#Scope of consumer studies

[marketxcel]

What Is Consumer Research: Methods, Types, Scope & Examples

Explore the world of consumer research with our comprehensive blog. Learn about various research methods, types, and the broad scope of consumer studies. Dive into real-world examples to understand how consumer research impacts businesses and shapes the market landscape. Elevate your knowledge and stay ahead in the dynamic field of consumer insights.

[avephelis]

you know what you guys can have some early design exploration for a hypothetical tmnt iteration. as a treat.

[superectojazzmage]

Watched the Nimona movie last night. Review I guess. It was pretty damn good. Definitely would’ve probably been regarded as Blue Sky’s magnum opus if they’d gotten to release it instead of being fucked over by Disney. Very cute, very funny, very powerful in the right moments. A thing that stuck out to me is that it’s really only an adaptation in the loosest sense of the word. It takes the core premise and beats of the comic but is functionally an entirely different kind of story that does its own thing. And given that ND Stevenson was heavily involved in production, I suspect that was intentional.

The comic was much darker and more downbeat in a lot of ways, plus it was significantly longer and thus could afford to be slower paced. But more than that, it was a lot more meaty in terms of themes and scope. The whole “LGBT allegory” element was there, but it wasn’t the sole focus, the comic was a story about a lot of different things; not just an LGBT experience, but also discussion of fantasy genre tropes and clichés, criticism of other fantasy deconstructions, character study, exploring what it means to be a hero or villain, critique of the glorification of crime and cruelty in underprivileged communities, corruption in governments, peer pressure, the senseless and self-perpetuating nature of violence, the worthlessness of revenge, etc.. And above all that, it was a story about trauma and people’s responses to it, with Ballister representing people who actually deal with their problems and move on while Nimona represented people who let their mistakes and suffering and grief consume their identity, or worse, use it as an excuse to indulge their worst qualities and take out their feelings on everyone around them.

The movie, by contrast, has a much more narrow focus. The LGBT allegory is front and center and basically the entire focal point of the movie, aside from a spattering of themes about the danger of zealotry and rigid fundamentalist thinking. This gives the movie a much tighter narrative and pacing that suits its inherently shorter runtime, but also leads to a ton of changes to the story either to convey a different kind of message or just work better in a different medium. Most obviously in how Nimona is vastly more sympathetic in the movie and essentially really is the silly gremlin the comic fakes you out into thinking she is, scrapping the comic’s twist that she was a genuinely bad person who was completely serious about wanting to be a villain, caring nothing for the lives she destroyed with her behavior and idolizing Ballister because she thought he was the same as her and would thus tell her what she wanted to hear (i.e., that she was justified in killing and destroying everything around her in the name of getting even). And in the changes to the Institution’s history and nature. And all sorts of other things.

All in all, I feel if you go in comparing and contrasting the movie and the comic, arguing which changes are for the better or worse, you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment in either direction because they’re two different beasts and it’s like comparing apples and oranges. So keep that in mind if you’re a fan of the comic watching the movie or a fan of the movie wanting to look into the comic. I think ultimately I still like the comic better, but that’s purely my personal opinion and there’s plenty that I think the movie did better.

Some other observations:

Riz Ahmed my beloved, thank you Mr. Stevenson for this perfect casting. Literally perfect for Ballister.

Acting in general was very good. You can tell this was a passion project for a lot of people, not just Stevenson.

Only two changes that are objectively bad are Ambrosius losing his awesome Van Halen hairdo and changing Ballister’s last name — Blackheart is a way cooler name than Boldheart and it’s a pointless change, one that I’d argue even hurts the narrative since it makes it too obvious that Ballister isn’t actually a bad guy.

The animation is really great with fantastic expressions, stylish movement, and wonderful aesthetics that perfectly suit the story, but there’s times where it feels a little off. But there are parts where it looks less “movie” and more “cheap mid-2000s CGI-and-Flash cartoon show from France”.

The humor can be a hit and miss, in a “going through the motions of a Hollywood animated comedy for kids” way. The movie excels when it’s either imitating the comic’s Old Internet sense of humor or going hard on the drama, but there’s bits where it seemingly slams on the brakes to do Illumination-esque Twitter humor and those bits definitely throw off the vibe.

Having an actual straight up attempted suicide in the climax was shockingly ballsy. I genuinely can’t believe they went there, but I’m glad they did because the film wouldn’t have felt nearly as raw without it.

I don’t know how they managed to make the Director even more of an asshole than in the comics, but they did.

[essektheylyss]

You know what I'm thinking about? That trip to Vergessen.

Not the memorable one. The super innocuous one, in which Ludinus and Trent insisted they'd just dug this weird rock out of the ground weeks ago, it's nothing to them, the Bright Queen can have it. The one where Eadwulf told Caleb he looked good despite having just crawled out of an eldritch horror's sludge and then showed off his super muscular, super tatted arms.

Let's return to Eadwulf's arms in a moment.

The scourgers were helping out with the Assembly's research portfolio, which at the time had included Ludinus's pet project of developing dunamantic super-serum. The scourgers had also previously been involved—in their off time, when they weren't doing their primary duties of torture and execution—with human experimentation of methods of augmenting a mage's personal reserves of magic.

Sound familiar?

(Really, Ludinus, are you too old to test your experiments on yourself?)

Back to Eadwulf's well-sculpted arms. By the time we meet him in 836 PD, whatever might've been done to them in 810 PD has been covered with those pointedly geometric tats. Somewhere around the same time span, an assassination attempt is made on the life of the Voice of the Tempest by assassins using what was likely a prototype of Otohan Thull's dunamantic contraption, which is a kind of harness that uses the distilled dunamis created by Yeza Brenatto from studying the stolen beacons. This attack of course left multiple Ashari dead and beyond the point of recovery, among them Derrig and Will.

Six years later, Otohan Thull of course would kill Fearne, Orym, and Laudna in battle using that contraption, and not long after would also use the same assassination tactic to draw out the Champion of the Raven Queen so Ludinus could press him into an orb.

Still with me?

In Molaesmyr, after the Solstice had been stuck in time, Team Wildemount find a number of interesting items in Gildhollow, Ludinus's forsaken bachelor pad. Notable among them is a chest harness designed to consume various natural sources of power in order to augment the wearer's arcane abilities.

I think it's incredibly likely that the human experimentation component of the scourger program, given its scope, was requested if not designed by Ludinus, in an effort to further his research in the realm of augmenting mortals' capacities for magic. (Mechanically, I imagine this equates to additional spell slots per day, or the capacity to singlehandedly pull off experimental spells beyond the scope of ninth level, i.e. Dunamantic Nap spell, but that's just speculation.)

Primarily my point here is to demonstrate that its entirely possible if not likely that even the minutiae of the Assembly's horrific program to create child soldiers may have been part of Ludinus's effort to release Predathos and kill the gods, in an effort to show how broadly this may touch even other previous campaigns.

Additionally my point is to say that if anyone has reason to lead the vanguard (pun intended) of righteous warfare against Ludinus Da'leth, it's a Liam O'Brien PC, and frankly, at this point, given all of this character reasoning to do so, I do not care which one.

[dutchdread]

“She is is envious of the bond Cloud has with Tifa”

Genuine question here because I see a lot of CloTi discourse talk about how Aerith is envious of Cloud and Tifa’s bond, but is this ever mentioned officially or explained? I can’t find one single inference or implication that she is, only that one could argue via subjective interpretation that she maybe wants to try to learn Cloud for who he is and not who he reminds her of.

Arguably, one could say that this interpretation is inherently describing an envy, but I’m looking at it from the perspective of Aerith wanting to learn who Cloud is in an effort to like him for him and not Zack.

(Full disclosure: I’m actually a huge CloTi, but I’ve been out of the fandom for a decade+, and I’ve been reading a lot of discussions on the LTD, and while my personal opinion is that CloTi is more or less canonical at this point, the nuance that they’ve developed with Aerith that just wasn’t there in OG is interesting/perplexing to me because I don’t have a full scope of info. And I like it when things are proven by the devs. It’s possible that there’s information I’m missing or have missed, but otherwise what I have consumed doesn’t seem to indicate she’s envious of Cloud/Tifa’s relationship specifically.)

The idea that Aerith is envious of Cloud and Tifas bond became a thing mostly after Rebirth. Before that it was also put forth at times when someone did a character study of Aerith and the evidence back then was mostly just that it fit and made sense. In essence it was an amateur diagnosis. We saw in Remake that Aerith had unresolved issues concerning her childhood during the Eligor scene, that combined with what we learned about her childhood in TotP made it so that a lot of her outgoing "life affirming" behavior made a lot of sense if she was, in essence, trying to catch up for lost time. She's enthusiastically, perhaps even desperately, trying to have the same experiences everyone else has, to have a normal life. This is also congruent with other parts of the story, like her seeing Zack in Cloud. If Cloud reminds her of Zack, and she had a bond with Zack, then watching Cloud and Tifa express that same young love that she once felt would naturally lead to her wishing she had that. After all, we've known for a long time that Aerith still isn't over Zack, so her being slightly envious of that is natural. And that doesn't have to be a bad thing. You can be happy someone has something and because of that have a positive longing to experience something similar. But where this was really made explicit is in Rebirth, where there are multiple scenes that hint or outright state that Aerith wishes she had something like what Cloud and Tifa have. The main two being the Kalm "date" and the watertower discussion. In Kalm Aerith takes Cloud on a date as a pretense to talk about the prior night, and almost the first thing she does is mention Cloud and Tifas friendship and mention that she'd have given anything to have a friend when she was growing up. As soon as she thinks of their bond her first thought is to link it to her own desires.

She continues by saying to not take Tifa for granted. Since this is something Aerith lacked she thinks it's important, and the idea of it being sullied or undermined instinctively bothers her. She wants them to value it as much as she would value such a thing. This is not her living vicariously through Cloud and Tifa or anything, but just a small nuance that paints the picture of a girl who yearns for these bonds herself enough that she is hyper aware of them with other people. All this is then stated explicitly on the water tower, where Aerith states: "Must be nice..."

She generally willfully daydreams about how nice Nibelheim is. It all paints the same picture, a girl without a childhood who never got to experience the things that Cloud and Tifa had and lost, but wishes that she did. This is a huge part of her character and establishes the background needed to understand stuff like "no promises to keep". Some people are upset that NPTK is not a love song from Aerith to Cloud, but a deeper look into Aerith shows why it would be weird for it to be one. Because Aeriths journey isn't about romance, it isn't even just about Cloud. It's about her experiencing and developing the bonds that she felt she was denied for so long. The song is "even about Tifa and Barret" because it's about all the precious bonds she made on her journey. It's one of the things that makes Clotis version of Aerith superior to the Clerith version, because we give her so many more layers.

[mononijikayu]

phase three ─ say so

The words, 'Suguru and I are dating,' echoed through Satoru's mind, each syllable carrying a profound weight that seemed to press down on him with increasing intensity. His best friend, who had harbored unrequited feelings since childhood — Satoru could remember their college days, how Suguru would harp about that girl who smiled at him so tenderly every day and how he loved her. The love that persisted through countless failed relationships—all because they couldn’t warm him as his childhood love did. The friend who had openly shared his pining for her, the girl he grew up with and longed to see again. The one he had always been in love with. It finally happened, and the realization hit Gojo Satoru with a force that left him grappling with the enormity of the situation.

Genre: No Curses AU, University Professors AU!

Warning/s: Fluff, Romance, Pinning, Co-Workers, One Sided Romance, Mild Angst Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Co-Workers to Lovers, They're Figuring It Out, Folks!;

note: i kept changing the title and song for this one but i think it fits. also, shoko will appear in the next chapter. she's pre-occupied enjoying peace with her girlfriend right now <3333

masterlist

logic ≠ love masterlist

HE THINKS THAT HIS HEAD HURT WHEN HE LIFTED IT. But it was not uncommon for Suguru to feel this way in the mornings, peculiarly when other historians called him up for help on their own studies. It seemed that they often sought his input on the findings they had on the scope of his work.

This happens too often, he seems to think — even when he is busy with his own research work and his teaching job, he finds himself unable to turn away anyone that needed his help. He’d lost count of all the times his friends told him to learn how to not let himself drown in his own kindness. Yet it was hard to say no, it was easy to want the need to feel needed. And just as much, Suguru couldn’t help but admit to himself that he is in fact in need of distractions.

Stretching his arms as he yawned along with the sunrise, Geto Suguru couldn't help but notice the state of disarray around him. His long sleeved work shirt was wrinkled, and his long raven hair was entrenched in a mess. He looked down at his papers scattered across the desk, the words blending together from his long rest upon them. At the very least it was all that had ended up happening. If it had been Satoru sleeping on that, there would be endless drool and ripped papers. Satoru was, after all, the worst sleeper to be around. 

With a heavy sigh, Suguru glanced out the window pane, his gaze drifting up to the sky. It had been a while since he had spoken to her, a few days to be exact. Her – the woman he now called his girlfriend, the person he was currently dating. And yet, somehow, it still didn't feel real.

The label of "girlfriend" hung in the air, a weighty reminder of the unspoken understanding that existed between them. Despite the passage of time and the shared moments they had experienced together, Suguru couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty that lingered in his heart.

He longed to bridge the gap that had formed between them, to have an open and honest conversation about the nature of their relationship. But the fear of rejection and the uncertainty of her feelings held him back, leaving him in a state of limbo as he grappled with his own emotions.

As Suguru stared out into the expanse of the sky, a heavy weight settled on his shoulders, his mind consumed by thoughts of you and the undefined nature of your relationship. When you both agreed to start dating, the conversation ended there, leaving Suguru with a lingering sense of uncertainty.

In the days that followed, life seemed to spiral into a whirlwind of busy schedules and mounting responsibilities. You became increasingly occupied with planning your work for the semester and your teaching duties, while Suguru found himself buried under a growing pile of tasks and projects. Despite their shared commitment to each other, the distance between them seemed to widen with each passing day.

Suguru couldn't help but wonder if your busy schedule was intentional, a deliberate effort to avoid confronting the complexities of your relationship. Or perhaps it was simply a coincidence, a result of the demands of your respective lives pulling you in different directions.

As he pondered these questions, Suguru felt a knot tighten in his stomach, the uncertainty gnawing at him from within. Did you long for clarity and definition, or were you content with the unspoken understanding that existed between you? Or perhaps, like him, you found it easier to avoid addressing the issue altogether, choosing instead to bury yourselves in work and responsibilities.

As Suguru stood in his kitchen, the weight of unanswered questions pressing heavily upon him, he knew that dwelling on them any longer would only lead to further frustration and confusion. With a resigned sigh, he made a conscious effort to push aside his thoughts, recognizing that overthinking the situation would only drive him to the brink of insanity.

Turning his attention to the task at hand, Suguru mechanically began preparing breakfast for himself, his movements devoid of their usual fluidity as he robotically went through the motions. His gaze fell upon the empty storage of coffee, a stark reminder of the absence of his usual morning ritual. He sighed, it seems Nanami drank the last of the coffee when he and Satoru slept over. He ought to go to the grocery later too.

He turned to the other drawer, where he kept his tea. He takes a tall glass of water and poured it into his electric kettle, absentmindedly plugging it in and pressing the button. The familiar routine had always provided him with a sense of comfort and normalcy, but now, its absence only served to highlight the emptiness that lingered in his heart.

As he mechanically went about his morning routine, Suguru couldn't shake the feeling of unrest that gnawed at him from within. The unresolved tension between him and you hung heavily in the air, casting a shadow over everything he did. Despite his best efforts to push aside his doubts and uncertainties, they continued to haunt him, a constant reminder of the fragile state of what your relationship now meant. How can he stop being overwhelmed by this? How can he get you to open your heart to him? 

With a heavy heart and a troubled mind, Geto Suguru resigned himself to the fact that some questions may never have clear answers right now. He had to be patient. He had to wait. As he always has. Patience is the virtue he was most good at. For now, all he could do was focus on the present moment and hope that, in time, clarity would come and the uncertainty that plagued their relationship would be resolved.

He heard the kettle whistle and growl.

He took his favorite mug and added the tea.

The water eased itself into the ceramic floor.

He sighed and let the tea mingle into the water.

Geto Suguru thinks about her as he waits.

SHE WAS SURE SHE LOOKED AT HER PHONE ALL DAY. Biting her lips in frustration, she couldn't help but groan as she buried her face in her hands, grappling with the overwhelming weight of her emotions. It felt utterly foolish that she hadn't been able to muster the courage to reach out to Suguru, to simply type a message or give him a call to explain her feelings and the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in her mind.

For days, she had been locked in a battle with herself, torn between the desire to connect with Suguru and the fear of what that connection might entail. The mere thought of contacting him filled her with a dizzying array of emotions, each one more tumultuous than the last. After all, he was now her boyfriend – a title that still felt foreign and surreal when associated with her longtime best friend.

The sudden shift in their relationship had caught her off guard, leaving her heart racing with uncertainty and apprehension. She had never envisioned herself in a romantic relationship with Suguru, never even dared to entertain the idea in her wildest dreams. And yet, here they were, standing at the precipice of uncharted territory, unsure of where their newfound connection would lead them.

His confession had sent her heart into a frenzy, the warmth of his words lingering in her mind long after they had been spoken. He had always been a steadfast presence in her life, a pillar of support and friendship through every twist and turn. The idea of crossing the boundary from friendship to something more left her feeling simultaneously exhilarated and terrified, unsure of how to navigate the uncharted waters of their evolving relationship.

As she grappled with her conflicting emotions, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for not being more proactive in addressing the situation. The longer she hesitated, the more daunting the prospect of reaching out to Suguru became, leaving her feeling trapped in a whirlwind of indecision and uncertainty.

The days had passed in a haze of internal conflict, each moment fraught with indecision as she grappled with the reality of her newfound relationship status with Suguru. Despite the warmth of his confession and the undeniable connection between them, she couldn't shake the nagging fear that reaching out to him would irrevocably change the dynamic of their friendship, casting a shadow over everything they had built together.

Frightened and overwhelmed by the weight of her emotions, she found herself unable to articulate the turmoil raging within her. The thought of confronting Suguru with her innermost thoughts and feelings filled her with a paralyzing sense of dread, leaving her trapped in a suffocating cycle of guilt and uncertainty.

She knew deep down that Suguru didn't deserve to be met with silence and avoidance. He was too kind, too compassionate, too pure of heart to deserve anything less than her honesty and transparency. Yet despite this knowledge, she found herself unable to bridge the divide between them, her words caught in the grip of her own fear and insecurity.

Guilt gnawed at her relentlessly, a constant reminder of her failure to communicate with Suguru and the toll it was taking on their relationship. Each time she saw him in the hallways or felt the urge to reach out to him, she was consumed by a sense of helplessness and frustration about all of this. Her inadequacy was horrid. She wished she could do better than this. She had just gotten Suguru back and had gotten him in a way that she didn’t even deserve and now she knew she was causing him more pain in isolation.

Sitting alone in the outer corner of the teacher's lounge during a coffee break, she felt the weight of her emotions come crashing down upon her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to contain the overwhelming surge of frustration and self-doubt that threatened to engulf her.

In that moment of vulnerability, she longed for nothing more than the courage to break free from the confines of her own fears and insecurities, to open up to Suguru and lay bare the depths of her heart. But for now, all she could do was cry out in anguish, the silent sob echoing in the empty room as she grappled with all these newfound feelings—ones that she never thought she would ever face before.

Amidst her turmoil, the sight of Gojo Satoru's concerned gaze as her tears fell silently caught her off guard. His white lashes blinked tenderly as his eyes settled on her, and without hesitation, he swiftly took a seat beside her. With genuine concern etched on his face, he bombarded her with questions, each one probing deeper into the source of her distress.

Satoru's genuine concern persisted, evident in the furrow of his brows and the earnestness in his gaze. Despite her attempts to brush off his inquiries, he refused to relent, leaning in closer as he sought to uncover the truth behind her tears.

"It's nothing," she insisted, her voice trembling slightly as she wiped away her tears in a feeble attempt to mask her distress. But Satoru's penetrating gaze left her feeling exposed, his unwavering scrutiny betraying his disbelief in her words.

"I-I'm being serious, I'm not lying," she stammered, her voice faltering as she struggled to maintain her composure under Satoru's intense scrutiny.

Satoru's lips quivered in a mischievous grin as he observed her carefully. "Uhuh, and when I look at your nose, it wrinkles so much, you can tell that they're hiding lies."

Her cheeks flushed with warmth as his playful observation sank in, a blend of embarrassment and indignation bubbling within her. The rosy hue that spread across her cheeks betrayed the flurry of emotions swirling inside her, a delicate dance between feeling self-conscious and mildly irritated by his teasing remark. Despite her attempts to maintain composure, the subtle heat radiating from her skin betrayed the effect of his words, leaving her caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

"S-shut up! That's so rude!" she protested, swatting playfully at Satoru as she attempted to deflect his teasing remarks. 

Despite her efforts to maintain a facade of nonchalance, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Satoru saw right through her defenses, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable in his presence. Suguru did tell her that he was good at that, his best friend. She sighed, lowering her head and looking at Satoru, who leaned back into the chair.

“I don’t know what happened, but well, I hope you know it’s not a bad thing to tell people why you’re upset.” Satoru exclaimed in reply, his arms crossed in front of him. “But you don’t have to feel pressured to tell me anything right now. Just know that I’m your friend, and you can trust me, hm? I, the great Gojo Satoru, will be your friend and shoulder too! So chin up, girl. Don’t cry!”

She didn’t know what happened.

Perhaps she was overwhelmed.

Or she just didn’t know what to do.

But she started shaking her head.

She lifts her head and looks at him.

“Suguru and I are dating!” She cried, almost as though relieved that she doesn’t have to carry it alone. 

In the aftermath of her revelation, the atmosphere hung heavy with the weight of unspoken truths. Satoru's reaction was immediate and palpable; his eyes widened, jaw slackened, and the disbelief etched across his features was unmistakable. It was as if time itself had halted, freezing the moment into a suspended reality where the unexpected revelation reverberated in the air.

The words, 'Suguru and I are dating,' echoed through Satoru's mind, each syllable carrying a profound weight that seemed to press down on him with increasing intensity. His best friend, who had harbored unrequited feelings since childhood — Satoru could remember their college days, how Suguru would harp about that girl who smiled at him so tenderly every day and how he loved her.

The love that persisted through countless failed relationships—all because they couldn’t warm him as his childhood love did. The friend who had openly shared his pining for her, the girl he grew up with and longed to see again. The one he had always been in love with. It finally happened, and the realization hit Gojo Satoru with a force that left him grappling with the enormity of the situation.

For a moment, Gojo Satoru found himself suspended in a state of disbelief, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what she had just disclosed.Suguru finally achieved his dream. He got the girl. He finally did it. Satoru’s thoughts churned in a whirlwind of confusion and uncertainty, and excitement. As reality seeped back in, Satoru stood there, at a loss for words. His mouth moved soundlessly, attempting to convey the myriad of emotions swirling within him. 

Satoru's exclamation reverberated through the room, his voice cracking with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief. The overwhelming flood of emotions threatened to consume him, leaving him teetering on the edge of a reality he had never anticipated. He could feel happiness flood him. His friend finally got the girl!

"YOU’RE DATING SUGURU?" he blurted out, unable to contain his shock.

“SHHHHH NOT SO LOUD!” she hissed in response, her cheeks flushing crimson with embarrassment. The intensity of Satoru's reaction took her by surprise, and she hastily gestured for him to lower his voice.

“HOW LONG?” Satoru pressed on, his curiosity getting the better of him as he leaned in closer, eager for answers.

As she snapped at him, her voice tinged with frustration and flustered embarrassment, she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, the telltale sign of her own embarrassment. 

"SHUT UP!" she exclaimed, her words sharper than intended as she shot him a pleading look, hoping to convey the urgency of her request. Her hand covered his mouth again. The scarlet hue of her cheeks betrayed her discomfort as she struggled to gather her thoughts amidst the chaos of emotions swirling within her. “Just, calm down first!”

As their voices rose in a heated exchange, the tension between them reached a boiling point. She was worried someone might have heard them, that someone might have ended up coming in. Gojo Satoru was too loud for his own good. She felt a surge of frustration bubbling within her, her hands gesturing emphatically in an attempt to convey the urgency of her request. Yet, despite her efforts, the atmosphere remained charged with an undercurrent of unease.

“The hand has got to go, you can’t keep—” Satoru's voice carried a note of exasperation as he gestured towards her, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

“Just calm down first and I’ll tell you!” She interjected, her tone tinged with urgency as she attempted to quell the rising tension.

“I am calm!” Satoru retorted, his voice tinged with frustration.

“Be calmer!” She shot back, her own agitation bubbling to the surface as she struggled to maintain her composure.

The air crackled with tension as they exchanged heated words, each struggling to maintain their composure amidst the escalating argument.

“Fine!” Satoru mumbled against her palm, his glare piercing as he met her defiant gaze. She returned the glare, her expression equally resolute as she held her ground.

"God, your hands are so sweaty," Satoru remarked, a hint of annoyance seeping into his tone as he pulled away from her touch.

"This is not the time!" she snapped, her frustration evident in the sharpness of her voice. Despite their efforts to diffuse the tension, the underlying strain between them lingered, casting a shadow over their interaction.

Satoru let out an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his disheveled hair as he tried to reign in his frustration. "I know, I know," he muttered, his tone softer now, tinged with a hint of remorse. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream like that. It’s just….”

‘Suguru loved you for a long time.’ He thinks but he doesn’t want to say it. Only Suguru can say that. 

Her shoulders relaxed slightly at his apology, the tension in the air easing just a fraction as she took a deep breath to steady herself. "It's okay," she replied, her voice softer now, her anger dissipating as she met his gaze with a hint of understanding.

They stood in silence for a moment, the weight of their unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between them. Then sat down after a while, tension already gone. He sighed, looking at her. She must have been concerned about the relationship then, if she was crying. He thinks about what Suguru must have done to find his childhood love cry like this.

“You’re crying about Suguru, huh?”

“T-that’s….” She looked at him, the glint of guilt in her eyes. “I just….it’s been awkward, trying to adjust to all this. And I just, he’s my best friend. I don’t know how to…”

“Navigate it all?” He supplies, with a grin on his face. She looks at him, embarrassed. She still nods. “But isn’t that normal in relationships? Figuring it all out.”

“I know that.” She replies back to him, looking down on the floor. “But I just….this is all new and different. I think I made him sad already by not replying to him or reaching out to him.”

“Oh, definitely. He may even think you hate him.” He nods at her words, making her look at him in a snap. “But well, that only gets cleared up if you talk to him right. Your relationship isn’t just you. It’s both of you. So, go on. Talk to him. Just say so.”

She lets out a small nod. “Thank you, Satoru. I just….I needed that.”

“No problem!” He grins at her, leaning forward with a thumbs up. “Just make sure I get something to enjoy in your latest volume. I don’t think I can handle more of the tragic angst.”

“I don’t think I can promise anything, but I’ll try!” She smiles at him and gets up from her seat, before he could reply. 

She ran out before any other words could be exchanged. Gojo Satoru leaned back against his seat,  letting out a deep satisfied sigh, the weight of the recent events settling heavily on his shoulders. Playing Cupid is a hard task, he thinks. The science to a happy life is after all, being able to produce chemicals to happiness. 

“What did you do now?” A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, and Satoru couldn't help but smile as he turned to see Nanami Kento standing before him, hands tucked neatly into his suit pockets.

“What didn’t I do?” Satoru replied with a playful grin, his tone laced with mischief.

Kento sighed wearily, taking a seat beside him. “You should have let them figure it out.”

“Oh, so now you reveal you heard everything,” Satoru quipped, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“You scream too loudly,” Kento retorted, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Satoru grinned mischievously, leaning closer to Kento's side. “How hard do you want me to scream?”

“Not here, you idiot!” Kento's cheeks flushed scarlet, embarrassment evident in his tone as he scolded his friend. Satoru couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's reaction.

“You’re too easy to tease,” Satoru teased, resting his head on Kento’s arm and snuggling against it. He glanced up at Kento with a playful twinkle in his eyes. “I thought you said not here.”

Kento averted his gaze, his reddened ears betraying his embarrassment. “...You haven’t slept much because of your work, right?” he asked softly, concern now lacing his words. “Just take a nap before your next class. It’s still two hours from now.”

Satoru felt his cheeks flush at Kento's caring gesture, his smile widening at the unexpected tenderness. Closing his eyes, he leaned into Kento's comforting presence.

“You're too cute,” he murmured softly.

Nanami Kento hesitated for a moment before replying, his voice equally soft. His cheeks flushed in scarlet.

“.........Yeah, yeah."

“You’re always so loving to me, Kento~”

“Just get some sleep before I get up and leave you.”

"Alright, alright~"

HE THINKS HE’S ABOUT TO HAVE A HEADACHE OF READING THROUGH PAPER AFTER PAPER. In the dimly lit cubicle office, Geto Suguru sat surrounded by a mountain of papers, each one representing a student's attempt at deciphering historical events. His brow furrowed in concentration as he meticulously graded each test paper, his pen moving in a steady rhythm across the pages. The scratching sound echoed through the quiet room, a stark contrast to the occasional sigh of frustration that escaped his lips.

It started out well, with Fushiguro Megumi's paper showing promise with its depth and insight. However, as Suguru worked his way through the stack, the quality of the submissions seemed to deteriorate. He couldn't help but shake his head at the chaotic mess that some of his students had produced.

Among the sea of mediocrity, one paper stood out to him—the six pages of storytelling by Itadori Yuji. While not entirely historically accurate, Suguru couldn't deny the creativity and entertainment value of Itadori's work. It was a refreshing change from the dry and uninspired essays he had been grading all day.

As he continued to work, Suguru found himself sinking deeper into the task at hand. The quiet solitude of the office provided him with a sense of focus and determination, allowing him to plow through the remaining papers with efficiency.

Despite the monotony of the task, Suguru found solace in the routine of grading papers. It was a familiar ritual that helped him clear his mind and focus on the task at hand. And as he neared the end of the stack, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment wash over him.

With the last paper graded, Suguru leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh of relief. The room was silent now, save for the sound of his own breathing. He glanced at the clock and realized that he had been working for hours.

But even as fatigue threatened to overwhelm him, Suguru couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that he would soon have completed his remaining task for today. He can have a good end with some gyoza and a beer. With a tired smile, he gathered up the papers and prepared to leave the office, eager to finally rest and recharge before the next day's challenges.

The sudden sound of the door swinging open broke the silence of the dimly lit office, causing Suguru to look up from his papers with a start. His eyes widened in surprise as she stumbled into the room, her breaths labored and her movements unsteady. Her disheveled appearance and heavy footsteps against the tiled floor immediately caught his attention, prompting him to rise from his chair in concern.

Without uttering a single word, she marched up to Suguru's desk with determination etched on her face. With a swift motion, she reached out and spun his office chair around to face her, the movement abrupt and unexpected. Suguru found himself facing her, his expression a mix of confusion and curiosity as he studied her tired eyes and tense posture.

The room fell silent as they stood facing each other, the weight of her unspoken words hanging heavily in the air. Suguru waited patiently, sensing that something was amiss and allowing her the space to speak her mind. He watched intently as she took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with each labored exhale, before finally finding the strength to voice her thoughts.

With a voice trembling with emotion, she began, "Hey," meeting his gaze with a mixture of apprehension and vulnerability.

“Hey,” Suguru replied softly, his expression reflecting his concern as he watched her closely.

“I have so,” she paused, taking a moment to catch her breath and straighten her posture. “Oh my god, I need to exercise more,” she added with a self-deprecating laugh, attempting to lighten the mood despite the weight of the conversation.

Suguru's eyes softened with concern as he observed her, his worry evident in his gaze. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice laced with genuine concern.

She waved him off dismissively, forcing a small smile. “Yeah, yeah. I am…..don’t worry. Just need to catch my breath,” she assured him, attempting to reassure him despite the turmoil she was feeling inside.

Suguru nodded understandingly, giving her a moment to compose herself as she caught her breath. As she took a moment to collect her thoughts, he listened attentively, waiting for her to continue.

"I'm sorry... I haven't contacted you," she finally admitted, her voice tinged with regret as she voiced the apology that had been weighing heavily on her mind.

“I–”

Her determination shone through as she shook her head at him, her gaze unwavering and resolute. "No, I need to….I need to make this right," she insisted, her voice tinged with urgency. "I've caused you a lot of pain, and it's not fair to you. I wasn't being fair to you. But I want to. You poured your heart out to me, and I just….I didn’t make good on you. I was so confused about what this would mean. But I should have told you. And since we’re together, we can work it out, right?”

Suguru's heart ached at the sight of her distress, his eyes softening with compassion as he listened to her words. Gently, he reached out and took her hand in his, drawing her closer to him in a comforting embrace.

"It's okay," he murmured, his voice filled with warmth and understanding. "I should be the one apologizing. I should have made it easier on you, too. Everything happened so suddenly, and I should have known it would have overwhelmed you too. I should have asked you and conversed more with you about this. To be fair to you too.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she shook her head, her grip on his hand tightening. "No, Suguru, you don't deserve this. And... and I don't deserve you."

His heart skipped a beat at her words, and he felt a surge of emotion welling up within him. Though he struggled to find the right words, the depth of his feelings for her was unmistakable in his gaze as he looked into her eyes, his heart overflowing with love and gratitude.

"I... I'm sorry," Suguru stammered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I shouldn't have... I mean, I haven't even told you how I love you."

In the quiet aftermath of their tender exchange, as they stood enveloped in the soft ambiance of the office lights, a flicker of uncertainty danced across her features. Her brow furrowed in a subtle expression of puzzlement, her eyes searching for him with a hint of apprehension.

‘Wait, he’s never said he loved me, right?’

As Suguru met her gaze, a sudden realization dawned upon him like a bolt of lightning. 

‘Wait,' he thought, his mind racing to catch up with the tumultuous whirlwind of emotions swirling within him. 'I never told her I loved her.'

The weight of his unspoken confession hung heavy in the air, a poignant reminder of the words left unsaid between them. In the stillness of the moment, Suguru felt a surge of panic rise within him, his chest constricting with the weight of his own reticence.

'I never told her I loved her,' he repeated to himself, the words catching in his throat like a bitter pill. The truth of his feelings loomed large in his mind, a daunting revelation that left him grappling with a profound sense of regret.

The weight of his words hung in the air, a heavy silence enveloping them as they both grappled with the implications of his confession. Their eyes met in a moment of shared vulnerability, each trying to decipher the emotions reflected in the other's gaze.

Finally, she squeezed his hand gently, batting at him a shy smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I-It's okay," she whispered. "I'm happy….happy that you could tell me your feelings. To….to hear that you love me."

Relief surged through Suguru like a tidal wave, washing away the remnants of doubt and uncertainty that had clouded his mind. In that fleeting moment, as he absorbed her heartfelt words, a profound sense of gratitude enveloped him like a warm embrace.

With a gentle smile playing at the corners of his lips, Suguru met her gaze, his eyes alight with a spark of newfound hope. In the depths of his soul, unspoken promises danced like flickering flames, casting a radiant glow upon their shared moment of connection.

"I'll try my best to make it up to you, to reciprocate your warmth too," she continued, her voice filled with determination. "I'll do everything I can to make you happy too, Sugu."

Suguru's heart swelled with emotion at her earnest pledge. He reached out, gently cupping her cheek in his hand as he searched her eyes with tender affection.

 "Thank you," he murmured, his voice soft yet filled with sincerity. "Knowing that you're willing to make this work means everything to me."

“Me too.” She smiles back at him, squeezing his hand. “Thank you for being willing to make this work too.”

For a moment, he felt like he could breathe again.

The touch of her hand on his own made him warm.

Now, he thinks that everything is right with the world.

Because he thinks that he can work with this now.

He can work with love being his only logic with her.

She just has to smile at him warmly and say so.

extra; going home together

As Geto Suguru and she exited the office together, they held hands as they walked off the past towards the future. All the tension from their earlier conversation began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of ease as they fell into a comfortable rhythm of a warm, tender conversation.

"So, what are you in the mood for dinner?" Suguru inquired, a gentle smile curving his lips as they walked side by side.

"Hmm, maybe some sushi?" she mused, her mind wandering to thoughts of their upcoming meal. The idea of enjoying fresh sushi sounded appealing after a long day of work, and she could almost taste the delicate flavors as she spoke. “Oh, oh! How about going to that okonomiyaki restaurant that you talked about?”

As they rounded the corner, Suguru and she stumbled upon an unexpected sight: Nanami Kento walking away from Gojo Satoru, who had a mischievous grin plastered on his face as he teased Nanami–san about something. The pair didn't seem to notice Suguru and her, engrossed in their own exchange, but she couldn't help but watch them for a moment.

Satoru's laughter rang out, echoing against the backdrop of the bustling Tokyo street. Despite the busy surroundings, there was an undeniable closeness between the two men, evident in the way they interacted with each other. She noticed how Nanami–san moved to the corner of the sidewalk, Satoru staying close beside him as they navigated the crowded street.

There was a sense of harmony in their movements, a silent understanding that spoke volumes about their relationship. She couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as she watched them, admiring the ease with which they seemed to complement each other.

"They seem very happy together," she murmured, tearing her gaze away from the pair to glance at Suguru beside her. 

He nodded. “Nanami most of all, look. He’s not stiff today. No one probably pissed him off.”

The curiosity bubbling inside her.

Curiosity is too strong to just ignore.

Turning to him, she voiced her thoughts.

"How close are they?" she whispered, her voice tinged with awe and admiration. “They seem so opposite of each other, so I thought they were not as close.”

“Huh?” Suguru looks at her as though she had grown a head on her side. “Are you serious?”

“What do you mean?”

Suguru glanced at her, and then snickers. Suddenly, there’s a playful twinkle in his eyes.  "Didn't you know? They're lovers."

She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in disbelief.

 "WHAT?" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the corridor.

Suguru continued to walk off, laughing at the depths of his lungs.

The revelation caught her completely off guard, leaving her stunned and speechless.

“Hurry up and stop being frozen, I’m hungry!”

facts about the characters thus far:

satoru, suguru, shoko and nanami all met in high school. only suguru and satoru ended up going to the same university. nanami went to another nearby university and shoko went to study in a nearby medical university.

you've been a BL mangaka since senior year of high school. it started with slice of life stories, which you sold at conventions in freelance. you ended up becoming a pro after a few years after you gave up on finding a job in the mainstream writing industry. you still decided to get a teaching job because you don't know how long the pro-mangaka work will last for you.

you and suguru met at five years old in the playground, where your moms became good friends. he saw you struggling with the swing and helped you on it. you declared him your best friend that day. suguru really likes to think about this memory a lot.

satoru is a big fan of BL and it started because his ex from high school was a fan and really had good reads. he starts going to conventions and personally buying them. he doesn't mind that people stare at him when he buys their books. as he stated, he has bought your books in person too, before you were even a pro-mangaka.

suguru isn't a fan of BL but he likes getting into them when the stories are really really good. satoru has recommended stuff to him before and he's read them. he personally also buys them in print, which is his personal preference. his current favorite is currently 'doukyusei'.

satoru often causes a lot of commotion in the school because of his antics. a lot of people have expressed their annoyance, but over the years, he has become too important to fire. so people just got used to all of his antics and even started joining him.

nanami and satoru got together during satoru's high school graduation. nanami hated gojo in high school because his basketball club hogged the training grounds, where nanami's track club also needed to use. they ended up bonding because of their shared passion for pastries.

[persephinae]

U.S. Copyright Office Presses 'Pause' on DMCA Exemption for Video Games

By Lydia Leung, LLB | Last updated on November 08, 2024

When we think of a library, we picture never-ending shelves of books; the world's knowledge available to us at the touch of a finger. But nowadays, it's not just physical records that libraries collect. Many now lend video games to their members, providing their local communities with entertainment while helping preserve the software for future generations.

The recent decision by the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) to reject an exemption to the DMCA for video games in libraries' collections has put that practice into question. The decision prevents video games from being accessed remotely by researchers. While some in the games industry view this ruling as a win for rights holders, others see it as a major setback for arts research, especially compared to researchers in other fields with "routine and regular access" to digital archives.

What Is The DMCA?

Passed in 1998, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) brought the U.S. in line with treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), updating copyright law for the digital age. Section 1201 of the DMCA criminalizes the "circumvention of copyright protection systems" that prevent unauthorized access to copyrighted works, such as reading encrypted optical discs or removing copy restrictions from electronic documents.

Exemptions are made for some uses, including for nonprofit libraries, archives and educational institutions (section 1201(d)), as long as a "good faith" determination is made. Libraries are permitted to create digital copies of obsolete works for purpose of preservation, but those works must not be commercially available for a "reasonable price" and can only be accessed onsite.

The Petition

The Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) has been working with the Software Preservation Network (SPN) since 2021 on a petition to the U.S. Copyright Office, proposing that the DMCA digital copying exemption be expanded to allow access to games outside of the physical premises of an institution. A study published by the VGHF in July 2023 estimated that 87% of video games released in the US before 2010 are "critically endangered" and inaccessible, being out of print in either physical or digital form. Options to play classic games are limited as many require vintage hardware or are no longer available on a digital storefront, potentially pushing consumers and researchers towards piracy as the most convenient means of access.

The petition's main argument is framed from the perspective of fair use: works kept by archives and collections are exempt from copyright infringement laws if they are used for purposes such as research or teaching. To enable this, the SPN proposed a system of user vetting and copyright notices, allowing institutions to restrict access only to users who submit a research request detailing the scope of their project and providing notices to remind them that their access is subject to copyright law.

The requirement of having to request specific access ensures that games are being used for research purposes, with the SPN citing "academic literacy" as a way of filtering out users planning to access them for entertainment. The USCO already allows institutions to lend other forms of media remotely, and the SPN argued that the DMCA's stringent rules around distribution of software programs places impediments on video game scholarship that are not present in other disciplines.

Arguments Against

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade association representing the U.S. video game industry, opposed the SPN petition, stating that the exemption would leave rights owners insufficiently protected and that the market for classic video games would be damaged. The SPN's proposed method of fair use vetting was dismissed by the ESA as "illusory", arguing that this was not enough justification for the breadth of use they would enable. It would be too difficult for libraries to supervise multiple users remotely accessing games, thus enabling usage for entertainment purposes.

Furthermore, the ESA contended that the market for classic video games is "vibrant and growing", citing the number of titles currently available on digital storefronts such as the Xbox Game Pass, not to mention frequent re-releases of individual titles on modern systems. That a game is "out of print" does not mean it is lost forever, only that the copyright owner decided not to put it on the market. Allowing widespread remote access to classic games would present a serious risk to the market and prevent copyright owners from enforcing their copyrights.

The USCO Ruling

The USCO observed that, for a fair use exemption, access to the games would have to be guarded against recreational use by containing "appropriately tailored restrictions". The view taken by the ESA on the SPN's proposed restrictions was echoed by the USCO, which ruled that they were not specific enough to prevent market harm and that the SPN had not met the burden of showing that allowing simultaneous remote access by multiple users was likely to be fair.

Regarding the claims of market damage put forth by the ESA, the USCO acknowledged the evidence presented of a "substantial market" for classic video games, and the SPN's concession that the industry has made a greater effort in recent years to reissue older games. Considering these arguments, the Register ultimately rejected the petition, but recommended clarifying the wording used in the DMCA to reflect that a computer program may be accessed by as many individuals as the institution owns copies.

What Does This Mean?

As a newer form of digital media, U.S. law has yet to settle on a definitive classification of what copyrights arise from a video game. A common view is for games to be treated as computer software and for the source code to be considered a literary work. However, unlike "traditional" literary works such as books or newspapers, the interactive nature of a video game makes regulating access to it more complicated.

Games are often limited to their corresponding hardware, potentially leading to research costs going up as researchers may be forced to travel long distances or somehow purchase a retro console for themselves; not to mention potential consideration of extra-legal methods. Researchers are pushed into focusing on works that are easy to access rather than those they have a true interest in studying. Teaching is also affected: academics cannot assign their students games with historical or technological significance if they may not be able to access them (for example,  the original Metroid Prime (2002), noted for its female protagonist and being the first game in the series to use 3D graphics, is only available on the GameCube). This curtails the growth of video game studies, introducing obstacles to a field with deepening cultural impact and technological advancement.

In their submission to the USCO, the SPN compared the rise of video games to the film industry, highlighting the creation of the National Film Preservation Board in 1988 as a way of recognizing that films are a part of cultural heritage, worthy of academic preservation and study. Whether games will ever reach that status remains uncertain: they make up a large part of our cultural and entertainment landscape today and it's clear that they are here to stay, but only time will tell whether the USCO's attitudes change.

Man, come the fuck on....

i think CEO's should be rounded up and shot personally

[goodluckclove]

WRITERS - Read More Nonfiction! (With Recs)

Okay so before I start I'm making it very clear that I don't say this as some generalized statement about how All Online People Aren't Reading Right. I doubt that's true! But based on some of the threads and discourse I see on my corner on Writeblr, it definitely seems like a lot of you would greatly benefit from expanding the scope of what you read.

I think there's probably a big stigma against nonfiction for a lot of people - there was for me for the longest time. Maybe six years ago, though, I stumbled into the genre and found that it can actually be rad as shit. It's been an invaluable form of research from people who definitely know what they're talking about, as well as a way to open myself up to new ideas.

You have chronic writers block? It could potentially be because you're consuming exclusively one genre of media. If that's the case, this will definitely get the gears turning!

Below are a collection of my favorite nonfiction books from my own shelf. The funny thing I immediately learned about suggesting more than like three nonfiction books at a time is that it does paint a kind of intimate picture of who I am. Feel free to tell me if these recommendations surprise you based on who you view me to be.

Clove's Favorite Nonfiction Books!

The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth by Thomas Morris - a collection of historical medical cases back when someone would see a doctor for a gunshot wound and the doctor would treat it with a laxative. WILD stuff.

American Monsters by Linda S. Godfrey - US cryptids! Lots of first person accounts.

Cursed Objects by J. W. Ocker - Famous cursed shit. Quick read but very fun.

The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Prector-Pinney - this was written by the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society, a real organization. It tells you everything you need to know about clouds. Fascinating.

Gory Details by Erika Englehaupt - stories and studies of more morbid and "gross" aspects of science, like the guys who stung themselves with instincts to measure the pain or that beach that feet kept washing up on for a while. Cool interviews with science people.

Fuzz by Mary Roach - wild animals break the law a lot actually and we still as a species don't really know what to do about that.

Spook by Mary Roach - an account of Ghost Believing from all sides of the argument. There was a guy who measured dying bodies to see if he could see them get lighter as their soul escaped.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimberly - an indigenous-influenced look at our relationship as a species to nature around us. Really beautiful prose from someone who I believe is primarily a botanist and activist?

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell - stories and analysis from different aspects of the death industry! Embalmers to crime scene cleaners! Super interesting!

American Afterlives by Shannon Lee Dawdy - I have. A lot of death culture books. A lot. This one talks about all the neat things people in America do with their bodies after they die in the modern age. It's fun!

Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom - so this IS a book on the history of Anthropodermic bibliopegy, or books bound in human skin. I'm actually midway through this now and it's super fascinating and cool. Also my wife refuses to talk to me about this so I'd love someone else to talk to.

The Secret Lives of Color by Cassia St. Clair - I read like four books on color theory and pigment for a novel I wrote a few years ago and this was my favorite. It's a look into a ton of major hues and pigments throughout history as well as a peek into the timeline of color making. Did you know making green fabrics used to be illegal?

Atlas Obscura - a fucking cool look into weird and unique spots across the globe. Every artist who works with places should have access to this. It's awesome.

Every Caitlin Doughty book they're all great. She's a modern mortician and founder of the Order of the Good Death. Just an incredible human being and a super engaging and informative writer.

If someone wants to reblog with their favorite nonfiction books and what they got from them, be my guest! Maybe someone could use a new read to get their next idea or refine what they're currently working on!

[tessadiscordia]

Human Nature

In a future where vampires have integrated into human society, two outcasts explore the darker potential of their already precarious relationship.

Concepts: MTF x MTF, blood kink, vampire x human, mind control, blood drinking, biting, praise kink, hypnosis, yuri

CW for: consensual non-consent, sadism, masochism, blood

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

Krista was not like the other humans. That is why Vespera had chosen her after all. They were alike in many ways, despite coming from two different species that were supposedly opposed on an ontological level.

Vespera was an undead, bloodsucking creature of the night. Krista was a mortal made in the image of the Divine, a being who had not fallen as far from the light of Heaven’s kingdom. At least not yet. Yet still, they came from similar backgrounds; both were discarded by their families at a young age, left to fend for themselves. That was how they found each other that fateful night. It seemed as though the stars themselves had brought them together.

For many centuries, vampires remained in the shadows, their existence only the subject of folktales and Hollywood sensation. The emergence of vampires into the public eye, and then civil society, had been the subject of a great amount of social tension for the first couple of years, but humanity as a whole soon acclimated to the new status quo. Vampires became citizens alongside their mortal counterparts. 

Since the signing of the treaty, it was not uncommon for humans and vampires to engage in unions such as that of Vespera and Krista, but there were unspoken expectations. The new laws stated that vampires and humans were made equal, and it was expected that vampires would never seek to undermine the autonomy of human beings. There was a strong stigma around vampires feeding directly from humans, whether it was consensual or not. Because of this,

vampires were expected to utilize blood banks and other alternative forms of satisfying their bloodlust. Countless product lines were invented to cater to this new market, leading to the rise of vampire-centered corporations. Blood-based carbonated drinks, blood-based smoothies, and other products popped up across the market overnight. Vampires were expected to consume blood the same way humans consumed water– packaged and labeled, rather than from the source.

If it became known that such acts were being performed by a vampire and their human partner, it was not uncommon for that sort of thing to be viewed through the lens of an unhealthy power dynamic. After all, the full scope of vampires’ influence over the human psyche was an ongoing field of study. The humans in question risked opening themselves up to all forms of emotional, psychological and even metaphysical corruption.

But Krista was not like other humans. 

When Vespera arrived home late one particular night, she found Krista standing topless in the dimly lit kitchen of their small, raggedy apartment in nothing but her sweatpants. Her dark hair done up in a messy bun and her bangs falling in front of and around her round face as usual. 

She greeted her girlfriend with a tired smile, “There you are. I was wondering when you’d get home. Long day at work?” Her voice dipped inquisitively. 

Vespera couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight of Krista in such a state. It was common for Krista to put a considerable effort into her presentation, but she always bemoaned the obligation. She was pretty in a full mask of makeup with her face contoured and her eyebrows trimmed, and she was less likely to get weird stares in public, but Vespera preferred her like this. Her naked face and that little bit of acne, her hair wild and free; that sort of feral beauty she only ever got to see in the comfort of their home. She never understood why the world would seek to shun and lock away such a perfect angel.

Krista snorted, “Are you gonna answer my question, or are you gonna just stare at me all night? Take a picture, babe. It’ll last longer… hell, I’ll even wait for you to get your camera,” she teased.

“That is so unfair,” Vespera closed the distance between them and lifted Krista up by the waist. The human let out a squeak as her vampire lifted her onto the kitchen counter and they locked eyes. “You’re this effortlessly beautiful, and I’m expected to act normal about it. What sort of cruel joke is that?” Vespera teased right back, a smirk on her face.

“I think that’s perfectly fair,” Krista hummed. “I’m glad you’re in a good mood tonight~ Usually when you get back this late you immediately take to venting about your boss…”

“Oh, I could do that, believe me– but I have nothing to say that you haven’t already sat through.”

“Touché. Then it sounds to me like some stress relief is in order…”

“Oh, definitely.”

Krista pulled Vespera into a deep, passionate kiss. Their lips locked and between them, their tongues wrestled for dominion as their hands searched one another’s bodies for that perfect spot to hold onto. Krista moaned softly into Vespera’s mouth as she broke the kiss, leaving the thinnest thread of saliva between them.   

“I am so glad you’re in a good mood tonight,” Krista purred. There was a glimmer of excitement in her voice which intrigued Vespera. 

“You keep saying that. Something tells me that there’s a reason beyond, ‘I love my girlfriend very much and I wanted her to have a good day’...”

“Well, there’s something I wanted us to try tonight,” Krista started. “If you feel like experimenting, that is.”

“My dear Krista, always with her experiments…” Vespera shook her head, fighting back a smile. “Very well. I’m all ears.”

“It’s simple, really. I want you to…” Krista’s voice trailed off as her hand slowly rose above her shoulder, her fingers trailing across her own skin. Tilting her head to the side, she gently tapped the crook of her neck. 

“Oh…”

If Vespera’s heart still pumped blood, it would have started to beat a little faster. She felt a strange heat rising within her, and with it came a strong sense of apprehension. A growing dread in the pit of her stomach. 

She took a step back from Krista. “I… I’m not sure that I can do that. I’m not–”

“Hm? Why not? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I??” Krista started to panic.

“No– no, of course not! You didn’t do anything wrong, Krista. It’s just… we don’t know what could happen if I do that. I’m afraid of hurting you.”

Krista nodded slowly. “I understand. Trust me, I am very much aware of the risks. I also see the way that you eye me sometimes. Surely you must think about it, don’t you?”

“I do, but–”

“And I just know that Pepsi brand type-O barely even tastes like the real thing,” Krista laughed. “But me? I’m free range. Straight from the tap. When’s the last time you’ve had it fresh?”

Krista’s irreverent attitude towards this whole ordeal struck Vespera as slightly off-putting. Surely she knew not the full gravity of what she was requesting of her. How serious this could be, potentially. They stood before a bottomless pit of possibility, threatening to open a can of flesh-eating leeches that may be impossible to close after the fact. Perhaps more importantly, Krista was right. She had been eyeing her. She sometimes would fantasize about tasting her. The sweet flavor of her life essence on her tongue, crimson nectar running down her chin as she gorged herself. She banished those visions to the deepest recesses of her mind in an effort to maintain her civility. She believed such thoughts to be vile, beastly; confirming all of the worst suspicions held by humanity towards her kind. She had to be better than that.

“I could live another hundred years without it,” Vespera said. “I don’t miss it that much.”

That was a lie, and Krista knew it.

“You don’t have to, though. And besides, I’m not just doing this for you. Sometimes I wonder how it’d feel. Sometimes I crave the feeling of your teeth on my skin,” Krista admitted. “I want to bleed for you, Vespera. You say that you’re afraid to hurt me, but… that’s exactly what I need from you.”

Vespera could hardly believe what she was hearing. She must have been dreaming, no? She should pinch herself to make sure. She prayed that she would wake up so that she wouldn’t have to face this. Anything but this.

“I’m afraid, Krista. I’m afraid of– of hurting you.”

That was a lie, too. 

Krista saw through her. A look of surprise flashed across the human’s face, followed by a knowing smile. She had been right all along. They wanted the same thing.

“No, you’re not,” Krista hummed. “I think you want this just as much as I do, if not more. You’re just afraid of what that says about you.”

Those words were enough to stop Vespera dead in her tracks. The vampire was dumbstruck. 

“Don’t worry. It’s okay, Vespera. It’s really okay. This doesn’t change how I feel about you, and I wouldn’t look at you any differently. If anything– I want you to be true to just how much you want this. I want it just as much.”

“You… you don’t know what you’re saying, Krista…”

“I know exactly what I’m saying. I trust you, Ves. I’d trust you with my life.”

She beckoned Vespera closer. The vampire approached her quietly, closing the distance between them once more. Krista placed two fingers beneath Vespera’s chin and with them, she guided her towards the soft skin of her neck. Her other hand gripped the edge of the kitchen counter in excitement, her body shuddering as she felt her warm breath on her skin. 

“That’s it,” she whispered. “Take me, Ves. I’m all yours.”

Vespera’s mouth hung agape, her canines growing into more defined fangs better equipped for piercing skin. It had been ages since she had to use them like this, she couldn’t remember the last time she hadn’t drank blood from a can or a plastic bottle. She did miss this, and deep down she was so very grateful to Krista for allowing her to do this. Allowing herself to do this was the real battle. Even this close to victory, she could not help but hesitate.

“Go on, love. You’ve got me,” Krista continued to encourage her. Her lips bent into a pout and gave way for the next words that came out as more of a whimper than anything else. 

“I’m not going anywhere… I couldn’t hope to escape or overpower you, Vespera.”

The way she talked messed with her head. She was enjoying how into it she was, but with that sense of enjoyment came the bitter aftertaste of shame. She must have been deeply broken to be enjoying the idea of Krista's suffering this much. Those humans, they certainly must have been right about her. What they were doing was indeed problematic. It was wrong and evil. No place existed in polite society for what they were doing.

…But the sound of Krista’s pulse tugged at her mind and conjured up all manner of sinful feelings within her. The rhythmic pumping of her blood was hypnotizing. Warm, fresh blood. Directly from the source. It was being given willingly.

“I want to bleed for you.”

That was what she had said earlier. Those words echoed in her mind as she leaned forward, her teeth finally making contact with Krista’s skin. A soft moan escaped the human, her body shaking ever so slightly as her survival instincts kicked in. Vespera could smell her fear in the air, the scent was intoxicating. With it she could no longer keep herself at bay, and her fangs sunk into the flesh of her willing victim.

Krista let out a soft whimper as her body quivered in Vespera’s grasp. Her primal instinct was telling her that she was in danger, and she started to fight against Vespera’s advances to no avail. Her strength was unmatched, keeping her steady and trapped as she drank from her. Taking what was hers. 

“Ves– Ves, let me go–”

Her voice was enough to snap Vespera out of it. She pulled away quickly, her eyes wide with horror. “Oh, god– Krista, I’m so sorry–”

Krista’s voice had been but a shrill, pleading noise. She had never heard anything quite like it. It horrified her that her first impulse was to disregard her cries for mercy. Revel in them, even.

…But Krista’s whining seemed to indicate something different. She looked at Vespera with a bewildered and slightly betrayed expression, somewhat resembling a puppy that had been shooed off by its owner. “Why’d you stop? I didn’t mean it, Ves…”

A wave of relief washed over Vespera as she breathed a long sigh. 

“Now, unless I start tapping, I don’t want you to stop. Is that clear?” Krista suddenly sounded rather assertive. It grabbed Vespera’s attention immediately.

“Right. Of– of course…”

“Really, Ves. There’s nothing wrong with you if you’re enjoying this. And if there is, then who cares?”

“I care,” Vespera protested.

“Well maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe you’re messed up, maybe I’m messed up, and maybe none of it matters as long as we’re happy together. You ever think about that?”

Vespera wanted to engage in this moral debate with her girlfriend, she really did, but she could not take her mind off of the sound of Krista’s pulse. It called out to her, beckoning her forward.

“And maybe, just maybe, as long as we don’t let what others think get between us and what we want for ourselves, we can– ah!”

Krista didn’t get to finish her thought, not that it mattered. It seemed she had done a great job convincing her. She threw her head back and exhaled sharply as the vampire’s fangs plunged into her tender flesh once more, blood trickling down the side of her neck. Her hand gripped tighter around the edge of the counter, while her other hand dug its nails into Vespera’s back. 

“Ves– Ves, please…”

This time she ignored Krista’s pleading. She allowed the taste of Krista’s essence on her tongue to override her protective urges, letting her bloodlust take the wheel. She would give Krista what she wanted– she would drain her until she could take no more. After all, deep down, it was what she wanted as well. What she craved. Her teeth sunk deeper, blood gushing from the wounds, as she threatened to strike bone. 

A high-pitched cry rang through the apartment as Krista’s body twitched in her grasp. The poor girl shuddered, her voice melting into a pained, brittle squeak. 

“Ves, you’re hurting me…”

But she wasn’t tapping. Vespera could hardly believe it– Krista wanted her to keep going. Despite her begging, despite her twitches and cries, she didn’t want it to end. Perhaps they were truly made for eachother. 

Vespera retracted her fangs and hissed in Krista’s ear. “Be quiet, will you? You asked for this, now shut up and take it.”

Krista shook like a leaf in the vampire’s tight hold. She nodded quickly and without a sound, tears streaming down her cheeks and hitting the floor beneath her. A deep red blush betrayed her true feelings, and the girl tried her darndest to fight back a smile. 

Vespera saw it but pretended not to. She continued on, finding another spot on Krista’s neck and diving into her flesh. Krista held back another pained squeak, her breath hitching and her body convulsing. She suffered in silence.

“Good girl,” Vespera ran her hand through Krista’s hair as she continued to feed from her. 

Those two words alone made Krista’s body fall limp in Vespera’s arms. She was unsure if it was how viscerally horny she was or if it was the blood loss settling in, but she found it hard to sit upright. She gave up on it entirely. Her vision was spinning. Perhaps now was a good time to make her stop, she thought. She didn’t want to, though. She decided to wait a bit longer.

Vespera was lost in Krista’s crimson ocean. The warm, crisp taste of freshly pumped blood was utterly enthralling. All she had to do was lose herself in it. Krista had given her permission, so why should she deny herself? This was her nature, after all. She had been taught to hate herself for it, but here was a human willing to be her prey. Perhaps even a plaything. Krista’s subtle ticks and soft breaths lit Vespera’s desire ablaze, and her tears fanned the flames. She would steal every second she was offered and revel in Krista’s suffering until the girl finally relented. 

Then it came. The tap. Krista was halfway between consciousness and a blood loss induced coma, dark circles dancing across her vision as she stared up at Vespera with a loopy smile. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, her smile never fading.

“Should I call an ambulance?” Vespera asked, her words laced with genuine concern.

“No, no– I’ll be fine. I’ll be upright in a few seconds, I think,” Krista shook her head. “I just need a minute… then we can take this to the bedroom.”

“I don’t think it’d be wise for me to feed again so soon,” Vespera warned.

“That’s not what I’m asking you to do, anyway. Look at my eyes,” Krista practically ordered. Vespera wondered how even on the brink of passing out she still managed to be so demanding. 

Still, she did as she was told.

“Good. Now give me a suggestion.”

“You’re asking me to use my charm on you?”

“What does it sound like I’m doing?”

“But Krista, that’s–”

“I know, Ves. I know. I want you to make me black out. Tomorrow morning, I shouldn’t have any recollection of whatever is about to happen tonight,” Krista purred. “I’ll need you to remind me what you did to me. Could you do that for me, love?”

“Krista…”

Krista stared up at her with the first genuine pleading gaze of the whole night. “Please, Ves. I need this. I need it bad. I need you to bend my mind to your will…”

How could she ever say no to that pouting face? She sighed, her eyes taking on an unnatural glow as she met Krista’s gaze. Within seconds the girl’s eyes glazed over and her expression lost all emotion.

“Krista, can you still hear me?” She asked.

“Yes, mistress,” she answered in a flat tone. 

Hearing Krista completely enthralled roused a certain perverse excitement within her. She was effectively at her mercy, unable to resist any command she gave her at this moment. She knew that was the point. Krista wanted her to have her way with her, she had been pretty clear about that. Vespera thought that she should’ve felt guilty despite Krista’s orders, but she could not find an ounce of remorse. She was going to enjoy this just as much as Krista was going to– or would have, if she was still aware of what was happening.

In the morning, Krista was going to wake up with the brightest sense of fulfillment knowing that she had been brainwashed and defiled by her vampire mistress, and Vespera would have to jog her memory of the night they had. Every single excruciating detail. 

She took Krista’s hand, helping her off the counter and guiding her to her feet. “Come, now. The night is still young,” Vespera hummed. “We’re going to make the most of it, you and I.”

“Yes, mistress...”

“And you want to give me what I want, don’t you?”

“Yes, mistress.”

“Such a good girl. You learn so fast.”

Krista stared off into space, her eyes vacant of any and all life. She wasn’t there, really. Just an empty vessel subject to Vespera’s will until the spell was broken. Vespera was the only one who could set her free. Until then, she would do whatever was asked of her. She hadn’t learned anything, she had merely been broken by simple eye contact with a vampire.

Vespera led her out of the kitchen, through their messy living room and into the bedroom. She pulled Krista to her, planting a deep kiss on her lips before throwing her onto the bed in front of them. Krista fell onto the bed like a stiff, lifeless doll. Vespera climbed on top of her, holding her hands above her head and staring into her dead eyes.

“If only you could know how beautiful you look right now, my dear,” she sighed.

“Thank you, mistress. You are too kind to me. How shall I ever repay you?” 

Krista’s voice devoid of any will kicked her lust into full swing. She was going to thoroughly enjoy this, almost as much as she enjoyed Krista’s begging a moment prior. 

“I think I have just the idea…”

[doiefics]

i'm gonna become a stripper instead

pairing: sunghoon x gn!reader

prologue: detentions are monotonous, but not when you have sunghoon with you. things almost got spiced up.

genre: fluff + crack + highschool!au

wordcount: 964

warnings: none

An afternoon that could have been spent lying recklessly on the couch, tossing away your backpack, scrolling through your Instagram feed and catching up on some cliche stuff on Netflix was being wasted right at the moment.

Wasted in detention. 

"I just got detention because of you." You tuned back to face Sunghoon, who seemed to be lost, staring into space, resting his interlocked hands on his desk.

He was probably contemplating this morning. 

It would have been better if he hadn't become wholly consumed by the anguish of getting a D on his math test, closing his senses to everything around him and ultimately tossing a pen, which caused it to smash through the glass. Oh what a dumb way to get detention!

At times like these, you found yourself always present in his radius. Call it fate or whatever, you were stuck with him.

Back to the present, Sunghoon was still positioned like some statue, not even blinking his eyes.

You sighed in an attempt to get his attention, but it was unsuccessful. You switched to your laptop with some hope, thinking that finishing your assignment was a better option.

"I've only been getting five hours of sleep for the past three weeks!" With these words, your smashed your head onto your books and you were sure the bang was loud enough to wake someone out of a trance. 

You turned around once more, your eyebrows furrowed as you cast a doubtful glance at the boy.

He continued to stare into nothing, not even blinking.

"Did you know aliens can hear your every thought?" You joked out of the blue, poking fun at him, but no.

"Yo! Sunghoon Park!" In an instant, you sprang up and snapped your fingers in front of his huge, dark eyes.

The attempt almost seemed successful, he looked at you finally, after a good hour or so, only for his gaze to lower itself in a blink of a second.

Sunghoon opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head as if he yanked the thought away.

"Spit it out!" You growled at him.

"This is pointless." He took a long breath.

"Education is pointless. I'm gonna become a stripper instead." He expressed tiredly, full of the rebel teen emotion. 

Silence persisted for a minute or so until you decided to break it. Tracing your finger up his arms, shoulders, and then his jawline, lifting his face.

"I bet you have high scopes in that area. I mean, look at you!" You teased and earned a vexed face from him.

"We can practice, I'll help you." You stated, seating yourself. 

"What on earth-" He sighed, but you cut him off.

"We've got Anatomy tomorrow, and I need to study." You said as you flipped over the pages of your textbook.

"And I don't mind giving you a little help in the middle, do away with one piece for one wrong answer." You blurted out your idea.

"Just because I'm bored and there's nothing else I'd rather do." He nodded in agreement.

The two of you were good to go.

"Do without further ado, what do you call the opening of the stomach into the small intestine?" The question was accompanied by a smirk.

"That's the worst possible way to start." Sunghoon whined. 

"Terrible, okay, what's the longest bone in the body?" You tossed another question.

"Femur." He was so proud of his answer.

"Now answer the first one."  

The angles of his face changed, and his fingers swayed rapidly. He ended up removing his necktie. Another question and his blazer was gone, followed by his knit vest.

Sunghoon was horrible at this game, or anatomy.

And he got another one wrong. You jolted out of your seat quickly to the windows, just to ensure that there was no person in sight, after all this could not be seen, his shirt was the next item.

"This is getting real!" You calmed your nerves down as you impatiently waited for the moment.

"Sung-sunghoon." Your jaw dropped, your eyes were wide open, and you were staring at him unsure of how to respond.

"What?" He defended himself, one sock in his hand, placed next to the stripped articles.

His shirt was still buttoned up and he had no intention of getting rid of it.

"Doesn't this count?" His face was innocent, the same that the five years old made when their mothers found them sneaking into the kitchen at midnight. 

"Forget it!" You slammed down the book, just like your hopes, onto the desk.

"Why am I even friends with you?!" You cupped his face, the two of you were staring into each other's souls. 

"I'm not your friend." He said.

"I'm your boyfriend. Get it right!" He smiled.

The little pout on his face was enhanced even more by the cupping of your hands. You admired the moles on his face, then his eyes, then his lips.

You bet your face was the shade of a tomato, just like Sunghoon's was.

"Go away!" You mockingly yelled. You were shy, even after having kissed your boyfriend a fair number of times in the past.

"You're literally holding me!" Sunghoon beamed, throwing his head back and clapping his hands in the laughter.

Moments like these made you want to punch him right in the face.

"You little piece of!" Less than a second later, you pulled him by the collar, lips centimetres apart, eyes closed, and you could feel his breath on your cheek. 

There went the bell.

Although the detention was over, you still had some unfinished business.

The worst that could happen was getting caught, but you did not care. If you had anything to focus on other than your due anatomy quiz, it was Sunghoon's lips.

masterlist please refrain from plagiarising, translating or posting outside of this platform

have a request? prompt fic game is OPEN!

[thefirstknife]

Ok so i have to ask, i wasnt around for a lot of Arrivals, what was the Witness and the Black Fleet doing? Why did they come to the Sol system if to not conquer it? Very confuzzled

It's somewhat unknown to us as well, and was a major confusing point in-universe for characters. In Arrivals, the Black Fleet showed up and just kinda... stood there. They occupied several of our planets/moons and hovered ominously. The Witness was also unknown to us at the time.

Their major interest was the Tree of Silver Wings on Io. We are still unsure what the Tree is and what it means, but we do know a few things:

The Tree was planted by Osiris using the Seed of Silver Wings, in the Cradle on Io. He was told to plant it by Mara via Vance.

Osiris retreived the Seed from an unknown place at the edge of the solar system prior to the Fleet's arrival. He was directed by Rasputin to go to those coordinates because Rasputin detected the Fleet there. Osiris had a superbly wild experience in some strange dimension from which he retrieved the Seed. It's very unlikely he simply entered a Pyramid ship, and is far more likely that he was... in another dimension. Realm? Plane? Somewhere non-physical. It also appears that no time passed while he was in there, due to Sagira's comments. This is possibly relevant with the new hints from the devs about the Witness that I mentioned here (possible spoilers for Lightfall from a recent trailer, letting you know if you want to go in fully blind).

The Tree started as purely white, but got gradually converted into a more pyramidal hue and orange resonance effects due to the Pyramid ship beaming it from above. A Pyramid ship settled directly above the Tree.

The Tree was studied by Eris who received direct messages from the Fleet and interpreted those messages for us.

The Tree also shaped a special branch and gave us a gift in a form of a weapon: Ruinous Effigy.

Savathun used the help of her nephew, Nokris, to try and interfere with those messages and stop us from communing with the Black Fleet. This made Savathun even more of an enemy to the Black Fleet, but it was also not helpful to us because it was preventing us from understanding what the Black Fleet wants and why they are here. We had to fight her interferences every week.

At the end, the Tree was entirely consumed by the Darkness energy of the Pyramid and Io was taken away from our solar system.

The details about the relevance of the Tree, the Seed, the place Osiris took the Seed from and the full scope of what they wanted our planets for is still largely unknown. It's possible that we might get more about this stuff soon, given it's relation to the Witness and the way our planets were stolen, Witness' powers and reasons for stealing them and so on. I am also thinking that there's a possibility we will gradually get some of the planets back in a similar way to getting Mars back. Or perhaps even more expanded!

Getting Io back would be really interesting, as that would probably be a good opportunity to tell us more about what the Black Fleet and the Witness wanted with Io and with the Tree. The Tree of Silver Wings has a lot of strange connections and a lot of unexplained lore that we genuinely know nothing about. I hope we might learn more during the Lightfall year.

The Black Fleet essentially occupied the solar system in Arrivals, but it also seems like that wasn't the full bulk of the Fleet. It was a preparation, clearly aiming to take our planets away for the Witness' research on how it can come to the system as well. It feels like perhaps the Witness wasn't yet able to get here with the rest of the Fleet and the ones sent to us in Arrivals were the initial recon force meant to do something with the Tree and snatch our planets away. Savathun's interferences were most likely about Savathun doing her best to prevent us from acquiring Darkness powers or possibly even siding with the Darkness, as at this point, she was already a defector from the Witness and was actively defying them and the Hive. Merely weeks after this, Savathun snatched Osiris and infiltrated the City in disguise.

Arrivals also ended with the Traveler fully reforming itself, very likely in preparation for everything that was yet to come.

Highly recommending checking out Destiny Lore Vault's playlist with all story quests from Arrivals! Also this playlist features just the messages interpreted by Eris, Nokris' dialogues during Interference and the final quest bit where we get transported into the Pyramid. This playlist has dialogues from the seasonal activity, Contact.

[evidence-based-activism]

Y’all are so weird. I meant videos of news stories on women who committed bestiality

This is in reference to this post.

I suspect you are also the one who sent the following ask:

the 2% was in reference to the 14/16% rate in female/ male, you’re wrong, I do not watch it but a majority of it is filmed in other countries where it is not illegal, the only thing that is illegal to posses in the US is cp

---

You: Oh I meant news stories. And I totally don't watch it. But also it's not even illegal if I did watch it.

This is about as convincing as "uhh ... my friend wants to know [embarrassing question]" actually being about a friend.

---

As I said in the original post "we don't have a good representative study that will allow for the determination of a prevalence." I have no ideas how you came up with a 14/16% rate (these are substantially higher than the the highest suggested rate). Either way, it is not accurate or reliable.

---

"you’re wrong" -> you appear to fallen into the "invincible ignorance fallacy", otherwise known as sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting "Nuh-Uh!" when proven wrong.

---

Sexual abuse of animals is illegal per federal and almost every state law. Therefore, the production and distribution of sexually abusive content about animals is also illegal. Solely watching this content is more of a gray area (i.e., there are explicit laws about it in most places), but people can be charged with "possessing or sharing" content that depicts illegal acts. Whether or not anyone is ever actually charged is a different question, since the legal system was really not designed to deal with the issues presented by the internet.

---

And, as a final note, @drbased made an excellent comment on the original post, pointing out that videos depicting women sexually abusing animals are generally made for the porn industry. I have discussed the exploitive and abusive nature of the sex industry many times on this blog (see the tag #sex industry).

So, to reiterate her point: Why would assume the women in these videos are consenting? Given the significant connections between animal abuse and violence against women [1] how do you know these women aren't being forced or trafficked? What does it say about men (that the pornographic content is being made by and for) that these videos are being produced and consumed?

---

References below the cut:

Diemer, K., Gallant, D., Mosso Tupper, N., Hammond, K., Ramamurthy, A., & Humphreys, C. (2024). Exploring the Linkages between Animal Abuse, Domestic Abuse, and Sexual Offending: A Scoping Review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 2024(1), 1170505.

[ducktracy]

hi, i really love your art :) i was just wondering if you have any tips on how i could try and improve with drawing characters too? that and, well, spongebob-style backgrounds. because u do those really well :)

one of my biggest pieces of advice for getting a character down is probably the piece of advice nobody wants to hear. myself included! but, it is just a fact that the more you draw said character, the more you’ll get accustomed to that! repetition is key! that might even mean drawing them when you don’t feel like it. but you do begin to develop a feel for the character the more you get acquainted with them, and your muscle memory begins to kick in

definitely speaking a bit from experience here with the SpongeBob characters HAHA. there was a period starting out where i really felt hopeless and did not think i’d ever adopt to the SpongeBob House Style; my own style kept sneaking in through ways i never noticed and it caused me a lot of personal heartache and frustration. but, heartaches or no heartaches, i still had a deadline to meet! and that’s really helped me a lot. 3 years of drawing these guys 40 hours a week has allowed me to improve in ways i never thought i would. it does become muscle memory, you do get more used to the quirks of the characters, you do get more accustomed to their needs, but that does cone from putting in the work to do it. and that work is largely repetition based.

BUT! for some more actively productive advice—doing studies of characters has helped me IMMENSELY! this is something i’ve done for both my personal and professional art. if you’re drawing fanart of a character, maybe take some time to scope out some screenshots and drawings of the character that speak to you the most. how do you want the character to look? do you want to do a 1-to-1 homage? pull different aspects of their designs into your own personal amalgamation?

i really can’t stress how helpful studies are, but you do have to be a bit diligent about them! your goal is to transcribe the drawing/screenshot as you see it exactly. not what you think it looks like or how you would draw it—the objective is to essentially copy it as accurately as you can. then, when you’re done, it helps to do a comparison of your drawing overtop the source! see what you got right and what could maybe use tweaking. it’s likewise important to take your TIME with this. really absorb what you’re drawing. think about the construction, what shapes the character is made up, how their features interact with one another. the absorption is the most important part—otherwise, you’ll just become really good at copying.

on SpongeBob, we’d take these studies one step further—you do your initial study, take notes on what needs to be tweaked, then do that study again. THEN, after that, hide the layers with the source material/previous study so you’re purely drawing it from memory. you’ll have 3 studies that way. it can be a pain and sometimes even a heartbreaker (i remember wincing many times when comparing my 3rd study to the screenshot HAHA), but you DO get better. it really does help, and the addition of the repetition likewise clinches this

another thing that really is invaluable to me is GET TO KNOW THE CHARACTER! know who you’re drawing! study up on their mannerisms and personality, how they conduct themselves or bounce off of other people. maintaining the integrity and BELIEVABILITY of the character is always one of my utmost priorities in any of my art. really get acquainted with who you’re drawing. do they have a bombastic personality? a reserved one? how would they act in this situation? should their gestures and body language be big, all consuming? matching their equally big demeanor? are their poses a bit more closed off to match their reservations? really think about the motivation of the character.

AS FOR SB STYLE BACKGROUNDS… it’s sort of hard to formally express just in text, unfortunately i don’t have the availability to sketch something out right now :’) BUT! one of my favorite pieces of advice i’ve gotten working on the show is “there are no rulers in Bikini Bottom”. so, there are no perfectly parallel, 90° lines! lots of line weight and curves and waves, if only subtly!

like my advice above, i would maybe just recommend studying any backgrounds you see that look interesting! but i will say, as someone who ends up drawing Bikini Bottom houses more than i usually think i do (which, fun fact if you didn’t know this, are engine mufflers!), i usually think of those as soda cups with scoliosis HAHA. i think of the topmost chimneys like a straw, you have the little ridge that goes around the top, which is the lid… and then the body! likewise, no two houses are exactly the same. there are variations to the ways the chimneys or houses may curve or jut out.. so have fun and experiment!

I’M SORRY I DON’T HAVE MORE TO OFFER WITH THAT CURRENTLY, if possible i’ll try to follow up later on! but a lot of it is indeed down to studying. same with drawing characters!! i’m very flattered you would reach out to me and ask this—thank you for reading!!

[simp4konig]

ONTO THAT KÖNIG POST YOU NADE YOU'RE SO RIGHT

he wouldn't do that because he gets a little impatient

While yes, he wanted to be a sniper which takes a lot of patience, that's him WAITING on his victim to arrive, they die eventually

when it comes to hand and hand he doesn't want to leave any alive

In the beginning, König wanted to be a sniper. And at first, was utterly enraged by his being denied his position.

Something about seeing his future victim, so unassuming, not at all realising that they are under his scope and unexpecting a bullet to pierce through their head, fuelled the darkness that consumed him from the inside, dictated his existence. Ruled him.

Memorising their movements, observing them from afar, amused by their ignorance; really, humans did amuse him, and he studied their psychology from the distance. All of their absentminded behaviours and their complete lack of regard for their surroundings, his intense, unblinking eyes watching their every move.

Like a cat and mouse chase of sorts, it excited him, excited the superiority complex knowing full well he had full control, that they'd be powerless as he murdered them, murdered their kind.

However, being turned down for this role, he had to adapt.

Adapt he did effortlessly, for when he took it into consideration, playing with his food was no fun at all. Why prolong the inevitable? It seemed so completely pointless to him, so unnecessary. No one could fight back, defend themselves against this omnipotent force. Although lulling the entire population into a false sense of security was perfectly delicious, the collective horror as their doom dawned upon them in their final moments, there really was no need. People would come to this conclusion on their own when they saw how brutal he was.

König's brutality on the battlefield was exceptional, praised by his stupid "superiors" — the term made him laugh, as all of these pitiful, brainless beings were far more than just inferior than him, were a disgrace, all walking like sheep to their inevitable slaughter — all blissfully ignorant of the fact that through this way, with every body thudding lifelessly on the ground, landing in unnatural positions, he was getting closer to world domination. Getting closer to demolishing all human creations.

Constant ruin, forever corrupted, all humans exterminated like pests as alternates dominated the earth, their permanent domain, their unholy kingdom. Destructing everything sacred, pure, erasing all morals in exchange for all depraved.

No, König preferred to get his hands dirty.

To feel the life fading from his victim's eyes, body crumpling into the floor like human origami, breaking bones and tearing through tissue with his bare hands, his appearance disguising the true monster beneath it all.

It was far more exciting, and he felt more involved than he ever could have been had he served as a simple sniper.

🤭✨

edit: shit man sorry for so many typos i got reallt carried away with this ☠️

[the-meta-terran]

I never wanted to be an astronaut.

It’s unusual, I know, for a child who admires the stars not to aspire to join them. It did not appeal to me even in my most ambitious and least realistic years. To me you are no more among the stars in a ship than a figure confined to a snow globe is among us. How would it be any more real through the window of a ship than the window of my car? I can promise the relative difference in distance is negligible. Besides, everything on Earth made me motion sick. Not a great attribute for the child of two truck drivers with one car and no babysitter. I was content to admire the stars from the ground, and I had a lot of opportunities to do so.

On one of many late-night journeys, either to or from the truck yard, I admired the busy sky. On night trips like this, regardless of season, I would crank the back window down as far as it would go and, leaning my face away from the scent of mildew and decay, search the sky. I was too carsick to sleep, and already a budding insomniac. It seemed rude anyway, encounters with Orion are precious at northern latitudes with cloudy winter skies. I tried to count the stars, wondering how far they went in scale and scope of my vision — how far could I look and still see stars and not… whatever else I see. It was so crowded that night the stars went so far that they blended into my vision.

But our trip was long, and the stars soon clouded over, and with the clouds came the usual “Meta Terran, roll up the window!” before we drove into the rain I could not see. I wondered how astronauts tolerated being confined with no fresh air. I would definitely go mad up there, I thought, as the stars disappeared behind the clouds.

A little-known barrier to interplanetary travel — astronauts have long been plagued with insomnia. Even less known is that it’s not just a circadian rhythm issue — but being outside of Earth’s magnetospheric protection. Apparently, the sunrise is not the only aurora we need to sleep.

“In space I see things that are not there. Flashes in my eye, like luminous dancing fairies, give a subtle display of light that is easy to overlook when I’m consumed by normal tasks. But in the dark confines of my sleep station, with the droopy eyelids of pending sleep, I see flashing fairies. As I drift off I wonder how many can dance on the head of an orbital pin.” — Pettit

Astronauts that leave the protection of Earth are often inundated with visual disturbances. Many didn't notice until it was pointed out, and the form of the disturbances varies. Most descriptions I’ve come across match Pettit’s. As hazy and unclear as the collective picture of these shared varied visions, one thing does remain clear — these are not hallucinations. The culprit, or among the culprits, are cosmic rays that make the optic nerve say “I have no idea what this is and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it. Here, have some light.” Lights you can’t close your eyes to do not make for good sleep. This particular drawback wouldn’t have swayed me either way, for a number of reasons. I was a nocturnal child of truckers, who spent many sleepless nights similar to the one I describe.

After the windows were closed for a while I began to get carsick — sick from and sick of the car. My eyes wandered, looking for something to divert my attention away from the motion. I became fixated on the leather armrest of the door and studied the mottled leather and the dust so settled into the crevices that it had become part of it. I traced along the rest and wondered why the dust was so fused it did not come off with my touch. Why I couldn’t feel the dust or make out the individual grains like you can with the newer dust that’s whisked into the air when disturbed? And I wondered when the dust ended and the stars began.

What even are the stars? I thought. What are they called?

“Mom," I called from the backseat. "What are the stars called? The ones that are everywhere?”

“What?” She ever so slightly turned her head towards me, keeping one eye on the road.

“You know, the dots that are everywhere. Like TV static but smaller. What’s it called?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She said for probably the third time that week. “The static. You know, the tiny lights everywhere.” Duh.

“Oh, you mean floaters. It happens if you stare at lights. Stop staring at lights. They’ll go away.” She turned her attention back to the dark road and her country music. I looked around, the car was dark. Had I been staring at a light? Am I just always staring at lights? I wondered. I let it go and tried to sleep. I just wish they’d go away when I close my eyes. It’s so annoying when you’re trying to sleep and the lights won’t shut up.

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned what I was seeing, what I see, are not floaters. I wish I would say it all the pieces came together in an explosive revelation. But the truth is, it was a creeping realization that started when I was sitting around bored during lockdown, looking at my last remaining blank wall and deciding to start another mural to mask the annoying static that always shows itself more on blank surfaces. Walls, paper, and the sleep side of eyelids.

I had a vague memory of reading about cosmic rays and astronauts years before and another more recent of a solar storm on the MIR station. The phenomenon became so intense to one astronaut that he went as far as to hide behind lead batteries in hopes of respite from the lights, so unable to sleep. It was insufficient. The rays penetrate the hull, the batteries, and the eyelids. But it’s not only the human eye subject to what it can’t understand. Computers and cameras see them too. Over time the pixels become distorted to reflect the chaos of the incursions. The computers can be fixed, but the camera’s vision is forever altered.

“After about a year, the images they produce look like they are covered with electronic snow.” — Pettit

Wait a second, I thought with growing suspicion. Something weird is going on here again. I must investigate.

“What’s the difference between the static we see on earth and the one astronauts see?” I asked Google.

“That is a nonsense boomer search, Meta Terran. Simplify your question, I expect better from you,” said Google in Google language.

“Okay then what is the static we see?”

“Visual snow, also known as visual static, is an uncommon neurological condition in which the affected individuals see white, black, transparent, or coloured dots across the whole visual fields. The condition is typically always present and has no known cure” said Google parroting Wikipedia.

“The fuck?!” I decided to move from questioning to interrogation. “Okay Google, tell me the difference between what you’re supposed to see and what this visual snow is.”

The following is a translation of Google’s response: “Well Meta Terran, it’s normal for many people to see some visual noise when it’s really dark, but you probably shouldn’t be seeing so much static all the time that you paint complex images on your walls to drown it out, can’t tell if it’s raining, and failed a class because the walls were too white and another because the textbook was too glossy. Probably should have been a giveaway, dummy.”

“I take the highest offence at this cosmic… injustice. So what is it though?”

“An uncommon neurological con—”

“No Google, what is it, what I see. Like, when I was a kid before I was told they were floaters, part of me just assumed it was human eyes failing to see atoms or something, like our eyes, are trying to focus but our image quality isn’t good enough, and that’s how we knew about atoms.”

Wait, then how did we know about atoms?

Nevermind.

“The science is inconclusive, but the current consensus is that it’s not a hallucination, but the retina or possibly the optical nerve directly being triggered by… something.”

“Wow, so helpful. Okay, but here’s the thing. How did people know about atoms before we could detect them if not the static? Why was it a given in so many cultures that the universe was built out of imperceivably smaller pieces, if not for the constant visual reminder that forces beyond our perception? I can’t help but wonder what else casts the shadows that lurk in the periphery of our dull human senses.”

“Plato—”

“Google, I swear if you bring up that damn pretentious, first-year philosophy-bro cave metaphor I will switch to DuckDuckGo right now. I will not abide this repetitive, western-centric take on the noumena v phenomena discourse.” As I predicted. Google had no reply. I still later switched to DuckDuckGo.

I brought the question up again when I met a friend for an afternoon walk around a park. “Hey, you know that static you see all the time, everywhere that’s really annoying?” I asked like I was confident she saw it too.

She narrowed her eyes. “...umm… sure…”

“You know, the dots that are everywhere when you focus.”

“I… I guess?” I could see her questioning herself, and I realized this might not be the thing to pull on someone who needs glasses just to find her keys.

I dropped the bit. “Turns out you’re not supposed to see it!”

Her face relaxed for a second in relief for herself before shifting into a concerned look I did not appreciate, but she redeemed herself later in the conversation.

“The thing that bothers me,” I repeated to a human this time, “is how did we decide atoms existed then?”

She considered for a moment. “It was probably other people with visual snow. They were like — yep, tiny things everywhere, beyond our senses. Really confidently. And people were like, well if they can see it, I guess.” I realized I totally could have convinced her she was supposed to see static if I were meaner. Or convinced my version of the world is the only version.

“Oh. That makes sense.”

— The Meta Terran

Sources:

Pettit, Don. Flashes of Reality. 19 April 2012. 1 November 2022.

Wikipedia. Visual Snow Syndrome via "What is the static we see". n.d. 01 November 2022.

[whencyclopedia]

Capital of Mind: The Idea of a Modern American University

Adam R. Nelson’s "Capital of Mind" traces the beginnings of the first universities emerging in the 19th-century United States. While providing a history of American education and how it grew from a few scattered colleges, "Capital of Mind" is an intellectual history of how Americans thought about higher education, its role, and how it should be funded in the industrializing society.

Nelson, the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Educational Policy Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, takes the title of his work from a quote by German economist Friedrich List.

List, an advocate of German tariff reform before fleeing to France in 1822, advocated for fewer trade restrictions between German states and more unity in supporting a single policy to restrict the flow of British goods to those states. While in Paris, List turned his attention towards the United States before docking in New York on June 10, 1825. Nelson quotes List saying, “The greater part of productive power consists in the intellectual and social condition of the individual, which I call Capital of Mind.” List found himself in a stirring debate between liberal economic policies - or free trade without restrictions - and protectionism. For List, a country’s productive power was tied to its intellectual power. Manufacturers at home needed protection from outside producers like Great Britain via tariffs. Education needed an answer inside the United States to foreign universities which Americans may be enticed to study at if their state lacked one.

Debates over free trade and protectionism raged in the early 19th century due largely to the Scottish economist Adam Smith’s popularization of the former but also due to the United States seeing a series of tariffs passed in 1816, 1824, and 1828 against imports largely targeting British manufactures.

Nelson notes in his Introduction that a modern university was an idea in its infancy in the 19th century. Some said it was several undergraduate colleges under one name, like Oxford or Cambridge; others said the learning should be practical and technical rather than classical. While Nelson says there was not a widely accepted definition, “its courses were to be not only classical but also practical. Its students were to be not only local but also national, even international. Its standards were to be meritocratic, but also, somehow, democratic. In the end, they agreed, a university should be more open, more liberal, and its very liberalism would make it modern."

Nelson makes the creation of the University of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson and the expansion of Harvard beyond a small college central to the development of this definition. Debates over Jefferson’s plan raged as he struggled to find a means for funding and stirred controversy when his first faculty were European professors. Harvard’s push for change came from one of its professors, George Ticknor. Before joining Harvard, Ticknor had traveled to Europe where he observed notably German universities which behaved like an economy where students had significant power as consumers. While not looking to replicate the German example entirely, Ticknor and Jefferson both inspired to see a more liberal institution arise as something grander and more open to students’ choices in their studies.

Capital of Mind, while focusing on the early 19th century, feels broad in scope. Nelson focuses greatly on Jefferson’s plan for a university and Harvard’s expansion but also devotes a significant portion of his work to names like Daniel Raymond, credited for bringing the study of political economy to intellectual circles in the U.S.

Scholars and students of intellectual history, history of education, or debates over government’s role in economics and education will find Capital of Mind a satisfactory addition to their studies. Aside from endnotes, Nelson includes a bibliographic essay where he directs further study for readers on several topics the book covers. Primary sources employed in the book include correspondence between Jefferson, Ticknor, and other figures like Edward Everett. Chapters dedicated to names like List and Raymond analyze works such as Fredrich Engels's "Outlines of a Critique of Political Economy" (1843).

The book is Nelson's second volume in an economic history of higher education. Volume 1, Exchange of Ideas: The Economy of Higher Education in Early America was released in 2023.

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