#but they have free speech to the same extent as everybody else

[greater-than-the-sword]

...

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

After a disastrous beginning at shortstop, Phloop spent the rest of his Little League career at second base.

He played on a team called the Pirates and that team won the league championship three years in a row. Phloop was regarded as the best fielding second baseman in the league and made the All-Star team. When he played the position, he shaded towards shortstop which gave him the opportunity to occasionally dive at a grounder hit up the middle and make a sensational attempt at gloving what was almost surely a base hit. Once, he did make such a play. He threw from his knees and the runner was out. It was a fantastic play and cemented Phloop's reputation as a great glove man.

Phloop carried that reputation within himself for the next decade.

Yeah, he wasn't that great at anything else but he damned sure could play second base.

Phloop, however, knew something that nobody else knew about his game skills.

Phloop was afraid of the ball. He didn't want the ball to be hit to him. Furthermore, he was afraid to tell anybody about the fear that he knew possessed him.

He shaded towards shortstop so he could stay away from the smashes that left handed hitters would pull right at him that he knew he couldn't handle without bailing out.

Then one day, ten years past those glory years, the neighborhood paid a tribute to his old Coach. The championship teams were his pride and joy. The coach gave a speech and praised everybody.

When it came to Phloop the old coach said, "and at second base we had Phloop who didn't have a lot of range but if he could get to it, he could handle it."

Wow…what was that about.

Ya mean the coach knew about what Phloop thought was a secret, the way he shaded based upon the handedness of the batter. This raised ed the question of range. range refers to how much ground you cover at your position.

Phloop had far less range than the other second-baseman in the league who made more errors. Phloop never made and error. He was involved either with spectacular diving attempts or handling routine ground balls hit right at him. Nobody kept stats regarding how many grounders got past him simply because of his fear and thus his limited range. If two got by him (and the figure was more like 20) because of his shade, those two nullified the "brilliance" of the single diving play that had made his reputation.

Phloop's defensive strategy, while effective in certain respects, created a blind spot in his game. The fear that drove him to shade towards shortstop and avoid high-speed grounders ultimately compromised his ability to cover the full extent of his position. While his error-free record and spectacular plays were commendable, they masked the broader reality of his limited range and the number of grounders that slipped past him. This hidden aspect of his game underscored a complex truth: the brilliance of a single diving play could not entirely offset the impact of the many grounders he missed due to his strategic, fear-driven positioning.

Phloop's problem was not so much on the field but within himself. Some folks considered Phloop to be modest. He wasn't modest. He knew the truth about the secret gaps gaps that he was hiding

In various fields—be it sports, the arts, or public life��those who provide consistent, reliable performance may not always receive the same level of recognition as those who deliver standout, memorable moments. Phloop’s case exemplifies how fleeting brilliance can capture attention, while a more balanced, all-encompassing ability might be undervalued despite its true worth.

Many public figures are celebrated for their exceptional talents, charisma, or achievements, akin to Phloop’s celebrated fielding skills. However, their public persona often hides personal struggles or shortcomings. For instance, a celebrated actor might be known for their incredible performances but struggle privately with mental health issues. Similarly, a successful business leader might be praised for their innovation but face criticism for poor treatment of employees or ethical lapses.

Renowned for his comedic genius and acting talent, Robin Williams was beloved for his performances in movies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Good Will Hunting. However, his public persona masked his long-standing struggles with depression and substance abuse, which ultimately contributed to his tragic death by suicide in 2014. While Williams had a vast range as an actor and comedian, his personal struggles affected his ability to maintain consistent performance quality or focus. These struggles, though not always visible in his work, were a significant limitation affecting his overall well-being and career stability.

Thomas Jefferson: Celebrated as a Founding Father of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson is revered for his contributions to American democracy. However, his legacy is also marred by his ownership of slaves and his complex views on race, which complicate his standing in history. Jefferson’s range in public performance as a statesman was considerable, influencing the formation of American democracy. However, his actions as a slave owner reveal a limitation in his moral and ethical performance, contradicting the ideals he championed in his public life. This discrepancy highlights a gap between his personal practices and his public principles.

Volkswagen: Known for its high-quality and reliable vehicles, Volkswagen faced a major scandal in 2015 when it was revealed that the company had used software to cheat on diesel emissions tests. This revelation undermined the company's reputation for environmental responsibility and quality, exposing significant ethical and regulatory breaches.Volkswagen’s range of performance in vehicle quality and innovation was strong, but their performance in ethical practices was severely limited. The emissions scandal exposed how their commitment to environmental responsibility was undermined by deceitful practices. This gap showed a significant limitation in their overall corporate performance.

Michael Jackson: Often hailed as the "King of Pop" for his groundbreaking contributions to music and entertainment, Jackson's career was also shadowed by serious allegations of child sexual abuse. Despite his immense talent and success, these allegations created a complex and controversial legacy.Jackson’s performance range as a musician and performer was extraordinary, but the limitations came with the controversies surrounding his personal life and legal issues. These limitations affected his public image and overshadowed his artistic achievements, showing a discrepancy between his professional brilliance and personal troubles.

Lance Armstrong: Celebrated for his seven Tour de France victories and his inspirational battle with cancer, Armstrong's legacy was severely damaged when it was revealed that he had engaged in an extensive doping program throughout his career. His achievements were overshadowed by the scandal and the subsequent stripping of his awards. Armstrong’s athletic performance range was impressive, marked by his Tour de France victories and recovery from cancer. However, his range of integrity and ethical performance was compromised by his involvement in doping. This limitation revealed that while his physical performance was exceptional, it was marred by significant ethical breaches.

In each case, the limitations in range within their performances or personas highlight how various factors—be they personal struggles, ethical failings, or hidden issues—can impact the overall evaluation of their achievements and capabilities. These limitations can complicate the narrative of their successes and reveal a more nuanced or flawed reality behind their public image.

Let's flip back to Phloop.

In the world of Little League baseball, Phloop was lauded for his standout defensive plays and remarkable moments. His ability to execute spectacular dives and throw out runners from his knees made him a local legend. Yet, his range was confined to these dramatic highlights, with a significant amount of ground left uncovered due to his strategic positioning and fear of high-speed grounders.

In contrast, there was another player, Tim, who played a more conventional second base. Tim didn’t have the flashy dives or the headline-worthy throws, but he excelled in every aspect of his position. He had a broad range: he fielded grounders cleanly, made accurate throws, and consistently covered the entire area of the infield. His defensive play was marked by reliability and steadiness rather than dramatic moments.

Despite Tim’s all-around excellence, he didn’t receive the same level of praise as Phloop. The highlight-reel moments of Phloop’s play captured the imagination of fans and coaches alike, overshadowing Tim’s consistent, dependable performance. Phloop's reputation was built on a few brilliant but isolated instances, while Tim’s broader range of steady performance went largely unrecognized.

This disparity illustrates how public acclaim can sometimes focus on the extraordinary and visually striking rather than the comprehensive and steady. Just as Phloop’s limited range was compensated for by his highlight-worthy plays, Tim’s broader range of abilities was overshadowed by the allure of Phloop’s spectacular moments. In the broader metaphor, this reflects how society often values the dramatic and exceptional achievements over consistent, well-rounded performance.

In various fields—be it sports, the arts, or public life—those who provide consistent, reliable performance may not always receive the same level of recognition as those who deliver standout, memorable moments. Phloop’s case exemplifies how fleeting brilliance can capture attention, while a more balanced, all-encompassing ability might be undervalued despite its true worth.

Brett Favre: Reputation: Favre is celebrated as one of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks, known for his longevity, toughness, and several dramatic, game-winning plays. He earned three MVP awards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Performance: While Favre had a spectacular career, his performance was also marked by a high number of interceptions and occasional inconsistent play. His reputation for spectacular moments often overshadowed his less consistent aspects, such as turnovers and some mediocre seasons.

Yao Ming: Reputation: Yao Ming was hailed as a groundbreaking player, both for his talent and for bridging the gap between the NBA and China. His presence in the league was a major cultural and marketing milestone. Performance: Although Yao was an outstanding player, his career was plagued by injuries that limited his performance and impact on the court. His reputation was built as much on his marketability and international significance as on his on-court accomplishments. Arts

Andy Warhol: Reputation: Warhol is celebrated as a leading figure in the Pop Art movement, known for his innovative use of commercial and celebrity imagery. His works like the Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn Diptych are iconic. Performance: Warhol’s art often received acclaim more for its cultural commentary and novelty than for technical mastery. Some critics argue that his works were more about challenging conventions and less about conventional artistic skill, yet his reputation as a revolutionary artist far outweighs the critical evaluation of his technical prowess.

Pablo Picasso: Reputation: Picasso is renowned as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, particularly for his role in Cubism and other modernist movements. His name is synonymous with innovation and artistic genius. Performance: Despite his immense reputation, not all of Picasso’s works are universally acclaimed. Some of his later works and stylistic experiments were critiqued for being less engaging or artistically significant, but his overall reputation often overshadows the more controversial aspects of his body of work.

Donald Trump: Reputation: As a businessman and reality TV star, Trump built a reputation for success and larger-than-life persona, which contributed to his election as the 45th President of the United States. Performance: His presidency was marked by significant controversy and polarized opinions, with many critics arguing that his performance in office was inconsistent and often problematic. Yet, his reputation and media presence played a substantial role in shaping his public image.

Elizabeth Holmes: Reputation: Holmes was hailed as a visionary entrepreneur for her ambitious goals with Theranos, and she was celebrated for her innovative ideas and charismatic leadership. Performance: The actual performance of Theranos' technology was vastly overestimated, and the company was eventually exposed for fraudulent practices. Holmes's reputation as a trailblazer was significantly tarnished by the reality of her company's failures and deceit.

The Beatles are a classic example of a group whose reputation often overshadows aspects of their performance or individual contributions. Here's how their case fits into the metaphor of acclaim versus performance:

The Beatles Reputation:

The Beatles are widely regarded as one of the most influential and successful bands in music history. Their reputation is built on their groundbreaking contributions to popular music, including their innovative approach to songwriting, recording, and genre blending. Their impact on music and culture is immense, and they are often celebrated for their revolutionary work in the 1960s. Performance:

Musical Evolution: The Beatles' musical journey included rapid evolution and experimentation. While their early work was celebrated for its catchy melodies and energetic performances, some critics argue that their later, more experimental phases, such as the albums Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album, while innovative, also had mixed reactions and were sometimes seen as inconsistent or overindulgent.

Individual Contributions: Within the group, the individual contributions of each member varied. For instance, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were often celebrated for their songwriting and vocal performances, while George Harrison's contributions, though significant, were sometimes overshadowed by the more prominent roles of Lennon and McCartney. Ringo Starr, while crucial to the band's rhythm and feel, often received less praise compared to his bandmates despite his essential role in their sound. The Beatles' reputation as a transformative force in music is undeniable, their performance in terms of consistency and the individual contributions of each member show the complexities behind their celebrated status. Their innovation and impact are widely recognized, but not all aspects of their music and individual performances are universally praised or without criticism.

Brett Favre:

Underappreciated: Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, a former teammate of Favre with the Green Bay Packers, has had a highly successful career with impressive statistics and performances. Although Rodgers has received significant recognition, he has sometimes been overshadowed by Favre's legacy as the "face" of the Packers.

Yao Ming:

Underappreciated: Zhu Fangyu. Zhu Fangyu, a highly successful Chinese basketball player in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association), was instrumental in the development of basketball in China. Despite his impact, he didn't receive the same level of international acclaim as Yao Ming, whose NBA career and global influence eclipsed his contributions. Arts

Andy Warhol:

Underappreciated: Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was a leading figure in the Pop Art movement alongside Warhol. His work, characterized by its use of comic strip aesthetics and satire, was innovative and influential. However, Lichtenstein’s contributions often receive less attention compared to Warhol’s more flamboyant and widely recognized works.

Pablo Picasso:

Underappreciated: Georges Braque. Braque, a co-founder of Cubism with Picasso, made significant contributions to the movement and modern art in general. While Picasso is often credited with most of the acclaim for Cubism, Braque's role and artistic contributions were crucial but sometimes overlooked in favor of Picasso's more prominent reputation. Public Life

Donald Trump:

Underappreciated: Barack Obama (in terms of post-presidency influence). Obama’s post-presidency work in public speaking, writing, and global diplomacy is substantial. Although he remains a prominent figure, his ongoing influence and contributions sometimes get overshadowed by the more controversial and sensational aspects of Trump's presidency.

Elizabeth Holmes:

Underappreciated: Advisors and early employees of Theranos who raised concerns. Individuals like Tyler Shultz and Erika Cheung, who were early employees and whistleblowers, played crucial roles in exposing the company's issues. Their contributions to uncovering the truth and protecting the public were significant but did not receive as much recognition as Holmes's initial fame. The Beatles Underappreciated: George Harrison. Harrison's contributions as a guitarist and songwriter, particularly in the later years of The Beatles, were significant. Songs like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and his spiritual influence on the band are often overshadowed by the more prominent roles of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Harrison's solo work, while acclaimed, also did not receive as much attention compared to the collective Beatles' fame or the individual successes of Lennon and McCartney.

XXXXXXXXXXX

[livisnotlee]

Livisnotlee’s Epic Blog Introduction Post!! 🎉

Please read this post before/when you first follow/ interact with me. Thanks!

This is a (SFW) Tickling blog! If you are uncomfy with that please feel free to scroll on past or block me, whatever you need to do.

Hey everybody! My name is Liv, and welcome to my blog!

(Scroll to the bottom for blog updates/FAQs, please check back regularly as this post may change.)

Feel free to reblog this post or use it as a template (credit preferred but not essential), but DO NOT claim it as your own.

Last updated: 22nd July 2024 (AUS)

Here are a few fast facts to get us started:

My pronouns are she/her/hers

I am Autistic and have ADHD

I am Demisexual & Demiromantic, and I identify under the Bisexual umbrella

This blog is strictly SFW!

This blog is also striving to be a safe space for minors so please respect that. I will not engage in any debates about wether tickling is strictly a sexual kink or if minors belong in the community, I simply aim to provide a safe space for all parties that is legal and all ages appropriate.

I will an not obligated to share any personal details or opinions that I feel are unnecessary for my audience to know. My online presence will be filtered to some extent as I would like to keep my personal and professional life seperate to my internet persona.

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If you/ your blog is fully NSFW, please DO NOT interact with or follow this blog! (I will allow mostly sfw blogs to interact, but will require they are SFW when on my blog and I will actively avoid any of their NSFW content. I don’t personally have anything against NSFW blogs as long as they are respectful. I will only ever make an exception for my partner or extremely close longtime friends)

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If you are an NSFW blog and you don’t want me to interact with you, it’s ok to block me! I don’t mind and it keeps us all safe. I will try my best to check first but even I make mistakes sometimes, I promise it’s not on purpose though!

Important note: It is a good idea to check the bio of each blog I interact with before doing the same yourself! While they will all be SFW posts, some blogs may have different age and Interacting/Following requirements that you may not meet even if I do.

This blog will try to stay as non political and discourse free as possible! (this excludes posts which cover important universal topics concerning everyone) Any comments/ asks that don’t follow that rule will be deleted, and/or users will be blocked. Go debate somewhere else please!

I am in an exclusive relationship with @engiboost and I am NOT looking to date anyone else right now. Regardless of my relationship status I am NOT comfortable with being flirted with online unless I know you very well and it is meant to be taken platonically of as a joke, or I have expressly told you otherwise.

While I can’t and won’t stop you from having your own opinions & values, the following will NOT BE TOLERATED on my blog:

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Any other behaviour that is against the law.

Be aware that harassment of any kind directed towards me or anyone else in my country will not be tolerated and will swiftly be taken down. As I am an Australian citizen, I am protected by the Online Safety Act 2021 and that behaviour is unlawful in my country. Even if you are outside of Australia, you, or at the very least Tumblr, may still be held liable. You can read more about that here:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/

That was most of the important stuff out of the way, but here are a few other things you may need to know:

I don’t check this blog on a regular basis. I may be very active for a week, and then not come online for a few months. This is as much a personal blog as anything so I don’t have a set upload schedule, I just come on here when I feel like it.

As per the last point: I may sometimes take a while to respond to DMs, asks, and other interactions on Tumblr due to my ADHD and irregular blog activity. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t seen or don’t appreciate them, I just need a little extra time and patience 😊

While my DMs, Asks, post submissions, mentions, etc., may stay open, I am under no obligation to respond to or keep anything that I don’t feel comfortable with. Don’t take this personally or feel hesitant about reaching out! I will take it on myself to filter out any content or interactions that I don’t want appearing on my blog. Again please respect my blog rules and Tumblr TOS.

If needed you can ask me to take down, alter, or tag a post if you have a valid reason, for example; if anything I said in the post was a trigger for you. I want my mutuals to feel safe! But of course make sure to use common sense.

While this blog is SFW and safe for minors, it may at times contain some very mild mature themes and other things like swearing, and info posts for self protection/bad situations. I will absolutely make sure to tag and censor these things if needed but just be mindful of that fact.

FAQs: Current blog information and Statuses:

This section will change from time to time so if you are unsure of something try checking here. Or feel free to send me an ask! (Make sure to follow my blog guidelines and Tumblr’s terms of service!)

Am I on any sort of long break or Hiatus?

I am off holidays now and in the 3rd term of my diploma. I won’t be on break again until late September, but I may still come on here from time to time.

Any notable things I am doing with my blog?

I have finished uploading my old drafts and will be making time to go through and retag everything soon.

I have a lot of things that I need to catch up on and a new OC that I may share with you that I created with a group of friends. (See my mutuals @demeterdownunder @altheadajoysoul @pixliidraws)

I am considering uploading some of my WIP T-word fics in the (very far) future.

I am working on a pretty big tk themed writing project! (On hiatus)

I'm also considering doing a master list for my blog posts, but only if needed. (Not needed)

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Happy TK month everyone! Not participating in any events tho. Remember to Opt in to Tumblr's 'Prevent third-party sharing' (AI model training) feature.

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Yes that’s fine! I love talking to you guys. But it may take me a little while to respond.

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Yes I am happy with getting Asks at the moment. Go ahead and send them through! I have also turned on Anon asks because I didn't see that was turned off, we shall see how it goes.

What about Ask games/ get to know you questions?

Yes I think these are quite fun so sure! Feel free to send those as well!

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I’m completely fine with that! But please keep it SFW.

Can you submit posts?

If you want to, but I will check them first to make sure they are appropriate.

Will I be Role Playing on my blog/ through Asks?

I am not currently planning to participate in any role playing in my blog posts, I find it clogs up my feed a little and I don’t have any characters I can play well enough.

What about RP-ing in DMs?

Yes I am open to it so definitely ask! But I would probably just RP as myself.

Is there a link to a Master Post?

I may make one in the future if it is needed, but it is not up currently.

Any Current WIPs?

I have a few things sitting in my notes that I could publish if you guys would like to see those, there's nothing so far I have written specifically for this blog. I am also working on my tickle themed novel! More about that later though!

Am I taking fic writing requests/ prompts?

Not at the moment, but I am definitely considering doing it sometime in the future because it sounds like a lot of fun!

Am I taking commissions?

I am not currently planning on taking commissions any time soon. I don’t really draw or write fics that much to make any money from it. But who knows? It may be a possibility in the future.

———————————————

And that’s all for now! Thanks so much for Reading! I hope you enjoy your stay 😊

-Liv 💖

[kylosbrickhousebody]

Ch. 15 of Club Starkiller is up

Ch. 15 Demo(lition)

NSFW

Rhea holds onto the metal bars like they’re actual grounding rods.

She rubs her cheek over the blanket, just once, to feel the softness. At least there’s a bit of warmth growing beneath her as it absorbs her body heat; she probably would be freaking out right now if she were cold on top of everything else.

It grates on her that Master Ben seems to know what he’s doing.

“Right, so, I think we’ll get started then.”

She takes a breath through her nose, bites down a little on the gag.

Here we go.

“Welcome back to anyone who’s attended one of my demos before. To anyone new, this will be an overview of flogging, with some demonstration, followed by an actual scene. As always,” he takes a few steps, comfortable, like he’s giving some sort of speech on a stage, “There are a few ground rules. All standard rules for scene observance apply, of course. Additionally, I’ll ask that you hold any questions for later; you may approach me with any around a half hour after the scene ends. You’ll find me in the lounge over there.”

She assumes he—somewhere behind her now—gestures in whichever direction.

“Feel free to masturbate if you wish—”

Rhea jumps, turns her head over to stare wide-eyed into the crowd for a moment. Master Marcus seems to notice immediately; he gives her a huge grin.

Hell.

“—but do refrain from making any lewd gestures or noises. Any distractions and you’ll be escorted from this playroom. I will also immediately eject anyone, at any time, at the very first hint of disrespect towards my sub. We don’t usually have this issue here, but it always bears repeating: this isn’t a humiliation scene, and it certainly isn’t a public one. If you won’t appreciate my sub—quietly—then leave now.”

She finds herself a little relieved that no one moves to leave.

A little hint of warmth blooms in her belly. She turns her face back to rest on her right cheek, eyes searching for him.

He walks back into view a few moments later, makes eye contact, acknowledges her, then turns his focus right back to the observers.

She grimaces at the realization that she likes his attention.

“Right. First step here is always to warm the sub up. Even in harder sadism play, you typically don’t want to cause long-term physical damage unless that’s been explicitly negotiated between you and your sub—and it’s a relatively rare desire.”

The Dom runs his fingers along her spine. She jolts a little; they’re a bit cooler than her body temperature but the touch feels good, a small source of comfort and connection to someone else.

“Luckily, this particular sub already took an attitude adjustment tonight—as you saw—”

She flinches; a blush heats her face.

“—so her ass is mostly prepped already. Still, I’ll demonstrate.”

Rhea finds she doesn’t have to wait long to find out what that means.

Master Ben walks between her legs again—she shivers, completely aware once again that she’s spread open for him.

Large hands grip her then, spanning the entirety of her inner thighs and more. He presses out, thumbs closest to the apex between her legs, spreading her until she feels that the thin piece of cloth she still wears might soon no longer cover her labia.

She tries to suppress the whine, but still some of it vibrates into the gag.

“Typically, you’ll be beating the thighs, the ass, her back. I’ll use female pronouns, by the way, for obvious reasons, but most of this demo will apply to any sub. Just ignore the vaginal advice.”

That makes her clench. She can feel her skin break out into little goosebumps.

Rhea hears a soft chuckle.

His hands travel up and grip her ass, making her whine again, this time in pain. “Yes, see, she’s nearly there already. This pink is the color you should be looking for.”

He smooths his hands over her ass, taking his time, taking possession. He spreads her cheeks—she makes an audible noise of objection—and she feels him trail a finger down the clothed cleft of her ass, down to the wider swath of fabric barely covering her lips.

He cups her.

Hard.

Her pussy clamps down again; there’s doubt that he feels it.

“Good girl,” he breathes, moving his body up. Some of his weight shifts, his own hips pushing into her a bit from behind. His back arches over her, but she can feel some of its warmth. He’s so close.

“Sometimes pinches work best on the back; sometimes you simply need to rub. It depends on the sub’s skin and build.”

He pinches her skin several times, working across the expanse of her back. Then he rubs, firm, like an overly aggressive massage.

“And sometimes a combination is best. That should do.”

He pulls away.

She stifles the urge to whimper at the loss of touch.

So pathetic. Get it together. He’s about to beat you.

“You can also flog the calves, the feet. Her breasts, pussy,” he says, seeming to take a longer breath. Probably to watch her reaction.

Fucker.

“But the thighs, ass, and back should be your primary areas for actual beating. The rest typically requires gentler swats, usually closer to sensation play than to impact. Some important notes here,” he moves again, this time over to her side. “Never strike here—” he fans his hand out over the largest strap, the one which holds her down just above the curve of her ass. “The kidneys are here. You can damage them. Don’t fuck around. You aren’t better than using a protective strap. The responsible thing to do is just to cover that part of the sub.”

He moves, then, fingers tracing up her spine again.

She shivers.

He makes eye contact again, a little longer this time, searching. She meets his gaze, holds it—tries to show she’s not afraid.

He’s satisfied a moment later, apparently; he continues. “Similar note up here. Hitting the shoulder blades hurts like hell. I prefer to cover them for this reason. Alternatively, depending on the kind of restraints, furniture, whatever that you’re using, you can simply have the sub wrap her arms around the bench, for instance. This will curve her shoulders and mostly eliminate the risk of an accidental hit to that area.”

Master Ben does a once-over of over. He grasps at her shoulder and squeezes even as he looks out, above her, addressing the crowd. “And always tie long hair up. You don’t want it getting in the way.”

He squats then, dragging the bag of what she presumes to be toys between them. She watches even as she knows she’s liable to make herself more afraid by watching him rummage. She finds she can’t look away.

He meets her eyes again, hand still moving to close around something in the bag.

“Rhea,” he starts, the volume of his voice lowered so only he can hear him, “I want you to know that you are allowed to cry. You may whine, or try to plead, or scream.” He pauses. “You should also know that none of these will stop me from doing everything I want to do to you.”

With that, as if he’d only said something banal, he stands.

Shit, half her mind supplies; the other half, more animal, sends a zap of energy straight to her clit.

“There are four main food groups of floggers—well, and all of their variants, but I digress—”

He turns an instrument over in his hand. His fingers wrap around a long, dark wooden handle. Beneath it, long black strips of something—a hide or leather—dangle.

Shit. Shit shit—

He continues speaking, mostly managing to drown out the sound of her internal panic.

“This is a classic handle flogger. This is the one that everybody and their grandmother owns.” He turns it over in his hands again. “This is also really the only kind that you can effectively carousel with. Everybody always wants to get right to beating the shit out of their sub, but there are other fun things to explore, too. This one is a nice, gentle sensation.”

He steps back a little, standing more towards her hips.

She feels something touch her back. She jerks, at first, wholly instinctual. Then she settles, slowly, as the sensation continues. Little, featherlight tails in circles up her back, then back down; over her ass; finally, up her side. The ends of the tails tickle the sensitive skin there, making her squirm to the little extent she can manage while completely strapped down.

She tries, furiously, but fails to suppress giggles.

The gag muffles most of the sound—thank god—but she hears light chuckles anyway.

When he speaks again, his own voice is warmer, richer. “Yes, I like that very much.”

Master Ben pulls away; Rhea catches her breath.

“This is also, of course, the classic flogger used in most hitbox stances.” He stands, still at her hips, and moves his feet apart. “Place one foot a bit in front of the other—center of gravity is a bit lower this way, so you’re less likely to lose balance—grasp the tails up and over your shoulder, and—”

Whamp.

“Swing.”

Rhea pulls at her wrist restraints, the hit coming sooner than she had anticipated. It hurts a little, thuds against her back, but its less intense than she was expecting. More of a deep, reverberating thud, like a large wave had smacked into her.

“You can keep this going for a while if you want. Simply swing back, catch the tails in your hand—don’t hit yourself in the face, preferably—and swing.”

Whamp.

This time it impacts her ass, making it jiggle. Same level of pain: a little, but not a lot. She can handle it.

“Be sure to move, though. Subs are usually at least somewhat restrained for flogging, so it falls to you to be the dynamic partner. Also: your swinging arm will hurt the next day if you don’t use your hips to put most of the force behind the hit. Like this.”

Whamp!

More power behind it; Rhea umphs into the gag.

Whamp!

Ow.

“That one was just for fun.”

Bastard.

“That’s basically it with this one. It can be a little dull as you build skill, but is nevertheless the classic flogger, and it has its time and place.”

He stops, jaw moving, clearly thinking about something.

“There are a few important notes on materials and buying. Most of you likely already know that, typically, more falls and larger falls usually translate to a thud impact. Less falls—and particularly thin falls—usually translate into a sting impact. This can be especially true of some materials, like rubber, which delivers a rather harsh stinging. You can usually a achieve a little bit of thud or a bit of sting with any flogger, given the right technique and swing, but generally you should use floggers made specifically for the impact you want to deliver. Similarly, any flogger can be a pussy whip if you’re brave enough—”

Rhea absolutely flinches—

“—but I’d recommend staying away from the harder materials unless your sub is a painslut.”

Then, to her horror, she feels a smack between her legs.

He’s swung underhand, up at her mound, letting the falls impact.

She tries to curse at him; the gag swallows it. She hears another round of chuckles.

Smack.

Her clit throbs.

She lets out a groan of complaint.

“Mhm,” he hums. “She likes that.”

Smack.

“Good.”

Smack.

A little blush of embarrassment heats her cheeks; she pressed her eyes closed. Still, a different heat creeps up her body: a flush which travels up her limbs, heating her body, before settling into her chest.

Her brows knit together in confusion.

“Mmmmphf.”

“I know.”

It’s all he says—doesn’t elaborate any further. Just acknowledges the whine tinged with question.

Ben steps back over to the bag.

“One other note: many materials used in floggers are porous. These include woods, many hides, et cetera. Don’t use porous toys of any type on multiple subs; you must purchase per sub. This,” he says, turning over the handle several times in his hand, “is a varnished wood, and is thus non-porous, but I still buy per sub if I intend to do anything sexual with it.”

He drops his gaze, meets her eyes—back open now—pointedly.

“This one is bought new.”

Her eyes must go wide because this time he gives her an actual smile.

She blinks at him, suddenly aware that she’s drooling over the gag now. Embarrassing. Sexy.

Wait—no—

As he digs around, searches for something new, the wave of sexual tension morphs into something new.

Wait—he bought something for her?

A lot of things, actually, judging from the fullness of the bag.

The realization makes her feel something strange, something unfamiliar. She squirms a little in her restraints.

He bought something for her—he spent money on her. Probably a lot.

“Mmhmmmf?”

He pats her head once, twice, as he rises again to his full height.

“This one is a ball handled flogger.” He holds it up a little so the crowd can see. “I hate these. They look nice—beautifully crafted, usually of wood—but beating with these for a long time is difficult. You hold them like this—” he slides his fingers between the ball and dowel connecting to the falls. “In short-term use, these things will make blisters between your fingers. With long term use, they can damage the cartilage in your fingers.”

He stops, rolls it in his hand, considering. “I’ve lost a bit of cartilage, so I stopped using these. You can also carousel with these—a little less easily, but still—”

He does it again: swirls the falls around on her skin, tickling up her sides.

It makes her puff into the tag, trying to hold back a fit of annoyed laughter. It confuses her, mixes disparate emotions together until she hardly knows how to separate them anymore.

He tosses it away. “Borrowed that one from Cullen. I don’t keep one in my bag anymore. Although, if you currently own one and want to stop for health reasons, I suppose you could just use the ball as an anal plug. It’s about the right size.”

Rhea jerks again, harder, trying to whip her head around to glare at him.

Another chuckle.

“Oh, she seems interested. We’ll have to try that sometime.”

You—you—

He picks something else up.

“This is a nunchaku flogger in its most common variant: a swivel handle. Hate these, too. I affectionately refer to these as the lazy man’s flogger.”

He swivels it around in his hand so that it swings and swings and swings with only small flicks in his wrist.

Whack, whack, whack, whack.

All the blows land on her ass.

Ow—Ow—Oomf—Ow.

“And that’s why. No effort required. Many beginner Doms mistakenly gravitate towards these since they’re so easy to wield. That is the exact opposite of what you should want. You should instead pick up the classic handle, which requires deliberate aim and builds actual skill. This—” he whips it around more, this time only in the air “—lands very unpredictably, especially if you don’t yet know what you’re doing. You don’t want to smack a sub just anywhere.”

He pauses.

“Well, I guess this can also be good if you’re really in the lifestyle and want to flog while catching up on your favorite holovid series.”

That gets a few laughs.

“But I don’t personally own a swivel handle. I don’t find it stimulating to use something that doesn’t require me to do any real work. I like to control. This is a poor excuse for control.”

He tosses this one away, too.  

This time, when he walks towards the bag, his boots squeak against the floor.

It sounds familiar, takes her instantly back to the bridge where the squeaking of boots on polished floors are an all-too-regular occurrence.

God, Rhea, this is the worst time to be thinking about work.

She forces herself to shove the thought of work boots out of her mind, finds her eyes again gravitating to Master Ben.

He holds her gaze as he squats again, finds another flogger. He folds heat into the look. A lot of it.

A tiny whimper escapes the gag.

He smirks again, little corners of his lips turning up in playful lilts.

“Don’t worry, you’ll have all my attention in a moment.”

The Dom pulls two floggers out of the bag this time.

“These,” he says, straightening up, presenting them to the crowd, “are poi floggers. My favorites. These have only been around for a few years now, and they’re probably the best floggers you can get for Florentine flogging, which I’ll demonstrate in a moment.”

He slips his fingers into two loops.

“These are also the easiest on your hands, albeit not nearly the easiest to wield. These are the most acrobatic floggers; they require constant motion. They simply are not made for anything else. As such, these are not the best choices for novices. Please practice on pillows extensively first.”

He takes a few steps back such that he stands at the edge of the yellow tape set out on the ground. “Right, so, box standard figure of eight is fairly self-explanatory. This is achieved with one flogger quite easily—”

She watches him flick his wrist—

Whack.

Falls thud—with a little sting—onto her ass.

Ouch.

Whack.

Ow.

Whack.

Ow.

Whack.

“Ommf.”

--such that the flogger moves in a figure-eight motion in the air.

“Use both hands, and you’ve got the Florentine—”

Whack whack whack whack whack whack whack whack.

Rhea pulls hard at her wrist restraints again. Muscles in her back tense; instinct tells her to pull herself up on the bench, to get away.

The straps hold her in place, force her to take it.

“Ooooooommf.”

Ben snorts a little. “Mhm. It’s a little bit unfair to Florentine her without going for a while, so I’ll stop here. Needless to say, you can always throw a bit of flourishing in to brag—”

She watches as he does another, more complex maneuver with his wrists.

A small wave of appreciative murmurs come from the crowd, and she understands: it looks really impressive. He spins them in an absolutely chaotic yet entirely controlled frenzy. First he swings back, rotates the flogger behind a bent elbow, then forward, then overhead—all while maintaining the figure-eight, then the full Florentine.

She has no idea how he does it.

Rhea stares a little wide-eyed; she has a strong moment of déjà vu. Something about the way he wields the floggers look so, so familiar. Maybe she’s seen it in a BDSM holo-vid and simply forgot.

Brows knit together.

Hm, no, it’s something else—something about the exact style of it—

WHACK.

He catches her off-guard, shoves her out of her own head.

She screams, once, into the gag.

He grins at her, has the audacity to wink, even, which makes her a little furious even as her insides liquefy.

He nods at the people gathered.

“That will be all for the demo piece,” he states, bending to grab the toy bag buy a handle on the side. He drags it with him, several feet back, until he stands behind and off to the side of her. “Please feel free to stay and watch if you want to.”

Master Ben disappears behind her. She clenches the cheeks of her ass, involuntarily, for a second. He doesn’t reappear, though; doesn’t make any noise. The waiting—and uncertainty—of it all makes her nervous.

Her heart starts to race in her chest.

[tawakkull]

Spirituality in islam: Tawhid (Unity)

Tawhid, derived from wahda (oneness), means unifying, regarding as one, believing in God’s Oneness or Unity, and sincerely accepting the reality that there is no deity but God. The Sufis add to these meanings the ideas of seeing only He Who is the One, and knowing, mentioning, desiring, and calling Him alone, and conducting relations with others than Him only because of Him.

The beginning of unity is admitting that the Divine Being is beyond and above all concepts that occur to the mind concerning Him, the result of this being that there is no room for anything else save Him in one’s heart, according to the depth of the spiritual state and pleasures, and fixing one’s eyes on Him alone. In this meaning, unity is both the foundation of Islam and its fruit. Sufism has considered unity with respect to both its beginning and end. Those who are not included in the fold of Sufism have regarded it slightly differently.

According to such people, unity means recognizing the Almighty as the Lord of all creation, and responding to His Divinity with servanthood or worshipping, and acting with a feeling of responsibility. In other words, unity is something that we must admit to with both our words and our actions, and our attitude should be that God has absolute authority over the whole of creation and disposes as He wills, and He is absolutely above having a like, a rival or an equal. In addition, since He is the One Who absolutely deserves to be worshipped and to be desired, we must serve Him perfectly in a way that contains the meanings of glorifying, exalting and praising Him, and by declaring that He is the All-Holy. To sum up these definitions, we can say that unity has three types or degrees: unity based on knowledge and belief, unity based on spiritual discovery and pleasures, and unity based on the Divine Being’s bearing witness to Himself. Being aware of the last one is a special gift granted by the Almighty to His chosen servants.

Unity based on belief and knowledge is the kind or degree of unity which is acquired through observation, inference or reasoning. Those who have acquired this degree of unity are free from associating any kind of partners to God and spend their lives thinking about God’s Oneness, mentioning Him and feeling Him in the depths of their hearts.

Unity based on spiritual discovery and pleasures means feeling the knowledge of God which has been acquired through observation and reasoning in one’s conscious nature, sipping the pleasures originating in this knowledge, and experiencing it in the heart and daily life.

Unity based on the Divine Being’s bearing witness to Himself is so profound that only those whom God has favored with it can feel it, and those who can feel it either become dumbfounded or can express it to those around them only to the extent to which He allows them. In the sight of the initiates who can feel such a degree of unity, all proofs and indications of the Almighty fade away, things turn into a mirage, all existence is reduced to relativity, and the attitude of modesty which initiates must adopt before God tells them to keep silent. For this station is that where an initiate must keep silent and this degree or kind of unity is the unity that brings about silence.

Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi says concerning the unity of this degree:

O brother, keep aloof from those

who are busy with discussion among the scholars,

So that the Almighty may cause knowledge

from His presence to rise in your heart.

When speech comes to this point,

lips are no longer able to move or close;

And the pen breaks when it reaches the same point.

This is not the station where eloquent words will be uttered;

So, come and give up talking about things; God knows best the truth.

This station, where knowledge from God’s Presence has turned into knowledge of God from His Presence, where the consciousness has been awarded special favors, and where travelers to God feel that they are being attracted toward Him by Himself, is the station of being a mirror to God where a drop has become like an ocean, an atom like the whole universe, and things that do not exist are honored with existence. In his introduction to Harabat, Ziya Pasha, in his deep appreciation of poetry, describes the state of an initiate in this station as follows:

O You Who exist, and Who have brought existence into existence,

There is nothing which does not exist;

how can it be possible to claim Your non-existence!

Those who are the foremost in this degree of unity, which has allowed an atom to become an ocean, which has caused that which does not exist to gain existence, which has encompassed both the beginning and the end of the journey, and which is a degree that is possible for everybody to attain, are the Prophets. They begin their speeches with unity, and stop where they must stop because unity requires them to do so. The first platform for the travelers to God on their way to God is also this objective consideration of unity, where the beginning and end of the journey are united. All the Messengers and Prophets of God, from the first to the last, who carried out their responsibilities on the way of wakefulness, preached this greatest pillar of belief first, declaring: Worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him (7:59, 65, 73, 85 ). Then they went on to communicate other principles and commandments to explain its meaning and content and to establish these in this world.

This consideration of unity is the first door to entering Islam and is the means to feeling and experiencing Islam with a certainty based on knowledge, and a certainty based on observation, and a certainty based on experience. This is also the first call of God to know Him-according to the individual’s capacity-as He makes Himself known. One enters the fold of Islam with such a concept of unity, and those who have the potential to advance, advance by means of it. Studies and mental endeavors gain profundity through this concept, and it is again through it that what lies beyond the relative truths appears. The difference between eternity and what is eternal and what is contained in time can be discerned within this concept. One perceives through this concept the nature of the relation between God as the Creator and the Sole Object of Worship with other beings as the created and those responsible for worshipping and servanthood. Again, it is through this concept that one understands that the Creator is not of the same kind as the created, and that His Attributes are perfect, universal and essential to Him, while the attributes of the created are imperfect, particular, relative and borrowed. This concept of unity causes one to base all one’s views on the principles taught by the Prophets. Starting from these principles, one is saved from falling into errors such as, while arguing (in the name of unity) that He is absolutely free of any imperfections that belong to the created, going to the extreme of denying God any Attributes; or (another extreme) assuming that God takes on bodily form (incarnation) or that a created being can be united with God and become God (union). One is also saved, while observing His manifestations, from likening God in any respect to the creation, or, while interpreting His Attributes, likening Him to the created or attributing to Him a body and being that are contained in time and space. Thus one displays the worthiness (and need) to be counted among the people of the Straight Way, when one prays at least forty times a day (in the daily prayers) to God to guide one on this Way.

That conception of unity also serves to guide travelers to God so that they can perceive the sole source and nature of the Divine Destiny and Decree. Turning to Him, they do not waste their lives in the philosophical deviations of the Mu'tazila (the Muslim theologians who maintain that human beings will and create their actions) and the Jabriya (who deny human free will). They serve God sincerely, and feel a deep respect for Him because of His every commandment. Without denying that they have been endowed with free will, they believe that God is the Creator and the eternal origin or cause of everything, and expect from Him the attainment of all their purposes. They always rely on Him, and implore Him for happiness in both this world and the next.

* * *

Philosophers such as Aristotle, Abu ‘Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, who considered unity as the Existence alone with no identity or Attributes, opened the door to the deviation of monism, which would later evolve as a philosophical system, in turn giving rise to many other falsehoods. Those who have strayed into incarnation and union-which can be said to have been smeared onto the belief-system of Islam by Neo-platonism-have fallen into associating partners with God by seeing existence as the constant appearance or externalization of the Necessarily Existent One, and therefore as being (in some measure) identifiable with Him. Among other groups or movements, the Qadariya and Jahmiya, which deny God any Attributes, have attributed to God impotence and to human will absolute power. On the other hand, the attitude of the Jabriya, who deny human free will and regard humans as if they were dried leaves blown about by winds, is totally contrary to the most rational realities and is a great slander against God. What is true for all such movements, even if there were a grain of truth in them, is that their early followers were not able to save themselves from going to extremes and they prepared many points from which those who followed them and the ideas they promoted might stray.

As for the overwhelming majority of Muslims, who have accepted the truth of the Messenger and his Companions, they have learned unity (as well as other aspects of Islam), from, once more, the expressions, attitudes, visions, and spiritual discoveries of the true successors of the Messenger and the Companions, experiencing it in their inner and outer worlds. According to them, unity is the bedrock of Islam, a fact which the Qur'an and the Sunna give the greatest importance to with respect to the Creator’s Lordship and recognition of our being His servants who must recognize and worship Him. The Qur'an and God’s Messenger frequently refer to the Divine Being and His Attributes, Names, and acts, including the establishment of Himself on the Throne-the nature of which is unknown to us-His speaking to the Messengers and Prophets, and honoring whomever He wills with speaking to Himself, and reminding us of His absolute, unconditioned Life, Knowledge, Hearing, Seeing, Power, Will, and Speech. They also teach us that God is the Creator and the One Who takes life and revives after death, and that He is the All-Providing. All these Attributes and acts of God have a close connection with God’s being One and Unique.

God’s Lordship and the lights of His Existence and Lordship which shine on things and events are stressed in many verses of the Qur'an such as:

God, there is no deity but He; the All-Living, the Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist.), Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. (2:255);

Alif-Lam-Mim. God, there is no deity but He; the All-Living, the Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist.) (3:1-2);

Say (O Messenger): “O God, Master of all dominion! You give dominion to whom You will, and take away dominion from whom You will ” (3:26);

(He) the All-Merciful, established Himself on the Throne (20:5);

And say: “All praise be to God Who has neither taken to Him a son, nor has He any partner in His dominion (of the whole creation); nor does He need, out of weakness, anyone to own and protect Him; and exalt Him with all His limitless greatness.” (17:111),

and Say: “He is God, the One; God is the Eternally-Besought-of-All. He has not begotten, nor been begotten. There is nothing equal to Him.” (112:1-5).

A consciousness that discerns this majesty of the Divine Lordship, feels deeply and eagerly the necessity to worship Him in the face of this all-encompassing scene or in these concentric scenes of Lordship, and responds with: All praise and gratitude is for God, the Lord of the Worlds. The All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. The Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone do We worship and from You alone do we seek help. (1:1-4) It demonstrate its readiness to serve Him in response to the Divine proclamation, O humankind, worship your Lord (2:21); receives from the warning, Worship your Lord until certainty (death) comes to you (15:99), the message that His eternal Lordship requires perpetual servanthood; and understands from the declaration, Worship God, devoted to Him alone in all your religious practices (39:2), that we must fix our eyes on Him exclusively.

The banner of the declaration,

“O unbelievers! I do not worship what you worship” (109:1-2)

undulates over our head, and determines the nature of our position with all else save Him. We demonstrate the purpose for our creation by proclaiming, You alone do we worship (1:5), and we acknowledge with utter modesty and a feeling of insignificance that We rely on Him alone in order to realize this purpose, declaring, And You alone do we ask for help (1:5). In order to fulfill the task that is required by nearness to Him and to reach the rank of speaking to Him directly, we reinforce our acknowledgment of His being the sole Deity in the two above declarations, with the prayer: Guide us to the Straight Way, the way of those whom You have favored! (1:6-7). Following this, we exhibit our care and sincerity in this petition, continuing: Not (the way) of those who have incurred (Your) wrath (severe punishment and condemnation), nor of those who are astray (1:7). Thus, traveling at least forty times a day from our acknowledgment of God’s Unity in Lordship to His Unity in Divinity, and thence to His Unity in being the Sole Object of Worship, we try to fulfill what is required by our having been created as the best pattern of creation.

In short, the Qur'an is extremely clear and precise concerning the matter of unity. It orders that we should admit that God is both the sole Lord of creation-the One Who creates, maintains, protects and provides-and the sole Deity. In all its chapters, from the longest (Surat al-Baqara, 2) to the shortest (Surat al-Ikhlas, 112), the Qur'an declares, teaches and reiterates unity explicitly or implicitly. In Surat al-Ikhlas, in addition to emphatically teaching that God is the sole Lord of creation, it is also emphasized that He has Attributes of Perfection and is above having any imperfections. Surat al-Kafirun (109) warns us that only God is to be worshipped, and calls on us to turn only to Him in our beliefs, lives, and expectations. A careful study of the Qur'an will show that it turns on the axis of unity. All the verses mentioning God and His Names, Attributes and acts are proclamations of His being the sole Deity, while the declarations referring to worshipping the Absolute Object of Worship, Who has no equals, opposites or rivals, and which forbid the worship of any thing or being other than Him, are indications of His being the One and Only Lord.

From another perspective, believing in God’s being the sole Lord of creation, which is also called “unity in knowledge” with respect to our position with unity, means confirming all the truths pronounced by the master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings. As for believing in God’s being the one and only Deity, which is also known as “unity in practice,” this denotes doing the religious commandments as they should be done, avoiding those things that have been prohibited. Unity in knowledge is perfected by knowing the All-Holy One as One Who has Attributes of Perfection and in believing that He is above all imperfections. Unity in practice can be realized by worshipping and loving the All-Majestic, All-Exalted One, by being sincere toward Him, and by preserving the balance between fear of and expectations from Him.

Travelers to God who are at the beginning of the journey, a journey of which they are expected to reach the end, advance in the company of proofs, indications, and observations of their inner world and the world around them. These are the strongest groundings of unity. At every stage of their journey, travelers feel and sense the signs that come to them according to the rank and capacity of each, and review them. To the extent that they reach deeper perceptions and experiences, they can feel or see in the proofs and indications the One indicated by them. They reach through witnesses to the One Witnessed. Then, in the broad atmosphere of spiritual discoveries, pleasures and feelings, they begin to feel, see and hear the messages brought by the Prophets beyond the normal scope of the senses and feelings. They experience delight in observing the truths that are demonstrated by proofs and indications, but without needing them any longer, for they have passed beyond all concepts of quality and recognition through examples, and beyond the normal scope of perception.

So, this concept of unity-unity which becomes visible as God’s special stamp on things and events by means of the proofs and indications that are observed and experienced in the inner world of people and in the outer world-is an objective concept, and an observatory from which everyone can attain certain knowledge of God. One who admits of it can, if possessed of the necessary capacity, advance as far as being able to perceive the true nature of apparent causes (in nature) and the means of knowing the Almighty. One sees that all those causes and means are lost before their Creator, Who is the real agent beyond them, and one witnesses that all proofs and indications end in an inner perception beyond the scope of the senses. The deeper the state one gets into and the greater the pleasure one feels, the more profound and vivid the degree of the concept of unity one can reach. Travelers to God who have reached this point live immersed in the special favors that come as a reward for their inner perception and the insight they have attained by starting from the proofs and indications. Because of the light which the Eternal Witness has placed in them, all their thoughts, speeches and acts become “light.” They walk intoxicated by the manifestations of the “Face” of Him Who has created the light. When proofs and indications have developed into the voice of their state, they no longer need them, nor do they seek an apparent cause to rely on the Creator of all causes, nor run after other means. Rather, they begin to see, know, and love by Him, and to transform whatever they see and hear into knowledge and love of God, and into attraction and the feeling of being attracted by Him. They spend their life in the tides of absorption and distinguishing.

At this point, where the initiates feel as if they are seeing the Necessarily Existent Being in everything with their eyes, apparent, external causes fade away and lose the ability to be a means for happiness or salvation, although they continue to exist as mere causes. Whereas the internal causes of belief, confirmation, and the knowledge and love of God are felt more deeply. It is for this reason that, so long as the travelers to the Truth advance on the spiritual journey, they feel an increasing passion for worship and other acts of obedience to God. As they grow in the knowledge and love of God, they feel that they are overflowing with prayers and invocations and they become like a nightingale singing ceaselessly in the court of God. They always mention Him with the voice of their heart. In addition, neither their being able to observe from here the worlds beyond, nor crossing distances by flying through the heavens, can harm the self-possession that they maintain in their humble servanthood to God.

As for the unity the Necessarily Existent Being has assigned to Himself-a unity based on His bearing witness to Himself-it is an attainment belonging, first, to the Prophets, and then to their true successors. It is not possible for us to perfectly perceive such a horizon of knowing and feeling God. It is an extremely great favor from Him by which He endows the perfectly pure hearts with the necessary capacity to feel that perfect conception of unity, which He expresses in verses such as:

God, there is no deity but He, the All-Living, the Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist) (2:255).

God bears witness that surely there is no deity but He (3:18).

Surely, I am God, there is no deity but I, so worship Me (20:14).

He is God: there is no deity but He (59:22).

It is a great favor that He grants, enabling those so favored to voice this perfect conception of unity with their hearts, and causing them to understand and express their poverty and helplessness before Him and the fact that whatever they have is from Him, with confessions such as follows:

We have not been able to know You as knowing You requires, O Known One.

We have not been able to worship You as worshipping You requires, O Worshipped One.

We have not been able to mention You as mentioning You requires, O Mentioned One.

We have not been able to thank You, as thanking You requires, O Thanked One.

He makes them express this favor in consideration of the requirement to know Him as He must be known, and with a consciousness of servanthood, and an attitude of helplessness and poverty, and with a yearning for thankfulness and praise. It is not possible for others to perceive this. How can it be possible, seeing that this is a special gift from the Giver of Gifts, no matter how it was prompted or if prompted at all? Only those who can bear the weight of His gifts are loaded with them.

Only the Prophets and their true, pure successors can feel this degree of unity in the perfect form, and they can reveal to others only the part of it that they are allowed to reveal. The pure, perfected scholars, who are the true successors of the Prophets, run in the spacious field of this unity and try to breathe it out with certain ambiguous symbols according to their capacity. Saints who follow them whisper it to themselves when they deem it necessary, but none of them reveal the state they are in nor the pleasures they feel. They consider its revelation to be a grave error committed against the honor of Divinity, and tremble with fear at giving away the secrets with which they have been entrusted.

What should be done here, in this respect, is to regard the messages of the Prophets as sufficient, and by admitting that acknowledging the inability to perceive is perception itself, attribute to God the knowledge of truth and the concept of unity that belong to the most distinguished among the elect.

It is essential that while thinking of unity as viewed by the elect, either with respect to creed or as an expression of the spiritual state and pleasures, one should strictly follow the guidance of the master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings. For it is always probable that even the lights brightest in appearance, and the deepest pleasures and any knowledge of God not found within the Prophet’s guidance are no more than carnal pleasures and ostentation.

It would be appropriate to end our article on unity with a verse from Calabizade Abdulaziz Efendi found in Gulshan-i Niyaz, which resembles the poem of Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum concerning the Islamic creed, which begins “My Deity, my Lord; my Prophet is God’s Messenger:”

I have a conviction that the Divine Being is one,

And I confirm that He has Attributes.

Knowledge, Power, Life, Hearing, and Seeing,

Are concealed in His All-Holy Being.

Though the Attributes eternally exist in the Being,

They are neither the Being Himself nor separate from Him.

Those who attempt to qualify You are unable to understand Your Attributes.

We have not been able to know You as knowing You requires.

He has no equals nor likes in His Oneness,

And He needs no assistants in His sovereignty.

You are not a substance or a body;

Nor are You composed nor shaped.

You are the All-Holy Being from nowhere.

Your Attributes are not of the kind of those of the created;

You have no eyes, nor ears, nor any other organs;

You are One without number; and You have no limits;

You are not composed, or separable or dissolvable.

Neither time nor space, O Exalted One,

Has any meaning in relation to You.

It is also inconceivable that You have any relation with

Eating, drinking, getting dressed, or sleeping.

He is All-Majestic and absolutely pure in His Majesty;

He is absolutely above all desires and lusts.

The verses, “He has not begotten nor been begotten,”

Have put an insurmountable barrier before His having parents and children.

You have undoubtedly no beginning or end.

He is the First without a beginning,

And the Last without an end.

He is the Eternal Being Who brought the universe into existence,

And each of His creatures is a ray from His all-comprehensive Grace.

His work is the universe and Adamhumankind;

Existence and non-existence are according to His command.

All creation, including the heavens with all the celestial bodies, and the earth

Have come into existence by His command, “Be!”

If He had not given existence to the universe,

We could not have known Him or known how to bear witness to Him.

He it is Who creates both good and evil;

He it is Who is the origin of all deeds.

He has established what is right and what is wrong.

And it is He Who will reward or punish.

O God! Show us the truth as the truth and enable us with the observance of it, and show us the falsehood as falsehood and enable us with the avoidance of it. And let God’s blessings be upon our master Muhammad, who is the means for attaining unity, and on his brothers among the Prophets and Messengers, who had strong self-possession.

[alexsmitposts]

When the Going Gets Tough, the US Runs to its Criminal Friends Donald Trump’s consistent use of the term “Chinese Virus” when discussing Covid-19 has raised a few eyebrows. Having been locked down and had the foreseeable future taken away, the world has no choice but to defer to his leadership. But rather than leading the world, he leads a chosen part of it against another part of it in every speech, leaving yet more of a legacy of hate and mistrust, as if the US hasn’t done enough of this. Other Great Powers have always had the same problems. Anything associated with former colonial masters is either rejected outright, even when it does not have to have that association, or localised to remove those associations. But this means countries develop by adopting new friends, whoever they may be. Often they are not too discriminating about who those friends are, or what strings are attached to that friendship, as they see it as a “path to independence,” not accepting that it cannot take them there. The former Soviet states provide many examples of this, but so do former colonies of anywhere, who once ran to the Soviet Union to achieve the same ends. So backed into a corner of its own construction, the US is deciding who else should be allowed into that corner. Kim Jong-un was invited, but seems to have been kept out, for now, by exposing that the only global superpower is indeed a helpless prisoner in its corner But there are some states who will always be there, no matter what. Is it because they are also mature democracies which respect freedom, human rights and rule of law? If they were, North Korea would hardly have been invited. Like an addict, the US chooses the friends which justify its crimes. The definition of US values which Washington imposes on the developing world would never be considered acceptable at home. So it seeks friends who play the same game, hoping that will justify this practice – which it would never need to do, if it really believed in the values it claims to have. Double coverage Can you imagine a world in which the US was not a friend of Israel? Many other countries, principally its neighbours, have arguments with the Jewish state, both over how it conducts itself and its very existence. But although there is also a US Arab lobby, based on shared oil interests rather than common political cause, the huge influence of the Israeli lobby in the US is recognised and well-documented. What does Israel actually stand for which other Middle East countries, including democracies such as Lebanon, do not? How is it more consistent with US values to support Israel rather than its neighbours? The usual answers are bound up with “self-determination” and righting historic wrongs, albeit at the expense of others. Why should the suffering Israelites not have their own homeland? Why should all the crimes committed against them over the centuries not be compensated by support for that homeland? Having done all that, should the US not have a reliable ally in this turbulent region? These arguments are of course hypocritical, as they do not apply across the board. Ask, for example, the Kurds, the Serbs, the Catalans, the Native Americans themselves. Israel has another attraction, which is all about the US, not Israel itself. The latest democracy reports by V-Dem and Freedom House, who compete with and do not consult each other, both make sobering reading for Israel watchers V-Dem, run from Sweden, is rather more neutral in its political posturing, whereas Freedom House inclines towards the “socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor” definition of freedom. Yet both reports explode all the claims the US makes about Israel, and about itself. If Belgium were compared to Bolivia as a democratic state, it would be greatly offended. Yet in the V-Dem report, Tunisia, not Israel, is called “the only democracy in the Middle East”. Admittedly this stretches the definition of “Middle East” a little. But who want to be outranked for democracy by a country synonymous with instability, corruption and disregard for human rights? The report paints the following picture: “Tunisia is the star pupil of democratization of the past ten years. Transitioning to democracy in 2012 after mass protests ousted the dictatorial regime of Ben Ali, its score on the LDI rose steeply from 0.11 in 2008 to 0.68 in 2018. However, the data also suggest that the new government is not fully independent from the military and thus potentially vulnerable to interference. Ahead of the election in 2019, political parties are still relatively weak and young people – the driving force of the revolution – infrequently engage in formal political institutions.” Tunisians themselves may feel their country is nowhere near the level of a real democracy, but it is largely being allowed to get there. Democracy exists because sooner or later everybody does it, if left alone to do so. Those who don’t want that are tolerating this expression of freedom, and the US is not vocal in its support of Tunisia and what it is trying to do. Tunisia is 41st on the V-Dem list of liberal democracies, which headed by Norway. Israel is 51st. It is well behind Uruguay and Chile, two countries still struggling to rid themselves of notorious CIA-funded repressive pasts, and just behind Croatia, famous for its discriminatory behaviour towards its Serb population. The Freedom House report includes Israel as one of 25 established democracies where freedom has declined over the past 14 years. The country gets its worst ever overall score of 76, well behind Mongolia and only 6 points ahead of Hungary, which is categorised as only “partly free”. What’s wrong with Israel? This long list provides part of the answer. But the US recognises it as a kindred spirit because the US itself was founded by implanted settlers dispossessing and humiliating the native population. This is what US-Israeli friendship is really about – trying to make two wrongs a right. Other countries have their own sordid histories, but don’t offer the same exculpatory PR opportunity. At a time of global crisis, the US should lead, not try to find excuses for itself. United by the wrong common language US relations with most countries wax and wane, depending on the political direction of the wind vein; the other country it always supports unquestioningly is the UK. Few even want to suspect there is an improper reason for this, but this crisis is indicating that such confidence is misplaced. As the former colonial power, though admittedly long ago, the UK should be seen with much more suspicion by the US. American historiography makes much of the struggle against the British and the principles the American colonies fought for, implying that the UK is not a “land of the free” where “all men are created equal”, so it should be the opposite of what the US wants in a friend. “Special Relationship” However the US and UK have long had a “Special Relationship” – the one which prevented the UK joining the EU and its predecessors for twenty years. Why? For the same reason Australia, which used to describe itself as being the “southern outpost of the British race,” also had a “White Australia” immigration policy for many years? The almost English-speaking White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, WASPs, who founded and have always run the US preserve their privileges by treating the UK as an example, despite deliberately contradicting its political system and developing a very different culture. The British must be racially superior, regardless of their crimes as colonists, or the US would itself be a very different place. This relationship also suited the British, who could regard Americans as the same as them when it suited them. US success was firstly an extension of UK success, then an acceptable alternative to UK decline. But now the “Special Relationship” is coming home to roost in a big way. During the Second World War, despite the tensions and differences in practical impact between the two countries, everyone pulled together. For a generation afterwards, rebuilding was held to require consensus. But for the past forty years both countries have followed a similar trajectory. Regardless of the complexion of government, they have sought to divide people into “good” and “bad” rather than supporter and opponent. The “bad” people – whether they are foreign, Muslim, ideologically unsound or whatever, are responsible for all the ills of their countries, while the “good” are being unfairly disadvantaged by treating those “bad” people the same way as them. These policies have had one inevitable consequence – creating an ever-deepening sense of injustice amongst those who are disadvantaged to begin with, and would be under any sort of policy through no fault of their own. These are the people openly courted by Trump and Boris Johnson to win power. First it was good versus bad, now it is outsiders versus the whole system, because that system, the creation of good versus bad, has failed to deliver what it promised the good. Going down this route will only make things worse, as no one will be satisfied and the sense of injustice will only grow. But having started, both countries are running to each other for help because they can’t stop, or their governments would collapse overnight. The Covid-19 virus was treated by both countries as another dimension of the “liberal elite conspiracy,” something invented to profit the “bad people” who had hurt so many voters. Neither took it seriously, either saying reports were exaggerated or coming up with ridiculous but low cost cures such as Johnson’s “herd immunity.” When forced to realise the extent of the crisis, they have insisted on pursuing racist policies which help no one. Trump reportedly tried to buy up all the cures for the US before nasty foreigners could get their hands on them, and still insists, by classifying his health emergency response meetings, that the virus is about China rather than health. Boris Johnson is refusing to postpone or even delay the Brexit trade deal negotiations because getting away from “foreign control” is considered more important. He refused to either join the EU’s ventilator scheme, a decision later blamed on an error the EU has debunked or boost the UK manufacturers who make them, but then gave the manufacturing contract to a Conservative Party donor, one of the “good people” who can make the problem go away at the cost of the “bad people” who die in the meantime. Johnson also claims to have Covid-19 himself, but gave a post-diagnosis speech at which there was no sign of the uncontrollable cough all sufferers apparently have. It would be entirely in character for this to be another BoJo publicity stunt. Perhaps we will never know, but is this the way to lead his country, or the world, through a crisis to a better future? Rule by the Mob The world’s largest economy and only superpower cannot claim to be the land of the dispossessed, particularly when run by a billionaire. But it has always claimed to be a force for good, which all like-minded nations should want to ally with. The US is not choosing its friends based on how good their values are. It wants ones who will justify its own crimes by being just as bad. When everyone is both a victim and a carrier of a deadly virus, these issues should not matter. But the US is only reinforcing its policy, at the expense of the whole world, because it has left itself with no alternative if it is going to remain the USA. There have been times when gangsters have effectively run cities or whole countries. Democracy is supposed to protect us from this, because at the end of the day, gangsters will serve the interests of their criminal friends rather than the people. This is why career criminals are classified as maladjusted: they cannot survive in a world where people try and act according to biblical precepts, whether aware of doing so or not. The BIGGER the problem, the GREATER the need for both leadership, and some semblance of decency, but we have no choice to trust in our leaders in times of crisis. But the bigger they are, the more they are running to their criminal friends instead of stepping up to resolve the crisis, or stepping down to make way for those who can. This is what a corrupt system throws up, even amongst those who claim to be overthrowing that system. There is an alternative, but it was always going to take a crisis like this to give enough people an incentive to make it real. Human beings are better than those we have set up as examples. This time we should really mean it when we say “never again.”

[joonieflower]

BURNS - Chapter 3

( Chapter 1 / Chapter 2)

pairing :yoongi x reader, namjoon x reader

genre: smut, angst, fluff

word count: 6.165

Namjoon made a mistake. Yoongi is struggling with his feelings - feelings he has for more than one person. You? You’re confused, caught in the middle of it all.

(this fic is a sequel to my Playboy!Namjoon fic, but can be read as a separate work!)

______________________________________________

Two weeks pass. You don’t think is possible to miss someone as much as you do now.

Somi looks at you worryingly from the other side of the couch. She knows what happened, of course. How could you not tell her after she saw you crying? The poor girl had listened to you in between sobs, had tried to help.

“You need a distraction, unnie. I can’t stand seeing you so down.”

You smile at her. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, Somi.” she snorts at you. “What? “

“The fact that I need to come here and water your plants tell me a lot about how well you’re feeling.“ She gives you this analytical look like she’s seeing through you before she continues saying, “There’s a party, tonight.  Kihyun is throwing it, you should come.”

Your brow furrows. “How do you even know Kihyun?”

She gives you a long eye roll, looking exactly like the little brat that she is. “ I know everybody. Come with me, meet new people. There’s gonna be cute guys there. Please?”

She makes her best puppy eyes at you, one of your only weaknesses. You give her a long sigh. “Fine, but I’m not staying long. Also, I know you are only inviting me so your parents let you go.”

Somi beams at you. “I mean, you’re not wrong. But I also want you to take your mind off of it. “

You reach over so you can pet her head. “Yeah, yeah. Tell me what time I should pick you up.”

You look around, having lost your groups maknae in the crowd. The party is loud, and there are way too many people in here, but Kihyun was nice to you when you went to greet him so you didn’t mind as much as you thought you would, feeling somewhat grateful for the young atmosphere full of others who were also trying to forget about their real problems.

You are having fun, to a certain extent. The music is nice, and the drink in your hand is helping you relieve some of your stress. You’re feeling…okay. Somi was actually right. It was nice to go out a little and distract yourself.

“Hey.” a voice says to your right, making you startle. Sehun gives you a big smile, eyes crinkling with mirth. “I didn’t know you would come. Are you here alone? “

You give him a little shrug, feeling internally grateful for the new company. “Somi is being her sociable self, but I came with her. Have you seen how the pictures turned out? My manager sent it to me this week.”

He nods, reaching at the counter next to you so he can mix some more alcohol into his red cup. “Yeah, we look great. Where’s your boyfriend?” You look down at your cup, shrugging. Sehun’s brow furrows with worry. “What did he do?”

You try to laugh it off. “Don’t sweat it, Sehun-ah. We’re just…”

You look up again. Your breath gets caught in your throat. Yoongi is staring straight at you, Hoseok talking excitingly to Kihyun besides him. And is not just namjoon that you miss, but him as well.

You miss Yoongi so much it’s like a punch to the stomach to see him standing there. You had spent so much time with him in the last months he had become a part of your daily life. And now… you were reminded of Namjoons text, telling you how Yoongi was secluding himself, not leaving his studio, not taking care of himself.

He didn’t look so good, he looked like he hadn’t been sleeping well, not with his deep dark circles. Even so, his sharp eyes were trained on you, darting from you to Sehun and squinting, trying to make sense of what was going on.

Sehun hand comes to your arm, making you look at him again. “I’m sorry, what?”

He looks back, finally noticing Yoongi, who very reluctantly turns to talk to the party host. He gives you a knowing look. “I asked if you want to go somewhere quieter. You look like you could use some privacy.” 

You nod, thankful. You two had really come a long way since you had decided to forgive him, now you could even call him a friend again. Filming the web drama was fun, and now you could say he had quickly returned to his position as one of your closest friends.

After refilling your cup you let him guide you to one of the bathrooms, his hand on the small of your back feeling comforting as he does so.

You lean against the sink, taking a deep breath. “Thank you.”

His fingers gently wipe away a tear from your cheek. He gives you this soft look, reminding you of the way he looked at you when you two were still together. “Do you want me to hit him? I think I could win in a fight. You know I fight dirty.”

That manages to get a laugh out of you. You shake your head, smiling at the dark haired man in front of you, this big dork with a serious face. “I know you do.” You bite your bottom lip, meeting his eyes. “Sehun, as someone who dated me before… Do you think I forgive people too easily?”

“Definitely,” he says, without missing a beat. He looks guilty again, making you feel bad for him. He still carried all this guilt on his shoulders of having broken up with you in that terrible manner, even if you yourself had already forgiven him.  “You have a heart that’s too good for anybody. I don’t think that’s a bad thing,”

“Namjoon slept with someone else.” You blurt wincing after, not meaning for you to sound so desperate. “I forgave him already, but I don’t know what I should do now.”

“Who?” He asks, jaw set. He looks furious, and you are reminded of how protective he always was of you, even before you two dated.

“Is that important?” he takes a deep breath. “Someone close to me. I’m not mad with neither of them, I kinda get it to be honest? They were drunk, they have a past. He seemed sorry.”

“That’s not a fucking excuse, Y/N. I was a jerk to you, yes, but I never cheated on you. I never took you for granted” He fumes, eyes hard. He looks at you, gaze level with yours. “If I see him, I’m gonna sock him in the neck.”

Someone knocks hard at the door. “Just a second!” You look at your ex-boyfriend, shaking your head. “That’s not gonna solve anything. Let’s go, I need another drink.”

When Sehun opens the door for you a very familiar face is waiting on the other side. He ignores Sehun completely, eyes focusing on you. “Can we talk?”

Sehun holds your hand, blocking you from Yoongi’s view.”She’s busy.”

You let Sehun pull you towards the bar again as you swallow the lump in your throat and fight the need to turn back.to.check on the older boy. He hands you a drink. “Let’s forget everything tonight, what do you say?”

You look back, Yoongi is on his phone, texting someone. You give Sehun a fake smile. “Sounds good.”

He knows you well enough to notice you’re drunk. Your pink cheeks and glossy eyes give you away. When the taller boy move even closer, fingers trailing you jawline tilting your head up so he can see your lips, Yoongi finally moves.

He doesn’t really have a recollection of pushing Sehun away. He just does, making the boy stumble back

“What the hell?”

He ignores Sehun. “Do you really wanna do this? You’ll regret it.”

You huff, annoyed and clearly inebriated. Your speech is slurred. You face him eye to eye, your heels giving you the needed height to be able to match his gaze. “Am I not allowed? Namjoon is the only one who can do this?”

Sehun tried to pull you away from Yoongi, hand circling around your arm. He pushes the boy again, stronger this time so he can get the message across.”Beat it, pretty boy, before you annoy me for real.”

“Y/N?” Sehun asks, eyes searching yours. It makes Yoongi less angry, seeing genuine concern in the boy’s eyes.

You run a hand through your hair, biting your lower lip before sighing. “I’m fine, go back to the party Sehunie. I’ll text you later, I’m going home.”

He nods, giving Yoongi a wary look before disappearing at the end of the hallway. You turn around, getting inside the first room you see. Yoongi reaches from behind you, hand catching yours making you stop and look at him. He knows he doesn’t have any right to be nagging you but…

“You think you’ll feel better if you do the same? You won’t, believe me.”

You free your hand from his. The look of hurt in your eyes is so raw it makes Yoongi’s gut twitch. “Leave me the fuck alone oppa. Is Namjoon the only one allowed to hurt me?

“You want to hurt him too? By kissing your ex? Fine.” He takes the cup from your hand, finishing it in a single gulp.

You don’t really have a lot of time to process what he’s doing when he reaches behind your neck, your head is too fuzzy from all the alcohol you had.

His long fingers tangled in your hair, short nails lightly scraping your skin when his other hand grabs your waist. It shouldn’t feel nice, it shouldn’t send a shiver down your spine, but it does. Then, his lips are on yours.

It takes you a second to realize you’re kissing him back, tongue tangling with his, pressing yourself against him, hands fisting his shirt to bring him closer. His lips are surprisingly soft even as he kisses you hard, trying to get his point across. His tongue fighting for dominance, fighting to make you see how ridiculous you were being. He tastes like the drink he just gulped down, bitter but still sweet underneath, like nicotine and just. Just like him.

You pull back at the same time he does, scared by how you responded to it. Your fingers touch your lips, eyes open wide in shock as you look at the older boy in front of you. This close, you can see each one of his eyelashes, the barely visible freckles on the bridge of his nose.

Yoongi looks as stunned as you. “Fuck,” he says slowly, voice hoarse. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t…I’m sorry.”

“We’re drunk.” You shake your head, trying to sober up by pure willpower. “We’re both not thinking straight. I shouldn’t…you were right. It doesn’t make me feel any better. Just confused. Why did you-”

“Let’s pretend this never happened.”

The door slams open. Hoseok looks at the both of you frowning before turning back to yoongi. “ Hi, Y/N.Hyung I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I’m going home.” You say to no one in particular, giving Hoseok a small smile before turning back to an apprehensive looking Yoongi. “It’s okay, oppa. I’ll still go see you tomorrow so we can finish the song. Bye, Hobi.”

You’re gone before he can even answer. Now alone, he turns back to the black-haired rapper. “Hyung, why do you like hurting yourself like this?”

He takes a hand through his hair, heaving a deep sigh. “Leave me alone, Hoseok-ah.”

You’re in the cab when you call him. “Joon, Can you come home?”

His voice sounds groggy like he had just woke up. You can almost see the lines from the bedsheets on his cheeks as he reaches for his glasses. “Angel? Is something wrong?”

“I miss you,” you answer, resting your head against the car window. The city rushes by you in blurry lines.  You’re so tired you can barely keep your head up, so you rest it on the cold window “I- forget it, I know it’s late and-”

“Baby,” his voice is soft, careful.”I’ll be there in half an hour.”

He does just that. You’re lying down on your bed, too tired to take your makeup off when you hear the little beeping sound of the door.

You’re on your feet the second you see him, arms circling around his neck as you hug him, inhaling his scent. “I forgive you.”

“Angel,” his voice still sounds gruff, but he hugs you back, burying his nose in your hair. “Are you sure?”

You nod, finally stepping back. You take a deep breath  “I went to a party today, Yoongi was there.”

He nods, showing you he’s paying attention. He sits down, pulling you with him and sitting you on his lap. It’s so comforting, having him wrapping his long arms around you, him understanding that this was what you needed the most.

“Sehun was there. We were drinking together, and I was feeling hurt, so when he made a pass at me I let him. I was drunk.”

He takes a second before taking a deep breath and nodding. “Did it have to be Sehun, though?”

You shake your head, holding his hand in-between yours. “Nothing happened between me and him. Yoongi was there, he almost punched Sehun.”

“Yoongi?” Namjoon sounds alarmed.

You bite your lips.”We argued. He called me out for trying to get back at you by doing the same thing. He was also drinking. He ..” you stop, that wasn’t the complete truth, was it? He wasn’t the only one in the kiss. “we kissed. He was trying to prove his point.”

Namjoon looks stunned for a moment. “That’s not like him.” he shakes his head, hugging you close. “It’s okay, baby. Don’t feel bad, I don’t mind.”

“You don’t?” you ask, looking up at him again. He looks flushed. “But you’re so possessive about me. “

He shrugs. “I trust Yoongi. He would never do anything to hurt you, he has such a soft spot for you. Let’s get you to bed now, it’s late.”

You whine when he sets you back on the bed, leaving you to go to your bathroom. He’s wearing joggers and a t-shirt, clearly having put on the first thing he saw. He comes back with your makeup remover, carefully dragging the tissues against your skin.

God, you loved him so much. Could anyone really blame you for forgiving everything he did, when he looks at you with so much love like this?

****

You reach forward, hand stopping inches away from the button. Shaking your head, you press it. The bag of food feels hot even held away from you.

Yoongi answers the door after what seemed like an absurd amount of time. He looked….bad. His dark circles made him look like a little panda bear, and him grimacing because of the bright lights wasn’t any better.

“Please tell me you didn’t sleep in here.” He averts his eyes, stepping aside so you can come in. you sigh. That’s all the confirmation you need. “You promised me you wouldn’t.”

“I wanted to work on some tunes,” he says, sitting down on the leather couch. “What are our doing here? I heard you and Namjoon made up.”

You sit next to him, placing the food in front of him before you can even reach for the chopsticks he’s already breaking one pair apart and giving it to you. You’re so used to taking care of others, it makes you feel so warm inside whenever he does this silent caring thing of his. People might think Yoongi doesn’t really care about other people but he does, so much. All his little actions show it.

“I said I would come to visit you. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

He chews for a long time before swallowing and raising his head again, eyes on your, searching. “I’m the one who should be asking this. Stop putting others before yourself for a minute here, petal. Are you sure you’re ok in forgiving me and Namjoon?”

You straighten your back, ignoring the fuzzy feelings the new nickname made you feel. “I’m…I’m not. Putting others before me. And I’m ok.  I talked to Joon all night about this. Didn’t he tell you?”

Yoongi shakes his head, looking a little ashamed. “We’re not really talking.”

You stop yourself from pointing out whose fault that was.

“I’m…I’m ok if you two want to… you know…to be together again. It doesn’t bother me that you two slept together, to be honest. I don’t like lies, that’s all I ask. For both of you to tell me when it happens.”

“What?” Yoongi puts down his food. ” You’re fine with your boyfriend sleeping with another man?”

You try to hide your laugh. “That’s homophobic”

He gives you a very unimpressed look.”I’m the bi-est person in the world. You know what I meant. Are you okay with him cheating on you?”

You sigh, following his lead and putting your food down as well. You look at him, one of your closest friends. Yoongi had seen you cry before even Namjoon did when you came here to record your first collab. Things were so tense between your group, Somi was almost leaving and management kept giving you schedule after schedule, telling you to lose weight in a short amount of time. You were so tense that at the first correction he gave you - he wasn’t mean or anything, Yoongi had never been less than sweet to you-you had started bawling, sitting down on the floor and simply crying all your frustrations out. He didn’t ask questions first, as one would do. He just got up from his chair immediately and hugged you, waiting for you to calm down before offering to hear about what was afflicting you.

“It’s not cheating if I trust you both. I trust Namjoons feelings about me enough for us to try this open relationship.”  you smile at him, taking one of his hands and squeezing it in between yours. He had these long fingers, pale and knobby. Pianist’s hands. Just like Namjoons hands, they were so much bigger than yours. “ I’m not putting anyone before me, oppa. If anything, I’m being selfish. I can’t bear the thought of not having both of you in my life. I missed you.”

His fingers are calloused when he caresses your hand back. He looks like he wants to say more like he wants to keep protesting. “The three of us should discuss this later,” he says instead, getting up and passing you the headphones so you can start recording. He tucks one stray strand of hair behind your ear. “I missed you too. I’m sorry about yesterday.”

You accept the headphones, getting up and moving closer to the monitor, his edited lyrics already being shown across the screen. “I didn’t mind it, you’re a good kisser. Should I sing it in the same tone I did last time?”

Yoongi can only nod for fear of stuttering as he sets the music and mic up for you. You have this little smirk gracing your lips as you began singing like you knew the effect you had caused on the older man. Yoongi, once again, wondered why the hell Namjoon called you an angel when you were clearly a fucking menace.

***

Namjoon tries not to give a sigh at you sending him a message, letting him know you were going out with Sehun to grab something to eat after the end of the shooting.

He’s not a jealous guy. He just…. well, he just doesn’t trust Sehun for a second. He saw all the fan articles about how everybody suspected you two were in love, seen all the photos that were used of evidence, all of them with the man looking longingly at you.

He wouldn’t even blame you. Sehun was handsome. You both were the visuals of your groups. You had dated before. objectively, Sehun was a better match for you than he was.

He was….just him. Awkward, never considered anything near the most handsome of the group, always finding a way of hurting you by not knowing how to deal with his feelings.

“Stop moping,” Yoongi says, voice muffled by his pillow. “I’m not letting you get mad at her for going out with Sehun when you just finished fucking me yourself, Namjoon. She can have friends. You both agreed to be open, you’re not the only one allowed of doing this.

Namjoon huffs at the older man lying beside him. Yoongi had his eyes closed, cheeks still red, his dark hair matted against his forehead with sweat. He looked pretty, like this. Vulnerable. Namjoon is so incredibly found

“You’re so defensive of her, hyung. One would think she’s the one who’s been by your side for 8 years.”

Yoongi gives him an unimpressed look, rolling around and getting his shirt from. the ground, pulling it over his head. “She’s already being nicer than she should about this. I know how possessive you can get, and she doesn’t deserve this kind of shit from you after hurting her.  I still think she’s too forgiving for her own good“

Now Namjoon let out the sigh he was holding. Yoongi, as he tended to always be, was right. But even so, it was pretty hard not to be jealous when every corner of Seoul and every other tv commercial had you two, acting like a couple in love for one of the biggest shopping malls in all Korea.

After the first of you two did together, it was pretty clear the public loved you two. The cosmetics brand had re-signed both of you for one more round of ads, and both of you had received an offer from Lotte to act in a short web drama to boost their sales.

He knows Yoongi is right. You had been so understanding, so gracious about him and Yoongi. You’re the one who had suggested this open relationship. You had thought this through, you told him, and that was the only way you had come up for the both of you to still be together. You wanted him to be happy, regardless of who it was with.

And Namjoon had agreed. How could he not, when you were offering the thing he wanted most - to be able to love both of you.

He wraps his arms around Yoongi, pulling him close, head resting against his shoulder. “I miss her. She’s been so busy this week, I barely spoke to her.”

He could almost see the black haired man rolling his eyes at the younger whining. He hums in agreement, combing Namjoons hair with his fingers. “Me too, but I saw her yesterday. She wanted to see you but you were in a meeting with Bang PD-nim”

“She’s too good for me, hyung,” Namjoon says quietly. “She told me…. she told me people aren’t supposed to deserve each other, that we just take why people give us. It made me so sad. I should give her more. She deserves more.”

“It’s her choice, Joon.” Yoongi answers, knowing how the younger got insecure, these kinds of self-deprecating thoughts creeping inside his mind. “You two are good together. You have this… this emotional connection. She’s with you because she wants to because she loves you.”

Namjoon phone chimes again, warning you of the new photo you posted on your Instagram. He reaches over, opens his private Instagram and like the picture of you and Sehun making faces at the camera.

“We could stop this, you know. You two could be strictly exclusive again.”

“I…. it’s not about the sex hyung. She knows I love you, too. It wouldn’t matter to her if we stopped or not, the sex isn’t what she cares about.”

Yoongi remains silent.

********

Namjoon is waiting for you at your apartment the other day, comfortably lying on your sofa as he watches a Friends rerun on your TV. You take off your shoes, hang your coat and finally throw yourself over him, kissing his lips.

“Missed you. I’m so glad we’re done with filming. How’s Yoongi? He told me he was going to come here later to help me set up my new desk. If he’s busy he shouldn’t trouble himself, though. Sehun told me he’d help me too If I needed.”

You can visibly see Namjoon trying to swallow what he wants to say. Instead of whatever it was, he kisses you, slowly, thoroughly. You sigh against his lips. God, you had gone three days without seeing him and you had missed him so much.

“Hyung was sleeping at home, so I don’t think he’s busy today. I’ll text him reminding him to come.”

“Thank you,” You say, smiling at him. Nuzzling his neck with the tip of your nose, you kiss the spot right after. “I miss him, too. We can order pizza and eat it together.”

Namjoon hums, arms holding you even closer. He closes his eyes, giving up whatever battle of wits his mind was having against himself. “Are you and Sehun close again?”

You cock your head to the side, giving him a puzzled look. “We’re friends.”

“We were also just friends, remember?”

You back away from him the moment you realize what he’s implying, a look of hurt flashes across your face. He looks like he regretted saying it the second the words left his mouth.

“What the fuck, Namjoon. I’m not fucking Sehun.” You run a hand through your hair, getting up. “I was working, not fucking my ex, you’re the one who does that in this relationship.”

Namjoon gets up, looking guilty, and hurt.

“I’m sorry, angel.” he shakes his head, pressing his hands against his eyes. “I’m just being jealous. I keep wondering if he’s trying to make a move at you again.”

You feel so tired, you had such a long day of recording, so little sleep. “I would tell you if he was. We discussed this, Joon. You know I would tell you.“

“I’m sorry,” he says again, looking at you pleadingly. “I love you, I was just… I’m just stupid. “

You take a deep breath. You two were not going to have a fight over something like this, you tell yourself. You need to cool your head before saying anything else, you know it’s just his insecurity about Sehun being voiced.

“I’m tired, I don’t want to fight,” You say, walking towards your bathroom. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

You’re halfway through your shower when he gets in too, arms circling your waist as he presses himself against you, rapidly getting water all over himself. He kisses the back of your neck, softly, like he’s afraid your going to tell him to stop.

“Is this okay?” he asks, tone careful. “Or would rather I didn’t touch you right now?”

You sigh, relaxing in his arms. “You can touch me always, oppa. I’m not mad. it’s okay.”

"I’m sorry I get so insecure. I’ll try to work on it, angel.”

This reminds you of why you fell for him. Namjoon always apologized, never embarrassed to admit he was in the wrong. You let him wash you, his hands carefully lathering you with your body wash, focusing on all the parts he knows your sensitive, hands massaging your shoulder, releasing your tension.

You do the same to him, not ignoring how he’s half-hard from just that. You wrap your arms around his neck, pressing yourself against him. “Don’t be jealous of him, Joon. He never made me feel like I feel about you. I never loved him, not like I love you.”

“How do you do it? How are you not jealous of me and hyung?”

You shrug, kissing the corner of his mouth. “For one, I trust Yoongi with my life. I love him, and I know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. I also trust you. “

He presses himself harder against you, making you shiver with not so innocent thoughts. “Doesn’t it bother you, me sleeping with him?”

You can clearly see the image of the two of them together in your mind, backs arching ad gasps leaving the older boy pouty mouth. You swallow around nothing.

It’s the first time you actually blush in a long time. “No, it doesn’t. Sounds kinda hot, to be honest. I know how you are in bed.” You give him a little smile, turning the shower off. His hands are trailing down your back, to the top of your butt, and then sliding around your waist again. It makes your mouth dry, the way he’s looking at you.“He’s gonna be here any minute, Joon. We can’t.”

His golden skin is absolutely beautiful with droplets of water reflecting the bathroom lights. His gray hair looks almost black when it’s damp like this. He reaches for the hook outside of the shower, snatching your tower and wrapping it around you.

He kisses your nose, dimples showing as he smiles at you, his hands busy trying to dry himself. “You sure you don’t want me to fuck you against the tiles, baby? I texted him the code to the door, he can get in by himself.”

Oh, fuck it. “Bed, not here.“

You don’t have to say it twice. He leads you to your room, lips pressing against your neck, relentlessly sucking on it. Swiftly depositing you in your bed, he accommodates himself better, your legs wrapping around his hips bringing you two closer. Namjoon was always so warm against your usually cold skin.

You bite back a moan as he slides inside of you. He angles his hip the way he knows to make you have a hard time keeping quiet.

His rhythm is relentless, your hands close around the sheets in fists, trying to bring you back to earth. “Joon,” you whine, head thrown back as you try not to lose your mind, “He’s gonna be here soon…”

“He can wait. You want to come, right, baby girl?

His mouth is on your neck, sucking what you know will be a bruise later. How can he even manage to get you so worked up like this in so little time is beyond you. “Please, oppa.”

He kisses you, sliding off of you and lying on his back beside you. You let out a ridiculously high pitched whine at the loss of him. “Ride me then, baby.”

You don’t wast another second, settling I’ve him, straddling him. You reach down, lining him against your entrance. You lower your hips, gasping at the feeling of him inside of you, so much deeper like this, making you feel amazingly full.

You begin moving, fast, not wasting a second. His hands are possessive against your hips, bringing you down harder, squeezing your ass. God, his hands on your bare skin makes you feel things even more intensely.

It doesn’t take long for you to throw your head back, letting out a long moan as you come. That’s all he needs to start thrusting his hips up, fucking you from under you as he brings you down to meet him, hard.

He slides out of you when he comes, messing your bedsheets but you can’t make yourself care right now, too busy trying not to combust. You’re still catching your breath when your phone starts ringing. In the living room.

You sigh, getting up and pulling one of Namjoons shirts over your head for a sense of decency. The owner fo the shirts protests from the bed, trying to pull you back to him. You lean down, kissing him again. “Need to get it, love. My manager said he would call me to confirm my break.”

He pouts like he’s not a 24 years old adult. “He can leave a message. Let’s cuddle, I missed you.”

“I’ll be quick.” You promise with another peck to his lips. Reluctant, he lets you go. You smile at him, this whole ass looking moody about being left alone for five seconds. “Why don’t you clean your mess while I go?”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re the one who caused it.” But he’s already getting up to do so.

You walk to the living room, looking around for your phone. It’s nowhere in sight. You try searching in between the couch cushions to no avail.

“Here.” A voice says from the kitchen entrance.

You almost jump out of your skin, hand coming to your heart to protect you from a heart attack.

Yoongi smiles at you with mirth, clearly having found it extremely funny to almost kill you. You walk over to him, getting your phone while giving him a look of false hurt. “Thanks.” You get in your tiptoes to kiss his cheek in greeting, one of his hands come to the small of your back to support you so you don’t lose balance, his mischievous expressions changes to something soft, one he reserves only for you and Namjoon. “When did you get here, oppa?”

He smiles again. “Maybe ten minutes ago. You both seemed…busy. So I let myself in.”

A blush creeps over your cheeks. He definitely heard you two.

“Sorry “

The older boy shakes his head. “Don’t act like I never heard you two before, petal. Did you two talk? He was feeling jealous of Sehun yesterday, threw a whole self-pity party.”

You avert your eyes. You hated knowing Namjoon felt insecure about you. “Something like that. He kinda blew up on me about it.” You sigh. “He knows I love him, I wish he wouldn’t feel like this.”

“You two need to communicate better.” He shakes his head. “ Come on, let’s set up your desk.”

You lead him to the room you use as your "office”. The big Ikea box sits right in the middle of it, looking dangerous to you. He sits on the floor, hands moving fast to undo the box and pull out the instructions.

You sit in front of him, watching him. His hair is too long, it keeps falling in front of his eyes every two seconds as he lowers his head to read the paper. You smile, resting your chin on your knees.

“What?” He asks without looking up.

“You’re cute, oppa.”

He flushes, looking like a mixture of resignation and horrified. “I’m not.” He sputters, ”what would namjoon say about you calling me cute huh? Go wake that egg head, I’m gonna rat you out to him.”

You give him a knowing look. “Namjoon also thinks you’re cute.”

He rolls his eyes. After a second he shrugs, accepting it nonchalantly. “Are you gonna help me or what? Pass me the screwdriver, will you?”

You chuckle, doing what he tells you to.

It was nice, this. Being close to yoongi, joking around. Maybe a month had passed since you had told namjoon he could still see the older boy, and you haven’t regretted it. You trusted yoongi. That’s why it was hard to understand Namjoons insecurity, as you have never felt it about them both. But well, Namjoon never liked Sehun. You and Yoongi have become close at an alarming rate if what their members said was true.

God, Jackson gave you so much shit when you told him about this decision of yours of being in an open relationship with Namjoon. And you couldn’t really blame him, not when he was the one who had to deal with you when you were broken-hearted and a mess.

But this… this was different. You loved namjoon, you wanted him to be happy. and if the way for him to be happy was to also love yoongi at the same time you saw no problem.

You had even walked on them making out once. You didn’t feel betrayed, or anything like that. After the initial shock, you had felt…. flustered. Which wasn’t all that confusing? They both were very attractive. You were dating one of them. It was okay to think they were hot together, right?

This was right. You were happy even with all the difficulties, and hopefully, both of them were happy too.

“Oppa.” You interrupt yoongi mid-rant about something he saw on Twitter. “You’re happy, right? Joon makes you happy?”

He’s quiet for a couple of seconds before finally nodding. “Yeah, petal. You and Joon, you both make me happy.”

You reach for his hand, intertwining your fingers. “Good. The both of you make me happy too.”

“Same here.” Namjoon rough voices come from the door. He has this soft look on his face as he watches both of you together. “Thanks to the both of you, this is the happiest I’ve ever been.”

You smile, feeling warm inside. You loved this when the three of you were together. You and namjoon completed each other, you always knew this. But with yoongi, it also felt like this. Like all the missing pieces came together, finally.

____________________________________________

a/n: Well this took a while……….. also it’s a mess lol anyways let me know whatyou thin!!!

[leiascully]

Smut:  You’re Doing It Wrong (Or How To Do It Right)

Long ago in a far away land, I wrote a primer on all I’d learned about writing smut.  I thought I’d reproduce it here for posterity, because it helped some people (not because I think anyone around here has a problem writing the filthiest of fictions).

The first rule of smut writing is don't be afraid. Smut does not have to be difficult or intimidating. There was a time I swore up and down that I'd never be able to write sexy scenes, but it's all in the way you approach it. This primer is designed to give you some things to think about to make your smut writing easier. If you've never written smut before, great! If you're an old hand, you might still find something useful or have something to offer. The sexiest thing is character. Hands down. Why are you writing or reading this story? You wanted to see these two (or three or four, etc.) people (or tentacles, or ghosts, what have you) get it on. Sex being rather mechanical as a matter of course, what distinguishes the act between these two (etc.) people (etc.)? Character. No matter who's doing what to whom, the motions and the emotions and the hydraulics are going to be similar. It's the interpretation through these characters that got you to read or write this particular story. The reason an act is sexy is because of the people who are participating in it. Smut is not about what turns you on, necessarily, so don't get embarrassed about it being too personal. Writing smut isn't about your personal tastes, unless you want to throw them in. It's about what turns on the characters you're exploring. Some thing are fairly universal, when it comes to sexiness, but you have to give it the flavor of the actual actors in the scene. I'm fortunate enough to have what I call the porn trance: I kind of space out when I'm writing a story and the sex doesn't distract me. Here are some questions to ask yourself when you start a story: First, who's in it and what are they doing? What point of view are you using? Third-person limited is the most common, because third-person omniscient could get confusing; first and second person usually require a little more work (second person particularly can throw a reader out of a story). Sticking with a perspective will help you. Second, what's the goal of the story? Motivation is key. Is it physical or emotional satisfaction? Stress relief or ephiphanies? Behavior can be altered by situation, intoxication, or other circumstances, but motivation is tied specifically to the character, even a general motivation to get laid. Third, how explicit do you want to get? This is also dependent on your characters, but what matters most is what you're willing to write. Some characters will think about sex in explicit terms. Some won't. There's a happy medium: you don't have to describe every single touch or feeling, because your readers will fill in the rest to a certain extent. You only have to write what you're comfortable with. There's a starting place. Here are some more specific points. I use examples from my own fic not because there aren't many, many other good smut writers, but because I can show you my own process a lot better than I can show you someone else's, porn trance or no porn trance. 01. Pacing and general writing. We could write Hemingway-style smut. It would be possible. It would go a little something like: "He thrust into her. It felt good. He thrust again. Her face was red and that made him excited. He liked fucking." It's valid, certainly, but it doesn't really interest me. The tone of your story is important. There's triumphant sex and awkward sex and drunken sex and shameful sex and nostalgic sex. What are you trying to achieve? Through whom? Save the three-dollar words for the serious fics with the verbose narrators. Your word choice depends on your character and the general atmosphere of the fic. Sentence length will really help draw your readers along. There are people who have coherent thought processes during sex, but part of the point of sex is that it's a relief from all those thoughts. Longer sentences feel more connected and they help streamline the action. A lot of choppy sentences will break up the scene too much and knock your reader out of the story a bit. As in the actual physical choreography, you want everything to be smooth (even when the action in the story is anything but). Given that the goal of a smutty story is fairly clear (right?), there's a logical progression toward the inevitable bliss or lack thereof. Using longer sentences toward the climax of the story will ease that transition, even if you start with short sentences. It'll also make your story more somber than short sentences will. Happy people will flit from though to thought a lot more than melancholy people. Pacing can really give a feel for the character's voice as well. For Lipstick and Stilettos (The West Wing, Amy/Ainsley), which is from the perspective of Ainsley Hayes, I think I used more parentheses than anyone has a right to, but Ainsley's speech is full of parenthetical remarks; it stands to reason her pillow thoughts would be too. Meanwhile, in that fic, Amy hardly says anything, but it gets a point across. Grammar is, of course, always important. Depending on your character, you may use correct grammar or you may choose not to, but this should be conscious and in keeping with the character's voice. Semicolons, in addition to being inherently sexy, are very useful for linking shorter sentences without breaking up the rhythm of the narrative. Learn them. Love them. Using them correctly isn't tricky: semicolons can connect two complete sentences or several clauses in a list, but they shouldn't link fragments of sentences. One thing I tend to do is pick one metaphor and stick to it. It helps give the story coherence while still letting you get figurative. For stuff in the BSG-verse, I talk about flying, which can incorporate takeoff and gravity and speed and grace and power and violence, depending on what you need. My House stories involve a lot of light, for some reason. Again, stick to things the characters know, and keep it reasonable. Mulder's likely to verge into figurative language. Jayne from Firefly is not, regardless of the fact that he gets most poetical about his pecker. A note with same-sex pairings: pronouns can get confusing. Epithets are just as irritating in smut as they are in regular fic. Try using names instead of "the redhead" or "the young-but-not-underage witch" or "the brown-eyed boyishly handsome oncologist". This is where perspective can help you: if your speaker is implied by the point of view, the reader can probably sort out a few extraneous pronouns. 02. Motivation. Everybody wants something. They want to give something or get something or share something, even if it's not with the person they're having sex with. It's the wanting you're trying to capture, and whether they get what they want. As the philosopher Jagger has told us, we can't always get what we want. Change the variables and the whole equation is altered, not just the answer. I wrote a fairly short and non-explicit House fic called Too Soon To See If I'm Happy In Your Hands which was Cuddy/everyone, where she slept with each of the other five main characters in turn, and each section has a slightly different feel. Each of the people she's with wants something different from her; even if she's not sure what exactly she wants from them, the differences are clear, and she knows what she doesn't want. This, of course, is part of character and should be tuned to whatever character you're writing. A lot of times people aren't quite sure what they want, but you should have some idea of how to get them to some point of equilibrium, or a point of desperation if that's what it takes. There has to be mental or emotional action along with the physical action. Even if your character has a lot of non-commital sex, there has to be something that sets off that desire, and some way in which it is resolved or sharpened. Why? This is the most crucial question of your story, and the one that can be most useful to you. Having sex for the sake of having sex is a legitimate motivation and frees you up a bit, but that's not true of every character. Asking yourself why these people are where they are lets you dig into the characters even more, and helps bring out the things that are true about the character, whether you knew them or not, even if it's just "Wow, this person loves to get it on." Once you know why, you can add in all the things that make the fic rich. You may have to figure this out by writing until you come to a conclusion, or you may know to start with. Either way, the why's the thing. 03. Details details details. Rule number one in not being afraid of writing sex: smut does not have to be explicit. Smut does not have to be chock full of anatomical detail (unless, perhaps, you're trying to put together a couple of doctors, who might know those words and think of them that way). It can be vague and breathy, all the focus above the belt. It all depends on what you're comfortable with, and what your characters are comfortable with. If what matters to your characters is the emotions and not the physical sensations, then you hardly have to describe the physical. One of the most explicit pieces I've written was Stretch Me Out On A Blanket Of Sky (Battlestar Galactica, Starbuck/Racetrack): nobody is going to believe that Starbuck and Racetrack are deeply emotionally involved when they're both known on the show for sleeping around and they don't spend that much leisure time together, so it requires a lot of specific, explicit physical detail. Meanwhile, in Red, Yellow, Blue, saying that House and Cuddy have sex is enough: the rest is incredibly vague, except for a few specific (not explicit) touches, like his hand on her hip. I think of it in film terms most of the time. Some scenes are soft-focus, some are oversaturated, and some are close-ups. You have to know your characters. What words would they say or not say? Even if they're not speaking during the fic, the way they phrase things in their thoughts is important. A good test is which words they'd use for genitalia and other interesting bits. Cock? Dick? Prick? Schlong? Cunt? Pussy? Vagina? Tits? Balls? Boobs? Testes? Do they use one for their own and another for someone else's, if it's a same-sex pairing? Some of this is cultural: Brits and Aussies seem more likely to use "prick" than Americans, but mostly it's personal to the character. Which brings me to the most important rule that isn't "don't be afraid", which is: submerge yourself in your character. Use their words. Notice the things they'd notice. The key to writing smut is not writing what you find hot, or what your audience will. It's got to be true to the character. Jim and Pam from The Office are not nearly as likely to get into a truly kinky situation as, say, Mulder and Scully from The X-Files with their much darker pasts, or House, who hires prostitutes. If House sleeps with Cuddy, he's likely to notice her breasts, since that's what he so often comments on; if he's sleeping with Wilson, he's probably more likely to mention something about Wilson's tie, or how he looks tired, or talk about Wilson's weight. Even in a Porn-Without-Plot, using a word your character would use can tie the story into the canon characters a lot better, which deepens whatever's going on, no matter how shallow the action. Pay attention to the way things change the more naked (or at least more physical) your characters get. Ordinary everyday things become significant when you're taking your clothes off. Secret freckles. Scars. The way underwear feels. The smell of deodorant or sweat. The space between the people: Wilson, getting close to House, starts to think in metric instead of Imperial measurements (Proximity) and that changes the way he perceives things, and shows his frame of mind. Cuddy pays a lot more attention to her fancy underwear when House is around (It's Kink But You Don't Ever Tell Her). Wearing dogtags constantly desensitizes Kara to them, until she and Kendra are both naked except for those tags, at which point, they become extremely noticeable (put your finger on my trigger). Physical mannerisms and limitations are important, too. With House, you always have to work around his leg. Bosomy women are going to jiggle if you make them do bouncy things. The defense mechanisms that people have, they're going to employ just the same when they're naked. Scully will still cross her arms and raise her eyebrows. Han Solo will probably still strut around in the all-together. They look different and they may move differently, naked, because nudity makes you vulnerable, physically and mentally. Who among us is entirely comfortable without clothes? I thought not. Your characters probably aren't either, unless you're in the porn star fandom, in which case, I suppose none of this really matters. Everyone has an insecurity or a way of protecting their vulnerabilities. It's good to capture these mannerisms. It makes people remember why they're reading yoru story, which is because it features the people they wanted to see together instead of faceless mannequins. Sex is a great equalizer. You have to put the differences in. 04. Situation. The situation itself is important mostly because of the limitations. You can put people wherever you want, theoretically; the limitations of where people can and will have sex are dependent mostly on the physical limits of whatever 'verse you're playing in. There are smutty AUs that are fantastic. There are supply closets and boudoirs and picnic tables. You can get your characters drunk, you can get them high, you can have them in emotional states that are out of the ordinary. What you really have to watch for is how the situation affects the motivation: who's likely to walk in? How much does the physical space change what they can do? Is someone going to fall off the couch or through the unlocked door? Is the bed comfortable or hard? Do you really want to have that kind of sex on that surface? No, I rather thought not. Is the sex time-sensitive? How strong is the gravity? How much does what else is in the space matter? Choreography matters. Readers notice when improbable things happen, like two people of disparate heights having sex standing up. Your audience may be able to suspend their disbelief for a time, but check your choreography anyway. This will keep you from giving your characters more hands or limbs than they actually possess. I have, in the past, been known to do stupid things like move my arms around in the air, or play footsie with a table leg, all in the name of research. A lot of times it's better to keep things slightly vague: your readers can compensate for a hand that's mysteriously somewhere else for five minutes. Try not to have anyone bend in impossible ways, and try to make sure the relevant bits of clothing are accounted for. This is of course part of the "details details details!" creed, but often, the space around the characters is secondary to the space between the characters, so I'm giving it a separate and less important section. Just make sure your characters aren't having sex on a plank or something, or in a vacuum. 05. Different kinds of sex. Physical, mental, and emotional issues play heavily into what kind of sex your characters are having. How does the action match up with the tone? How does the character's well-being affect what they do in bed? Older people, for instance, probably can't have rough sex up against the wall. Suit the mood and the position to the people who are in the story. There's no reason that energetic sex can't be sweet or slow sex can't be angry or emotionless. However, in general, tender sex means tender emotions. There are plenty of places to touch someone aside from the obvious erogenous zones; a little variety makes your smut so much more poignant and emotional. But the physical should match up with the emotional to some extent, or the difference should be made clear. As a general rule, it's much easier to have rough sex with someone you care about than tender sex with someone you wouldn't know if you saw them the next day. Again, this comes down to character, character, character. Maybe your character's a sex addict. Who knows? There are writers who write very realistic sex. cryptictac comes to mind as the gold standard in the House fandom. Let's get real: sex is weird. There are funny smells and funny sounds and strange situations. Some things don't feel as good as other things. There are nice touches and awkward touches and that varies from person to person and time to time. However, most smut stories gloss over things like condoms, dental dams, unfortunate or uncomfortable positions, and lube, and that's fine too. It depends on your characters' mindsets and the tone of the story. Is your character mostly comfortable with his or her body? Is the heat of the moment enough to draw your character out of their body enough to focus on the sexy parts instead of the inherent humor of the naked human body? Does your character take solace in that humor, or do they get all artistic and poetic about nudity? Each person is different, and it may depend on their partner. Vary your positions, if it goes with what your characters might do. What are they willing or not willing to try? Some people are pretty much always going to stick to missionary. Some need other options. Some people are going to experiment. Some people have a lot of experience. Some don't. Who are you writing? How do they feel? Position may affect the emotional impact; some are more intimate than others, depending on how much eye contact there is and how rough it is. Do your research. Babeland.com is a great reference tool when you need to look up lubes, toys, or other sex-related paraphenalia. SexInfo101.com is useful when you want to know the names of sex positions you didn't even know existed. There are tips for all kinds of things on the internet. If you're not sure about something, look it up. Presumably, if your character is doing it, they know what it is and what it feels like, or they will when they're done. Somebody has to know what's going on (or maybe they don't, but then you have to capture that uncertainty). I've written a number of stories about things I've never done (for instance, I'm not a gay man) and the thing that got me through it was research. It's great to stretch yourself and write about things you've never experienced, and it can really help you get a handle on a character, but you have to read up first. Read sex tips. Read other people's stories. Read read read. I hope you feel more comfortable now. Remember, even a small detail that's true to your characters can make a situation more poignant, no matter how many clothes they've still got on, or how soft-focus the sex is. Go forth! Write smut! Post it for Smut Tuesdays (bringing back the old challenge)! Expand your horizons. Remember: the more you write, the easier it gets.

Acknowledgements:  Penumbra helped me title this.  Zulu and @dilkirani read it over for me.

[wisdomrays]

KEY CONCEPTS OF SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM : Tawhid (Unity)

Tawhid, derived from wahda (oneness), means unifying, regarding as one, believing in God's Oneness or Unity, and sincerely accepting the reality that there is no deity but God. The Sufis add to these meanings the ideas of seeing only He Who is the One, and knowing, mentioning, desiring, and calling Him alone, and conducting relations with others than Him only because of Him.

The beginning of unity is admitting that the Divine Being is beyond and above all concepts that occur to the mind concerning Him, the result of this being that there is no room for anything else save Him in one's heart, according to the depth of the spiritual state and pleasures, and fixing one's eyes on Him alone. In this meaning, unity is both the foundation of Islam and its fruit. Sufism has considered unity with respect to both its beginning and end. Those who are not included in the fold of Sufism have regarded it slightly differently.

According to such people, unity means recognizing the Almighty as the Lord of all creation, and responding to His Divinity with servanthood or worshipping, and acting with a feeling of responsibility. In other words, unity is something that we must admit to with both our words and our actions, and our attitude should be that God has absolute authority over the whole of creation and disposes as He wills, and He is absolutely above having a like, a rival or an equal. In addition, since He is the One Who absolutely deserves to be worshipped and to be desired, we must serve Him perfectly in a way that contains the meanings of glorifying, exalting and praising Him, and by declaring that He is the All-Holy. To sum up these definitions, we can say that unity has three types or degrees: unity based on knowledge and belief, unity based on spiritual discovery and pleasures, and unity based on the Divine Being's bearing witness to Himself. Being aware of the last one is a special gift granted by the Almighty to His chosen servants.

Unity based on belief and knowledge is the kind or degree of unity which is acquired through observation, inference or reasoning. Those who have acquired this degree of unity are free from associating any kind of partners to God and spend their lives thinking about God's Oneness, mentioning Him and feeling Him in the depths of their hearts.

Unity based on spiritual discovery and pleasures means feeling the knowledge of God which has been acquired through observation and reasoning in one's conscious nature, sipping the pleasures originating in this knowledge, and experiencing it in the heart and daily life.

Unity based on the Divine Being's bearing witness to Himself is so profound that only those whom God has favored with it can feel it, and those who can feel it either become dumbfounded or can express it to those around them only to the extent to which He allows them. In the sight of the initiates who can feel such a degree of unity, all proofs and indications of the Almighty fade away, things turn into a mirage, all existence is reduced to relativity, and the attitude of modesty which initiates must adopt before God tells them to keep silent. For this station is that where an initiate must keep silent and this degree or kind of unity is the unity that brings about silence.

Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi says concerning the unity of this degree:

O brother, keep aloof from those who are busy with discussion among the scholars, So that the Almighty may cause knowledge from His presence to rise in your heart. When speech comes to this point, lips are no longer able to move or close; And the pen breaks when it reaches the same point. This is not the station where eloquent words will be uttered; So, come and give up talking about things; God knows best the truth.

This station, where knowledge from God's Presence has turned into knowledge of God from His Presence, where the consciousness has been awarded special favors, and where travelers to God feel that they are being attracted toward Him by Himself, is the station of being a mirror to God where a drop has become like an ocean, an atom like the whole universe, and things that do not exist are honored with existence. In his introduction to Harabat, Ziya Pasha, in his deep appreciation of poetry, describes the state of an initiate in this station as follows:

O You Who exist, and Who have brought existence into existence, There is nothing which does not exist; how can it be possible to claim Your non-existence!

Those who are the foremost in this degree of unity, which has allowed an atom to become an ocean, which has caused that which does not exist to gain existence, which has encompassed both the beginning and the end of the journey, and which is a degree that is possible for everybody to attain, are the Prophets. They begin their speeches with unity, and stop where they must stop because unity requires them to do so. The first platform for the travelers to God on their way to God is also this objective consideration of unity, where the beginning and end of the journey are united. All the Messengers and Prophets of God, from the first to the last, who carried out their responsibilities on the way of wakefulness, preached this greatest pillar of belief first, declaring: Worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him (7:59, 65, 73, 85 ). Then they went on to communicate other principles and commandments to explain its meaning and content and to establish these in this world.

This consideration of unity is the first door to entering Islam and is the means to feeling and experiencing Islam with a certainty based on knowledge, and a certainty based on observation, and a certainty based on experience. This is also the first call of God to know Him-according to the individual's capacity-as He makes Himself known. One enters the fold of Islam with such a concept of unity, and those who have the potential to advance, advance by means of it. Studies and mental endeavors gain profundity through this concept, and it is again through it that what lies beyond the relative truths appears. The difference between eternity and what is eternal and what is contained in time can be discerned within this concept. One perceives through this concept the nature of the relation between God as the Creator and the Sole Object of Worship with other beings as the created and those responsible for worshipping and servanthood. Again, it is through this concept that one understands that the Creator is not of the same kind as the created, and that His Attributes are perfect, universal and essential to Him, while the attributes of the created are imperfect, particular, relative and borrowed. This concept of unity causes one to base all one's views on the principles taught by the Prophets. Starting from these principles, one is saved from falling into errors such as, while arguing (in the name of unity) that He is absolutely free of any imperfections that belong to the created, going to the extreme of denying God any Attributes; or (another extreme) assuming that God takes on bodily form (incarnation) or that a created being can be united with God and become God (union). One is also saved, while observing His manifestations, from likening God in any respect to the creation, or, while interpreting His Attributes, likening Him to the created or attributing to Him a body and being that are contained in time and space. Thus one displays the worthiness (and need) to be counted among the people of the Straight Way, when one prays at least forty times a day (in the daily prayers) to God to guide one on this Way.

That conception of unity also serves to guide travelers to God so that they can perceive the sole source and nature of the Divine Destiny and Decree. Turning to Him, they do not waste their lives in the philosophical deviations of the Mu'tazila (the Muslim theologians who maintain that human beings will and create their actions) and the Jabriya (who deny human free will). They serve God sincerely, and feel a deep respect for Him because of His every commandment. Without denying that they have been endowed with free will, they believe that God is the Creator and the eternal origin or cause of everything, and expect from Him the attainment of all their purposes. They always rely on Him, and implore Him for happiness in both this world and the next.

* * *

Philosophers such as Aristotle, Abu 'Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, who considered unity as the Existence alone with no identity or Attributes, opened the door to the deviation of monism, which would later evolve as a philosophical system, in turn giving rise to many other falsehoods. Those who have strayed into incarnation and union-which can be said to have been smeared onto the belief-system of Islam by Neo-platonism-have fallen into associating partners with God by seeing existence as the constant appearance or externalization of the Necessarily Existent One, and therefore as being (in some measure) identifiable with Him. Among other groups or movements, the Qadariya and Jahmiya, which deny God any Attributes, have attributed to God impotence and to human will absolute power. On the other hand, the attitude of the Jabriya, who deny human free will and regard humans as if they were dried leaves blown about by winds, is totally contrary to the most rational realities and is a great slander against God. What is true for all such movements, even if there were a grain of truth in them, is that their early followers were not able to save themselves from going to extremes and they prepared many points from which those who followed them and the ideas they promoted might stray.

As for the overwhelming majority of Muslims, who have accepted the truth of the Messenger and his Companions, they have learned unity (as well as other aspects of Islam), from, once more, the expressions, attitudes, visions, and spiritual discoveries of the true successors of the Messenger and the Companions, experiencing it in their inner and outer worlds. According to them, unity is the bedrock of Islam, a fact which the Qur'an and the Sunna give the greatest importance to with respect to the Creator's Lordship and recognition of our being His servants who must recognize and worship Him. The Qur'an and God's Messenger frequently refer to the Divine Being and His Attributes, Names, and acts, including the establishment of Himself on the Throne-the nature of which is unknown to us-His speaking to the Messengers and Prophets, and honoring whomever He wills with speaking to Himself, and reminding us of His absolute, unconditioned Life, Knowledge, Hearing, Seeing, Power, Will, and Speech. They also teach us that God is the Creator and the One Who takes life and revives after death, and that He is the All-Providing. All these Attributes and acts of God have a close connection with God's being One and Unique.

God's Lordship and the lights of His Existence and Lordship which shine on things and events are stressed in many verses of the Qur'an such as: 

God, there is no deity but He; the All-Living, the Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist.), Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. (2:255); 

Alif-Lam-Mim. God, there is no deity but He; the All-Living, the Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist.) (3:1-2); 

Say (O Messenger): "O God, Master of all dominion! You give dominion to whom You will, and take away dominion from whom You will " (3:26); 

(He) the All-Merciful, established Himself on the Throne (20:5); 

And say: "All praise be to God Who has neither taken to Him a son, nor has He any partner in His dominion (of the whole creation); nor does He need, out of weakness, anyone to own and protect Him; and exalt Him with all His limitless greatness." (17:111), 

and Say: "He is God, the One; God is the Eternally-Besought-of-All. He has not begotten, nor been begotten. There is nothing equal to Him." (112:1-5). 

A consciousness that discerns this majesty of the Divine Lordship, feels deeply and eagerly the necessity to worship Him in the face of this all-encompassing scene or in these concentric scenes of Lordship, and responds with: All praise and gratitude is for God, the Lord of the Worlds. The All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. The Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone do We worship and from You alone do we seek help. (1:1-4) It demonstrate its readiness to serve Him in response to the Divine proclamation, O humankind, worship your Lord (2:21); receives from the warning, Worship your Lord until certainty (death) comes to you (15:99), the message that His eternal Lordship requires perpetual servanthood; and understands from the declaration, Worship God, devoted to Him alone in all your religious practices (39:2), that we must fix our eyes on Him exclusively.

The banner of the declaration, 

"O unbelievers! I do not worship what you worship" (109:1-2) 

undulates over our head, and determines the nature of our position with all else save Him. We demonstrate the purpose for our creation by proclaiming, You alone do we worship (1:5), and we acknowledge with utter modesty and a feeling of insignificance that We rely on Him alone in order to realize this purpose, declaring, And You alone do we ask for help (1:5). In order to fulfill the task that is required by nearness to Him and to reach the rank of speaking to Him directly, we reinforce our acknowledgment of His being the sole Deity in the two above declarations, with the prayer: Guide us to the Straight Way, the way of those whom You have favored! (1:6-7). Following this, we exhibit our care and sincerity in this petition, continuing: Not (the way) of those who have incurred (Your) wrath (severe punishment and condemnation), nor of those who are astray (1:7). Thus, traveling at least forty times a day from our acknowledgment of God's Unity in Lordship to His Unity in Divinity, and thence to His Unity in being the Sole Object of Worship, we try to fulfill what is required by our having been created as the best pattern of creation.

In short, the Qur'an is extremely clear and precise concerning the matter of unity. It orders that we should admit that God is both the sole Lord of creation-the One Who creates, maintains, protects and provides-and the sole Deity. In all its chapters, from the longest (Surat al-Baqara, 2) to the shortest (Surat al-Ikhlas, 112), the Qur'an declares, teaches and reiterates unity explicitly or implicitly. In Surat al-Ikhlas, in addition to emphatically teaching that God is the sole Lord of creation, it is also emphasized that He has Attributes of Perfection and is above having any imperfections. Surat al-Kafirun (109) warns us that only God is to be worshipped, and calls on us to turn only to Him in our beliefs, lives, and expectations. A careful study of the Qur'an will show that it turns on the axis of unity. All the verses mentioning God and His Names, Attributes and acts are proclamations of His being the sole Deity, while the declarations referring to worshipping the Absolute Object of Worship, Who has no equals, opposites or rivals, and which forbid the worship of any thing or being other than Him, are indications of His being the One and Only Lord.

From another perspective, believing in God's being the sole Lord of creation, which is also called "unity in knowledge" with respect to our position with unity, means confirming all the truths pronounced by the master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings. As for believing in God's being the one and only Deity, which is also known as "unity in practice," this denotes doing the religious commandments as they should be done, avoiding those things that have been prohibited. Unity in knowledge is perfected by knowing the All-Holy One as One Who has Attributes of Perfection and in believing that He is above all imperfections. Unity in practice can be realized by worshipping and loving the All-Majestic, All-Exalted One, by being sincere toward Him, and by preserving the balance between fear of and expectations from Him.

Travelers to God who are at the beginning of the journey, a journey of which they are expected to reach the end, advance in the company of proofs, indications, and observations of their inner world and the world around them. These are the strongest groundings of unity. At every stage of their journey, travelers feel and sense the signs that come to them according to the rank and capacity of each, and review them. To the extent that they reach deeper perceptions and experiences, they can feel or see in the proofs and indications the One indicated by them. They reach through witnesses to the One Witnessed. Then, in the broad atmosphere of spiritual discoveries, pleasures and feelings, they begin to feel, see and hear the messages brought by the Prophets beyond the normal scope of the senses and feelings. They experience delight in observing the truths that are demonstrated by proofs and indications, but without needing them any longer, for they have passed beyond all concepts of quality and recognition through examples, and beyond the normal scope of perception.

So, this concept of unity-unity which becomes visible as God's special stamp on things and events by means of the proofs and indications that are observed and experienced in the inner world of people and in the outer world-is an objective concept, and an observatory from which everyone can attain certain knowledge of God. One who admits of it can, if possessed of the necessary capacity, advance as far as being able to perceive the true nature of apparent causes (in nature) and the means of knowing the Almighty. One sees that all those causes and means are lost before their Creator, Who is the real agent beyond them, and one witnesses that all proofs and indications end in an inner perception beyond the scope of the senses. The deeper the state one gets into and the greater the pleasure one feels, the more profound and vivid the degree of the concept of unity one can reach. Travelers to God who have reached this point live immersed in the special favors that come as a reward for their inner perception and the insight they have attained by starting from the proofs and indications. Because of the light which the Eternal Witness has placed in them, all their thoughts, speeches and acts become "light." They walk intoxicated by the manifestations of the "Face" of Him Who has created the light. When proofs and indications have developed into the voice of their state, they no longer need them, nor do they seek an apparent cause to rely on the Creator of all causes, nor run after other means. Rather, they begin to see, know, and love by Him, and to transform whatever they see and hear into knowledge and love of God, and into attraction and the feeling of being attracted by Him. They spend their life in the tides of absorption and distinguishing.

At this point, where the initiates feel as if they are seeing the Necessarily Existent Being in everything with their eyes, apparent, external causes fade away and lose the ability to be a means for happiness or salvation, although they continue to exist as mere causes. Whereas the internal causes of belief, confirmation, and the knowledge and love of God are felt more deeply. It is for this reason that, so long as the travelers to the Truth advance on the spiritual journey, they feel an increasing passion for worship and other acts of obedience to God. As they grow in the knowledge and love of God, they feel that they are overflowing with prayers and invocations and they become like a nightingale singing ceaselessly in the court of God. They always mention Him with the voice of their heart. In addition, neither their being able to observe from here the worlds beyond, nor crossing distances by flying through the heavens, can harm the self-possession that they maintain in their humble servanthood to God.

As for the unity the Necessarily Existent Being has assigned to Himself-a unity based on His bearing witness to Himself-it is an attainment belonging, first, to the Prophets, and then to their true successors. It is not possible for us to perfectly perceive such a horizon of knowing and feeling God. It is an extremely great favor from Him by which He endows the perfectly pure hearts with the necessary capacity to feel that perfect conception of unity, which He expresses in verses such as:

God, there is no deity but He, the All-Living, the Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist) (2:255). God bears witness that surely there is no deity but He (3:18). Surely, I am God, there is no deity but I, so worship Me (20:14). He is God: there is no deity but He (59:22).

It is a great favor that He grants, enabling those so favored to voice this perfect conception of unity with their hearts, and causing them to understand and express their poverty and helplessness before Him and the fact that whatever they have is from Him, with confessions such as follows:

We have not been able to know You as knowing You requires, O Known One. We have not been able to worship You as worshipping You requires, O Worshipped One. We have not been able to mention You as mentioning You requires, O Mentioned One. We have not been able to thank You, as thanking You requires, O Thanked One.

He makes them express this favor in consideration of the requirement to know Him as He must be known, and with a consciousness of servanthood, and an attitude of helplessness and poverty, and with a yearning for thankfulness and praise. It is not possible for others to perceive this. How can it be possible, seeing that this is a special gift from the Giver of Gifts, no matter how it was prompted or if prompted at all? Only those who can bear the weight of His gifts are loaded with them.

Only the Prophets and their true, pure successors can feel this degree of unity in the perfect form, and they can reveal to others only the part of it that they are allowed to reveal. The pure, perfected scholars, who are the true successors of the Prophets, run  in the spacious field of this unity and try to breathe it out with certain ambiguous symbols according to their capacity. Saints who follow them whisper it to themselves when they deem it necessary, but none of them reveal the state they are in nor the pleasures they feel. They consider its revelation to be a grave error committed against the honor of Divinity, and tremble with fear at giving away the secrets with which they have been entrusted.

What should be done here, in this respect, is to regard the messages of the Prophets as sufficient, and by admitting that acknowledging the inability to perceive is perception itself, attribute to God the knowledge of truth and the concept of unity that belong to the most distinguished among the elect.

It is essential that while thinking of unity as viewed by the elect, either with respect to creed or as an expression of the spiritual state and pleasures, one should strictly follow the guidance of the master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings. For it is always probable that even the lights brightest in appearance, and the deepest pleasures and any knowledge of God not found within the Prophet's guidance are no more than carnal pleasures and ostentation.

It would be appropriate to end our article on unity with a verse from Calabizade Abdulaziz Efendi found in Gulshan-i Niyaz, which resembles the poem of Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum concerning the Islamic creed, which begins "My Deity, my Lord; my Prophet is God's Messenger:"

I have a conviction that the Divine Being is one, And I confirm that He has Attributes. Knowledge, Power, Life, Hearing, and Seeing, Are concealed in His All-Holy Being. Though the Attributes eternally exist in the Being, They are neither the Being Himself nor separate from Him. Those who attempt to qualify You are unable to understand Your Attributes. We have not been able to know You as knowing You requires. He has no equals nor likes in His Oneness, And He needs no assistants in His sovereignty. You are not a substance or a body; Nor are You composed nor shaped. You are the All-Holy Being from nowhere. Your Attributes are not of the kind of those of the created; You have no eyes, nor ears, nor any other organs; You are One without number; and You have no limits; You are not composed, or separable or dissolvable. Neither time nor space, O Exalted One, Has any meaning in relation to You. It is also inconceivable that You have any relation with Eating, drinking, getting dressed, or sleeping. He is All-Majestic and absolutely pure in His Majesty; He is absolutely above all desires and lusts. The verses, "He has not begotten nor been begotten," Have put an insurmountable barrier before His having parents and children. You have undoubtedly no beginning or end. He is the First without a beginning, And the Last without an end. He is the Eternal Being Who brought the universe into existence, And each of His creatures is a ray from His all-comprehensive Grace. His work is the universe and Adamhumankind; Existence and non-existence are according to His command. All creation, including the heavens with all the celestial bodies, and the earth Have come into existence by His command, "Be!" If He had not given existence to the universe, We could not have known Him or known how to bear witness to Him. He it is Who creates both good and evil; He it is Who is the origin of all deeds. He has established what is right and what is wrong. And it is He Who will reward or punish.

O God! Show us the truth as the truth and enable us with the observance of it, and show us the falsehood as falsehood and enable us with the avoidance of it. And let God's blessings be upon our master Muhammad, who is the means for attaining unity, and on his brothers among the Prophets and Messengers, who had strong self-possession.

[nicolekidmanwigfactory]

I dim the lights and think about you Spend sleepless nights to think about you You said you loved me- or were you just being kind? Or am I losing my mind?

My favorite version of “Losing My Mind” constantly vacillates between my Barbara Cook and Dorothy Collins. Collins’ delivery of “kind” in the final verse is nothing short of gut-wrenching while every choice Cook made as a performer was flawless (the version from her “Live from London” is even better). But on the 1985 concert album, her articulation of the first “think” in the final verse is, in my own opinion, the best performed moment in the Sondheim canon.

My mind wandered during class today, so I started to examine what brought me to this purely gut-driven opinion. What about this one word led me to declare the best performed moment in the Sondheim canon- why not choose something a little larger such as a line, rhyme, or song? Because it stands out from everything else, including the rest of her “Losing My Mind” performance.

First, the unique characteristic of Cook’s “think” is the seeming weightlessness of the word. Too many performers hit both “thinks” in this verse with the same amount of heft. However, the second one (“to think”) contains the dramatic weight. Her sleepless nights are devoted to consuming thoughts of him while in the former usage, she just happens to think of him at the same time. Different situations? Yes. Splitting hairs? No.

The way in which Cook manages to avoid what so many of her colleague do is a combination of her performing instinct and, whether she realized it or not, her technical skill as a performer. I cannot vouch for her training or skills as a singer, but I can in the way she articulated and delivered her performances (to an extent). I isolated the “think” (the audio above) from the concert album and ran it through the Praat software, available to download for free from the University of Amsterdam’s Phonetic Sciences department.

The underlying (phonemic) form of “think” is shown, unit by unit, on tier 2. These are the speech sounds the word is “supposed” to be made up of. But because everybody is different, we all realize our speech in many different ways (think the /z/ for orthographic ‘s’). There’s no right or wrong way, but misunderstandings occasionally occur, especially if you’re learning an L2.

On tier 3, the phonetic forms of what Cook actually says/sings is shown, and it’s a phonological treasure bag in its idiosyncrasies. For ease of reading, I’ll present them in a list.

Her vowel [ɪ] is realized as voiceless ([ɪ̥]) AND palatalized ([ɪʲ]) (together [ɪ̥ʲ]). One of the defining features of vowels is their voiced quality (feel your larynx for vibration) and few languages have vowel that devoice. English isn’t one of the. If you look on spectrogram above, there is no voice bar at the bottom (as far as I could see). It’s also possible that her vowel DOESN’T palatalize and instead raises to the high front vowel /i/, but I believe it doesn’t and instead palatalizes because…

“think” ends with a velar stop. The preceding consonant will assimilate to the same place of articulation. Instead of an alveolar /n/ that tends to correspond to the orthographic English “n,” the underlying form of “think” uses the velar nasal /ŋ/ to coarticulate with /k/. There’s no “velar pinch” for /ŋ/ on the spectrogram and since Cook palatalizes her vowel, her nasal assimilates to that as well. In its place, she produces the voiced palatal nasal [ɲ] (think the /ñ/ in the Spanish año). And since it assimilates because of the vowel, it also devoices ([ɲ̥]), as can be seen by the lack of a voice bar on the spectrogram.

This might be my most out there conclusion, which is one I’m going to ask my phonology professor during office hours tomorrow, but I think there is a possibility that Cook produced the [ɪ̥ʲɲ̥] CV cluster as a “triphthong.” Though boundaries of vowels are already notoriously difficult to determine, I’m not sure if there’s an audible distinction between [ɪ̥ʲ] and [ɲ̥]. They sound and look like they’re being produced simultaneously. Because of this, I’ve presented the ligature above both ([ɪ̥ʲ͡ɲ̥]) to signify this.

Finally, her word-final /k/ has no audible release, noted by the diacritic   ([k ̚]), since she moves on the next word immediately (”about”). Without the audible release, there’s no time for her to provide the unneeded dramatic heft to this word, which allows her to move on effortlessly.

For completely phonological reasons of which I was unaware until this afternoon, this is why Barbara Cook’s production of “think” from the final verse of “Losing My Mind” on the Follies in Concert album is the best performed moment in the Sondheim canon. I’ve now supported an opinion once based on nothing but my hunch with quantifiable data, and even if other disagree, all that matters is I’ve back myself up for me.

[spamzineglasgow]

(HOT TAKE) Quarantine Phenomenology: The Curious Case of Daddy Conte, by Denise Bonetti

‘Teenage by design’? SPAM founder and editor-in-chief Denise Bonetti, tapping into her Italian roots, takes us on a whirlwind journey around the lustful theme park that is meme space in the time of quarantine. For many, especially those who aren’t on the frontline as key workers, self-isolation is thrusting us back into a rude adolescence. Having exhausted our usual channels of recursive entertainment, where better to look than to the political (yes, wybi?!) heroes of meatspace to fantasise the intimacies and reassurances we’re otherwise deprived of. 

(CW: sexually explicit references)

> Comedian Dan Sebree tweeted that this whole quarantine situation is the closest any of us millennials will get to retirement. The joke is funny because it’s most likely true: the idea of people in my age bracket (mid-20s to mid-30s) ever retiring seems like a fairytale we tell ourselves to keep our boomer parents happy, something we play along to because frankly it’s easier than sharing the extent of our doubts in the future. (Find someone in their 20s who can say ‘when we all retire’ without a shred of irony).

> Sebree is right, most of us are playing retirees now. 80% of your salary to repot your plants, make sourdough, and fend off waves of existential dread here and there: not too shabby - if you used to have a stable job, that is. Things obviously aren’t so chill for quite literally everyone else: NHS workers, shopkeepers, supermarket employees, people on zero-hour contracts (which make up around 9% of all the UK workforce under 25), gig economy workers, freelancers by choice, people whose employers can’t be bothered putting them on payroll, and have therefore decided for them that they’ll have to be freelancers - the list goes on. 

> Yet beyond the retirement vibes, there is a stage of life that seems even more appropriate to represent the mood that this pandemic isolation has been creating. We are feeling manic and depressive, anxious and idyllic, bored and obsessive; we have been dying our hair and we’re allowing social media challenges and email chains to make a comeback ( 😩). We’re raging that we’re being told how & when we can go out, and we want to see our friends like our life depended on it. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but we’ve all gone back to being teenagers. (For some of us, the transformation is even more literal: everyone who’s had to move back to their parents tag yourselves.)

> In ‘Glitching the Collective Mind’ a three-part essay published on SPAM a few months ago, Dan Power noted how ‘spending too long online (or rather, too long outside of the real world)’ can easily give way to ‘feelings of melancholic or manic absurdity’ by way of ‘saturating the mind’ with the infinite possibilities of content. In the same essay, Power reflects on the nature of the virtual space this content is localised in, what Grafton Tanner has called the ‘virtual plaza’: a non-place through which ‘we drift and consume, lulled by the saccharine tones of muzak’. Power argues that what the ‘non-local’, ‘homogenized’ structure of the virtual plaza takes away is precisely that something around which the occupants can build a sense of identity: ‘When the features which distinguish one place from another are removed, stable sense of belonging and understanding are removed with them’. 

> Although Power could not have predicted this current weirdness, I am interested in his linking the internet’s hypertrophic, endless-scroll format, eradicated from any sense of place as we know it, to its capacity both to strip us of our identity, and to reduce us to a melancholic, manic mess - a passive, wide-awake anonymous content-consumer, lying in bed between waves of anxiety. A teenager who is grappling with their identity because they’re not quite sure where their emotions are coming from - literally and metaphorically.

> Critic Amanda Hess has recently written in The New York Times about the comfort of playing childhood video games during the lockdown. ‘It’s not so much that I miss my childhood’, she writes as she becomes re-obsessed with her 11-year-old self’s favourite game, Myst, ‘as that I feel seized by it’. And I, currently taking a break from a 12-hour The Sims 2 Bon Voyage build-mode marathon to write this, can only confirm such claims. 

> I’m sure the fact that we gravitate towards this simple kind of pastime has a lot to do with the fact that no one can be arsed engaging with highbrow content during such traumatic times. (Let me take a break from following the dead count on BBC News by watching Battleship Potemkin, said no one ever.) However it’s not only that we’re drawn to accessible content, it’s that we are drawn exactly to the kind of activities that our teenage selves used to be into. (Otherwise, explain why The Sims 2 is having a resurgence - sixteen years after its release [!], and not either of its two successors.)

> If nostalgia is generally understood as originating more in the disappointments of reality than in the draw of the object of nostalgia itself, then the grimness of the pandemic is also to blame for the current millennial vintage trends. As Hess observed elsewhere, the quarantine has forced us into lockdown with the very devices designed to amplify our obsessions, cranking up that very fixative impulse that makes adolescence the curse and blessing that we all know.

> In Italy, where the full lockdown has been going on for over 5 weeks now, the signs of this 30-going-13 epidemic are in full swing. Everybody knows about Italians competing with each other on who can sing the cringiest medley of 00s songs from their balconies. But there’s something even more beautiful that the Italians are doing, and The Answer May Shock You. Platonic love has infiltrated every corner of Italian social media, and the object, I tell you, is no one other the prime minister Giuseppe Conte.

> Just like teenage love, the obsession is platonic socially-distant just as much as it is carnal. ‘Giuseppe Conte’ has reportedly been amongst the most searched terms on Pornhub over the last few weeks. Spurred by sheer investigative rigour I decided to carry out further research on the platform, and can confirm that the PM-themed content abounds. The material itself varies from adorably chaste, SFW picture montages of the prime minister (‘ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIUSEPPE CONTE MAKE YOU CUM HARD’, as uploaded by user TheMinisterOfLove), to the literal hour-long speeches that the PM has delivered to the senate, to more visually explicit heart-reacts to the government’s directives (‘HUGE CUMSHOT WHILE LISTENING DADDY GIUSEPPE CONTE’). 

> Pornography aside, the memes have taken over the Italian gram and Twitter. It all started when influencer and entrepreneur Chiara Ferragni regrammed to her 19.5m followers a post by the Instagram page @daddy.conte back in March, erroneously crediting it to @lebimbedigiuseppeconte (Giuseppe Conte’s Little Girls) - now two of the most popular hormone city pages dedicated to the PM. The content is genuinely too much and too good for me to present exhaustively, but I need to show you some favourites so you can get with the vibe (all from @daddy.conte):

[‘Italian daddy locks his girls home’]

[’From today, I declare your smile illegal’]

[’There’s a smile underneath that face mask’]

[’hey baby’ / ‘daddy come to me, my parents aren’t home’ / ‘WHAT’]

[’don’t you dare get close to my girls’]

[’who wants a goodnight story?’]

[’Hi gorgeous, if you’re reading this it’s because i’ve been trapped in a wormhole the only way for you to free me is to stay home until 4th April please do it there is no time i know you can save me baby’] [lol at how quickly this has aged]

>The spinoffs quickly proliferated, I’m talking dozens and dozens of pages devoted to the PM’s fatherly aura and classic good looks - most of them with not a huge amount of followers; a sort of decentralised, massively participatory network of adolescent erotic surplus. Some of these pages specialise in things like the PM’s smile or dimples (for the more faint of heart), inscribing the phenomenon in that Renaissance love lyric convention of praising the object of love’s beauty through a catalogue of their body parts. 

>A similar sexy/cute type veneration also seems to have developed radially around other Italian political figures such as President Sergio Mattarella, however predicated on a completely different set of desirable traits. Conte’s cult is all about a sort of sub/authoritarian kink power dynamic: ‘Dom daddy tell me what to do’. (Problematic? Potentially. However, wholesome? Absolutely). Mattarella’s cult is inevitably linked to the Italian President’s political function, that of protecting the Constitution, coordinating the three branches of government while heading none. A sort of hands-off grandaddy figure there to break up fights, if you will. Combined with his sweet mannerisms, the result is more of a GILF, sitting-together-on-the-porch kind of desirability, as hinted at by the following meme: (@lebimbedisergiomattarella)

> As a testament to this systematic linkage between quarantine and teenage emotional turmoil, the same dynamic of desire has also developed around political figures in the US. Foremost examples are New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (who we now think might have nipple piercings), and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear - a ‘clean-cut sex symbol for the coronavirus age’ according to this Salon article explaining how ‘his calm and empathetic leadership’ (read: wholesome daddy energy) have thousands of thirsty people in self-isolation lust after him (via memes, of course).

> The ethos of memes in general is already teenage by design (hypertrophic, impulsive, obsessive, thriving on a sort of possessed desire towards repetition that I refuse to compare to masturbation). But there’s something special about the dreamy, sublimated, Platonic, cute-aggressive nature of these memes in particular that makes them the epitome not only of #quarantinevibes, but also of the virtual plaza’s mood, more broadly.  Quarantine has exposed and legitimised, exacerbated and normalised, the internet’s power to make us regress into horny, anxious blobs. And memes like these are the very crystallisation of that ambivalent process. 

> Analysis aside, we love a meme (always already), and we love a femme fandom moment. We stan the birth of a wholesome masculinity mythology for 2020. I can think of worse Internet Utopias. Now back 2 The Sims.

-

Text: Denise Bonetti

Lead Image credit: @onlyconte (Instagram)

Published: 17/4/20

[eurusholmmes]

Man Beneath The Mask|| Matt Murdock

This is so long overdue because I’m nearly 80% done with this fanfiction that’s almost 10 months in the works and I’m kicking myself for not getting this done sooner, so please enjoy a Matt Murdock oneshot! 

Requested by @iamthemaskhewears

Prompt: Reader is friends with Matt and has a crush on him, but doesn’t know he’s Daredevil. Somehow the two of them start talking about Daredevil and she says she has a crush on DD even though she doesn’t know who’s beneath the mask? And Matt decides to make a move as DD?

I’m sorry if this sucks lol

You smiled as the sunshine warmed your skin from where you laid on the rooftop, outstretching your aching limbs as another figure stirred beside you. Your best friend Matt Murdock had been going stir crazy from being inside his office too long, so you’d offered him the opportunity of a rooftop picnic to ease his stress from his upcoming case. 

After a simplistic meal of sandwiches and lemonade, somehow the two of you had fallen asleep in each others arms, which was pretty typical for the type of friendship you had. That was the problem - you two were friends but unfortunately for you, you wanted to be more then friends. You just didn’t know if he felt the same way about you. 

  “Matt, can I ask you a question?” You murmured tiredly, tucking your hands behind your head as his eyes fluttered open beneath his thick rimmed black glasses. “Is it true that blind people can picture a persons face if they feel it beneath their fingers?” He turned his head to meet your own eyes with the same piercing emerald ones you’d fallen in love with so long ago - who knew that such beautiful eyes could be so haunted? 

  “To a certain extent, yes.” He replied, sitting up at the waist and motioning for you to sit across from him. “It’s easier to tell the details whenever you’re feeling it beneath your fingers. The length of eyelashes, the shape of lips, the sharpness of ones jaw and cheekbones.” Matt tilted his head and for once you were thrilled that he was unable to see the deep blush that spread across your face. “Y/n, are you asking what I think you’re asking?” 

  “Why not? We’ve been best friends for so long now, I think it’s time for you to find out for yourself how smoking I am.” You joked weakly, grinning at the laughter that broke past his lips as you clasped his hands in your own. Matt inhaled deeply and lifted his hands to your face, slowly dragging his thumb over every pore, scar, and contour there was to memorize. 

He never admitted it to you - but he’d thought you were the most beautiful woman. Both in heart and spirit.

It wasn’t until you were at Josie’s a week later pouring over stale whiskey whenever you brought up the topic of Daredevil and all he’d been doing for Hells Kitchen. 

  “So like, did you hear how Daredevil finally put Fisk in jail?” You drawled, your speech slightly slurred as you leaned into Matts shoulder and casually traced circles on the bar counter top. “I’ve gotta say, any girl would swoon just looking at the man. I know I would, cause dang. I wanna see the man beneath the mask.” 

  “Do you now? What’s so special about Daredevil?” 

You lazily lifted your gaze from your glass and turned to face Matt, resting your hand on top of his knee. “I don’t know what it is Matt, but I low key adore the man. Not just anybody can risk their lives for hours at a time in the middle of the night and come home unscathed, which I highly doubt he does, all the while defeating the enemies of Hells Kitchen and keeping its people safe. He’s a hero, not just to everybody, but also to me.” 

Matts emerald eyes softened as he leaned forward and kissed your forehead, frowning when he couldn’t pick up Karen or Foggys presence. “Crap.” He muttered. “Y/n, just how drunk are you?” 

  “I only live less then a block away, you adorable idiot. It happens to be in the same building as you.” You mused, lightly poking his nose with the tip of your finger. “I’d say I’m tipsy, but nothing past it. I can probably get myself home alright.” 

  “Yeah well, I’m gonna go against your better judgement and take you home instead.” He replied, standing to his feet and wrapping his hand around your shoulder. “C’mon sunshine. I think it’s time for bed.” 

You and Matt ventured out into the gentle drizzle of rain, steam curling in tendrils from the hot asphalt as the two of you made your way down the block. Your hand felt so right tucked in his, shoulder brushing as Matt softly hummed underneath his breath. 

If there was any beauty in Hells Kitchen - Matt Murdock was it. 

Matt left you at your apartment with a gentle hand kiss before he ventured into the dark, completely unaware that there was an unknown assailant on his way to break into your apartment. Luckily enough for you that Matt only lived a floor above you in a much larger apartment. 

Your eyes nearly broke free of your skull when you were grabbed from behind and slammed into the floor; a larger man with broad shoulders and a venomous snarl on his face as he pressed his hand into your mouth. You didn’t consider yourself the strongest person - but at this point you were praying for a miracle to burst into the room and save your life. 

  “Tell me where Daredevil is or I’ll snap your pretty little neck!” 

  “Oh no, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

The crash of breaking glass made you scream as your red savior broke through the window and slammed into your assailant, granting you the opportunity to roll out of the way while the two of them fought. After a brief moment Daredevil had knocked the other man out cold, frozen as he tuned into your heartbeat. 

Erratic and thready - you were terrified out of your wits end. 

  “Hey, it’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you again. I’ll make sure of it.” You lifted your head from where you were laying on the ground and inhaled sharply, cursing yourself for not being able to hold back your tears. “Are you alright?” 

  “I’ve lived in Hells Kitchen my entire life and never once have had my apartment broken into, much less been mugged. That was-” He extended his hand to you and smiled as you slowly stood to your feet. “Terrifying.” Your eyes strained to see in the dark as you made out the assailants unconscious body against the wall. “I don’t think I can thank you, Daredevil. I’m just..” 

  “You’re not ordinary. You’re anything but ordinary.” He interjected. You pursed your lips and chewed on the inside of your cheek as you thought over your current choice rolling about in your head. “May I kiss you? I think that’s a fantastic way to thank someone.”

Beneath the mask Matt was over the moon when you grabbed his hands and gently rested them against your hips. “Considering I’ve had a massive crush on you since you became a hero of this place, I’d say that’s sufficient.” You mused, your fingers wrapping around his mask. Part of you wanted to take it off, but you knew he valued his secrecy just as much as anyone else did. “I won’t bite. It’s okay.” 

And with that, you sank into the devils embrace as he captured your lips in his own. 

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

After a disastrous beginning at shortstop, Phloop spent the rest of his Little League career at second base.

He played on a team called the Pirates and that team won the league championship three years in a row. Phloop was regarded as the best fielding second baseman in the league and made the All-Star team. When he played the position, he shaded towards shortstop which gave him the opportunity to occasionally dive at a grounder hit up the middle and make a sensational attempt at gloving what was almost surely a base hit. Once, he did make such a play. He threw from his knees and the runner was out. It was a fantastic play and cemented Phloop's reputation as a great glove man.

Phloop carried that reputation within himself for the next decade.

Yeah, he wasn't that great at anything else but he damned sure could play second base.

Phloop, however, knew something that nobody else knew about his game skills.

Phloop was afraid of the ball. He didn't want the ball to be hit to him.

He shaded towards shortstop so he could stay away from the smashes that left handed hitters would pull right at him that he knew he couldn't handle without bailing out.

Then one day, ten years past those glory years, the neighborhood paid a tribute to his old Coach. The championship teams were his pride and joy. The coach gave a speech and praised everybody.

When it came to Phloop the old coach said, "and at second base we had Phloop who didn't have a lot of range but if he could get to it, he could handle it."

Wow…what was that about.

Ya mean the coach knew about what Phloop thought was a secret, the way he shaded based upon the handedness of the batter. This raised ed the question of range. range refers to how much ground you cover at your position.

Phloop had far less range than the other second-baseman in the league who made more errors. Phloop never made and error. He was involved either with spectacular diving attempts or handling routine ground balls hit right at him. Nobody kept stats regarding how many grounders got past him simply because of his fear and thus his limited range. If two got by him (and the figure was more like 20) because of his shade, those two nullified the "brilliance" of the single diving play that had made his reputation.

Phloop's defensive strategy, while effective in certain respects, created a blind spot in his game. The fear that drove him to shade towards shortstop and avoid high-speed grounders ultimately compromised his ability to cover the full extent of his position. While his error-free record and spectacular plays were commendable, they masked the broader reality of his limited range and the number of grounders that slipped past him. This hidden aspect of his game underscored a complex truth: the brilliance of a single diving play could not entirely offset the impact of the many grounders he missed due to his strategic, fear-driven positioning.

Phloop's problem was not so much on the field but within himself. Some folks considered Phloop to be modest. He wasn't modest. He knew the truth about the secret gaps gaps that he was hiding

In various fields—be it sports, the arts, or public life—those who provide consistent, reliable performance may not always receive the same level of recognition as those who deliver standout, memorable moments. Phloop’s case exemplifies how fleeting brilliance can capture attention, while a more balanced, all-encompassing ability might be undervalued despite its true worth.

Many public figures are celebrated for their exceptional talents, charisma, or achievements, akin to Phloop’s celebrated fielding skills. However, their public persona often hides personal struggles or shortcomings. For instance, a celebrated actor might be known for their incredible performances but struggle privately with mental health issues. Similarly, a successful business leader might be praised for their innovation but face criticism for poor treatment of employees or ethical lapses.

Renowned for his comedic genius and acting talent, Robin Williams was beloved for his performances in movies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Good Will Hunting. However, his public persona masked his long-standing struggles with depression and substance abuse, which ultimately contributed to his tragic death by suicide in 2014. While Williams had a vast range as an actor and comedian, his personal struggles affected his ability to maintain consistent performance quality or focus. These struggles, though not always visible in his work, were a significant limitation affecting his overall well-being and career stability.

Thomas Jefferson: Celebrated as a Founding Father of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson is revered for his contributions to American democracy. However, his legacy is also marred by his ownership of slaves and his complex views on race, which complicate his standing in history. Jefferson’s range in public performance as a statesman was considerable, influencing the formation of American democracy. However, his actions as a slave owner reveal a limitation in his moral and ethical performance, contradicting the ideals he championed in his public life. This discrepancy highlights a gap between his personal practices and his public principles.

Volkswagen: Known for its high-quality and reliable vehicles, Volkswagen faced a major scandal in 2015 when it was revealed that the company had used software to cheat on diesel emissions tests. This revelation undermined the company's reputation for environmental responsibility and quality, exposing significant ethical and regulatory breaches.Volkswagen’s range of performance in vehicle quality and innovation was strong, but their performance in ethical practices was severely limited. The emissions scandal exposed how their commitment to environmental responsibility was undermined by deceitful practices. This gap showed a significant limitation in their overall corporate performance.

Michael Jackson: Often hailed as the "King of Pop" for his groundbreaking contributions to music and entertainment, Jackson's career was also shadowed by serious allegations of child sexual abuse. Despite his immense talent and success, these allegations created a complex and controversial legacy.Jackson’s performance range as a musician and performer was extraordinary, but the limitations came with the controversies surrounding his personal life and legal issues. These limitations affected his public image and overshadowed his artistic achievements, showing a discrepancy between his professional brilliance and personal troubles.

Lance Armstrong: Celebrated for his seven Tour de France victories and his inspirational battle with cancer, Armstrong's legacy was severely damaged when it was revealed that he had engaged in an extensive doping program throughout his career. His achievements were overshadowed by the scandal and the subsequent stripping of his awards. Armstrong’s athletic performance range was impressive, marked by his Tour de France victories and recovery from cancer. However, his range of integrity and ethical performance was compromised by his involvement in doping. This limitation revealed that while his physical performance was exceptional, it was marred by significant ethical breaches.

In each case, the limitations in range within their performances or personas highlight how various factors—be they personal struggles, ethical failings, or hidden issues—can impact the overall evaluation of their achievements and capabilities. These limitations can complicate the narrative of their successes and reveal a more nuanced or flawed reality behind their public image.

Let's flip back to Phloop.

In the world of Little League baseball, Phloop was lauded for his standout defensive plays and remarkable moments. His ability to execute spectacular dives and throw out runners from his knees made him a local legend. Yet, his range was confined to these dramatic highlights, with a significant amount of ground left uncovered due to his strategic positioning and fear of high-speed grounders.

In contrast, there was another player, Tim, who played a more conventional second base. Tim didn’t have the flashy dives or the headline-worthy throws, but he excelled in every aspect of his position. He had a broad range: he fielded grounders cleanly, made accurate throws, and consistently covered the entire area of the infield. His defensive play was marked by reliability and steadiness rather than dramatic moments.

Despite Tim’s all-around excellence, he didn’t receive the same level of praise as Phloop. The highlight-reel moments of Phloop’s play captured the imagination of fans and coaches alike, overshadowing Tim’s consistent, dependable performance. Phloop's reputation was built on a few brilliant but isolated instances, while Tim’s broader range of steady performance went largely unrecognized.

This disparity illustrates how public acclaim can sometimes focus on the extraordinary and visually striking rather than the comprehensive and steady. Just as Phloop’s limited range was compensated for by his highlight-worthy plays, Tim’s broader range of abilities was overshadowed by the allure of Phloop’s spectacular moments. In the broader metaphor, this reflects how society often values the dramatic and exceptional achievements over consistent, well-rounded performance.

In various fields—be it sports, the arts, or public life—those who provide consistent, reliable performance may not always receive the same level of recognition as those who deliver standout, memorable moments. Phloop’s case exemplifies how fleeting brilliance can capture attention, while a more balanced, all-encompassing ability might be undervalued despite its true worth.

Brett Favre: Reputation: Favre is celebrated as one of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks, known for his longevity, toughness, and several dramatic, game-winning plays. He earned three MVP awards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Performance: While Favre had a spectacular career, his performance was also marked by a high number of interceptions and occasional inconsistent play. His reputation for spectacular moments often overshadowed his less consistent aspects, such as turnovers and some mediocre seasons.

Yao Ming: Reputation: Yao Ming was hailed as a groundbreaking player, both for his talent and for bridging the gap between the NBA and China. His presence in the league was a major cultural and marketing milestone. Performance: Although Yao was an outstanding player, his career was plagued by injuries that limited his performance and impact on the court. His reputation was built as much on his marketability and international significance as on his on-court accomplishments. Arts

Andy Warhol: Reputation: Warhol is celebrated as a leading figure in the Pop Art movement, known for his innovative use of commercial and celebrity imagery. His works like the Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn Diptych are iconic. Performance: Warhol’s art often received acclaim more for its cultural commentary and novelty than for technical mastery. Some critics argue that his works were more about challenging conventions and less about conventional artistic skill, yet his reputation as a revolutionary artist far outweighs the critical evaluation of his technical prowess.

Pablo Picasso: Reputation: Picasso is renowned as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, particularly for his role in Cubism and other modernist movements. His name is synonymous with innovation and artistic genius. Performance: Despite his immense reputation, not all of Picasso’s works are universally acclaimed. Some of his later works and stylistic experiments were critiqued for being less engaging or artistically significant, but his overall reputation often overshadows the more controversial aspects of his body of work.

Donald Trump: Reputation: As a businessman and reality TV star, Trump built a reputation for success and larger-than-life persona, which contributed to his election as the 45th President of the United States. Performance: His presidency was marked by significant controversy and polarized opinions, with many critics arguing that his performance in office was inconsistent and often problematic. Yet, his reputation and media presence played a substantial role in shaping his public image.

Elizabeth Holmes: Reputation: Holmes was hailed as a visionary entrepreneur for her ambitious goals with Theranos, and she was celebrated for her innovative ideas and charismatic leadership. Performance: The actual performance of Theranos' technology was vastly overestimated, and the company was eventually exposed for fraudulent practices. Holmes's reputation as a trailblazer was significantly tarnished by the reality of her company's failures and deceit.

The Beatles are a classic example of a group whose reputation often overshadows aspects of their performance or individual contributions. Here's how their case fits into the metaphor of acclaim versus performance:

The Beatles Reputation:

The Beatles are widely regarded as one of the most influential and successful bands in music history. Their reputation is built on their groundbreaking contributions to popular music, including their innovative approach to songwriting, recording, and genre blending. Their impact on music and culture is immense, and they are often celebrated for their revolutionary work in the 1960s. Performance:

Musical Evolution: The Beatles' musical journey included rapid evolution and experimentation. While their early work was celebrated for its catchy melodies and energetic performances, some critics argue that their later, more experimental phases, such as the albums Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album, while innovative, also had mixed reactions and were sometimes seen as inconsistent or overindulgent.

Individual Contributions: Within the group, the individual contributions of each member varied. For instance, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were often celebrated for their songwriting and vocal performances, while George Harrison's contributions, though significant, were sometimes overshadowed by the more prominent roles of Lennon and McCartney. Ringo Starr, while crucial to the band's rhythm and feel, often received less praise compared to his bandmates despite his essential role in their sound. The Beatles' reputation as a transformative force in music is undeniable, their performance in terms of consistency and the individual contributions of each member show the complexities behind their celebrated status. Their innovation and impact are widely recognized, but not all aspects of their music and individual performances are universally praised or without criticism.

Brett Favre:

Underappreciated: Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, a former teammate of Favre with the Green Bay Packers, has had a highly successful career with impressive statistics and performances. Although Rodgers has received significant recognition, he has sometimes been overshadowed by Favre's legacy as the "face" of the Packers.

Yao Ming:

Underappreciated: Zhu Fangyu. Zhu Fangyu, a highly successful Chinese basketball player in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association), was instrumental in the development of basketball in China. Despite his impact, he didn't receive the same level of international acclaim as Yao Ming, whose NBA career and global influence eclipsed his contributions. Arts

Andy Warhol:

Underappreciated: Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was a leading figure in the Pop Art movement alongside Warhol. His work, characterized by its use of comic strip aesthetics and satire, was innovative and influential. However, Lichtenstein’s contributions often receive less attention compared to Warhol’s more flamboyant and widely recognized works.

Pablo Picasso:

Underappreciated: Georges Braque. Braque, a co-founder of Cubism with Picasso, made significant contributions to the movement and modern art in general. While Picasso is often credited with most of the acclaim for Cubism, Braque's role and artistic contributions were crucial but sometimes overlooked in favor of Picasso's more prominent reputation. Public Life

Donald Trump:

Underappreciated: Barack Obama (in terms of post-presidency influence). Obama’s post-presidency work in public speaking, writing, and global diplomacy is substantial. Although he remains a prominent figure, his ongoing influence and contributions sometimes get overshadowed by the more controversial and sensational aspects of Trump's presidency.

Elizabeth Holmes:

Underappreciated: Advisors and early employees of Theranos who raised concerns. Individuals like Tyler Shultz and Erika Cheung, who were early employees and whistleblowers, played crucial roles in exposing the company's issues. Their contributions to uncovering the truth and protecting the public were significant but did not receive as much recognition as Holmes's initial fame. The Beatles Underappreciated: George Harrison. Harrison's contributions as a guitarist and songwriter, particularly in the later years of The Beatles, were significant. Songs like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and his spiritual influence on the band are often overshadowed by the more prominent roles of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Harrison's solo work, while acclaimed, also did not receive as much attention compared to the collective Beatles' fame or the individual successes of Lennon and McCartney.

XXXXXXXXXXX

In these examples, the individuals or entities received substantial acclaim and recognition based on their reputation, image, or initial promise, often overshadowing the complexities or shortcomings in their actual performance.

You said: How about The Beatles ChatGPT said: ChatGPT The Beatles are a classic example of a group whose reputation often overshadows aspects of their performance or individual contributions. Here's how their case fits into the metaphor of acclaim versus performance:

The Beatles Reputation:

The Beatles are widely regarded as one of the most influential and successful bands in music history. Their reputation is built on their groundbreaking contributions to popular music, including their innovative approach to songwriting, recording, and genre blending. Their impact on music and culture is immense, and they are often celebrated for their revolutionary work in the 1960s. Performance:

Musical Evolution: The Beatles' musical journey included rapid evolution and experimentation. While their early work was celebrated for its catchy melodies and energetic performances, some critics argue that their later, more experimental phases, such as the albums Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album, while innovative, also had mixed reactions and were sometimes seen as inconsistent or overindulgent. Individual Contributions: Within the group, the individual contributions of each member varied. For instance, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were often celebrated for their songwriting and vocal performances, while George Harrison's contributions, though significant, were sometimes overshadowed by the more prominent roles of Lennon and McCartney. Ringo Starr, while crucial to the band's rhythm and feel, often received less praise compared to his bandmates despite his essential role in their sound. In summary, while The Beatles' reputation as a transformative force in music is undeniable, their performance in terms of consistency and the individual contributions of each member show the complexities behind their celebrated status. Their innovation and impact are widely recognized, but not all aspects of their music and individual performances are universally praised or without criticism.

Meanwhile others have suffered in comparison as Tim suffered in comparison to Phloop.

Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, a former teammate of Favre with the Green Bay Packers, has had a highly successful career with impressive statistics and performances. Although Rodgers has received significant recognition, he has sometimes been overshadowed by Favre's legacy as the "face" of the Packers.

Zhu Fangyu. Zhu Fangyu, a highly successful Chinese basketball player in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association), was instrumental in the development of basketball in China. Despite his impact, he didn't receive the same level of international acclaim as Yao Ming, whose NBA career and global influence eclipsed his contributions.

Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was a leading figure in the Pop Art movement alongside Warhol. His work, characterized by its use of comic strip aesthetics and satire, was innovative and influential. However, Lichtenstein’s contributions often receive less attention compared to Warhol’s more flamboyant and widely recognized works.

Georges Braque. Braque, a co-founder of Cubism with Picasso, made significant contributions to the movement and modern art in general. While Picasso is often credited with most of the acclaim for Cubism, Braque's role and artistic contributions were crucial but sometimes overlooked in favor of Picasso's more prominent reputation.

Barack Obama (in terms of post-presidency influence). Obama’s post-presidency work in public speaking, writing, and global diplomacy is substantial. Although he remains a prominent figure, his ongoing influence and contributions sometimes get overshadowed by the more controversial and sensational aspects of Trump's presidency.

George Harrison. Harrison's contributions as a guitarist and songwriter, particularly in the later years of The Beatles, were significant. Songs like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and his spiritual influence on the band are often overshadowed by the more prominent roles of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Harrison's solo work, while acclaimed, also did not receive as much attention compared to the collective Beatles' fame or the individual successes of Lennon and McCartney.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Phloop’s Little League career was defined by a remarkable skill at second base, anchored by his reputation as a standout fielder and an All-Star player. With his team, the Pirates, winning the championship three years in a row, Phloop became renowned for his defensive prowess. His specialty was a daring dive for grounders up the middle, and one memorable play—throwing out a runner from his knees—solidified his image as a top-notch glove man.

Yet beneath this celebrated exterior, Phloop harbored a secret: he was afraid of the ball. His strategic shading toward shortstop was a tactical decision rooted in his desire to avoid the high-speed grounders from left-handed hitters, which he felt he couldn't handle. This fear led to a significant gap in his range—an unspoken truth that kept him from covering as much ground as his peers. While he was celebrated for the spectacular plays he managed to make, the plays he avoided due to his fear were less visible but still significant.

At a tribute event for his old coach, Phloop’s contributions were highlighted. The coach praised Phloop, saying, “At second base, we had Phloop who didn’t have a lot of range, but if he could get to it, he could handle it.” This comment struck Phloop deeply. It revealed that the coach was aware of his limitations and how he used his positioning to compensate. The coach’s words were a sobering reminder of the gap between Phloop’s perceived brilliance and his actual range.

Phloop's defensive strategy, while effective in certain respects, created a blind spot in his game. The fear that drove him to shade towards shortstop and avoid high-speed grounders ultimately compromised his ability to cover the full extent of his position. While his error-free record and spectacular plays were commendable, they masked the broader reality of his limited range and the number of grounders that slipped past him. This hidden aspect of his game underscored a complex truth: the brilliance of a single diving play could not entirely offset the impact of the many grounders he missed due to his strategic, fear-driven positioning.

Many public figures are celebrated for their exceptional talents, charisma, or achievements, akin to Phloop’s celebrated fielding skills. However, their public persona often hides personal struggles or shortcomings. For instance, a celebrated actor might be known for their incredible performances but struggle privately with mental health issues. Similarly, a successful business leader might be praised for their innovation but face criticism for poor treatment of employees or ethical lapses.

You said: Now let's apply Phlopp's situation to occasions of blemished fame in the world at large ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Phloop's situation offers a poignant analogy for how fame and reputation can sometimes mask underlying issues or insecurities. In the world at large, this can be seen in various contexts where individuals or entities are celebrated for certain qualities while less visible flaws or limitations persist.

Public Figures and Celebrities: Many public figures are celebrated for their exceptional talents, charisma, or achievements, akin to Phloop’s celebrated fielding skills. However, their public persona often hides personal struggles or shortcomings. For instance, a celebrated actor might be known for their incredible performances but struggle privately with mental health issues. Similarly, a successful business leader might be praised for their innovation but face criticism for poor treatment of employees or ethical lapses.

Historical Figures: Historical figures often have their notable achievements highlighted, while less favorable aspects of their lives or actions are downplayed or overlooked. For example, influential leaders might be remembered for their contributions to society but also have legacies marred by controversial policies or actions. The complexity of their lives can be simplified into a single narrative that glosses over deeper, sometimes troubling realities.

Corporate and Institutional Reputations: Companies and institutions can cultivate strong reputations for excellence in certain areas, such as customer service or innovation, much like Phloop’s reputation for defensive prowess. However, behind the polished facade, there may be significant issues such as poor working conditions, environmental concerns, or ethical lapses. For instance, a tech company might be lauded for its cutting-edge products while facing criticism for privacy violations or labor practices.

Cultural and Artistic Achievements: In the arts, a musician or artist may be celebrated for their groundbreaking work, but their personal life or methods might reveal less flattering truths. For example, a musician praised for their contributions to music might have a history of problematic behavior or relationships. The public's focus on the artist’s achievements can sometimes obscure the full picture of their character and actions.

Sports Figures: Athletes often receive acclaim for their exceptional performance and skill, as Phloop did for his fielding. However, the pressures and expectations of their fame can lead to hidden struggles, such as substance abuse or strained personal relationships. The celebrated moments of athletic brilliance may overshadow the challenges they face off the field.

In all these examples, the core issue is that fame and reputation can create a selective narrative that highlights certain aspects while concealing others. Like Phloop’s fear-driven strategy that limited his range, the public's perception often focuses on the most visible achievements, potentially overlooking the nuanced, less glamorous realities that contribute to a more complete understanding of the individual or entity in question.

You said: can you provide examples of each of the 5 ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Certainly! Here are examples of each category where blemished fame or hidden flaws can be observed:

Public Figures and Celebrities:

Robin Williams: Renowned for his comedic genius and acting talent, Williams was beloved for his performances in movies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Good Will Hunting. However, his public persona masked his long-standing struggles with depression and substance abuse, which ultimately contributed to his tragic death by suicide in 2014. Historical Figures:

Thomas Jefferson: Celebrated as a Founding Father of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson is revered for his contributions to American democracy. However, his legacy is also marred by his ownership of slaves and his complex views on race, which complicate his standing in history. Corporate and Institutional Reputations:

Volkswagen: Known for its high-quality and reliable vehicles, Volkswagen faced a major scandal in 2015 when it was revealed that the company had used software to cheat on diesel emissions tests. This revelation undermined the company's reputation for environmental responsibility and quality, exposing significant ethical and regulatory breaches. Cultural and Artistic Achievements:

Michael Jackson: Often hailed as the "King of Pop" for his groundbreaking contributions to music and entertainment, Jackson's career was also shadowed by serious allegations of child sexual abuse. Despite his immense talent and success, these allegations created a complex and controversial legacy. Sports Figures:

Lance Armstrong: Celebrated for his seven Tour de France victories and his inspirational battle with cancer, Armstrong's legacy was severely damaged when it was revealed that he had engaged in an extensive doping program throughout his career. His achievements were overshadowed by the scandal and the subsequent stripping of his titles. These examples illustrate how the public often focuses on notable achievements or talents while less visible flaws or controversies can remain hidden until they eventually surface, complicating the overall perception of these individuals or entities.

You said: this is true but how does it relate to the concept of "range" ChatGPT said: ChatGPT The concept of "range" in Phloop’s case relates to how well one covers or addresses the full spectrum of their responsibilities, skills, or capabilities. Phloop’s limited range as a second baseman—due to his strategic positioning and fear of high-speed grounders—parallels how various public figures, organizations, or entities may have hidden or less visible limitations despite their celebrated achievements.

Here’s how "range" connects to each example:

Public Figures and Celebrities:

Robin Williams: Williams had an impressive range of comedic and dramatic roles, showcasing his versatility. However, his personal struggles with mental health and substance abuse were less visible, indicating that while his professional range was broad, his personal challenges remained largely hidden from public view. Historical Figures:

Thomas Jefferson: Jefferson’s range of influence included pivotal contributions to American democracy. However, his legacy also includes the controversial aspects of his life, such as his role as a slave owner. The range of his impact on history is more nuanced and includes these darker elements that complicate his overall reputation. Corporate and Institutional Reputations:

Volkswagen: Volkswagen’s range of reputation extended to quality and innovation, but the emissions scandal exposed a significant gap in their ethical range. Their range of commitment to environmental responsibility was undermined by their deceit, revealing that their corporate image had blind spots. Cultural and Artistic Achievements:

Michael Jackson: Jackson’s range as an artist was extraordinarily wide, from music to dance to philanthropy. However, the allegations against him represent a limitation in the range of his public persona, revealing that his personal life had significant issues that were not initially apparent. Sports Figures:

Lance Armstrong: Armstrong’s range of athletic achievement was broad, with numerous victories and a public persona of resilience. Nonetheless, the doping scandal revealed a substantial gap in the integrity of his achievements, showing that his range of excellence was compromised by ethical failings. In each case, the "range" metaphorically represents the full scope of capabilities, impacts, and limitations. Just as Phloop’s fielding range was limited by his fear and positioning strategy, these examples show how celebrated figures or entities may have significant gaps or limitations that are not immediately apparent, revealing a more complex and often less favorable reality behind their public successes.

You said: did they have range limitations within their performances ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Yes, each of the examples provided shows how limitations in range can manifest within their performances or public personas, impacting the overall perception of their abilities or achievements:

Robin Williams:

Performance Limitations: While Williams had a vast range as an actor and comedian, his personal struggles with depression and substance abuse sometimes affected his ability to maintain consistent performance quality or focus. These struggles, though not always visible in his work, were a significant limitation affecting his overall well-being and career stability. Thomas Jefferson:

Performance Limitations: Jefferson’s range in public performance as a statesman was considerable, influencing the formation of American democracy. However, his actions as a slave owner reveal a limitation in his moral and ethical performance, contradicting the ideals he championed in his public life. This discrepancy highlights a gap between his personal practices and his public principles. Volkswagen:

Performance Limitations: Volkswagen’s range of performance in vehicle quality and innovation was strong, but their performance in ethical practices was severely limited. The emissions scandal exposed how their commitment to environmental responsibility was undermined by deceitful practices. This gap showed a significant limitation in their overall corporate performance. Michael Jackson:

Performance Limitations: Jackson’s performance range as a musician and performer was extraordinary, but the limitations came with the controversies surrounding his personal life and legal issues. These limitations affected his public image and overshadowed his artistic achievements, showing a discrepancy between his professional brilliance and personal troubles. Lance Armstrong:

Performance Limitations: Armstrong’s athletic performance range was impressive, marked by his Tour de France victories and recovery from cancer. However, his range of integrity and ethical performance was compromised by his involvement in doping. This limitation revealed that while his physical performance was exceptional, it was marred by significant ethical breaches. In each case, the limitations in range within their performances or personas highlight how various factors—be they personal struggles, ethical failings, or hidden issues—can impact the overall evaluation of their achievements and capabilities. These limitations can complicate the narrative of their successes and reveal a more nuanced or flawed reality behind their public image.

You said: Phloop had just a little range but received great praise….in comparison to another player who did everything well but nothing spectacular….continue the metaphor from that angle. ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Continuing the metaphor of Phloop's limited range and high praise in comparison to another player with a broader but less spectacular range:

In the world of Little League baseball, Phloop was lauded for his standout defensive plays and remarkable moments. His ability to execute spectacular dives and throw out runners from his knees made him a local legend. Yet, his range was confined to these dramatic highlights, with a significant amount of ground left uncovered due to his strategic positioning and fear of high-speed grounders.

In contrast, there was another player, Tim, who played a more conventional second base. Tim didn’t have the flashy dives or the headline-worthy throws, but he excelled in every aspect of his position. He had a broad range: he fielded grounders cleanly, made accurate throws, and consistently covered the entire area of the infield. His defensive play was marked by reliability and steadiness rather than dramatic moments.

Despite Tim’s all-around excellence, he didn’t receive the same level of praise as Phloop. The highlight-reel moments of Phloop’s play captured the imagination of fans and coaches alike, overshadowing Tim’s consistent, dependable performance. Phloop's reputation was built on a few brilliant but isolated instances, while Tim’s broader range of steady performance went largely unrecognized.

This disparity illustrates how public acclaim can sometimes focus on the extraordinary and visually striking rather than the comprehensive and steady. Just as Phloop’s limited range was compensated for by his highlight-worthy plays, Tim’s broader range of abilities was overshadowed by the allure of Phloop’s spectacular moments. In the broader metaphor, this reflects how society often values the dramatic and exceptional achievements over consistent, well-rounded performance.

In various fields—be it sports, the arts, or public life—those who provide consistent, reliable performance may not always receive the same level of recognition as those who deliver standout, memorable moments. Phloop’s case exemplifies how fleeting brilliance can capture attention, while a more balanced, all-encompassing ability might be undervalued despite its true worth.

You said: continue with examples in sports, arts and public life. Those who were more heralded for reputation than performance ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Certainly! Here are examples in sports, the arts, and public life where individuals or entities received greater acclaim for their reputation than for consistent performance:

Sports

Brett Favre:

Reputation: Favre is celebrated as one of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks, known for his longevity, toughness, and several dramatic, game-winning plays. He earned three MVP awards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Performance: While Favre had a spectacular career, his performance was also marked by a high number of interceptions and occasional inconsistent play. His reputation for spectacular moments often overshadowed his less consistent aspects, such as turnovers and some mediocre seasons.

Yao Ming:

Reputation: Yao Ming was hailed as a groundbreaking player, both for his talent and for bridging the gap between the NBA and China. His presence in the league was a major cultural and marketing milestone. Performance: Although Yao was an outstanding player, his career was plagued by injuries that limited his performance and impact on the court. His reputation was built as much on his marketability and international significance as on his on-court accomplishments. Arts

Andy Warhol:

Reputation: Warhol is celebrated as a leading figure in the Pop Art movement, known for his innovative use of commercial and celebrity imagery. His works like the Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn Diptych are iconic. Performance: Warhol’s art often received acclaim more for its cultural commentary and novelty than for technical mastery. Some critics argue that his works were more about challenging conventions and less about conventional artistic skill, yet his reputation as a revolutionary artist far outweighs the critical evaluation of his technical prowess.

Pablo Picasso:

Reputation: Picasso is renowned as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, particularly for his role in Cubism and other modernist movements. His name is synonymous with innovation and artistic genius. Performance: Despite his immense reputation, not all of Picasso’s works are universally acclaimed. Some of his later works and stylistic experiments were critiqued for being less engaging or artistically significant, but his overall reputation often overshadows the more controversial aspects of his body of work. Public Life

Donald Trump:

Reputation: As a businessman and reality TV star, Trump built a reputation for success and larger-than-life persona, which contributed to his election as the 45th President of the United States. Performance: His presidency was marked by significant controversy and polarized opinions, with many critics arguing that his performance in office was inconsistent and often problematic. Yet, his reputation and media presence played a substantial role in shaping his public image.

Elizabeth Holmes:

Reputation: Holmes was hailed as a visionary entrepreneur for her ambitious goals with Theranos, and she was celebrated for her innovative ideas and charismatic leadership. Performance: The actual performance of Theranos' technology was vastly overestimated, and the company was eventually exposed for fraudulent practices. Holmes's reputation as a trailblazer was significantly tarnished by the reality of her company's failures and deceit. In these examples, the individuals or entities received substantial acclaim and recognition based on their reputation, image, or initial promise, often overshadowing the complexities or shortcomings in their actual performance.

You said: How about The Beatles ChatGPT said: ChatGPT The Beatles are a classic example of a group whose reputation often overshadows aspects of their performance or individual contributions. Here's how their case fits into the metaphor of acclaim versus performance:

The Beatles Reputation:

The Beatles are widely regarded as one of the most influential and successful bands in music history. Their reputation is built on their groundbreaking contributions to popular music, including their innovative approach to songwriting, recording, and genre blending. Their impact on music and culture is immense, and they are often celebrated for their revolutionary work in the 1960s. Performance:

Musical Evolution: The Beatles' musical journey included rapid evolution and experimentation. While their early work was celebrated for its catchy melodies and energetic performances, some critics argue that their later, more experimental phases, such as the albums Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album, while innovative, also had mixed reactions and were sometimes seen as inconsistent or overindulgent. Individual Contributions: Within the group, the individual contributions of each member varied. For instance, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were often celebrated for their songwriting and vocal performances, while George Harrison's contributions, though significant, were sometimes overshadowed by the more prominent roles of Lennon and McCartney. Ringo Starr, while crucial to the band's rhythm and feel, often received less praise compared to his bandmates despite his essential role in their sound. In summary, while The Beatles' reputation as a transformative force in music is undeniable, their performance in terms of consistency and the individual contributions of each member show the complexities behind their celebrated status. Their innovation and impact are widely recognized, but not all aspects of their music and individual performances are universally praised or without criticism.

You said: In each case who might have gotten some of the prsie but didn't ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Certainly! In each case, there are individuals or aspects that might have deserved more recognition or praise but were overshadowed or underappreciated compared to the celebrated figures:

Sports

Brett Favre:

Underappreciated: Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, a former teammate of Favre with the Green Bay Packers, has had a highly successful career with impressive statistics and performances. Although Rodgers has received significant recognition, he has sometimes been overshadowed by Favre's legacy as the "face" of the Packers.

Yao Ming:

Underappreciated: Zhu Fangyu. Zhu Fangyu, a highly successful Chinese basketball player in the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association), was instrumental in the development of basketball in China. Despite his impact, he didn't receive the same level of international acclaim as Yao Ming, whose NBA career and global influence eclipsed his contributions. Arts

Andy Warhol:

Underappreciated: Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was a leading figure in the Pop Art movement alongside Warhol. His work, characterized by its use of comic strip aesthetics and satire, was innovative and influential. However, Lichtenstein’s contributions often receive less attention compared to Warhol’s more flamboyant and widely recognized works.

Pablo Picasso:

Underappreciated: Georges Braque. Braque, a co-founder of Cubism with Picasso, made significant contributions to the movement and modern art in general. While Picasso is often credited with most of the acclaim for Cubism, Braque's role and artistic contributions were crucial but sometimes overlooked in favor of Picasso's more prominent reputation. Public Life

Donald Trump:

Underappreciated: Barack Obama (in terms of post-presidency influence). Obama’s post-presidency work in public speaking, writing, and global diplomacy is substantial. Although he remains a prominent figure, his ongoing influence and contributions sometimes get overshadowed by the more controversial and sensational aspects of Trump's presidency.

Elizabeth Holmes:

Underappreciated: Advisors and early employees of Theranos who raised concerns. Individuals like Tyler Shultz and Erika Cheung, who were early employees and whistleblowers, played crucial roles in exposing the company's issues. Their contributions to uncovering the truth and protecting the public were significant but did not receive as much recognition as Holmes's initial fame. The Beatles Underappreciated: George Harrison. Harrison's contributions as a guitarist and songwriter, particularly in the later years of The Beatles, were significant. Songs like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and his spiritual influence on the band are often overshadowed by the more prominent roles of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Harrison's solo work, while acclaimed, also did not receive as much attention compared to the collective Beatles' fame or the individual successes of Lennon and McCartney.

In each case, these underappreciated figures or aspects had significant contributions or potential but did not receive the same level of recognition or acclaim as their more celebrated counterparts.

[argyrocratie]

Anarchism,Majorities and minorities

a great short article by Errico Malatesta (translated with the help of google from here ) it’s a bit like the tyranny of structurelessness but anarchist and from 1897,also a polemic against Merlino who was kind of the Murray Bookchin of the time.

“Dear companions, I look forward to the forthcoming publication of the newspaper L'Agitazione and wish you the most complete success. Your newspaper appears at a moment when necessity is much felt, and I hope it may be a serious organ of discussion and propaganda, and an effective means of bringing together and tightening the scattered ranks of our party. You can count on my help to the extent that my forces, unfortunately weak, will allow me. For this time, if only to inaugurate my future collaboration, I will write to you about a few points which concern me personally in a certain way, but which are not without importance in relation to general propaganda. As you know, our friend Merlino now goes astray in the vain attempt to reconcile anarchy and parliamentarism; writing In his letter to the Messaggero, that "parliamentarism is not destined to disappear altogether and that there will always be something left, including in the society we wish", he recalls an article I had Written and sent to the Chicago anarchist conference in 1893, in which I maintained that "for certain things the opinion of the majority will necessarily have to prevail over that of the minority." That's right ; And today my ideas are no different from those I expressed in the article in question. But in quoting a sentence from me, truncated to support a thesis different from the one I was arguing, Merlino leaves in shadow and ambiguity what I really meant. To know that there were at the time-and there are still some today-many anarchists who, confusing form and substance and interested more in words than in things, 'Constituted a sort of' ritual of anarchist truth 'which hindered their action and led them to support absurd and grotesque things. Thus, for example, assuming that the majority does not have the right to impose its will on the minority, they conclude that nothing should be done that is not unanimously approved. Confusing the political vote which is used to give themselves bosses and voting, which is a convenient and quick way of expressing one's own opinion, they considered any kind of vote as anti-anarchist. Or else: a meeting was called to denounce violence by the government or employers, or to show popular sympathy for such and such event; People would come, listen to the speeches of the organizers, listen to those of the opponents and then leave without expressing their own opinion because the only way to express it was to vote on the different motions ... and that to vote was not anarchist. A circle wanted to make a poster: different editorials were proposed and the opinions of the members of the circle were divided on this subject; There was an endless discussion, but it was never possible to know what was the predominant opinion because it was forbidden to vote; And therefore: either the poster was not drawn, or some drew from their side the one they preferred; The circle dissolved when in fact there was no real dissension and it was only a question of style. The consequence of this way of acting, which they asserted to be a guarantee of freedom, was that only a few, best endowed with oratorical qualities, made and defeated the discution while those who did not know, Nor dare to speak in public, and who are still the vast majority, did not count at all. And then the other, more serious and deadly consequence for the anarchist movement was that the anarchists did not believe themselves bound by workers' solidarity and that they were going to work in the midst of a strike because the strike had been voted by the majority when they opposed it. And they even went so far as not to dare to call out as scoundrels the so-called anarchists who asked for money from the bosses and received it to fight a strike in the name of anarchy  - I could tell names, if i must. It was against these aberrations, and others like those, that the article I sent to Chicago was published.

I argued that there would be no social life if there was really nothing to be done together that was not unanimously agreed upon by all. Ideas and opinions are in perpetual evolution, and differentiate themselves by degrees, whereas practical realizations suddenly change by leaps; And that if ever one day everybody was perfectly in agreement on the advantages of this or that, it would mean that for that thing there would be no further progress. Thus, for example, if a railway was to be made, there would certainly be a thousand different opinions on the course of the track, on the equipment, on the type of locomotive and wagons, the location of stations , Etc., and these opinions would change day by day, but if we want to make this railway, we must choose between the different opinions existing, and we could not change the route, the location of the stations or the type of locomotive every day . And if we choose, it is better to satisfy the greatest number; Provided, of course, to give to the minority all the freedom and all the means possible to propagate its ideas, to experiment and to try to become the majority. It is therefore reasonable, just and necessary that the minority should yield to the majority, for all that does not admit several solutions at the same time; Or when differences of opinion are not of such importance that it would be worthwhile to divide, wich each fraction acting in its own way; Or when the duty of solidarity imposes union. But the fact of yielding for the minority must be the effect of free will, determined by the consciousness of necessity: it must not be a principle, a law, which therefore applies in all cases, Even when the need is not really felt. This is the difference between anarchy and any form of government. The whole social life is full of these necessities where one must forget one's own preferences so as not to hurt the rights of others. I enter a cafe, I see that the place I prefer is occupied, and I am going to sit quietly elsewhere where, perhaps, there is some wind which does not do me any good. I see people talking so that they make it understood that they do not want to be listened to and I move away, which may be bothering me, so as not to disturb them. But this I do because it is imposed on me by my instinct as a social man, because I am accustomed to living among men, and by my interest in not being treated badly; If I were to act otherwise, those whom I would disturb would soon make me understand, in one way or another, the annoyance that comes from being a boor. I do not want legislators to tell me how I should behave in a cafe, and I do not think they can teach me the education I would not have learned from the society in which I live . How then does Merlino draw from all this that a remnant of parliamentarism will have to exist even in the society we wish? Parliamentarism is a form of government in which the elected representatives of the people, assembled in a legislative body, make laws which please them , by a majority of votes,  and impose them on the people with all the coercive means available to them. And it is a remnant of these fine prerogatives that Merlino would like to retain, even in Anarchy? In Parliament, we talk, discuss, deliberate and that we will always do, in any possible and imaginable society: is this what Merlino calls a remnant of parliamentarism? It would be to play too much on words, and Merlino is capable of employing other methods, and much more serious one, in a discussion. When we were both debating with these anarchists who were opposed to any congress because they see it as a form of parliamentarism, Merlino does not remember what we both supported? Namely that the essence of parliamentarism is in the fact that parliaments make laws and impose them; Whereas an anarchist congress only discusses and proposes resolutions that are binding only after approval of the constituents and only for those who approve them. Or would the words have changed their meaning now that Merlino no longer has the same ideas? “

[its-lifestyle]

My child does not talk! He doesn’t like socialising with other children. She avoids looking at me in the eye. My child plays with his toys in repetitive ways.

If you have a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), these are some of the early traits you may have noticed in your child.

ASD is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioural challenges.

In 2013, the American Psychiatry Association merged four conditions – autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified and Asperger syndrome – into one umbrella diagnosis of ASD.

“We need to look at the child as a whole before making a judgement,” says consultant developmental paediatrician Dr Subhashini Jayanath.

“Basically, we look at social communication, interaction, attention and their reciprocity.

“We take into account a little bit of language and non-verbal communication.

“The second component we observe is behaviour and that’s the one most people notice, that is repetitive behaviour or rigidity, the need for routine, not liking change, loud noises, certain colours, textures or food.

“They also exhibit sensory-seeking behaviour such as licking, smelling things or putting objects into their mouth.”

Usually by the age of two, medical specialists can make a diagnosis, except in cases that are very mild or unclear.

Current research also shows that ASD can be detected as early as 10 months of age.

It is unclear what causes ASD. There is a genetic component, but how much genes, biology and environment are to blame respectively is still unknown.

The inheritance pattern is also complex and it doesn’t necessarily mean a parent with ASD will produce a child with ASD, although the risk is increased.

However, if parents have one child with ASD, the chances are high that their next child may have ASD too. There are families with two or three autistic children.

The latest report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that one in every 59 children in the United States has been diagnosed with ASD.

Although there is no data on ASD in Malaysia, greater awareness within the medical fraternity and the public has led to the rise in the rate of diagnosis of ASD.

Dr Subhashini, who recently authored Autism in Short: A Handbook for Parents, says: “I’m trying to build a database of clinical patients here so that we can start somewhere, but it’s not enough, because there needs to be a population-based study.

“However, in the past three years, there has been an increase in the number of referrals we’re getting at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).

“It used to be four patients a week, but now it’s around 10 on average.

“If you look at the clinic distribution of patients, initially we saw children with learning issues and Down syndrome, but now, 80% of referrals we’re getting are for suspected ASD – so there is definitely a shift.”

Sometimes, parents may find that while their child interacted well before, the quality of interaction deteriorated subsequently. That’s a red flag.

“This is usually when the parents or schoolteachers bring up these concerns,” notes the Universiti Malaya paediatrics department senior lecturer.

Therapeutic pathways

A special education teacher working with her autistic student during speech therapy sessions. Early and constant therapy can help an autistic child significantly.

While there is no cure for ASD, there are evidence-based treatment options available. These include speech therapy, occupational therapy, early intervention treatment and applied behaviour analysis (ABA).

Many of these services are affordable and available in government hospitals, but the wait list is long.

Speech therapy can help autistic children who have major issues with language.

“The ones that can talk may repeat without comprehension. They are verbal, but not functionally communicative.

“For the children who are non-verbal, a speech therapist can also play a role and do things with picture cards to communicate.

“Parents may understand their child and can anticipate his needs, but the child also needs to be understood by other people,” says Dr Subhashini, adding that there is a dire need of speech therapists in the government sector.

In UMMC, patients have to wait a few months for a session with a speech therapist.

Each one-on-one session is long, and although the child would only need a few sessions, the next one is not until a few months later.

“In the meantime, I tell parents to do activities with the child, such as reading, or I show them online resources they can refer to,” says Dr Subhashini.

Meanwhile, occupational therapists help the autistic child with social skills and activities of daily living, e.g. feeding, eating, drinking, dressing, etc.

They also work on hand or fine motor skills such as writing.

Currently, ABA is only available in the private sector. Because it is costly, the majority of patients cannot afford it. A quick check around shows that a half-day session begins from RM1,000 a month.

Dr Subhashini says: “There is a big gap between people who can afford it and people who can’t.

“Some early intervention centres do offer a modified version of ABA.

“Not everyone needs ABA and I don’t always prescribe it. I usually tell the parents there are things they can do at home and that’s more important.

“You can go for any sort of therapy, but parental involvement is key.”

Government initiatives

Once the child is diagnosed, he or she is eligible for a special needs (OKU) card. While the term OKU may be off-putting to some parents, the card acts as a passport to obtain services.

It is important for parents to understand that some children with ASD can worsen over time, and if they don’t seek therapy, the child will regress.

There is no harm in therapy, which is free for children in government centres with the OKU card or who are registered in government schools .

If the therapy has a good outcome and the child doesn’t fulfil the criteria any more, the doctor can write a letter to the Welfare Department to de-register the OKU card if stigma is a concern.

For early intervention, the government offers special education schools, along with the Integrated Special Education Programme (PPKI) and Inclusive Education Programme (PPI) in over 2,000 national schools.

The PPKI sees special needs students, including those with ASD, study in the same school as mainstream students, but in different classes, while the PPI sees special needs students immersed with mainstream students in the same classes.

There are also community-based rehabilitation centres for children and adults with a variety of disabilities, including ASD, who need help with basic activities of living.

Then there is the Permata Kurnia Centre in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, an NGO that provides education solely for children with ASD below the age of six, which was set up in 2015.

This is an early intervention centre with the intention of preparing children with ASD for mainstream schooling. Referral for the programme is done through hospitals.

Some high-functioning children with milder ASD can make it in mainstream school on their own merit, although the social aspects of school can be a bit challenging.

Parents may understand their child and can anticipate his needs but the child also needs to be understood by other people, says Dr Subhashini. — ONG SOON HIN/The Star

The majority will need some sort of support in school, e.g. a shadow aide or special needs teacher who sits with them.

In terms of IQ, many children with ASD have above average IQ, while 20% will have savant or genius-level skills, which can be spotted early.

“If they have the skill, you want to try to support that, but I always tell the parents, don’t go to the extent that you neglect basic things like self-care and independence in other ways.

“It doesn’t need to take over everything else,” says Dr Subhashini.

Parents often ask if there is a particular diet the child should adhere to.

She says, “We don’t have enough evidence to say what works and my fear is that if they exclude a lot of things, the child will get nutrient deficiency and that’s not good for their normal growth.

“Some of these children have sensory issues, which predispose them to be picky eaters, then if you restrict them further, they are less likely to get the nutrition required.

“Cost-wise, it’s a drain to get special foods, so if you have limited resources, channel them to something that will work and concentrate on therapy, instead of trying diets or foods that may or may not work.”

Depending on their level of occupational and interpersonal functioning, children with ASD can eventually carve a career for themselves.

“Not everyone can live independently, but ideally, we hope everyone can be fully integrated into society.

“There are many people who were never diagnosed with ASD, but now that we’re more aware of it, we’re sort of putting everybody under the microscope.

“But then, there is also a possibility of overdiagnosis. We try our best and only label them once we’re sure.”

Effect of digital devices

Dr Subhashini advises parents to minimise their child’s exposure to screentime on digital devices.

Many parents tell her, when asked, that they introduce their child to a digital device as soon as they can sit, which is around six to seven months of age.

“There’s a misconception that children learn a lot from these devices.

“Yes, you do … the child may copy and imitate, but she may not understand what she is doing; she doesn’t get that two-way interaction that you get from the main carer.

“If you ask me, any child below 18 months should have zero screentime. It’s not that excessive screentime causes ASD, but it doesn’t help with their interaction skills.”

There is also an increasingly large group of children who don’t exhibit all the features of ASD, but seem to behave like they are autistic and are being referred to medical specialists at less than 18 months of age.

“When you ask the parent about screentime, they admit it is excessive. Usually, when you cut that down, there is a noticeable difference in the child three to four months later,” says Dr Subhashini.

from Family – Star2.com http://bit.ly/2D1p1VJ

[syn-cypher]

Rage against the Corporate Machine: Fuck the FCC and lets work together to fix this forever and always.

Okay you FCC Fuckfarts (Particularly you, Ajit Pai you USI Fuckboy) I'm writing this letter to you. It's angry and laden with expletives and you can suck a fat one if it hurts your feckless feelings. Anybody and everybody is welcome to copy and paste the fuck out of this, send it to whoever your representatives are, your pastor, your boss, your mom, I give zero fucking shits right now. Hell, I give zero fucks for credit. You could say the mole on Santa's ass wrote it for all I care. This is me being honest with these cockless fuckjobs in Washington who think it's a good idea to strip away free speech and human rights when WE THE PEOPLE told them we don't want that! Because, apparently nobody wants their senate seats back. So here's the deal. Remember that bit in Aladdin where Jafar wants to have the genies power? This bit:

I think of it like this:

I think of it like this: 

You want to be the Internet Genie, you got it. And everything that goes with it: 

Not only should we charge those responsible for such despicable acts, we should also make ISP'S and EVERY. SINGLE. MEMBER. Of the FCC (And Ajit Pai because, he's a fidgetspinning fuckboi) 100% responsible for every last crime committed online. After all, isn't it true that if you're arrested with a wanted man in the car, you can be held liable? Didn't we all here the stories growing up about "It doesn't matter if you did anything or not, if you were caught with kids doing -insert illegal thing- you're also responsible!" then that will fall on them too. FCC the INSTANT you give ISP's that kind of power you are all instantly responsible for every act of violence, every hate crime, every last smidgen of human trafficking and underage pornography, every last planned attack whether it be a bombing/school shooting or an act of bullying or harassment. Let's hold them responsible for EVERY. SINGLE. CRIME. because it'd be happening on THEIR WATCH. Every person who voted "I" for this rape of free speech, add their name, they're also going to be held responsible for the wealth of evil that happens online. EVERYTHING. ESPECIALLY Ajit Pai. Also add on Human Right's violations for this shit.

I think, in order to make our internet unassailable in it's freedom, we all need to put our fucking feet down. I don't care if we have to rally somewhere, I don't care if we have to pull our votes, I don't care if we have to shout from the fucking rooftops "I'm tired as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" we need to make it so fucking crystal clear that they can't line their pocket with anymore stolen dollars. The people at the top make so much money it's egregious and yet they want to take what VERY LITTLE the rest of us get and fuck us again and again. Because they just don't have enough, they rat around in their mansions, their expensive cars, long lasting luscious vacations, lavish trappings, while the rest of us are happy just to be able to make a car payment AND eat at the end of the day! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WITH THIS MOTHERFUCKING BULLSHIT. We either speak the fuck up or prepare our assholes for the dicking of a life-time because these amoral assholes don't care what happens to the people at the bottom. WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES BECAUSE THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK. WE need to do MORE than just call these fuckjobs and complain. I don't care if it means protests, I don't care if it means we sound like we're throwing tantrums, THEY'VE DONE ENOUGH TO FUCK US, WHY TAKE AWAY THE LAST BASTION OF FREE SPEECH AND HAND IT OVER TO PEOPLE WHO ARE 100% UNTRUSTWORTHY!?

Since this has riled me so, I propose we do more for our senators, our representatives, because they very clearly haven't been representing us since before all of us were fucking BORN. I propose a few changes to the current system, hell why don't we just make an addendum to our constitution which deals ENTIRELY with how our representatives are to conduct themselves. These aren't in legalese so if somebody wants to turn this into legal talk by all means, do so. Hell, add as many rules as you want, anything that strips them of their bloated self granted power is okay in my book. Anyhow, to start with:

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE will make in wages EXACTLY that of current Minimum wage for their state AND NOTHING ELSE. They don't get a raise, they only make the current minimum wage for their state. They are not eligible for raises at ANY TIME EVER IN THE HISTORY OF TIME. THIS CAN NEVER BE REPEALED, EITHER REPRESENT OR DON'T BOTHER APPLYING. If they want to have businesses on the side, then they are allowed to do so AND WILL BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE TAX RULES REGARDING OWNING A BUSINESS DOWN TO THE LETTER. You fuck it up, we come for you, just like you do to us.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE will pay THE EXACT SAME TAXES AS THE PEOPLE THEY REPRESENT. THEY CANNOT BE EXEMPT FROM ANY OBLIGATION THAT WE THE PEOPLE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FOLLOW. If WE follow it, THEY follow it. END OF DISCUSSION. (Because lets face it, more elected representatives have billions of ways to avoid paying their fair share and they do it so blatantly it's disgusting.) To that end: An oversight committee wouldn't hurt and since bribery is a thing: IF YOU ARE CAUGHT TAKING BRIBES AS PART OF THAT COMMITTEE YOU GET LIFE IN PRISON NO POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. It's an act of treason to fuck America, so if you're helping some elected rep skate on his taxes, you're 100% liable for treason. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE MUST use the State Insurance. They can buy extra if they want, but they are REQUIRED BY LAW to have THE EXACT SAME HEALTH INSURANCE AS THEIR CONSTITUENTS OR THEY CAN LEAVE OFFICE. If they want US to buy it they sure as fuck BETTER BE ON STATE RUN HEALTH CARE. They must ALSO pay into that system in the percentages asked of us scaled up to match them. If they want Socialized medicine they can sure as fuck help pay for it.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE WILL BE GUILTY OF TREASON IF IT IS FOUND THAT THEY'VE TRIED TO SKIRT OR SKATE ON ANY AND ALL LAWS WITHIN THE REPUBLIC OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. If a state representative is guilty of any crime in our country, they are a traitor. They make frequent lies to us the citizens of the United States of America while living on our dime and throwing our money away. Ergo every act our elected representatives undertake should be scrutinized down to the way they dot their I's and cross their T's. If they commit crimes and pretend they represent us while doing so, it is a falsehood and therefore is traitorous against the people they've lied about representing. Ergo: They will be charged with TREASON. If they claim ignorance of the law, they will still be punished to it's fullest extent.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE WILL NEVER ASSAIL NET-NEUTRALITY IN THE HISTORY OF ALL TIME (if somehow we save it from this fucking mess). IT IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE FREE MARKET, TH BASTION OF FREE SPEECH AND AN IMMEDIATE VIOLATION OF OUR CONSTITUTION IF OUR REPRESENTATIVES TRY TO STEAL IT FROM US. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO ASSAIL OR CHIP AWAY AT FREE SPEECH AND HUMAN RIGHTS, YOU ARE A TRAITOR TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND WILL BE CHARGED WITH TREASON. FREE SPEECH, IN LAW, IS UNASSAILABLE, THE INTERNET IN THIS REPUBLIC IS UNASSAILABLE AND BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. TRYING TO SELL THAT TO CORPORATIONS CONSTITUTES TREASON AND YOU WILL BE CHARGED AS A TRAITOR.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE will have bank accounts in the UNITED STATES and ONLY in the UNITED STATES. NO OTHER PLACES. You keep your money, here at home because you represent US. WE keep our money at home and you get to do the same. No more foreign bank accounts so you can hide what you really make and skip out on taxes. If you don't like to be audited, too fucking bad. To wit: EVERY AND ALL REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES WILL BE AUDITED EVERY SIX MONTHS. You wanted job creation, well here it is: If you work representing our state, you're going to be squeaky fucking clean or you can GET THE FUCK OUT. You don't GET to make mistakes anymore. You had your time and you pissed it away fucking around on our dime. We wouldn't get away with half the crazy shit you all are up to on the regular, SO YOU GET TO BUCKLE THE FUCK DOWN OR GET THE FUCK OUT.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE WILL GO INTO OFFICE KEEPING THEIR OPINIONS TO THEIR FUCKING SELVES. YOU represent US. WE are a melting pot. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYONE EITHER BY LEGISLATION OR AT THE FUCKING OFFICE PARTY. You cannot introduce racist/sexist/homophobic/xenophobic/ legislation EVER. Your ONLY FUCKING JOB is to PAY THE BILLS. No more marriage laws, no more religious protection laws, NOTHING. YOUR JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THAT SCHOOLS ARE FUNDED, LAWS ARE FOLLOWED, AND STATES HAVE BUDGET FOR IMPORTANT STATE BUSINESS.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE WILL NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO TAX DOLLARS BEYOND DELEGATING THEIR USE THROUGHOUT THE STATE. If it is found that you are skimming money or stealing it for your own gain or to fund stupid parties, or make renovations to your stupid office, you will effectively be stealing it. Ergo: You will be charged with treason as it is traitorous to steal from the people you claim to represent. You will be sentenced accordingly. To wit: A set STRICT budget will be allowed for travel expenses. Here are the rules for travel: You will only ever fly coach. If the Average American has to do it, so do you. You represent US remember? If you want to upgrade YOU have to pay. You will stay in a hotel calculated on the minimum wage you make, and whatever is affordable for your wage bracket, will be made available. If you want to upgrade your accommodations YOU pay out of pocket. A meal voucher will be given you and if you want more, YOU pay out of pocket. Stop reaching into ours for every lavish expense you make. This logic follows, anything outside of the strict budget designed by the people YOU are 100% responsible for. We are tired of our tax dollars being misused for parties and pastries when there are WHOLE FUCKING TOWNS without CLEAN DRINKING WATER.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE will be graded every six months on their efficiency. If your efficiency drops below 50 percent twice in your serving period, you will be fired. We get graded at our jobs. Every six months the American People will vote on how you're doing. Every state will hold these polls at the same time of year and anyone failing to do their job will be sacked. (If someone who can legalese wants to come up with a better grading system I'm all for it.) I propose that you will be responsible for EACH AND EVERY PROMISE THAT YOU MAKE WHILE YOU'RE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. IF THEY ARE NOT MET, OR IN THE PROCESS OF BEING MET, OR SATISFACTORILY EXPLAINED AS TO WHY IT CAN'T BE MET AFTER YOU'VE ALREADY MADE AN ATTEMPT TO MEET YOUR PROMISE, YOU WILL BE FIRED. You can't make a promise you can't keep just to win votes anymore. We've been cheated too many times. You put up or you SHUT UP.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE will NOT endorse any religion of any kind ever. You don't represent your religion, YOU REPRESENT US! Now, if it comes out at some point in an interview or if you write a book about your life, fine. It's your story to tell at that point. HOWEVER, you will not EVER endorse it to your constituents or use it while you work in office as a reason not to do something. If you can't make a decision because you're at odds with your religion such that you are damaging the desires of your constituents: YOU'RE FIRED. We don't need people who can't do what they're told. We don't get the option to opt out of our jobs because of religious reasons and still get paid.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE WILL NOT BE PAID AFTER THEY LEAVE OFFICE. We don't get paid after we leave a job. Neither do you. You cannot retire and be paid by us, because we need our tax money TO FIX THE EDUCATION SYSTEM YOU FUCK UP ROUTINELY. Get another job, and if you're too old, here's hoping you retired from your last job before becoming a representative. Don't forget to set up your 401K!

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE can only be in office for two terms equaling 8 years. I've watched states depreciate under the lackluster iron foot of assholes that no-one wants representing them mysteriously being re-elected for 100 years. Now, you don't! This will also keep fresh blood in the system so old ideas that can't keep up with modernity die.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE if found guilty of any crime whatsoever or of having committed acts of sexual assault on anyone, will not be protected by their position. They will be immediately prosecuted and have to pay out of pocket to defend themselves. If found guilty they will suffer the absolute punishment for their crimes and be liable for every penny paid to them by the American People during their time in office. As such, they will be audited and any money they have will be paid back into the system from whence it came and any shortage in their assets will be theirs to make up for in prison. They will not make a wage in prison and will be expected to work to pay us what they owe. If the representative in question is prosecuted and then found to be innocent, then an allowance for recompense in terms of defense expense will be allowed (if they didn't commit the crime, why put them in the poor house). To this end, they will have access to the defense that an average American citizen making minimum wage would have access to.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE will be abjectly and 100% held to follow the Laws of the Constitution of this Republic of the United States of America.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE Will be expected to behave with decorum when campaigning and refrain from personal attacks. If a representative or potential representative makes personal attacks against an opponent they are disqualified. Constructive criticism is acceptable, however, this shit-flinging that's been going on during campaigns since before all of us were born is pathetic and grating. Let the constituents do the shit flinging, you present your side, your plan, your arguments, you act with decorum and amiability, because that's what's expected of US at OUR JOBS. Thus it is expected of you. Act like an asshole, get treated like one: You get fired or you are immediately disqualified. We're all sick of pushy assholes always standing on everyone's head (Lookin' at you Christie) pretending their shit doesn't stink.

ANY AND ALL United States, state representatives WITHOUT DISPUTE CANNOT BE ENDORSED BY COMPANIES OR CORPORATIONS OF ANY KIND NOR CAN THEY ACCEPT CAMPAIGN DONATIONS FROM CORPORATIONS OF ANY KIND AND IF ANY UNDER THE TABLE MONEY IS FOUND AT ANY POINT WHETHER IT BE DURING THEIR CAMPAIGN OR YEARS IN OFFICE THEY WILL BE FIRED AND ANY BRIBE MONEY THEY ACCEPTED WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE PAID BACK TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE CORPORATION RESPONSIBLE WILL BE ON THE HOOK FOR THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT WITH INTEREST. Kick 'em in the wallet and they'll be less inclined to fuck with us.

ANY AND ALL UNITED STATES CORPORATIONS WITHOUT DISPUTE Will NOT endorse a candidate AT ANY TIME IN THE HISTORY OF TIME. Your job is to pedal your wares, THAT'S IT. You don't GET to have more power than that.

ANY AND ALL UNITED STATES CORPORATIONS WITHOUT DISPUTE Will also follow these rules within this document: Section 4, Section 5, Section 7 (AKA: No more biased news outlets. You get to the truth of the matter and yes you can be critical, but you are held to task if you make a purposfully untrue statement that you don't correct or recant. No more lying to spin a narrative, either you tell the truth or you pay. If you are found to be blatantly lying to spin a narrative you will be subject lawsuit by the American People, as you lying to us injures us and is therefore treason against the American People if you lie or obfuscate the truth on purpose. You will be subject to treason laws. A mistake is one thing, to be purposefully misleading is another and it can and often is, injurious.), and section 14. Also, all your assets will be accounted for. No offshore bank accounts to skirt having to pay your taxes.

ANY AND ALL UNITED STATES CORPORATIONS WITHOUT DISPUTE Will be audited every 6, months. If you try skipping out on your taxes or slipping money to elected representatives (even gifts lavish or otherwise) or try to bribe auditors YOU WILL BE HELD LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE AND SUED FOR BRIBERY AND MUST PAY THE FINE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, WHO YOU ARE SLAPPING IN THE FACE. YOU UNDERMINE THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE IF YOU TRY TO CIRCUMVENT IT THEREFORE YOU ARE ALSO COMMITTING TREASON AND WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.

AJIT PAI IS LIABLE FOR EVERY ONLINE CRIME THAT WAS EVER COMMITTED EVER BECAUSE HE IS A FIDGET-SPINNING FUCKBOI!

Okay that last one was just for me. Honestly you guys, this is a "build your own adventure" version of "Let's hold all of these ass-backwards motherfuckers so accountable they can't piss without fear of an audit". No more lobbying bullshit, no more "Oh we're corporations so we get more say over EVERYONE because money dollars!" NOPE. I'm sick and tired of all the bullshit and The United States of America needs to find it's FUCKING BALLS AGAIN! If the FCC wants to go to war with America's people, we need to fire back. We need to tell these people that, if they want to curtail our rights, we'll crush them. WE NEED TO SPEAK! WE NEED TO SHOUT, WE NEED TO MAKE OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS UNASSAILABLE FOREVER AND ALL TIME! Besides, think of it as job creation, just imagine how much work the American people could add to the economy adding so many auditors to the workforce? We need people to audit American companies on the regular, we need people to Audit American representatives on the regular. Do you have any idea how much man power that would take? Tons! So lets make some jobs out of this mess and hold our representatives and their corporate leash holders to the fire! Cut the corporate apron strings and put money back into where it belongs: THE ECONOMY. The middle class disappears because assholes at the top STEAL our tax dollars and throw shit like this back in our faces. We always hear about senators and congressman using our tax dollars on hookers and blow, yet we go "OH how unfair!" before we click on the next piece of tasty clickbait on Yahoo news. No fucking MORE. We've had our rights attacked by OUR OWN REPRESENTATIVES TIME AND TIME AGAIN! Let's push the fuck back. I know this is one big long angry letter, I know it's not perfect, I know that I am not a perfect person and that no person is. However, it is expected of the people who represent us to push pencils as pertaining to what we want for ourselves. This isn't a wish granting service, we need logical things, like better schools, CLEAN FUCKING DRINKING WATER, and FREE FUCKING SPEECH. These motherfuckers want to kill the free market so they can line their already bursting pockets with ill gotten gains (because, lets face it, they're stealing from us). We need to do more than just call and be angry, we need to fight back with something that punches them in the wallet. To that end: ANYBODY WHO CAN LEGALESE LIKE A BOSS/HAS A LEGAL BACKGROUND, OR IS ABLE TO TURN THIS INTO AN ACTUAL LEGAL DOCUMENT: PLEASE DO SO! TO ANY AND ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOMETHING CONDUCIVE TO ADD, PLEASE DO SO! We need to start compiling a document that is also 100% unassailable that spells out that on no uncertain terms can our elected officials even take a PISS without our fucking permission.Their private lives are their own insofar as they don't affect the American people and aren't illegal. But when they are working they are OURS. They are public SERVANTS. To that end, while we're trying to fix things, we also need to spell out to corporations that they don't get to have the power, IT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE. Their job is to make media, entertainment, items, clothes, what the fuck ever. IT IS NOT TO INTERVENE IN POLITICS OR TRY TO GARNER ENDORSEMENTS OR POWER OR PRIZES FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. They can roller-skate their asses into bed with Hollywood all they fucking want, but on the stage of our politics, beyond reporting, they can get the fuck out. They had their time and they've done nothing but fuck us with it. When a kid almost shoots his eye out with a BB Gun you don’t let him keep the BB gun. Goddammit, I know it's hard, I know there's hoops to go through but lets find a way to fix this fucking shit somehow rather than let these people keep steamrolling the fuck out of us and fucking our country. All the while WE THE PEOPLE can't afford the barest insurance coverage, we can hardly feed ourselves despite working full time jobs, the middle class disappears, and the only people getting tax breaks are the ones that make so much money they won't even fucking notice it! I implore my fellow citizens, lets make a document containing our desires, find some way to legalize the fuck out of it, AND THEN CRAM IT DOWN OUR GOVERNMENTS UNGRATEFUL SLOVENLY THROATS! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. You all like fucking hashtags, right? Pick one, or hell, make up your own! I don't care, let's just use this ragetastic document as a jumping off point to FUCK YOU land for the assholes who are strangling us and using our own fucking money to do it! You can copy and paste the fuck out of this, hell you could pretend you wrote it, I give zero fucking fucks, just get it out there and let's generate some change or fall on our own sword for not being active enough in our own defense. #WeThePeople #TheWillofThePeople #FucktheFCC #netneutrality #freedomofspeech #Theconstitution