#Impulsive Habitat

[jelreth]

what da hell.........

[mostlysignssomeportents]

How lock-in hurts design

Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28) for my book-talk after the first one sold out -���book now!

If you've ever read about design, you've probably encountered the idea of "paving the desire path." A "desire path" is an erosion path created by people departing from the official walkway and taking their own route. The story goes that smart campus planners don't fight the desire paths laid down by students; they pave them, formalizing the route that their constituents have voted for with their feet.

Desire paths aren't always great (Wikipedia notes that "desire paths sometimes cut through sensitive habitats and exclusion zones, threatening wildlife and park security"), but in the context of design, a desire path is a way that users communicate with designers, creating a feedback loop between those two groups. The designers make a product, the users use it in ways that surprise the designer, and the designer integrates all that into a new revision of the product.

This method is widely heralded as a means of "co-innovating" between users and companies. Designers who practice the method are lauded for their humility, their willingness to learn from their users. Tech history is strewn with examples of successful paved desire-paths.

Take John Deere. While today the company is notorious for its war on its customers (via its opposition to right to repair), Deere was once a leader in co-innovation, dispatching roving field engineers to visit farms and learn how farmers had modified their tractors. The best of these modifications would then be worked into the next round of tractor designs, in a virtuous cycle:

https://securityledger.com/2019/03/opinion-my-grandfathers-john-deere-would-support-our-right-to-repair/

But this pattern is even more pronounced in the digital world, because it's much easier to update a digital service than it is to update all the tractors in the field, especially if that service is cloud-based, meaning you can modify the back-end everyone is instantly updated. The most celebrated example of this co-creation is Twitter, whose users created a host of its core features.

Retweets, for example, were a user creation. Users who saw something they liked on the service would type "RT" and paste the text and the link into a new tweet composition window. Same for quote-tweets: users copied the URL for a tweet and pasted it in below their own commentary. Twitter designers observed this user innovation and formalized it, turning it into part of Twitter's core feature-set.

Companies are obsessed with discovering digital desire paths. They pay fortunes for analytics software to produce maps of how their users interact with their services, run focus groups, even embed sneaky screen-recording software into their web-pages:

https://www.wired.com/story/the-dark-side-of-replay-sessions-that-record-your-every-move-online/

This relentless surveillance of users is pursued in the name of making things better for them: let us spy on you and we'll figure out where your pain-points and friction are coming from, and remove those. We all win!

But this impulse is a world apart from the humility and respect implied by co-innovation. The constant, nonconsensual observation of users has more to do with controlling users than learning from them.

That is, after all, the ethos of modern technology: the more control a company can exert over its users ,the more value it can transfer from those users to its shareholders. That's the key to enshittification, the ubiquitous platform decay that has degraded virtually all the technology we use, making it worse every day:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

When you are seeking to control users, the desire paths they create are all too frequently a means to wrestling control back from you. Take advertising: every time a service makes its ads more obnoxious and invasive, it creates an incentive for its users to search for "how do I install an ad-blocker":

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/adblocking-how-about-nah

More than half of all web-users have installed ad-blockers. It's the largest consumer boycott in human history:

https://doc.searls.com/2023/11/11/how-is-the-worlds-biggest-boycott-doing/

But zero app users have installed ad-blockers, because reverse-engineering an app requires that you bypass its encryption, triggering liability under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This law provides for a $500,000 fine and a 5-year prison sentence for "circumvention" of access controls:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones

Beyond that, modifying an app creates liability under copyright, trademark, patent, trade secrets, noncompete, nondisclosure and so on. It's what Jay Freeman calls "felony contempt of business model":

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

This is why services are so horny to drive you to install their app rather using their websites: they are trying to get you to do something that, given your druthers, you would prefer not to do. They want to force you to exit through the gift shop, you want to carve a desire path straight to the parking lot. Apps let them mobilize the law to literally criminalize those desire paths.

An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a felony to block ads in it (or do anything else that wrestles value back from a company). Apps are web-pages where everything not forbidden is mandatory.

Seen in this light, an app is a way to wage war on desire paths, to abandon the cooperative model for co-innovation in favor of the adversarial model of user control and extraction.

Corporate apologists like to claim that the proliferation of apps proves that users like them. Neoliberal economists love the idea that business as usual represents a "revealed preference." This is an intellectually unserious tautology: "you do this, so you must like it":

https://boingboing.net/2024/01/22/hp-ceo-says-customers-are-a-bad-investment-unless-they-can-be-made-to-buy-companys-drm-ink-cartridges.html

Calling an action where no alternatives are permissible a "preference" or a "choice" is a cheap trick – especially when considered against the "preferences" that reveal themselves when a real choice is possible. Take commercial surveillance: when Apple gave Ios users a choice about being spied on – a one-click opt of of app-based surveillance – 96% of users choice no spying:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/96-of-us-users-opt-out-of-app-tracking-in-ios-14-5-analytics-find/

But then Apple started spying on those very same users that had opted out of spying by Facebook and other Apple competitors:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Neoclassical economists aren't just obsessed with revealed preferences – they also love to bandy about the idea of "moral hazard": economic arrangements that tempt people to be dishonest. This is typically applied to the public ("consumers" in the contemptuous parlance of econospeak). But apps are pure moral hazard – for corporations. The ability to prohibit desire paths – and literally imprison rivals who help your users thwart those prohibitions – is too tempting for companies to resist.

The fact that the majority of web users block ads reveals a strong preference for not being spied on ("users just want relevant ads" is such an obvious lie that doesn't merit any serious discussion):

https://www.iccl.ie/news/82-of-the-irish-public-wants-big-techs-toxic-algorithms-switched-off/

Giant companies attained their scale by learning from their users, not by thwarting them. The person using technology always knows something about what they need to do and how they want to do it that the designers can never anticipate. This is especially true of people who are unlike those designers – people who live on the other side of the world, or the other side of the economic divide, or whose bodies don't work the way that the designers' bodies do:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/20/benevolent-dictators/#felony-contempt-of-business-model

Apps – and other technologies that are locked down so their users can be locked in – are the height of technological arrogance. They embody a belief that users are to be told, not heard. If a user wants to do something that the designer didn't anticipate, that's the user's fault:

https://www.wired.com/2010/06/iphone-4-holding-it-wrong/

Corporate enthusiasm for prohibiting you from reconfiguring the tools you use to suit your needs is a declaration of the end of history. "Sure," John Deere execs say, "we once learned from farmers by observing how they modified their tractors. But today's farmers are so much stupider and we are so much smarter that we have nothing to learn from them anymore."

Spying on your users to control them is a poor substitute asking your users their permission to learn from them. Without technological self-determination, preferences can't be revealed. Without the right to seize the means of computation, the desire paths never emerge, leaving designers in the dark about what users really want.

Our policymakers swear loyalty to "innovation" but when corporations ask for the right to decide who can innovate and how, they fall all over themselves to create laws that let companies punish users for the crime of contempt of business-model.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/24/everything-not-mandatory/#is-prohibited

Image: Belem (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Desire_path_%2819811581366%29.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

[kaijuno]

It's currently fair season all around our state.

And in true, unfortunate fair fashion, they're giving away live animals as prizes again.

Goldfish have gained a reputation for dying quickly. Which leads many to think of them as fun little toys rather than living beings.

But be aware- They're not dying because they have naturally short lifespans. They're dying from neglect..

The #1 reason goldfish die is because they cannot survive longer than a few weeks without properly aerated water and most people are keeping them in a tiny bowl of stagnant water where they are literally suffocating to death.

If given the proper care though, goldfish can grow to 8+ inches long and live 20 years. Something to think about before making the impulsive decision to bring one home with you from the fair.

This is what proper goldfish care looks like:

🐟 Depending on the type, goldfish should be housed in a habitat that provides about 20 gallons of water per fish. However some varieties require a larger amount of space, around 50–100 gallons.

🐟 Good water quality is critical for keeping a goldfish healthy. The pH should range between 7–8.4 and you should test the water frequently with a water quality test kit.

🐟 Water aeration is vital to maintain oxygen levels within their habitat so they can breathe. This can be provided with an air pump and air stone.

🐟 Filtration is important because goldfish are messy. A filter helps remove small particulates, and it also houses a large portion of the biological filtration needed to keep your water parameters healthy and liveable.

🐟 Unlike most aquarium fish, Goldfish are most comfortable around 72–76 F. So depending on your room temperature, you may or may not need a heater to keep your tank within this range. You should always have a thermometer in your tank to ensure your water temperature is within a healthy range.

🐟 Goldfish are predominately omnivores and should have a diet consisting mostly of sinking pellets. Flake foods are not recommended as it often doesn’t sink and if a goldfish eats at the surface too much, they can develop buoyancy issues. Enrichment food ideas are krill, Daphnia and Brine shrimp.

It doesn't matter that it's "just a fish." They still deserve more than bare minimum care. Monetarily its life may only be worth 25-60 cents to you, or whatever you spent to win it at the fair- but morally, it's still a living creature and it deserves a proper chance.

Thank you.

[angelkhi]

red velvet - a.a

links to support palestine🇵🇸: ways to help | esims | donate food | click to donate (it’s free!!)

pairing: baker!abby anderson x reader

summary: abby is stressed about a new recipe, you just want her to relax.

warnings: MINORS DNI, nakedness. no real warnings to be fair?? just very soft and mushy. still, i mean this in the meanest way possible, minors fuck off xxx

word count: 1.3k

a little note: hi it’s been a while. some softer stuff for you. i think that’s all i have to say. okay bye bye.

Abby's passion for baking is something you can't help but admire. Her attention and care to each bake, the way she scrunches her nose as she concentrates, the way she stands there, eyes wide awaiting your opinion on her latest bake. You admire it because you love seeing her happy whilst creating something that she's proud of, and of course the sheer amount of baked goods you get presented with daily.

It's hard to understand how she finds such solitude in baking, considering her brow is permanently creased whenever she is in the kitchen. The first time the two of you met, she (and the countertops) had been caked in flour. Then there was the melted baking tray, and the batter covered walls due to a stand mixer related incident. Though the more you saw her, the sooner you came to realise that a messy kitchen kitchen is her natural habitat.

Getting to see her happy and relaxed in her own little way became some sort of a drug. You would sit across from her, most of the time not speaking, just watching. Her rough hands becoming delicate, arms flexing as she rolled out yet another batch of pastry, smiling widely whenever you tasted one of her creations.

She would silently place a cupcake or a pastry in front of you and step back, arms crossed, lip pulled between her teeth, brows furrowed, watching intently for your reaction. You would hum, nod, then compliment without pretence. Her smile would be so wide, so bright in the dim light of the kitchen. That was your favourite part, it still is, seeing her light up like that.

Each and every time she pours her love into her baking until it's overflowing, bursting at the seams, warming your insides and filling your stomach until you were full, yet it still left you hungry for more. At first it was the offering of a stray baked good when you visited Ellie and Dina, then it was sending you tupperware of fresh cookies and pastries weekly as though she knew the key to your heart lay in flaky chocolate chip croissants.

The final straw was your birthday cake. She stood there, face lit delicately by the slow burning candles, eyes as soft as her smile.

The cake itself was beautiful, topped in delicate piping, filled with a strange combination of your favourite flavours that seemed to mingle in your mouth, erupting across your tastebuds in each pleasurable mouthful.

This time when she gnawed at her lip in anticipation, you couldn't help but kiss her. Acting completely on impulse and pent up yearning. Seeing her hands work almost every day, tasting the fruits of their labour was one thing, but to feel them was something entirely different. Now, some years later she comes home to you, bringing a different sweet treat from her bakery everyday.

Today she comes home to an empty living room, the slight thrum of a running shower and quiet music welcoming her. She drops her things over the couch, puts a small box of sweet treats in the fridge, and follows your quiet humming to the steamed up bathroom.

She can perfectly map out each dip and curve of your body, despite the fogged up shower door, the sweet smell of your conditioner carried by each misty tendril.

She doesn’t think as she undresses, just wanting to be close to you after a long day alone. She calls out to you softly so she doesn’t startle you half to death. For once, the almost scalding heat of the shower is welcome against her taut skin, though she’ll never understand how you can withstand it for so long.

Resting her head in your neck as she breathes out a tired sigh. You stroke a hand through her soft hair, small flecks of cocoa power dusting her golden tresses.

"Long day?"

Abby nods her head, breath tickling your neck, the low hum of her words brushing against your skin.

"Mostly just missed you,"

She presses a kiss to your neck, hand resting on your stomach lightly, fingers itching to trace each dip and curve. Her hands don’t leave your skin as you turn to face her, a dollop of her pine shampoo in your hands. The moment your fingers touch her scalp, it’s like all of the stress in her body melts away into nothing.

“You’re all tense, what’s bothering you?” Your fingers massage until the soap becomes cloud-like, nails gently grazing her every now and then. Her eyes close on instinct, fingers tracing the skin at your waist, indistinct patterns that somehow feel like home.

“Nora’s trying out a new menu, m’trying to come up with some ideas but nothing feels right.”

“Your hands make magic. It’ll be perfect.” She smiles softly, staring at you for a moment before looking away. One day, you think, she’ll learn how to accept a compliment.

The more she relaxes the slower her hands move, and as much as you want to keep slowly running your hands through her hair, she’s practically falling asleep on her feet. You make quick work of rinsing and conditioning, being glad for once that she’s not a ten-step shower girl and shut off the water.

You hand her a warm fluffy towel, watching as her eyes droop even further. Your hand rests on her back as you guide her from the steam filled haze of the bathroom. You know she doesn’t need it, she’s more than capable of finding her way, but she deserves it every now and then, a helping hand no matter how soft. If you could give her only one thing, something she’d earned with each waking breath, it would be a moments rest, an anchor to ground her even on the most tiresome of days.

The two of you work around each other like a well oiled, yet sluggish machine. She hands you a sleep shirt, you hand her underwear, she hands you moisturiser, you braid her hair. It’s a dance the two of you are more than familiar with, one that has no end but rather slow swaying pauses.

A slither of moonlight runs from her arm across to your fingertips, her quiet curses empty of malice as she chucks the many pillows to the end of the bed. You smile, knowing that come morning they’ll be neatly arranged, not because she wants to, but because knows that’s how you like them.

“Snagged you some red velvet brownies.” Her words are muffled by a long yawn.

“I knew there was a reason why I liked you. That’s breakfast sorted.”

Abby chuckles, considering for a moment that your insatiable sweet tooth had played into some Pavlovian response to her constant baking. But whatever hold her skills in the kitchen had over you were minuscule compared to way you’d managed to entrance her just by being you.

“Anything to keep my girl happy.” She presses a kiss to your shoulder, pulling the covers higher once she notices the slight chill on your skin.

“I’m sure that’s what Nora tells the accountant every month.” Another chuckle from her, the sweetest symphony ever directed. You spend a moment shuffling around, getting comfortable, finally ending up with your arm strewn across her waist.

“Now relax, get some sleep, and stop thinking about whatever concoction i’m sure you’ve already perfected.” Your thumb moves in the same way hers had before, hoping it soothes her as much as it had soothed you.

“M’not even that tired.” She protests, her usually furrowed brows slightly relaxing, words slurred by sleep. You know she’ll be snoring in five minutes.

You relish in the feeling of her breaths slowing, her muscles releasing the pent up tension, of her finally relaxing. You quietly thank whatever invisible string of fate tied the two of you together. For allowing you to have moments like this in the quiet of the night. For letting you wake up to her every morning. For her.

[linnienin]

🖤A s t e r o i d ⁕ P a n t h e r a ⁕4 1 9 8🖤(through the signs and degrees) ~~~~~~~~~~~ Y o u r ⁕ p r e d a t o r y ⁕ e n e r g y ~~~~~~~~~~~

A warrior, a schemer, a predator. Smooth and calculated movements, planning how to kill you in complete silence. The black panther doesn't show off their plan, they only show you their claws.

🖤🐾

The panther is part of the leopard family but it's easily identified because of its black mantle. Usually outcasted due to this difference, they face more difficulties in their habitat as they can't hide so well like others leopards (a black spot is easily identified by potential preys). They take the harder route, panthers also love to jump from tree to tree to assess the situation from a higher perspective. Because of those challenges, they know how to get a better understanding of their environments and know how to use it to their advantage

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

🖤 M y ⁕ i n t e r p r e t a t i o n :

In my opinion, Asteroid Panthera (4198) in a birth chart shows you:

⁕ How you scheme to catch your target ⁕ How you fight to gain respect ⁕ Your fighting temperament

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

The special-0 degrees : They are THE panther🖤. Surrounded by a mysterious but fiery aura. They have qualities that resembles the ones of these felines. Could love to climb or run as a sport. Enjoy risky activities cause they crave that adrenaline rush 🔥. They could even have physical traits resembling those of a panther, like a feline type of appeal (especially if you have this asteroid in 1st house and 0°). Dominant personalities. Get easily involved in fights lol. They have a big ego and have a need to show their potential to everyone, cause they really crave recognition. Possessive but very caring. Put others needs first, cause this way they feel they're the provider and hold the power.

Celebs examples of Panthera at 0°: Simone Ashley, Jennifer Lawrence, the Weeknd, Beyoncé, Jamie Campbell Bower, Johnny Depp

Aries / 1-13-25 degrees : Straight to the point, leaving their mark boldly 💥. Quick, harsh movements. Impulsive if triggered. Experts of both mental and physical aggression because of their experience. They never hold back to new scary trials, cause they're fearless. Incredible strategy skills, you make It looks like you come from the army lol (maybe you do!). But even if they create different plans they usually stick to one plan until the end, yes, even if it means dying on the battelfield (sometimes being fearless can make you blind to danger). Kings/queens of the territory. Insatiable warriors. Strike first, strike hard, no mercy.

Celebs examples: Amita Suman, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Emilia Clarke, Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

Taurus / 2-14-26 degrees : Waiting in the lair for the food to come lol🍗. Not an obvious striker. Slow but steady, plan to trap their prey with their sensuality. Da 'lazy' panther: they don't even bother to plan or think about catching their prey, they get It like this 👏. Sometimes they may appear superficial or dumb, but well, it's part of their stategy 😉. Everyone wants them because they look at them as the perfect throphy and these natives know this very well as they have a high sense of self-worth. They're silent most of the times cause they're relaxing knowing they got ya... "why you feeling ✨ jittery✨darling, i'm here with you...oh sweetie by the way, did you buy that tiara of diamonds i told you i really liked?" 👀. So pretty It hurts...yeah, hitting your self-esteem to make you fall at their feet 😏

Celebs examples: Marylin Monroe, Monica Bellucci, Elizabeth Taylor, Keanu Reeves, Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

Gemini / 3-15-27 degrees : Too fast you can't keep up 🌪️. You won't see them coming in any way. They are like a rap song, you're vibing until you realize the words they're speaking 😶. Funny queens/kings that kill you with their sense of humour. Rolling eyes at you, putting into discussion your crafting level as their strategy to make you feel worthless. They have beautiful nails/claws (ngl they really do). These mfk are so freaking versatile and well-rounded, they can do anything... No one knows as many things as they do. The real street smart. They make you think you dodged them but they have already 1827829292 other plans on how they could catch you, you have no escape sorrynotsorry 👋

Celebs examples: Rihanna, Beyoncé, Jamie Dornan

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓��⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

Cancer / 4-16-28 degrees : Baby panthers everyones wanna protect 🥺, until you realize you should have protected yourself from them lol. So frail they could break and cut you with one of their heart's sharp broken pieces. Jumping on you by jumping on your emotions. Changing moods 24/7 to confuse you even further. Shiny deeply emotional eyes on all the time. They rarely leave their lair but when they do, you know it's trouble (cause they reached an extreme). Like the moon, they catch your attention by making themselves appear all alone, until you realize they were always in their comfortable spot and only waiting for you to get trapped by the immense darkness around. 🌚

Celebs examples: Lily Rose Depp, Chadwick Boseman

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

Leo / 5-17-29 degrees : Grumpy cats that want it all *cute umpf sound*😾. Get out of their ways to catch their prey. Hella talented. Work so freaking hard to improve their skills you'll see them making a whole choreography while hunting. They catch so many people's attentions. Now they use that crowd as a fortress with no exits for their prey to escape 😘. But hurt their ego and they can take a looot of time to get back to hunting with some pride. They're the best at taking care of their people, they share the food (keep the best part for themselves tho lmaoo) and they're protective towards their loved ones. Truly fighters with a biig heart and of course they have a *dramatic showy hunting style* 💃

Celebs examples: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Helena Bonham Carter

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

Virgo / 6-18 degrees : Peekaboo from da green bush 😶‍🌫️. Panthers with a green thumb for growing detailed organized plans. Perfectionist predators. Calculate every millimeters, every possible outcome, to the point of overthinking It all and not even starting the plan lol. Intelligent and adaptable, quick learners. Can make you think they're weak with their bodily constitution and shy because they don't speak much. Truth is, they're studying you and their surroundings. Make the best advisors, cause they can see what's missing from the bigger picture and they usually don't initiate the hunt. Stay physically behind others' backs but are mentally ages ahead. Outsmart everyone in the end (if in good form and with their doubtful part of the brain shut lol)

Celebs examples: Halle Berry, Winona Ryder

⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕⁓⁕

Libra / 7-19 degrees : Graceful panthers, so poised they resemble perfect statues. And they make you believe they are that harmless...but careful not to fall for it 👀. These people don't aim directly to their prey, they get to it through others (the type to not dirty their hands lol). The glue that keeps the pack intact. They're loved by everyone, gentle smiles, kind gestures, they make sure they are pleasant to be around . Keep their outward persona all in check, constantly clean and polish their shiny fur 💅. Balanced, not too risky in their moves, they always test the waters first and adapt to the responses they get. Choose their words carefully to hit the weakest spot. Kill their prey with kindness and charisma, then offer them dessert to not feel guilty 🙃🍰

Celebs examples: Jamie Campbell Bower, Vincent Cassel, Zoe Kravitz

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Scorpio / 8-20 degrees : The arm reacher distance. No, they don't have the COVID, they have the INTIMIDATION. No one wants to mess up with them. They have the blackest and thickest and shiniest fur of them all. But they rarely show their powerful moves, all they got are rumors spreading from people that SAW. If some other naive panther try to provoke these natives out of fun, they got to be prepared to suffer from Scorpio panther's psychotic fun .This is how they get the people to respect them out of fear. Sneaky and untreceable, they're the best at erasing their fingerprints. Get into their prey's mind. Predicting every little action and elaborating a plan on it. They don't like to strike right away, but prefers to take their time with it cause they enjoy playing and see their prey's reactions to their little scary games 😈. Very private and jealous, won't share their prey with anyone.

Celebs examples: Darkota Johnson, Carrie-Anne Moss

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Sagittarius / 9-21 degrees : Can't stay still a sec. Always get in the way of other's people lol. Two panthers are fighting for the throne? Lemme jump in real quick and make a showstopper mooove 🤸‍♀️ (by risking their lives..yeah 🤦‍♀️). *everybody gets mad (but still laugh)*. "weee everybody sorry, i thought it was match break! I am the lady holding the round sign ya know thisss". Makes mistakes but knows how to crack a joke on them. They don't usually attack intentionally, as they don't really stand cruel actions. But they could kill by mistake cause they take up so much space and are very energetic, you get in their way, you dead😂. Their big presence ,easygoing nature and funny/entertaining behaviour win people's hearts (and their prey's too 👀)

Celebs examples: Michelle Yeoh, Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johannson, Lena Headey, Al Pacino, Simone Ashley

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Capricorn / 10-22 degrees : Why so serious? 🤡 These people have gone through hell and back, no surprise they become the Devil. They tried them all, the bad, neutral and good strategies, they got a baggage of experience that could have either made or broken them. Always disappointed with others. Wise with a mind of a genius, but if this trait of them is neglected by people, the lack of respect could trigger them to suppress their emotions and use this detachment to manipulate others' feelings pretty well. Calm and premedited actions. They take time to kill their prey, they wanna consume them till they can't get it anymore and wanna hear them begging to give them that feeling of respect they didn't get before. Natives that people can consider too strict/inflexible (almost like tirants) if they get to rule as King/Queens panthers. (but they're just good people to whom bad things happened 🥺, lemme give you a hug 🤗)

Celebs examples: Heath Ledger, Zhang Zi-Yi, Grace Kelly, Alan Rickman, Jennifer Lawrence, Maggie Q, The Weeknd, Audrey Hepburn, Alexa Demie, Bruce Lee, Kristen Stewart

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Aquarius / 11-23 degrees : Loner panthers that don't give a heck of getting to the Queen/King's panther's throne cause they're already building one of their own 😎. Making their own rules, getting their own land, initiating a whole new way of living. And then people see how cool and innovative their way is, and how strong they are to have built all of their empire alone, so they get easily influenced, and individually choose to become their plebs. And this is how they sterminate all their preys at once lmaoo. Unpredictable actions, have unique ways to hunt that may seem weird to people, but they're not afraid to show them by being themselves. This silent confidence can only gives more appreciation and genuine respect to the natives. Can get quite a lot of controversial stares too from close-minded people, but again, they just don't care 😇

Celebs examples: Zendaya, Joaquin Phoenix, Lana Del Rey, Keira Knightley, Anya-Taylor Joy

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Pisces / 12-24 degrees : The forgetful predator and utopian leader. Create some fantastic plan than only can exist in an imaginary world cause gravity cannot bend to these native's thoughts unfortunately lol...or maybe it does cause they're manifestation king/queens hehe✨ . But everyone is obsessed with them even if they make a lot of mistakes. People are very very confused by these natives and Pisces panthers take this to their advantage. Manifesting their prey like this 👏...but then they don't feel like attacking them lmao... or coff coff... they were sleeping and missed it 😆. Chill around, but cannot not getting involved in the drama cause they're curious by nature. And then the drama (and so the prey too) hunts them, trying to switch the roles, giving them even more opportunities to catch what they want. Not the best at striking to the front, but will hunt you in your dreams.

Celebs examples: Kim Kardashian, Jenna Ortega, Michelle Pfeiffer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Jackson, Eva Green, Johnny Depp, Maisie Williams

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And you've reached the end of the post!

Thank you for staying with me 💖

I hope this post entertained you and also gave you some cool info on your placement!

Lemme know if you resonated, and if you didn't let me know equally😊 as you know, i value your feedback a lot ✨ I'm aware this asteroid is an untamed territory, so take in mind this is just my personal interpretation

As always,

I wish you all a wonderful day ahead! Be well, Yours, Linnie 🖤

( Sorry @brielledoesastrology if this took so long, i loved the suggestion of your request, and i hope this post satisfies it 😘 )

[lorkai]

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ A/N: Honestly I forgot today it's valentine's day, but thankfully I found time to write a little something both cute and funny - well I think it's funny. Anyway, happy valentine's day for y'all, I'm giving each one of you a little kiss on the cheek! (Tagging you bcs I think you'll enjoy this @hanafubukki)

"Are you sure about that?" Silver grabs your arm before you can walk through the door and meet his father, his normally warm and comfortable palms were now cold with anxiety. It was so strange to see him so agitated like this, when you were used to seeing him with a calm and content expression.

You smile, trying to control your own nervousness, trying not to show how you felt. Lilia would be able to sense your nervousness like a hungry shark before even a "how are you?" could escape your lips. Maybe even with his eyes closed and blindfolded, he could see you shaking. The old general might be your good friend, but he could scare one whenever he wanted.

Wanting not to think about it now, you force another smile onto your face as soon as the old one falters and take Silver's hands between yours affectionately, joining your head to his, your eyes connected. There was nothing to fear, not when you knew what the results of your action were, the metal between Silver's fingers left you bubbling with happiness. His "yes" echoing again and again in your mind, echoing, shouting, whispering, existing in all forms.

"Everything's going to be okay," You whispered to him before giving him one last kiss, feeling your heart beat like it was one of the first exchanged. You moved away and with that the heat too. "I'll leave with a positive answer. Trust me."

And with that you ventured into unknown lands.

Lilia was in his natural habitat, pink apron wrapped around his waist as he watched the strange mixture he called food bubble inside the pot. As soon as the door closed he looked over his shoulder and smiled at you in greeting, returning to paying attention to whatever he was cooking.

Abort mission? You thought, swallowing hard. the smell of the death reaching you, but you took a deep breath. No, I can't give up. it's now or never!

"Uh... Lilia?" You mentally slapped yourself as your voice weakened, fidgeting with the hem of your shirt as you tried to calm down. Was this how everyone felt? Heavens, what torture! "I want to ask you something."

A sigh left your lips as a small hand rested on your chin and forced your face to meet his, vibrant red eyes looking at you curiously. As you predicted, he already knew something was going on and seemed to find the situation funny. "Fufufu~, what scared you, Yuu?"

You, you scare me! You mentally shouted, pressing your lips into a straight line before smiling.

"I want to ask for your blessing to marry Silver." You let it all out in a single breath, afraid of even breathing wrong. Your eyes closing on impulse.

Lilia mumbled something incoherent, released you and walked away. He looked so shocked that for a second he just stared at you without saying anything while a thousand thoughts ran through his mind.

He's going to say no, he's going to tell me to never go near Silver again.

Far from it, Lilia burst into contagious laughter, wiping away small tears that ran from his eyes. For several minutes all you heard was the sound of something bubbling inside the pot and Lilia laughing, his face so red it looked like a pepper. Finally he seemed to calm down, using the kitchen counter to steady himself. He took a deep breath, once, twice before looking at you again.

"So that's how they feel... I expected anything but that, honestly, oh wow." Lilia took another deep breath, back to his normal self. "Marriage is a big step to take, are you ready for it?"

You nodded, a sweet smile growing on your face. "I am prepared now as I will be in the years to come to make your son the happiest man in the world and being able to call him my husband would make me very happy too."

Lilia seemed to think for a second, but you knew, you could feel the positive response coming any moment now. He turned around and turned off the stove, letting his food cool, then returned his attention to you more carefully, arms crossed over his chest.

"Does Silver want this?”

As if ready to answer the question, Silver opened the door, awkwardly looking at his father.

"Yes, I want."

Lilia laughed softly, opening his arms and waiting for his son to cross the entire space that separated them and come hug him, just as he did so readily when he was still a child. And Silver did, he might even be bigger than his father now but the effect was still the same, all the comfort, all the love, was there.

"Yuu, you too!" Lilia commanded, extending another arm towards you. Surprised, you joined the hug, melting almost immediately in the middle of the two, a rollercoaster of emotions running through your chest.

"Ah, children, you grow up so fast, I almost feel old!" Silver let out a laugh as his father massaged his scalp, his hand found yours and he squeezed it lightly. "You have my blessing to get married, I can almost see the ceremony and it is beautiful."

He broke away, small tears forming in his eyes as he looked at you and Silver. A smile made its way across his face.

"Promise to make my son happy, promise to love him as he deserves?" He asked.

You promptly responded. "Of course I promise and I will never break that promise, I swear on my life."

"Good indeed, otherwise... Fufu~" Lilia laughed. This time in a tone that sent shivers down your spine and Silver sent a pleading look to his father, the fae rolled his eyes. "Young people these days don't understand my jokes, oh well. By the way I'm glad you're here, the food is ready and hot and we can talk more with our bellies full!"

And there was the omen of death, you could see his black cloak and the scythe in his hand clearly. Death was coming. Silver pulled you close. "Sorry dad, but we have to go ring shopping." He lied for both of your sakes, waving as he started walking.

"Silver, I can clearly see a ring on your finger and Yuu's finger." Lilia argued against it.

And with that, Silver pulled you up and started running. Adrenaline filled your body as you followed him, it was a matter of life or death now.

But at least you had gotten Lilia's blessing.

[waterlilyvioletfog]

Notes on Criston Cole in 2x02

I was fascinated by Criston Cole in this episode. We don’t really see much of him in ep. 1 so I really wasn’t sure what to do with him and his current choices. This episode we see him a TON and everything in it had me sitting up, eyes sparkling, stupid grin on my face like OH HO HO!! We’re doing good tv!!

More below cut.

1- Fabien Frankel’s Acting

So, last episode, many people noted how Criston generally seems completely blank, no expression, dead eyed. I think this episode confirmed for me that this is a conscious choice by Fabien Frankel, not a reflection of a bad actor or director— Jared Padalecki half-acting in 90% of his scenes for the last several seasons of Supernatural THIS IS NOT!! (Sorry, spn is one of my other natural habitats. The comparison is right there for me.)

There are two smaller moments where we see these really interesting bits of physical acting letting us in on Criston’s internal thoughts even while he’s got the dead face on— I think we should be thinking of this as his Kingsguard Face, roughly equivalent to the customer service smile, but for bodyguards— Criston doesn’t want anyone EVER to know what he’s thinking and feeling unless what those things are can be summed up as “bloodthirsty shark dog with knives pointed at you” (more on this later).

These two moments are first, when we see the servants clearing out the bedroom and Criston flinches away from the sight of Jaehaerys’s bloody mattress. It doesn’t look like a flinch in the way that, say, Emma D’Arcy’s flinch when the door slams closed behind Daemon after the fight does, but it’s an uncalculated movement away from something distressing nonetheless. The scene is basically just this— we see the room coming down, we see Criston, we see the mattress, we see the flinch, there’s like one line of dialogue, the scene ends. The scene has very little function except, one, to show us background minutiae and detail that bring the world and the moment to life, and two, to let us see Criston away from Alicent, Otto, Aegon, and Aemond. It’s a moment that lets us into Cole’s interiority, his guilt.

This guilt is articulated clearly later, when he says to Alicent that nothing can absolve him of what he has done. After Alicent closes the door on him, the camera pans back to Criston where we get the second piece of physical acting that fascinated me— Criston is shaking his head ever so slightly, as if trying to push away thoughts creeping in. This is the moment that really sealed for me the idea of Criston’s Kingsguard Face versus the actual interiority of the character as articulated by Frankel. Essentially, just because Criston’s busy not projecting anything doesn’t mean that Frankel isn’t trying to convey something to the audience in that moment. Criston’s dead eyes and stupid face are a front. There are three scenes where we see something other than this front, and I’d like to look at them more closely.

2- Promotion

We’ve all memed hard on this moment— the scene where Aegon fires Otto and says, “oh?? I need a strong hand??? Well!! Guess what!! I’m promoting— him!”

[camera focus shifts to show Criston Cole standing there like🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️]

(I cackled.)

As usual in any scene where Cole isn’t actively radiating malice, he’s mostly expressionless, serving in his capacity as bodyguard. However, if you look at his face, you can see that his expression isn’t actually “blank” so much as it is “poleaxed”— another thing which has been deservedly memed on. It’s still a minute expression, but it’s visibly different from his standard 🫥 face.

Here the significance of the expression serves a different purpose than in other scenes. Here, Criston’s obvious surprise and mild befuddlement function as a way to hammer home Aegon’s impulsivity and irresponsibility. Criston’s been thinking for the last 36 hours that he got a toddler killed by fucking the king’s mom, and now, after ZERO PRIOR DISCUSSION, has gotten his second insane promotion in like three months maximum.

He’s gone from Kingsguard No. 2 to Lord Commander to the fucking Hand of the King. Criston was fully prepared to be LC of the KG— at most, Criston is expecting to be a crucial lieutenant and battle commander in non-aerial combat for the Greens. Now, as Hand, he would get to decide which battles get fought where by who. Oh, and he has zero administrative skills, so jot that one down.

3- Punching Bag

I talked before about how the turn in Alicent and Criston’s relationship left me with mixed emotions. This scene— the ending scene, notably, which I respect as a denouement and to avoid breaking the flow of the Rryk Fight Plot— helped things fall into place for me.

Criston is waiting inside Alicent’s bedchamber, armor off. If I had the time and energy (or if anyone else has the time and energy…? 👀) I would love to do a post looking at Criston with him armored versus unarmored, because I think the pattern will show that, generally, when he is literally vulnerable he is usually also personally vulnerable.

But I digress— the bigger point I’m trying to make is that Criston, who just kind of got a toddler killed by fucking the king’s mom and also just got promoted over said queen’s dad for a position he’s not qualified for, has shown up wearing pajamas in her room. This man is expecting intimacy. He has prepared himself for it by removing his armor before she even enters the room. There can be no pretense for this. This is about as close to reclining naked, oiled up, on a bed of rose petals, as Criston Cole’s gonna get. Alicent initiates the scene by storming over and getting physical, but I think in his own way, he’s asking for it. Criston plays at passivity, but the point of the scene is to show that he’s very much in it with her.

The scene itself is without dialogue, no recriminations. I think Criston and Alicent have said all that can be said earlier— “What do you take me for?” “One who seeks absolution.” “There can be none for what I have done.”— and this is what’s left: guilt and pain, tangled with a desperation for human connection and someone who understands. Last episode, the commentary talked about how Criston functions as Alicent’s punching bag, and in this episode we see that both with her actually hitting him and I think also with the fact that they keep having sex, re-enacting the thing that they’re feeling guilty about. It’s a way to keep self-flagellating, keeping the wound open so they can atone for their sins by constantly feeling the guilt.

If it works for them, hey. Fair enough.

4- That Bitch

This is the scene that had me GIGGLING, eyes sparkling, stupid grin on my face, kicking my feet, THRILLED. Criston Cole, my dear friend, my evil bitch.

What many people who find themselves bewildered by the genuine Team Green fandom fail to recognize is that, apart from Team Black suffering a lot of iffy writing in s1 that made them uninteresting, most people who like Team Green like them BECAUSE they are not nice people (Helaena excepted 🙂‍↕️😌🙏💜). They are not uniform in this un-niceness, either— Alicent pontificates and pines and looks guilty, Otto calculates and schemes in a very Lawful Evil manner, Larys manipulates and schemes creepily, Aegon is taking notes from Theon Greyjoy, Aemond is an anime villain who just wants his mommy to love him and his brother to say sorry and also to bite people in half with his dragon and maybe get his uncle to fuck him idk we’ll get back to that, and Tyland is an Econ Major. There’s a looooot in there!

Criston is a violent person who for about 95% of his time currently cannot express any of the sheer hatred, rage, malignance, resentment, or pettiness that he is feeling, because he is Too Busy Doing His Fucking Job, where such emotions are a hindrance. Set Criston Cole in a battlefield melee, and he’s fucking set. Set Criston Cole in front of a door for six hours and he’s about ready to die.

In season 1, we saw how Criston found outlets for this— beating men to death, antagonizing the Strong boys in the yard, and getting into fights with Harwin. But now, he’s older, and now, he’s the Lord Commander (though soon!! Soon!!!!) and he can’t do any of that because everyone in King’s Landing is, for better or worse, functionally on Team Green and therefore un-fuck-with-able.

So what’s a man to do when he wants to lash out? The old classic— take it out on the underlings.

People have already said this, but the way the light comes into Criston Cole’s eyes when he’s guilt-tripping his brother-in-arms into either killing Criston’s ex or committing suicide by cop is genuinely incredible. Criston doesn’t even really think Arryk harbors any traitorous inclinations— he just has the excuse of it theoretically being a concern and theoretically having a built-in plan if he needs some justification. Aegon swallows the plan easily enough before Otto forces him to think about it.

Criston gets his co-worker killed and he looks ALIVE while he’s doing it.

It’s clear, too, that Criston lashing out like this at the other Kingsguard isn’t unusual. First, there’s how Arryk reacts to Criston initially entering the room like “oookay. Here we go. While I’m eating breakfast. This fucking guy.” which is telling in and of itself, but could have been a personal acting choice from Arryk’s actor. The bigger clue to this being a regular occurrence comes when Criston hits the table and IMMEDIATELY all the Kingsguard FLEE. THE. SCENE. They don’t exchange looks, they don’t say anything, they know that the best they can do is clear out before they get caught in the crossfire. They know, each and every one of them, exactly who Criston is and how he acts, and they are NOT about to get in the way of their evil boss when he’s on a rampage.

Criston, my guy, you are so awful and I love you. Congrats on getting your co-worker killed. It looked like fun.

Looking forward to the next few weeks when we start to see the Criston-Aegon Hand-King duo in action! I’m sure that everything will go SUPER smoothly and no one will get killed and everything will be fiiiiiinnneeee.

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

some facts about nightingales from your Official Good Omens mascot

I don't actually know much about what nightingales symbolise in the show, because I barely remember season 1 from the drug trip of the livestream, and I have no idea if they're also a symbol in season 2. But I do know that they don't usually sing, but uh, Aziraphale miracles them to? Anyway, have some fun facts.

Nightingales are migratory birds. Though they spend the summers in Europe, such as in London where Crowley and Aziraphale would see them, they fly to Africa during winters.

Kind of how Aziraphale left for Heaven, in a strange way. Or maybe... how the show itself left for warmer grounds, leaving all of you waiting, all of us waiting in "the winter of our discontent", as Shakespeare put it, for it to return. Leaving Crowley in the winter of his discontent waiting for his angel. It's not a clear metaphor. It's just an emotion, and they never make sense.

Nightingales return to Europe around April because that's where their mating grounds are.

No matter how many times Aziraphale is forced to go to Heaven, he will return to Crowley, because with Crowley it isn't just about surviving, it's about loving, about living. The nightingale goes to Africa to survive through the winter, just as Aziraphale probably went to Heaven to keep both him and Crowley safe. But he will return to the mating grounds, to home. Because life is a beautiful balance of surviving and living, sometimes all we can do is survive, and sometimes we have to remember to live.

Nightingales rarely survive in captivity. When captured for their beautiful birdsong, those that survived till the winter months couldn't live further. Because they would fly against the bars of the cage, following their migratory impulse, until their wings shattered.

Aziraphale had to leave, for them both to survive. The show's third season will take years to make, for it to remain the masterpiece that is so beloved. Beautiful things take time, and beautiful things cannot be controlled, or captured, or frozen in time. The angels must fly, lest their wings shatter and their songs be lost.

The nightingale's song is a mating call, when it finally returns home.

When the nightingale does sing again, it will mean that the time for surviving is over, and the time for living has begun. There will be nightingales once the danger has passed. Aziraphale will return to Crowley, and his song will be for his beloved demon.

No more nightingales? I think not. Yes, nightingales are endangered, because of captivity and their habitats ruined. But despite all their flaws, I think humans do love beauty. As long as they don't try to own it, and they build a world where beauty can make a home.

We will land safely, find peace, and then a nightingale will sing.

[bumpscosity]

He doesn’t have a name yet (not is he genes) but here’s one of my my aether release g1s! He has twins 🥺

Share dragons who identify as Transgender.

[jahanmp4]

I don't often talk about RP because I don't think I have anything interesting to bring to the table, but I just had this thought.

cc!Etoiles is always very vocal about HATING (and when I say hate I don't use this lightly I've rarely seen him react that intensely to anything else gameplay wise) PVP log (the act of logging off during a fight to avoid dying/losing damage). He is always about playing fair and square, if anything you need to remember about his mindset as a player, it's fairness.

This fits perfectly with q!Etoiles. He's always about defending people who are vulnerable, fighting for what is right (to him and his moral compass) and overall destroying anything that could be a threat/harmful to his loved ones. This coupled with the hc I saw someone mention on Day 1 of Purgatory of q!Etoiles being raised on UHC and feeling in his natural habitat definitely feeds in the "soldier-child" narrative.

Growing up playing UHC, q!Etoiles is all about following the rules of a duel, he's very much a gentleman in that matter. He knows all the strategies, the numbers and calculations needed to fully understand how to win a fight. He also understands that fighting someone who hasn't spent pretty much their entire life perfectioning their combat skills is unfair, and it's not even fun. He thrives in fighting against people who can potentially kill him, because then, it could potentially mean that they have the same understanding of what's at stake.

He was (wrongfully) painted as this bloodthirsty, merciless fighter by most islanders when he first arrived because they did not understand that the reason why he's so good at PVP was because he has always been meticulous and diligent in his training, but never unfair. Proof is that even when he killed other islanders/raided blue team's base he did not want to destroy anything because it didn't feel right to him.

Just now as I'm typing this he just said that he did not like the idea of destroying other team's bases because it would be too frustrating for them and that with a gameplay like that. Even if cc!Etoiles is very much holding back because of irl things, I find it so interesting how it fits PERFECTLY with q!Etoiles' soldier mindset even if unintentional (yes it makes sense because it's literally his cubito but leave me be okay). Remember how he was holding a q!Roier who was foaming at the mouth (my beloved) on a leash because he knew acting reckless and unprepared would not end well for them ? There's nothing impulsive about the man cucumber, he learned how to stay cool-headed because it's with a clear mind that you actually achieve your goals, very much what you learn in the army. Don't act on an impulse, act carefully but efficiently.

Anyways I think he's cool :D

[projectbluearcadia]

Eros Octopoda

NSFW sub!Lucifer x GN!MC Spice Rating 3/4 | BDSM Rating 2/3

[ Scenario: Courtesy of the Anti-Lucifer League, Lucifer is now in possession of a tentacle creature. You, of course, see more "applications" for it than he does. ]

Lucifer getting screwed by tentacles. Gotta say I never would have come up with that. I might have rushed a little with this one, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. (I've implied that both of y'all are switches)

CW - Tentacles obviously, restraint, dubious consent, bad writing

Wordcount - 2181

smutty notes (consult if you haven’t read my smut before.)

At least originally, it had been a ploy by the anti-Lucifer league. Satan had found the cursed orb, and Belphie had planted it inside Lucifer’s study. Before Lucifer had resolved the hex placed on it, it had been a prison orb that would physically latch onto the nearest object and effectively seal it within itself. 

Lucifer, being the master of all things related to curses, of course, was quickly able to stop the League’s plan to irritate him in a matter of seconds. Frankly, Lucifer had expected more of a challenge and was more amused than annoyed, but he did think the orb itself was rather fascinating. 

And said onyx ball stares you in the face while the demon in question rifles through his cursed records, mumbling things like, “listened to it last week”, “don’t like this one”, and ”MC doesn’t like this one.” The orb is a bit entrancing, if you’re being honest, if for no other reason than he kept it. 

“Lucifer.” You lay your D.D.D. down next to you, and Lucifer glances back at you inquiringly. 

“Yes? I know I’m taking too long, but be patient a little longer… I know I have something by Schuchopin, but I fear I might have misplaced it.” 

“Not that,” you reply, shaking your head, and you point to the orb on the mantle. “How does that thing actually… work?” Lucifer’s eyes stray from his stack of records, and he picks up the orb and almost weighs it in his hand. 

“This? Well, quite simply, it’s the habitat of a creature created by magic. So, if you manipulate it correctly…” Lucifer’s magic gleamed around the orb, and its glassy surface turned dull before the top exploded upwards, separating and forming waving tendrils. “The creature can be released to a degree. It does have a mind of its own, but it is very susceptible to suggestions.” You were starting to have some very dirty thoughts as one of the tendrils left slime on Lucifer’s glove. 

“And,” you clear your throat, trying to ignore your filthy mind, “That’s why you kept it?” Lucifer inclines his head. 

“Yes; creatures like this are difficult to come by. It takes an extraordinary amount of thinking and power to make something like this, and I wish to expend neither on something so time-consuming. However, this is a gift, and I think it would be a waste not to keep it.” I’ll second that motion. 

“Can I try?” Lucifer smiles at you and softly chuckles. 

“Of course, MC.” The tentacles—as this must be what they actually were—retreat back inside the orb, blending together and returning to their original glassy appearance as he hands the orb over to you. “The combination of curses used to render it frozen inside that subspace are a touch complicated, so…” Lucifer trails off as the orb cracks open, and one tentacle slithers out. Lucifer breaks into a wide grin and lets out a soft, short laugh. “I suppose I didn’t need to worry. Your skills grow by the day.” 

Lucifer suddenly leans in to kiss you affectionately, and you reciprocate, startled but happy to receive it. 

“It was difficult,” you admit, “but how do I give it suggestions?” 

“Hm… it’s well-attuned to waveform thoughts, so translate what you want it to do into a magic impulse.” You have to stop yourself from smirking because the dirty thoughts in your head are really starting to take shape, and there’s a big part of you that desperately wants to try it on him. See how he reacts. 

Tease him. Tease Lucifer, you suggest, and the lone tentacle writhes and twitches for a moment before it starts pulling itself further out of the orb and flicks Lucifer’s neck; the latter almost flinches at the contact. “Was that what you wanted it to—” he starts to say, only for him to cut himself off, startled, as the appendage plays with his tie, loosening it and pulling it off. 

“Yes, it was,” you answer with a devious smile. 

“MC, you are incorrigible,” he sighs as he snaps his hand around the black tendril, and a shudder passes through the rest of it. “If you want me to take my clothes off, then you can do that just fine.” Lucifer smirks at you. Always with that cute, delicious smirk of his, those darkened eyes that spoke of less-than-pure intentions. The smirk that made you want to drive him to the brink (perhaps even over the brink?) of madness with the urge to orgasm. 

“And?” you chuckle at him, urging more tendrils free of the orb with some more difficulty, but they eventually push out to reach over Lucifer’s buttons, to some of the demon’s surprise. 

“What exactly are you trying to—” Lucifer’s eyes widen, and he slaps his hand over his back, his leather-coated fist clutched around the dark, somewhat slimy limb. You pout at him. “MC.”

“What?” you ask, feigning innocence. 

“Just what are you planning?”

“Oh, I don’t know… maybe something fun?” you tease, and Lucifer sighs. 

“You’re going to make me indulge you, aren’t you?” he asks, and you feel annoyance ripple through your mind. Indulge me, sure, but don’t pretend as if you’re not going to enjoy yourself, you pervert. 

“Yes. Can’t we do something new every once in a while?” you taunt him, and Lucifer predictably pushes closer, releasing the tendril from his fist and laying his hands on either side of you instead. A small tremor passes through him as the appendage snakes underneath his shirt.

“Something new, hm?” he softly growls against your lips. “Fine. But…” Lucifer lips pass over your lips, grazing your cheek to kiss your ear. “After you’ve had your fun, I’m going to have mine, understood?” Lucifer lightly bites you, gripping your waist, and you bite him back, harder. He chuckles. 

“Maybe your definition of fun will change,” you giggle, and Lucifer kisses you hotly, softly grunting as another tentacle sneaks into his pants. He tugs on your lower lip, his dark eyes lit with fire. 

“I suppose this is fun in its own right, or I wouldn’t have agreed at all, but it’s more than strange to be touched by something that isn’t you.” 

“Then just think of it as an extension of me and enjoy yourself,” you reply sweetly before you kiss him again, and he groans softly into your mouth, his grip stiffening on your waist. Cloth rumples and slips as tentacle after tentacle springs out of the orb in your hand to play with Lucifer’s clothes. 

“...even still,” Lucifer’s voice cuts out in surprise as his trousers slip down his hips, the front of his underwear writhing. “Fuck. Why did it… so…fast…?” Lucifer groans, hiding in your shoulder as his clothes are stripped from him to reveal the fact that several of the tendrils (of which there were now six) are dragging over his skin, drawing thin layers of clear slime onto him. 

Interestingly enough, the creature had drawn a series of hearts down his body, straight across his v-line, and you vaguely wondered if it might have felt grateful to Lucifer for dismantling the curse that had been on it, but you didn’t linger on such a thing for long. 

“My, my, Lucifer,” you tease. Lucifer’s hips twitch with every movement of the tendrils, every breath erratic as it whooshes through his lips.

“Fuck,” he swears again, sounding as if he’s being strangled, gritting his teeth as he pulls away from your shoulder to give you a much better view of what’s happening as he groans. He’s holding back surprisingly well for how hard one of the tentacles is stroking him. “I’m already—” The corner of Lucifer’s mouth glistens as white dribbles out between the coils of the tentacle that was currently in the process of squeezing him dry. 

“That was fast.” You smirk at him, and he glares at you. Maybe I’ll pay for teasing him with my muscles later, but it’s so worth it. 

“Are you quite finished?” Lucifer grunts at you, and you peck his cheek. 

“Nope.” Your smirk grows wider as the slimy appendages practically read your mind without you telling them to do anything. 

“You’re really going to be the—” His breath catches, a blush sinking into his handsomely messy face. The black tentacles wrap themselves tightly around his body, squeezing and slithering. The tips flick him, as if they were a dozen affectionate tongues on his skin. Restrained in squishy, living rope, Lucifer only looks at you, mildly anxious, excited and annoyed. He’s so easy to read at times like this, you find yourself thinking as he struggles a little to escape—of course, to no avail.

“The what?” you hum at him, laying your head onto your hand as you watch with lewd fascination while Lucifer’s body is stroked and caressed by the magical entity. Lucifer, of course, doesn’t have an answer, because the tentacles are starting to writhe against his nethers again, leaving the demon gasping for air.

“Not…” he rasps out, and he almost whines as his body trembles. “...there…” His blush floods past his cheeks to set his ears alight, a noisy wet sound greeting your ears. He moans softly. “That… what…!” Lucifer croaks out a surprised gasp, and you can’t help the warmth growing in your loins as you see a thicker, milky liquid dribbling off a tentacle behind Lucifer. A tentacle that currently appears to be stuffing itself deep inside his ass. 

“Why don’t you speak clearer, Lucifer?” you purr at him, even as your hand strays down your sex, lightly yet impatiently stroking it as the thick arms of the creature inside the orb constrict and fuck your boyfriend. Watching his cum dribble onto the floor as his eyes screw shut, drool starting to become more obvious against his lips. 

His eyes open wide in surprise, and he struggles harder in his place as a different tendril snakes its way to the same place the sticky one is incessantly thrusting itself in and out of. “Not another one,” he rasps, his eyes starting shine with a pleading light as you start to rub yourself off. “MC please…I can’t…” 

Just as a precaution, you do issue a brief warning to the monster not to hurt him, but the concern seems unfounded. A vague, garbled version of your name spews from his rushed lips as the creature spreads him wider, stretching him, squelching inside him and dribbling more and more of that viscous liquid onto the floor. 

His mouth fixed open as his entire body is taken care of, one of the appendages takes the opportunity to shove itself into his mouth, and he groans onto it, saliva (or what you think is saliva) running down his lips as it makes love to his throat. It retreats, however, with a shudder as a dark blue fluid dribbles onto the floor—its blood, judging by the discoloration on Lucifer’s canines. As the demon pants, recovering, the appendage pats his face as if in rebuke (or maybe apology?) before it starts going at his chest instead. 

“Dammit, not… not again,” he moans, gritting his teeth as his lips shine, his eyes watering while every inch of him trembles. “No more… I’m already… full…” And as you get closer and closer to your release, you realize he’s not talking about the tentacles filling his ass; he’s talking about the thick liquid they just shoved inside him. 

“Ngh…” you groan, speeding up your pace, letting the tempo of Lucifer’s bothered moans guide you for the thrill of it. As it turns out, it’s not a bad tempo, considering they’re getting faster and more vulgar by the second. Beyond the point of embarrassment and straight into shameless pleasure as Lucifer loses control of his senses. Becoming the creature’s plaything as it fucks him stupid. 

You have a feeling he’s going to pass out by the time you orgasm, but seeing such a thing is just as enticing as it is disappointing. You certainly won’t mind seeing him just splayed on the floor, messy and dribbling from his poor, tormented cock and his stretched asshole.

“MC!” he shouts, and it almost shakes you out of your lustful reverie until you see the mindless desperation on his face. Is… Is he actually still going to be down for more after this…?! You think with an excited shudder as he violently climaxes, leaving you moaning as you climax yourself. 

As if satisfied, the tentacles retreat back inside their home, leaving Lucifer to crumple to the floor, gasping and panting, struggling to bring himself back up. He tries, fails, tries again, on shaking arms and legs, to get himself to standing position, and he finally clambers his forearms up onto the edge of his bed, looking up at you. 

Something in his eyes gives you the feeling that darting away might be a good plan as his shaking hand covers the lonely orb sitting next to your thigh. Even more so in the shaky, boyish smirk he gives you. Just a feeling. 

---

[ Behind the Scenes ]

Me, wracking my brain for a name for this thing:

I am not just flat-out calling this "tentacle p0rn" that's not an interesting title... Though, how did Satan even get this prison orb? Wouldn't this thing be sold at a ridiculously high price? Satan wouldn't pay for that, would he? ... Okay, so maybe he picked it up off the ground? But why was it just laying around? Why do I think so hard about this shit? FFS, it's smut, Anne. ... So, a skilled sorcerer made this and it just happened to carelessly be lying around. ... Oh. Original Title: "As Per Usual, It's Solomon's Fault."

[auckie]

Dude I am so sick of people’s attitudes towards wild animals. They are not domesticated they are not pets they will not be happy as pets and even if they are you are either going to be unhappy or have to deal with their impulse to breed and do what they would be doing in the wild, which is shit and tear your house up and probably bite you. If it works out. Well hey! Cool.

I’ve befriended this adorable cotton tail and been able to keep it alive, a miracle because they’re difficult, and it adores me and I love it but once I’m able I’m going to put this fucker outside around other cottontails and hope a hawk doesn’t swoop it.

And seeing as it’s so trusting, that very well may happen. Not a lot of juvenile wild rabbits make it to adulthood. The hawk gets to live and that’s fine by me. They’re not endangered and while I’m glad I could keep it alive I have severely handicapped its ability to fear, which is vital. As it gets older it may regain its original, instinctual sense of terror and anxiety, and I hope it does for its own sake. It’s the very same people who insist I put a bow on it and breast feed it and all that stupid shit who would probably fail to research where to get cecotropes and be confused when an unspayed adult female rabbit starts becoming aggressive towards them and dies early from being confined indoors, if it even makes it that far.

I mean. Even if I’ve been doing a good job it could literally drop dead any moment. Rehabbed rabbits do that constantly without warning. And it’ll be sad but that’s just the risk. I’m not a professional but I’ve had experience with squirrels and frankly while I know it’s illegal in some states, i also know that’s to prevent a lot of random people from nabbing cute baby animals and not doing any research and attempting to keep them as pets. But I also think, that like agriculture, carpentry, tailoring— they’re skills you can and should learn. It’s like in human DNA. Are you gonna be a licensed professional? No, I mean probably not. Animal husbandry is the same. Buuut, it’s alive. So you gotta respect that.

There’s an in between of the ardent scare tactics professionals use (rightfully so) to deter laymen from say, putting a brachypelma tarantula on their face. It will probably be fine to do that. I’m not recommending it bc it totally could bite you, or kick hairs into your eyes and nose. But like, it’s probably gonna be fine. But don’t it. Don’t take a baby Robin from its nest but like if you have to for whatever reason, be good to it, do your research and send it to a rehab center probably but you totally can learn to care for it. And if you do, you should be ready and willing to attempt to reintroduce it to its natural habitat. And it might die. It could at a rehab center too. It’s not a baby eagle*, but it’s a living creature that serves a niche in the food web and it’s important to try and put it back into that place even if it means it gets predated.

*sucks to assign animals like. Priority levels but you can and should step on Japanese garden beetles should you see them on your knock out rose bush. You find a dying bee yeah give it honey water or whatever. Don’t fuck with the mantids. You get the gist.

I don’t regret taking the little feller in at all but I also will not regret trying to acclimate him back into his natural habitat: my yard lol.

[natalchartnurtures]

Mars Be Down to Earth

Note: This post might not give you anything new if you're at an intermediate or advanced level of being on the astrology wildride :p

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earth Mars, on a good day: "I've nailed the art of deliberate moves. I go through my day with a solid purpose and a sprinkle of precision. I act, grounded in Earth's wisdom—that's the secret to my 'it' life"

Why?- So, we step into the cool world of Earth Mars. The Earth element is known for its steadfastness and its mastery of making what I refer to as 'money moves'. Because Earth is their turf; that's what they know like the back of their hand. It's their arena, and we're just hanging out in it, you know? I love admiring these creatures simply existing in their habitat. I learn a lot from them because I barely have any Earth in my birth chart at all, lol.

But yeah—Earth energy is all about being practical, grounded, and reliable, kind of like standing on solid ground, really. This Mars crew has a solid drive for the material world, finding fulfillment in real, concrete accomplishments. This is because they understand the tangible world like none of the other elements can. It's their superpower. They have the potential to realize their manifesting potential if they choose to align with it. They stand to be master manifestors and can teach it to the rest of us peasants as well.

There are a couple of ways, out of the infinite ways, it could manifest.

It could show up as a patient persistence, a (extremely sexy) dedication towards whatever it is you desire to have in your life. Plus, you probably dig channeling your energy into creative and sensory experiences, wink wink because you've got standards and love being comfortable. You could be interested in the idea of lasting success over instant gratification. in which case, good for you, Taurus Mars. You're already better than most of us on days when you're feeling yourself. If you can harness this power of yours, you stand to create successes that most people can ONLY dream of achieving. Your methodical approach to most things in life allows you to map out a plan to realize any dream—honestly, any god-loving dream out there. With your step-by-step strategic approach and action, you could go places, kid.

Now, if disciplined ambition, hard work, action rooted in wisdom, and endurance got thrown into a pot, the resulting concoction would be none other than a Capricorn Mars. Honestly, it's crazy how this sign tames the flames of Mars to bring out a more mature and sophisticated version of the fiery energies of Mars. Mars here isn't as prone to being impulsive, resulting in all its energetic impulses getting funneled into pure goal-oriented action, on a good day at least. It's the marriage of bold initiation and relentless hard work. What do you think the child of this is going to turn out to be? Legendary success? If you guessed that, you'd be correct. Efficiency might as well be this Mars' middle name here, and really its all about, in wise words, getting shit done. It's reliable, driven, capable, and acutely aware of what it takes to bring a desire about. It's honestly deliciously sexy to watch y'all do your thing. Keep going, you hot ass baddies. Show us what you're made of :]

Imagine Mars playing chess. If you did, you probably caught the essence of Virgo Mars. Smart, fast-thinking, doesn't miss the details and perfection-striving, Mars here is quite a force to be reckoned with. Mars goes for nothing but precision and will achieve it no matter how long. You guys will analyze the living crap out of any of your mistakes, which allows you to learn from them in a deeper way and make some pretty efficient changes to your overall plan to get where you need to go. Y'all are adaptable like that, which is quite impressive—it's great decision-making. Another thing about Mars here is that Virgo bestows a service-oriented mindset to the natives having this Mars, which, in turn, makes y'all humble-ass badasses, which is ridiculously amazing. OMG. Also, y'all enjoy taking care of your physical bodies and well-being, and it shows! Y'all love looking the part as you're kicking ass on your good days. This energy commands respect in a quiet way, which is low-key some big-dick energy. Love it!"

So that was my take on Mars in the Earth element. hope you liked it!

[am0ng-us-sus]

DOMESTIC BIRDS HAVE NEGATIVE SURVIVAL INSTINCTS. NEVER RELEASE THEM INTO THE WILD!!

No matter how 'right' you think it is,it's never okay! Domestic birds,especially parrots,have no idea what is and isn't a threat. I take my budgie's cage down into the kitchen (when nobody is cooking) to clean it because the room he is in is carpeted,and I'd much rather sweep then vaccum every time. Sometimes my dogs get into the kitchen,and this little bird is not afraid of my dogs whatsoever. In fact,this bold little shit was about to go over and bite one of their noses through the bars when said dog got past the baby gate into the kitchen.

Besides this,even if said bird can recognise a threat,they have no idea how to evade it sense they weren't taught to.

And birds bred with unnatural color mutations have no camouflage to defend themselves. This is most common with blue budgies. If you didn't know,budgies are naturally green and yellow,the blue color comes from years of domestication.

Not to mention,most places birds are released are not even the correct habitat. I often see videos of pet parrots being released into cities or towns,when most parrots live in tropical rainforests,while Budgies live in the outback.

These birds often die in a few days of 'release'. Throwing pets into the wild is in general a death sentence,no matter the species.

I know a lot of people don't believe birds should be 'mistreated' in pet stores,but here's the thing: Proper bird owners give their feathery friends happy lives. Birds are often mistreated in captivity mostly by the average person. I know someone reading this probably has or knows someone with a pet budgie or finch that is treated like an ornament. It may suprise many,but budgies need a balaced diet,a large cage,and plenty of exercise and meantal stimulation,just like Macaws and Cockatoos. Birds in general aren't low maintenance pets,and a bird being smaller doesn't mean it has less care needs.

Some might say that an animal like birds shouldn't be domesticated in the first place. And this is partially true,due to all the unintentional mistreatment of birds,and how they are marketed as easy low maintenance starter pets,especially budgies and finches,when in reality,all birds are as exotic of a pet as a koala. Many people impulse buy because of how cheap birds like budgies and finches are,and how supposedly 'easy' it is to care for them,just because they don't require daily walks or grooming doesn't mean they're low maintenance. Before you get any pet,you should do extensive research.

In conclusion; Releasing a pet bird into the wild,no matter the species,is crueler then keeping them as pets and giving them a good life. Please,do not do this.

[jaimemes]

why are the members of the reuniclus line all so far apart? theyre just cells

Excellent question, anon! I'd be happy to answer!

Solosis was ranked as one of the few Psychic Pokemon that I believe would be a fairly good pick for young kids and inexperienced trainers! Because of their protective cellular membrane, they can survive practically any environment, making them a good companion no matter the climate or habitat! And due to this membrane, they're surprisingly sturdy for such a squishy Pokemon!

These Pokemon are intelligent enough to be able to communicate its needs to its trainer via telepathy, but not so intelligent that it will grow impatient at an intellectual gap between it and its trainer (an issue most common with Pokemon such as Alakazam, Slowking, Metagross, and Oranguru). All that is required is that they are kept mentally stimulated, and Solosis are fairly easy to entertain! They're very curious and eager to learn!

In terms of diet, Solosis aren't very picky at all! They absorb food through their membrane into their cytoplasm, where they will then break down the food for nutrients. As long as they receive a reasonable and balanced diet that covers all the necessary nutrients, this Pokemon will be happy and healthy!

And as far as psychic power goes, while Solosis does have a decent amount of psychic energy at their disposal, they only unleash it when they feel threatened or are being attacked. Outside of self-defense, Solosis mainly reserve their psionics for three things: homeostasis, levitation, and communication. Their membrane weakens if they overexert themselves, so they tend not to waste unnecessary energy.

Things get a bit more complicated with Duosion.

I ranked these Pokemon in the "Can Be Difficult" tier for a few reasons. While Duosion retain many of the pros that Solosis has, the biggest drawback is that now it has two brains, and anyone with ADHD knows how difficult than can be (/silly). Because of the extra brain, Duosion can be utterly unpredictable, hopping between tasks constantly and seemingly arguing with itself. But when the two brains do agree, Duosion’s psychic power reaches its maximum potential— covering a range of over an entire kilometer.

Its intelligence and processing speed is doubled, leading to potential for frustration with its trainer if there is a perceived intellectual gap. And that doesn’t even take into account the frustration it will have with itself, as its two brains will constantly disagree and put the Pokémon in a state of decision paralysis. In this stage, it is more crucial than ever for the trainer to help Duosion learn developmental skills like decision-making, rationalization, and forethought.

While not impossible for a trainer to manage, Duosion is a difficult Pokémon for beginners with little to no experience or knowledge of what to expect. Ill-equipped trainers will find themselves struggling to keep up with their Duosion’s impulsivity and unpredictability.

Reuniclus is a different story entirely.

This is a Pokémon that, while I don’t have personal experience raising myself, my mother does. Here’s what she has to say:

For an inexperienced trainer? Oh, no, not at all. Reuniclus are incredibly strong, both physically and psychically. They can easily grind boulders into fine dust with both their minds and bodies. It’s enrichment for them, even. If they aren’t given any new toys to destroy every now and then, they may become frustrated and destroy you, haha! Like humans, Reuniclus are very social creatures, so it is important that they interact with other Reunicli and form a social network with them. They communicate with one another by shaking hands and creating a neural link between their brains, which increases their psychic power exponentially. Entire communities of Reuniclus will hold hands to perform unimaginable feats of psychic power. To deprive them of a social network is to deprive them of enrichment and mental stimulation. They will become depressed and irate, and the last thing you want is an upset Reuniclus deciding that your skull would make a fun new stress toy. Ah, that reminds me! Shaking hands is also how Reunicli will test the strength of one another; they will grip each other’s hands with enough force to compress diamonds (in theory, at least— in practice, such a feat would cut their membranes). But a newly evolved Reuniclus will not know their own strength, so if it ever invites you to arm wrestle: don’t. Unless you’d like to see what powdered bone looks like! They mean no harm, really. A well-trained Reuniclus is as peaceful as any other Pokémon. But peaceful is not harmless. Harmless implies that they don’t have the power to cause harm. And Reuniclus certainly have the power to cause harm.

[bad-traffic-smp-ideas]

insomnia(c) life

nobody is allowed to sleep irl for 24 hours before the session starts

there are no in-game beds. you cannot sleep. phantoms are still a thing.

so, about an hour into the first session, 1-4 phantoms spawn for nearly every single player all at once.

the only way to reset phantom spawning is to die (since you cant sleep), and otherwise they will increase in number every ingame night

scar starts selling phantom repellent crystals. tango and impulse and etho and scott hide underground. grian's constantly fending off phantoms from scar while scar's chasing fairies. ren and martyn end up in a puddle underground like they did when they first met in 3rd life under the same circumstances. this inspires them to start dogwarts part 2, which pearl, lizzie, and mumbo are determined to shut down due to the horrors they heard it caused the first time, and they hire cleo to commit some arson for them. pearl is in her natural habitat and is the most feared member of the server. her only allies are scott and bigb. speaking of bigb, grian's trying to do secret soulmates again, and jimmy and joel are trying their hardest to get him to stop and be normal about bigb, but scar's just encouraging him. joel ends up killing scar and then scar declares war on joel. lizzie finds out about this and at first is lke oh ok but then jimmy's like you two are literally married and then something clicks in lizzie's head. she takes cleo, mumbo, and pearl, and they plan this really elaborate arsony trap for scar that fails horribly when they left pearl to set it up but pearl was actually the boogeyman. scar is the only one who survives. this was not pearl's intention. she decides this man must be stopped. i dont have any more ideas for that part so we're moving on. ren's game crashes at one point and martyn just cries. etho somehow manages to put himself into an etho hopper clock and bdubs is the one who has to figure out what to do with him. oh i forgot about bdubs— bdubs is sufferring and decides to make it cleo's problem. cleo suffers so much from this that she has to be swapped out with gem for a session, who is not sleep deprived, and is just incredibly confused

bonus: no caffiene or anything allowed. extra bonus: except for the boogeymen. they can have caffiene and stuff

This reads like some sort of phantom-centric apocalyptic fanfiction and I'm in love with it <3