck

Okay, to make sure I answer your question I'll actually say some tips :D

I tend to write my chapters a bit at a time (mainly because I don't really have the time to sit down and write it in one go) which allows me to have mini breaks in between and recheck my work with fresh eyes. I think leaving your work for a day is great because you give your whirring mind a break and you can look back at your work with a different perspective

Imagine yourself in your reader's position. This is what I tend to do when I figure out the plot of each chapter. As a reader myself, I know we want action and the drama and the juicy stuff, and if you're like me who posts monthly, you have to consider how your readers would feel if they waited for a month only for a chapter to be super meh. IMPORTANT NOTE if you're like me who's doing it for fun and for free, be indulgent! Yes, consider your readers because your readers are what allows your fanfic to be noticed and to be loved, but you're (presumably) writing the fanfic so you yourself can fan about the characters. Honestly put your love into your writing and people can instantly tell and appreciate the effort that you put into fleshing out beautiful stories for anyone to read

Do character sheets, doesn't matter how detailed it is. It helps you stay on track and serves as a reminder for what you want to write. I tend to accidentally go off the rails in my plot and at one point I'm like... hold on this will mess up my plot and I have to go back to remind myself what I want to happen and why

In terms of writing styles... I think a large reason why I write like that is due to the media I consume. I really love poetic material and shows that have depth to them. I just finished Hannibal today and I absolutely LOVED some of the hidden meanings in the episodes. Before Hannibal, I watched the entirety of Adventure Time and I loved the different meanings and life lessons behind the show/Finn in the later seasons. I think. writing styles largely come from how you absorb literature/story plots.

I'll also add on that my writing style came to me somewhat naturally and I have a strong affinity English and social sciences (I'd add humanities but I don't particularly enjoy history). But, with tons of practice and personal passion I developed my skills. I don't remember who said this, but it's like building an art skill. You have to train your eyes to recognise what you're drawing looks off and how to improve it. For me, when I'm writing, I make sure that what I'm writing looks right to me aesthetically

To be honest, some of the plot in my story comes from personal experience/my experience of the world and with other people. I use this story as a way for me to express my feelings sometimes and it is cathartic (e.g. Bi-Han's whole thing). I think it gives the story more realism and also I hope my story is cathartic for people who may have experienced something similar

That's most of the tips I have so far — i probably have more but i need a prompt to think of more xD. If you have any more questions or have anything specific you want to ask, please ask!!! It's 23:18 for me by this paragraph and I think I've been typing for an hour, but I loved every minute of it!!!! Thank you for the question and the support :)) if you need any help, feel free to drop me a message and I'll try to respond ASAP

[shamelessrabbithole]

I've had the same thought like anon, because the projects started and ended around the same time, right? But other than that, if they really are in connection, they don't really want to make it obvious, because you really had to do a lot of research to find the connections, right? What is your gut feeling on that, is there really a connection?

My gut feeling is that the timing had more to do with SAG/WGA granting permission for certain projects to begin their casting/filming/production schedules, than anything else.

Cognaitive isn't a project Noel had a lot to do with, I don't think. Hopefully one day we'll all get to see it, but he seemed to not make it into the behind-the-scenes pics and footage shot and posted by the crew at all except for that one day.

However, REM does seem completely Layla-driven. She's the writer, director, an executive producer, and one of the other producers, Matthew Currie Holmes worked on Godiva's. Another producer still, C. Benjamin Anderson, is followed on instagram by her and Noel's mutual friend EJ Bonilla.

Also, I found this link in my travels. 👇🏻 It's a PDF of approved projects with interim agreements released by the SAG-AFTRA website. Cognaitive is on here. REM, as far as I could see, is not, but that could just mean it's under a different project name. In any case, the reason I'm sharing it is to show that it took all the way until December, even though the strike ended in November, for these film projects to obtain their agreements, allowing them to resume work. Again, that speaks to the notion of timing being influenced by this whole other factor—that being permission to begin.

[lunaamatista]

Hello, @pointedterrors! I may not be Neil Gaiman or a well-established author at all, but I happen to have majored in literature and gone on to work in journalism and publishing, so I thought I might share some of my experiences. Please do keep in mind that I am not from an English-speaking country at all, but I figured some general aspects could still be of interest. I'll touch on some of your points in the order that makes sense to me.

First: a major in journalism was also not an option for me. However, while working in journalism, just about none of my peers had majored in it either, and I worked for the biggest printed publication in the country.

If I had to estimate, the largest portion had degrees in communications, then some sort of humanities (whereas the general liberal arts or the specific literature, philosophy), then political sciences and social studies. These were the people who had some leeway to move between sections of interest. Some particularly specific degrees--fashion, cinema, visual arts, law, economics--would've been allocated to very specific sections.

Courses in media studies are a great start. Where I worked, there was an annual workshop that they made their interns take, and that was free for anybody else who could pass the strict vetting. Seeking workshops or internships will probably teach you a lot, even if you can't formally study journalism.

Second: unless you're already fairly involved in publishing or have specific authors whose releases you look forward to, it's hard to keep track of new books unless they have already generated some buzz. Books published in 2023 will have had fewer than nine months to do so! It's quite the tall demand for them.

Books are by no means dying. The industry had seen its record year in 2018, then a decrease in revenue in 2019 and, naturally, 2020. However, it has since recovered, and 2023 is already ahead of aforementioned record year. Keeping up with the Publishers Association is a good way to know about what's going on in the anglophone side of the industry.

Third: the notion that we've passed the point where we can create new scenarios is--rather amusingly--very, very old.

The wonderful Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges opened the 1947 short story "The Immortal" with this real quote:

Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, That all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, That all novelty is but oblivion.

We've got the fairly popular The Hero with a Thousand Faces is possibly how we got Star Wars. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations in 1895. The Basic Patterns of Plot in 1959. The Seven Basic Plots, which the author began working on around 1970, but that did not get published until 2004, which is also fairly popular. 20 Master Plots from 1993. And yet, we’ve kept creating.

All of the above are worth a read to learn something about the history of literature. Mostly, they teach us that humans will always be humans. Isn't that just wonderful? My own belief is that new knowledge born into our world will eventually find its way into our ever-familiar structures, and the stories born out of this union will always find a place in our ever-changing world.

Fourth: how do you find newer books to read? BookTok in particular is keen on new releases, and a good place to look if you want to find out what to look forward to. Be careful about how you guide the algorithm (watch videos you care for in full, like them and at least copy the share link, comment if it was particularly useful--avoid doing this for content you do not care for, and make sure to also hit "not interested" when that's the case), and soon enough you'll have recommendations that are more tailored to your interests.

Find the pages for your favorite authors, whether that's a Wikipedia page, a Facebook profile, a WordPress blog, or a profile written on some cultural association's page. See if they ever won or were nominees for any literary awards. Find the shortlist for the running edition. There you have it--a vetted list of the best that will also be fairly recent. This is also a great way to learn about any particular genre or local literary trend.

If there are book fairs around you, try to find their program and see if there are book presentations beyond what's advertised on posters and social media posts. Go to any that interest you. The smaller ones, in particular, are where authors will be able to interact the most with their audience, and where you might meet the people publishing locally who will be very attuned to what goes on in that world at that moment. Yes, you hate to hear it: this is networking, which brings me to my following point.

College is a great time to find reading and writing circles. Find these people. Let yourself be encouraged to participate in the contests that your college, your library, or your state hosts. You'll get invaluable experience by reading, workshopping, and analyzing the trends you can see in the results of these contests. Sometimes, you might even get published for it, whether that's in a compilation of winners that will only ever get a single run or a magazine that will be dead three years down the line or an independent publisher that has a cult following. All of these experiences matter. In my experience, the people who stuck for the points I've made in this and the previous paragraph are the ones who've kept getting published along the line.

Hi Neil,

I am a college-aged person who has been into writing and other creative based careers/hobbies since I was a child. For a while it was theatre, then journalism, and now I am interested in writing my own fiction stories.

Of course, I still have passion for all of my former endeavors, but a key reason my focus has shifted aside from aging is fear for the future. “Everyone wants to preform, unless you are one in a million you will never get the chance.” or “Journalism is a dying career.” Applying for schools, so few colleges even offered journalism as a major option, which surprised me.

Now that I am looking into writing fiction, I am once again in that same boat. My media studies professor was discussing literature, and he asked the class a very thought provoking question:

“Have any of you guys read a book that came out in the year 2023?”

Nobody raised their hands. Thinking back on books I’ve read within the past few years, I can only remember reading one that came out while I was in high school. Everything else had been older than that.

It made me take a major pause. Are books dying? Have we surpassed the age where it’s possible to create entirely new worlds and scenarios and have other people read them? How do we keep reading alive?

Of course, one man alone cannot hold all the answers, but I’m curious- What is your opinion on this as a well established author?

Thank you for your time!

I think the majority of the books published in 2023 are still in hardcover and that college age students will mostly be waiting for the paperbacks to come out. And that the vast majority of books were published before 2023.

[icharchivist]

Id is incredible

I also wonder if he's fully Astral or half like Orchis, since his mom is and we don't know his father

Unless it's Rolan

Which would be crazy

She kidnapped him so he'll finally pay his overdue child support

But he's definitely hot and interesting and I so hope he becomes playable

I REALLY DO LIKE HIM A LOT..

i'm still at the end of chapter 8 so obviously spoilers for those 8 first chapters // and don't share spoilers to after that (but i think anon is a viewer and it's vague enough) BUT YEAH

I still think about that one scene we get of Id's dreams where he sees Lilith wake him up and tell him they'll be together now, it did feel like a first meeting of kind.

honestly when we didn't know Lilith was an Astral i wondered for a sec if he wasn't a Golem of type, because it reminded me a bit of that.

I feel like he probably isn't a primal though because else his reactions to Lyria and the Primals we meet would be slightly different.

but also the notion of "Life Link" in his boss battle where he ended up fusing with a bahamut-type monster? (or avatar type?)

maybe, even without being a primal, he may be the result of Lilith's (and Rolan's? they used to work together after all) experiments of some kind, and then he was to see her as her mother.

If Rolan is involved, it seems Lilith did everything so that Id only knew her as her parent and nothing else.

Rolan mentions he thinks Id is a human who's been kidnapped by Lilith at some point if i recall, but it was before we knew he had a connection to Lilith so who knows if he lied or if it's true yaknow?

I feel like the implication is that Lilith isn't his blood/birth mother, but that either because he was adopted or created, he sees her as such.

and if he IS a human who was adopted there's definitely something that Lilith did to him because his "Link" to transform like that isn't normal at all no matter what he is.

but yeah he's definitely hot and interesting and i do like that he's grown to care about Lyria. Just like Katalina before him <333 ignore your master who wants to rewrite history and destroy the skies, just care for the girl.

anyway can't wait to see more of him!

[donutloverxo]

Good little girl

*gif is not mine*

Note - Requested by @holacia2 and a part two to good little wife. And special thanks to @gotnofucks for all her help! I'm so overwhelmed with all the love that fic got I hope y'all like this little follow up as well❤❤

Dividers by @firefly-graphics.

Summary - Married life isn't always easy. Will you be able to solve your problems?

Warnings - 18+ only explicit sexual content, younger woman/older man, daddy kink, soft dark!Andy, SO MUCH MISOGYNY, housewife kink, innocence kink, (accusations of) cheating, arranged/forced marriage, spanking, possessive Andy.

Pairing - Mob!Andy Barber x reader

Word count - 4.9k

Masterlist is linked in the bio and the pinned post!

You handed your mother the brownies you had baked, she thanked you, telling you how it was so unnecessary, before Andy placed the wine you had gotten on the way over on the kitchen counter.

“Why don’t you go keep your father in law company, Andrew?” your mom told him. He only nodded before making way to his boss.

“So? How are things going with him?” she asked. “You are positively glowing honey! Do you have any good news yet?”

“Mom!” you gasped.

Over the past seven months you had only seen your mother a handful of times. You were still a bit upset with her for marrying you off to an older man you barely knew, a man who you thought despised you so much he refused to even touch you.

You knew she didn’t really have a say in it. Your father never really valued her opinion, there was no way she would’ve been able to stop it but she hadn’t even so much as tried.

“No, I don’t. And I won’t any time soon,” you huffed.

While being a mother was something you’d like to experience someday, you didn’t know if you were quite ready for it yet. Which was good because Andy didn’t want kids for the next few years either, he had taken you to a doctor to get you on birth control as soon as the holidays were over.

He stated that he wasn’t ready to share you just yet. That he wasn’t sure he wants his kids to be a part of the mob, which you didn’t want either.

“Oh, but you have to, cookie. I need a distraction. Being a mom is all I’ve ever known and ever since you left the house has been so empty.”

“Well, what about daddy?” you frowned. He had never really liked spending time with your siblings or your mother, but to leave her be on her own like that.

“He’s always with Charlotte,” she rolled her eyes. “I would’ve been fine with it, he’s always been like that, can’t expect him to change now, but he brought her here, now, to a family dinner.” She sighed in resignation.

You had heard a familiar high pitched annoying laugh upon coming home, but you thought that to be one of your brothers floozies.

Charlotte, or Cherry, used to be a good friend of yours in college. Before you brought her home for the holidays of your freshman year and she decided to shack up with your married father, who was almost thrice her age. You lost touch with her after that.

“I’m telling you, honey, a kid is a good way of securing your marriage and starting a family. You are young now... but you will grow old someday. Andrew’s a good man... but he is still a man at the end of the day.”

You scoffed at that, “I won’t have you talking that way about my husband! We are already a family, we’re in love each other and he’s nothing like dad.”

She gave you a teary smile, “Young love--is just so innocent and beautiful. You always see the best in people, cookie. I hope I’m wrong about this. Any man would be an idiot to not appreciate you.”

“Andy does appreciate me. And take good care of me, ma...” you trailed off.

He did take good care of you. After the night you consummated your marriage he brought you breakfast in bed. He hadn’t kept his hands off of you for the past few weeks, doting on you any chance he could get, telling you he loved you every chance he got.

But you wondered... did he love you?

The kind of love you’d only ever read about in classical novels. The kind of love you’d dreamt of having ever since you could remember, the kind you thought you once had with someone, but didn’t. You didn’t love Alex the way you love Andy. You were in love with the idea of Alex. You knew Andy now. You knew how kind, passionate and fierce he was, your love for him consumed every single part of you. Where you would literally die for him.

But did he love you for you. Or was he just lonely because it was Christmas. You had avoided taking the tree and the decorations down, begging him, even dropping to your knees and making love to him with your mouth, you didn’t know much but Cherry had taught you that you could get men to do anything for you just by kneeling before them.

While he was very obviously pleased with your passion, returning the favor tenfold, till your thighs burned from his bread and you were shouting for him to stop, he still took the decorations down. He said he wanted to start anew this year. He made a resolution to be the best husband he could.

But you were going to protect your heart this time, hope for the best but still prepare for the worst.

Unfortunately, you had been seated next to Cherry. You found out that your father was living with her now and that while she had hoped he’d leave his wife for her there, but apparently there was no such luck.

“They never leave their wives do they,” she shook her head. “Oh I’m sorry! I shouldn’t be saying these things to you...”

“Its alright,” you shrugged. It would be hard to see your mother be unhappy but there was never any love between your parents. Your mother had learned to live without him and find happiness in other things, and other people, she was just a bit more sneaky about it.

“Well...” you hesitated “how do you keep a man?”

“What kind of question is that?” she giggled. “There are many ways to keep a man but you’ll have to be a bit more specific...”

You ended up changing the subject. The kind of questions you wanted to ask were not suitable for the dinner table, and you didn’t like the way Andy was staring daggers at the pair of you, almost displeased with the two of you chatting.

***

You smiled at him from the passenger seat when he put his hand on your knee, giving it a light squeeze. He had been quite the whole ride home so you decided to speak first.

“Can’t believe Cherry’s like my... step mom.” You laughed out loud at such a ridiculous notion.

“Step mom?” he furrowed his brows, turning his head to look at you.

“Oh I’m just joking,” you waved him off. “Dad would never leave my ma. He’ll move on to another one soon enough.”

He hummed, nodding, “Alright. I was just worried she was troubling you at dinner.”

“What would you have done if she was? Would you swop in like a knight in shining armor and save me from the big meanie?”

“You know I would,” he smiled.

You had asked for a piggy back ride from Andy from the garage to your home, he rolled his eyes and tried to say no but then gave in when you used your princess eyes on him.

He placed you on top of your bed, kissing the tip of your nose, he started unbuttoning his shirt to get ready for bed.

“Andy... um... Daddy?” you corrected yourself instantly.

He liked you addressing him as that whenever you both were alone, he had warned you that you would receive a punishment if you ever failed to comply.

You didn’t know what his punishment would be and you didn’t plan on finding out anytime soon. You’d withhold all affection from him if he ever dared take away the platinum card from you, or lower your allowance as your father had told him to at the dinner, ‘to tame you' supposedly.

But that wasn’t a very good plan... what if he just looked for love elsewhere.

“What is it, honey?” he asked.

“Um... do you think... you would ever take a mistress?” you gulped and prepared yourself for his answer.

“I wouldn’t...” you sighed in relief, “one woman is enough trouble.” he said flatly.

“Daddy!!” you whined, stomping your foot on the floor and folding your hands over your chest.

And he had the audacity to laugh. His laughter at your expense only fuelled your anger. “Do you want to sleep on the couch tonight?”

He finally stopped laughing, “Look at you being a big girl,” he tried to pinch your cheek but you swatted his hand away. “You don’t wanna be daddy’s little girl anymore?” he pouted.

“No... no I do!” you answered all too eager. “I’m sorry...”

“I’m sorry too, honey. I shouldn’t be making fun of you.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” you hugged his hard stomach, rubbing your cheek against his undershirt. “It’s mean, and you promised not to be mean to me.”

“I was just teasing,” he cooed, stroking your hair. And while you knew that and secretly enjoyed it even, you still wanted a serious answer out of him.

“I intend to keep my vows forever. There is just no way I could ever want anyone who’s not you.”

“Really?” you propped your chin on his abdomen, looking up at him through your lashes.

“Promise.”

***

“Um... I’m here to see Andy,” you told the lady sitting outside of, what you had been told was Andy’s office, you assumed her to be his secretary Erica.

You always packed a lunchbox for Andy, always remembering to leave a sweet note for him and he would always call you to thank you for it. You also made sure to have dinner ready before he got home on the nights he wasn’t taking you out on the town. It was just your duty as a good wife.

But Andy had been working way too much the past couple of weeks. Where he would be gone before you wake up and be back when you were already in bed. You knew his job was demanding, working for your father and being a partner in a law firm, the job was like a mistress, stealing your man away...

So you simply decided to make his favorite, food pack it up and come to him to eat it together.

“Mrs Barber! It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” she gave you a toothy smile, shaking your hand.

You would’ve been happy, elated that Andy talks so much about you at work. If you hadn’t smelled her perfume. So familiar... you couldn’t quite place it at first but then you remembered.

The night you had slaved away, hoping to profess your love to your husband, when he had rejected you and smelled of chanel.

“That’s a nice scent...” you wondered out loud.

“Oh thank you! I love it as well,” she said, taking in a whiff of the inside of her wrist. “It’s the new chanel one!”

“Hmm....”

You almost didn’t hear Andy calling for you. “What a nice surprise.” He kissed your cheek.

You set the food before him, thinking of telling him what was on your mind.

Was he really so cliché to have an affair with his secretary?

Could you really blame him though? Although you had been married for almost seven months, you were strangers living under the same roof for the majority of them. He wasn’t really cheating... but what if he was still doing it?

“Honey,” he shook you to get your attention. “What’s up with you today? I have a meeting in a few minutes.”

“You’re always working.” You complained.

“Well...” he grinned, grabbing at your thighs and pulling you on his lap, “I have to. If I had the choice I would never come into work, I would stay home forever, between your legs, right... here,” he snaked a hand up your leg and stroked the inside of your thigh. “You would like that wouldn’t you?”

You nodded, “I’ve been so lonely without you.”

He hummed, biting the shell of your ear before speaking into it, “I know, honey. I miss you too. But you do still remember the number one rule right?”

“Yes, daddy. Never touch myself without your permission.”

“And why is that?”

You whined, to embarrassed to say the words, “Because... it’s your... pussy.” You replied in a small shy voice.

“That’s right, sweetheart. It’s mine to do whatever I want with,” he cupped your mould, just to demonstrate what he meant but then frowned when he felt your soft curls and wet slick against his palm.

“You’re not wearing any panties, sweetheart.” He noted, surprised to your boldness.

“Um... I must’ve forgot.”

So maybe you had ulterior motives behind coming here. Your body was used to be doted on everyday now, and to not have his touch for so long was agonising. You had hoped to maybe bend down to pick up a napkin that fell ever so conveniently and flash him, it would work, he would be driven mad.

“Forgot huh?” You nodded in reply as he gathered your slick in his fingers, tracing your labia with them. “That’s too bad, If you had left them on purpose I would’ve cancelled my meeting and fucked you right here. But since it was just an innocent mistake I wouldn’t do that,” he retreated his hand, placing a soft kiss on your hair. “Thanks for lunch.”

***

You were determined to prove your worth to Andy. If he did have a mistress, whether it be his secretary or any other woman, he would forget all about her when he saw how you could do everything for him.

You had went all out today, baking a pie and a four course meal from scratch, lighting up candles, the pink babydoll that Andy had gifted you was under your dress.

He was as always exhausted when he got home, his face visibly lighting up upon seeing you, you took his hand in yours taking him to the couch and making him a glass of whiskey, you handed it to him before kneeling on the soft rug.

“You work so hard, daddy,” you murmured as your fingers worked on unzipping his pants.

He looked at you in confusion, shaking his head, “You don’t have to do that, honey,” cupping your cheek in his plan, stroking your cheekbone with his thumb.

“But I want to make you feel good,” you blinked at him.

He groaned, unable to say no when you looked so willing to please him, but at the same time he wanted to do more with you. To cuddle and watch a movie and talk, it felt as if he hadn’t in ages.

“Very well,” he nodded.

With the green signal from him, you licked your lips, tasting some of your minty gloss, taking his length out of the confines of his underwear, you took a minute to simply marvel at the sheer size and beauty of it.

You licked a stripe up the underside of it, suckling at the crown, you remembered that he liked that the best, at least from the way he twisted his hand in your hair, pulling at it till it caused a slight burn to your scalp.

You slurped his precum up before he pushed his hips up till his tip hit the back of your throat, causing you to gag around him, didn’t take him long to come down your throat.

His neck and cheek covered in a crimson blush, his chest heaving as he threw his head back against the couch.

“You did good, honey...” he rasped. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

He absolutely loved the dinner you had made for him. But when you subtly, because you were raised to be a good lady and wife, tried to coax him to make love to you before bed, he.... rejected you.

Sure, he was kind about it. He told you he was simply tired and would make it up to you. But it was still shocking how a man as insatiable as him would ever say no. You truly didn’t know what to make of it.

***

“Oh... I don’t know about this... it’s a bit too bold for me,” you bit your lip.

“Just try it on! You might end up liking it!” Cherry urged you, putting the bright red lipstick on you without waiting for an answer, “There is nothing more classic than a red lip. Or a red anything. Men go crazy for it.” She told you.

You simply hummed through closed lips as she put some finishing touches on it. “Doesn’t that look nice?” she asked, holding up a mirror before you.

You smiled, it did look different. Maybe different was what you needed. “It’s very pretty. It makes me feel... confident?” Which was strange. Because how could a simple lipstick make you feel confident?

“See! I told you. Confidence is the key to sexiness. Now, let’s talk lingerie.”

***

“Honey, I’ve been waiting for over fifteen minutes,” you heard Andy call out to you from the bedroom.

“Just a minute,” you said, perfecting your edges with a lip brush.

This was something you had never done before. You wore a lot of lingerie for Andy, but most of them were cute pastels or white nighties or babydolls. Nothing like what you were wearing right now...

A sheer black lacy body suit that clung to your body, leaving literally nothing to the imagination.

Top that off with your red lip... you looked like some kind of dominatrix. Cherry told you that most men secretly wish to be dominated. Although you highly doubted your daddy would want anything like that. Or would he?

“Alright, I’m coming out,” you announced, before shyly stepping out, your eyes trained on the floor as you twiddled with your fingers to maybe distract you from your nerves. “What do you think?”

He was speechless. His jaw almost dropping on the floor when he saw you like that. So far from his sweet girl. You were just as much beautiful and sexy, and while it wasn’t something he was used or prefer to he would welcome it if it was what you wanted.

He extended an arm to you, ready to tell you that you were sexy, that he wanted to spend hours worshipping every inch of your body, that he wanted his cock stained the shade of red you wore on your lips, that he was ready to make up for being away for weeks.

Until he saw... that.

He lowly growled your name, making your head snap up to look at him, “What did you do to your pussy?” Because from what he could see, through the sheer material, there was nothing where your pubic hair used to be.

“Uh... I uh... waxed it...” From the tone of his voice you could tell that he wasn’t too happy about it. “Do you not like it?”

“Like?” he scoffed, shaking his head. Taking a seat on the bedding, “C'mere, let me take a closer look.”

Hesitantly, you walked the few strides it took till you were standing before him.

He studied your mould, trying to take the fabric off so he could see it more properly and then tutting when he couldn’t even open the stupid thing.

“Wait, it um... opens here I think,” you interrupted his scrutiny, undoing the zipper that was on your side and taking the suit off of you.

He sighed in resignation when he saw what you had done, making you regret your ever spending so much money and going through all that pain.

He parted your lips apart, running his fingers along your vulva, acquainting himself with this new strange feel of you, “When did do this?” his blue eyes looked up at you.

“Just a couple of days ago. It’s just hair... it’ll grow back in like three weeks.”

“Three weeks?” he scoffed.

You could feel your eyes getting misty. You tried to go all out for him, to please him, be completely naked and vulnerable before him, only to have him get angry at you.

“You don’t like it,” you sniffled.

His furrowed brow softened when he saw you crying, pulling you down till you were straddling his lap, “The question isn’t whether I like it or not,” he explained, his thumb wiping your wet cheeks, “I could... maybe live with it. But I wouldn’t prefer it.”

“Okay,” you nodded.

“But for you to have done this,” he touched your newly waxed skin and almost winced at the smoothness, “You must’ve let someone else see you naked. See what belongs to me.”

“Bu - but they were all women...” you stammered, squirming in his lap as his fingers toyed with your clit.

“It doesn’t matter,” he tutted, pushing two fingers inside you, “Only I get to see you. This is MY pussy. Only I get to decide what to do with it. Do you understand?”

You nodded, holding onto his tshirt as he twisted his fingers inside you. “So-sorry, daddy.”

“No, honey, since you were bad you don’t get to call me daddy. For tonight you will address me as sir. And of course you’ll have to be punished.”

“Punished?” you pouted. “Can’t you just let me go since it was my first strike? I’ll be good from now on I promise!”

“No, you have to learn your lesson. Come on,” you yelped as he manhandled you so you were face down across his lap, “What is your safe word?”

“Unicorns” you giggled. You thought you were so witty for coming up with it. Since he for some reason was jealous of your unicorn stuffie.

He hummed, stroking the soft skin of your butt, “How does twenty sound?”

Your eyes went wide as you gasped, looking at him over your shoulder, “No!” you said.

He didn’t really plan on spanking you... did he? He liked swatting your ass here and there, and truth be told you liked it too. But you had never been spanked or even hit as a punishment.

“Well, if not this then maybe we can make you go a week without cumming.”

Your gasp was louder and even more incredulous this time. You could most definitely take twenty swats, but just the thought of not being able to finish, after knowing what an orgasm with Andy feels like, made you shiver.

“You will count each one, and then thank me for it. You are grateful I’m teaching you, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” you nodded.

“Do you know how to count to twenty? Or would I have to teach you that too?” he asked ever so condescendingly as you huffed.

“Of course I do! I was just two semesters away from graduating college!” Never mind that you learned that in kindergarten.

“That’s good. Are you ready?” he asked, cracking his knuckles as he got in position.

With a nod from you he delivered the first slap to your right buttcheek, the sound of it reverberating in the room, his palm stinging slightly as he stroked the skin he had just punished, it was already warmer.

“One, sir. Thank you, sir,” you held onto a moan, it wasn’t half as bad as you thought it would be...

You jerked forward as he unceremoniously hit your other cheek, since you were unprepared for it, and he was much more brutal.

“Tw-two, sir,” you sniffled.

You considered throwing in the towel and saying your safe word by the time fifteen rolled around. Your behind was on fire, while you couldn’t see it, you just knew it was bruised. But you wanted to be good for Andy and it was wrong of you to do something that drastic without his permission.

“Sixteen...” you hiccupped. You could feel your slick running down your thighs but at this point... you just couldn’t bring yourself to care.

“Do you want a break?” he asked, taking pity on you.

You nodded frantically, “Yes please! Can you... can you touch me? Down there?” Since the pain in your throbbing pussy was unbearable. If you didn’t receive any attention, you might actually burst.

“Down where? Here?” He had the audacity to play down, while you were suffering, and touch the back of your knee to patronise you.

“No!” you whined.

“Well then you’ll have to be a bit more specific, princess.”

“In my... between my legs... my pussy...”

“Are you sure you deserve it though?” he asked.

You thought about it for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that, “No I don’t. Not until I finish my punishment.”

“That’s a good girl,” he praised, his hand massaging your raw ass as your heart swelled in pride.

“Nineteen, sir,” your mind was hazy. It didn’t even feel as if you were in your reality anymore... it was as if you were floating, while you could still hear and feel him spanking you, for some reason it wasn’t as painful anymore.

“The last one, doll, hang in there,” he said before delivering the last swat.

You whimpered, “Twenty, thank you, sir,” willing your nose with the back of your hand.

Andy collected your weak form in his big string arms, rocking you back and forth in his lap as he kept whispering soft praises in your hair, “My sweet beautiful doll,” he pecked you on your lips.

“Sorry about your pants, daddy...” you said when you realised what a wet mess you had made on him.

He shushed you, “Don’t you worry about that right now. Do you want to take a bath?”

You pouted, your red lip jutting out, “No.”

He chuckled, kissing your forehead, “Do you want daddy to fuck you?”

“Yes,” you nodded.

“We have to be careful about your butt, baby,” he said as he gently placed you on the mattress.

Your head on your pillow, besides your two most trusted stuffies--your unicorn and teddy. Andy only allowed you two in the bed after complaining they made it hard for him to cuddle you. You demanded he buy you a shelf to display them or you would go back to your old room. Which of course made him comply instantly.

You made grabby hands at him, impatient to have him closer to you, but then were glad he took the time to take off his tshirt so you could ogle the wide expanse of his chest, the light scattering of fuzzy hair over it, his numerous tattoos along with one of your name, which marked him as yours forever.

He took a hardened nipple in his mouth while his hand tweaked the other, nudging your legs apart to make room for him, he placed his length at your entrance.

Slowly pushing into you, letting you get accustomed to the size of him. Although your pussy was always so welcoming to him, he knew you often struggled to take him.

You whimpered at him, tears rolling off of your face. “What’s wrong, honey? Does it hurt?”

“No... it’s just so good,” you sniffled.

“Okay, just hold on,” you held onto his shoulders as he slowly fucked in to you.

Your pussy clamping around his length, the soles of your feet digging into his ass, “Can I come, daddy?”

“Of course, baby. You earned it.” He groaned, his hips hammering against yours as you bit his neck, letting out a muffled scream.

You hummed against his neck when you felt his warm release fill you up, he pulled out of you, frowning when he looked at your naked and hairless pussy, dripping with his cum.

“From now on I’ll be picking out your clothes,” he stated, rolling off of you and pulling you into his arms.

“Okay, daddy,” you hummed.

“And no more surprise bikini waxes.”

“Mmm...” If that’s what you had to do to get in trouble and be punished, then so be it. “We’ll see.”

***

Three days later

“Lotion time, doll,” Andy said, pausing the movie you were both watching to go get said lotion.

He had rubbed your lotion on your backside when he spanked you and decided that he wanted to be the one putting your body lotion on you from now on since he had too much fun doing it. He insisted on doing it twice everyday since it was still very cold.

You followed him to the bedroom, lying face down on the bed a he squeezed some on his palms, rubbing them together to warm them up.

You winced just a little, your skin still a bit sensitive, you even had to sit on a pillow the time.

“Will you be going back to work tomorrow?” you wanted to know.

He didn’t like the sadness in your voice, “Yes,” he sighed. He hated leaving you all by yourself.

“I’ll be all alone then.”

“Didn’t you want to go back to college?” He remembered you telling him that your parents forced you to drop out so that you would marry him.

“I do actually. Hate leaving things incomplete... maybe I can even go to a law school and become a lawyer like you!” you perked up.

“You’re not working for your father though, you’re too good for that world.”

“You’re too good for him too.” You said. “Maybe I can work with you.” And you and him could be like a power couple. It would be so exciting.

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