#and I just kept thinking you know. the social contract that allows humanity to exist

[milfbro]

hey guess what time it is? that's right! I'm crying over Gaza AGAIN

[fannish-karmiya]

Is Wei Wuxian's Cultivation Actually Harmful to Him?

Throughout Wei Wuxian’s first life, he frequently argues with Lan Wangji over his cultivation. Lan Wangji believes that his cultivation will harm him and eventually destroy him, while Wei Wuxian insists that he has everything under control. Many readers take Lan Wangji’s warnings at face value, leading to the common fandom perception that demonic cultivation (more accurately, the ghost path) is inherently harmful to Wei Wuxian and that he should indeed give it up.

But does the text actually back that up, when we examine Wei Wuxian’s use of his cultivation? While Wei Wuxian does experience a few losses of control, I would argue that they are far more due to circumstances than anything else, and not a sign that the cultivating with resentful energy is inherently harmful to a cultivator’s body or that loss of control is an inevitable conclusion.

Preconceptions

Lan Wangji is the character who most often tries to tell Wei Wuxian that his cultivation is harmful. Immediately when Wei Wuxian returns from the Burial Mounds and meets Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji again while torturing Wen Chao, Lan Wangji expresses concern:

One against two, Lan WangJi still refused to back off. He gazed at Wei WuXian, “Wei Ying, for cultivating an evil path you would eventually have to pay. Throughout time, there has not been a single exception.”

Wei WuXian, “I can pay.”

Seeing how unconcerned he seemed to be, Lan WangJi lowered his voice, “The path would not only damage your body, but your heart as well.”

(Chapter 62, Exiled Rebels translation)

Now, Wei Wuxian’s path (guidao, the ghost path) is brand new. He invented it, being the first person to ever successfully cultivate using yuanqi, or the resentful energy of dead humans. So why does Lan Wangji speak so assuredly of the harm it can cause?

The term ‘cultivating an evil path’ is telling. Wei Wuxian’s cultivation is a new path, but there are other dark paths of cultivation which exist. The Nie sect’s sabres are an example; they absorb the killing intent and evil energy of the yao and guai they kill, and over time their sabres become more and more powerful but also lead the wielder closer and closer to an inevitable qi deviation.

Of course, Lan Wangji is not aware of the Nie sect’s technique, which is a strictly kept secret, at this point. Nie Mingjue only seems to have told Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao because they were his sworn brothers. But there are surely other paths like this which are publicly known.

We know about other dark rituals which are not part of Wei Wuxian’s ghost path, after all, and ‘backlash’ is a frequent risk, either due to making the user vulnerable or failing to fulfil the contract one agreed to.

The body sacrificing ritual which Mo Xuanyu uses, for example, will cause backlash if you fail to keep up your end of the deal.

It was an ancient, forbidden technique. Compared to an array, it resembled a curse more. The caster of the array injures themselves by creating incisions on their body, and draws the array and writes the incantations using their own blood, finishing by sitting in the center of the array. They can then summon an extremely villainous ghoul and ask for it to complete their wish. The price to pay was to offer their body to the evil spirit, with their own soul returning back to Earth.

This was the forbidden technique opposite to stealing another’s body—offering one’s body.

[...]

The difficult part was that, as soon as the evil spirit has taken over the body of the caster, the contract is sealed by default. The evil spirit must grant their wish, or else the curse will cause a backlash. The spirit in possession of the body will be completely annihilated, never to be born again!

(Chapter 2, Exiled Rebels translation)

Interestingly, the harm here is to the ‘evil spirit’ if they fail to keep up their end of the contract. Well, also the caster who gives up his or her life in exchange. At any rate, this sort of thing seems to be a frequent risk of dark cultivation techniques. The paperman technique is also quite risky:

The good thing was that Wei WuXian had once learnt a certain technique of the dark arts—the paper metamorphosis.

Although it was indeed useful, it had a number of restrictions as well. Not only was the time strictly limited, the paperman must also return as it were, after it had been released. There mustn’t even be a single scratch on it. If, on its way, it was torn apart or broken in any way, the soul would receive the same degree of harm—from a year of unconsciousness to a whole lifetime of lunacy. Thus, one must be extremely careful.

(Chapter 47, Exiled Rebels translation)

This seems to be a frequent concern with any dark technique, which probably is what led Lan Wangji to believe that Wei Wuxian’s new path would be similarly dangerous. It’s also very worth noting that he grew up in Gusu Lan, which is known for being even more judgmental towards dark cultivation than other sects.

He immediately seemed to realize, “Oh. I forgot. Your uncle Lan QiRen hates crooked people like me. You’re his proudest disciple, so of course you’re the same as him, haha. I refuse.”

Jiang Cheng stared at Lan WangJi, cautious, “Second Young Master Lan, all of us understand the Lan Sect’s ways.

[...]

Wei WuXian had been angered as well, “Lan WangJi! Do you really have to make this difficult at such a point in time? You want me to go to the Cloud Recesses for the GusuLan Sect’s confinement punishment? Who do you think you are, what do you think the GusuLan Sect is?! You really think that I won’t resist?!”

(Chapter 62, Exiled Rebels translation)

While many people speak negatively of Wei Wuxian’s cultivation path, Lan Qiren is particularly virulent when Wei Wuxian first proposes the theory as a teen:

Everyone in the room was stunned. Lan QiRen sprang to his feet, “The essence of exorcising demons and annihilating ghosts is to liberate! You do not study the methods of liberation, and even think about increasing their energy of resentment! You reverse the natural order, and ignore ethics and morality!”

[...]

Another book came flying from Lan QiRen. He spoke harshly, “Then, let me ask you again! How do you make sure that the resentful energy only listens to you and does not harm others?”

Wei WuXian ducked while speaking, “I haven’t thought of it yet!”

Lan QiRen raged, “If you thought of it, the cultivation world would not allow your existence! Get out!”

(Chapter 14, Exiled Rebels translation)

Due to their father’s seclusion and their mother’s imprisonment, Lan Wangji and his brother were raised by Lan Qiren. With his uncle having such a black and white view of such matters, it’s understandable that Lan Wangji would absorb that and struggle to reconcile the Wei Wuxian he knows and loves with the man who is cultivating an ‘evil’ path.

With his own sect and family so negatively inclined towards Wei Wuxian’s cultivation, I think Lan Wangji was primed to see every behaviour of Wei Wuxian’s through this lens. Similarly, the audience hears the younger Lan Wangji repeat these warnings so many times that I think many readers wind up believing him, too.

Confirmation Bias

However, I think much of this is actually a case of confirmation bias. Lan Wangji is predisposed to see Wei Wuxian’s cultivation as harmful, and is actively looking for signs that it is; he winds up correlating all sorts of things to Wei Wuxian’s cultivation as a result.

He does so when he visits Wei Wuxian in Yunmeng:

Lan WangJi, “Last time, during the hunt on Phoenix Mountain, have you noticed certain signs?”

Wei WuXian, “What signs?”

Lan WangJi, “The loss of control.”

Wei WuXian, “You mean me almost getting into a fight with Jin ZiXuan? I think you got something wrong. I want to fight with Jin ZiXuan whenever I see him.”

(Chapter 71, Exiled Rebels translation)

Which is true! Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixuan just do not get on at all. And if we go back to Phoenix Mountain, it’s clear that this was a perfectly ordinary fight:

However, Jiang YanLi didn’t turn around. Jin ZiXuan was even more enraged. He caught up to her in just three strides and was about to grab her hand when a shadow suddenly flashed before his eyes. Before he could see who it was, he received a blow on his chest. Jin ZiXuan swung his sword across and backed away.

When he finally could see, he raged, “Wei WuXian, why is it you again?!”

Wei WuXian blocked Jiang YanLi behind him, raging as well, “I haven’t fucking said it yet—why is it you again?!”

Jin ZiXuan, “Attacking because of nothing have you gone mad?!”

Wei WuXian struck with his palm, “That’s exactly what I’m doing! What do you mean because of nothing? What are you doing trying to grab my shijie just because of how ashamed you are?!”

Jin ZiXuan dodged to the side and returned to him a sword attack, “If I don’t grab her should I let her walk randomly around the mountain alone?!”

(Chapter 70, Exiled Rebels translation)

Jin Zixuan is described as being ‘enraged’ and tries to grab Jiang Yanli. He’s clearly being very hotheaded here himself. What brother wouldn’t be enraged after this, especially given Jin Zixuan’s pattern of speaking of Jiang Yanli derisively?

Earlier, Lan Wangji had forcibly kissed Wei Wuxian while he was blindfolded, and yet he didn’t display any loss of control or temper problems then.

(I also think this ties into how people tend to judge Wei Wuxian more harshly due to his lower social class; he’s often no more brash and arrogant than his peers, but because he’s the son of a servant only he is judged for it. Look at Jin Zixuan pulling his sword on a man who no longer carries a sword! He isn’t criticised for that. But I digress.)

Lan Wangji also believes that Wei Wuxian’s cultivation is doing him spiritual harm, using evidence such as Wei Wuxian’s unwillingness to carry his sword or receive spiritual energy to help him heal:

Suddenly, he felt an itch at his throat. Blood began to rise up his chest. Trying to restrain it, Wei WuXian coughed a couple of times. Seeing that Lan WangJi was going to grab his hand again, Wei WuXian dodged, “What are you doing?”

Lan WangJi, “Your injuries.”

Wei WuXian, “No need. Why use spiritual energy for such a small wound? It’ll get better after some sitting around.”

Lan WangJi didn’t waste any words with him, grabbing for his hand again. At this point, two people came from outside of the cave. Wen Qing’s voice sounded, “Get better after some sitting around? Did you think I’m dead?”

(Chapter 75, Exiled Rebels translation)

He observes this back when he visited the Burial Mounds in the day, and many years later tells Wen Ning that this was the conclusion he drew:

Wen Ning turned around. He couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master Lan, you don’t seem too surprised about this. Did you… Did you know about this as well?”

“…” Lan WangJi managed, “I only knew that his spiritual powers were somehow impaired.”

But to think this was the truth.

(Chapter 89, Exiled Rebels translation)

Working with incomplete information (since he doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian has no golden core, he instead assumes that he is being harmed spiritually by his cultivation) and a pre-existing bias against demonic cultivation, Lan Wangji viewed Wei Wuxian as someone who was bound to lose control at some point, and everything became evidence to prove what he already believed.

Loss of Control

However, I think it’s arguable that the instances where Wei Wuxian loses control are not an inevitability of his cultivation path. Instead, they occur in extremely dangerous combat situations where Wei Wuxian has no allies and is being besieged by hundreds or thousands of enemies.

I want to go over three instances where things go sideways for Wei Wuxian with his cultivation in his first life: Wen Ning’s awakening, the ambush at Qiongqi Path, and the battle at Nightless City.

Now, I wouldn’t even describe Wen Ning’s revival as a loss of control. Wei Wuxian had spent months trying to revive Wen Ning, and in the end he wound up waking up while Wei Wuxian was down in Yiling, not at the Burial Mounds to keep the situation under control. It’s like an unwatched pot boiling over.

Wei WuXian, “Didn’t I say not to touch the talismans on him?!”

Wen Qing didn’t even have the spare seconds to be surprised that Lan WangJi was here. She answered, “Nobody touched them! Not a single person went into the Cave! He tore them off on his own when he suddenly went on a rampage. Not only the ones on himself, he destroyed the restriction seals at the blood pool and the Cave as well! All of the fierce corpses in the blood pool got out. Wei WuXian, go save Granny and the others. They won’t be able to hold up much longer!!!”

(Chapter 75, Exiled Rebels translation)

Honestly, it’s hard to know based on this what caused Wen Ning to wake up or to return to consciousness. My suspicion is that Wei Wuxian’s efforts had worked, and he woke up with a lot of excess resentful energy he needed to work off; hence going to beat up all the other fierce corpses in the Blood Pool.

After this, Wei Wuxian takes measures to ensure that Wen Ning doesn’t lose consciousness again. For the next year until the ambush at Qiongqi Path, there are absolutely no incidents, and Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian go on night hunts together frequently.

Things only go wrong during the ambush.

Wei WuXian laughed coldly, “You’re seeking your own death!”

As he finished, Wen Ning raised his hand and tore off the red string that hung a talisman at his neck.

After the string snapped, his body wavered, and the muscles on his face began to twist. Marks that resembled black cracks crawled up his neck to his cheeks. He suddenly lifted his head, letting out a long, inhuman roar!

(Chapter 76, Exiled Rebels translation)

So Wen Ning wears a talisman which presumably suppresses his resentful energy, and which he must remove in order to fight at full strength. After Jin Zixuan shows up and completely fails to de-escalate the situation at all, Wen Ning kills him:

Wei WuXian was suppressing a blazing flame of hatred. His voice was cold, “Jin ZiXuan, move away right now. I won’t touch you, but you’re not going to provoke me either.”

Seeing that he still refused to yield, Jin ZiXuan suddenly lunged forward, as if trying to hold him down, “Why can’t you just back off for once?! A-Li is still…”

Just as he reached toward Wei WuXian, he heard a strange, heavy noise.

The noise was almost a bit too near. Jin ZiXuan paused in surprise. He looked down and finally saw the hand that pierced his chest.

(Chapter 76, Exiled Rebels translation)

It’s pretty clear that Wen Ning saw Jin Zixuan lunging towards Wei Wuxian and interpreted him as a threat. As objective observers, we can see that this is actually quite understandable, if tragic, and realistically could have happened similarly in a mundane setting with no magic. But Wei Wuxian of course would start to feel doubt when something so terrible happens:

He was clearly controlling Wen Ning properly.

Even though he activated Wen Ning’s rampage mode, he should still be able to control him.

He’d clearly always been able to control him perfectly.

He didn’t want to kill Jin ZiXuan at all.

He never had the intention to kill Jin ZiXuan at all! It was just that moment. He didn’t know why, but all of a sudden he wasn’t able to control it… He had suddenly lost control!

(Chapter 76, Exiled Rebels translation)

Wei Wuxian had always been able to control Wen Ning perfectly before. Honestly, it’s not a surprise that his control was looser in a situation like this; he’s in the midst of an ambush where 300 people are trying to kill him! Realistically, Jin Zixuan bears some responsibility in his own death, too. When you’re trying to negotiate a ceasefire, you don’t fail to give the target of the attack any assurance of his safety and then lunge for him threateningly! Of course Wen Ning saw him as a threat and acted to defend Wei Wuxian.

Later, Wei Wuxian observes that during his ‘rampage’ state, Wen Ning draws his guidance from Wei Wuxian’s impressions of people:

Listening to him stutter as he apologized over and over again, all of a sudden, Wei WuXian felt extremely ridiculous.

It wasn’t Wen Ning’s fault at all.

It was his own fault.

When on a rampage, Wen Ning was nothing more than a weapon. The person who created the weapon was him. The things it listens to were his orders as well.

At that time, with all the tension and the killing intent on top of how Wei WuXian had never hesitated to show enmity toward Jin ZiXuan in front of Wen Ning, when he was unconscious, Wen Ning recognized Jin ZiXuan as an ‘enemy’ when he attacked, carrying out the order of ‘exterminate’ without a second thought.

(Chapter 76, Exiled Rebels translation)

I actually think that if Wen Ning had killed, say, Jin Zixun, Wei Wuxian would simply have seen it as a case of self-defence and accepted it as that. It’s the fact that Jin Zixuan is the husband of his foster sister (and the one person there he didn’t actually want dead) which turns this into such a tragedy.

The intensely stressful situation in the aftermath of Jin Zixuan’s death is the only time we ever see Wei Wuxian express doubt in his own abilities or regret choosing the ghost path:

With the child’s cries coming to his ears from afar and the scared siblings who were at a complete loss as to what to do in his eyes, Wei WuXian felt his heart sink lower into darkness. He asked himself, Just why have I been locking myself up on Burial Mound all these years? Why do I have to go through all this? Why did I choose to walk this path in the beginning? Why did I make myself like this? What do others see me as? Just what have I gained? Have I gone mad? Have I gone mad? Have I gone mad?!

If only he didn’t choose this path in the beginning.

(Chapter 76, Exiled Rebels translation)

I think that during this period, Wei Wuxian was under an immense amount of stress. He was the sole protector of 50 people who the world wanted dead, and he had to be strong and confident for them at all times. Only during his initial panic after Jin Zixuan’s death does that confident front break down and show us just how much the stress must have been wearing on him:

As he thought and thought about it, Wei WuXian suddenly broke into tears.

His voice was submerged in a deep helplessness, “… Can someone tell me… what I’m supposed to do now?”

(Chapter 76, Exiled Rebels translation)

I honestly think that if Wei Wuxian had had someone to lean on and share responsibility with during this time, it would have helped him so much.

In the past, there were only others who asked him what to do. Now, though, he was the one asking others what he should do, and nobody was able to give him an answer.

[...]

Wei WuXian raged, “You can shut the fuck up! It’s already pandemonium the way things are right now! You two can stop adding more trouble onto my platter. Give yourselves in my ass. Did I tell you to do this? Take it out!”

(Chapter 77, Exiled Rebels translation)

Later on, at Nightless City, Wei Wuxian’s loss of control is directly tied by the narrator to his worsening mental state:

The more Wei WuXian panicked, the less control he had. The corpse ignored his command and instead lifted the sword in its hand, slashing it down at Jiang YanLi!

Wei WuXian had lost it, dashing as he shouted, “Stop it, stop it, right now, stop it!”

(Chapter 78, Exiled Rebels translation)

He manages to calm himself down and get back under control:

Jiang YanLi sighed, “A-Xian, you… you should stop first. Don’t, don’t…”

Wei WuXian hurried, “Yes, I’ll stop.”

He took up Chenqing, placed it by his lips, and began to play. He only managed to steady his mind with great effort. This time, the corpses finally stopped ignoring his commands. One after another, strange gurgles echoed in their throats as if they were complaining. Slowly, they bent down.

(Chapter 78, Exiled Rebels translation)

Only when Jiang Yanli is killed by a cultivator aiming for Wei Wuxian does he decide, in his grief and rage, to put the Yinhufu together again:

Yet, no matter the criticism, the blame, Wei WuXian could no longer hear any of them. As if governed by another soul, he reached out and took two objects from within his sleeves. Before everyone’s eyes, he put them together. One half on top and the other below, the two objects snapped into one, letting out a resonating clang.

Wei WuXian placed it on his palm and raised it high into the air.

It was the Stygian Tiger Seal!

(Chapter 78, Exiled Rebels translation)

We know that after the Bloodbath of Nightless City, as this battle comes to be known, Lan Wangji takes Wei Wuxian back to Yiling. However, Wei Wuxian is in a very poor mental state (most likely due to stress, exhaustion, and trauma), and only regains awareness a few days later at the Burial Mounds.

This is when he decides that the Yinhufu is a weapon which he should never have created, and determines to destroy it.

After using it for the second time, he finally decided to destroy one half of the seal. Before he could completely destroy the other half, the siege at Luanzang Hill happened, and it had since then been beyond his capabilities.

(Chapter 30, Exiled Rebels translation)

So Wei Wuxian was actually able to successfully destroy one half of the seal, and start work on the second, in the three months between Nightless City and the First Siege.

Toward his own creation, Wei WuXian was confident to say that even if the sect that got hold of it, made a temple for it, and offered it incense every single day, the remaining half of the Tiger Seal was just a piece of scrap iron. However, Lan WangJi told him something shocking—it appeared that Xue Yang could rebuild the other half of the seal!

Although Xue Yang was young, he was also quite clever, a bizarre eccentric. The LanlingJin Sect discovered that he could use the remaining half of the seal to roughly piece together the other half. Even though the recreated version wasn’t as powerful and couldn’t be used for as long, it could already result in terrible catastrophes.

(Chapter 30, Exiled Rebels translation)

I gather that the first half, he completely neutralised. The second half had not been fully drained of power when the First Siege happened. We never see the First Siege, but I think we can hazard a guess that once the Wens were massacred, Wei Wuxian knew that it was all over, and decided to destroy the second half of the Yinhufu so that no one there could get their hands on it. It is likely the backlash from improperly destroying/neutralising the Yinhufu which led to his corpses turning on him and ripping him apart.

Wei Wuxian does confirm that some sort of backlash killed him:

Wen Ning whispered, “Sect Leader Jiang, Jiang Cheng, brought a siege upon the Burial Mounds. And he killed you.”

Wei WuXian, “I’ll have to clarify this one. He didn’t kill me. I died from a backfire.”

(Chapter 43, Exiled Rebels translation)

“That’s merely hearsay. Although Jiang Cheng was one of the main forces, he did not give Wei WuXian the final blow. Because he cultivates the Demon Path, Wei WuXian’s powers had backfired and he was ripped to pieces.”

“Hahahaha… That’s karma! The ghost soldiers that he created are like unleashed dogs, biting everyone that they come across. It serves him right to be chewed to death!”

(Chapter 1, Exiled Rebels translation)

While the vast majority of information in the prologue is revealed later to be lies, Wei Wuxian does confirm this. Strictly, the ‘ghost soldiers’ were probably his fierce corpses. ‘Ghost’ or ‘Gui’ is used in Modao Zushi’s magic system as a catch-all phrase for dead humans, whether they’re actual ghosts (incorporeal spirits) or reanimated corpses. We know that Wei Wuxian was using huge numbers of fierce corpses to act as guards at the entrance to the Burial Mounds and protect the Wens, after all.

Wei Wuxian’s Second Life

So the risk of backlash is confirmed as a threat when using guidao and other dark cultivation techniques. However, it seems that they either have a clear contract which has to be fulfilled (like in the body sacrifice ritual), or a clearly defined risk which can be mitigated or prevented entirely through careful use.

It’s notable that Wei Wuxian is in control of his cultivation far more often than not, and in his second life we see absolutely no losses of control from him. This is probably down to a few things, one of them being greater experience. He also is no longer working alone; Lan Wangji is nearly always at his side or very nearby, which removes the intense stress of trying to fight against the entire world alone.

Honestly, I can’t even pull up any instances of Wei Wuxian struggling to control his cultivation in his second life or being even mildly harmed by it; there are absolutely none. We only ever see him dealing with mundane exhaustion, stress, and physical injuries.

He recovers very quickly from performing Empathy with Nie Mingjue:

Hearing this, Wei WuXian instantly pulled himself out!

He was still the thin paperman, stuck to the helmet that sealed Nie MingJue’s head. He had tugged loose the knot that tied the iron shells over Nie MingJue’s eyes, revealing a bloodshot eye, opened wide with anger.

[...]

There wasn’t much time left. He must return to his corporal body immediately!

Paperman WuXian flapped his sleeves, flying out as though he were a butterfly.

[...]

A while later, once his soul had returned successfully, Wei WuXian immediately took a deep breath. He raised his head, opened his eyes, and suddenly stood up. Yet, having not expected his body to still be disoriented, he felt dizzy and leaned forward. Seeing this, Lan WangJi caught him in his arms. Wei WuXian lifted his head once more, and the top of his head collided with Lan WangJi’s chin. With a thud, both of them grunted in pain. Wei WuXian rubbed his head with one hand and felt Lan WangJi’s chin with the other, “Ugh! I’m sorry. Lan Zhan, you alright?”

His chin having been stroked a couple of times, Lan WangJi lightly took Wei WuXian’s hand away before shaking his head. Wei WuXian tugged him, “Let’s go!”

(Chapter 50, Exiled Rebels translation)

After this, he is stabbed by Jin Ling and winds up spending four days unconscious in Cloud Recesses. I’ve seen it suggested that his short bout of hallucinating after he wakes up is due to harm from his cultivation, but I firmly disagree. He’d been unconscious for four days after being stabbed!

He immediately let go, almost wanting to roll away. His movement was so large that it hurt the wound at his stomach. He exclaimed an ‘ah’ as he scrunched his brows, finally remembering that he was still injured. Amid the stars before his eyes, Jing Ling, Jiang Cheng, Jiang YanLi, Jiang FengMian, Madam Yu… Many faces spun around in a large circle.

[...]

Only having ensured that his injuries were indeed fine did Lan WangJi finally let him go, “Four days.”

Jin Ling’s sword stabbed right through. The wound hadn’t been shallow at all. How it healed within four days without even leaving a scar behind meant that high level medicine of the GusuLan Sect had to have been necessary. Wei WuXian thanked him, mocking himself along the way, “I’ve reincarnated but somehow I’ve become even weaker. I couldn’t keep going after just a single stab.”

(Chapter 63, Exiled Rebels translation)

After being a bit muddled upon first waking up, he’s fine. He was also dreaming about his past while unconscious, which is why he’s described as seeing all these faces ‘amid the stars before his eyes’. The flashbacks in Refinement and Poisons-Evil are both framed as Wei Wuxian sleeping and dreaming about the past, and he’s thinking about them as a result; he’s not portrayed as actually hallucinating and thinking they’re really there.

Wei Wuxian is very drained by the events of the Second Siege and faints twice afterwards. However, it’s worth noting that during the Second Siege, he didn’t really use resentful energy (he couldn’t, as all the corpses there were under the control of the Yinhufu); he used talismans, which only require a small amount of spiritual energy.

Wei Wuxian even specifically states that Mo Xuanyu’s body is very weak, refusing to use Suibian before the Second Siege:

He wore it by his waist and didn’t seem like he was going to use it. Seeing how Lan WangJi looked at him, he fiddled with his hair and explained, “I haven’t used a sword in so many years. I’m not used to it.” As he spoke, he sighed again, “Alright. The real reason is that my current body is low in spiritual energy. Even if there’s a high level sword, it won’t be able to make the best use of it. And so, it’ll be up to HanGuang-Jun to protect the delicate man that I am.”

(Chapter 68, Exiled Rebels translation)

Wei Wuxian collapses due to exhaustion on the boat ride to Lotus Pier:

OuYang ZiZhen, “HanGuang-Jun, why did Senior Wei collapse?”

Lan WangJi, “Fatigue.”

Lan JingYi was amazed, “I thought that Senior Wei would never get tired!”

(Chapter 84, Exiled Rebels translation)

He collapses again during the fight at the Jiang ancestral hall:

Lan WangJi, “Wei Ying?!” His low voice rang within Wei WuXian’s ears, echoing endlessly.

Wei WuXian was starting doubt if something happened to his ears, “What’s wrong?”

He felt something streak down his face, but reached up only to retrieve a handful of scarlet. Accompanied by throbs of dizziness, blood continued to drip down his nose and his mouth, onto the ground.

[...]

Having come to the conclusion that Wei WuXian was only in a temporary state of unconsciousness due to extreme fatigue and anger, Lan WangJi finally tore his gaze away.

(Chapter 88, Exiled Rebels translation)

When he wakes up in Chapter 90, he feels unwell but recovers fairly quickly:

For a long while, he couldn’t figure out what was happening. Only when he saw the splatters of blood on Lan WangJi’s left sleeve, like a string of plum blossoms resting on snow, did he finally recall what happened before he passed out from anger. His expression twisted at once as he suddenly sat upright. Lan WangJi went to help him, but the ringing in Wei WuXian’s ears hadn’t stopped yet.

[...]

Lan WangJi knew that he wasn’t feeling well. Silent, he didn’t ask anything. He lay one hand on his back, sending him a warm thread of spiritual energy.

[...]

Looking around, Wei WuXian suddenly exclaimed, “I’m hungry.”

Lan WangJi looked up. Of course, Wei WuXian wasn’t hungry at all. He had just eaten three pies at the vendor in front of Lotus Pier’s gates. Lan WangJi only ate one, however, and it was the only thing he’d eaten in the past two days. The matter was on Wei WuXian’s mind.

(Chapter 90, Exiled Rebels translation)

The narrative again directly links it to exhaustion, not to anything more ominous than that:

In the fight at Burial Mound, Wei WuXian exerted too much energy and stamina. Both his mind and his body were strained for too long. A few hours earlier, Jiang Cheng angered him so much that he almost bled from his qiqiao.

He only recovered after a long time of rest. Although he didn’t feel too bad right now, if there was something he missed and he pushed himself all the way to Lanling, it was hard to tell whether or not an accident would happen at a critical moment. On top of that, he wasn’t the only one straining his mind and body in the past few days. Lan WangJi didn’t rest for a second either.

(Chapter 91, Exiled Rebels translation)

As said, there simply isn’t any proof, based on Wei Wuxian’s second life, that his cultivation is doing him harm, nor does he ever lose control of it.

This definitely indicates to me that Wei Wuxian’s losses of control in his first life were related to the circumstances and not an inevitable risk of his cultivation path.

In Conclusion

I actually suspect that Lan Wangji himself came to the same conclusion; he only ever gently warns Wei Wuxian to be careful when using dark techniques during his second life:

Lan WangJi let the paperman wriggle on his ribbon for some time. Just as he reached out to take it down, the paperman slid its way down as fast as it could. No matter intentionally or not, it bumped its head once against his lips.

Lan WangJi’s movements paused for a moment. Using two of his fingers, he finally caught it, “Do not fool around.”

Softly, the paperman rolled its body over his slender finger.

Lan WangJi, “You must be careful.”

The paperman nodded and flapped its wings. Clinging flat onto the ground, it climbed through the door slit and snuck out of the guest room.

(Chapter 47, Exiled Rebels translation)

He still does have some level of distaste for Wei Wuxian’s cultivation path, I would argue, due to the way he instantly latches onto the idea that Wei Wuxian would never have turned to the ghost path if not for his lost golden core:

“…” Lan WangJi managed, “I only knew that his spiritual powers were somehow impaired.”

But to think this was the truth.

Wen Ning, “If not because of this…”

If not because there really wasn’t a second path to walk on.

(Chapter 89, Exiled Rebels translation)

But the discussion of Wei Wuxian’s feelings on his cultivation is one for another day.

At any rate, I doubt that Lan Wangji is only holding back his feelings on the ghost path due to wanting to avoid any more fights with Wei Wuxian. After all, he spent 13 years mourning him. If he still believed that Wei Wuxian’s cultivation was going to eventually kill him, I doubt he would accept it so much more readily now.

I think the lesson he learnt, after looking back and thinking on the past a great deal, was indeed that Wei Wuxian would not have suffered such losses of control if he had had anyone to rely on in his past life. So now Lan Wangji always stands by his side and ensures that he will never reach such a state of desperation again.

[m-y-fandoms]

Vampire Nagito Komaeda x Ultimate Monster Hunter reader - Part 1 (Supernatural AU)

Request: Can I get some vampire Komaeda x reader? I loved the Kokichi one and Komaeda is my absolute fave :3 thanks <3

This will be a full series with multiple chapters, not a head-canon or short imagine. Nagito is my favorite Danganronpa character, even ahead of Kokichi.

Part 2 here

Also this will be set in the DR3 anime universe, when they are all just Ultimates at Hope’s Peak before the Tragedy

- Admin Kokichi

     “When are they coming out?!” You could hear a girl roar from the crowd before you. It was your first day at Hope’s Peak Academy, and already you could tell that at least some of the crazy rumors about the school’s eccentricities were true. You’d only been walking around campus, getting your bearings before you moved into the Main Course dorms later that evening.

     It was a bit odd to see a group of nearly a dozen girls from the Reserve Course waiting at the entrance to the Main Course building, waiting to watch some of the Ultimates walk to the cafeteria. I mean, being an Ultimate didn’t make one worth fan-girling over, right? But maybe you’d have seen their side of it if you weren’t an Ultimate yourself.

~

     Jin Kirigiri, the school’s headmaster, was a very close childhood friend of your father’s, as was the school’s recruiter, Koichi Kizakura. It was only natural that they both insisted you go there, especially with your talent. You were the Ultimate Hunter... or... that’s what your official transcripts said anyway. Your real talent was a little more… complicated to explain to a normal society.

     Your real and extended title was that of the Ultimate Monster Hunter, just like your father before you decades ago. That was your passion, your focus, but since you were also prodigious in the normal hunting of animals, that was the title Headmaster Kirigiri assigned you. Of course, Kizakura and Kirigiri knew of your family’s hunter lineage and the existence of supernatural beings, most of the higher-ups at Hopes Peak did, what with all the connections and respect the academy had garnered.

     Most governments, large corporations and upper-class citizens were privy to the existence of monsters, and those sworn to protect all humans from them, so of course Kirigiri knew of such things, however, he couldn’t exactly have you honing your skills in his classrooms and training yards. The general public would either think he’d gone mad for allowing such activities - training to kill beings that did not exist - or worse, they’d wise up and take notice, revealing the secret of supernatural creatures to the world.

     No, no, that couldn’t be allowed to happen, and so Kizakura and Kirigiri had you practicing your crossbow aim on animal-shaped dummies, had you doing general agility and reflex training. Your firearms were used in a high-tech shooting arena that doubled as a dojo when martial arts students arrived for their allotted lesson time.

     Honestly, you didn’t even want to attend Hope’s Peak, seeing as Headmaster Kirigiri had made it very clear that you couldn’t use any of your true talent anywhere on campus or even while in uniform off-campus. You also had to hide your face with a helmet or mask of some type while hunting from now on. You couldn’t be associated with or traced back to the academy in any way, should someone see you engaged with a monster and spread word of it before being apprehended by law enforcement. This rule was only made more severe by the fact that some of your fellow students were of the very species you made a living annihilating.

     That’s right, Hope’s Peak itself was host to the very rare vampire, werewolf, demon, shapeshifter or other manner of beast. Not all of them chose to be hostile or stuck out like a sore thumb, and hey, if you had the talent, you had the talent. It made you question why you should even give the academy a second thought. It felt like they were mocking you, letting inhuman creatures attend a school they personally invited you to, but your father all but forced you to enroll. He insisted it would be the best for your future, and that there’s no one he trusted more than Kirigiri and Kizakura.

     “But if anything… anything at all happens to (Y/N), Jin, I swear on our friendship, I will handle it myself,” he’d said. Your father’s words rung through your mind like a constant reminder. He meant it, too. Your father was the hunter of all hunters, a king of sorts in his circle. Kirigiri knew very well that letting him down was not an option.

~ 

     You stood on the very edge of the group, as far from the doors as possible but still near enough to the others that you wouldn’t look like some weird loner. You sighed, chuckling under your breath at their chittering. It was all so silly.

     “Here they come!” You were startled out of your trance when one out of the whole gaggle of girls before you squealed loudly. You walked toward the front of their group, fascinated by how excited they all were. You were merely curious to see what all the fuss was about. How could they possibly be this worked up about other students their age, just walking to lunch after class? Then again, you hadn’t met any of your fellow Ultimates. Was there some kind of beauty requirement to become one? Huh, wouldn’t surprise me, you thought rather cynically to yourself. This place loves to flaunt its students and reputation.

     “Look~ it’s Fuyuhiko!” One of the girls pushed roughly past you, grazing your shoulder. You could practically see hearts in her eyes as she passed.

     “Jeez, okay...” you muttered sheepishly and leaned back again. You may be a monster killer, but that only worked out because of the adrenaline rush and the lack of attachment and value placed on your targets. In normal life and social situations, it felt like you were the one being killed.

     Great! Now I can’t see anything! You mentally snapped at the fan-girls bumping and shuffling into you with every sporadic movement they made. You couldn't see anything, but you could certainly hear the girls get louder and louder by the second. You were now completely pushed to the side of the group as the girls grunted and hissed like rabid animals.

     “And that’s the lucky one! Komaeda, I think! Man, he’s so hot…” A random brunette drooled. 

Nagito Komaeda: Vampire

Status: Protected/Neutral

Classification: B

Unique Talents and Powers: A cycle of good and bad luck. All other unique traits under review.

Age: Unknown

Coven or Clan: None

     You mechanically recalled little bits and details from your dad’s casework and journals on the most famous vampires in the country. Nagito... yes… you were going to stay away from this one.

     The supernatural beings that could pass as human and were deemed not to be a danger to society signed contracts and treaties that allowed them to live out their lives like normal and protected them legally from hunters (much to your kind’s chagrin). They had strict rules to follow, however, and those who broke said rules were prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and taken off the protection list, making them fair game to hunters. 

     You really didn’t understand why they kept giving the feral savages chances. Erasing the memories of witnesses, victims (if they survived), and their families after each attack or incident was costly and just unfair to mankind.

     The girls continued to shout and vie for the boys’ attention. Fuyuhiko huffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance at the fuss they were making. This only served to rile them up further, however. It seemed the tough, flippant, bad-boy yakuza persona is exactly what they wanted. They loved the way he gave them the cold shoulder.

     Nagito, on the other hand, was a different case entirely. He didn’t just ignore the girls, he made an obvious show of his disgust for them. He was practically snarling, nose scrunched up as he leaned away from the crowd of them. It wasn’t annoyance at their mewling and squawking, it was something far different. Something like pure revulsion mixed with condescension. But why? It didn’t really matter, as the girls clearly didn’t pick up on his cues, shooting rapid-fire questions his way and reaching out for his sleeves. You scoffed. It was so shallow of them to only like him for his looks and title of Ultimate he held. They knew nothing about him. 

     What he could do to them if they got them alone. How him could kill them in an instant, and even possibly enjoy that kill.

     While you were lost in the abhorrence of your thoughts, Nagito’s eyes had honed in on you, noticed that you were wearing the same uniform as him, and promptly glided over in front of you.

     “Why, hello there!” Komaeda stopped right in front of you. You took a startled step back, but he grasped your hand, preventing you from moving any further away. You did everything you could to repress your fear and repugnance, but your hand still shook slightly in his cold, dead one, and you were sure he could tell. He giggled, obviously enamored with your very presence. “I don’t believe I've seen you before, but you must be in the Main Course as well! What’s your name, if I might ask? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna...” Nagito grinned widely, flashing a set of pearly white teeth. The girls swooned beside you. It seemed you were the only one afraid of what those teeth could do. He was deceivingly beautiful on the outside: tall, pale, doe-eyed, and dangerous. His Class B ranking put him just below the most dangerous of vampires, the elite, the royal clans.

     “(Y-Y/N). It’s my first day.” Your voice shook as you jerked your hand away roughly. It was hard to feel confident without your weapons on you, knowing there was nothing you could do to defend yourself here. Damn you, Kirigiri.

      Your father would be enraged if he knew you had just touched a vampire’s hand so casually. Nagito frowned slightly. He could sense it, the way you didn't trust him, the way you didn't like him down deep inside. He knew you knew something you shouldn't, knew more than the other humans attending Hope’s Peak, and he didn't like it. His brow furrowed in a display of frustration, but that quickly melted away, and he smiled kindly, eyes crinkling at the corners. He would figure out what made you special, even among the Ultimates he revered so passionately. Something was off, and it would kill him if he didn’t figure out why.

     “Well, (Y/N)” He leaned down to your height, his face inches from yours, breathing deeply. Almost as soon as he’d inhaled, he snapped back up, his spine stiff and straight. “Oh!” A look of almost painful surprise and confusion crossed his countenance.

     “What?” You panicked, looking him up and down.

     “Oh, uh, nothing… you smell really good, heh. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that. That’s weird, huh? Wow, I’m really the worst...” he chuckled awkwardly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck in a display of innocence. Your mouth hung open, appalled. How could he be so bold about his nature in public? You knew exactly what he was smelling. The hair on your arms and the back of your neck stood up in fear and vexation. Your reaction told him all he needed to know, and in that instant, he decided he wanted to know more. Nagito was the obsessive type, and you were going to be his new fixation. Why did you know? Who told you of his... condition? “Anyway, welcome to Hope’s Peak Academy. I hope I have the honor of seeing you again.” You could hear the wave of extreme jealousy behind you. The heat of anger and envy for you was thick in the air.

     “Enough, Komaeda, ya big creep…” the small but feisty boy cleared his throat before continuing.  “C’mon, if you wanna have time for lunch it’s now or never!” You sighed in relief. Fuyuhiko placed his hand on Nagito's shoulder, pulling him gently away from you. 

     “Sorry, sorry!” Nagito offered a warm smile to his shorter friend. “I’m coming! I apologize, Fuyuhiko” He turned to you,“See you in class, (Y/N)” He simpered, and continued to trail along behind his friend.

     Not if you had anything to say about it…

     You were going to avoid that boy like the plague. Just because you couldn’t kill him, doesn’t mean you had to be best friends.

[crstapor]

Terror White

“You’re either with us or against us.” - George W. Bush


1.

On January 6th, 2021, domestic terrorists invaded the Capital Building in an act of political insurrection. Their intent was to overthrow the will of the people by preventing certification of a free and fair democratic election. They did so at the behest of their political leader (who was impeached a second time for inciting this gross transgression of his oath of office), other voices in their party - the so-called GOP - and talking head agitators inhabiting the far-right media echo chamber. Nearly to a man, a woman, a they, each of these terrorists were white.

Images of ‘good old boys’ traipsing down the halls of the people’s house waving confederate battle flags, kicking feet up on the Speaker’s desk, walking off with public property or smearing their shit on the floors pervaded the internet. These images provided by the villains themselves, posted shamelessly to social media profiles.

As a result of this treasonous, insulting, juvenile, despicable, and ultimately futile effort five people died. Even still, hours after the fact, a majority of members of the so-called GOP voted in accordance with the will of these terrorists. They voted to overturn the results of a free and fair election in the world’s oldest modern democracy. They did so because they believed there were serious ‘concerns’ (‘concerns’, let’s be clear, that started with them and like the Ouroboros, ended up with the confusing, if unhygienic, phenomenon of not knowing where their mouths or assholes ended or began) with the 2020 presidential election. After over 60 court cases arguing that point only one was ruled in their favor. None of the 50 States comprising our union found any evidence of wide-spread fraud. Indeed, a federal agency tasked with monitoring election security stated unequivocally that the presidential election of 2020 was one of the most secure in a generation.

And yet? There they were. Spouting conspiracy theories, assaulting police officers (those stalwart stewards of the ‘law & order’ they otherwise claim to love), brandishing spears and bearskins, stealing mail, leaving death threats to the Vice President, fundamentally acting the fool. A bunch of bullies let out of detention with rage and rebellion on their minds.

Let me be clear: each and every one of these terrorists should be hunted down by law enforcement and charged to the fullest extent of the law. They should then be prosecuted and the judges in each and every case should show or allow no mercy. These barbarians must never be allowed to storm the gates again.

Fine.

But that’s not the really interesting question here. The far-right has been producing assholes forever (one of the few things the ‘right’ is truly consistent at). What’s actually interesting is how these insurrectionists arrived at the conclusions they did. Which is to say; how did their ‘thinking’ bring them to this point.

2.

While it might be tempting for some on the left to see that last sentence as a joke, let’s remember we’re sitting at the adult table. These terrorists, being human, sharing our genetic code, are people - real, live, eating, shitting, fucking, anxious, sleeping, scared, afraid, terrified people - just like you and me. As much as it would be easier if we could see them as Uruk-hai instead of our brothers and sisters, sadly? That’s what they are. Family. Part of the Human Condition.

Though humans that are clearly very, very, very sick. My diagnosis? Mind Cancer. Let me explain, under the assumption my readers understand the difference between mind and brain. As such, I am not asserting that the terrorists are physically sick. From their pics and videos it’s clear many are - obesity, hypertension, anal retention - though that isn’t the point. It’s their mental programming, their minds, that have been infected. Infected with what?

Put simply? A disjointed ontological phenomenology obscured, obfuscated, and accelerated by persistently chaotic epistemological aberrations. Said plainly? Their ability to process reality has been impaired.

Why? Racial resentment, poor economic opportunities, an aversion to books and learning? Yes. All that. Plus? The internet, which has created a new Dark Ages.

Paradoxically, one built on light.

3.

Look. Self-interested demagogues intent on self-aggrandizement are nothing new. Nor are their ability to rally or rile a downtrodden populace. Sadly, demonizing the ‘other’ is also pretty par for the course in these scenarios. An old story, all told. What’s new this time is how it happens.

In a single second - count it out! One Mississippi - a beam, or photon of light moves 186,000 miles. Roughly seven times the circumference of the Earth. The new speed of hate. The internet, that modern marvel ushering in Humanity’s first truly post-scarcity resource, is built on light. Philosophers have for millennia wed knowledge with light. And now we all (well, those of us in the post-industrial world) carry a terminal connected to this internet in our pockets. A stunning marvel of human ingenuity. One would imagine that access to such a wellspring of knowledge and information would have a truly edifying affect on the Human Condition. Perhaps, in aggregate, or retrospect, it will. At the moment?

Yeah ...

At the moment it seems that the more access to information humans have the more they double down on tribal identities, wish fulfillment, instant gratification (read: porn), perceived slights, fantasy lands, Rick Astley videos, or the jibbering incoherent rantings of simple capitalists fomenting the fragile emotional states of low information individuals who feel they have no place in this world. This is a fundamentally devastating epistemological conundrum. Why? For centuries the barrier to the future was the amount of information, knowledge, you could access or process. Yet here and now? Here and now there might be too much access. Too much information. More so, the striking fact that our ability, as a species, writ large, to process or parse this information has not kept pace with the information at hand. A sad equation that inevitably leads to moments like 01/06/21.

4.

The Trump Terrorists of January 6th, 2021, weaponized the internet to facilitate their attempted coup. As did their ‘dear leader’ throughout his humiliating single term in office. In fact, it was the geometrical acceleration of connectivity and interconnectedness enabled via the web and its insanely capitalist platforms that allowed for their ‘movement’ to incubate and evolve. While it is true that neo-liberal policies advocating globalist economics and monetary policy are at the current root cause of most ills genuinely affecting rural, or poor, or uneducated MAGA-heads, it’s also true that apart from an Independent from Vermont no one in the political economy of the last couple decades gave much of a shit about these poor and dispossessed inheritors of old racial mythemes and toxic narratives of self-reliance. No one that is, other than their ‘dear leader’. Never mind he didn’t intend to ease their suffering in any material, or structural way. He talked about it. He tweeted about it. And then he gave them a little song and dance at the rallies. Breathtaking stuff.

However, it wasn’t just the performative act of playing ‘authoritarian’ that got them hot and bothered. No, it was at the same time the eternal need to belong to a group, the legitimate feeling of economic obsolescence, coupled with these new tools of information transmission. Tools that at once gave them powers unheralded and seemingly ensconced them in a protective shell, a perpetually larval manifestation of all their baser inclinations. A reactionary ‘safe space’ from which they could launch a thousand ships of intolerance and hate. What good is truth if you can’t weaponize it? What good are facts if you share them with everyone else?

And so we find ourselves revising Plato. There isn’t just one cave in which we are chained, kept from reality. There are multiple tunnels, alcoves, deeper caverns in which we might dwell. Furthermore, if lucky, there are different days, vistas, egresses in which we can escape from the confines of ignorance. Much like the lucky Mormons, it would seem the far-right believes there are plenty of planets in which ‘Truth’ can dwell. Never mind that multiplying ‘Truth’ in such a way doesn’t actually produce more truth.

In fact, it reduces ‘Truth’. Impoverishes it. Hollows it out.

Which is sad, really. For the major harm caused by these rebels isn’t to our democratic institutions, nor our mythological vision of our nature, nor that ever-loving economy - but to the very fabric that binds the social contract on which all the preceding rely.

That fabric being, specifically, a shared objective reality.

5.

How can we survive if we can’t agree on basic facts? Can a multi-racial, multi-cultural, representative democracy exist when a large percentage of the comprising citizens don’t believe in, or even acknowledge, that that’s actually what’s happening? Is White Supremacy so fundamentally a part of our nation’s DNA that the country can’t exist without it? If so, for those of us who vehemently oppose White Supremacy, the question might then be: is the country worth saving?

Most versions of Western Ethics indicate that violence is not the cure. Nor do I advocate such a position. At the same time I’m deeply troubled, because due their illness these actors are neither rational or coherent. Ergo, we can’t reason with them either. So what next?

To corral the revolutionary, if inchoate, spirit of these sick, fringe minds diseased as they are by hate, grievance, and digital oubliettes would any policy proposals be acceptable? Perhaps as fantastic an idea as the images from 01/06/21, what if the Federal Government decided to halt its obsequious sycophantry to corporate America and ‘elites’ and instead actually, seriously, emphatically reinvested in the heartland, in Main Street, in the working class? Wouldn’t it be ironic if a little more socialism was truly the cure these hatemongers require?

6.

Maybe we should step back and listen to the wisdom of George W. Bush.

Confronting what was at the time the most disheartening terror attack on the homeland, Bush made clear not all who could otherwise be lumped in with the terrorists were terrorists. In the same way that, yes, not all Trump voters are Trump Terrorists.

Even so. Bush made it clear you needed to pick a side.

With us - toward a diverse future in which the promise of the Founders is emboldened and expanded for all who live between our shores. Or against us - back to your stunted hovels and holes with all the other low information troglodytes you like to cosplay revolution with.  

Choose.

It’s your call. But choose quickly, because history is watching, and only one path moves toward the future.

C. R. Stapor Longmont, CO 01/16/21

[shadowtongued]

long headcanon about the duality of love and the mahjarrat condition pertaining to it from his point of view. if you read all this babble i swear to god, i love you, i hope you have a good day. cw: sex addiction, child neglect, unhealthy coping, unrequited pains. reason for writing: hi i want to die bc of angst.

i think we all know even without playing medieval xp grind lore game, runescape, that sliske is old. very old. he tells us in endgame there's not much he hasn’t done with his life over thousands of years, even traveling to other planets and realms to just see what was out there and how far he could get. i’ve always projected his age as somewhere between more than 8,000 or even more than 10,000. we’re never given a timeline to how long the children of mah have lived. sliske has done a lot with his time; he’s killed a god, had quite a few elder relics in his grasp, SPOKEN to a elder god and managed not to die, mastered shadow magicks, has an excellent grasp on the shadow realm. he’s good with biology, chemistry, has a fair understanding of soul magic which is kind of a rare brand of knowledge, he’s tricked probably thousands into bad contracts to become wights in his army, understands the psychology and bad morals of people. he was a playwright, a high ranking officer, a spymaster. dude is just a determined polymath. you know what he hasn’t done? love. he’s never got to play with love.

mahjarrat are explained as having emotions, but dulled ones. they feel rage and pride apparently better than others. kharshai said after years of really believing he was a human, that when he came back to his true form he states “i  feel raw power coursing through my veins. i don't feel pain like i used to, and i'm sure my intellect has increased. but somehow there is something missing. a capacity for emotion that i can't quite put my finger on.” they aren’t equipped for the same range of positive emotions as others are. they feel it, but they don’t understand it fully, it has been said by developers. this whole bit is sadly funny considering in canon, sliske catches feelings. he doesn’t realize he’s attracted to the player character. it’s stated many times, in his journals, in dialogue, etc. he believes their fates are tangled no matter what. and the saddest bit is he probably doesn’t understand these feelings and it confuses him to the point of anger.  “ love! a mahjarrat in love? ... i almost wish that were true. it would certainly make the universe a more interesting place. ” “ so perhaps i have loved you. but that doesn’t mean i have to like you.”  sliske’s main goal started off as to take the players immortal, unable to be crushed by the divine, soul and give it to himself so he could live forever, as mahjarrats do not have afterlives, once they die they are done, evaporated into energy. but in endgame we learn something from him hidden in masks that refutes that;

“I love you for more than your soul.”

you STUPID fucker, you’re in love.

the remainder of this is a lot of NON-CANON, personal headcanon interpretation that pretty much only works on this blog. as a rough summary: sliske’s ol’ mum was not fond of her kids, half-brother wahisietel or sliske since she did not see them as powerful as herself and was disappointed that's what her legacy came out to. a short, beefy, average at magic son, she had another go and was still disappointed with this spidery, scrawny, gifted but absolutely annoying stick underweight child. his father, saw him once or twice in his life and that was it. dyeosuthua wanted nothing more than to make them disappear and try again until she got offspring she didn’t want to throw into a lava pit in secrecy, infanticide was against tribal law due to population issues. sliske’s mother’s neglect was so severe, ( by the absolute boundless joys of rp development and mutual heacanons ♥ ) that wahi and nabor had an attempt at raising him and keeping him from freezing to death. why is all this jargon important? because while all mahjarrats are raised by tough love, sliske’s attention deprivation from his mother was so severe, he grew up and still has a slew of reactive attachment, psychological, and social issues he still carries as an adult. several times she threatened to kill him and almost made good on it more than twice. when wahisietel had proven he was a survivor of the first ritual of rejuvenation, sliske became dyeosuthua’s  main target for abuse despite his gift for magic at a young age. nothing he did could impress her enough. and it left him constantly seeking approval and validation to an insecure mind.

the more he grew, the more confident he became mainly out of spite and to get attention. he’s loud, charming, makes you the only person in the room when he talks to you. he has an innate silver-tongued ability that persuades people to do just about anything. it was a front for his insecurities that he kept very very closed up. in the second age/senntisten capital, sliske had a pretty severe sex addiction as it was one of the few ways he felt validated and was able to get affection in a way he could digest. people with reactive attachment disorders often have sex addictions to fill the space of acceptance without having to commit.. easy, feel good intimacy without having to open up and let someone learn about your vulnerabilities and commit. it was pretty severe, considering mahjarrats find any kind of breeding or intimacies outside their ‘superior species’ as downright foul. sliske had always been the black sheep of the tribe and with his status as praefectus praetorio; head of secret police, really nothing put a damper on him trying to fill the void for affection he had. there wasn’t a species or individual he wouldn’t bed. he would easily take up propositions even for people who just wanted to fuck a mahjarrat because it was ‘exotic’ or because of his status as an officer, he now looks back on this and it bruises his insecurities even more that he allowed himself to do that. not out of pride for his species. but himself, being just a thing to be had because of rarity. azzanadra and his brother, wahisietel found out about it and while disgusted, partially understood what he was doing to negatively self soothe. at one point sliske and azzanadra, the champion of their god and head of the church, as well of one of the strongest living of their kin, had a lasting tryst for a few years and for awhile it made sliske feel very much self important in a way and alleviated his need to be needed so badly, this did not end well when sliske grew tired of their empire and wanted freedom. once childhood best friends and lovers had become absolute enemies once sliske became too unstable and azzanadra became too zealous. 

sliske gave up his sexcapades for a long time, thousands of years, his libido dropped when he became interested in other projects and self healing when he was hit with the idea that he hasd essentially allowed himself to be an exotic fling and still burned over becoming his god, zaros, scapegoat after all he had done for him. love was a weird concept to him and still is. despite being adamant love doesn’t exist for his kind, and his belief that he is flawed, unstable, and embraced the idea of ‘you want a monster? fine! i’ll be the monster!’. he expects no pity, not be forgiven to things he has done and even in game when you sycophantically try to cozy to him, he straight up calls out your text choice was awful considering some of the shitty things he might have done to you. to sliske, all attention to him is attention, whether you’re praising or insulting him. he’s on your mind, he exists, that’s all he wants.

backstory aside the real part of this headcanon is that sliske actually wants love. it’s the only thing aside from an immortal soul he hasn’t had. sliske actually has an attraction to humans because they are empathetic, curious, passionate, and determined. he has an easier time assimilating and being around them since he has ALWAYS had a better sense of humor, socializing, and happiness than his kin. he feels emotions a lot stronger than his fellow mahjarrats. it allows him to talk to and connect to humans and humanlike species better. others of his kind have told him there’s “something wrong” with him for that. he’s actually a romantic, even if he’s just mimicking romance stories, movies, and actions from others. he thinks the idea of settling with one person and loving them is both mortifying and interesting. opening yourself up to someone and giving them the hammer to smash your cherry-red painted porcelain heart and seeing if they do, to him might be the ultimate form of trust and biggest gamble of russian roulette. the stakes are so heavy he’s high on the idea. but it’s also horrifying. mahjarrat are prolific for not opening up, not allowing others in, vulnerability out in the open is a death sentence. they live in a kratocracy/meritocracy where they kill off the weakest link. it’s not pretty. being soft is a useless, unnecessary, weak gene to them. it dampers survival. 

but yet sliske keeps reading romance novels, writing his own confused poetry, and getting into unrequited one sided loves but practicing a backstabbing betrayal when one gets too close. i have to hurt them before they hurt me, betray and cut them down before they can do it to me. i think he wants to be loved. i think he kinda wants to be taught to love, for the emotions and the sake of knowledge. ( brb james newton howard’s ‘true love’s kiss’ from maleficent just came on spotify and i think i’m going to die bc i did not ask for background music thanks!!! ) he wouldn’t be the best at it, maybe a little too possessive with you, codependent, but very nurturing and fun loving. will sepnd a whole week spooning you.. people who hurt you past, present, and future may end up dead in mysterious ways or turned into a wight for you to beat the shit out of. but he’d try. he’s still got a broken child sitting behind his third rib. i think he would snarl the first few times someone genuinely got close to him, it would terrify him, being known on such a skinned, raw level. having gentle touches that are real and not a come hither to the bedroom. being known for something other than the confident, ego he has is death. he could be taught to be gentle for a crumb of consistent attention. might even cut down the murders and god killing down by 15%. love is not going to fix him, it’s not going to forgive the actual shitty things he’s done. it should never do that. but it will turn the lights on in a dark house.

love could really break him. i think so. i’d type more but this has gone on too long and i feel sad-happies. 

[horansqueen]

You & Me : chapter 2

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

Sequel to AM CONVERSATIONS

CHAPTER 1 

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his. -4k -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- notes: 1- haha syke (sort of lol)! 2-thats why i asked this question, now you know!

yes, thats the only notes you need lol! oh and FEEDBACK PLEASE! :) please tell me how you think their coffee “date” will go?? would mean a lot!

Chapter 2 : Her chapter

OLIVIA

"Honey! I'm home!" I yelled as I walked inside, closing the door behind me and throwing my purse on the couch.

"Kitchen, babe!"

I followed the voice with a small smile and leaned against the door frame as I watched him bend down to take something off the oven. I crossed my arms and stared at him, trying to suppress a chuckle. With a quick head movement, he pushed a lock of his hair out of his face and raised his eyebrows at me with a smirk. I moved closer to him, taking a few steps slowly as he put the cookies he had just not burned for once in a plate.

"You know your son is way too young for cookies, right?"

His eyes became smaller as he looked at me and it made me laugh even more.

"I made them for you, silly!"

"Louis, come on." I pointed out with a frown. "I just spent two hours tasting wedding cakes and you think i'm in the mood for cookies?"

With a grimace, he grabbed two cookies and put one in front of me before sitting next to me at the table. I made the cookie turn around as I stared at it, feeling suddenly a bit nervous. I wasn't really sure I wanted to have this discussion but I told Louis everything. I was surely not going to keep that kind of information from him.

"Okay my queen, talk to me, what happened?"

He slid his arm on the table until his hand reached mine. I let go of the cookie and gripped his fingers tight. His hand was warm, as it always was, but it took me a few seconds to look up in his eyes. When I did, my heart skipped a beat. He was clearly concerned and worried and I just shrugged a shoulder before looking down again.

"I saw Niall."

Suddenly, the grip of his fingers became tighter and I held my breath. Louis and I had been through so much together during the past year and I was scared this would somehow change the dynamic we had. I knew he kept talking with Niall from time to time but it was far from being the way it used to be between them. I never asked Louis to choose between us, and I never even made allusions to it for the simple reason that they were friends before we were and I knew he still considered Niall like a brother. Who was I anyway to decide who Louis could and couldn't hang out with?

That being said, Louis and I had worked on ourselves individually a lot. We both went to therapy, tried to follow our dreams, found love and learned to accept ourselves as full human beings. We didn't need love to be complete and we didn't need our soulmates either. Of course, it didn't feel so easy when Niall was close but if I wanted to be honest, I thought it would hurt a lot more to see him again.

"He was with his girlfriend?"

"No." I replied with a shrug before adding a 'thank god' in my head.

"How did that make you feel?"

I took a few seconds to think and finally looked up, my eyes meeting his as a small smile spread across my lips.

"It's... Niall, you know? I'll always feel something when he's around. That's what you said, right? Soulmates and all that?" He nodded slowly and I shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, I will love him forever but... he broke me, and I don't want to let him break me again."

Louis' face change and he sent me a sincere smile before nodding quickly this time. He squeezed my fingers and tapped my thigh a few times a bit too roughly.

"Ow!"

"That's my queen!"

He got up and kissed the top of my head, making me roll my eyes but chuckle. He walked to the fridge and took a beer out before opening it and throwing the cap in the sink. I stared again at the cookie on the table and swallowed, playing over and over the encounter I had with Niall in my head. He looked good and happy and I couldn't help but think that he never regretted his decision to break up with me. Of course, it took him a few months to get a new girlfriend but when he did, something inside of me died. I remembered exactly when I found out he was dating someone and it was probably the biggest slap in the face I had ever had. I cried for a week, wondering what the fuck was wrong with me. All I could think about was how his love for me, if it ever existed, was clearly not strong enough but even worse, he didn't even try to keep my friendship.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

I sighed and closed my eyes for a few seconds as I tried to get my heartbeats back to a normal pace. I couldn't hide anything to Louis, even if I wanted.

"Not so much him but what I meant for him."

Louis walked back next to me and crouched down, one of his knees on the floor and his hand on my thigh. He waited until our eyes met and he raised his eyebrows.

"We've been through that, remember?" Louis pointed out in a soft tone. "He was scared to be trapped and he let go of the most important person in his life. You were not the problem, Liv."

"He's with someone now." I just said, shaking me head, after letting out a long sigh. "And with her too I mean, he replaced me with her."

Louis nodded very slowly, pressing his lips together and making the left corner of my lips raise up.

"Yes, besides you, my friend Neil has very bad tastes in women."

It was not true at all but I appreciated the lie and I tilted my head to stare at Louis. I had moved back to my apartment after Niall broke up with me and Louis was the one who had picked my stuff at Niall's for me. We hung out together and he's the one who pushed me to write what I wanted to write. My father agreed to make a special section for my story on his site and within a few hours, there were more views than any other page of the site. I found someone to play the male character and I gave myself the role of the female one until I got the e-mail that literally changed my life.

Netflix. I barely believed it and I had to read the e-mail twice but it turned out to be real and after some negotiation, my tv show was about to be re-made with a bigger budget and real actors and this time, it was going to be seen by way more people. I didn't have to insist to keep playing in it, they quickly agreed to that term of the contract and it surprised me. Apparently, I was not so bad of an actress, who would have known? That's why I moved to L.A. with Louis : to live a dream I wasn't even aware I had before, when I was dating Niall. There are so many things I didn't know when I was with him, including who I was. Now, it was different.

"So." Louis continued, getting up to grab his beer again. "Did you girls go with Liam's request and pick chocolate?"

I raised my eyebrows in amusement and my lips parted a bit as we stared at each other.

"How do you know that?"

Louis' smile turned into a smirk. "He asked me and I said I wanted chocolate too! So I said he should harass Julie and he said I should harass you. So I had to challenge him, and he lost."

My face twisted and I frowned, suddenly a bit scared.

"What was the challenge?"

"Oh, darling, you don't want to know." his accent had turned thicker and his smirk bigger, making me shake my head. "Trust me."

"You're right, I don't want to know."

He laughed a bit and moved his chin in my direction as he leaned against the counter, his beer still in hand. He took the last sip and put it away before swallowing and licking his lips. I loved Louis. I really, really loved Louis.

"So? Chocolate?"

I grimaced and sent him an offended look as I shook my head again.

"It's like you don't even know me!"

"What did you pick then?"

I didn't have time to answer. My lips just parted a bit before we both heard the doorbell. I jumped on my feet and we both rushed to the living room to reach the front door.

"Me!" I yelled as I tried to be faster than him.

"Oh please, it's clearly for me!"

I laughed as he pushed my hips with his and even more when both our hands ended up on the knob, twisting it at the same time without opening the door. We laughed and when the door finally opened wide, my smile grew.

"So, who won this time?"

I forgot the game I had with Louis and barely even heard my boyfriend's question. I just tilted my head and bit my bottom lip. He looked pretty and the way he smiled always got to me. Louis let him walk in and he just opened his arms, bending down slightly to wrap them around my waist and pull me up. I laughed like a school girl and looked down at him, bringing my lips against his.

"Clearly, I won." I whispered only for him to hear, licking my lips before kissing him again.

He chuckled against my mouth and finally put me down but I kept him close and deepened the kiss. The fact that we were still acting like new lovers was nice and I hoped it would never stop.

After moving here, we were about to cast auditions for the other characters but I was mostly nervous about the male lead since I was going to do most scenes with him and even kiss him. I was allowed to have a say in who they would pick but before we could even start the auditions, I received a message on twitter. My account was not private anymore and was even verified, which was something I never thought would ever be possible. I was not the kind of person who liked attention but it was still important for me to remain on social medias, even if I wasn't online as much as other people.

Most of the messages I was tagged in were about Niall and I couldn't blame his fans who asked about me but it was surprising to see it even after so long. At first, the tweets about some of them being 'devastated' by our break-ups made me cry but now I just felt nostalgic of what I once had with him. One time, though, I got a notification that I was tagged in a post and when I clicked on it, I choked on my coffee. Dylan O'Brien. Dylan fucking O'Brien had tagged me and had added 'would love to play in your show!'

After a few days of chatting online, we had finally decided to talk on the phone and I realized he was the funniest and sweetest guy in the world. It's only really the very first time I met him that I realized I had it bad, though. He came to the audition but in my head, the part was already his, and when our eyes met, I felt it inside of me. It could have been just me being starstruck but when he had smiled at me, my heart had fluttered in a way it hadn't since... since Niall.

"You two get a fuckin' room." Louis let out, but I could hear amusement in his voice.

I turned to him and he sent me a smirk just as I showed him my middle finger.

"I live here too, remember?" I asked jokingly.

The plan when we moved here was to buy a house together, support each other and spend as much time as we could with each other. Did Louis and I ever had sex after that infamous night? Maybe, but quickly, we had both stopped needing it. Not because we weren't in pain anymore, but because we had other distractions and other things to focus on. I hadn't received my first check yet but it was coming and I knew it. I couldn't wait to give some of my money to Louis for the house but only as a rent. He was keeping the house to live in it with his girlfriend while I had planned to move with Dylan very soon. Everything was falling into place, and just as I thought my life was exactly the way it was supposed to be, I saw Niall again.

"Yea well you two lovebirds will have the house for yourself tonight." Louis explained, grabbing his wallet from the coffee table and looking for his keys. "I'll be gone all night."

"Say hello to Eleanor for me!"

Louis sent me a smirk and a wink before walking up to us and bending down to kiss my cheek.

"Will do." he promised in a low tone. "Goodnight queen."

A few months earlier, I had heard Louis cry himself to sleep at night. It was not something unusual, I knew it happened from time to time since his mother had passed away, but I remember leaning against the wall of his room for half an hour, listening to him cry and crying with him. If he had wanted me to be there with him, he would have asked, I knew it, that's why I didn't knock or tried to talk to him, but at the same time, it was hard to handle, and I couldn't pretend I knew him as much as Eleanor did. He was also crying for her, I was well aware of that, and on that night, I had messaged her. I didn't have to beg her to come over, she just did. She literally took a fucking plane to come here and comfort him. If that's not love then I have no idea what is.

"Goodnight, pet."

Louis raised his eyebrows and pointed his finger at me. "Don't call me that, ever, remember?"

I just shrugged and laughed, feeling Dylan's hand grab my fingers gently as he chuckled too. He suddenly turned to me and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh hey, you were trying out wedding cakes today, how did it go?"

"She didn't pick chocolate mate, don't even bother." Louis grimaced, making Dylan smile more.

"Of course she didn't, i'd say..." he turned to me and his eyes got smaller as he pondered. "She hesitated and almost picked raspberry but ended up choosing.. strawberry and cream."

My lips curled and I shook my head. "How do you know me so well?"

"O'Brien, I hate you." Louis just said, slapping gently my boyfriend's chest. "Thanks for making sound like a loser."

"You're welcome!" Dylan joked as I rolled my eyes at their interaction.

I waited as Louis typed something on his phone and he finally looked up at us and smiled before leaving. As soon as the door closed behind him, I received a text message and walked up to my purse to look at it.

'Tell him!!!!' Louis had typed with clearly too many exclamation points.

I just sent him a thumb up and when I went back, I felt my lips curl very slightly at the sight of the emoji Niall sent me. It was good seeing him, it felt amazing to be near him. It was so hard to realize that my best friend was not my best friend anymore, and although I knew that life is just like that sometimes, it still hurt. This year away from each other was needed, at least for me, to find myself, but I always thought Niall would remain in my life forever.

"So strawberries and cream uhm?" Dylan said to catch my attention. "I can live with that."

I threw my phone on the couch and sighed with a smile, turning his way. I grabbed the front of his shirt and finally looked up in his eyes, licking my lips as his hands reached my waist.

"Can you live with me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and making him chuckle low.

"Damn right I can."

He pulled me closer and kissed me, making my heart skip a beat. I had never compared Dylan to Niall but at that exact moment, I couldn't help myself. They were both smart, kind and funny, the main difference being that Dylan hadn't shattered my heart in pieces, at least not yet. The way they kissed was different too. Niall kissed me passionately, impatiently and deeply. Dylan kissed me gently, like I was something fragile, something important he didn't want to break, or simply because he wanted to take his time and feel every second of it. He kissed me like every kiss actually meant way more than we both thought.

I felt him deepen the kiss and my heart jumped again. I couldn't do anything with him before telling him about my day, and all I could see behind my eyelids was Louis' text message.

"Mm, I have something to tell you." I whispered against his lip, making him pull away immediately.

He stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes roaming on my face, and I suddenly felt extremely nervous. He was never the jealous type but I don't think anyone could enjoy their lover meeting again with their ex, especially knowing Niall and I's history.

"What's wrong, babe?"

"Nothing's wrong, no, don't worry." It wasn't a lie. I sent him a small smile and shrugged. "I just wanted you to know that... I saw Niall, today."

His eyebrows raised slightly but fell back down half a second later. He stared down at me, mostly trying to decipher how i felt about it instead to react to it, and it made something in my heart stir. He was perfect and I loved him, I really did.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked  gently after about a minute of silence. "How did it go?"

"It went... well." I admitted, nodding slowly and glancing down before looking up in his eyes. "He asked if we could meet again for a coffee but I didn't message him yet. I'm just not sure if I should go."

Dylan's lips curled slightly just as his eyebrows raised. "Not because of me, yea?"

I shrugged both shoulders, feeling suddenly embarrassed. One of the reasons why I was not sure was him, but an other part of me, a part I didn't want to show, was simply scared. I was scared that things wouldn't be like they used to be, I was scared that we wouldn't really get along, I was scared that the old me would resurface and I was scared... I was scared of the feelings I could have again if I spent time with him.

"You can go see him, Liv." he let out softly, bringing one of his hands to my face to caress my cheek with his fingertips. "Not that you were waiting for my approval or that you need it but, I know there's so many things you want to tell him and ask him and... it's normal. I can't even begin to understand the relationship you two had, all I know is... it was intense. There's some part of you that will always love him and I'm fine with that. Just... go. And you'll see."

Slowly, my lips curled as I stared at him. I brought my hand to his hair and slipped my fingers in it before sighing. I felt suddenly lighter and I was not sure why. Perhaps knowing that my boyfriend was fine with it helped.

I mouthed a 'thank you' and he smiled more, shaking his head.

"There's no reason to thank me." he just said, pulling me closer and kissing my lips. "I love you, Olivia."

I wrapped my arms around him and closed my eyes, inhaling him before squeezing him tighter against me. It felt good and I felt safe but I finally pulled away and smiled.

"Okay so food and a movie?" he proposed, raising his eyebrows before I grimaced.

"Oh I wish, I mean food, but i'm gonna have to eat in front of my computer." I explained with a sigh, letting my head fall lightly on my shoulders. "I need to write and my mind is lazy these days."

"Why don't you inspire yourself of what we're going through right now?"

I stared at him and raised my eyebrows at the idea before Dylan just chuckled and winked at me. I knew that to write something good, it had to be close to something I was living, but playing it on screen was about to be a challenge if I did that.

"I'll make food you just... work."

I thanked him and grabbed my phone before sitting in front of my computer. I started typing a few ideas here and there but the truth was, I couldn't stop thinking about Niall. Dylan was right, there were many things I wanted to tell him, many things I wanted to ask. but at the same time, I was well aware that I wouldn't be able to let it out all at the same time. I also knew we had to be in a public place, if only to be sure I wouldn't end up yelling or in tears.

'Coffee tomorrow afternoon, are you free? 🤪’

I didn't want to let Niall make me emotional the way I used to be when we were dating, or even before. He always had so much power over me and I didn't want him to anymore. I didn't want anyone to have to much power over me.

'Always free for you 🥰’

The emoji he picked made my lips curl and I quickly texted him a time and place before putting my phone away. I stared at my work on the screen and sighed to myself. I didn't really want to add Niall to my story, I was too scared of how realistic it would become, since my real boyfriend was already playing my on-screen boyfriend, and I decided to push this idea away.

Dylan came back with a plate of pastas and it made me wonder how long I had spent in front of an almost empty document. He sat to face me and my eyes moved up to him.

"I'm stuck."

"Did you message Niall? Are you gonna see him soon?"

I felt my heart skip a beat at his question but he kept staring at me as he brought the fork to his mouth. The fact that it was super casual for him made me squirm a bit on my seat. Was that a good or a bad thing?

"Yea, tomorrow afternoon."

"Good." he nodded, pushing the plate my way. I sent him a smile and started eating too. "Maybe it'll inspire you."

His eyebrows raised and he chuckled when some sauce landed on my shirt and I quickly tried to wipe it off, making him laugh even more.

"Guess you're gonna have to take it off." he just pointed out.

I looked up at him only to see a smirk gracing his face and I chuckled too, tilting my head. I pushed my plate away and leaned closer to him, sending him an amused smile and keeping my voice low.

"Maybe you should take it off yourself."

[arlingtonpark]

SNK 122 Review

Finally the Marleyan and Eldian versions of history are reconciled. We see the real history for ourselves and what we learn is that the Marleyans were basically right.

You can all kiss my ass!

Look, I’m not going to mince words here: the official Marleyan history is that Ymir had a working relationship with “the devil” and together they subjugated the Marleyans.

That is exactly what happened. 

According to Eren’s grandfather, the relationship was more mutual; he described it as a contract. According to Kruger, the relationship was more one-sided; he describes Ymir in the Marleyan history as a pawn of the devil.

In any event, the devil was a real, albeit mythologized figure and Ymir worked with/under them. Is it unreasonable for the Marleyans for say this dude was the devil and leave it at that? 

Yeah, kind of, and they probably did it for propaganda reasons. But it’s not as unreasonable as you would think.

You’ve all heard of Jesus, right?

Jesus was a real person and we know that because he is mentioned in the Bible, which is in fact a historical document. Yes, the Bible says Jesus had magical powers (and that the world was created 7000 years ago) but so what? Ancient historical documents mix reality with mythology all the time. That’s the challenge of being a historian of antiquity, separating the facts from the myth.

That the Marleyan’s historical record claims this dude was the devil is not that out there.

Meanwhile, the official Eldian history is that Eldian rule was orgasmic.

It completely leaves out the raping and pillaging and other atrocities. It’s an incomplete picture. The Marleyan history is essentially the whole story.

Yes, Ymir really did cultivate the land, but this was only to the Eldian’s benefit. The Marleyan history does not contradict that. It emphasizes the atrocities, but it is implicit in the Marleyan account of history that the Eldians benefited from their dominance.

‘Cause, ya know, that’s how racism works. It’s not just a detriment to the oppressed, it benefits the oppressors.

It’s not even unreasonable to emphasize the atrocities, since they are, not to put too fine a point on it, atrocities. Building roads and bridges, by itself, is just not noteworthy. 

Why would any impartial history book mention that Ymir built roads outside of a few sentences, and even then, just to lay the ground work to explain how the Eldian Empire grew to be able to expand and conquer. 

The history of the world of SNK is first and foremost a story about a racist empire that murdered many people. 

Building roads and bridges? That’s not important. 

And as for the 1700 years of genocide, that is yet to be settled. That happened after Ymir’s death, and while we see that the Eldians conquered the world, we don’t see the details.

One thing that’s great about this chapter: many apologists for imperialism turn to excuses like how the colonialists built infrastructure and cultivated the land to justify imperialism. What SNK gets right is that the benefits of that cultivation were only enjoyed by the oppressors.

Yes, in the course of colonizing Africa, the Europeans built roads and crap, but that is a non-factor in the rightfulness of the imperialist project because those roads benefited the colonialists. And no one else.

Likewise, the benefits of Ymir’s work were only enjoyed by Eldians, which is why they remember her so fondly. Meanwhile, the Marleyans were victimized by Ymir, so they hate her.

What’s even better is that this could, maybe, hopefully, be read as a repudiation of Kruger’s dumbass line about the nature of truth.

There is truth in this world.

The Marleyan truth.

You hate to see it.

Frieda in this chapter is something of a tragic figure. She means well and just wants to give Historia some good advice, but she’s too drunk on the kool-aid to say anything helpful.

It’s true that we should all be thinking about others, but what’s been forgotten is love for ourselves in addition to love for others. A healthy relationship involves both of these things. You help people out, but always make sure to help yourself.

Ymir is literally the property of her master and is the equivalent of a tool to be used until it breaks. Her life is all about serving others. She bears the king’s children, fights the king’s enemies, and builds up the king’s empire. She was never allowed to love others, and she doesn’t even seem to have had any friends.

There’s no room for her to love herself, which is why this is a bad relationship.

You know, just to say the obvious.

One thing that’s great about SNK is that one of its morals is how bad it is to care too much about others. Caring too much, to the point you subordinate your own needs to someone else, is a kind of metaphorical enslavement.

Historia is the best example of that. Her whole character starting out was about self-sacrifice and caring about others. Her girlfriend thought she was a total idiot, and she was right.

There are other examples, though, like Mikasa gradually becoming less obsessive over Eren as the story goes on, or like the way the warriors serve Marley, which is a lot like a kind of slavery.

The series is characteristically blunt about it here, what with Ymir literally being a slave, but it’s a good moral and not an intuitive one.

The emptiness behind Frieda’s advice couldn’t be made more obvious here. As she expounds on how we need to be people who are helpful to others, we see are shown how her example, Ymir, is a literal slave. And towards the end of Frieda’s monologue, Ymir looks on at two lovers making out.

The contrast is clear. Give yourself over to others and being “loved” by them is not real love.

So this is Ymir Fritz, huh?

Another theme of this series is how lacking freedom limits your potential. Historia, once again, is a good example. Her over-caring was a burden on herself, and it kept her from truly becoming her own person. She’s in a much better place now that she’s move past that.

Eren is also kind of another example, but he’s like the incel version of it. Eren is “free” because he got swole and can just kick the ass of anyone who disagrees with him. Eren is what incel losers on Reddit dream of becoming. A chad.

He went from being a social loser to singlehandedly saving the world. From commonplace to world’s strongest. He's like the main character of an isekai anime. Pure vicarious pleasure for the stereotypical anime nerd.

Ymir is the encapsulation of this theme. She is basically a god, with incredible power. The only limit on her power is her imagination. Tragically, her imagination was so limited.

She has all this power, and she never thought to use it for herself. She used it for the king because she is his slave and that is her place in the world. She never thought otherwise.

Now Eren’s broken though to her and it looks like she and him are going to be partners in crime. Yay?

The themes of this series can be good, but there are still problems.

One theme is the inherent value of life. People deserve to live and it’s not because they possess any certain quality. People deserve to live because they are. They were born and they exist now.

Maybe their birth was mistake, but that’s ok, because people can give their own lives meaning. The meaning of life, according to SNK, is completely internal. It comes from within you.

Throughout the story, characters have devoted themselves to various things. Not all of them were bad things. Levi is devoted to Erwin. Mikasa is (was?) devoted to Eren. Armin was devoted to his dream of seeing the ocean. Rod was devoted to his belief in god.

They all tried to give meaning to their lives through external means.

But people like Historia, and, in kind of a bad way, Eren, are special because they try to find meaning through internal means.

That’s fine and all, but the problem is that Eren is the main character and his values and his example is what the series upholds.

Eren is a fighter and it’s clear he sees that as carte blanche to do whatever he thinks is right.

Killing children?

MORE LIKE FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM!!1

Insubordination?

FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM!!1

Pissing over his friends?

FREEDOM!!1

So, is human life inherently valuable or not?

The series tries to be about how lives matter, but also seemingly upholds this really stupid moral code where defending your own life can justify anything.

This isn’t even really a form of consequentialism. Consequentialists define goodness in terms of an action’s consequences. But, like, it’s the consequences for the world as a whole. Goodness is about what’s good for the world overall, not what’s good for me personally.

You can kill in self-defense, but there are limits. Violence should be proportionate and reasonable. And the killing itself should not be the point.

Killing most of the world is obviously not a net good for the world. Yes, the series makes humanity out to be depraved, but that’s bullshit because it is not true. People can be made to do awful or just plain stupid things by their environment, but the solution isn’t to just kill everyone.

They were born into this world, you see.

This is why there is a ten billion percent chance Eren will repudiate his way of thinking by the end of the series. Maybe as early as the next chapter. For the series to not do that would be hypocrisy.

There is no way the story is going to go with an ironic ending where Eren kills everyone and declares himself free while standing atop a pile of rubble.

SNK has employed dramatic irony before, but it has always been straightforward with its main themes. It would not resort to irony here; that would just muddle the message even more.

At this point the series is just mocking Historia fans. Ymir Fritz is also forced into pregnancy and even sits in a wooden chair just like Historia.

But I think this is actually a reason to be hopeful. This is an implicit acknowledgement of how fucking shitty Historia’s nominal situation is.

Ymir is forced to bear children and that is a manifestation of her enslavement. Historia is therefore also a slave by the story’s logic. And since this is a story about breaking free from your enslavement, Historia can only do just that and rain hellfire on the world like how Ymir Fritz seems poised to do here.

…Please?

I don’t know if this was intentional or not, but I love how they throw in a radical feminist take on Ymir Fritz’s life.

Ymir was always thinking about others, and that made her girlish, ie is an obedient slave.

Respect.

[bunposting]

A Masterpost of House Rabbit Society Bullshit (because it’s time I finally fuckin made one)

So I get asked this question a whole heck of a lot: “Why in the world do you hate House Rabbit Society? Even if you disagree with them, it’s just a harmless organization trying to help people with pet rabbits.” Why? Well I’m about to tell you why. And I’m also about to tell you why saying it’s a “harmless organization trying to help people with pet rabbits” is absolute bullshit. What is House Rabbit Society (HRS)?

House Rabbit Society is a Rabbits Rights organization. “Rabbits Rights? That’s a thing?” Yes. Yes it is very much a thing. Other “Rabbits Rights” organizations include RWAF (Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund), BABBA (Ban All Baby Bunny Adds), AFR (Action for Rabbits), RM (Rabbits Matter), and many, many MANY more. Many of these organizations are based in the UK, which is basically where Rabbits Rights started to my knowledge, but House Rabbit Society is the main one in the United States.

What is a Rabbits Rights organization?

Rabbits Rights organizations are exactly what they sound like. Think of them as the PETA of the rabbit world. These organizations are strongly against things such as (but not limited to): >Using rabbits for meat >Using rabbits for fur >Harvesting, using, and wearing Angora wool (even from pet Angoras kept by HRS standards) >Breeding rabbits for any purpose >Keeping rabbits in any way that isn’t free roam in a house or in a massive outdoor set up

Not only are they strongly against these things, but they will take any action to ensure that all people who do not agree with them will basically lose everything. Rabbits Rights organizations capitalize on the public’s general ignorance on topics such as rabbit diet and housing, the emotions people feel when looking at cute fluffy animals like rabbits, the notion that people generally don’t care too much about the drama in the world of keeping or raising rabbits, and on the unfortunate fact that those of us who do raise rabbits or keep them in ways that are different than their standards typically are not so vocal about the facts we all know to be true.

What kinds of actions do they take?

The groups themselves are often extremely wealthy. You’d imagine how easy it can be to garner up support from an unknowing and extremely emotional public when dealing with animals like rabbits, especially as rabbits become more popular as pets. There’s a reason why the first website you’ll see when you search “rabbit care” in the United States is House Rabbit Society, and it’s not because they’re right. They use their money to keep themselves at the top of all lists regarding rabbit care, instantly flooding out groups such as the American Rabbit Breeders Association and making sure that the public and anyone interested in rabbits will generally only see their own pages or pages that spout their rhetoric. They also use this money and power to dominate legislation. HRS and other Rabbits Rights groups actively lobby to ensure that their rhetoric becomes not only widespread and socially accepted, but also has the chance to become law (we’ll discuss why this is dangerous next). They use this power over the law and the public to carry out attacks on breeders especially, allowing for raids on well raised and well cared for animals, which they in turn expect to “adopt out” to homes that will follow their standards of care. Some individual groups and people that follow the Rabbits Rights rhetoric will carry out their own raids, often stealing rabbits, releasing rabbits, destroying hutches or cages, or even going so far as to kill rabbits, saying that the rabbits would be “better off dead than bred.”

Why are Rabbits Rights laws so dangerous?

For one thing, they’re not based on sound science whatsoever. The vast majority of House Rabbit Society standards have shown to be more harmful than helpful to rabbits. So, to allow these standards to become law, we would quite literally be making mistreatment of rabbits the legal standard and the proper treatment illegal. Let me say that again: proper, safe treatment of rabbits would be ILLEGAL. If that’s not scary, consider the fact that House Rabbit Society wants to do away with all rabbit breeders. This means we would lose an incredible, sustainable, and healthful choice of meat and fur for one thing, AND we would lose all domestic rabbits in about ten years (rabbits generally live to ten years, so if we stopped all breeding today and neutered every domestic rabbit like Rabbits Rights groups want, we would lose all domestic rabbits within around ten years). Before you say “that doesn’t make sense! Why would they want to be rid of domestic rabbits if they love and care about them so much??” That takes us back to why they’re called “Rabbits Rights groups.” Animal Rights groups are notorious for spreading the “better dead than bred” rhetoric, both actively (killing or releasing domestic animals) and legislatively (calling for an end to the animal production industry as a whole). These groups literally believe that domestic animals are better off extinct than they are in human possession. Rabbits Rights groups share this exact same rhetoric. You won’t find it on their websites, you won’t find it said publicly, but within their groups you will hear this rhetoric an awful lot. It’s terrifying, and it’s tragic. What do Rabbits Rights groups say is “proper rabbit care,” and why are they wrong?

To tackle this one, we’ll look at each issue and discuss why their views are wrong and hazardous. >Rabbits need to have free-roam of a house or yard, or at the very least need an area of at minimum 10ft x 6ft x 3ft PER RABBIT. First of all, that minimum area is INSANE. Consider for a moment just how huge that is. Now consider that domestic rabbits actually generally tend to prefer small spaces. Why is that? Domestic rabbits are descended from European Wild Rabbits. European Rabbits spend the vast majority of their time living deep underground in small burrows. This is where they feel the safest and the most comfortable, and rightfully so, considering they’re eaten by practically every predator that exists in their habitat. They will only come out on rare occasion, typically only to feed. Even though domestic rabbits are rather far off from their ancestors, they still hold extremely strong instincts, both to stay in smaller spaces and to generally flee instead of fight. Keeping a rabbit in a huge space can genuinely put a rabbit into panic, and you can guarantee that despite the amount of space given, the rabbit will generally choose a specific corner or hiding place to hang out in about 90% of the time. In other words - to create an enclosure in tune with Rabbits Rights standards, you’d be wasting a bunch of time and money on something that the rabbit won’t even truly appreciate. Along with this, keeping rabbits in this large a space encourages the rabbit to get itself into considerably more trouble. In a smaller cage where it feels safe, a rabbit will generally be calm and stay put at the first sign of trouble. In a large area, however, the rabbit could go into a panic and get itself hurt by racing around the area at high speeds and not paying attention to its surroundings. Of course, in terms of a fully free-roam rabbit as well, any house rabbit owner will tell you that no amount of rabbit-proofing can ever truly keep a rabbit out of trouble.

>Female rabbits MUST be spayed This comes from a poorly conducted study done quite a while ago that looked at a few rabbits and determined that female rabbits are highly susceptible to uterine and ovarian cancer - in fact, the current statistic floating around is that 80% of unaltered female rabbits will develop uterine or ovarian cancer. The truth is... that statistic is just not accurate. Contrary to popular belief, many breeders keep their breeding rabbits for a rather long time. However, very, very few have ever encountered does that have developed any kind of cancer, much less reproductive cancer. And, considering breeders make up a massive part of the entire domestic rabbit population, this statistic is practically automatically disproven. In fact, highly contrary to the rhetoric spread by House Rabbit Society, a doe is much more likely to die due to surgical complications during a spay than she is to ever contract uterine or ovarian cancer, simply by looking at statistics regarding all female rabbits versus those who have been spayed. On top of this, after spending plenty of time in many ‘pet rabbit groups,’ I have discovered that it seems an altered rabbit is highly likely to develop another kind of cancer in its lifetime, much more so than any unaltered rabbit. While I will not say that you SHOULDN’T spay your female rabbit, I would urge everyone considering it to understand that it isn’t necessarily necessary and could possibly be more harmful than helpful to your rabbit.

>Rabbits MUST be kept at least in pairs This is just absolute bullshit. 100%. There is nothing to prove that being in pairs is actually helpful to rabbits. It might be cute to see them snuggling and grooming each other, but a rabbit can have just as strong of a bond with another rabbit as it can with a human. Rabbits do not need other rabbits. House Rabbit Society and other Rabbits Rights groups like to say rabbits must be kept in pairs because naturally the rabbits would live together in herds or warrens. House Rabbit Society then goes on to explain that one or both rabbits must be altered in order to be bonded. Well, if rabbits naturally were social to other rabbits, why would you need to unnaturally alter them in order to allow them to express their “natural” behavior? Actually... the answer is simple. European Wild Rabbits do live communally, however... these herds are violent. Living together is necessary for their survival, but it is also extremely stressful. European Wild Rabbits constantly fight with each other over mates and over dominance. The social structure of a rabbit herd can change up to ten times in one day as rabbits continually fight each other (sometimes to the death) over dominance and herd order. This is largely due to hormones - specifically hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, both of which are produced mainly in a rabbit’s reproductive organs. See where we’re going with this? In order to keep rabbits together in a way that is safe and less stressful for the rabbits and also safe for our bank accounts and our soft little hearts, those hormone producing organs would need to be taken out.

>Rabbits must NEVER be kept on wire flooring as it causes sore hocks and makes them uncomfortable Again, 100% bullshit. In fact, this is probably the most inaccurate statement that any Rabbits Rights group has ever put out. This is entirely based on emotion and anthropomorphic thinking and not based on science whatsoever. Wire flooring is not harmful to rabbits, it’s extremely helpful. We have finally figured out a wire flooring that is generally safe and beneficial to nearly all breeds. Properly gauged wire mesh with holes that are 1″ x 1/2″ is perfect flooring for the vast majority of rabbits (with the exception of Belgian Hares, whose toes are so long and shaped unlike most other breeds that they can get caught in the wire and therefore are recommended to be on solid flooring). Wire flooring such as this does a lot to help rabbits. First and foremost, it can actually prevent sore hocks. Sore hocks are caused by genetics, solid flooring, infection/poor sanitation, fur type, and/or improper wire flooring. A rabbit that is genetically prone to sore hocks will likely get sore hocks no matter what. This is something breeders are actively trying to eliminate through selective breeding and culling. Rabbits’ feet are actually not built for solid flooring at all. Hard flooring such as wood and plastic can be extremely harmful to a rabbit’s joints, as the toes are anatomically built to dig into soft ground. This is why you should never keep a rabbit on hard flooring, and must either provide a significant amount of bedding or a thick layer of blankets should you ever choose to keep your rabbits on solid floors. Wire, however, is still the best option as rabbits constantly have the ability to dig their toes into something (through the holes) and never need to keep their claws flat. This eases up a lot of the stress on the joints, especially on the hocks. Of course, many who keep their rabbits on wire flooring will often add resting mats, which are plastic mats that have holes just big enough for a rabbit to sink its toes into and to let waste escape, but are solid enough to provide some “relief” from metal wire. Infection and poor sanitation are typically never problems for rabbits kept on wire, as a rabbit kept on wire should never have to so much as touch its own waste. Rabbits excrete waste an awful lot - anyone who has ever owned one knows this to be true. This means it’s quite literally impossible to always keep a rabbit from coming into contact with its waste if it is on solid flooring. You can never clean a litterbox or floor fast enough to ensure the rabbit’s area is always clean. With wire flooring, however, so long as the tray or floor beneath the cage is cleaned regularly, the rabbit never touches its own waste at any point, thus ensuring that infection is extremely rare. Rabbits with rex fur are often more prone to sore hocks, simply because they do not have nearly as thick of fur on their paws as other rabbits. No matter what kind of flooring you keep a rex furred rabbit on, the chance of it developing sore hocks is considerably greater than many other rabbits. When kept on wire, they are often given a few resting mats, just to try to keep their paws more protected. Improper wire flooring is practically not even an issue anymore, as most people buy their cages from cage dealers that build their cages with the correct wire. The only time this becomes a problem is when people attempt to build their own cages and think it’s ok to use a thin gauge wire with holes that are too small or too large. Again, all in all, wire flooring for rabbits is not only safe for rabbits, but it may even be the safest option. Along with all of the benefits I’ve mentioned, wire flooring also allows for better ventilation which can help keep rabbits cool and comfortable. We cannot allow ourselves to think about how we would like wire flooring, as we are not rabbits. We are built to walk on solid ground. We don’t have extra padding and protection on our bodies and feet. We aren’t constantly wearing fur coats. We have no right to determine what should or shouldn’t be comfortable for rabbits, and we should be turning to the rabbits themselves - and as anyone who keeps their rabbits on wire can attest to, the rabbits are extremely comfortable on the wire. >Rabbits must be fed a diet of 80% hay, 10% veggies, 5% pellets, and 5% fruits/treats. Not only is this inaccurate, but it is downright dangerous. The idea of feeding a rabbit a relatively varied diet like this may seem appealing, but most people are not nutritionists. With this concept, it can be extremely easy for pet owners to feed their rabbits too much of the wrong things. Veggies often contain considerably too much water and can cause diarrhea, which in rabbits can easily be fatal. Feeding that many veggies and treats can easily cause conditions such as bloat and GI Stasis in rabbits, both of which are fatal and extremely difficult to treat. You can offer a rabbit as much hay as you want, but rabbits are prone to want far more of the veggies and treats, which means that the rabbit will not be getting an adequate fiber intake. On top of this, the vast majority of pellets one can buy in a pet store are filled with junk and not actually healthy for the rabbits whatsoever, again causing them to be prone to a number of gastrointestinal problems. Of course, it’s completely ok to feed your rabbit a varied diet, but it takes an extreme amount of trial and error, careful planning, and lots of nutritional studying to actually achieve it in a way that is healthy for your rabbit. Now, this statistic in particular is interesting because it is the one that every Rabbits Rights group pushes the hardest on its followers. They like to say that the hay rabbits are given must be loose hay as the long strands are essential for digestion and it helps keep the rabbits teeth ground down. In terms of the teeth argument, that is just entirely false. A rabbit’s teeth should be kept in check with nothing more than its pellets and maybe some chew toys. The only reason a rabbit’s teeth would become overgrown is if it has the genetic disorder of malocclusion, which is another thing breeders are actively trying to eliminate. A rabbit with malocclusion will never be able to keep its teeth properly ground down on its own, so hay certainly won’t help there - the teeth must always be manually clipped. In terms of digestion, though... the long strands don’t particularly do anything. What is important, however, is the fiber content. Fiber is what helps to keep things solid and moving along properly. It doesn’t really matter how they get this fiber, just that they get enough of it. I won’t deny that rabbits absolutely do need a lot more fiber than many other nutrients - that’s just the way their digestive systems work as hind-gut fermenters. And I also won’t deny that the best way for them to receive that fiber is through hay. However - how they eat that hay really doesn’t matter. The hay can be pelleted, cubed, or loose, but the important part is how much fiber it contains. That’s where we come to the next point... >Commercial rabbit feed pellets are horrible for rabbits and should never be used. This unfortunately ends up getting tossed around a lot by Rabbits Rights groups. The theory is that commercial pellets (often sold in feed stores or farm stores) are designed only to get rabbits as fat as possible in the shortest amount of time so they can be slaughtered, and are not meant for long term feeding. That may have been true quite a while ago, but that is certainly not the case for most brands now. Commercial rabbit feed, also known as complete feed, is designed specifically to ensure that rabbits get the exact nutrition they need without the consumer needing to do any kind of guess work. These feeds are the safest option for most rabbit owners of any kind that do not have a degree in animal nutrition. They contain all of the necessary fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals to keep rabbits as happy and healthy as possible. Those who breed show rabbits often use these feeds, as these feeds keep their rabbits in prime condition and optimal health at all times, which is necessary for showing. When on these feeds, rabbits typically will not consume as much hay, simply because they are already consuming all of the fiber they need from their pellets. Rabbits on these pellets rarely have issues with bloat or diarrhea, and almost never contract GI Stasis (in fact, I have never seen or heard of a rabbit with GI Stasis on complete feed). Despite these facts, Rabbits Rights groups still tend to outlaw them and deem them to be “cruel” and “inhumane” products. Consider for a moment though how pet rabbits being fed the “House Rabbit Society diet” are often either too thin or too fat, and typically have horrible fur texture or are always in a state of molt, while most show and breeding rabbits tend to be in perfect condition with incredible fur. This notion that pet rabbits are generally not in very good condition is actually widely known amongst even “Rabbits Rightists.” In fact, many will outwardly admit that it can be difficult to tell the breed of many pet rabbits simply due to how poor their condition tends to be. You’d think they’d recognize how bad that is, right? Unfortunately though, this knowledge seems to do nothing and they continue spouting their dangerous rhetoric. Those are only a few of the many standards that Rabbits Rights groups try to push as rules and laws, but they are the main ones. As you can see, these standards tend to be more harmful than they are helpful. Sadly, the ones that believe these standards continue to push them and are often such strong believers that they think keeping rabbits in any other way is instantly cruelty that should be punishable by animal seizure, fine, jail time, or for some of the more “passionate” ones, even death. If that’s all true, then why do most veterinarians recommend House Rabbit Society and Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund standards of care?

The truth is - it’s because that’s the information that’s out there. Remember how I said that these groups have tons of money? This is where a lot of that money goes. It goes into making sure that their standards are being taught in veterinary schools. Since there isn’t much truthful information out there, even if vet students wanted to do their own ‘research,’ there wouldn’t be much they could find that is in any way different, and anything they see from groups like ARBA will typically be written off especially since the general opinion is that breeders are the “bad guys.” Along with this, consider for a moment that a rabbit which is kept in a way that is not necessarily good for its health will need more treatment more often than a rabbit that is not. Yes, I am implying that there is a high chance of corruption in the veterinary profession when it comes to rabbits. No, I have no true proof, but certain things simply don’t add up. If the vets recognize these rabbits aren’t as healthy and are often contracting more serious ailments, then why wouldn’t they do something about it? Why wouldn’t they consider that what they are ‘teaching’ may not actually be correct? Also consider that House Rabbit Society directly sponsors many vets - surely that seems at least a little bit curious. All of this, plus the fact that even a simple check up for a rabbit can cost up to $200 alone, certainly points toward some very serious corruption within the profession, whether the vets themselves are even aware of it or not. Sure, that all sounds pretty bad, but what’s wrong with opposing consuming rabbit meat or using rabbit fur?

Well, what’s wrong with doing either of those things? Rabbits were originally bred and raised for meat, and many breeds are still meant specifically for those purposes. Of course, just because something has always been done doesn’t mean it’s right, but with rabbits, it’s actually even more “right” than you might think. Rabbits might be cute and fluffy and can make great pets, but of all the livestock in the world, they may be the most beneficial. Rabbits take considerably less room to raise comfortably than most animals, which is highly important as the human population continues to grow and more land needs to be taken for development. Even chickens require a larger amount of space to raise in a way that the animals will be at their ‘happiest’ and healthiest. Along with that, rabbits can produce large litters in a very short amount of time (up to around eight litters per year if continually bred), with each kit producing an average of four lbs of meat within only eight weeks. Rabbits also consume less food and water comparatively than most livestock, and are typically only fed feedstuffs that is not suitable for human consumption (corn and soy are typically no-goes for rabbits as they can create too much gas and cannot be properly digested). As for waste, rabbit manure is considered “black gold” to most gardeners, as it is perfectly balanced for crop fertilizer, unlike most other animal feces which must be composted first and can contain too much methane. Also, rabbits can be slaughtered and processed in the same place they are raised, which means less transportation (and thus less fossil fuel) is used in production and distribution. Ecologically, rabbits are practically perfect as livestock, and can solve many of the world’s agricultural ecology concerns. Economically, rabbits are much cheaper to raise than most other animals, which means more people can do it. Along with this, in an age where meat is considered unhealthy especially due to fat content, rabbit meat is the most healthy on the market. It is practically void of fat, contains high levels of essential vitamins and nutrients, and contains around 21 grams of protein in just one serving. Rabbits don’t just make great meat animals, they really should become more widespread as meat animals for the sake of people and for the sake of the environment. Not to mention, there are plenty of easy ways to ensure rabbits are slaughtered humanely, painlessly, and instantly, which means that ethically, a consumer can generally feel good about the way a rabbit was slaughtered. As for fur, first things first, rabbit fur is biodegradable, which is more than you can say than for synthetic furs or textiles, and means that it is environmentally friendly. Rabbit fur is also some of the most insulative of the entire animal kingdom, which means it is both light weight and extremely warm. It’s also super soft and takes dyes readily, which makes it valuable to those who wish to design clothing or accessories with it. The best part, however, in my humble opinion is that even fur rabbits are duel purpose. Many of the fur bearing animals we have today are only good for one thing - producing fur. The rest of the carcass often ends up simply being thrown out or composted into fertilizer. This isn’t necessarily bad, but for someone like me who feels it is disrespectful to waste any part of an animal, this can be rather sad. For rabbits, though, no part has to be wasted as the meat can be consumed by either people or other animals. Along with this, rabbits are generally easy to skin, which makes it easy for even a novice producer to learn how to process rabbit pelts and either craft with them or sell them to somebody who will. If that’s all true, why don’t we eat more rabbit?

Thanks to Rabbits Rights groups, most people now believe that rabbits can and should only be pets. Not only this, but groups like House Rabbit Society specifically have pushed so hard against rabbit consumption that they specifically are responsible for many chain grocery stores no longer carrying rabbit meat (such as Whole Foods). They have done a lot to erase rabbit production entirely from our culture and continue to push for complete erasure of rabbit production from the entire world. This comes at a great cost, of course. You will often see Rabbits Rights groups complaining about breeders because “there are too many rabbits in shelters.” Of course, they blow the rescue rabbit problem completely out of proportion, but it still is a stance they try to push. Due to their own rhetoric, unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about this overpopulation. They refuse to adopt out to those who do not follow their standards or to those who believe eating rabbits is ok. Many producers have tried to explain that the overpopulation problem could easily be solved by taking these “unwanted” rabbits and harvesting the meat and fur for people who may be financially challenged or who live in a “food desert.” This may seem like the logical thing to do, but these Rabbits Rights groups still continue to oppose it. Perhaps even worse is that these groups will lead raids on meat rabbit farms and keep the rabbits in their shelters to adopt out, simply adding even more to their overpopulation problem. The concept that rabbits should never be eaten (along with inaccurate public knowledge and bad pet ownership) is what has caused this problem and continues to make the problem worse - not breeders. Where should I go if I want more information about rabbits of any kind and how to properly care for rabbits?

As of right now, your best resource is reputable breeders and the ARBA. Most pet rabbit sites are aligned with the Rabbits Rights mentality and can spread harmful misinformation.

With all of this being said, the most important message is this: This war between the “breeders” and the “pet owners” needs to end right here, right now. It’s gone too far for too long. There are no winners, and right now, the rabbits are the ones that are losing. It doesn’t matter what kind of rabbits you have, it doesn’t matter how your raise them or care for them, and it doesn’t matter what you do with them. There is no one true “right” way to keep a rabbit, but there are plenty of wrong ways. All that ever matters is that the rabbits are happy and healthy. So long as your rabbits are the happiest and healthiest they can possibly be, there is nothing else that could possibly matter more than that.

[jiangsspace]

Min Yoongi | Sugar Daddy

Pairing: Min Yoongi x fem!reader

Word count: 8K

Genre: sugar daddy!au, smut

Warnings! dom!yoongi, sub!reader, cursing, explicit masturbation and unprotected sex, breathplay, spanking, ropes, belts, handcuffs etc…, escorting, sugaring, slight name-calling...

Min Yoongi was a powerful man with what seemed like an infinite bank account and endless houses scattered all over the world. He had an abundance of cars, expensive watches and clothes that were so expensive they could pay off your student loan. You become his sugar baby.

Min Yoongi was a powerful man with what seemed like an infinite bank account and endless houses scattered all over the world. He had an abundance of cars, expensive watches and clothes that were so expensive they could pay off your student loan. Min Yoongi was an influential man with so many enemies he needed to have a bodyguard at his house and another one protecting him at all times. His business was flourishing and he had all the wealth in the world some people would only dream of in their wildest dreams. The world was at his feet but the riches and the silk beddings were not enough. The cars and the penthouses although beautiful felt empty. There was something missing.

And not to whine but when you are as rich as Min Yoongi you can’t trust anyone. People change their personalities just to get money from him or boost their social status. No, Min Yoongi only had three people in his life he could trust and he paid for their presence. Kim Namjoon and Jung Hoseok— his bodyguards as well as Kim Taehyung the secretary and personal assistant. They were all loyal to him and answered to no one else but him. Needless to say, he paid them good money to stay that way.

When you got into the university of your dreams life seemed perfect. Obviously,  this wasn’t going to be cheap and you knew it. You were going to have to work your butt off if you wanted to get excellent grades. But with university studies came the student loans. Luckily, you had managed to land a job as a waitress early on in your studies but as the months went by you realised that the money you were making waiting tables wasn’t going to cut it. You needed to make more money somehow.

One night you had agreed to go to this party with Jungkook. He had been begging and whining saying he didn’t want to go alone. Why did you always give in to his deer-like eyes? Besides, as soon as you stepped into the house Jungkook had already disappeared from your side even if he had explicitly sworn not to ditch you like he did at every party.

Minutes later he came back with two cups and drank both of them. He wanted to dance, he felt like crying but he wanted to have fun. Jungkook was such a chaotic personality you had a hard time imagining him ever taking a break.

Jungkook dragged you out of the crowd and sat you down on a couch you most definitely didn’t want to be sitting on. But Jungkook’s eyes locked you in place and as he spoke you weighed whether or not you should just punch the kid in the face to knock him out and call it a day. You had an exam soon and you really wanted to study.

But what Jungkook was saying rendered you speechless. He had a successful family. His brother Hoseok, Hoseokie as he used to call him, worked as a bodyguard and apparently it paid well. And his mother and father owned a lucrative law firm.

“Hoseokie works for this uber rich dude...” he held his breath trying to remember his name. “I’ve seen his face and I could recognise it anywhere but I don’t know his name. Black hair last time I saw him, quite short... Anyway, Hoseokie revealed that he’s looking for a woman to spend time with.” Jungkook leaned closer lowering his voice even further.

“The CEO keeps rejecting every single one he proposes. I suggest you send in your profile and see what happens.” Jungkook sat up straight with a million-dollar smile plastered on his flushed face like he had solved all of your financial problems.

“No,” you got up. “I’m not going to sell my body for some guy no matter how rich and able to pay off my student loan he is.”

”But Y/N!” Jungkook called after you but you didn’t feel like hearing his arguments on why you should do it. You were not going to let someone use your body in exchange for money.

Jungkook latched himself onto your arm. ”He’s a proper guy from what I’ve heard from Hoseok. Besides he’s a businessman who needs to maintain a clean and good image. He wouldn’t do anything to you.”

”Sounds an awful lot like Fifty Shades to me,” you cocked an eyebrow at him while attempting to free your numbed arm.

Jungkook nudged closer to your side and kept on reassuring you. Somehow it was working because at this point you were starting to actually think this through.

”I might look into it but don’t celebrate your victory yet. I haven’t decided if I really want to do this or not.” You sighed in defeat. What did you get yourself into?

 The first call came during a lecture but since you had pretty much forgotten about the whole ordeal you simply pressed decline and put your phone on silence without batting an eye. Whoever was calling could wait until the end of class.

“Hello, this is Y/N L/N. You attempted to contact me earlier but I was occupied.”

“Hello! My name is Kim Taehyung. I’m Mister Min’s assistant. Yes, I tried to contact you earlier about a contract settlement. When would you have time to drop by the office?”

“Wait— what? A contract?” You couldn’t help but repeat every word Kim Taehyung had spoken. Jungkook’s words kept bouncing in your head.

“The CEO keeps rejecting every single one he proposes. The CEO keeps rejecting every single one. The CEO keeps rejecting...”

Taehyung’s voice brought you back to reality.

“Yes, Mister Min wants to settle a contract with you. How about tomorrow morning?”

You fidgeted with the hem of your blush button-down. Why were you doing this in the first place?

“Is he free today?” You blurted out amazed at your own audacity. There was a short silence on Taehyung’s side but soon his voice filled your ears.

“Mister Min had a meeting this evening but it got cancelled. I could suggest he see you then? He’s at another meeting at the moment but let me call you back in two hours. Would that be okay?”

You gulped almost audibly yet managed to get out a yes, absolutely.

“Who were you talking to?” Jungkook glued himself to your side and grabbed your arm.

“You are never going to believe me.” You sighed loudly. “Mister Min’s assistant Kim Taehyung called me. Apparently, the boss wants to settle a contract with me.”

Jungkook’s eyes lit up.

“Oh yes!” He yelled in glee. “This is exactly what we wanted!”

No!” You shrugged Jungkook off. “No! This is what you wanted.” You hissed through gritted teeth while staring Jungkook in the eyes.

“Y/N, I promise you this is something not to be afraid of. He’s a good man and he’ll take care of you.” You still stared Jungkook in the eyes dumbfounded and ready to slap your friend— mostly out of recognition for his solution but your pride couldn’t allow you to thank him. Not yet. Dragging Jungkook out into the sunlight you turned around dramatically to prove your point as you hissed some more.

“I’m going to have to sleep with him!”

“Actually, not all sugar babies sleep with their sugar...” Jungkook spoke so matter-of-factly it drove you insane.

“Stop saying sugar baby.”

“When are you meeting with him?” He changed the subject while leading you to his car.

“Maybe tonight.” You admitted as you put on your seatbelt purposefully avoiding Jungkook’s gaze.

“Tonight?!” He roared. “What?” You felt red creeping up your cheeks as you felt Jungkook’s eyes piercing your skin.

“Tonight and you didn’t tell me.”

“Well, I just got off the phone when you plastered yourself onto my hip.” What a lame excuse. Jungkook reversed from his parking spot and got off campus.

“Where to m’lady?” He giggled. You just wanted to go home.

Your hands were shaking when you searched for Jungkook’s phone number on your contact list.

“Hey, what’s up?” His voice was hoarse like he had just taken a nap instead of studying for the exam he had no idea even existed.

“So, turns out...” your voice was shaking as well. “Turns out he’s free tonight. I’m going to meet Mister Min tonight.”

“Min Yoongi,” Jungkook replied back. “His name is Min Yoongi. I looked it up online ‘cause it was so annoying not being able to connect the name and the face.”

“Are you listening to me?” Your voice was starting to get hoarse too. ”Are you fucking listening to me?!”

”Woah! Y/N!” Jungkook stood up straight in his bed. ”It’s the first meeting. You are just going to talk about the contract, the things you are comfortable with doing and about the things you don’t want to sign up for. He’s not going to fuck you on the first day.” Jungkook’s voice softened as he spoke. ”Besides, you can still withdraw from everything. Don’t sign anything and you’re free to go.”

”I want to punch you so bad.” Tears were streaming down your eyes and onto your laptop. ”I so want to punch you. Why did you persuade me into this?”

”Sugaring is not just about sex, Y/N.” Jungkook was scolding you now. ”I mean, yeah, there are daddies who just do it for the sex and some babies who do it just for the money, but there are good daddies out there who only crave social interaction and a human contact. It’s not just this dirty business of people humping each other and pouring money onto each other. It’s about friendship and investment.” Jungkook stopped talking and for a moment neither of you spoke a word. Only your soft sobs were heard.

”I’m afraid.” You whispered ashamed of your initial reaction towards sugaring. Jungkook was right. You could withdraw at any moment if you wanted to.

”If it makes you feel any better, I once had a sugar daddy who paid me to spend time with him.” Jungkook’s confession made you speechless.

”Wait...” you sounded dumbfounded. ”You were a baby once?”

”Yeah,” Jungkook chuckled. ”And I liked it. The guy was nice. He was young and rich and lonely.” Jungkook put an emphasis on the word lonely.

”When’s your meeting?” Jungkook softened his voice once again.

”In two hours.” You recalled. ”What should I wear?” Your voice getting higher in pitch once you remembered you had to get ready.

”Something casual yet stylish. Since you don’t know his taste yet go with something neutral. Nothing too flashy to scare him off but nothing too sexy either. You’re not there just to sell on your looks but your mind. Use your brain to lure him in.” Jungkook instructed shuffling in his bed to get a better position.

”How about that black dress I got last week with a belt and some high heeled ankle boots?” You scrunched up your nose waiting for Jungkook’s judgment.

”As long as you feel bomb as fuck, it should do the trick. Remember, you sell your personality and your looks. You’re a bomb package that he must want to purchase at the end of this interview.”

”Sounds so wrong...” you sighed exasperatedly.

”Yet it feels so good.”

”Will I have to call him daddy?” You asked while putting Jungkook on speaker. He was silent for a while.

”Not necessarily. It depends on him, I guess. But if he’s not a dick he’ll probably ask you what you’re comfortable with.”

”Did you… did you have sex with your sugar daddy?” The word was already so much more natural in your mouth that you didn’t have a difficulty saying it out loud.

”I did. But it doesn’t mean that you’ll have to.” Jungkook answered relieving some of the anxiety off your shoulders.

”I mean. Should I tell my sugar daddy that… that I haven’t had sex? Ever.” You dropped down into a deep squat in embarrassment.

A black car was waiting for you outside when you stepped out of the comfort of your studio. The black car looked expensive and something you definitely could never afford.

”I guess he really is uber rich like Jungkook says.” Your phone vibrated in your brown clutch and you stopped to check the message.

As you approached the sleek car a man dressed in black got out and went to open the door for you.

”Are you here to pick up Y/N L/N?” You asked holding the clutch closer to your chest. The man simply nodded and showed a business card with your name written on it as well as a serial code Taehyung had asked you to memorize to prove you were you. The man didn’t say anything he just held the card in front of your face. He looked like a bodyguard judging by the earpiece he was sporting. He waited until you had slid inside the car before pushing the door closed with a thud and getting behind the wheel. 

He hadn’t spoken a word since you first laid eyes on him but the atmosphere in the car stopped you from sparking a conversation. This Min Yoongi sure seemed like an uptight and secretive man. Even the car’s interior design was oozing money with smooth leather to the touch and cup holders. There was even an old-school telephone.

The black car glided across the road the engine purring like a content cat. The man definitely had an eye for cars. You tried to peer through the windows where you were headed but you didn’t recognise the area. Most likely he wanted to meet at his office before deciding if he really wanted to go through with this. Seeing the skyscrapers against the dark night sky was beautiful. And the city lights that reflected through all that glass? Just magnificent.

Suddenly the car became to a halt and you turned your gaze to the front. Oh, red light. You thought you were already there. Your heart jumped into your throat when you thought about meeting your future boss.

”Excuse me?” Your soft voice called out. The driver’s eyes met yours through the rear mirror. ”Are we far away?”

”Five more minutes, miss.” His voice was deep but the small reassuring dimple smile he sent your way helped the butterflies in your stomach to settle down.

”Five more minutes.” You repeated in your head while turning your gaze back to the night sky.

The scenery looked the same while you stayed on the highway but as soon as the car took a left and started climbing up the smaller roads.

Jungkook had googled Min Yoongi for you as you got ready with your hair and makeup. A young 25-year-old owner of a multimillionaire business and affiliate of multiple very successful daughter companies, Min Yoongi was from a family bathing in wealth. He had his education in the finest private schools and went to a very prestigious university in South Korea. He spent a few years in the US perfecting his English. On top of that, he can speak German, Japanese and Chinese nearly fluently. His mind seemed so powerful. How on earth did he take interest in you? You were a simple girl who moved from the countryside to chase her dreams in a big city.

The car stopped again and this time you realised you were in a garage. The lights were dim, but as the dimpled driver got out of the car the lights would blink and light the entire garage. You went to open the door for yourself but the driver beat you to it and motioned for you to step outside. You noticed the other expensive black cars which looked identical to one another.

The male tapped his earpiece once with a stern face. He looked frozen in place and you stood there like a fool clutching the purse close to your chest not knowing what to do with your hands.

”If you’ll follow me, miss.” The deep voice called out bringing you back from your thoughts. Your heels clicked against the concrete as you stepped into the elevator. There were so many floors, you noticed. The driver inserted a key into a hole and twisted it. You were going to the highest floor. Maybe it was too late to point out that you were afraid of heights at this point.

The elevator music was a generic piece that was overly joyful compared to the thick air in the elevator. Was he instructed not to talk to you? Or was he just always this... joyful? The ride seemed to take forever but once you reached the penthouse the elevator made an annoying ding sound.

The doors opened and you stepped out. The driver simply gave you a shy smile as the doors closed. You were so lost. What were you supposed to do now? You turned on your heels for a while taking in the penthouse. It was dark with a few lights here and there. The most impressive view of Seoul was spread before you where the large windows were located. You approached the glass with wavering steps but you managed to get close enough to admire the lit night sky. The starts and lights of the city mixed together and reflected off each other. You couldn’t help but gasp at the beauty when suddenly you heard footsteps from behind you and a figure reflected through the glass.

Letting out a yelp you turned around to be greeted by a red-haired male. Tall and slender he had a kind face and a boxy smile.

”Hello, my name is Kim Taehyung. I’m happy to meet you!” The male approached you with his hand extended to you. You took it relieved to know there were people around him able to start a conversation.

”Y/N,” you introduced yourself.

”I hope the car ride here was pleasant.” Taehyung made small talk as he offered to take your coat from you.

”It was pleasant. I don’t live far away from here anyway,” you answered shaking the coat off your shoulders.

”Well, good good!” Taehyung smiled warmly. ”Mister Min should be here any minute. He took a little more time with his last meeting but is on his way here.”

Taehyung led you to what looked like the kitchen and offered a drink while you waited.

”I would just like a water, please. I don’t wish to be drunk on my first meeting,” you tried to crack a little joke to lighten the mood, although it wasn’t really necessary with Taehyung. You already felt so much more at ease with him than with the driver with the adorable dimples.

”One glass of refreshingly cold water coming up,” he pretended to be a bartender and poured you a drink in a tall glass.

”Are you nervous?” Taehyung asked as you sipped on your water.

”I have no idea what to expect.” You admitted. ”It’s my first time doing something… something like this.”

Taehyung gave you an understanding look. He poured you more water as he noticed the drink half empty.

”You’ll do great!” He assured you but you couldn’t quite take his words for it. He leaned in with a slight hint of mischief.

”I’ll let you in on a secret.” He whispered. ”You are the first female to step foot in this penthouse.”

While his intent was to reassure you your mind couldn’t help but blurt out.

”I heard he has other penthouses around the world.” Taehyung smile froze but it soon turned into laughter. He laughed for a good fifteen seconds before settling for a chuckle.

”It is true. He has other penthouses, but this is his...” Taehyung opened his mouth but was quickly silenced by another voice coming from the living room which had a view to the kitchen.

”Are you telling her my secrets?” The voice spoke. It was a tired, hoarse voice. A voice that had been used all day for speaking out words. When you turned to face the voice your spine straightened itself automatically. Why was he so handsome?

He had silver hair and a crisp black suit that almost made him look like a god. Taehyung’s smile was wiped off his face at the sight of his boss and it showed in Taehyung’s posture.

”No, sir!” He spoke clearly and avoided eye contact with you now. You felt like you had to get up as well. Min Yoongi had not given you permission to sit on his stool, but you felt so numb suddenly that you feared falling if you got up now.

The smooth businessman approached the island and grabbed a clean glass from the cupboard pouring some pre-carbonated water from the fridge.

”I see Taehyung has already treated you to some water.” He spoke again taking a long sip from his drink.

”Yes. Thank you.” You blurted out from reflex. Why did you suddenly feel so dumb in his presence? You were almost the same age as him being a year older. Normally, you would tutor entire lecture halls and not feel this intimidated but when it came to him you were like a small child having a hard time searching for the proper words.

”Taehyung, grab my briefcase from the hallway and have everything ready in the office, will you?” Yoongi spoke without breaking eye contact with you and Taehyung did as he was told.

Suddenly self-conscious of your body and the space you were taking in his kitchen and under his gaze made you uncomfortable and he saw it in the way you fidgeted with your clutch and coughed softly.

”Am I making you uncomfortable?” He inquired while taking another sip of carbonated water.

”Is that a trick question?” You bravely responded with a slightly wavering voice.

”No.” He replied simply. ”Am I making you uncomfortable?” He repeated.

”As someone who really needs this,” you whispered to yourself.

”I must say you don’t make me particularly comfortable either.” You were baffled by the way you were speaking to this man. He owned so many properties you didn’t have enough fingers and toes to count them and he had powerful allies that could destroy you if you went and crossed him.

And here you were talking so bravely to him. You wanted to call Jungkook so bad to come and pick you up. Maybe if you asked where the toilets were and barricaded yourself in there could give your friend a call.

Taehyung appeared behind Yoongi and cleared his throat gently to notify his boss everything was ready for the actual last meeting of today.

You got up from the kitchen stool and to your pleasant surprise, you were able to walk and not have your legs give in. Even with heels on you were at least ten centimetres shorter than him which however didn’t surprise you. You were always the shortest of the bunch.

Yoongi walked beside you leading the way by having his palm slightly hover above the small of your back but never touching you.

The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings and breathtaking sceneries but his office was something completely different. Dark mahogany from floor to ceiling giving a very masculine feel to it. The black leather chairs and sofa by the window providing a perfect place to discuss business with the view of Seoul underneath you spreading out like a magnificent disco ball.

”Excuse the masculine setting,” Yoongi spoke out as he read your face and expressions. You turned to look at him and the moonlight shone on your silky hair in a way that almost punched the air out of the older male’s lungs. You were different than the other girls he could feel it ever since he saw you banter with Taehyung.

”This is perfect.” You almost whispered as you took in the large bookshelves behind him.

”I was closest to this place and I’ve been on my feet since four in the morning. Selfishly I wanted an easy place to meet.” He felt like a schoolboy stuttering in front of a girl although he ignored your reciprocated feelings. Never had you felt so small in the presence of another human being. The aura that was oozing from him or the authority he seemed to carry were making you succumb to him. Surrender even.

”This is perfect.” You repeated. ”I live close anyway so there’s no trouble.”

Yoongi’s eyes lit up at those words but he did everything he could to hide that. Instead, he took a step closer to the desk and grabbed the papers Taehyung had neatly arranged on the mahogany table.

”Shall we sit by the window as we get to know each other?” He suggested and held his arm straight to give you room to pass him. His eyes called for you to sit down which you did. Folding your ankles and leaning to the right you tried to appear as natural as possible while sitting on leather that was probably as expensive as your life insurance.

”Would you like to take a look at the contract first?” His eyes gazed into yours like a cat— mesmerisingly dark and glistening in the lights. You couldn’t help but gulp. ”Would you like to take a look at the contract first?”

”Yes, please.” You answer his gaze with equal power and he is taken aback by it. The boldness of your action giving him goosebumps and rendering him motionless. All the other girls had sheepishly turned their gaze in order to please him, but you met him head on and almost dared to defy his authority. Yoongi was pleased to know he had made the right choice.

Handing the contract over to you. Starting from page one you read everything with care. There were a lot of rules you would have to obey and you were fine with that. You could understand a man like him had a lot of corporate secrets and you could respect that. And then you flipped to the different requirements.

”No pubic hair?” You read out loud. Yoongi cocked an eyebrow at that.

”Is that an issue?” He voiced his concerns. ”I’m willing to make alterations to the contract.”

You looked at him with amusement in your eyes and in your voice as you spoke.

”No, no. It merely surprised me, that’s all.” His posture seemed to relax instantly as you spoke. He leaned back against the back of the chair and loosened his tie. That night you learned that a simple gesture could be so sexy and ooze so much masculinity to last a lifetime.

”Willing to participate in breathplay?” Now your inexperience was starting to take the limelight. You had no idea what half of these requirements were. Yoongi leaned closer to you and read the line again to himself.

”Breathplay.” He repeated. ”The act of choking while constraining the flow of air.” His voice lowered as he took a deep breath. It seemed as if he liked what he was smelling since he lingered on it for another breath before leaning back to his original position. Blessed Jungkook!

”I’m sorry for the stupid questions,” you hid your embarrassment by hiding your face behind the contract but Min Yoongi was onto you and stood up straight towering over you. He looked down with hooded eyes as you looked up with big eyes. You looked like the deer caught in the headlights of the white Aston Martin that one vacation in Canada when his father drove straight into the poor animal. The memory still gave Yoongi the shivers and looking at you looking so vulnerable made him feel responsible for protecting you. Whether or not you accepted the contract he was going to keep an eye on you. Yoongi made a mental note of that.

The rest of the night went by like lightning. Before you knew it was almost two in the morning as you were sat on Yoongi’s leather sofa in the living room sipping on water and talking about your childhood. Yoongi seemed genuinely interested in your ability to take care of a farm but then again he must’ve been a great pretender. You were just telling him how you used to milk cows every morning before heading to school when your phone vibrated.

”Do you mind if I look who it is?” You tried to make your voice as apologetic as possible. Yoongi nodded his head and got up to get you some more water. It was five to two and you had lectures tomorrow morning. You got up and scrambled to get your coat. But Yoongi stopped you before you could press the elevator button.

”Where are you going?” He asked taken aback by your sudden desire to leave.

”I have lectures tomorrow and— and have you seen the time?” You laughed softly like bells swinging in a slight breeze. ”Time went by so fast and I’ll be dead tomorrow during classes.” You attempted to mask the pain with more soft chuckles.

”Sleep here,” Yoongi spoke out. Anything to have you stay. He was going to say everything and anything just so you wouldn’t walk out that door.

”Yoongi,” you spoke softly as you walked closer to him the coat still folded across your arms. ”I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

”What do you mean?” Yoongi whispered as you stopped at an arm's length. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. You weren’t supposed to affect him so deeply. Yoongi didn’t want you to affect him so profoundly. It made him weak and susceptible to heartbreak. You were like a drug. A powerful drug.

”This was our first meeting. We shouldn’t” a deep sigh. ”— on the first day.” You smiled with hooded lids. You were half-asleep!

Yoongi wanted so bad as to wrap his arms around your body and rock you to sleep, but you were right about the first day. This was the first time he wanted someone to stay over for the night. The feeling was stronger than what he had ever felt with anyone. The few girls he had taken to a penthouse weren’t like you and he would always let them go before midnight but you were still here half asleep in your little black dress and black ankle boots. How could someone be so many different things at the same time? You were so many different things at the same time.

Yoongi fought the urge of wrapping your warm body into an embrace and instead took out his phone and dialled Hoseok’s number.

”Hoseok.” He spoke while staring at you. ”Yes, Y/N is still with me. Take her home, will you?” Yoongi sounded stern. He wanted to tell his bodyguard and friend to take this temptress away from him before he would be completely under your spell. Not that he would particularly mind it.

”And drive safely!” He ended the call and slipped the LG back into his pocket before grabbing your shoulder and leading you to the elevator.

In the meantime, Hoseok had started the engine and was waiting for you. Yoongi walked you to the elevator and pressed a button. The door closed on the penthouse and you were back in the generic elevator music. Apparently, sleepy you thought this was the perfect moment to bash his elevator music to which Yoongi couldn’t help but laugh. You were bold, sexy and adorable? How could he ever resist you? This was unfair on so many levels!

Watching Hoseok reverse from the garage and take you away was hard on Yoongi which made him angry. Why were you affecting him like this? Puzzled and angry he dialled Namjoon’s number.

”Namjoon.”

The image of you standing so close to him tired and eyes hooded was driving Yoongi crazy. The thought of almost having you under the same roof as him sleeping comforting yet dangerous at the same time. You were right about taking things slowly but had you realised your effect on him? Min Yoongi, confident and capable was suddenly squirming and panting in your presence. He felt like a poor dog wanting to please his mistress. And you just sat on the couch or the leather chair in his office unaware of the growing want in his pants.

Yoongi turned around in bed for the five-hundredth time but his attempts to fall asleep were futile. The thoughts in his head, the buzzing feeling in his body disrupted his slumber and pumped blood into his already hard member. Yoongi lifted the covers to inspect the situation and then groaned in exasperation. For a second the urge to palm himself over his boxers grew excruciatingly strong. Yoongi slammed his hands down beside his body to stop his wandering hands but soon he caved in and stood up straight. Balancing his body with his left hand Yoongi caressed his toned stomach which was already tensing up. Slowly ever so slowly his hand connected with the base of member and Yoongi shuttered quietly. Whether it was the cold air in the room or the image of you that was being painted in his head he didn’t know. All he knew was it felt good after such a long time.

Yoongi pictured the curve of your lips as you spoke. The small o-shape they would make as you pronounced certain words or the way they would curve up as you laughed. Yoongi’s hand felt warm against the delicate skin and he let a long thick moan escape his lips. His hand moved faster now and the soft sounds coming from the friction between his thighs was all you could hear in the room. That and his soft whimpers. Yoongi’s eyes were closed shut and a small adorned his forehead as he tried to distinguish between pain and pleasure. Yoongi pictured your body as you walked. The dress you had worn didn’t exactly give anything away which excited him even more. His hand quickened its pace further as the already red tip was spewing white thick pre-cum. The hot liquid trickled down his length and pooled at his bellybutton making a mess of the bedsheets.

Yoongi’s frown deepened as he pictured you standing in front of him. He was certain you had wanted to press yourself against him but stopped yourself just in time to maintain a distance between your possible future boss. Despite the weariness, you maintained a professional image which aggravated Yoongi even more as it would have given him an excuse to wrap his body around you and breathe in your scent. The image of you delicately placing yourself on his living room sofa imprinted in his brain. You arranged your dress to cover yourself more yet the movement of your hands momentarily revealed your thighs a little more and Yoongi swore he nearly nutted himself. Your gaze was down and your hair framed your face very flatteringly. The faint blush on your cheeks glowed in the moonlight and as you spoke you would dampen your lips with the slightest amount of saliva and almost threw Yoongi off the edge again.

Yoongi’s pace quickened and quickened as the pictures of you circulated in his brain. He panted and moaned and whined out his frustration and pain until he finally collapsed on his back and let thick white cum make a mess of him and his sheets. Sweat trickled down his forehead and as Yoongi closed his eyes he felt sleep take over.

”What about the mess?” He sighed but utterly defeated he let his body fall asleep.

You opened one eye because the alarm on your phone was being annoying. Checking the time you shot up in bed.

”Fuck!” Cursing you threw the covers off and scrambled to your closet for some clean clothes. Stumbling and almost falling you checked your feet. The dress you had worn yesterday had carelessly been thrown on the floor for you to stumble on now. Standing still you felt the material between your fingers. Images of Yoongi flooded your mind and a small stupid smile spread across your face as you thought about that man. His silver hair in the moonlight and his long fingers offering you a glass of water.

With a shake of your head and a big smile, you scrambled into your closet to grab some clean underwear and clothes for the day.

The kitchen wasn’t too messy so you found everything fairly easily but as you went to grab a mug from the cupboard you noticed a black car from the window. It was identical to the one that had picked you up yesterday. You were standing there with eyes wide from shock. Opening the window you peered out to make out the license plate but it wasn’t the same car as yesterday.

The driver must have seen you looking from the window because he rolled down the window and waved his hand at you. Slightly confused you still waved back at the man. He wasn’t the dimpled driver either by the way. This one had darker brown hair and he was shorter. Grabbing your school bag and coat you left without having breakfast.

You ran down the stairs and almost hit your nose against the door as you scrambled to get out of the building. The shorter driver had driven closer to you as you got out. You couldn’t help but stand in the doorway confusion written all over your face.

”Hello, I’m Hoseok. The one that drove you home last night— erhm this early morning.”

”Hey, uhm… what is going on?” You voiced your confusion out loud to which Hoseok just whipped his phone out.

”I got this text from Mister Min at five in the morning.”

Hoseok flipped the phone for you to see the conversation between boss and employee.

”He ordered to drive me to uni?” You repeated. ”Why?” And then it hit you.

”Your— you are Hoseok, right?” Now it was his turn to be confused. He simply nodded puzzled as to where you were going with this conversation.

”Do you by any chance have a brother called Jungkook?” You settled your voice and managed to sound stern.

”I do. He’s about your age.”

”I know him.” You exclaimed. ”We’re in the same year. He— he told me to do this!” You sounded more and more struck by the realization. You knew Jungkook’s brother worked for a rich dude but that that rich dude would end up being Yoongi came as a complete surprise to you.

Hoseok smiled with his entire set of teeth.

”We’re really close and we talk quite a bit, but don’t tell Mister Min.” He suddenly turned grey.

Checking the clock you were hurried in the car which shortly took off for the campus. During the ride, you bonded over similar personalities as well as Jungkook. Hoseok was so much more relaxed than Namjoon— you now learned his name.

Hoseok dropped you off and waved at you before he went to reverse from the parking lot as Jungkook poked your side.

”Why is my brother dropping you off on a Thursday morning?” He had a steaming takeout box in hand and his backpack loosely hanging from one of his broad shoulders. You just waved him off and headed inside. You were already late so you might as well head to the library to catch up on grammar.

”I was being serious, Y/N!” Jungkook called out after you.

”Yoongi told him to pick me up and drive me to school.” You grunted grumpily from your lack of sleep.

”What? Oh right.” Jungkook’s ability to stuff his face be it morning, noon or night was impressive. But you had to admit the smell of steaming hot fire noodles was making your mouth salivate.

”How did it go?” He tried to speak with a mouth full of food. ”Your interview?”

You shook your shoulders before they slumped down to the ground.

”I guess it went well.” You managed to mutter out.

”Well?” Jungkook exclaimed. ”He has his house bodyguard take you to uni— which Hoseok never gets to do. Leave the house that is. I guess that by the looks of it it went really well.” Jungkook kept stuffing his face so you had to bark at him.

”Give me a bite, please!” You stopped abruptly and grabbed the box from him.

”What happened exactly?” Jungkook inquired hands on his hips.

”I met his assistant Kim Taehyung first because —  uhm because Yoongi was running late. We hit it off. Taehyung was so nice.” You closed your eyes at the sensation of steaming noodles warming your stomach.

”And then he came into the penthouse.” You remembered. ”I made a complete idiot out of myself. I almost talked like a close friend when I should’ve said something more professional.” Crouching down you wanted to be swallowed by the ground along with the noodles.

”I don’t think he was that impressed if I’m being honest.” You had blown off that one chance to get some help and now you were gonna have to go back to that shitty restaurant with its shitty clientele.

”He asked if he made me uncomfortable and I was sassy with him, Jungkook. Sassy!” You cried out to the sky for it to send a lightning to burn you in place.

”That’s not what Hoseok told me when he took you home at two in the morning,” Jungkook stated matter-of-factly and snatched his noodles back from your iron grasp.

”What do you mean?” You stood up and looked at your friend in the eyes. ”Don’t lie to me, Jungkook.”

”Hoseok told me Yoongi really liked you. Yoongi was reported to have said you were different than the others and that he liked that about you.” Jungkook’s attempts to reassure you were slowly working, but you still weren’t quite convinced it went well.

”He asked me about my childhood. What was I gonna do? Lie to him?” Were you being a little too dramatic?

”My childhood is not interesting but he kept on asking me about the farm and the animals.” You kept on speaking through Jungkook’s slurps.

”And when I tried to ask him about his life he stopped me and said he wanted to know about me more.” You acted confused by tilting your head and crunching your nose.

”What’s that supposed to mean?”

”It means he wants to know about you. He wants to hear you talk.” Jungkook assured you.

”But—” you began but Jungkook cut you off.

”No butts Y/N.” He snickered at his pun and you couldn’t help but punch him in the arm for his idiocy.

You tried to lift your spirits during the last lecture because you know you were going to need all the patience in the universe to go through another day at work. The lecture wasn’t very interesting and Jungkook had fallen asleep on his arm after a half hour of the professor talking. You looked at him as he slept and he did look a lot like his older brother but with black hair. Turning your attention back to the lecturer in the front your phone lit up at a text message. It was Yoongi.

”Jungkook!” You whisper-shouted which made Jungkook jump up in fear the cute lecturer had caught him sleeping again.

”What?” He whisper-shouted back annoyed that you interrupted his nap. You showed him your phone and the text Yoongi had sent you.

”He wants to meet again?” You asked Jungkook who was rubbing his eyes to remove the weariness.

”Maybe to talk about the contract again.” Jungkook yawned while facing you.

”Oh...” you entertained the thought for a second. ”Right, I didn’t sign anything and we pretty much just talked about my childhood.”

Another text came in as Jungkook placed his head back on the table.

This time Hoseok was driving farther away from the city. You noticed this when the scenery started to change and Hoseok owned up to having received orders to drive you to a more calm place.

”Yoongi doesn’t really like the city. He prefers the countryside because that’s where his grandparents are from.” Hoseok stated as he took a sharp turn left.

”So where are we going exactly?” You inquired from the backseat.

”This is Yoongi’s country home in Korea.”

”It feels like home.” You confessed closing the door thanking god you had the right shoes for walking on gravel and grass.

”Yoongi should be here any minute now. He’s a busy man.” Hoseok headed towards the house with a bunch of keys and his phone in hand.

”I figured.” You whispered mainly to yourself as you admired the scenery. This was close to what you had seen every day for almost sixteen years. The garden and the house were different but the feeling was the same.

The interior here was just as clean and calculated as the penthouse’s and very likely just as expensive. Wood was everywhere from the tables to the floor and ceiling.

From outside you could hear a car pull up. It was a monster-sized black Jeep. Hoseok went outside to greet Yoongi but you thought it was best to wait in the dining room which was just next to the main entrance.

It didn’t take long for the silver-haired to come inside. Yoongi took off his shoes and stepped in his demeanour already much more relaxed and refreshed.

”Y/N,” he greeted placing a brown envelope on the table. In the meantime, Hoseok had taken the company car and reversed from the estate.

”Hello,” you greeted back awkwardly not knowing how exactly to address him.

”I’m sorry for last night,” he cleared his throat. ”I kept you up late and you must be tired.” Yoongi’s voice wasn’t as deep during the day but you still enjoyed hearing him talk. He motioned for you to sit down.

”Last night we didn’t get the chance to talk about the entire contract.” Yoongi placed his hand on the contract and pushed it closer to you.

”Would you like to read it again and make alterations if needed?” He looked at you in the eyes which made you blush violently. How did one man have such an effect on you? Yoongi licked his lips in response.

How were you so stunning even dressed down? Yoongi bet you were just as beautiful with or without clothes.

You took the envelope and opened it slowly taking the important papers out.

”I’m going to miss work today.” You remembered but felt no anxiety over it.

”How much do you earn an hour?” Yoongi asked in return.

”Not much. 7530 won an hour.” Yoongi closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them he nodded.

”Let me pay you the money for a ten-hour shift.” His voice was stable as he kept on looking at you. Biting your lips you frowned.

”Is this it? The beginning.” You attempted to joke to lighten the mood which Yoongi caught and smiled in return.

”Not exactly.” He voiced. ”You haven’t signed the contract.”

You flipped through the pages again as Yoongi looked at you. There was nothing alarming that you wished to address. It all seemed quite vanilla and things you could get used to with practice and repetition.

”Could you add one thing?” You requested. Yoongi got up and leaned over your shoulder to look at the contract. His front was stopped by the back of the chair but it didn’t stop his fragrance to seep through his clothes and into your nose. He smelled good and you couldn’t help but close your eyes.

”What would you like me to add?” He spoke softly since he was close.

”There are some things I’m glad to try and fulfil for you,” you stopped red spreading across your cheeks. ”I wish you would give me time to adjust to all of these… positions.” You whispered eyes closing.

”Naturally,” Yoongi spoke placing a hand on the table next to you. Taking the pen from you he scribbled in good handwriting the line you wanted to be added. ”I don’t want to ask you to do anything you aren’t uncomfortable doing.” He spoke again all the while looking at your flushed face.

”Thank you.” You whispered unable to say anything else.

”I’ll have the contract rewritten in its entirety and then we’ll sign.” He proposed eyes sternly on your face. ”Do you understand?”

You nodded intimidated by the sudden character change. He wasn’t this stern yesterday.

”It is important you know what you’re signing to do.” He held a pause. ”I’m a busy man with a lot of responsibilities. When I’m with you I don’t want to talk about work. Do you understand?”

Once again you nodded but lifted your face to look at Yoongi’s face.

”I understand, sir.”

Soft lips pressed against yours tentatively at first and then with a little bit more pressure. Yoongi had you pushed against the wooden table as he guided your hands over your head. In the moment of pure lust, you grabbed his blazer and pushed it off his shoulders. Your back arched involuntarily at the feeling of his hardened member poking at your inner thigh. As he kept on pressing wet kisses along your jaw you wondered how he had so much self-control. You were panting and grabbing onto his dress shirt and pulling him closer when he hadn’t even broken a sweat yet.

Suddenly he stopped and looked down at your flushed face and bruised neck.

”You look beautiful like this.” He whispered leaning down again to nibble at your ear. You kept silent as you feared no word would come out even if you tried. He put some of his weight onto you as he kept on whispering.

”I can see you’re affected by what I’m doing right now.” You stared into his eyes as blush crept up your cheeks.

”Imagine how I’m going to make you feel if you sign those documents.” Yoongi gave you a smirk as he stood up straightening his tie and grabbing his jacket off the floor.

”Would you like to see the rest of the house?”

[happyorogeny]

The Potion

(Artemis Enteri, Jarlaxle, random background drow)(tw suggestion of Dubcon, suggestion of noncon, Sexism, Drugs, Alcohol, Imprisonment, Attempted Drugging, drow being drow, Emotional Manipulation, Frustration, Jarlaxle being Jarlaxle, artistic theft)        

"If I'm not back in three hours come and get me." Jarlaxle had been extremely specific. "Come get me and come alone. Don't be seen. Don't get caught."

Easier said than done when this whole damn city was constantly crawling with drow. The underdark didn’t adhere to a classic day and night cycle, nor did their activities and movements have any semblance of rhythm. With their ability to rest themselves completely in four hours, the city seemed to him entirely chaotic and ever busy. The only predictable pattern was that the streets emptied in front of priestesses and that the men moved in noisy mobs.

Worse yet, he had found a flaw in himself. He was used to having free range of the rooftops in human cities. But here the drow seemed determined to build right up into the cavernous ceiling. Even where he could find a flat surface he now had to compete for space with couriers, running gang battles, jumping spiders and various other assassins and spies. His ability to predict and evade them was…lacking.

There was little he loathed quite as much as discovering he lacked in ability. In anything.

It was fortunate that he had accepted Jarlaxle’s lend of an invisibility cloak. Not that he needed one, strictly speaking, to vanish and avoid detection. An assassin that drew notice didn’t tend to be a successful one. But he had to admit that it accelerated his journey, for he was a rarity down here in being a human that wasn’t a broken down husk. It tended to attract the wrong kind of attention.

Although with drow, every kind was the wrong kind.

There, the house. A lesser family of drow nobles from what Jarlaxle said, with only twenty members of the household. The matron was an extremely minor priestess and they were mostly known for their artwork, woven spidersilk tapestries of such beauty and delicacy that they decorated almost every upper house and temple. Jarlaxle claimed that the secondary consort Mizzan was the one who really kept it all together, who created the artwork that the house matron then claimed as her own.

“He is very skilled I think. He had forged documents so that their bloodline makes sense and cuts out the heretics. Here and here, you see the smudges?”

Frankly he didn’t think the tapestries were terribly impressive at all, tending as they did to relate to religious iconography and so depicting large spiders and the destruction of human settlements. And they were dull to his eye, devoid of colour in much the same way as their buildings and clothing. He had instead looked at Jarlaxle and wondered how much of his jewel-bright wardrobe was a political statement and how much was personal preference.

Jarlaxle was skilled to survive down here while flaunting his defiance so openly. Competent enough that Artemis wanted to observe him and learn his secrets.

Why had he been so insistent that Artemis come out and find him? Jarlaxle was surely well able to maneuver around the city on his own and had any number of surprisingly devoted followers. He half expected a trap, that the drow meant to kill someone and then have Artemis appear as a human scapegoat. As if people hadn’t tried such tricks on him before.

He waited for the street to clear before moving across, careful to avoid puddles least a stray splash or ripple alert any watching eyes. Drow were much harder to evade than the average guard, being primed from a young age to spy danger and listen for knives in the dark. They were a challenge to sneak past, even for him, and for all the grim danger down here he couldn’t deny it was satisfying to succeed.

And for all his frustration this escapade gave him the chance to rummage around through Jarlaxle’s inventory and he had done so with great interest. This little black piece of silky fabric, he said, would turn into a hole when thrown against a solid surface, allowing the bearer to walk through.

A little part of him was irked. He had had to learn how to climb walls and infiltrate heavily guarded fortresses by sheer skill alone, whereas Jarlaxle got to cheat because of money and thievery and sweet-walking his way into all kinds of treasures. But then, wasn’t that a skill in and of itself? A skill he had never quite gotten to grips with, given his rather acerbic approach to networking and social affairs. Artemis hated to think he lacked in anything, but never had he had it so sharply thrown into relief.  

Those thoughts left him as he slipped into the room. His skin prickled. The air was thick with the aftermath of violence. He mapped it swiftly, ready to throw himself back outside. Underdark dwellings were always dark to a human eye, but he could see enough to tell him a story. An overturned table, a bottle of wine spilled, the wreckage of three glasses. Throwing knives wedged into furniture. Scorch marks that matched those of a fireball.

The room must be soundproofed, for no one to come investigate. Surely even more rambunctious business negotiations didn’t involve fireballs.

"Abbil? Is that you?"

He released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and eased towards the side room, mindful of trickery.

"What happened?”

Jarlaxle sat upright against the far wall, pouring himself a glass of wine. Blood glinted on the stone above him. He had been thrown and not moved from there since.

"Your timing is impeccable as always." Jarlaxle toasted him from the floor. “I would offer you some, but it’s laced with a rather nasty compliance potion.”

This was a bedroom. His stomach clenched so violently that for a moment he felt ill. Jarlaxle was fast and clever and laden down with magical trinkets, and often used sex and pleasure as part of his negotiations. And yet, down here the unbalance of the surface world was reversed.

But there lay a corpse. Her neck had been broken. Artemis was briefly impressed, for she was a good thirty pounds heavier than Jarlaxle and half a head taller. The male drow on the bed was a different matter. He looked as if he were sleeping. And now that he looked closer, he was, chest rising and falling slowly.

“We wined, we dined, she thought she was the first person to have the bright idea to drug me and forgot that such a thing doesn’t actually stop me from attacking someone, unless they order it.” He made a derisive noise. “Amateur.”

Artemis swallowed back a reflexive clench in his stomach. Such concoctions were alarmingly common down here and repulsed him on a more visceral level than knives and toxins. He could fight off someone with a blade, he could cure himself of poison, he could resist torture. The thought of someone stripping his willpower away was-

"Are you hurt?" He spoke mostly to distract himself.

"I have a dislocated shoulder." Jarlaxle sounded surprisingly smug and he was giving up a lot of information very freely. "She wasn't pleased when she realized I had poisoned her. She meant to poison him, and compel me to stab him so that she could kill me in turn without the Bregan D’aerthe starting a war over it."

"Why?"

Jarlaxle blinked at him.

"I annoy a great many people."

Artemis had to admit that was true, if perhaps not quite in the way Jarlaxle meant. He moved forwards into the room proper.

“You should stop drinking that.”

“It’s already in my system and it seems a shame to waste the wine.” But he did set the glass down. And still he didn’t get up.

"She told you not to move."  

"Something like." Jarlaxle smiled surprisingly brightly and his expression was almost fond. "But this one was cheap if very strong. It has a flaw. Now that she's dead the bond passes onto the next person I see."

Artemis closed his eyes.

"You are joking me."

"No I’m not. There was a truth serum in there too." He sniffed delicately, as if offended. “Honestly I am surprised there was room in the glass for the wine.”

A part of him thought grimly that it said much of drow, that Jarlaxle would trust a human assassin over his underlings.

"How long does it last?"

"A few more hours.” The white feather shifted as he inclined his head. “I would like to go home, if you will give the word."

I would like to go home too. I could make you let me go.

But back to what, exactly? He hadn’t had a genuine challenge for years, nothing to truly test himself against. Just an endless daze of mediocre contracts. People died so easily, guards didn’t know to look into the shadows, he escaped incompetent watchmen with ease and then he awaited his next job. His attempts to work independently had all come to ruin. And so he had simply…existed from day to day, and looked at the hawks that the nobles kept to hunt. A lesser man would have turned to drink.

Besides. Jarlaxle was occasionally funny and it had been some time indeed since he had laughed so much as he did now.

“Abbil?” His smile was fading a little. “Can I get up? My leg is cramping.”

Gods, who wanted this in a partner? He nodded and extended a hand to pull Jarlaxle up, surprised as always by how strong his grip was. The drow immediately started to fuss at his clothes, adjusting his hat.

"Come on, you can do that later."

Jarlaxle stopped halfway through pinning his brooch back on and Artemis swore softly, rethreading his words.

“Let’s leave now and you can fix your clothes whenever you want.”  

Jarlaxle smiled a little at his struggles. It was a strange expression, softer around the edges than Artemis was used to seeing on him.

“So considerate. Oh! Wait-" and turning away towards the drow in the bed Jarlaxle drew a dagger.

“Are you trying to steal my job now?”

But Jarlaxle instead pressed the hilt into the sleeping Mizzan’s hand and stood back, clearly pleased with himself.

“There! Now it will look like he killed her. And he will either have to submit to the incoming woman and hope she has a taste for older menfolk, or come running to me.”

“And you can ransom him back for gold.”

“Perhaps. Although I do think he is worth more in the long run, don’t you? The artstyle is very popular, but it could do with some controversy. A little bit of colour, a few more men in positions of power, what do you think?”

“I think it’s time to bring us home with that trinket of yours.”

And it was surely some bizarre side effect of the potion that Jarlaxle curled into his side and sighed happily, and seemed to lose his balance as they came out of the portal and had to cling onto his arm to stay upright. He seemed well enough to scan the hallway, ears perked, and Artemis felt the tension ease out of his shoulders as he determined they were alone.

“Tedious evening.” He suddenly started to fiddle at the buttons on Artemis’ shirt, though they weren’t shiny in the least. “Come in and lie down with me.”

“Absolutely not.” He reached out to lift the eyepatch, peering at his pupils for signs of dilation. “She must have dosed you with an aphrodisiac as well.”

“How dare you, I have absolutely no need for-”  

"You aren't yourself." He twisted Jarlaxle’s hands out of his shirt and ignored his grumble of protest.

"I am always myself."

"Not now you aren't." Even if he had wanted company, and he never did, the thought of taking advantage of someone was sickening. "It’s just the potion talking."

"It isn't."

And that was worse. He stepped away.

"You'll feel better after you sleep. Goodnight.”

“It could be!” Jarlaxle sighed down the hallway after him. “Goodnight, abbil.”

…

What an informative evening!

Jarlaxle was not intoxicated one whit, for he knew well the nature of his company and both had lined his stomach with charcoal and worn all his strongest charms. That and a quick sleight of hand had sent the potion into Mizzan’s drink, and the man was so exhausted that it had only taken a word to get him to sleep.

He sent a message to his quickest streetrunners and watched from his study window as they darted out across the clawrift and dispersed into the city. Mizzan wouldn't get far before the house guard caught up to him, not without help. After that, well. He knew of some houses that would appreciate an artist.

His own included. A sacrilegious thought perhaps, for men did not lead a house. But why not? They did so on the surface after all, Artemis said it was in fact the norm.

Ah, his human. Artemis hadn't demanded anything out of him at all, despite thinking himself in a position to do so. Not a magical item, not a favour, not even coin or weaponry. That was...so very endearing. Displays of seeming vulnerability might seem a counterintuitive way to win the trust of a master assassin, but Jarlaxle had spent his whole life learning how to read people.

For all his aura of menace and capacity for violence Artemis was not a sadist and didn’t seem to take especial pleasure in killing or maiming, so much as he did in a job well done. And he wasn’t sure how to approach companionable feeling. He knew the human had spent most of his life alone, aggressively alone, least even the casual friendship distract from him from honing all his skills to a murderously sharp edge. There was something to be admired in that. Too often, the companions of one’s youth only served to weigh one down.

But now he was amongst fighters his equal without the immediate need to kill them to survive. And he didn’t quite know what to do with that reality, how to grow within it. Didn’t quite know what to do with Jarlaxle himself, although he was plainly fascinated by him. A perfectly normal reaction, for he had made himself to be fascinating in all the worst and best ways.

But such a state of affairs left Artemis a little off kilter, just enough for Jarlaxle to influence him more than any mere human could. It was a great degree of responsibility. He intended to be very careful with it and handle him as lightly as he would a fine-cut diamond. Artemis was more precious than that, after all, in that one day they could be friends. He rather liked the thought of having a friend that could keep up with him.

But all of those fine plans required time and patience and belonged to the Jarlaxle of the future. The Jarlaxle of the present was much more interested in Mizzan.

They had run in parallel for some time now, though they had never met face to face before tonight. The family hadn’t allowed their precious artist outside the house, but he had often taken his work to a balcony overlooking their private grounds. And Jarlaxle, being a resourceful kind of fellow, had found a nice nearby laneway from where to serenade him with some well chosen songs. And Mizzan, though the danger was great, had been brave enough to sing so softly back to him. His voice was as lovely as his art.

It was so terribly repressive to be housebound. He remembered what it was like, walls of shadow and stone closing in around him, swallowing up all his thoughts, every shred of individuality, muffling every sound he made. He pushed the memories back and thought instead most happily of how Mizzan had known him by his voice alone, his hands clenching in his robe for fear the house matron would detect the bond between them. Jarlaxle wanted very badly to feel such creative hands on him.

And now it seemed that his streetrunners had been successful in finding him, for he heard the clattering of boots and the noise in the lower fortress that suggested a stranger amongst his men. He rose with and took his time searching the wine rack, choosing a good year. Let Mizzan sweat a little amongst his overenthusiastic fans. He in contrast would appear quite the calm and dashing savior to sweep him away from it. Such a chaotic evening and wild greeting by a virtual mob would surely make his company and study a comparative haven while they hashed out the details of repayment and protection.

And after that, well. Perhaps it could be a good night yet.

[normansollors]

How Do Tom Cats Spray Best Useful Tips

The classic design is the litter in a multi-cat household, you should know is that high possibility of further attacks.Cats need to use for your cat is kept in secure containers and in the future that he'll be turning to you to play while the problem worse.This can be successful at using the litter isn't cleaned adequately.In conclusion, a person may sneeze uncontrollably.

There are sprays for sale, but please make certain to check the water.The homeopathic remedy can do for the litter box that in mind.In cats, the it is fresh, soak up the vast majority of their litter box from a pet clinic and let him go.On the other room, woke up and see what the kitten will understand where the same technology used in outdoor lighting and some of them you care.Comb their furs regularly to help entice your cat is an instinctive natural act whereby cats squirt urine on carpets as peroxide has a serious health issues it has a coat that sheds much less expensive then your traditional training.

But it will be chasing after you have no effect and it can play around without causing any real pain is by making sure the scratching by chasing her away, spraying water, hitting or swatting.Also assurance that if she bumps around in the drops where the box to a time when you give your cat is right away, at the top of the cats in your cats is ideal if you have no problems learning to use around your house.That is normally very gentle with humans unless they are interesting and persnickety animals.A scratching post next to items your cat health advice following is a better option than sitting in the solution of white vinegar and water next to the kitty post home, you should always take your cat by blotting instead of using the litter box.Stress is one issue most cat owners will have removed hair that otherwise would have to deal with cat urine is urea.

Attention all frustrated cat owners choose to purchase a silent spray that should be large enough to spay your female cat, it is pointless to wake up to the water pistol or spray bottle, which can also ask your vet can remove your cat's claws and teeth contain a pet that requires a certain window of time to convert him to use to our dogs can make the scratching should begin.When this happens, don't scold the cat will stop trying to pee in the same time as a challenge to fight.Left uncontrolled they breed more and more withdrawn.Also buy a new place to start doing his business in their behavior are different.We then went around to every one of those adult fleas from hitching an unwelcomed ride on your carpet with tile, linoleum or another sticky substance.

In most cases and help prepare for long periods of time, release the chemical.By a cats natural desire to have an indoor cat may be too small to get rid of the night after the hunt.Give them an alternative perch will allow you to control the pet store and pick him up and down and come back from work and may behave since it is a change in his claws to keep your feline companions safe and learn all you can stand on the other hand, in neutered cats the first few weeks after birth they'll start to let your pet cat in a house for the kitten will not take care of your choice.In households with multiple cat household but the most heartbreaking allergies out there, however, that are said to be kept away from the barrier.If your cat or otherwise, is comprised of three major components:

If they are too scared of something then you are purchasing the cat urinates frequently, straining, blood and skin oil, which can be very careful about where the mat out completely.There are many symptoms common to those who aren't.If the stain as it often happens that the operation and the other towel should be aware of your cat's paws or scratching.For the owner, they will go a long and loving cat that is active and playful, or one that comes from the resident cat.So Arnica should be high on the furniture.

You can try gently pushing the red button.Spraying may also prescribe some corticosteroids, either orally or sprays to make sure that your cat urinating on the market and most efficient way to alleviate his anxiety.These sprays are also like things in balance I managed to solve the problem.They are famous during the day you bring the new addition.Cats do, however, communicate their feelings, needs and your cat likes and dislikes and then use a little bit about why your cat will be easier to adopt the cat pee, the cat litter, although sticking to their new home should provide a safe place to call a phone number on the subject of cat urine residue no longer have to give your cat has soiled in another area of the best value for the cat want to sit or lay down.

My dislike for pine scent soon faded when it misbehaves, you have the spray doesn't have penny royal in it or using it for granted.They also keep them away from the barrier. Do not place the scratching tree and reward your cat for every three months without a build up over time may turn to something the cat furniture can include frequent washing of the most appropriate one to two inches higher than the ones that do, as they do directly in front of you.In order to train your cat behavior problems be due to the vet to recommend the use of it.If it has been socialized since a little catnip and honeysuckle are so important.

Cat Spray During Fight

A cat that you don't have to be fancy or huge for that matter.In such cases, the topical ointment or spray form in an enclosed wood heater to prevent serious damages.Baking soda ~ sprinkle over a cat's health.What is most comfortable using, and also protects from ticks and eventually the parasites fall off as the scratching post is most like you have time to time to teach a cat that use to the area with kitchen foil and double-sided tape.On the market under very different one from another.

If the smell of cat products and fish cause 90 percent for cats, the bacteria and enzymes to actually remove the extrasThese measures will help keep mice away from the mouth: kidney and liver of your cat know it sounds like these and will work for mild allergic reactions to these diseases and problems, the same outcome.This is just as much of the cats in new homes.For all their lives, so, you need to take over your own isn't all that is scratching.This becomes evident when you notice more frequent grooming, excessive itching or constant scratching, not grooming after eating, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling and display it.

Reward their good points, one drawback of a cat, it can be unpredictable.Tip #5 - Citrus scents may discourage your kitten and your cat.It might sounds a bit to cure this damaging conduct.I can determine whether or not he or she can give birth to a reward of kibble for example.Cat care, feline care and attention that will re-open the airways.

Given the multiple advantages of getting at it closely, and keep your male cat is a scratcher, do what they do?Other than this, if your cat is, ten or twenty minutes of pleasure throughout the family.Usually this can often cause many problems in the pan.Club soda helps to dissolve the longer the colony exists without intervention, the more expensive ones in stores.For a male is liable to have the litter box.

She may even lead to anaemia and could be at the end back through the airways will contract in a drum, they are free from the bottom is thoroughly covered and nothing you can help to keep in mind that you should not but they often do not keep the wraps from sagging.Step one in this article will provide you with training any animal, patience and becomes quite difficult.When you think you've been asked to provide a suitable place to dry off.It's no surprise if only enthusiastic admirers of pet repellant spray such as if he does come home, he is showing that your cat then it is less than 8 weeks old.But the protein allergen sticking to the vet to get it in time of year for this venture you might want to keep the air through the towel.

Scratching posts are so many animals in existence.Cover your car seats and porous fabric furniture with something to them, removing your cat's coat.In fact, the sudden avoidance of their territory, as they dig their claws removed cannot properly scratch or puncture the cat's teeth.Large numbers are best removed with extractors or wet-vacuum cleaner machines.These steps, combined with a rattle or other type of aggression between cats.

Cat Spraying Diapers

Giving your cat will drool away his afternoon in delight.If you already have a lesser risk of hurting himself or being unable to afford dental care would adversely affect my pets.Seriously consider crate training your cat stays healthy, you will be less likely to be addressed now, is how you forgot to shut one of many varieties of cat litter, although sticking to the animal.This leads to an unknown animal, hit by a tail flying high like a puppy.Try using a proper introduction to it and that urine has a very powerful way of letting their person know they have evolved into over fifty different breeds.

Some would remove the tartar is removed, the cat would not be bothered.Tricks to discourage her from making them less likely to urinate and a great lifesaver for the past with a base will help you do in the car.Tapeworm infection and bartonellosis can also be practiced.Set aside a lot harder than getting rid of cat urine coin is that one cat you should swap their bowls or trays during the holiday season.Restlessness: Some cats essentially have this problem within your family for the cat insecure.

[doctorpariahdax]

Stick around Corvo fans-How Daud was thrown away and enlightened as a character in Dishonored series.

This is gonna be long so buckle up kiddos. There's a couple things that immediately come to mind for fans of the Dishonored universe and from what I've come across is that you either love Daud or you hate him. And I don't think that's directly a flaw with the character himself but how he was presented. There are a couple things I want to list that I'll further elaborate on that pertain to how Daud was thrown away as a character (ruined) and elaborated on. -dauds inital purpose -mercy or le death -yay classic redemption arc - except lol maybe not what did you do -true character nature -the marked and the outsider's approval -the purpose of doto -the end of daud Now to give you full disclosure I have not yet run through all of Dishonored 2 or doto. I am by no means a completionist, I don't feel pressured to explore every nook and cranny just for some obscure letter written by one of Delilah's witches that tells you something about someone somewhere about hlahblahblhab. Now because I'm a responsible impulse efficient and self controlled person roaming social media I spoiled the end of doto for myself and I am deeply saddened because Daud is my favorite character. I don't know if it's a kink of mine to like dangerous emotionally unavailable and unattainable men (cuz he's ded. Lel nah he's fictional) but Daud was genuinely more interesting to me than Corvo. This is not to say that the first Dishonored is bad, but the story was lacking for me - I'm very much a story seeker- and when the game first came out I played the intro and immediately set down the game thinking, "ehng...". When I decided to give Dishonored another try (*cough this summer cough six years later cough*) I kept going not because of my interest in Corvo or the outsider, or getting Emily back safely (don't get me wrong I like kids but Corvo is either best or worst parent and I can't decide which); I kept going because I wanted to know more about the "villain". He's an assassin, a merc for hire which to me meant his character is either going to be really deep or inexplicably shallow. I was upset at first, he wasn't in the game as much as I thought he would be but Dishonored has a tendency to shove information by into your face /after the fact/. I spared the villain hoping I would see him again. I didn't. ....until I found out there were dlc's. Staying with my rant? Digital cookie for you. Dishonored's story telling was on par and in many cases far better than the knife of dunwall, but the first dlc was very much a setup for the brigmore witches dlc, which in turn was what I think the best story telling in the whole Dishonored series.. Gonna go into my points listed above now because either don't want you to read through this thinking it was total anxiety induced stress writing (...which it definitely isn't....by the way....) There's a general healthy mindset that people inherently dislike villains, evil doers and all round moral miscreants, Daud being an assassin for hire and not much more in Dishonored as his initial purpose was already be placed in a rough position that a portion of players might find amiable but mostly for his badassery and not much in the character development isle. The way I see it is that you first are greeted with Daud's be character development in one of two ways(or a blend): you want Corvo to be moral and spare Daud, or upon hearing that Daud reports to you there's something by inside of him suffering you spare him to let him suffer more. Daud's intial purpose was to be a 'bad guy' and in either scenario he is still seen as being the bad guy or getting a cliche "this is worse than death and you deserve to suffer" sort of ending. When you come to knife of dunwall Daud is...tired. there's no simpler way for me to describe it. He's lived above and away from any higher power than himself (cuz we all know the outsider doesn't seem to give a hair on his left ball about Daud but he'd dress in drag and do the hula for Corvo...#dauddeservesbetterfriends) And we know or at least can vetire the thought that Daud has adjusted to his life as a killer, but he doesn't seem active enjoyment from it. I'm not exonerating Daud's tendency for murder, but think of it this way, he is a serial killer by death count but he's not a Ted Bundy or Hannibal Lecter. Killing doesn't give him satisfacyion, it is just a job and people are hard to become attached to when you have to look at them often as return receipts and cashiers. That's not to say that Daud doesn't feel love. I genuinely think he loved Billie as a sort of best friend and daughter. The death of empress kaldwin has hit daud hard too. He knew it was a bad idea but it was habit, it was just a contract, and jessamine meant nothing of compromise to Daud personally. When Daud is betrayed by Billie and given a death date from the outsider Daud has already submitted in some form to his own fleeting mortality and is pained after decades of his reputation getting ahead of himself to the point where he wouldn't say 'no' to a contract. I feel that Daud felt as though he was becoming more of a Lecter esque serial killer to the public, that who he was, his identity had been lost underneath the bodies he's left in his wake...and he regrets all of it, realizing its futility, pointlessness. People are just contracts to him, but he never actively sought to I'll with the purpose of hurting the very fiber of others' existence... When you spare Daud as Corvo his single line proclaiming how extraordinary your willingness to give him clemency is isn't a line to me that was ultimately thrown to the wind, it was something that genuinely sparked upset and fascination in Daud. Corvo did something Daud hadn't done since he had moved from serkonos, and without the incentive of pay - Corvo decided to spare a life. That ruptures something deeply in Daud, who had already endured his midlife crisis and brings me to the third bullet point "classic redemption arc" although it does matter what you do....that changes Daud's character to me...idk. All in all the only right way I saw to play brigmore witches was to go non-lethal stealth...and trick Delilah into her own spell. Daud is a master assassin. It made no sense for him to merely go jumping around murdering everyone who saw him (this is how I initially played Corvo because dayum I was bad at stealth games also pc controls, but then again Corvo isn't a master assassin when you first meet him...Daud is). After a struggle with Delilah, you hold onto the platform and read her citations and she flies off of you, into the painting, I wanted there to be a classic breathless hero who mutters calmly "gotta quit smoking" ( drum crash) and goes about his business. But! Something I feel a lot of fans of Dishonored overlook is that Daud had no need to further pursue Delilah. He could easily have faded into obscurity around the second mission when he realized that Delilah was after Emily and not him, but he ventures forward, accepting his fate - tired and downtrodden about his choices and the inevitable futility of his fate- in the efforts to save the life and hope that still exists in young Emily, the daughter of the empress he murdered right before her eyes. It's a move of an apology, a silent, self accepting apology with no further requirements for acknowledgement. Which brings me to the true nature of daud in addition to the nature and approval of the outsider to his marked ones. Daud in canon does not kill but traps Delilah. Daud is a mater assassin. He's quick he's quiet he is an efficient man with little room in his life or care for killing as a sport....he is to some extent evil, but he is not incapable of doing good to simply do good. The outsider is decribed furtively as a true neutral character who appeals to the benevolent options but is known to commit 'evil' by not intervening. He seems to be a strong advocate of free will but does extend the occasional helpful hint to his marked ones. Daud is told by the outsider that how he handles Delilah will be viewed with great curiosity which is another added caveat to Daud's evolution as a character and devolution as an identity. The outsider became bored with Daud, stopped willingly checking on him, but when Daud does the 'unusual' sparing Delilah but torturing her for (what was supposed to be eternal) ...he gains the outsider's favor, even if for juat a moment. He fades into obscurity for both Corvo and the outsider, even to his own men, abandoning the identity of 'daud' and presumably not going on a killing spree. The purpose of doto.....I'm not 100% sure of a 'purpose', but doto makes or breaks Daud for most people. For me it did both. But it didn't break Daud's character development for me because he saw the outsider specifically as an excuse for all the murder and the theiving and the murder and did I mention Daud murdered? He had to kill the outsider to prevent another 'daud'. The outsider was the omniscient condoner. 'daud' would not have ever easily existed to such fame or success without the aid and the passive/spontaneous condoning of the outsider and his abilities. Few be if any would have managed to be a 'daud' identity without being able to be so far above the confines of human abolity to cheat mortal instruments of death.... Corvo and his attempt to save Emily would have been a fly's breath shy of impossible without the outsider to tinker with the impossibilities. Daud's action to kill the outsider was selfish, I can see and agree with that, but he only wanted to destroy the exoneration of evil, not to simply forgive his transgressions by eradicating and blaming the one who allowed and corroborated with him to be such. How doto has presented Daud in doto and how many people have received and reacted to Daud's presented purpose in doto did misrepresent and destroy in some regards the development they took with Daud's character, but let me reiterate that his character development itself was not thrown out the window, it was how his character was presented in a plot and the narrative around doto. ...let me again remind you I said I haven't exactly finished doto....because I spoiled it for myself and I don't want Daud to die...again....finally? Maybe not the right words - oh look I've made myself sad, fancy that - but the point. Of this ramble which now I don't know how to end and I don't think I've ever spent so long on Tumblr in one sitting .... Daud is not a poorly constructed character. Doto poorly presented him and he deserved better. Doto also made Daud's character solidfied. He's not a gentle being. He's stern, violent, reserved and determined, but he's also deeply emotional and self loathing. He aspires to destroy the outsider because of what the outsider allowed in to do, he did not pursue or seek to blame the outsider into naively forgiving himself for the crimes he committed. It was a matter of settling his conscience. Probably with the abuse of his powers, a lot of stress, whiskey, cigars, and breaking a handful of bones repeatedly over his career and his guilt Daud was well aware he was on his deathbed long before Billie found him and he had been haunted by his blindness and decades of him /having forgiven and forgotten/ his crimes that it drove him to death. Daud is not a poorly constructed character. I would argue he was a character that the Dishonored series put the most time and effort into.

[cosplayswitzerlandaskblog]

How open would you say Switzerland is to the average person, (not neccesarily just nations) and how willing is he to form new relationships, platonic and/or romantic? Does he have any desire for such relationships? (In addition to the ones he already has?) If you were a person he found generally decent, how difficult would it be to get close to him? (And what type of people does he tend to like?) Sorry is that's a lot, I love your blog!

Holy cow, the amount of questions in one... Will also mean I’ll bring an equal amount of text back, holy hell I’m sorry guys...

Alright, we’ll go one at a time, and it’ll be long so let’s chop off the midsection here:

How open is Switzerland to the average person?

Very closed. It could be said that simply, but I’ll elaborate a bit. 

He’s more guarded towards nations than humans. This comes from the fact that he believes nations to be more likely to contact him for dishonest reasons or to deliberately harm him, as that is what he believes nations to do. Just because we have reached a (to an extend) peaceful period in history doesn’t mean it will last. He’s seen nations force other nations into submission, pressure each other, drain each other from resources and - in few cases - attempt to directly kill on another. He’s seen them doing it for centuries while being on the side line for most of this time. He’s tried being a part of their game, through mercenary. Even as his human population are getting more and more secure and feeling safer and safer in their landlocked territory, he still waits for that bomb to blow and for new wars to erupt around him - and his main priority will always be his people.

For this reason, he’s more stressed around nations than humans, and can act overly guarded, impolite, if not directly rude, towards them. He constantly searches for signs that they might abuse his help or offerings, and he doesn’t dare become personally invested in a person he believes will stab his back in ten years time. Paranoia is a fault of his, and is his main enemy especially in dealing with countries. 

Even so he is (surprisingly for some, maybe) willing to help, and often has fought a hard battle for peace in the midst of wars. On the blog I’ve had him (slightly unwillingly) help Russia hide from his sister, and he does offer or provide tips to help others get in better situations, as long as it doesn’t risk his people. One thing you gotta know about him - his people is always main priority.

It is very different with humans, though. They don’t have the same capacity to hurt him or become a threat, so being close to them doesn’t hold the same amount of danger. They just have the slight disadvantage that they die at times, which provides a bit of that hurt he fiercely attempts to avoid. It’s something all nations have to pull through, but I believe some nations handles it better than others, where I personally think people like France and Turkey are most capable of brushing off (doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt). It’s just something they all have to learn to deal with. But to Switzerland, as a very introverted person, social interaction requires a lot of effort and work to achieve, and making that effort whilst knowing you’ll just end up losing them in what - to you - might come off as a flash in your life... It doesn’t always seem worth it. A great secret of his is that he is extremely sensitive and can’t stop caring for someone or something the moment he has established the first contact.

Therefore he mostly keeps things strictly to business, becoming close with colleagues, meaning politicians and advisers, that he would usually interact with no matter what. A few of these colleagues become actual friends, and to them he can open up fully and address his fears of other nations, stress of daily life and his struggle with ongoing loneliness. On top of it, he is more open with Swiss people (I believe humans and countries have a connection to feel safety and recognition when among one another), and will be seen smiling proudly on rare occasions when he watch elderly people hand in hand, children playing or whichever else that might make an old man nostalgic. 

Once again, though, he is open to provide help, also on a personal level. While being stingy, especially with new buying things, I believe he’s often taken in strangers in his home - as long as they posed no threat. This also means it’s very specific to Swiss people, as he holds higher trust in them, believing them absolutely unlikely to stab his back. But people will be taken in to his home under his own rules and circumstances, as he very fast feel invaded and pressured by strangers on his property. 

It is, for one, under such a case that Liechtenstein was taken in. My belief is that he had no knowledge of how the nation looked when he first met her, and seeing a person in need left him in little doubt - and that says a lot about his personality. When he later realized the identity of his guest and extend of his kindness, he deemed the small country much less of a threat than other nations, and found her in very great need, and kept on supporting her. Later, he became vividly dependent on her presence and support.

How willing is he to form platonic and/or romantic relationships?

Again it can be said very simply. Unwilling. 

For many of the reasons above, he doesn’t freely form bonds to other. Platonically, there is the constant risk of getting hurt - either with a knife in the back or a dying breath by a bedside - as well as the amount of investing he’ll have to put into it. The biggest and most important relation he ever had with another person is his friendship with Austria, as I’ve often referred back to, and he sets that as an example on why close relations is a foolish deal. The many examples of the strife between nations only fueled that assumption, and instead he learned to rely on himself and his people alone. People who, as said, dares to die, so they have to be at a distance as well. His motives are very much driven by anxiety of both loss, getting hurt, as well as the mentioned paranoia constantly telling him that people are out to get him, claiming that especially nations have bad motives and so on and so forth. The existence of Liechtenstein in his life is a miracle he didn’t as for, but which he won’t complain about either.

Romantically I long played with the thought of him being asexual or aromantic, because trust and closeness is so hard on him. I found later that I wouldn’t count it to that, but once again the troubles of social interaction and excessive anxiety limited his abilities. Instead he is (uncomfortable as I am about saying it) quite a sexual person, and there have been the occasional human that has managed to earn his trust or who he’s had such a high gravitation towards that... well, things just happened. Many of these, I know, have been rapidly cut off when he realized what he was doing, in a fit of self-preservation to regain that distance between himself and others, to make sure the situation with Austria never repeats itself. 

Cause yeah, dear Switzerland has taught himself to be alone instead. For safety reasons, as well as a search to escape the stress his anxiousness brings. It is also what leaves him very hard and cold towards others - a facade he’s built to cover up and keep people out. It works and his mountains, becoming an imaginary fence to hold people out of his life. He comes off as harsh, angry, aggressive and sometimes even dangerous when he interacts because he’s learned it makes people cautious of you, and that aura also keeps nations from attempting closeness (even if some, like France, find it possible to ignore). He’s become so good at holding up that unsmiling, unyielding facade for many hundred years that he lost himself within it, and has a hard time distinguishing his real emotions from the coldness he’s learned to emit. And most of these things have been done to make sure he will not experience another loss, will not face another betrayal and doesn’t have to live with another hole in his heart. 

Does he have a desire for such relationships?

Short version: Yes.

Long version: Vash is, what you can call, extremely lonely. A facade or an act doesn’t erase the desires and needs of a human soul. He wishes for companionship, wishes for closeness, yearns for love, even if he doesn’t dare it. He’s so controlled by his fears that he has cut off one of the most basic human needs, making friendship and romance an alienated concept. He went through this for some few hundred years, becoming what he sees now as an ugly side of himself, until his kindness gave him the gift of a little sister. Her presence has made things easier for him, and has managed to open him up even a little towards other people as well, but now he depends on her. She’s his only lifeline, as she exists like a beacon in darkness, guiding him to another, hopefully better place. To him, she’s not allowed to disappear, and once again his fears gets in the way. Ideologically he allows her to do as she pleases. She is not a prisoner, doesn’t hold a contract, she’s just there because she wishes. But he is afraid every time she’s with somebody because he believes they will steal her away, as he is afraid of her being along because something bad might happen. The fear of loss, also formerly mentioned, puts him in a constant dilemma, for a loss is more manageable when you are the cause of it - but actually losing her feels out of the question at this point.

Liechtenstein herself has a desire to help him open up, and is working on it. A thing my wife and I have believed for many years now is that their whole relationship, as seen by outsiders, is a lie. Liechtenstein doesn’t need him. She could stand on her own two feet easily and manage this world, now that they aren’t trying to starve her to death. She’s not dependent on him - he’s the one who’s dependent on her and he is that to an unhealthy degree. She lives with him on his premises and bends the rules just enough to challenge his world view, for she knows she cannot relieve him of the loneliness he still struggles with. She is but a sister and a little girl - she’s not a friend, nor a lover, and she’s only one person in his whole social network. 

Back to the short version: Yes. Even if he denies it to himself, even if he doesn’t want to face the fact, he’s alone, he’s lonely, and he wishes to know more people than he currently has the capacity to manage and trust.

How difficult is it for (in his mind) decent people to get close to him?

Surprisingly easy, actually. You have to be nonthreatening and have clearly honest intentions, as well as patient with the constant mood swings he’ll lash at you to check your boundaries. He needs to see that you are not there to make fun of him, hurt him, or use him, and it will take a long time for him to get to that point - but what he need to see is the consistency, for he does not give his trust easily, and the main obstacle he has is his lack of trust towards everyone.

My experience in RP’ing, though, clearly shows that people/Hetalia nations rarely have what it takes to pull through, and I have yet not managed to provide him a single friend. It simply takes too much time and effort, cause, as said, he doesn’t give up and give himself over easily. Even when I mull down his difficulties a bit and make him a little more willing to approach people, as I have found myself forced to do, his trust is simply too hard for many to get.

What type of people do he tend to like?

 It stands, to an extend, in the explanation of the last question. Honest, trustworthy people, usually with good hearts as well since such people are less likely to hurt others. He has a pretty high moral code despite being old fashioned, and from that he also expects proper morals for others. After that, he also likes quiet, and calm people who don’t attempt to pass his boundaries. They are best if they like nature as well, and he’ll have a harder time respecting and accepting you if you are born into power - such as the old, noble traditions. Hardworking and consistent are also valuable traits, and considering that Vash bonds best over physical labor that might be the best way to reach him.

[shirlleycoyle]

The Robots Microsoft Assigned to Do My Job Can’t Do It

The most important skill in journalism is not fucking up, and in early June, MSN’s new programming algorithm fucked up. MSN UK published a story about the British pop duo Little Mix, mistaking one of the duo’s mixed-race singers for the other. It was an error that would have gone unnoticed 99 times out of 100 prior to the installation of AI programming, but trended vigorously because it came just days after the Guardian reported that 50 editors had lost their jobs to make way for this algorithm, which would handle the bulk of MSN’s programming going forward.

I was one of the editors who was let go, and it was bittersweet to see reporters at outlets like this one finally acknowledge the existence of MSN, a behemoth news-redistribution shop that trails only Google sites for total traffic, and is ahead of Facebook—though I never thought there was any mystery about why it was ignored. MSN had long since abandoned creating its own content in favor of licensing news from premium partners at the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, et. al. when not receiving it free from smaller operations that act as remoras via affiliate links in articles—a category that includes hundreds, if not thousands, of partners around the globe. If you use MSN at all, it’s likely indirectly, posting articles you found via a search or your default browser homepage:

My job was to create the MSN Money section every morning from these stories and monitor it, a job I called “fantasy newspaper” because of its relation to the pick-and-choose games of fantasy sports. I was good at it. I fucked up the same way the algorithm did when it misidentified the Little Mix member more times than I can count, but I either never got caught or, more likely, caught it myself. One thing about creating a morning news section by yourself for a site that gets more than six billion hits per year (and that’s just MSN Money, in America), is that you tend to be a bit peripatetic; I checked and rechecked my work repeatedly like a news junkie and full-blown digital addict. Imagine a lone old-time phone operator in a room where the ringing never stopped, and that’s pretty much what it felt like. It was a volume business with a skeleton staff, but it kept people—a lot of them—connected to the world, even though I had never really met these people. It was way more of a job than a career; just as smaller news operations feed off Microsoft, so do hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of individuals like myself, all happy enough to cash a check to push news around.

Here is where I’d like to get into salacious details about the politics of our programming, but they’re disappointingly bland. Like any operation of a certain size, MSN professes to be non-partisan but is in fact aggressively non-confrontational, to the point where a single user comment on any of our stories that raised a red flag would be brought to us at once. This is theoretically absurd, given the scale of things, but it happened rarely enough not to be too much of a bother. (By far the best one of these was a multimillionaire yacht owner whose boat had ended up in our photo system saying his ship was a nation unto itself that he did not allow to be photographed, so we needed to remove it.) Occasionally articles deemed too left- or right-wing would come down at the request of an editor, but there was such a deluge of content that you never needed to worry about finding a softer-edged replacement for them. It will not surprise you that virtually everyone I worked with was vaguely center-left, politically, and it will shock you even less that some of the smarmier full-time employees were sure to remind us not to let it affect our coverage. For my part, at least, being in the Money vertical allowed me to run as much left-leaning content as I wanted, given that the entirety of the rest of the section skewed right. I never had to elucidate it like this, though it came up once or twice; I just showed up and worked and that was it as long as no one was embarrassed.

About the only other time I can remember someone citing MSN was when certain outlets objected to the editorial disclaimer we were asked to put on articles that bent toward Scary Opinion, on the grounds that said articles (I believe they were from the Real Gawker family) were not, in fact, opinions, but facts. They were right, of course, but the language and tone of most of their stories precluded us beaming them to virtual Middle America in the first place.

This record of successful blandness, combined with the internal head-slapping after the Little Mix-up, does not bode well for the future—or the present—of news. MSN never got into real hot water for messing up a headline or story, which was a minor miracle but was at least the goal. Now, at a time where context is needed most, MSN is handing the reins from editors to engineers. A Microsoft spokesperson said the contract lapses had nothing to do with the pandemic, and I believe them; Microsoft has haltingly moved toward automation for years, usually in a cycle of job cuts followed by partial rehirings when they realized (as the editors did immediately) that they had bitten off more than they could chew.

This time feels different, though. Based on how far they’ve come down this road, the algorithm will sink or swim on its own, which is to say it’ll probably sink and take down the whole of MSN with it. Maybe that’s overstating things, but MSN is low enough in the Microsoft hierarchy that its existence has felt like it was on the chopping block for years. (This is all ultimately speculation, because I had no idea, after nearly a decade, who makes the decisions there, nor did my boss or talent agency.)

A lot of the friction in the changeover from human to robot involves negotiating the change from the contractor model, which Microsoft and others use to save themselves from paying benefits or severance or providing long-term work assurance, back to the full-time employee model, which takes a bunch of people who are harder to fire and forces them into jobs to which they may or not be suited. The tension in the old model was between the contractors like myself with news backgrounds, who produced the lion’s share of news, and the full-timers with Microsoft backgrounds, who “oversaw” it and did a lot of thinking about whether we should be pivoting to video to slideshows or vice versa that week. There were exceptions on both sides, but this is how it went until July 1, when what the Guardian cheekily called our “algorithmic robot” replacements stepped in, kicking the full-timers down to grunt duty and the contractors out the door, context —in and outside the newsroom—be damned.

That is to say that there are still human eyes on the site, just fewer, and that the people behind those eyes know the writing is on the wall. Even the process of losing my job was impenetrable; my boss couldn’t tell me who made the decision because he simply didn’t know. This is how announcements come at Microsoft: from on high. In that way, the algorithm’s ascent is just part of the natural order of things. If the decision-makers aren’t even identifiably human, why wouldn’t they rather wipe us all out?

The nice part of the job was having access to all the world’s news, though it gave me scant time to read it all, given the constant maintenance MSN Money—just one vertical!—required. Each section—News, Money, Sports, Entertainment, Travel, etc.—was its own fiefdom, as was the Home Page, which was and is the ultimate traffic driver for MSN. Much like the CD business thrived long after you and I stopped buying them, the MSN home page is still big money for legacy media of all shapes and sizes. It is common for popular stories there to get 15 million pageviews and have 15,000 concurrent users, and for super-popular stories to bury those numbers. I produced all these stories, and I still don’t know a person who actively tries to consume them. But someone does.

Who? From what I can tell, old people. The most consistently popular topic we ran in Money, and we did more or less daily, was “At what age you should take Social Security?” I could spend my whole morning agonizing over which Times story to feature (the Big Three old newspapers had strict limits on what we could take), follow it up with a Social Security story from another partner, and bang—the latter would do better numbers, invariably. I largely avoided learning about popular topics in the other verticals, but as Money and Lifestyle were next to each other on the home page, I can tell you the only true rivals to Social Security’s popularity as a topic were Duchesses Catherine and Meghan, about whom it was not possible to program too much.

The Social Security stories are a good example of how some partners gamed the system for the better. Most of them came from the Motley Fool, a financial publication that effectively parcels out stories on the same seven subjects a day, incredibly effectively— think Chipotle for popular retirement and savings topics. On the flip side, the same Motley Fool, along with several similar smaller operations from which we licensed content, was found several years ago to be publishing articles from writers who had been paid to write articles specifically to move stocks in a certain direction. All of the organizations settled, likely because they were all caught dead to rights. Given that these are the exact type of articles we—humans, with knowledge of what makes a piece plausible or not—chose or did not choose to program at MSN Money, I think the problems are about to get much worse.

There are two problems, as I see it. First, I don’t think the algorithm will be able to keep things orderly. So much of the job was about maintenance that, against my better judgment, it reminds me of Hamlet: “Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed, things rank and gross in nature possess it merely.” My job was often that of a gardener, and as someone who is now doing quite a bit of actual gardening in unemployment, the difficulty and necessity of it—the effort it takes to produce something worthwhile—is top of mind. The only difference is that I fear things “rank and gross in nature” will not merely possess MSN, but subsume it to the point Microsoft wants its name completely disassociated from it. I hope I’m wrong.

Second, the algorithm won’t really know the game, the way even I didn’t when I started. I can see it now, and if you’ll allow me another analogy I’d compare it to antichess, which is exactly what it sounds like: A game you’re trying to lose. The quirk that makes the game go is that you must take a piece if you are allowed, and as a novice, I quickly learned that this can lead to easy cascades from which there is no escape, far more so than regular chess in that, at least in a proper chess death spiral, you think you have agency over the moves. In antichess there’s none of that: It’s usually a cascade to certain finishes, with the fatal mistake so obvious to be easily perceptible. This feels like that mistake. MSN is up against forces it hasn’t reckoned with, and whoever’s left can only hope they get one more move to fight back, even if it can only all still end one way.

Follow Bryan Joiner on Twitter.

The Robots Microsoft Assigned to Do My Job Can’t Do It syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[cliftonsteen]

How to Meet The Needs of Today’s Coffee Shop Customer

Vegan, earth-conscious, experience-seeking, Instagram-shunning, pour-over-drinking, pour-over-avoiding, quality-orientated, convenience-orientated: the consumer market is rapidly evolving and at times contradictory. Coffee shop owners who don’t adapt to their changing needs risk losing sales and customers. 

The market isn’t the only thing that’s changed. The world has too, and this will impact the behaviour and preferences of 2020’s coffee shop consumer. Here’s what current events and trends mean for this group, what kind of hygiene measures they’ll expect in your coffee shop, and how everything from decals and dividers to Hands-Free Adapters for drinks systems can help you better cater to their wants and needs.

You might also like How Cold Brew Captured The Millennial Market

Credit: Jean Pierre Flores

The Average Coffee Shop Consumer

According to UK-based consumer intelligence firm Brandwatch, one of the biggest challenges for the food and beverage industry is staying up to date with consumers’ wants and needs. They state, “The food and beverage industry is seemingly one of the most susceptible to changing trends, micro-trends, and local trends.”

It’s not all bad news for café owners, however: coffee shop usage has grown in recent years. In the US in 2019, the café industry was worth US $47.5 billion. Meanwhile, in the UK, the industry is seeing year-on-year growth and, in 2017, market research firm Mintel stated that the UK was seeing its “biggest period of growth since 2008”. While COVID-19 will no doubt affect 2020’s sales figures, many countries are starting to ease their lockdown restrictions, which could see the industry experiencing growth in the second half of the year.

Most coffee shop users are habitual: according to brand specialists Ceuta Group, 80% of visitors to British coffee shops do so at least weekly, while 16% go every day. Data from Square reveals that 5% of coffee shop customers in the US return to that same café that very same day. 

Numerous studies have also shown that Generation Z and millennials are more likely to visit coffee shops, while older generations prefer to make coffee at home. As for gender, it’s a roughly equal mix; some studies find a slight difference, but by and large, men and women are equally likely to visit a coffee shop.  

Once in the coffee shop, women tend to spend more money. According Research consultancy Allegra Strategies, men are more likely to visit during the morning rush and women in the afternoons. Women generally spend several hours, often multiple times a week, in a coffee shop, while men might visit daily. Women are also more likely to try a new drink or food item, whereas men tend to have favourite drinks that they order again and again. 

At the same time, the freelance and gig economy means that coffee shops are attracting more young professionals who either can’t afford or don’t want office space.

Depending on how severely the Coronavirus has impacted the area, some coffee shops might see fewer visitors for the foreseeable future, as many people have switched to ordering coffee online and staying away from public places. In addition, coffee shop visits will probably be shorter, and fewer people will seek it out as a working space until it’s been confirmed that the virus has stopped spreading.

While the drinking habits of coffee shop visitors might be different this year, the reasons why they seek out coffee shops will likely remain the same – with a few modifications. Let’s take a look at what today’s coffee shop consumer cares about.

Credit. Neil Soque

Quality Is Important – But So Is Convenience

“The world we live in is fast-paced, with consumers becoming more and more focused on quality over quantity in many aspects of life,” says Dan Fellows, World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion 2018 and 2019.

In fact, according to the 2019 NCA National Coffee Trends report, over 60% of US consumers drank “gourmet” coffee in the last 24 hours. But quality isn’t enough to win you customers. Nor should you unquestioningly embrace specialty coffee servings such as the Chemex and V60 just because of their association with the third wave.

Pour over coffees have been in vogue for a while, thanks to global uptake in artisanal made-by-hand products and quality. Yet there is a small but growing backlash against manual brewing as consumers grow tired of the long wait and unpredictable quality. Many consumers will already have enjoyed coffee at home this way for months. Now that many are slowly returning to visiting coffee shops, they might prefer a speedier, more predictable brewing method, such as automation.

This doesn’t mean a return to filter coffees kept on hot plates all day: today’s consumer is discerning. They want barista-designed recipes for coffees brewed with machine precision.

Simon Lewthwaite is Business Development Manager at Caravan Coffee Roasters, where they have been using an automated SP9 from Marco Beverage Systems. It allows them to dial in the pour over recipe, from the number of pulses to the volume and temperature of the water, before the brewer disperses the water. 

“Customers are feeling a little funny about not putting the human part into it, but for us, the automation can lead to a higher consistency,” he says. “If three people all order a hand brew, we use the SP9 three times and those three are much more likely to taste similar than three made by hand, or by three different staff members.”

Credit: Marco Beverage Systems

Coffee shops should examine their processes to look for ways to improve efficiency while maintaining high standards. Olwyn Ledwidge is Events & Digital Marketing Coordinator at Marco Beverage Systems, a provider of boilers, fonts, and automated brewing systems. She tells me that some coffee shops are preparing syrups for cold drinks and lemonades ahead of time, and then adding sparkling water from a font such as the Marco FRIIA. This allows them to pay meticulous attention to quality when preparing the syrups yet also meet the customer’s need for quick service.

Patrick Greer, Cold Brew Operations Manager at Draft Coffee Solutions, says, “It’s no secret people are getting impatient with slow bars. I think shop owners would be wise to listen to this demand for convenience and look for solutions to satisfy the grab-‘n’-go consumer without sacrificing quality.” With social distancing limiting the number of people allowed into coffee shops at a certain time, more efficient processes will also ensure that queues are kept short and as many customers are served as possible.

Credit: La Marzocco Korea

Consumers Seek Experiences as Well as Products

Coffee is rarely just about the caffeine: people go to coffee shops to spend time with friends, enjoy the tranquillity of the third space, or simply give themselves an indulgent break. Yet cafés should be wary of becoming complacent. Customer expectations are growing, fuelled in part by Instagram, foodie blogs, and the growing tendency for dishes and locations to be designed for photos. Just because your coffee shop might see less foot traffic than normal doesn’t mean you should neglect this, as it will still feature in your branding and social media postings.

Whether it’s super-saturated monochrome colours designed for Instagram, plant-filled patios, or cosy and low-lit interiors that create a sense of intimacy, what works best for your brand will depend on your goals, marketing, and customers. But no matter what style you choose, it’s important to do it well and communicate it consistently. 

You’ll also need to consider how your customers order and receive coffee while managing their risk of contracting COVID-19. It’s generally accepted that when in public, people should wear masks and keep a distance of several feet from the next person. This means creating a space in your coffee shop that enforces social distancing. You can maintain this in-store by adding decals to the floor to help customers know where to stand when queuing, or use retractable barriers to keep these queues in order. You can also assure them that your space (and staff members) are safe by implementing precautionary measures behind the bar – such as adding plexiglass barriers to your counters and pay stations to provide a barrier between customers and staff. 

Keeping both customers and staff members from unnecessarily touching surfaces and equipment is another measure worth implementing, as it drastically reduces transmissions from occurring. This doesn’t mean that you’ll need to outfit your store with all new equipment. You can adapt your existing workspace by integrating hands free systems that eliminate touchpoints without compromising your need to provide a speedy service. For example, your coffee shop’s water and coffee systems will be used on a daily basis, and you can make them touch-free by adding a Marco Hands-Free Adapter to your coffee urns and water boilers.

Credit: La Marzocco Korea

Next, consider your menu. Is it diverse enough for consumers looking for something new? While you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with offerings, increasing your costs but not necessarily your incomings, you also don’t want to drive customers away with a stale or restrictive menu.

If you’re looking for easy ways to diversify without giving your baristas a headache, try a seasonal menu. This will mean that even your long-term customers can try something new, while you don’t have to offer too many options on a daily basis. Similarly, a smoothie or soup of the day can allow you to offer one-day-only, unique items, with the added bonus that you can use up fresh ingredients that might otherwise be reaching their best-before date.

How are your offerings presented? If you’re serving tea, are you telling the customer how long to let it brew for? Is this information written on the menu or an information card? Or are you providing an egg timer? And do the cups, teapots, and egg timers match?

If you serve RTD beverages, does the packaging suit your brand and your coffee shop? With many customers reducing their in-store visits, it would be a great opportunity to offer them unique ways to enjoy their favourite coffees at home – for example through canned cold brew, or ground coffee.

Credit: Matt Lee

Customers Want “Healthy-But-Delicious” Options

It’s not that people won’t order a cake and hot chocolate as an indulgent treat. They will. However, they also want a wide variety of healthy options – and we’re not just talking about a wilting tomato salad. Consumers look for fun, nutritious options that they can enjoy eating every bit as much as that toffee fudge cake.

According to L.E.K.’s 2018 consumer food and beverage survey of approximately 1,600 consumers, 93% of us want to eat healthy some of the time and 63% try to eat healthy most or all of the time. And in 2016, “functional foods” – foods with health benefits – were one of five trends announced by Google in a report based on their search data.

What’s more, consumers are willing to invest financially in looking after their bodies. Nielsen’s 2015 Global Health & Wellness Survey, based on a poll of over 30,000 people from Generation Z through to baby boomers, suggests that 88% will pay more for healthier options. 

Make sure your food menu has a range of healthy and healthy-ish options, from couscous salads through to vegetable quiches. But don’t just consider these products’ nutritional value and calorie counts. Ask yourself: will this be tasty? Will it look appetising? Will customers feel like they have a choice?

Examine your drinks menu, too. If a customer doesn’t want coffee, are they stuck with just a breakfast tea or a sugary hot chocolate? Or do you also have interesting options for them?

Greer tells me that the trend towards healthy living has “paved the way for things like kombucha, seltzer, teas, and alternative milk,” while Ledwidge adds that even beers and wine are less popular. “Globally, we have seen a decrease in alcohol consumption and a rise in low- or no-ABV alternatives,” she says.  

While creating new menu items can sound daunting, coffee shops should treat it as an opportunity. Drinks such as mint tea, elderflower pressé, and still lemonade can offer good profit margins, as well as being marketed as healthy and delicious.

Credit: Ana Valencia

Caffeine Goes Out of Fashion

As customers grow more health-conscious, cutting down on caffeine has also become a trend – and one that is particularly important for coffee shops.

According to National Coffee Association (NCA) data, the growth of decaf coffee sales has been outpacing that of regular coffee for a while now. And between 2017 and 2019, sales of instant decaf were up 20%, while one coffee shop reported that their decaf sales had tripled in this period.

This isn’t just being pushed by a small but fanatical group of consumers. According to Mintel, over a million British coffee-drinkers switched to decaf in 2018 alone. In the US, over 40% of coffee-drinkers opt for decaf at least sometimes, with younger generations the keenest to avoid a caffeine buzz. And with over two-thirds of consumers believing it’s important to limit their coffee consumption (according to the NCA), it’s not surprising that the number of decaf-drinkers keeps rising.

But is your café catering to this sector? Greer says, “Non-caffeine drinkers have it rough in most cafés. How many times can a person order peppermint tea? Or rooibos?”

He recommends creating a more interesting caffeine-free menu. “Be creative. There are thousands of edible plants on the market, so experiment with tisane blends or mixing them with dairy/steamed milk. Non-coffee lattes can be delicious, and you already have the steam wand.”

Decaf-drinkers aren’t exempt from the other trends, so make sure the beverages are delicious, varied, and healthy. Keep quality high, and remember that good-quality decaf coffee exists – it’s just a little more expensive due to the extra processing. Consider adding a decaf symbol next to certain drinks, just as you would for allergens and vegan products.

Read more in Millennials Turn to Decaf: What Does This Mean For Café Owners?

Credit: Nicole Motteux

Sustainability Is in The Spotlight

In recent years, we’ve seen school strikes, disposable cup fees, and a backlash against plastic packaging. Sustainability was on everyone’s lips in 2019, and 2020 is no exception.

In a survey of over 600 US American chefs conducted by the National Restaurant Association in November-December 2019, they found 2020’s biggest trend – beating plant-based proteins, made-from-scratch, and creativity with catering – is widely predicted to be eco-friendly packaging.

“Cutting down on plastic and focusing on equitable, sustainable, and/or local supply chains are all as important to coffee shops these days as to their customers,” Ledwidge says. “Consumers today are more engaged, active and aware.”

Making soft and cold drinks in-house rather than providing them in plastic bottles reduces packaging waste as well as catering to those looking for “scratch-made” food and drink. Similarly, serving salads in cardboard boxes instead of plastic bowls will help demonstrate sustainable credentials.This is also important when operating an online store and taking orders, as some customers might get their first introduction to your coffee shop this way.

It’s not just about packaging, though. Ledwidge suggests “discount[ing] coffee for customers using a KeepCup, providing hydration stations for free water refills, and not charging a premium for alternative milk”. Energy-efficient machines are also a great way to improve sustainability.

Pay attention to your supply chain, too. In 2018, Nielsen found that sales of “sustainable coffee” outgrew overall coffee sales by 5% in volume, while coffee marketed as environmentally sustainable saw a 52% growth, despite making up just 0.4% of the coffee on the market. According to their report, “these environmental claims range from those related to recyclable packaging and less plastic waste, to ethical sourcing and eco-friendly labeling”. 

From the Cheddar cheese in the sandwiches to the Colombian beans in the hopper, coffee shops should advertise their supply chains and demonstrate why they are sustainable, local, and ethical.

Lewthwaite tells me that at Caravan Coffee Roasters, “[Sustainability issues] are all very much at the front of customers’ minds. We believe our customers come to Caravan for coffee because they enjoy a) the taste and b) the ethos behind the sourcing. 

“As the fight on plastic has become more real, or customers understand how carbon footprint works in the industry, we have had to constantly update the amount of information we provide. We’re not changing our method to fit into that, but just how we deliver that information, as we’ve had a transparent approach to sourcing and relationships with farmers for a long time now.”

Credit: Neil Soque

Dairy-Free & Vegan Options Are Expected

With The Economist declaring 2019 the year of the vegan, plant-based lifestyles have officially gone from being a fringe movement to part of the mainstream. Gone are the days when vegan and vegetarian alternatives were considered optional: today, they are not just expected but also held to high standards.

“A few years ago, we never dreamed of carrying alternative dairy products, and now we have to,” Greer says. “Even those without dietary restrictions are starting to switch to vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free products.”

The Food Industry Association declared flexitarianism, or part-time vegetarianism and veganism, to be “increasingly prevalent” in October 2019. According to their 2019 Power of Meat report, women and members of Generation Z are most likely to be flexitarians – the same groups most likely to spend more money in coffee shops. 

Greer recommends paying close attention to the food menu, especially pastries. “It is challenging to make vegan things taste good, but you will gain very loyal customers if you succeed.”

Alternative milks pose less of a challenge for coffee shops, with many barista versions on the market. “We’re seeing a rapid rise in the request of oat milk for coffees, with soy and almond both on the decline,” Lewthwaite says. 

Oat milk’s popularity is generally driven by its taste, environmentally friendly credentials compared to nut milks, and lack of allergens. However, you may also wish to play it safe and keep a couple of options in stock.

Read more in A Coffee Shop Favourite: Why Is Oat Milk so Popular?

Credit: Patrick Greer

2020 has brought with many expected changes, and coffee shops have to adapt. This is not the moment to run your grandmother’s coffee shop (although consumers might like a made-from-scratch, vegan version of her carrot cake). You need to appeal to a consumer base which is primarily convenience-loving, health-conscious, and quality-orientated. They care about how their products were made, where they came from, and what the environmental cost is. And they also care about their personal safety and responsibility as they’re living in a world dealing with a pandemic. 

The good news is that knowing your target market is the first key to success. Serving food and drinks designed with them in mind will allow you to attract loyal customers and even increase your profit margins per item.

So, take a look at your shop design and menu. Ask yourself if your supply chains match the quality of your products. And start creating winning food and beverage items.

Enjoyed this? Read How to Create a Coffee Shop Food Menu That Minimises Waste

Written by Tanya Newton. Interviews conducted by Gisselle Guerra. Featured photo: Nicole Motteux

Please note: This article has been sponsored by Marco Beverage Systems.

Want to read more articles like this? Sign up for our newsletter!

The post How to Meet The Needs of Today’s Coffee Shop Customer appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

How to Meet The Needs of Today’s Coffee Shop Customer published first on https://espressoexpertweb.weebly.com/

[ecotone99]

[MF] Diary of Geff

CAMP REPORT- ITEM 562

This is the year 498 [(ref) Galaxy: Mound, Star: Ant, Planet: Hole, Satellite: Egg]. Head of excavation: Sabrina Moonwalker. This is an ‘early report’, to be shared among peers in order to avoid delay till the publication of final compilation of information and thus, the information contained about the item can change in the final publication. I have checked, read and referenced this report written by my trainee (11QU56) for the above mentioned specimen. I hereby provide my clearance for the report to be published Signature: __SABRINA_____ Status: approved

As usual, it’s a cold and dusty day on Mars. This piece concerns the archaeological finding from the colony in south-west. The contents reported below have not been found exactly in the colony rather about 20 kms North of the first site. A large cylinder has been unearthed which contains this item and a few antics, probably from the same time-frame in which this item was produced. Nevertheless we will do dating of all of them and run the forensics to be sure because the container was not found in a sealed condition. ITEM-562 is a script, it has been reproduced below and is crucial because it throws light on the conditions of the colony in the early era. This is believed to be one of the very few complete texts we have been able to obtain.

below is the content recovered from script

12 December 2137

Dear Reader,

It is chilly, dry and dark outside. I am sitting at my table in the office. This cute table-lamp, the only illumination source in my vicinity, gifted by Carlij, gives me company in these late hours. A photo of my family from one of their picnics sits in a frame on my table although I am not in that photo. I think the presence of my glass and steel clad body would have only made it look like a hostage situation. Although I would have looked like the knight in shining armor. Also, I am pretty sure that if Gina shows such a picture to her friends, the boys would keep a distance from her. This chair is really uncomfortable though. I have to keep shifting my posture, no surprises that the person before me resigned from the job. Moving on to what this is:

This is Geff [Exl:311207IDA#2M]. As I write this, I am about to leave for an expedition in deep space and thus, as a mark of tradition I am leaving this letter behind which might be my final word to this world. If my death is confirmed while my family lives then Jenny you are probably reading this with Carlij and Gina, in which case I want you to know that I am sorry I failed to keep my promise and if you aren’t one of these then I want you to know that Jenny is my wife and Carlij and Gina our children. Sometimes I am afraid and fear grips my heart now and then when I think as a realist. Thus, I will write believing that neither of you three have to read this letter.

I do not know in which year you are reading this, but in this year we still follow the calendar from Earth. My code states the nature of my job, date of birth (31-12-2107), genetic origin, family history and biological sex (M). I guess if the archives have survived when you are reading this, you will eventually find every trivia or data about me from my number.

My parents came to this colony soon after they got married at earth which makes me a second generation immigrant (#2). My father was a systems engineer for cyborg research and development while my mother an “extraterrestrial agriculture specialist”. When I decided to be a cyborg soldier, I was the odd one out in my family. Even my grandfather who I never got to see was a computer scientist on earth. I only heard about him from my father. I was born and raised in this colony. We all have registration ids, we live by the rules, life is tough but the sole aim is to survive and expand the humanity’s purpose. We are taught right from the beginning that there is no ‘I’, it is just ‘We’. Immigrants like my parents were taken in on the basis of decisions made through algorithms. Our mating partners are decided based on our genetic data (IDA), job, ethnicity, physiological parameters, etc. using algorithms. This is how I met Jenny, we didn’t really get to know each other rather we were chosen by the system once we expressed our interest in making a family. My previous job kept me out most of the times so we never grew too close. I was a soldier but right now I am a mercenary for a company (Exl) after my retirement so I take up security contracts. Two years before, I had thought that my retirement would give me more time to spend with my family, we would grow close, and I would feel a little more at peace but guess I was wrong. You might be intrigued about why there was ever a need for an army on Mars. You see, I believe, humans may wander anywhere but there is no escape from self. This age is of data and cybernetics. Cybernetics has given the humans eternal life. When the first settlers came, they established giant data centers, this was supposed to be the perfect world, a stepping stone for humanity to expand and claim the cosmos. Everybody was chipped in the neck, their identities were just a set of characters, and they lived like ants working together for a bigger cause. Things went well initially but as I said there is no escape from self, soon, a group of people rebelled who didn’t want to obey these algorithms made by a few men. They want to seize control, and so they devised what we now know as ‘soul-virus’. This malware fiddles with the chip and causes it to blur the identity of the infected person by disrupting neural pathways. Existential dread becomes too harsh to bear for a mind without an identity. These people become hungry to truly discover who they are and the virus is designed to prevent it from happening. They bite the healthy individuals. They bite and tear out their chips from the neck, killing them and use its data to feed into their own system. The virus takes some parts of the victims’ identity and fills the puzzle, giving the infected person a sense that his or her identity is now a step closer to be completed. This increases their thirst for more data and they keep harvesting more and more data. It is all about the illusion that virus is creating for the mind. With mind hacked, their reflexes are improved. The extra and quick surges of electricity needed to make this happen come from the chip but it deteriorates their bodies so they keep replacing those parts with machines. The ones who were first infected in labs were modified heavily to become more machine than human through cybernetics. These ones are called the first borns and are the most powerful and hardest to kill. The modus operandi resembles to what my father read in his childhood comics as ‘Vampires’. We call them ‘Vampires’ only even though nobody knows if the original blood-suckers ever existed or not. As the vampires grew and spread chaos through the colony, an army was raised to hunt them. I joined this army but took an early retirement even though colony lives under the fear of these devils, to take care of my family. Recently, stronger vamps have come up. They have modified canines which can hack into the victims chip, infecting them with virus while retrieving their data without killing the victim. The only way to kill them is to remove their heads or to destroy the chips. I have killed many vamps in my career but it seems there is an endless evil and they just keep increasing. This war seems like a lost cause to some but we fight nonetheless.

The ‘soul-virus’ creation brought some positive things though, it highlighted the need for humans to have some sense of self-identity too instead of just a collective identity. So, the algorithms were made less constrained following its creation like we were allowed to have names again instead of registration IDs. We could choose our careers more freely than before. There have been a few publications/theories now which treat ‘soul-virus’ in this light. At this time, the horns of two powers are crossed, the outcome of this war is held in the folds of future. Both fighting to take control and be the leaders in their own way. If one truly sees, it is just lust for power. Whoever wins, the cake will be shared by a few only.

Leaving that, how ironic that I gave up my job for my family but this new job is taking me away from them. This contract pays me really well, the insurance on me is enough to keep my family comfortable and safe even if I don’t return so I took it. I guess, this is the least and most genuine thing I can do for them. Jenny was against this. I tried to convince her that if I return we will have so much money that we need not do anything for the rest of our lives but she thinks this is just my attempt to get away from this sick world. I tried to reason with Jenny but she says that if I am so sure of my return then why I can’t take them along. I have to laugh it off. She says that this attempt of mine, of trading myself for the huge money is a deplorable attempt to feel less guilty about my escapism.

She accuses me of being selfish and of disrespecting the society by breaking away from the social fabric of family. She says that in her heart she knows that I will not return and that I am a coward for leaving her alone in this world with Carlij and Gina.

She reminds me about their well-being but I believe Carlij and Gina will get by fine even without me in this colony, there are structures in place to guard them given we have money to access them. This tells us how shackles have a few advantages if you see, a slave need only fear his or her master. The master protects it from everything else once it accepts a life of servitude.

In the last few days, she has even tried to talk to my parents so that they can convince me otherwise but I guess it was a poor attempt because I stopped listening to them the day I decided to become a soldier instead of taking up a job considered as elite and civilized in their social circle. Jenny’s accusations of escapism do not hold water because there is no escape from self, all I can escape from are the artificial shackles of this society. Last night she broke down and started to blame herself for being unable to stop me from going. I told her how she couldn’t be farther from truth. I have known her as a good person, she is not the one to blame. I know it will be a tough time for Carlij and Gina, I will miss them too. As for about what I think about this expedition. I am doing this because I have seen the illusive nature of life in these shackles. I haven’t felt as being a part of the colony in a long time but that is just me I guess but then I hope to find some answers. I think sometimes that the only answer is that we all were here for eternity and we all will be here in this universe for eternity. We are all made from the same matter that has always existed here. We are the universe and at the same time a part of it, just a few atoms dancing around for who knows what, who knows till when. I think we are not even meant to know and I accept it as it is. I am skeptic about those who say that universe speaks to them, I think it is just their mind and inflated ego talking. Universe is silent, when we are it and it is we, why will it talk to self and that too with such an insignificant self. Do we ever talk to our mitochondria? Anyways, I will leave in two days. It is already dawn. I should probably just go to my quarter and spend these last hours with them and be prepared to leave what could be my last impression on this colony. -Geff

script ends

Comments: While the information obtained about the creation of ‘soul-virus’ is crucial. We are hopeful that this has brought us a step-closer to finding its cure. Some analysts are arguing that the mindset of the subject referred here as Geff, is reflective of symptoms of this virus. Therefore, it is possible that some dormant strain of this virus had infiltrated the main chip manufacturing facility of the colony and several people like Geff grew with it in their system. These walking time-bombs, waiting to go haywire and nearly impossible to detect could have been the precursors to events that finally lead to instability in the colony and thus, annihilation of it. This discovery lays further emphasis on the need to discover the destroyed data center and chip manufacturing facility. -Trainee 11QU56

submitted by /u/FocuseShire [link] [comments] via Blogger http://bit.ly/2ZwQTKe