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mostlysignssomeportents · 8 months ago

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Bossware is unfair (in the legal sense, too)

You can get into a lot of trouble by assuming that rich people know what they're doing. For example, might assume that ad-tech works – bypassing peoples' critical faculties, reaching inside their minds and brainwashing them with Big Data insights, because if that's not what's happening, then why would rich people pour billions into those ads?

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/06/surveillance-tulip-bulbs/#adtech-bubble

You might assume that private equity looters make their investors rich, because otherwise, why would rich people hand over trillions for them to play with?

https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2024/11/19/private-equity-vampire-capital/

The truth is, rich people are suckers like the rest of us. If anything, succeeding once or twice makes you an even bigger mark, with a sense of your own infallibility that inflates to fill the bubble your yes-men seal you inside of.

Rich people fall for scams just like you and me. Anyone can be a mark. I was:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/05/cyber-dunning-kruger/#swiss-cheese-security

But though rich people can fall for scams the same way you and I do, the way those scams play out is very different when the marks are wealthy. As Keynes had it, "The market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent." When the marks are rich (or worse, super-rich), they can be played for much longer before they go bust, creating the appearance of solidity.

Noted Keynesian John Kenneth Galbraith had his own thoughts on this. Galbraith coined the term "bezzle" to describe "the magic interval when a confidence trickster knows he has the money he has appropriated but the victim does not yet understand that he has lost it." In that magic interval, everyone feels better off: the mark thinks he's up, and the con artist knows he's up.

Rich marks have looong bezzles. Empirically incorrect ideas grounded in the most outrageous superstition and junk science can take over whole sections of your life, simply because a rich person – or rich people – are convinced that they're good for you.

Take "scientific management." In the early 20th century, the con artist Frederick Taylor convinced rich industrialists that he could increase their workers' productivity through a kind of caliper-and-stopwatch driven choreographry:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/21/great-taylors-ghost/#solidarity-or-bust

Taylor and his army of labcoated sadists perched at the elbows of factory workers (whom Taylor referred to as "stupid," "mentally sluggish," and as "an ox") and scripted their motions to a fare-the-well, transforming their work into a kind of kabuki of obedience. They weren't more efficient, but they looked smart, like obedient robots, and this made their bosses happy. The bosses shelled out fortunes for Taylor's services, even though the workers who followed his prescriptions were less efficient and generated fewer profits. Bosses were so dazzled by the spectacle of a factory floor of crisply moving people interfacing with crisply working machines that they failed to understand that they were losing money on the whole business.

To the extent they noticed that their revenues were declining after implementing Taylorism, they assumed that this was because they needed more scientific management. Taylor had a sweet con: the worse his advice performed, the more reasons their were to pay him for more advice.

Taylorism is a perfect con to run on the wealthy and powerful. It feeds into their prejudice and mistrust of their workers, and into their misplaced confidence in their own ability to understand their workers' jobs better than their workers do. There's always a long dollar to be made playing the "scientific management" con.

Today, there's an app for that. "Bossware" is a class of technology that monitors and disciplines workers, and it was supercharged by the pandemic and the rise of work-from-home. Combine bossware with work-from-home and your boss gets to control your life even when in your own place – "work from home" becomes "live at work":

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/24/gwb-rumsfeld-monsters/#bossware

Gig workers are at the white-hot center of bossware. Gig work promises "be your own boss," but bossware puts a Taylorist caliper wielder into your phone, monitoring and disciplining you as you drive your wn car around delivering parcels or picking up passengers.

In automation terms, a worker hitched to an app this way is a "reverse centaur." Automation theorists call a human augmented by a machine a "centaur" – a human head supported by a machine's tireless and strong body. A "reverse centaur" is a machine augmented by a human – like the Amazon delivery driver whose app goads them to make inhuman delivery quotas while punishing them for looking in the "wrong" direction or even singing along with the radio:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/02/despotism-on-demand/#virtual-whips

Bossware pre-dates the current AI bubble, but AI mania has supercharged it. AI pumpers insist that AI can do things it positively cannot do – rolling out an "autonomous robot" that turns out to be a guy in a robot suit, say – and rich people are groomed to buy the services of "AI-powered" bossware:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/29/pay-no-attention/#to-the-little-man-behind-the-curtain

For an AI scammer like Elon Musk or Sam Altman, the fact that an AI can't do your job is irrelevant. From a business perspective, the only thing that matters is whether a salesperson can convince your boss that an AI can do your job – whether or not that's true:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/25/accountability-sinks/#work-harder-not-smarter

The fact that AI can't do your job, but that your boss can be convinced to fire you and replace you with the AI that can't do your job, is the central fact of the 21st century labor market. AI has created a world of "algorithmic management" where humans are demoted to reverse centaurs, monitored and bossed about by an app.

The techbro's overwhelming conceit is that nothing is a crime, so long as you do it with an app. Just as fintech is designed to be a bank that's exempt from banking regulations, the gig economy is meant to be a workplace that's exempt from labor law. But this wheeze is transparent, and easily pierced by enforcers, so long as those enforcers want to do their jobs. One such enforcer is Alvaro Bedoya, an FTC commissioner with a keen interest in antitrust's relationship to labor protection.

Bedoya understands that antitrust has a checkered history when it comes to labor. As he's written, the history of antitrust is a series of incidents in which Congress revised the law to make it clear that forming a union was not the same thing as forming a cartel, only to be ignored by boss-friendly judges:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

Bedoya is no mere historian. He's an FTC Commissioner, one of the most powerful regulators in the world, and he's profoundly interested in using that power to help workers, especially gig workers, whose misery starts with systemic, wide-scale misclassification as contractors:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/02/upward-redistribution/

In a new speech to NYU's Wagner School of Public Service, Bedoya argues that the FTC's existing authority allows it to crack down on algorithmic management – that is, algorithmic management is illegal, even if you break the law with an app:

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/bedoya-remarks-unfairness-in-workplace-surveillance-and-automated-management.pdf

Bedoya starts with a delightful analogy to The Hawtch-Hawtch, a mythical town from a Dr Seuss poem. The Hawtch-Hawtch economy is based on beekeeping, and the Hawtchers develop an overwhelming obsession with their bee's laziness, and determine to wring more work (and more honey) out of him. So they appoint a "bee-watcher." But the bee doesn't produce any more honey, which leads the Hawtchers to suspect their bee-watcher might be sleeping on the job, so they hire a bee-watcher-watcher. When that doesn't work, they hire a bee-watcher-watcher-watcher, and so on and on.

For gig workers, it's bee-watchers all the way down. Call center workers are subjected to "AI" video monitoring, and "AI" voice monitoring that purports to measure their empathy. Another AI times their calls. Two more AIs analyze the "sentiment" of the calls and the success of workers in meeting arbitrary metrics. On average, a call-center worker is subjected to five forms of bossware, which stand at their shoulders, marking them down and brooking no debate.

For example, when an experienced call center operator fielded a call from a customer with a flooded house who wanted to know why no one from her boss's repair plan system had come out to address the flooding, the operator was punished by the AI for failing to try to sell the customer a repair plan. There was no way for the operator to protest that the customer had a repair plan already, and had called to complain about it.

Workers report being sickened by this kind of surveillance, literally – stressed to the point of nausea and insomnia. Ironically, one of the most pervasive sources of automation-driven sickness are the "AI wellness" apps that bosses are sold by AI hucksters:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/15/wellness-taylorism/#sick-of-spying

The FTC has broad authority to block "unfair trade practices," and Bedoya builds the case that this is an unfair trade practice. Proving an unfair trade practice is a three-part test: a practice is unfair if it causes "substantial injury," can't be "reasonably avoided," and isn't outweighed by a "countervailing benefit." In his speech, Bedoya makes the case that algorithmic management satisfies all three steps and is thus illegal.

On the question of "substantial injury," Bedoya describes the workday of warehouse workers working for ecommerce sites. He describes one worker who is monitored by an AI that requires him to pick and drop an object off a moving belt every 10 seconds, for ten hours per day. The worker's performance is tracked by a leaderboard, and supervisors punish and scold workers who don't make quota, and the algorithm auto-fires if you fail to meet it.

Under those conditions, it was only a matter of time until the worker experienced injuries to two of his discs and was permanently disabled, with the company being found 100% responsible for this injury. OSHA found a "direct connection" between the algorithm and the injury. No wonder warehouses sport vending machines that sell painkillers rather than sodas. It's clear that algorithmic management leads to "substantial injury."

What about "reasonably avoidable?" Can workers avoid the harms of algorithmic management? Bedoya describes the experience of NYC rideshare drivers who attended a round-table with him. The drivers describe logging tens of thousands of successful rides for the apps they work for, on promise of "being their own boss." But then the apps start randomly suspending them, telling them they aren't eligible to book a ride for hours at a time, sending them across town to serve an underserved area and still suspending them. Drivers who stop for coffee or a pee are locked out of the apps for hours as punishment, and so drive 12-hour shifts without a single break, in hopes of pleasing the inscrutable, high-handed app.

All this, as drivers' pay is falling and their credit card debts are mounting. No one will explain to drivers how their pay is determined, though the legal scholar Veena Dubal's work on "algorithmic wage discrimination" reveals that rideshare apps temporarily increase the pay of drivers who refuse rides, only to lower it again once they're back behind the wheel:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

This is like the pit boss who gives a losing gambler some freebies to lure them back to the table, over and over, until they're broke. No wonder they call this a "casino mechanic." There's only two major rideshare apps, and they both use the same high-handed tactics. For Bedoya, this satisfies the second test for an "unfair practice" – it can't be reasonably avoided. If you drive rideshare, you're trapped by the harmful conduct.

The final prong of the "unfair practice" test is whether the conduct has "countervailing value" that makes up for this harm.

To address this, Bedoya goes back to the call center, where operators' performance is assessed by "Speech Emotion Recognition" algorithms, a psuedoscientific hoax that purports to be able to determine your emotions from your voice. These SERs don't work – for example, they might interpret a customer's laughter as anger. But they fail differently for different kinds of workers: workers with accents – from the American south, or the Philippines – attract more disapprobation from the AI. Half of all call center workers are monitored by SERs, and a quarter of workers have SERs scoring them "constantly."

Bossware AIs also produce transcripts of these workers' calls, but workers with accents find them "riddled with errors." These are consequential errors, since their bosses assess their performance based on the transcripts, and yet another AI produces automated work scores based on them.

In other words, algorithmic management is a procession of bee-watchers, bee-watcher-watchers, and bee-watcher-watcher-watchers, stretching to infinity. It's junk science. It's not producing better call center workers. It's producing arbitrary punishments, often against the best workers in the call center.

There is no "countervailing benefit" to offset the unavoidable substantial injury of life under algorithmic management. In other words, algorithmic management fails all three prongs of the "unfair practice" test, and it's illegal.

What should we do about it? Bedoya builds the case for the FTC acting on workers' behalf under its "unfair practice" authority, but he also points out that the lack of worker privacy is at the root of this hellscape of algorithmic management.

He's right. The last major update Congress made to US privacy law was in 1988, when they banned video-store clerks from telling the newspapers which VHS cassettes you rented. The US is long overdue for a new privacy regime, and workers under algorithmic management are part of a broad coalition that's closer than ever to making that happen:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

Workers should have the right to know which of their data is being collected, who it's being shared by, and how it's being used. We all should have that right. That's what the actors' strike was partly motivated by: actors who were being ordered to wear mocap suits to produce data that could be used to produce a digital double of them, "training their replacement," but the replacement was a deepfake.

With a Trump administration on the horizon, the future of the FTC is in doubt. But the coalition for a new privacy law includes many of Trumpland's most powerful blocs – like Jan 6 rioters whose location was swept up by Google and handed over to the FBI. A strong privacy law would protect their Fourth Amendment rights – but also the rights of BLM protesters who experienced this far more often, and with far worse consequences, than the insurrectionists.

The "we do it with an app, so it's not illegal" ruse is wearing thinner by the day. When you have a boss for an app, your real boss gets an accountability sink, a convenient scapegoat that can be blamed for your misery.

The fact that this makes you worse at your job, that it loses your boss money, is no guarantee that you will be spared. Rich people make great marks, and they can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent. Markets won't solve this one – but worker power can.

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #alvaro bedoya #ftc #workers #algorithmic management #veena dubal #bossware #taylorism #neotaylorism #snake oil #dr seuss #ai #sentiment analysis #digital phrenology #speech emotion recognition #shitty technology adoption curve

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cathkaesque · 1 year ago

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Relentless direct action has secured another victory in the fight against Israel’s arms trade, as Elbit Systems are forced to sell their ‘Elite KL’ factory in Tamworth.

The company had previously manufactured cooling and power management systems for military vehicles, but was sold on after stating that it faced falling profits and increased security costs resulting from Palestine Action’s efforts.

After the sale was completed last month, Elite KL’s new owners, listed as Griffin Newco Ltd, confirmed in an email to Palestine Action that they will have nothing to do with the previous owners, Elbit, and have discontinued any arms manufacturing:

“Following the recent acquisition of Elite KL Limited by a UK investment syndicate, the newly appointed board has unanimously agreed to withdraw from all future defence contracts and terminate its association with its former parent company”.

This victory is a direct result of sustained direct action which has sought, throughout Palestine Action’s existence, to make it impossible for Elbit to afford to operate in Britain. Before they sold the enterprise to a private equity syndicate, Elbit had reported that Elite KL operating profits had been slashed by over three-quarters, with Palestine Action responsible: Elbit directly cited the increased expenditure on security they’d been forced to make, and higher supply chain costs they faced.

And these actions did, indeed, cost them. The first action at the site, in November 2020, saw Elite KL’s premises smashed into, the building covered in blood-red paint. Between March and July 2021, the site was put out of action three times by roof-top occupations – drenched red in March 2021, with the factory’s camera systems dismantled, before again being occupied in in May. Another roof-top occupation in July, despite increased security, saw the site forced closed – once again painted blood-red, and with its windows and fixings smashed through.

In February 2022, activists decommissioned the site for weeks – closed off after an occupation that saw over £250,000 of damages caused, the roof tiles removed one-by-one. After this, Elbit erected a security perimeter around the site – but to no avail. One month later, six were arrested after Palestine Action returned to Tamworth – again taking the roof and smashing through, preventing the production of parts for Israel’s military machine.

Elite KL is a ‘specialist thermal management business’. Since the sale, the company focuses on cooling systems for buses and trains, but it had, under Elbit, manufactured these systems for military vehicles. Until December of last year, Elite KL’s website was advertising its military and defence products, and it was known to provide parts for Israel’s deadly Merkava tanks, with export license records demonstrating its provision of ‘ML6a’ components for military ground vehicles to Israel. The company was also known to manufacture crew cooling systems, for the military vests of tank operators.

Elbit Systems itself provides 85% of the drones and land-based military equipment for the Israeli military, along with a wide range of the munitions and armaments currently being used against Gaza’s beseiged population. Its CEO, Bazhalel Machlis, has claimed that the Israeli military has offered the company its thanks for their “crucial” services during the ongoing genocide in Gaza

A Palestine Action spokesperson has stated:

“Each activist who occupied and dismantled Tamworth’s Israeli weapons factory did so in order to bring an end to Israel’s weapons trade, and to end the profiteering from Palestinian repression. Every defeat Elbit faces is a victory for the Palestinian people.

Kicking Elbit out of Tamworth shows once again that direct action is a necessary tactic. It is one which must be utilised and amplified in the face of the Gaza genocide.”

#socialism #palestine #palestine action #elbit systems

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aeth-eris · 9 months ago

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★ how to maximize profits via 2nd house ★

aries in the 2nd house can maximize profits by capitalizing on their entrepreneurial drive and competitive spirit. aries benefits from fast-paced, high-energy ventures where they can lead and make quick decisions. they might excel by launching a fitness training program, offering personal coaching services, or starting a motivational brand that sells products like athletic apparel, energy drinks, or performance gear. aries could also find success with subscription boxes focused on high-adrenaline hobbies like hiking, martial arts, or adventure sports. by embracing ventures that allow them to innovate quickly and take the lead, aries can build profitable businesses that leverage their passion and high energy.

taurus in the 2nd house is well-suited for steady financial growth through high-quality, long-term investments and products. they thrive in businesses that emphasize luxury, beauty, and quality, such as a high-end skincare line, organic foods business, or eco-friendly clothing brand. taurus could also consider starting a boutique furniture store that sells artisan-crafted or vintage items, as they appreciate products with enduring value. with their talent for creating a comforting atmosphere, taurus might excel with a bed and breakfast, a spa, or a wellness center that offers relaxation services. taurus maximizes profits by focusing on products that prioritize quality and offer a luxurious experience, appealing to clients who value longevity and craftsmanship.

gemini in the 2nd house can boost profits by tapping into their adaptability and communication skills, especially in diverse, mentally stimulating fields. they could thrive by starting a digital marketing agency, offering copywriting or editing services, or launching an online course platform that covers a wide range of topics to cater to curious minds. with their natural social skills, gemini could also excel in creating a networking app or social media consulting service. offering services like translation, podcasting, or even freelance journalism can keep income flowing, as gemini is well-suited to manage multiple streams of revenue. their knack for curiosity-driven ventures and networking makes them ideal for businesses that involve idea-sharing, quick adaptability, and community engagement.

cancer in the 2nd house can increase earnings by focusing on nurturing and emotionally resonant businesses that bring comfort to others. they might start a home-cooked meal delivery service, a childcare center, or a family-focused event planning service that organizes intimate gatherings like birthdays and reunions. cancer could also do well in real estate, particularly with home staging or property management that emphasizes creating warm, inviting spaces. they could excel in interior decorating, especially with a focus on cozy, family-oriented spaces, or start a handcrafted candle or blanket line. by building businesses that revolve around care, comfort, and family, cancer can create loyal clients and establish long-term success through emotional connections.

leo in the 2nd house maximizes profits by showcasing their creativity and leadership, often excelling in businesses that allow them to stand out and build a brand. leo could find success with a personal brand consultancy, fashion line, or luxury event planning business. they might enjoy launching a social media channel focused on lifestyle or self-improvement, where they can attract sponsorships or sell branded merchandise. leo also thrives in roles where they can influence and inspire others, so they might consider starting a motivational speaking business, an acting or dance academy, or a high-end boutique. with their flair for self-expression, leo profits best when they create high-quality, visually captivating products and services that let their star power shine through.

virgo in the 2nd house finds financial success through practical, detail-oriented services that provide high value and efficiency. they excel in businesses that involve organization, health, and precision, such as financial consulting, tax preparation, or a personal organizing service. virgo might also thrive with a nutrition or wellness coaching business, offering tailored health plans or holistic products like herbal supplements or self-care kits. a digital bookkeeping service, copyediting business, or virtual assistant agency could also bring them steady profits, as virgo’s meticulous nature appeals to clients who seek reliability and structure. by focusing on services that emphasize quality and organization, virgo builds a reputation for excellence that attracts a steady client base.

libra in the 2nd house can increase earnings by leveraging their skills in diplomacy, aesthetics, and partnerships. they could start a wedding planning business, a floral design company, or a luxury lifestyle brand that sells carefully curated home décor items. libra would also excel in public relations consulting or brand management roles, where they can help clients present a refined, balanced image. creating a high-end art gallery, a boutique law firm, or a relationship coaching service could also align well with libra’s skills. libra thrives in partnership-focused ventures, so building collaborative business models or co-founding a business with others can also enhance their profitability and bring a sense of harmony to their financial life.

scorpio in the 2nd house maximizes profits by tapping into their ability to handle intensity and complexity, often succeeding in fields like finance, psychology, and research. scorpio could build wealth by creating a private investigation firm, a psychotherapy practice, or a financial planning service specializing in wealth management or estate planning. they might also thrive in real estate investment, particularly with properties that need transformation, such as flipping houses or managing rental properties. scorpio may also excel in businesses related to holistic healing, offering reiki or shadow work coaching. by focusing on industries that require trust, depth, and resilience, scorpio can attract clients who value privacy and are willing to invest in transformational services.

sagittarius in the 2nd house can increase profits by embracing their love for adventure, growth, and education. they could launch a travel agency specializing in unique cultural experiences, a language learning platform, or a motivational speaking business that offers courses and workshops. sagittarius could also thrive by creating a publishing company focused on philosophical or inspirational content or starting a tour guiding business for international destinations. their enthusiasm for knowledge makes them great at teaching, so they might consider offering online courses or starting a coaching business in a field they’re passionate about. by aligning with growth-oriented ventures, sagittarius can attract an audience that values inspiration and big-picture thinking.

capricorn in the 2nd house maximizes profits through disciplined, long-term planning and a practical approach to business. they’re well-suited for businesses like a corporate consulting firm, project management agency, or investment portfolio service. capricorn could also do well in real estate development, particularly with rental properties or commercial buildings. they might find success by starting a financial advisory firm or creating a luxury goods company focused on high-end, timeless products like leather goods or fine jewelry. by aligning with industries that reward patience and professionalism, capricorn can build a solid financial foundation and enjoy steady growth, often seeing long-term success through conservative but reliable investments.

aquarius in the 2nd house can increase profits by focusing on innovation, technology, and humanitarian ventures. they might launch a tech startup, a renewable energy company, or a social media platform that prioritizes community and ethical interaction. aquarius could also find success with a nonprofit organization focused on social justice, an eco-friendly product line, or a collaborative workspace for creatives and freelancers. their futuristic mindset makes them perfect for ventures in artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, or virtual reality. by aligning their finances with progressive and forward-thinking industries, aquarius can attract clients and customers who value innovation and social impact.

pisces in the 2nd house maximizes profits by leaning into their creativity, compassion, and spirituality. they may thrive in a music or art therapy practice, a spiritual coaching business, or a holistic wellness center that offers services like yoga, meditation, and crystal healing. pisces could also succeed by creating a boutique art studio, a dream journal line, or a subscription service for wellness products like essential oils, herbal teas, and calming rituals. they’re drawn to businesses that help others heal or connect with their inner selves, so they may also find success in fields like astrology, psychic readings, or intuitive counseling. by aligning with businesses that emphasize emotional well-being and creativity, pisces can build a profitable venture that resonates deeply with clients who seek personal and spiritual growth.

#astrology #astrology observations #astro observations #astrology career #astrology 2nd house

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ayeforscotland · 1 year ago

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What is Dataflow?

This post is inspired by another post about the Crowd Strike IT disaster and a bunch of people being interested in what I mean by Dataflow. Dataflow is my absolute jam and I'm happy to answer as many questions as you like on it. I even put referential pictures in like I'm writing an article, what fun!

I'll probably split this into multiple parts because it'll be a huge post otherwise but here we go!

A Brief History

Our world is dependent on the flow of data. It exists in almost every aspect of our lives and has done so arguably for hundreds if not thousands of years.

At the end of the day, the flow of data is the flow of knowledge and information. Normally most of us refer to data in the context of computing technology (our phones, PCs, tablets etc) but, if we want to get historical about it, the invention of writing and the invention of the Printing Press were great leaps forward in how we increased the flow of information.

Modern Day IT exists for one reason - To support the flow of data.

Whether it's buying something at a shop, sitting staring at an excel sheet at work, or watching Netflix - All of the technology you interact with is to support the flow of data.

Understanding and managing the flow of data is as important to getting us to where we are right now as when we first learned to control and manage water to provide irrigation for early farming and settlement.

Engineering Rigor

When the majority of us turn on the tap to have a drink or take a shower, we expect water to come out. We trust that the water is clean, and we trust that our homes can receive a steady supply of water.

Most of us trust our central heating (insert boiler joke here) and the plugs/sockets in our homes to provide gas and electricity. The reason we trust all of these flows is because there's been rigorous engineering standards built up over decades and centuries.

For example, Scottish Water will understand every component part that makes up their water pipelines. Those pipes, valves, fitting etc will comply with a national, or in some cases international, standard. These companies have diagrams that clearly map all of this out, mostly because they have to legally but also because it also vital for disaster recovery and other compliance issues.

Modern IT

And this is where modern day IT has problems. I'm not saying that modern day tech is a pile of shit. We all have great phones, our PCs can play good games, but it's one thing to craft well-designed products and another thing entirely to think about they all work together.

Because that is what's happened over the past few decades of IT. Organisations have piled on the latest plug-and-play technology (Software or Hardware) and they've built up complex legacy systems that no one really knows how they all work together. They've lost track of how data flows across their organisation which makes the work of cybersecurity, disaster recovery, compliance and general business transformation teams a nightmare.

Some of these systems are entirely dependent on other systems to operate. But that dependency isn't documented. The vast majority of digital transformation projects fail because they get halfway through and realise they hadn't factored in a system that they thought was nothing but was vital to the organisation running.

And this isn't just for-profit organisations, this is the health services, this is national infrastructure, it's everyone.

There's not yet a single standard that says "This is how organisations should control, manage and govern their flows of data."

Why is that relevant to the companies that were affected by Crowd Strike? Would it have stopped it?

Maybe, maybe not. But considering the global impact, it doesn't look like many organisations were prepared for the possibility of a huge chunk of their IT infrastructure going down.

Understanding dataflows help with the preparation for events like this, so organisations can move to mitigate them, and also the recovery side when they do happen. Organisations need to understand which systems are a priority to get back operational and which can be left.

The problem I'm seeing from a lot of organisations at the moment is that they don't know which systems to recover first, and are losing money and reputation while they fight to get things back online. A lot of them are just winging it.

Conclusion of Part 1

Next time I can totally go into diagramming if any of you are interested in that.

How can any organisation actually map their dataflow and what things need to be considered to do so. It'll come across like common sense, but that's why an actual standard is so desperately needed!

#AyeforScotland #crowd strike #Dataflow

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skelly-words · 1 year ago

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Hey! If cool I was wondering if you could write tentacle smut. I’m not too sure on the plot but wanted reader to be very much in some sort of public setting with loads of people just watching as she gets railed by a tentacle. The kinks I wanted to ask if they could be in there is Voyourism (public sex), public nudity, squirting and/ watersports and overstimulation.

If not that is totally okay! I just wanted to ask :) and am exited to see what you come up with if your comfortable with writing this

okay cool so....

Not proofread, tags in the ask + spit a lil bit, ass eating, idk futa shenanigans, ahhhh milk (i kinda scared myself w/ this at the end)

My brain immediately went to big networking conventions that businesses have where the important people from the different corporate branches come together to drink, schmooze, and brag about sales numbers to each other.

Your boss asks you to come with her to help with the demonstration. The travel expenses and hotel costs are all covered, so you agree to spend the weekend on Wall Street with her.

I hate this, but there's the slightest bit of lore, so i ECOURAGE you to read the other parts first -> masterlist

MINORS DNI, stay away 18+ only

The presentation room of the hotel caters to corporate mixers like this. Circular dinner tables decorated with charcuterie fill out the hall. Your knee bounces nervously as people begin to file in. Saturday had been boring, spent bumming around the all-inclusive spa while your boss attended other company presentations not too dissimilar from this one.

"Relax." Your boss whispers. She sits in the squeaky folding chair beside you. Her hand lands comfortably on your thigh, stilling your knee with her warm touch. "All you have to do is bend over the podium."

You nod and try to emulate her flippant attitude. The bounce returns to your knee anyway because nerves are impossible to hide. The minutes slip by as people settle into their seats. The dimming lights act as a cue to hush the small talk and side conversations.

“Ready?” She gives your thigh a heady squeeze.

“Yea, ‘m ready,” you mumble.

Her gait is steady and comfortable up to the front of the room, and you trail behind in the shelter of her shadow. You smiled unsteadily at the sea of unfamiliar faces. Your boss tapped her knuckles on the podium, clearing her throat to get the rooms attention.

“Thank you all for coming,” she begins. “My branch is testing a few new methods of increasing productivity today. It’s all based on the same principle, ‘a happy mind is profitable one.’

“Of course, we’ll begin with the demonstration, just to prove how much it’ll help you focus on the rest of the presentation.”

An interested hum sweeps through the crowd as she leads you around the front of the podium. You aren’t wearing panties, only a skirt, which immediately becomes apparent as she lifts your waist up to the podium. The sturdy wooden surface slopes slightly up toward the room, propped up for dozens of eyes ogle your bare skin.

The position makes blood rush to your head, almost dizzy from the heavy heartbeat in your ears. Your skin feels hot and sensitive. The skirt tickles, sliding down the gentle slope of your back. You wonder if they can see how wet you are, cunt aching from all the attention.

The speech sounds so far away, like all your senses are dulling to make way for the electricity running beneath your skin. From the corner of your eye, you see a couple workers wheel three tanks up to the front of the podium.

The terrariums are large and damp, too fogged up from humidity to see anything through the glass. They're pushed into a neat line, starting at your side and progressing to the front of the stage in single file. The tank closest to you is the smallest. It's the only one you can properly look into because the creatures have suctioned themselves to the wet panes. Their round bodies flatten into mounds on the glass, little mouths busily opening and closing. You watch them, mindlessly observing them inch in little circles, around and round, maybe spirals if you spent enough time staring. You shiver, imagining the pattern it could suck into your skin. From your position now, you wonder if you look anything like that mouth on the glass to that polite crowd of people.

You feel a warm hand skim over your ass, inviting your neatly pleated skirt to drape over your back completely. The gauzy brown fabric went well with your blouse, and you remember packing it for this conference a week in advance. It feels silly now, to think what you're wearing matters when it's really the demonstration that's important.

The first tank slides open with a squeak, and your boss pulls a writhing blue tentacle out with a cloud of steam following it. You can barely see what's happening in your peripheral vision and only when you turn your head to the side. She wastes no time at all, taking the companies limited resources into account, the conference room was only reserved for an hour. Her other hand traces up and down your back, nails first, to scratch gently through the layers of fabric.

"You're doing great, hun." She whispers the reassurance into your ear, low and husky so only you can hear it. In one motion, she presses the end of the tentacle into your butt. It's bigger than what you had at home, which is what you prepped for. Her hand flattens to soothing circles when the pain comes through in your groans. You quiet to a whimper as the thing flails, twisting to orient itself inside you. It still hurt, but you were adjusting quickly to the pressure in your ass as it slithers down to find your pussy.

Now, no matter how you turn, you can't see what's going on. The suckers drag against you, that much is easy to discern from the sense of touch. The rest of your senses besides that have gone totally useless, so you watch the hypnotic pattern that the specimens in the last tank trace in the condensation.

The blue tentacle pushes into you. It's fat, thick and showy so the people in the back can see. Your eyes might be crossing from the way it slowly stretches you out. A shiny blue slime drips from every pore, sucker, and gland on the thing, making you squish obscenely from every movement. In. Out. In. Out. And your boss is still talking, you can even see the slides she flicks through when your eyes roll back, but it all sounds like white noise as the monstrous size shoves into your cunt, slipping out to momentarily attach an oozing sucker to your clit. Then it squirms right back into your hole, so slick that it runs down the inside of your thighs.

It's hopeless to imagine paying attention to anything else.

"But that's when we ran into the issue of hygiene. Clearly, this doesn't fit corporate dress-code."

That cuts through your thoughts, followed by light chuckles. The second tank slides open with a thunk, and you don't have to crane as much to see the pink tentacle calmy wrap around her arm.

"Oh, f-fuck," you finally make a sound audible over the disgusting squelch of that blue monster. She's trying to press the thick bulb at the end of the pink one into you, leaning real close, almost cheek to cheek as she forces it further past your rim. A glob of spit falls from her lips, you groan as she smears it around with her tongue.

"Just relax for me." And you're not even sure she's talking to you in that raspy tone. The hand on your back has inched lower to keep you pinned in place, and it's making you sore from how the podium’s edge digs into your hips.

Your sounds fall freely now, turning to whines as she licks you to ease the stretch. The hand on your back lightens up as the fat plug slides into place alongside the blue one. An affectionate smack lands on your ass, rubbing her warm palm over the spot as she watches the pink tentacle unfurl and flatten.

You can't see it, only whine as the weight shifts and adjusts inside you. The blue tentacle stops moving as if to behave and play nice with a friend. The gummy feelers attach as the pink tentacle latches on. It cups your swollen pussy, cleaning up the appearance quite nicely to the audience's disappointment. But your moans grow louder, echoing to let you know the sound made it to the back of the room. The little fingerlings lining the pink tentacles interior are so active. They pinch at your clit, making it slip between the soft jelly limbs while the others started playing with the rest of you.

"...And when properly stimulated, this specimen can be prompted to release its reproductive material on command." That faint comment reminds you of the eggs.

Your gasp is mixed between startled and concerned when her hand begins to brush the tentacle wrapped around your crotch. Being stuffed with the twitching blue tentacle makes you wonder where all the slimy eggs will go.

At her light brushes, the tendrils start to pull you apart. They slip inside you, just barely, enough to make your legs start to shake. You can feel them start to pour in as her thumb pushes down, squeezing out the soft spawn like horrific toothpaste as she slides the digit up from the base.

The blue tentacle comes back to life now, helping push the pink jelly into your poor pussy. You can feel the tiny limbs scoop and blue suckers fuck the eggs up against your sore cervix. And still, nobody can see. Your boss stands over you. Her hand trails between your thighs, tapping in the drying slick that's become tacky. She tugs at the tip of the tentacle, pinching firmly at the pink appendage and peeling it back.

Not all the eggs made it inside, rolling down your thighs as the mess is exposed. She's slow with her reveal, trailing her fingers through the juices to try the combination. You've gotten quieter, trying to keep your whimpers silent now that it's easier to hear. She starts to pull at the plug, and you have to bite your lip to keep it down. It doesn't wanna come out of your ass, still pulsing from so recently releasing eggs. Still, she tugs, making you squirm and clench your cunt. You've been on the edge for so long, and feeling the stretch to your rim makes your thighs squeeze together. They can barely shut to rub around your throbbing clit.

"I might as well introduce the last one then." She gives up on freeing the pink tentacle with a frustrated sigh and finally steps behind the podium to reach the tank in your eyeline. "They fit perfectly under your bra, so we'll both be demonstrating."

Your eyes follow her hand, from the lid, to inside the tank, to the buttons on her shirt. You strain to look up at her because she's standing so close, watching with jealousy as that thing sucks on her nipple. Her breasts look bigger too, spilling from her bra when she tries to squish them back into her shirt. A glance back down makes you blush. A bulge starts to bubble from her pencil skirt. It wouldn't be very noticeable if it wasn't a few inches from your nose.

"My turn?" You look up at her from between watery lashes, bending to smiling crescents when she nods. She lifts your chest just enough from the podium to let the green lump latch onto you. It doesn't seem to mind being squashed against the wood when she lowers you back down. They feel good, sucking at your breasts in a perfectly alternating rhythm. You start to feel weird, hotter as your tits get sore. The mouths pinch a little, not enough to hurt, barely more than a warning bite. You groan, the throbbing in your ruined pussy is getting worse. It makes you imagine what your boss is feeling. The pre dripping into her underwear. You probably could take her cock too if she asked you. She's still giving a presentation, talking through a slide as the buttons on her dress shirt strain. Her hand slips back to your butt, where it was yanking the bigger plug out of you.

She braces the opposite hand on your asscheek, rocking the pink tentacle back and forth to coax it out. You can barely hold sound back, dissolving into pitchy breaths when the fat blue fucker decides to start up again. It starts slow, but that pace doesn't last. After packing you with eggs, it's eager to let its cum out. Every loud thrust makes the eggs probe deeper. You can feel it in your tummy, pressed flat to the uncomfortably hard podium.

Your sensitive nipples pulse in time with the relentless suckers. You can't even care to be surprised as they spurt milk, moaning instead from the toy twisting in your ass.

The pink tentacle finally slips out of you, put back in its tank where it belongs. But you're sore, hole left gaping for the blue one to fill in as it swells. It gets bigger in your pussy too, larger with each beat. Even as she talks, her fingers can't stop playing with you, either pinching at your skin or dragging a digit through your slit. Her microphone is ther only thing keeping her intelligible over your cries, strung out from the pleasure.

Her fingers swirl around your clit, so sensitive. The touch isn't any more than light nibbles on your chest, but it makes you gasp and jump against her hand. You start to cum when she twists harder. The moans inside you spill out in one cry as you squirt. The pinch to your clit makes you spurt all over the front of her clothes.

She gasps in disgust and yanks you off the podium. The flooring is carpet, soft enough for your sore ass when you slump against the sturdy wood.

Your boss brushes off the interruption like nothing, simply indicating the conclusion of the demonstration as the slides flick to a new segment. She steps carefully between your legs when walking back to her place behind the podium.

The front of your blouse is halfway unbuttoned, however much was needed to get those creatures on, and now you notice how swollen they made your tits. You whine as the blue thing keeps moving between your thighs. There's more leverage at this angle and you don't know if you should moan or cry. In a few stunted thrusts, cum starts to fill you up, thick ropes of it that still somehow leak out from between all the eggs and the fat tentacle.

The pretty blue sheen coats your inner-thighs and the conference room floor. Something’s still wrong though. The ache between your legs isn't gone, not completely no matter how much your sore body begs to stop. It's the milk, or the hormones that come with it asking for just a little more. The demonstration portion is over. You're done, everyone's supposed to be focused on the woman speaking.

You slip a hand to your clit, circling the bud with shaking fingers. Just one more, and you'll be fine. Your boss doesn't even notice the room's eyes drifting lower. The blue tentacle indulges you, lazily moving in your cunny along with a few pumps of its warm seed. You can look at the lump it makes in your stomach from this angle.

This time, the orgasm builds fast and you have to muffle soft pants against your hand as you cum. Your poor pussy hurts, but you still need another and the tight circles on your clit don't let up.

There can't be that much more time before the hour is up and she has to get these things off you. Yet, your wrist is getting sore and weak dribbles of piss leak out of you at each peak. You notice people in the crowd hiding their arousal, and that somehow makes your crazy mind even hornier. Your abused clitty gives a heartbeat to your thumb each time someone palms their crotch or crosses their legs, still trying to be politely discreet.

The lights brighten as the presentation ends and a few odd bursts of scattered applause break out at a few tables. You still don't have the decency to leave your needy cunt alone, finally closing your legs around the blue tendril still curled up inside you as the people leave the room to pick a brochure up.

I had another anon ask abt going to find a new tentacle with the coworker from pt.2, but I kinda decided they were aliens (pink and blue both would normally use a host for mating and the suckers kinda do the same thing but for food, ig they're all just parasites sorry if that's gross), so i added a new variety into this one for you <3

A/N- how'd she do that? i would've gone ngh~ *squish* IMMEDIATLY, sry can you tell idk anything about an office job? oh well, stfu and enjoy the smut then (this is way over the top 😭) Also why did i give myself the displeasure of two (2) unnamed characters, give me names for Ms. boss or i'll start adding y/n (a threat)

#skel replies sometimes #skel writes tentacles #tentacle smut #tentacular #nsft tentacles #tentacles #monster fucker #terato #teratophillia

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northopalshore · 2 months ago

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Neptune in Aries

The birth of a new world religion

"January Neptune enters Aries on March 30, but it will station retrograde on July 4, and eventually re-enter Pisces on Oct. 22, 2025. After stationing direct on Dec. 10, it will return to Aries on Jan. 26, 2026, where it will remain until May 23, 2039" (People.com)

Northopalshores' Masterlist | Midheaven Persona Chart | private readings

🐏 In the next 13-14 years we will be witnessing another rebirth around art, music, cinema, addiction & religion or spirituality as well as mental health. Everything under these areas will undergo a long-term shift. Neptune also tends to reflect what is seen as "cool" for each generation involved.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

🐏 A lot more media will be put under polarizing influences as well people having clear likes and dislikes (beliefs being revisited, questioned, people arguing over their own interpretations and no longer confining themselves under outside influence).

In art, cinema or music you can expect more independent or new impactful creations brought to life (gone is the age of remakes or brands trying to relieve what they use to have or be in the past!).

🐏 New independent artists popping up, so we'll likely see the decline of nepotism going around in the entertainment industry as well. At the very least they won't exactly hold the same influence as they once did. People are prioritizing people's choice.

Not without it's problems of course (the people assuming more authority over who gets famous and for how long, being disrespectful, assuming more or equal power over celebrities, destroying boundaries once more but in a more demanding way kinda).

🐏 In a way, I think we'll start to see something similar as when Neptune was in Leo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, & Aquarius (the rise of idealistic Hollywood & celebrities, then a renewal controversial, free spirited and "wild" celebrity culture)

I wanted to include some history & the past that I'm referencing in this post to further highlight these themes & make my point clear.

💣 In Leo, late 1920s to early 1960s:

Neptune was in Leo starting around late 1915 untill early 1929 & then in Libra starting late 1942 untill early 1956 (also retrogrades between Virgo & Scorpio throughout that time).

We saw the rise of Hollywood and a monopoly over media and & movie screening rights or "block booking" (forcing theaters to buy bundles of films including low-quality ones if they wanted to show the hits) to ensure their profit & movies of choice would be shown. Major movie theaters i.e Warner Bros, MGM & Paramount controlled the film distribution.

Celebrities were considered royalty and were treated with adoration, often idealized and sold as such through the media. They were literally "stars" and their lives were viewed as luxurious, classy and to die for in some cases. They were icons and representation of culture, power and elegance. In a way, they were treated as products. It was also common for them to put up fronts to make themselves seem more desirable and polished than they really were. Ugly aspects of their lives were kept hidden to continue selling that star image. That norm began to shift following Neptune in Scorpio (late 1955 - 1970).

💣 In Scorpio, 1955 - mid 1970:

Neptune moved into Scorpio. Consequently we saw the rise of rebellion & dark themes in media. Characters became more raw, and unfiltered but in a meaningful way. There was also a striking increase in sexual portrayal through songs, movies and art. Horror saw a rise in popularity as well. Think Rebel without a cause (1955) & Psycho (1960). Both iconic for stirring the pot in their own way. We also say a rise in counterculture & anti established themes in media (focused on the antihero) like in Bonnie & Clyde (1967) and Midnight Cowboy (1969 nice), and even in movies like The Graduate (it rubbed me the wrong way when I first watched it but that was literally the point; sexual disillusionment in a way). This era reconstructed the media making people question authority figures, and questioned morality in the process. Being the first to push boundaries and limitations.

💣 In Sagittarius, 1970s-1980s:

Neptune moved into Sagittarius early 1970 until 1984 then continuing into Aquarius in the late 90s. (Retrogrades between Capricorn throughout that time).

Here, we enter the "new wave" of media, through music and movies especially. Hippie culture and religious/spiritual practices also became more popular during this time. We saw the birth of "wilder" films and concept leaning into creativity, sci-fi, overindulgence and hedonism. Movies, media, & music became more widespread and available as there were more options and genres to choose from ( we saw the rise/birth/popularization of punk rock, hip-hop, heavy metal, reggae, electronic, funk & etc). Although there was still controversy surrounding media control (like studios & labels having power over their artists, them having to lip sync and filter a lot of the media, radical religious movements also took place to oppose the rise of that new age hedonism). Also, it was considerd cool not to care and have that laid back attitude amongst the younger generation of the time.

💣 In Aquarius, late 1990s to 2011:

Neptune entered Aquarius in 1998 untill late 2011 (retrogrades between Capricorn & Pisces throughout that time).

The internet really came down hard on people during this time and celebrities were considered public domain to be consumed and criticized. People wanted to be famous, but often became so through some sort of problematic (yet new & exciting) ways. Not giving a fuck was popular. Being problematic was popular.

A lot of people were jerks during this time and treated celebrities as such, often going for shock factors and stirring up controversy in any industry really. People were rather judgemental of each other but at the same time this is where we saw the popularization of individuality expressed through bizzare or standout aesthetics. We also saw the birth of revolutionary public figures, film & media and celebrities like Lady Gaga.

At the same time, South Park, the MTV craze, the whole Britney Spears controversy, Eminem, 4chan, obscure websites and internet icebergs, all of them were born or popularized during this time for having that jarring or rebellious ("cool & niche") aspect to it. The weirder or unhinged you were, the more you were seen. Controversy seemed to rule the online world in a way. Indie games (and games in general ) were also a dominating presence back then. People were kind of out of touch too following that plunge into Neptune in Pisces.

I read a reddit post about it here and honestly, I agree with what they were saying as it was evidently so especially online.

Here's a chart timeline of Neptune in the signs (including it's retrogrades from 1901-2026 from cayelincastell.com)

So to continue where we left off with Neptune in Aries:

🐏 Celebrities will no longer be worshiped but they will still have power over the world (just not the same way that it is now where boundaries are questioned). They'll be more expressive and experimental, abrasive even (claiming their right as individuals and not products to be scrutinized by the public or people online). Think Chappelle Roan advocating her rights and fighting back against disrespectful media representations being more rude. Same with Doja Cat and her whole rebrand (while it may have upset many of her fans).

🐏 Celebrities won't act like they owe anyone anything anymore but people will also start revolting against their influences. So we can expect more altercations surrounding that area as well.

🐏 Celebrity hate or drama could be amplified.

We'll likely see the rise of more masculine influence in art, movies, music, religion & spirituality. More men diving into Neptunian themes including music, religion or the occult (astrology, witchcraft & tarot). Idolizing powerful men or public figures.

🐏 Births or the appreance of "prophets" could be possible.

🐏 Independent brands gaining more traction & popularity.

🐏 Prominent activism.

🐏 Idolized brands going through rebrands or losing worth.

🐏 Women embracing a more agressive and powerful presence. People with significant Aries placements may be impacted significantly too (triggering a lot of inner fears or desires but also their creativity).

🐏 Movies could center around new & impactful stories, based on true events, more action, more drama, a reformation through the narrative or overall vibe of movies or animations, we may also see a rise in independent films again or maybe even movies that kind of suck ass or are straight up just "shocking" but get popular over that.

🐏 Movies that are hot & heavy, action packed or just something more real or raw (like live action and physical sets).

🐏 People may be less dependent on religion as well & instead will be focusing on individuality and personal power (which can be both good & bad depending on the context).

🐏 There may be conflict with certain religions (being stubborn or assuming power over the other) that part might be rather messy, but it's to be expected.

🐏 Agressive idealisms & false crusades (fighting for religious beliefs that are misleading).

🐏 Media or delusions being our reality.

🐏 More internet fights or calling people out, being more confrontational. Some sort of war or huge conflict may start as well. The last time Neptune was in Aries, the US went through Civil War.

🐏 People will respond more to power and authority (rather than spirituality, authoritarian figures will likely dominate this era). There's likely going to be some forcefulness at play as well. But rebellion, and stubbornness is more significant (especially since Pluto is in Aquarius).

🐏 Intense psychological battles will also ensue. Mayhaps many, many rude awakenings.

🐏 Neptune in Aries & Pluto in Aquarius is a lethal combination. Hah, expect more discourse online. Seems like a good part of the world is turning into a worldwide "Reddit", people correcting one another & putting their interests, ideas, and expressions above others. Either way, this new era is not for the weak or faint of heart. Brace for impact soldier!

Overall themes: War, independence, serving c*nt, body horror, death, stubbornness, arguments, wild & free experimental decisions, s*x, energy, power, drama, visceral emotional outbursts, things feeling real & consequential, contant taking (less giving).

This was my personal forecast for Neptune in Aries based on the prior evidence we had & measuring changes that i. occured

˚₊‧꒰ა paid readings available ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Signing out,

@northopalshore

#neptune in aries #Neptune transit #astrology blog #astrology notes #astro notes #astrology observations #astro observations #astrology content #astrology #astrology community #astrology ramblings #celebrity culture #internet culture #entertainment industry #transit astrology #transit charts #transit chart

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ambitiouspotions · 3 months ago

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SEEN NOT HEARD | LALO SALAMANCA

summary — lalo’s temper is out of control after you unintentionally talk back

word count — 9.2k

warnings — 18 + MDNI, age gap (reader 24, lalo 44), gunplay, controlling/threatening behavior, unhinged responses, established relationship, ass play, vulgar, demeaning speech, hair pulling, rusty spanish (sorry), natural bodies with hair & curves, TOXIC

author's note — i have no excuses…i just hope this reaches the right type of people xoxo

part 1 | part 1.5 | part 2 coming soon

what did you expect to happen when giving lip to lalo salamanca? he already made it clear that you were disposable, useless, and only used your dumb little mouth to take his cock. you were a piece of arm candy, a sweet little treat only meant for him and him only. if lalo didn't care about you then you'd be buried in the desert, but lalo cared—to an extent. the extenuating circumstances of his care meant you weren't allowed to interrupt him, be mouthy, or interfere with his business dealings. that was simple enough, but unfortunately, you slipped up today after a very long spell of good behavior.

it was as hot as a day in hell, and you were lounging on a pool float, occasionally spooning water onto your stomach and chest. that little neon green string bikini didn't leave much to the imagination, but it didn't matter seeing as everyone was more interested in the drinks, music, and hired women. lalo knew how to throw a party, a little morale booster, to celebrate an increase in territory which in turn turned more profitable.

your drink in the pool cooler had floated too far away; the most difficult task was being unable to keep the miniature ice chest closer so you wouldn't have to go without your fix of the fruity seltzers lalo always kept stocked for you. imagine that you, the young, hot fiancè, have no other issues in the world other than your drink floating away and keeping lalo happy. what a hard life, being fed with a silver spoon by a don of the cartel.

the laziness was apparent when you slid off the raft and had to wade over to the fleeting cooler. you adjusted your rounded sunglasses on the bridge of your nose as you made your way across the length of the pool. you moved sluggishly, letting out an exaggerated sigh as you managed to capture the floating drink holder.

lalo was standing in the water, leaning over the edge of the pool to play his next hand of cards. he folded, tossing them to the center of the low fold-out table, a curse leaving his mouth. he ran a hand through his graying hair. the ends of his shirt were wet from resting in the pool water. the light pink shirt was unbuttoned, which left just enough of his chest uncovered to not be indecent, yet somehow more sexy because he looked so put together.

lalo had folded at the turn and was slightly perturbed that he wasn't able to have any luck as the cards were overturned. he couldn't continue to bluff when he knew vasquez, a short portly man sporting three thick golden chains, who was responsible for the product transportation routes definitely had good cards. he kept smirking around the rim of the red solo cup he used to spit out his chewing tobacco. lalo knew he could stay in through the river, but knew vasquez wouldn't fold ultimately leading to lalo's loss during the showdown.

another round began. all seven players had placed their initial bets to begin.

“amor⁽ˡᵒᵛᵉ⁾,” lalo called softly, using two of his fingers to gesture you over. “give me some luck,” he said looking at his new hand of cards once they were dealt. “solo un poco⁽ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵃ ˡᶦᵗᵗˡᵉ⁾,” he insisted, pointing to his cheek.

this hand didn't seem to be in lalo’s favor either seeing as the highest card he was dealt was a five of clubs and that was paired with a three of hearts.

you rolled your eyes though it went unnoticed because your sunglasses were shielding your eyes. you dragged the miniature ice chest with you, gliding it through the water behind you. lalo’s mustached face revealing a sly smirk as you planted a kiss onto his cheek. your drink was in your hand, ready to return to the drifting pool float.

“stay with me,” lalo had a firm hold on your hip as you tried to pull away. he hadn’t had enough of you just yet. your oiled and exposed skin was enough to celebrate especially after having basically nothing to work with as the flop was revealed.

you stood in front of him with his arms wrapped around you. he had his chin placed on your head so he could still focus on his poker match. you moved your ice chest to the pavement so there was no chance that you'd have to exert any extra effort to chase it down again.

lalo was studying the group silently while listening to you run the poker chips through your fingers. the thick discs clicked together softly as you put them in their proper color-coded stacks instead of loosely sorted in front of him in his section of the table.

his wide nose pressed into your cheek, dragging up to your temple and then right above your ear. his breathing was even as breathed in your scent of coconut sun cream, a spritz of a hibiscus perfume, and the salt water.

you were looking at his cards, knowing his hidden annoyance would probably grow if those community cards wouldn't become any better. he raised the bet by another five hundred dollars, forcing the next two men to fold before the turn was revealed. he was hoping his ability to bluff this round would ultimately result in the overall win.

it was interesting to see how little lalo valued money. he had more than he knew what to do with, spending wads of cash on casual poker matches was nothing in comparison to the stacks of money he and the other salamancas were sitting on top of. even the men sitting across from lalo, unrelated to him, had more cash than they knew what to do with.

you couldn't deny your carelessness as well; you had everything you wanted plus more all because of lalo. your swimwear might not have been designer, but the pareo you carelessly threw on the pool chair before getting in the saltwater was pucci, and so were the matching shoes. now the singular piece of wavy patterned coverage and vibrant sandals were discarded. the tortoiseshell printed glasses from neiman marcus that you bought with you into the resort-style pool brought your outfit of very few pieces to cost right over seventeen hundred dollars—now, that was simply pocket change. that was, of course, without mentioning the price of the princess-cut diamond engagement ring that lalo had hired some foreign jewelry expert to design.

so, yes, you were a good, little spoiled fiancè, dumbing yourself down just enough to please lalo, accept his every will, and stay the fuck out of his way to keep receiving the treatment he had promised you. he didn’t want to be alone—correction—he didn’t have to be alone, so why wouldn’t he pick someone pretty, yet still impressionable enough to control.

you dug into the cooler, taking your seltzer to your mouth. the cold sweat from the outside of the can dripped onto your chest. you swallowed the fizzy alcohol, a sickly sweet blend of trouble because it tasted more like candy rather than the tipsy blend of liquor it contained.

lalo’s nose was buried in your hair as you continued to drink. a stream of the cold canned seltzer beaded down your chest, splashing between your cleavage. a stray few droplets flecked onto the cement immediately being absorbed into the searing ground.

the fellow card players noticed you more than the ladies being paid who sat next to them. their wandering eyes finding you, becoming easily more relaxed on the cushions and beach towels they were sitting on.

“ten cuidado⁽ʷᵃᵗᶜʰ ʸᵒᵘʳˢᵉˡᶠ/ᵇᵉ ᶜᵃʳᵉᶠᵘˡ⁾,” lalo mumbled into your ear. his mustache grazed the lowest part of your helix, just above your ear lobe, brushing into contact with the three small rings. they were pierced one on top of the other.

you stiffened in his hold, setting down your drink next to his empty bottles of modelo. you looked at the stout bottles and cleared your throat. a flush had risen on your cheeks, embarrassed from the lingering gazes and drink mishap.

lalo couldn't blame anyone else for looking at you because even when working in his study he made you sit by him so he could watch you. it was like you existed to be stared at.

“i’ll be right back with another drink for you,” you offered, collecting the three empty bottles from his area of the table.

you didn’t give him a chance to deny it. you parted ways from him. his arms were bowed out wide as if you were still standing in front of him as you left. he was still lingering on the fact that your body was against him only moments prior.

you held the scolding railing as you dragged yourself out of the pool heading to the outdoor bar. you passed the caterers who had overtaken the patio area and helped yourself to the fridge pulling out a fresh bottle of unopened modelo.

“helping yourself today, chica⁽ᵍᶦʳˡ⁾?” ignacio “nacho” varga, a frequent goer of lalo’s social events questioned from his stool. he wanted no part in another poker game after lalo’s pestering from the first round. he tried his best to be a good sport but was finding it hard to focus with a gnat in his ear. a gnat he would never be able to shoo.

ignacio was under the covered patio, leaning against one hand. although he was in a shaded area, he could still feel the sun on his bare back, beads of sweat were on his forehead even with the ceiling fans circulating the area. his glass was dripping from the condensation occasionally making him wipe the droplets on his paisley-patterned swim trunks.

“no, helping mi bebé⁽ᵐʸ ᵇᵃᵇʸ⁾,” you corrected nacho while wiggling the beer bottle.

ignacio wasn’t surprised by that answer. no one at that party would've been surprised by that answer. you were devoted to lalo, and he liked it that way. he wouldn't put up with anything less.

“you don’t seem like you’re having any fun.”

your head peaked up at nacho’s assessment of your attitude. you were plucking olives out of a chilled dish and taking a handful of them.

“cards never were my strong suit,” you shrugged, placing a salty snack into your mouth. your left eye slightly twitched, moments prior you were dropping sugary onto your taste buds and now the olives were counteracting every taste of saccharine.

“they aren’t mine either, but definitely not when i’m taking lalo in large doses,” he teased, taking a long drink from his short glass. by this point in the day, he probably made himself an ungodly amount of mixed drinks, trying to look busy enough to not join the other men for poker again.

“what?” you asked, your eyebrows furrowing together. you were trying to figure out if you heard him correctly. he didn't bash lalo, but he definitely made a comment opposing him.

“i never was good at figuring him out,” nacho leaned against his hand, sliding his half-empty drink forward as if he was telling himself to give up on his solo drinking. “i don’t know how you do it every day.”

he wasn't being condescending or rude. he genuinely was questioning how you did it, hell, a lot of people did. you always were properly dolled up any time you made an appearance with lalo, kept your mouth shut, and seemed like a hired servant doing whatever he mentioned.

you shrugged as you slid the cover of the ice well closed on the counter. it concealed the olives, cut citrus, and other garnishes that needed to be chilled. you could feel beads of water still occasionally running down your legs from your soaked bathing suit.

you could hear laughter coming from the poker table, specifically lalo’s. you didn't know if he was the most distinct or if you were just more accustomed to hearing it.

“i never figured him out either,” you confessed, your eyes trailing up to make eye contact with him. a smile cracked at the corner of your mouth.

nacho chuckled, taking his drink back into his hand. he could drink to that. “so, the senorita does have a mind?”

“i never claimed i didn’t,” you said looking back at the card players. your fiancé’s voice had only grown louder. he seemed to be in better spirits, maybe his luck had finally turned around even with a poor starting hand, or even if it hadn't lalo had chosen to hide his annoyance.

soon your conversation turned to wedding planning and all the endless dates, fittings, and projects you were busy with. lalo’s beer was growing a little warmer and the olives in your hand soon diminished.

at the table, the card players were taking sips of their drinks as they bantered. lalo was occasionally glancing at you and ignacio. this wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time ignacio would visit lalo’s mansion. he took notice of your body language, watching as you casually leaned in as you spoke, the way your fingers gripped the drink you should've brought back to him by now, and the way you stood with one hip slightly higher than the other.

“amor,” lalo called halting your conversation with ignacio. “coming back?” he questioned, peeking his head over to you.

you held your finger up to lalo as if a normal person had interrupted you and you needed to excuse yourself. this was no normal person; it was eduardo salamanca.

“it’s scheduled for valentine’s day next year,” you reminded nacho.

“yeah, that's right, lovebirds,” he joked, remembering the bright-colored sketches of the lovebirds on the save-the-date invitation he had received by mail. that intricate and vivid envelope stamped with a lime green seal was now sitting in a pile of odd junk mail next to his whores’ cutting tray.

“amor,” lalo called again, throwing his arms up curiously. he was trying to act casually as if he wasn't feeling pestered by being ignored. you normally would have responded immediately, and yet your eyes were still on the shirtless ignacio attempting to wrap up your conversation.

you gestured lazily back to the card table. “i better get back, but you're welcome to—” you were cut off when you were inviting nacho back to the group.

“amor,” lalo repeated for what he hoped to be the final time, wading through the water closer to the side of the pool near the bar. he knew you could hear him, yet you were trying to be polite to nacho by finishing your conversation.

“give me just a moment, please,” you requested, looking over at lalo directly. you didn't even notice why you shouldn't have said that until it was too late. you were already forcing him to wait, and now, even in your nicest tone, you were not making him your good priority.

“like i said, you're more than welcome to join us again,” you turned back to ignacio as you spoke. he was about to take your offer, standing and refilling his glass with the bottle he had beside him.

lalo was now out of the pool, his arm snugly around your waist. you could feel wet swim trunks pushing against the back of you. he took you into his arms again. he didn't take the offering of his drink. his thumbs were hooked into the band of your bikini again slightly exposing your tan line as he secured his fingers.

“nachito, you keeping my lady to yourself now?” lalo had that iconic smile on his face. anyone who met him would remember it. the one that made his cheeks and mustache lift. the smile that brought out the wrinkles in his eyes. the one you thought loosened his hardened nature. you could feel the lightness in his voice as he spoke.

“she was talking about your wedding,” nacho said as a smirk began to play on the corner of his mouth. “i don't think i could keep up with her like you do.”

ignacio knew how to play. no one had lalo completely figured out, and just as nacho had previously stated, he didn't have lalo figured out, but knowing how to play his game was the way to stay preserved in lalo’s vicious circle.

“i think i’m getting too old because i went with her to the bakery to test the cake and i was winded on the way back to the car,” lalo chuckled. you tried to adjust your stance although your fiancè wasn't allowing you to move. that slight uncomfortably was enough to silence your giggle and feel smaller than you were.

“oh no, you're still kicking it,” nacho brushed off lalo’s comment casually, his eyes glancing back to you. “i don't expect some cake to get in your way.”

“i don't know, some of it might,” lalo teased, moving one of his hands to firmly grasp your ass, giving it a shake.

“if it gets in the way, make her hold it,” nacho jested, though you weren’t unamused.

that was how it always went. everyone wanted to appease lalo even if the joke was at your expense. so, the pleasant conversation you had with ignacio had turned into a bawdy attempt to humor lalo.

lalo took his hand off of your ass extending it to ignacio which he graciously shook.

“i knew i liked you, nachito,” lalo praised, now pointing his finger toward the shorter male. “she’s sure got a lot of it, huh?” he asked, nudging you forward.

ignacio shrugged, holding his hands up in defense. “too much woman for me,” he admitted, giving you a gentle glance. his eyes said enough. he was apologizing without having to say anything. “but the perfect amount for you.”

“don't be modest, nachito, give her a feel,” lalo said, pushing you even closer to ignacio. “i don’t think you're giving yourself enough credit,” he insisted. his arms were crossed over his chest as he watched ignacio.

lalo’s mind games were just a little too intense sometimes. lalo wasn't jealous of ignacio he was jealous of the attention you had given him. he didn't care that ignacio was a muscle pig or closer to your age. lalo had something ignacio didn't—the ability to ignite fear in you. he was able to make you uncomfortable, yet intoxicatingly in love with him in one fell swoop.

“lalo, no, she's your business, not mine,” nacho’s hands were resting by his side, hoping lalo’s prodding would end quickly. that gnat sure did know how to soar high.

they were talking about you like you weren't there. your head looked back to lalo. an uncomfortable pout across your face was met by your fiance’s hand patting your cheek.

“oh, you're telling me this little face is too much for you?” lalo gripped your cheeks turning your head back towards nacho, slightly distorting your face as he turned you back.

“too much and also not mine to try,” he stood firmly on his words.

the moment lalo loosened his fingers you spoke. “bebé, i’m going to see if anyone else needs anything,” you had to pause their conversation for the sake of your own sanity.

“i hired caterers to do that, not for you to serve them hot cervezas y coño⁽ᵇᵉᵉʳˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵖᵘˢˢʸ⁾,” lalo chuckled, placing a kiss on your temple. you looked down at the modelo bottle in your hand with a huff.

“i tried to give it to you while it was cold,” you pushed your sunglasses onto your head. it was clear that the sun had been brutal because even with the application of sun cream there was red resting atop your tanned cheeks. the bridge of your nose had two faint lines etched into it from your glasses.

“did you now?” lalo asked, taking the golden beer bottle from your hand, and holding the neck of the bottle. his thumbs worked to push the shiny foil down and bent the cap back against the side of the patio bar, leaving a permanent scuff in the wood.

he took a quiet drink, his eyes closing, and his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“amor,” lalo paused, scooting the bottle onto the bar. he cleared his throat, taking his sweet time with it.

ignacio had been awkwardly standing there, unsure of what to say or do. his employer’s comments about you had gone from joking to seriously uncomfortable. lalo’s possessiveness over you was nothing new, but unfortunately ignacio, just like you, had become a victim in his new game today.

“this is the worst fuckin’ beer i’ve ever had,” lalo’s face dropped, making your eyes instantly wide. his smile lines were no longer smiling, sitting unhappily at the corners of his mouth. his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

you pulled your arms to your chest, your lips parting to speak. “i tried to give it to you ten minutes ago when you came to join us,” you shook your head, eyeing the opened bottle on the counter. “that one was colder than the stuff you were sipping on,” you retorted without thinking. “and you've had three of those all of which sat in the sun longer than this one has even been out of the fridge.”

ignacio’s hand raised to try and interject the conversation but was met with lalo’s laughter.

lalo patted the bar stool as he guided you over to sit. his head dipped to lean against your forehead, still chuckling away. you cautiously sat, trying to laugh along with him although finding it hard to see the humor in his joke. nacho was doing the same uncomfortable chortle. lalo really knew how to command a group of people.

“just fuckin’ with you, amorcito,” he smiled, kissing both of your cheeks as he held your face.

lalo placed a drawn-out, over-the-top, lengthy kiss onto your lips. a kiss that no one in their right mind would ever want to be a victim of watching—tongue and all, as lalo tilted your head back, letting his hands wander. ignacio was biting the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't cringe. his eyes darted away multiple times wondering when it would be over. his fingers drummed against his leg and his toes were slightly curled. it was hard to watch. very hard to watch.

lalo pulled away like it was nothing while you sat there a bit stunned and puffy-lipped. your fiancè had gone from perturbed to comical to sultry on a whim. that was probably the most unsettling part about him.

“up for another round of cards?” he questioned nacho, lightly pinching the bit of fat on your side where his tattooed name sat on you. the cursive letters being prodded by his fingers made your mind snap together. that’s when you realized you had fucked up.

you didn't know if it was because the summer heat was unprecedentedly hot, or maybe because you had accidentally skipped lunch, or even if it was because you had one too many seltzers, but when the realization hit that you had ignored him just a few moments prior and now you had sassed him.

anytime he corrected you, even slightly, made your stomach churn. lalo was a man of many faces, but the one he chose when reprimanding you was one you disliked. pinching your side looked affectionate but it was always his sign of saying ‘watch yourself.’

“uh, yeah, another round sounds great,” ignacio had wasted no time beginning his trek back to the table after that mind fuck.

“amor, why don't you go and freshen up then help yolanda with her pozole?” he suggested to you with a gentle smile. another code for ‘get in the fuckin’ bedroom and don't come out.’

the walk back to the bedroom was embarrassing. maybe not for anyone else, but for you it definitely was. your throat was tight and your shoulders were tense.

lalo was calculated and smart, but when it came to you he became stupid and irrational. what man didn’t change when a woman had him wrapped around her finger? although his irrational tendencies with you wouldn't start until the last guest from the party left.

you went from pacing to sitting, knowing it wouldn't do you any good to keep worrying. no matter how much pleading and begging you would do it wouldn't be enough. lalo had made up his mind from the moment the words left your mouth.

you hadn't changed out of the damp swimsuit or even taken your sunglasses off. the most you had done was slide your sandals off, and that was at the front of the house only because you didn't want to be reprimanded again for having yolanda, the housekeeper, doing any extra work.

lalo swung open the door to the bedroom, grabbed his gun off the dresser. your eyes widened, scooching back on the bed. he maneuvered the slide back, efficiently racking the black pistol back and loading a bullet into the chamber. your breath halted, wondering if today was the day that lalo was finally fed up with you, wondering if this would officially be the last moments you spent with him.

he hadn't forgotten a single thing in the two hours he left you to sit and dwell on your actions. he had time to stew and fester. if anything his anger was stronger.

“get up,” he demanded.

however, it wasn't fast enough for his liking because soon he was dragging you by the shoulder and forcing you to the wall.

you shut your eyes as his movement became rougher, the barrel of the gun pressed against your lower back as he guided your legs and feet apart with his armed hand.

his wrist prodded your inner thighs, forcing you to spread further apart. you tried to steady yourself against the wall as you moved your legs apart but were tripped by his brutal enforcement. his unspoken demands were filled with fury just as his spoken ones were.

you were eying him, trying to look over your shoulder. you wanted to read his face. you needed to know if there was more to him than just anger. you wanted to know if your sweet little eyes could give you a glimmer of hope to calm him down.

those sweet little eyes were the same eyes you used when you begged for him on a nightly basis. he was overlooking them—dumb and routine, the same bullshit you always pulled to get your way. not now, he wouldn’t pay any attention to them now.

you hadn’t seen him this way in a while; you hadn’t caused him to be this way in a while. business dealings that went awry, skeevy rats trying to take down the salamancas, lost product, all of that was different, but you, his pretty little toy, had done it. you knew what happened to the others who had interfered, so why wouldn’t you be any different?

that ounce of care—well, mindful attentiveness—that lalo had for you was disregarded at this moment. he didn’t care who you were. he didn’t care about the five years he had spent with you. all of those little times he had remembered letting his guard down around you while you stroked the curled hair on his chest were squandered.

his eyebrows were furrowed together and his forehead wrinkles were prominent. he seemed determined and fueled by his unhinged distrust in you. losing thousands of dollars in a poker game prodded at his agitation, chatting casually with a man he had introduced you to countless times before was enough to irritate him, ignoring him when he spoke provoked him, but you talking back caused him to lose control.

that gun was shoved between your thighs as he held your head against the wall. his slender fingers were laced haphazardly in your hair, gripping at anything he could. he didn’t care about your flinching or attempting to push yourself away from the wall. it was a feeble attempt anyway; lalo had more control over you than you liked in this moment.

“what were you thinking, huh?” his voice lowered, though previously the grip lalo had on your hair only tightened, smushing your cheek further into the rust-colored wall of the bedroom.

“i was—” the barrel of the gun slid across the thin covering of your bikini making your legs tremble. you immediately stopped speaking. how could you speak when lalo was inching his semi-automatic pistol to your entrance? the neon fabric pressed into your hole concealing the cold muzzle.

“no, you weren't thinking,” lalo spat. you recoiled as his be took his hand out of your hair and flicked your temple. “you didn't think at all before you kept talking,” he repeated harshly this time, a bit of spit leaving his mouth from his sharp tongue.

“lalo—” you pleased softly, teary-eyed from being so roughly slammed against the bedroom wall.

“and you still don't know how to shut the hell up,” he ranted, tugging at the knots to the elastic straps on your waist. the bikini bottoms fell. lalo shook them off the barrel of the gun. the front sight was back at your entrance.

“you think it’s cute to do that in front of ignacio?” he asked, tapping the gun against your hole. his other hand was untying the two straps to the bikini top. your breasts fell. the little support they did have in that skimpy top was at least saving some of your modesty.

you didn't say a single word, how could you when he was uncontrollably angry about you speaking?

“i said, do you think it is cute to do that in front of ignacio?” lalo repeated his words slower. his words were condescending.

“i-i don't k—”

he huffed, rolling his eyes. he flicked your temple again. his gun was caressing your inner thighs, prodding slowly at your entrance. he wanted you to be prepared to take it. he couldn't waste you before he fucked it one more time.

“such a dumb little thing, it’s a yes or no question, so use that brain between those empty little eyes and answer me.”

“no,” you mumbled, closing your eyes tightly as if you were waiting on the trigger pull as you felt the gun lift from your lower half.

“so, why the fuck are you talking to me like that?” his hand wrapped around your upper arm, pulling you to face him. he was overlooking your body. the hand he used to adjust your positioning was now holding your face.

“i didn't—”

“oh, you didn't mean to?” lalo interrupted, completing your sentence for you.

you were looking up at him, silently pleading again. looking through your eyelashes at him, your lower lip trembling. you were trying not to break down completely, knowing your tears most definitely wouldn't help.

“didn't mean to,” he repeated with a scoff. he removed his hand from your chin harshly, making your head flick to the side. you faced him again, the guilty expression on your face still evident. you were like a dog with its tail between its legs.

“you didn't mean to,” lalo tsked, having to hear the words come out of his mouth again. “of course you didn't mean to,” lalo was nodding slowly. he adjusted the pistol in his hand, feeling the textured handle. he held it out to you. he had a steady grip on it flipping his hand from one side to the other to present the gun to you.

“amor, what’s in my hand?” he asked, clenching the grip panel and the front strap.

“your gun,” you responded, swallowing hard as he lifted it to your forehead, placing it right between your eyes. you closed your eyes tightly, feeling him push your head back against the wall with the muzzle.

“mhm,” lalo agreed, satisfied with your answer. “look at me when i’m talking to you,” he reminded you. you opened your eyes hesitantly, looking straight ahead. your vision was unfocused due to his hand and pistol blocking most of your view.

“now, do you think i should pull this trigger?” he questioned, prodding your forehead again. a soft thud was heard from the back of your head clicking against the wall.

“no, lalo,” you breathed out. that’s when the tears started to fall. the sniffling came with it.

“don’t start,” lalo groaned, taking his free hand and wiping under each of your eyes as you tried to calm yourself. you tried to stand straight, having to catch yourself as you slouched.

you felt defeated, belittled, and downright humiliated, standing naked in the bedroom you and your fiancè shared knowing your family would be none the wiser if you were alive or dead after this day, not like they had any idea as of now.

“why shouldn't i pull it?” lalo asked, his thumb caressing the grip plate. “and before you answer, make it worth my time, not just because you ‘don't want to die.’” he said mockingly, rolling his eyes. he was already sick of the sniveling.

you took a deep breath, biting your bottom lip trying to collect your thoughts. what would make lalo salamanca have sympathy?

nothing. nothing at all.

you were uneasy trying to find even the smallest amount of something in the brain that lalo always deemed was empty.

“because i live for you,” you mumbled, exhaling as you felt a bit of pressure being taken off your forehead. he lifted your chin with the barrel of his gun, looking you directly in the eyes. the tears started again, though your sniffling was contained by your body occasionally doing small jerks so you wouldn't outwardly cry.

you weren't completely wrong. you did live for him—well, because of him anyway. he had spared your life, taken you in, and trained you accordingly. you were going to get married to him because he asked you to do it. you had everything because of him.

lalo made a soft fawning noise, wiping your tears again. “you came up with that all by yourself, amor? maybe there is some potential still left in that hollow little head.”

he leaned his forehead down, placing it on yours, closing his eyes. “now, tell me now how stupid you think i am to believe it,” he gave a smug smile, placing a gentle kiss on your lips. a quick peck that only lasted a second but that left a lingering flutter between the both of you.

you never understood how he could go from making you terrified to wanting him. he had you wrapped around his finger and able to control your every whim.

useless, mortified, deflated—no matter what bad lalo brought upon you he always managed to easily weasel his way into what he wanted, and in this moment he wanted you.

“i don't think you’re stupid.”

“see, if you could've been this well-behaved earlier i wouldn't have to be so rough with you, amor, but you can't ever just make things easy for me.” lalo lectured. he pulled the gun away from your chin, letting it fall. he tapped the barrel against his lips, the muzzle brushing against his mustache. “now, get on your knees like you do for me.”

you cautiously got down. execution-style seemed a little excessive for talking out of place, but lalo had his cynical methods. your hands quivered in your lap as his thumb guided your mouth open.

instinctively your mouth fell into position, nice and slack, as lalo’s amusement only grew larger. in a demented little way, he liked how fearful you were. he liked the way the anticipation was causing faint perspiration to lay across your neck and forehead.

he placed the tip of the gun into your mouth. a wincing could be seen in your eyes as he brought the barrel further into your mouth, not that you couldn't take it, but he was testing you seeing if you'd move from the position he had requested. you wanted to move your head as your entire body started to rattle again.

he patted your cheek with his free hand signifying you to close your mouth. you had been in this position many times before, though instead of sucking the head of a gun you were wrapped around the head of his cock.

the metallic taste of the heckler and koch was enough to make you gag on the spot. lalo didn't care, nor did he stop until your bottom lip was pressing into the trigger guard. his index finger was stroking the trigger.

“not wanting to say anything now?” he jabbed the gun further, though his index finger now laid to the side of the trigger. it made you flinch, thinking even with his hand pulled away from the trigger it would cause the bullet to come speeding through the chamber. you slouched slightly, earning a sharp nudge with his foot, correcting your unsuitable posture.

you couldn't say anything, not that you wanted to, knowing it would result in a swift slap or even worse him actually pulling that trigger. you knew you couldn't test his patience anymore because the game he was playing was only for his benefit, not to give you more time to live.

he started slowly working the barrel in your mouth, as I'd trying to find the right fit as he repeated his repetitive in and out motion. this free hand was now stabilizing your head, gripping the mess he had made with it earlier.

it was nowhere near as satisfying as the fit of his thick girth in your mouth, but even he couldn't deny that he had created an image that would haunt his brain—shit, it would rewire it for the better. his slack-mouthed bitch taking his gun so well. making the steel so slick and pretty, somehow even better than he ever did when cleaning it.

“take it, amor,” lalo berated, as he became rougher with his movements. the clunky metal entering further, the trigger guard forcefully spurring into your bottom lip, the only cushion and protection for your bottom teeth. a soft whimper was escaping your lips and his hand was forcing more of a connection of your mouth to the gun. “fucking take it while you can.”

he was fucking your mouth good, the kind that made the saliva pool into your lap and run into the cracks of your neatly placed, but quivering hands.

his cock in his pants slightly twitching as he watched with interest, letting your mouth satisfy that odd urge inside of himself. you noticed it too, his well-endowed member increasingly becoming more excited as you were only more dehumanized by his words.

“see, this is what you're meant for, listening,” he huffed, trying to reiterate the fact that other than being his little toy you were useless. his began to get overzealous with his armed carry, knocking the front sight against the bottom of your top teeth. you tried to extend your jaw more without parting your lips, but the raised sight kept scraping the bottom.

“listening and not showing your ass out in front of the men that work for me,” lalo added, shoving the pistol harder. your eyes closed for a brief second as you winced from the sight chipping the slightest bit out of your top tooth. you could feel the tiny white fragment floating in your mouth. lalo felt part of your tooth give way, taking his firearm out of your mouth.

“let’s see what i broke this time,” the annoyance was evident in his tone as you looked up at him further so he could inspect your tooth. he wasn't checking because he cared, mostly because he wanted to see the damage he inflicted.

he unlaced his hold from your hair, tugging it as he tried to flick the few loose strands from it. his thumb felt the top portion of your teeth. it was barely noticeable, though enough for lalo to find and inspect the fragment he pulled out of your mouth. he then caressed the forming bruise right below your bottom lip from the trigger guard being rammed into your face.

he rolled his eyes, flicking the chipped portion of your tooth away, a small click signifying it had hit the hardwood somewhere else in the room.

“get on the fuckin’ bed ass up, so i don't have to see that shit.”

lalo wasted no time getting behind your naked body. his gun placed on the duet as two of his slender fingers buried themselves in your slick arousal.

“and you see that?” he pulled his fingers out harshly, holding them in front of your face. “about to blow your fuckin’ head off and you get goddamn wet.”

he was taunting you still, and yet you had no excuse for your overly stimulated cunt producing ungodly amounts of wetness. he was right. he was always right. the sheer dominance alone was only partially the reason behind your body’s reaction to him.

he tugged down his swim trunks, letting them grace his ankles. you were glancing over your shoulder seeing very little at the angle you were in. you wanted to, like the little whore for lalo you were, you wanted to see what you were pleasuring. you had an imprinted metal image of his large veiny cock, but you would be lying if you weren't excited to see it every time he dropped his pants.

he let out a low whistle as he gathered more of your wet slick onto his fingers and began to slowly jack off his length. you were trying to turn your head, feeling a painful ache in your neck as you craned too far back.

he knew working his own hand up and down his shaft was killing you. god, he had just let your mouth get fucked by his pistol rather than the deadly snake in his pants.

his pinky and ring finger were guiding the majority of his length as his thumb stroked his tip. your wetness was aiding him, but he could tell you were becoming restless. your knees were padding into the bed and your fingers were fidgeting with the duvet.

every time he went back for more of your sweet wetness you were trying to push back on his fingers trying to entice him into leaving them for a moment longer.

you could feel the handgun nudging your knee as it slid closer each time the bed even slightly rattled from movement. that was a quick reminder that you still weren't safe, but somehow, without lalo immediately sticking his dick in you was more torturous than having a gun to your head.

“you can't expect me to want to fuck you after you didn't listen,” he scoffed, nudging you forward keeping your hips in line with your knees. your head dropped down, your nose nuzzling into the sheets.

“you aren't worth a nut if you have some piss-poor attitude attached to you,” he stuck his fingers inside of you again, curling them ever so slightly this time. a soft moan left your lips.

he placed his hand back on his solid cock, working the arousal up and down. “but you don't care. you know i give you whatever the hell you want,” he ranted, placing his free hand on your ass to spread your cheeks further apart for a better view of your slick cunt.

“that’s why i have to act like such an asshole right now because you started expecting things without asking for them.”

his fingers were soon back inside of you as he rambled. “i’m fed up with you treating me like i owe you something.” lalo moved closer you could feel his knuckles begin to graze your skin as he worked your arousal around his cock.

his words were loaded and ridiculous, but you couldn't help but utter the smallest apology. his head slightly tilted as he heard it, stopping the jerking of his hand and pulling your hips even closer. you could feel his shaft against your backside.

“dear fucking god, that’s worse than you crying, amor,” he complained, prodding his dick forward against your wet hole. “some shitty little apology?” he exhaled. “i’m gonna have to use all your little holes to make up for this.”

you were gnawing lightly on the interior of your cheek in anticipation. he was giving in to what you wanted even if that meant giving a little extra.

he ran his clean hand through his salt and peppered hair, dragging it down his chest, and positioning his cock right at your entrance, giving not an ounce of mercy as he pushed his girthy cock into your desperate cunt.

“oh—” you couldn't fully formulate the rest of the words you wanted to say. your breath halted as your muffled gasp hit the duvet.

that tight grip you had on him was enough for him to understand why he kept you around for so long. your pussy was flawless to him; it was the one thing he never had to correct—the one thing he never wanted to correct.

he had one knee propped up guiding you back slightly so his entire length would be sheathed in that gorgeous cunt of yours. his hand had released from spreading your ass and instead guiding your stomach back pinching the soft pudge as he adjusted to the warm hold you were providing him with.

your manicured nails dug into the bed, as he began driving his cock into you. you couldn't understand why it was so satisfying, having him take complete and utter control over your body. he easily made you fall apart with the pleasure he delivered.

lalo’s mouth was slightly agape as he watched the jiggle your ass as he rammed into you. even though he was always reluctant to admit it he was wrapped around your finger and that was mostly due to the sweet pussy you brought into the relationship.

“hold that ass for me,” he demanded, adjusting the positioning of your hips as your hands became situated, around your ass cheeks.

you moved your neck uncomfortably, having to dig your shoulders further into the bed in an attempt to keep yourself in a stable position without falling.

the way you opened up for him was divine. full spread, displaying your holes, one clutching his length as he continued to thrust into you. your ass hole twitched as he kept fucking you.

your face was almost fully buried, smelling the breath from your fruity seltzers being recycled to your nose alongside the gentle cotton-scented washing detergent from the bedding.

he was stretching you just right, just how you needed. the urge of sexual desire was so strong that he forced you to wait as he played with himself.

your erect nipples were being stimulated as his rough thrusts moved your body against the bed. your hands were desperately trying to keep to their instructed place so lalo could watch himself inside of you.

you were enjoying yourself a little more than you should've been, even lalo didn't mind. those sweet whiny moans meant he was fucking you the right way—his preferred way.

the gun that was lingering to the side of your leg was not only pressing onto you but on lalo. he was looking at the black steel, an idea surfacing—or adding to the idea he already had.

lalo slowed his rough movements, leaning his head down, a heap of spit landing on your back door. he made quick work with his thumb, plunging it into the clenched sphincter. this wasn't the first time lalo had decided to use all of your body, but dear god, each time he did you needed to refocus because it always took you by surprise even if he announced his arrival.

a rigid pant left your body, glancing back at him picking up the gun was enough to incite another panic as he lazily fingered your ass with his opposable digit. he was focused and determined to make his pistol fit. his brows were slightly furrowed as he acclimated your ass to his finger again. he figured if you had taken his cock then you were more than capable of taking just the first few inches of the gun’s barrel just as your mouth had.

lalo was liberal with his spit; he wanted his idea to be executed correctly.

he stroked the barrel of the gun with his lubricated hand and began edging it into your ass hole. his dick was throbbing inside of your cunt. your nails dug into your ass cheeks as the handgun entered you. it was upside down to keep the area he wanted to later thrust into clear and available.

“taking that even better than my cock,” he muttered, watching your skin expand around the tepid steel. what did he expect? you had to be good at something to have stayed with him for this long.

his head dipped as your ass fully accepted the barrel of the gun. your eyes rolled to the back of your head. your under eyelid twitched. you felt so incredibly stuffed.

lalo’s hand supported the semi-automatic pistol in your ass as his unsatisfied cock began moving again. he had no concept of ‘this might be too much.’

his hips were pressed into yours with each thrust he gave as if it was incomplete without being completely inside of you with each movement. it was hard for him to hold back with you. you were just so goddamn easy for him to push around; which was, of course, all due to his dutiful training and development he put you through.

being in his mid-forties didn't slow him down. if anything it made him more relentless, trying to prove himself. his body may have more years on it than yours, but even with that being the case he knew his purpose with you at all times.

“so fuckin’ tight, that little pussy has some grab,” he praised from behind you. the hand on the gun occasionally pushed in further, keeping his hand firmly on the handle. his other hand supported one of your wrists in keeping your ass spread.

the wet squelching noises he was creating just from being deep in your walls made his head tilt back. beads of sweat leaked from his face from the sheer amount of effort he was exerting.

your noises of pleasure were covering his own low groans of enjoyment. he was angry, yet still praising you for your sexy body even if it meant he was calling you dumb for only being able to use your body to make him happy. you didn't care, how could you? not when you had a thick length inside of you—his first favorite toy, and then being plugged with his second favorite toy—his gun.

dear god. he had it all the right way. hitting exactly what he needed when he needed to. you knew your body better than you knew it yourself. you were at lalo’s mercy, letting him ravage your pussy and ass as he wanted.

he was so deep inside of you, and your pussy allowed it, swallowing his girthy cock like a fine wine as he forced himself in until he was banging against your cervix.

the vaginal penetration alone was enough to make your mind too dumb, but the more he gave made you go null. so much overwhelming stimuli that caused dribbles of squirt to coat his cock and drop down to the pristine bedding.

“b-bebé,” you sputtered out, almost ignored because the sheets that had become bundled in your mouth muffled your noise. you were unwinding right before him, becoming so tense right before your orgasmic release, unknowing if he would even allow it after your spell of insolence. “p-please, c-come on please,” you managed to plead from your befuddled state.

lalo didn't have much more self-control left in himself either. he kept having to distract himself from the sight below him.

“fuck, let it go, amor,” he agreed as the hand on your wrist bared down harshly.

your back sweat glistened in the natural room lighting, the setting sun only warming the bedroom as it filtered through the windows. lalo’s long shadow casts over you, essentially ramming into you twice.

your eyes closed, having to lift your head just to breathe through your orgasm. a ridiculous noise between a scream and a whine filled the room as you pushed your ass back against him, taking a bit more of the clunky gun and stimulating more of lalo’s cock.

“stay just like that,” he demanded, as his rigid thrusts were coming to a sloppy end. you were riding on a high that was finally seeming to subside, though the aftermath caused your eyes to be droopy and low, stuttery moans to exit as his actions quickened in pace. he was chasing the end, although he would never deny being inside of you longer but he wanted to release.

with your hips and ass causing a pleasurable resistance, lalo drove himself to his climax, his chest pounding and the tops of his ears flushing red. he unloaded inside of you, not needing permission to release his cum in someone he already owned.

he hung inside of you for a few moments, having his eyes adjust to the scene before him as he removed his cock, watching his load spill from your puffy walls. he pulled the gun out slowly, watching your ass hole pucker again. he rubbed your anus softly, watching it clench as your pussy dripped more of his load.

gun in hand he turned you to his side, leaning next to you. he dragged the gun across your chest, prodding your nipples teasingly. you could barely move your arm enough to try and protect your sensitive chest.

he brushed some of your hair back with the pistol as he made himself comfortable next to your limp body.

lalo laid back, placing the gun to your temple. he turned on his side, holding your face so you would focus only on him. your eyes were still hazy, you could barely move, and you were waiting now since he had his fill. you thought lalo’s antics were so incredibly deranged—having seen you orgasm once more, the way he said you looked prettiest, and now was going to end you on the sleek white sheets from charlotte thomas.

his dark brown eyes were fixated on you, as you held the button placket of his pool shirt. he didn't have remorse for what he did. he had fun, though you couldn't read it on his face. you were waiting for him to lay your head down and fire.

at this point when he would allow the bullet to discharge, at least you would be relaxed, halfway buried in his chest in the comfortable bedding.

“if i wanted to kill you i would've done it already.” he tapped the gun’s muzzle against your head. “would've had that pretty little head splattered against that wall.” he gestured with the pistol to the wall he had previously slammed you against.

he gave a low chuckle, pushing the gun on the bedside table, grabbing your face. “just remember that, amor—remember that i can make that decision.”

lalo placed a kiss on your lips. your barely responsive body uttered a peck back to him in understanding his words.

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