#but with don quijote is different

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

also this isn't a critic to the last post cause i'm still in awe on how good it is this is just a pet peeve of mine.

it's don quijote not don quixote

he's alonso quijano not quixano

[bogmommy]

rest in peace don quijote you would have loved dnd

[dianight]

I've seen a few of the hyperspecific polls but I wanted to do one with less likely things that I've done but not too obscure that no one gets any.

Option 1: Anyone's but yours. Human. For any reason.

Option 2: Worked at all hours. Different shifts. Different jobs.

Option 3: Castle. You know.

Option 4: To anyone or myself. Fully silent. It wasn't even a condition or anything.

Option 5: One game, adding up full series doesn't count. Or it does, up to you.

Option 6: Intentional. Could be an accident. Could be your own (?).

Option 7: Any edition.

Option 8: What fluency means is up to you.

Option 9: Long vacations, staying over at some friend's place, moving, etc. Just a reasonably "long" period of time and not say, two days.

Option 10: Easy option I suppose?

[aantinous]

Es como Sancho Panza y Don Quijote, o Spock y el Capitán Kirk. En verdad son el mismo personaje, pero los dos son una parte de la psicología. Y el momento en el que suben a la montaña, cuando ya se ven muertos, ya no discuten, porque ya no hay nada que discutir... en ese momento sois uno. Hay un momento precioso en la película que es cuando a Nando se le empieza a romper la suela del zapato. Claro, si se te rompe el zapato te mueres. Ese era el nivel de dependencia que tenían. Si se muere, ¿qué hace Roberto? ¿Se va y lo deja ahí? ¿Se queda con él? Había un texto ahí y yo dije: no hagáis el texto, hacedlo solo con miradas. Y hay una mirada de Pardella, de Nando, a ti en esa escena que es puro amor.

It’s like Sancho Panza and Don Quixote, or Spock and Captain Kirk. The truth is that they’re the same character, but each a different part of the psychology. And the moment they walk up the mountain, when they see themselves dead, they don’t argue anymore, because there is nothing to argue about. In that moment there are no arguments because you’re one. We shot a beautiful moment in the movie which is when the sole of Nando’s shoe starts to break. Of course, if your shoe breaks, you die. That was the level of dependence they had. And if he dies, what does Roberto do? Does he go, and leave him there? Does he stay with him? So I remember saying, even though we had dialogue, to do it with looks. And there’s one stare from Pardella, who plays Nando, to you in this scene that is pure love.

Javier Bardem and J.A. Bayona with the Society of the Snow Cast | In Conversation

[spanishskulduggery]

Regarding ojalá - it does specifically come from Arabic, though the actual phrase in Arabic is supposedly lawshallah but has frequently been compared to "inshallah"

The base is the same; -alá there refers to Alá or "Allah" so in etymology it's still like "God willing" if you look at it that way

Also it says Old Spanish oxalá - Old Spanish is like the Medieval form of Spanish, so it has more spelling differences where X later turns to J; this is why in modern Spanish it's Don Quijote but if you look at the original covers/writings for it, you see something like Don Qvixote where the V was the U and X turns to J....... really old Spanish sometimes has the Ç

And additionally in southern Spain or more Muslim-controlled areas like Al-Andalus [Andalusia] you would also see aljamía which used an Arabic alphabet of Romance Languages (and Mozarabe) to sort of approximate what was being said/understood. The equivalent would be something like writing out a Russian or Chinese name because we understand the Latinized alphabet but not Cyrillic or hanzi

Someone did mention that ojalá can also come across as more impersonal because it isn't specifically a conjugation which is true - espero or esperamos for "I hope" and "we hope" is more personally putting a subject in there

While ojalá can come out like "hopefully"; and it can be used in imperfect subjunctive as a contrary to fact statement which is why they put "if only"

-

Also, side note - I don't know Portuguese but I'd be willing to bet that they have an expression like ojalá too because the Moorish/Islamic influence was on all of the Iberian peninsula, not just Spain

Spanish and Portuguese (and the other Iberian Romance Languages) tend to share more linguistically than French or Italian in some respects, particularly you'll see more Arabic influences in the Iberian ones while French and Italian remain much more Latinized

[vysogotaofcorvo]

This is life, and I will not lie by saying every day will be sunshine. But there will be sunshine again, and that is a very different thing to say.

You will be warm again.

Invitation by Mary Oliver / Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb / Sonny Boy Ep. 12: A Two-Year Recess / Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes / Solaris by Stanislaw Lem / Holly Warburton / The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath / Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett / Vincent van Gogh / On Earth we're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong / The Tower of the Swallow by Andrzej Sapkowski / Tomorrow I'll be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou / Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

[call-of-ishmael]

Assorted early morning Outis thoughts here (RAMBLY AND SLEEP DEPRIVED WARNING):

So the Odyssey is known for its sea voyage and all

Recently Canto V shows Outis is very familiar with that, she is able to join in Ishmael in reciting the old sailor saying about the lake, from memory just like her.

Now im thinking back to Kcorp, during Canto III Kcorps nest was the setting, but not the focus we get some tidbits, like the HP Ampule used on Dante at the end but nothing major. Then on Canto IV we expand more on Kcorp and what they do

Canto V is the same, we get introduced to Ucorp, some of its tech, we see it in action, but the focus is not them and we barely see much of it and its nest to focus more on the lake.

Now the Great Lake is the biggest most sea like thing in The City, and from a line by Faust, where she says recording the Rules Of The Lake is taboo, we can deduce its under Ucorp control

There is also however mention of being able to sail to the Outskirts, which are way outside any corpo control

So i wonder if Ucorps nest is gonna come back for Outis and her Canto, following the previous trend of Canto III having little peaks before Canto IV made their deal clearer

Or if its maybe gonna focus more on her soldier days

Seeing as her emblem is the Troyan Horse a maneuver Odysseus pulls during the Illiad and emblems so far are pretty consistent in being an important theme (Ishmaels emblem is a compass, for example) maybe the odyssey wont be the biggest aspect covered?

Im thinking, maybe, in Limbus, her trips with the sinners are gonna be part of her odyssey?

A lot of sinners compared to the source are kind of like we are jumping into the middle of their stories and giving them a different ending

Most of them die at the end, Heathcliff dies, Don Quijote dies, Ryoushu dies, Gregor dies

Most faithful one so far is Ishmael, as it goes in line with the later edited ending where Ishmael is the sole survivor. In the first versions everyone died.

Outis is using a name that in the source was a fake name meant to decieve, her many faces she puts on seem to briefly falter when family is mentioned

So maybe yeah its gonna be more her soldier days, and her chapter is the ending to her odyssey

[cerastes]

How would you rate current is3 boss fights?

Highmore is fun, she has plenty of requirements for her map but no real demands for specific teams, making her a really good boss that can be tackled in several ways. You need to hold three lanes, one of which is a ticking time bomb, while juggling ASPD decreases and multitarget attacks. Extra long range, such as Artilleryman Snipers (like W), Fortress Defenders (like Horn) and other means of long range (like Platinum S2, Schwarz S3, Ifrit, etc), is very effective due to being able to hit her from outside her debuff ring range, while having good Stuns, elemental healing, and self-sustain is very helpful. It’s a fun fight in general.

I don't like Last Knight, I sincerely, personally heavily dislike fights in which even attacking is a huge pain in the ass. The whole "freezes you for 2/4 seconds every two attacks you land on him" just makes it so irksome and annoying that I really just don't care for the fight, even if it's properly constructed (Don Quijote only ever moves in a straight line, perfectly in character with what we know of him forever charging the ocean single-mindedly). The fight follows in the steps of Big Sad Lock in that the fight is really about the preparation, not the map in itself: If you have what you need to win, you win easily, and if you don't, you're in for a bad time. Extremely static. I personally eventually grew to like BSL, I don't think I'll ever like this fight.

Skadi, I need more time to properly construct an opinion, but I have enjoyed it the times I've done it. It's a pretty dynamic fight that follows in the steps of Mouthpiece, in which you have to take some key positions in order to prevent the boss from just getting away with their main gimmick unimpeded. The main gimmick, the boss' transformation, is pretty well done and threatening, I quite like it. I'll have more to say when I've done it more times. That third challenge is quite difficult, too.

Something I appreciate from the three bosses is their collective design centered around alternative bulk:

Highmore isn't particularly resilient (45000 x2 base HP, a mere 700 Defense baseline), but the fact that she has a wide area around her that she constantly blasts with heavy Physical+Elemental damage, and a very heavy ASPD Down aura around her makes her WAY more durable than her numbers suggest.

Last Knight has stupid bulk if you don't debuff him (Four Fucking Thousand Defense, yes, 4000, on top of 100k + 25% baseline HP), but if you do, he's left at a pretty whatever 800 Defense, BUT he's got that goofy autofreeze, so actually emptying his HP way harder than the numbers suggest.

These two are, as a trade-off, susceptible to status effects and crowd control (every single effect except Float for Highmore and Silence for both)

Finally, Skadi is predictably very sturdy even by traditional standards, boasting 90000 HP and 1200 Defense baseline. On top of that, every time she gets 120 SP (Skadi gets 1 SP per second and 25 SP every 3 seconds for each Ishar'mla's Tears without an Operator on them), Skadi transforms into Ishar'mla, switching from healing mode to attacking mode. Besides getting an absolutely massive attack range (4 tiles, 3 targets at once, True Damage), Ishar'mla switches to a different HP bar (45000 HP base, 360 DEF, 35 RES) that needs to be emptied in order to revert her back to Skadi, and be able to continue damaging her true HP bar.

I appreciate that burst is not really weakened in the slightest and is still a very important part of the strat, but you also need to be able to survive and going full glass cannon is ill advised, as these bosses have means to hang in there. I think they strike a perfect balance between needing to assemble bulk and damage in order to defeat them.

[aslan-jade-okumura]

My friend was showing me around Don Quijote, which is a popular discount store in Japan, and she showed me these animal crackers and told me they’re really popular with Banana Fish fans... The reason being, these cookies are in shape of different animals and there is one in the shape of a lynx...

I guess merch is so rare/limited that we’re resulting to animal crackers T^T

[blundergato]

im quite certain that the timezone different is screwing me over right now cuz i went to bed relatively early after my flight back from japan and here i am, eyes bolted open cuz its currently 6pm in japan and id usually be running around in one of the cities i visited. my body is like "LETS GO" and my brain is like "please dear sweet geebus, go back to sleep"

i also had a stress dream that my bedroom was turned into an infinite don quijote store and i was lost in it shopping forever.

[avantguardisme]

hold on what was the quijote fanfic that pissed cervantes into reviving don quijote !!

ok so like big disclaimer up front that i am not a siglo de oro Guy so i might mix up a few facts here BUT

basically what we now call the first part of the quijote was published in 1605 as a stand-alone work and was a huge hit, and after its publication it apparently inspired several unauthorized sequels, the most famous and important one being the Segundo tomo del ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha, written under the pseudonym "Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda" (real identity still unknown), which was the most important of the bunch on account of being the most popular (iirc) and also Specifically Pissing Off Cervantes

and we know that cervantes was pissed about it (and that it's likely a major reason that a sequel exists at all, or at least that it was published when it was) because there's a ton of references to it in the second part of the quijote, starting with literally the first line of the prologue! even the title page of the second part makes indirect reference to it, having a) a slightly different title to part one (specifically calling the title character the "ingenioso caballero" rather than an "ingenioso hidalgo" like he did in the title of the first book, because "ingenioso hidalgo" got used by avellaneda) and b) a sort of underhanded jab in the by-line, attributing to "Miguel de Cervantes de Saavedra, autor de su primera parte" (author of the first part) just to make it absolutely clear to everyone that this is the OFFICIAL sequel

it is also a major plot point in part 2 that someone is out there telling false stories about don quijote and the character himself goes out of his way to correct this

anyway it's all extremely petty & i love that that's at least a major contributing factor to there being a quijote part 2, esp since cervantes literally dies like 5 months or something after part 2 gets published

[topoillogical]

taking a break from doing school work to read don quijote. which is a task i accomplish in six tabs: two open to the same PDF of the original Spanish, but one scrolled conveniently down to the extensive footnotes at the end of the book. Of the four remaining tabs, one is google translate (for when the footnotes themselves are what I don't understand), and the other three are different English translations, one from the 1800s, one from the 1950s, and one from 2006

[tamapalace]

November 2023 Tama Sticker Store Campaign

To commemorate the release of the new Tamagotchi Uni in blue, a campaign has started where you can get Tama Stickers with different designs and exclusive items from each store, how exciting is that?

Amazon. You can purchase a Tamagotchi Uni with a Tama Sticker starting on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 to get your hands on a Smile Box Tama Sticker. The Tama Sticker features a limited 16-digit download code that will allow you download a Smile Box accessory! The Tama Sticker campaign will end as soon as supplies run out.

Edion Group. Starting on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 through Friday November 17th, 2023, or as soon as supplies run out you can get a Takoyaki Tama Sticker! Featuring a limited use 16-digit download code for the Takoyaki Hat accessory! Available in select stores, for more details please contact a participating store. One Tama Sticker pre product purchase.

Joshin. Starting on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 until supplies last, you can get a Tiger Hat Tama Sticker with a purchase until supplies last. Featuring a limited use 16-digit download code for the Tiger Hat accessory! Available in select stores, please contact a participating store for more information.

Toys”R”Us! Starting on Thursday, November 23rd, 2023 until supplies last, you can get your hands on the iconic Geoffrey Hat Tama Sticker that you’ve seen before back in the Tamagotchi Meets/On days. The Geoffrey Hat Tama Sticker features a limited 16-digit download code for Geoffrey’s Hat. Available on a first-come-first-serve basis for a total of 10,000 people, one Tama Sticker per purchase.

Don. Quijote & MEGA Don. Quixote. Visit a participating location from Friday, November 3rd, 2023 through Friday, November 17th, 2023 or until supplies last to get your hands on a Donpen Stuffed Toy Tama Sticker. Donpen is the mascot for Don. Quijote! The Donpen Stuffed Toy Tama Sticker features a limited 16-digit download code for the Donpen Stuffed Toy accessory. One Tama Sticker per purchase.

Bic Camera Group. Visit a participating Bic Camera Group (Bic Camera, Kojima, Sofmap) location from Friday, November 3rd, 2023 until supplies run out to get your hands on the Eco-Usatchi Triplets Tama Sticker. The Eco-Usatchi Triplets Tama Sticker features a limited 16-digit download code for the Eco Usatchi Triplets accessory.

Yamada Corporation. Visit a participating Yamada Corporation location starting on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 until supplies last to get your hands on the Yamada Bouquet. The Yamada Bouquet Tama Sticker features a limited 16-digit download code for the Yamada Bouquet accessory! One Tama Sticker per purchase.

Yodobashi Camera. Visit a participating Yodobashi Camera location starting on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 until supplies last to get your hands on the Yodobashi Camera Tama Sticker. The Yodobashi Camera Tama Sticker features a 16-digit download code for the Yodobashi Camera accessory. One Tama Sticker per purchase!

Which Tama Sticker do you have your eyes on? You bet we’ll be checking Tama Fashion everyday, so please be a friend and post these fashions for all to enjoy!

[keouil]

suck my bones clean & leave me with nothing

"hold on," shoko takes out her phone, looking over their list. "do you think we need more ropes?" nanami thinks on it, the tips of his ears tinged slightly pink. "um," he says. "i—i think i should have enough. i also have, uh, silk ties." 3k. gojo/shoko/nanami. smut. also on ao3.

gojo, shoko, and nanami find better ways to spend their days off.

"How about this one?"

Shoko looks over the wine bottle Nanami is holding up. "Is it from Yamanashi?"

"Uh," Nanami flips over the bottle, reading over its lengthy packaging. "Hokkaido."

"That'll do," Shoko nods, gesturing for him to add it on to their growing grocery pile. "Gojo is annoyingly pretentious about his wine. Like he wasn't drinking discounted Kirin Lager from Don Quijote when we were students."

Nanami laughs lightly, steering their cart further into the liquor aisle. Shoko was ahead of him perusing the sangria options. "Anything else?"

They were in one of the local marts just a few blocks away from Gojo's apartment, shopping for last-minute essentials. It’s rare all their schedules lined up at such convenient timing: Gojo and Nanami were always called on for missions here and there, and Shoko's hospital pager was constantly buzzing her for emergencies. They seldom had an hour to themselves, let alone an entire evening.

"Hold on," Shoko takes out her phone, looking over their list. "Do you think we need more ropes?"

Nanami thinks on it, the tips of his ears tinged slightly pink. "Um," he says. "I—I think I should have enough. I also have, uh, silk ties."

Shoko looks up, amused. "Always so prepared."

"I'm just a rigorous planner," Nanami looks away sheepishly, running a hand over his hair. Shoko saunters over and links their arms together. Smiling, she says, "And me and Gojo thank you kindly for it."

Nanami gestures ahead. "What else are we missing?"

"I think that's it," Shoko hums, eyes raking over their humble dinner ingredients for the evening. "We really shouldn't leave Gojo alone for too long. Remember the last time he attempted to make omurice?"

"My mouth is still healing from the burns," Nanami mumbles hotly, rounding a corner.

As they near the check-out counter, Shoko rummages around her bag for Gojo's black card. He always insisted on paying for everything, nevermind Shoko was living on a private surgeon's salary and Nanami wasn’t bad with his investments. Maybe it's a sugar daddy thing, Shoko told him amusedly one night, blowing a puff of smoke from her cig while Nanami lay breathless at her side. He likes to think he's sponsoring us. They indulge it every time, because really, who was turning down free meals in this economy?

"Is that everything?" Shoko asks when Nanami loads up the last piece of mozzarella cheese into the revolving tray. He's just about to say yes, when something decidedly plastic and discreet glinting off the cashier's shelf catches his eye. He normally wouldn't be so brazen, but ah, he was a rigorous planner. "Wait. One more thing."

Shoko looks on in interest as Nanami throws his usual pack of condoms to the mix. This he'll pay for himself, and makes to voice it, when her hand wraps around his to stop him. 

"Ieiri-san—"

Shoko reaches out to put the box back, only to replace it with another variation of the same brand. Only in a much, much bigger size. Nanami is as red as a tomato. She was too generous. "I'm not that—"

"No, Nanami-kun," Shoko hushes him, putting a finger to his lips. The mirth in her eyes was clouded with something else now, something not entirely innocent. "Believe me. You are."

Nanami blushes the entire car ride back.

-

"There you guys are!"

Gojo beams at them from the kitchen, setting up plates and serving spoons. Candlelights flickered from different corners of the room, basking Gojo's penthouse apartment in an unusually dreamy haze. He really was a romantic at heart. 

"Here we are," Nanami loads the grocery bags on the counter, eyeing the unusually tidy keep of the place. "You cleaned?"

"’Course I did," Gojo scoffs, turning over the pasta. Nanami noticed the edges burning and slapped his hands away, taking over. Going along with it, Gojo muses, "I'm not a monster,” he turns around. “Shoko?"

"Mhmm?" Shoko hums from somewhere in his room, probably in his walk-in closet, probably stealing another one of his sweaters again.

"Are you good with Scream for tonight?"

"As in the movie?"

Gojo and Nanami lock eyes. Coughing, Gojo says, "What else?"

Small footsteps padded over to the kitchen. Nanami lets the handle fall to the floor. Gojo visibly gulps. Shoko was wearing nothing but her underwear and his white button down, the top two buttons already undone.

"When are the rest getting here?"

-

Shoko doesn't really relax until the first fuck.

Her hands are fisted somewhere behind her, back arching against the silk sheets. Someone was kissing down her throat, leaving wet, sloppy trails of love bites all the way down to her exposed navel. The other was kneading the soft flesh between her thighs, loosening her up. She was blindfolded and couldn't see a single thing, only adding to her growing apprehension. It always took some time for her to get used to this rhythm of fucking.

It usually takes her a few more orgasms until she relaxes fully into the fantasy, but when she did, it happened all at once: the tension in her muscles loosening, the string of anxiety coiling at her stomach tugging itself free with every ghost of a touch, this total absence of thought she craved for. Shoko was pitched into pure physical sensation and blissfully lost herself there. 

A gangbang fantasy, they suggested. Add in the blindfold, she egged them on.

When Shoko felt herself being lowered across the kitchen counter, she found it hard to feel particularly sexy. She felt more like meat being served on a silver platter, hungry eyes raking all over her exposed skin, Gojo’s button-down doing nothing to conceal anything underneath. It wasn't in her nature to feel self-conscious, but when you're the sole object of a bacchanal in a room full of strangers, it can be a little intimidating up on diocese. But that was stupid. None of them will hurt her, and if they do, it'll be part of it. Gojo and Nanami wouldn't let anything happen to her. She's been passed around the room for what felt like hours now, all the groping and kissing and fondling only adding to her excitement with every new arrival. She'd lost track of how many laps she'd been forced into or how many cocks she'd been stroking and licking by the fourth man.

Because Shoko could really only keep track of two: the familiar way their skin burned hotter than the others; and the intimate way they touched each other, touched her, and knew exactly which parts of her came alive.

When Shoko was finally laid down on the bed, she was shivering badly. 

Her skin was sensitive to the touch, her nipples instantly puckering from the chilly air, her lingerie slick from her needy flesh. She was already so sore from being pinched and tugged and licked and sucked; the blood was pounding in her cheeks and she flung her hands out helplessly, blindly, searching for purchase on the edge of the bed, skin, contact. Anything.

Someone threads their fingers through her hair and pulls her in for a rough kiss. The kiss is sloppy and unfamiliar, but Shoko thinks it's because she can taste some type of liquor on their tongue. None of them then, Gojo didn’t drink and Nanami didn’t usually want to be inebriated during this.

Another hand slides into the front of her underwear and finds her clit. Shoko can't help but moan into the kiss. The cuff link on his shirt is cool and shocks her skin as he rubs her more roughly. Shoko squirms a little, giving him more access, which was a huge mistake. His fingers slide through her bare seam and feel her wetness. Shoko lets out a raspy moan, then gasps loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Teeth score her flesh and she finds a cock being shoved into her hand, urgently forcing her to start stroking. 

"She's fucking soaked," the one kissing her growls near her neck. "Jesus Christ."

"Fuck, really?"

The sound of wet flesh being stroked is all she hears. It empowered Shoko, knowing how much control she held over these men.

“Let's tie her down.” 

“Grab her wrists.”

She feels strong hands on her wrists, pulling her arms above her head. Laughter went round the room, some very close now; heavy breathing, the sound of skin on skin as they stroked themselves. If only she could see them. She couldn’t bear to take the blindfold off but was itching so badly for it.

“Nah, man. Let her jerk someone off first—“

“I don't have the concentration for that.” 

Laughter again, breathy, subdued, anticipatory. It was so loud, all around her, it swallowed her up. Here she was sprawled across the table, all exposed and inviting, like she thought she deserved—

"Do you see her tits? Fucking perfect."

"Turn her over."

Shoko is abruptly forced on her stomach, and she hears a chorus of swears plaguing the room. 

"Fucking hell."

"Someone get a cock inside that already."

A deep chuckle. "Well then, don't mind if I do."

Jesus Christ. Her thighs tensed from the effort of being on all fours, her back arching a little when the man touched her knees, forcefully nudging them apart. She didn’t mean to rub against the bed, to lift her hips invitingly, to show them all just how much she did actually wanted—

“Fuck. You see how wet she is?” 

Suddenly there were fingers on her cunt, a caress from her behind up to her clit. They parted her labia, curling inside her easily. Shoko tightened around them, unable to stop herself, breathing out a needy more please god. He laughed in amusement when he withdrew his hand, then pushed his cock inside her; thick and heavy and hot, filling her up just perfect. And just the way she wanted, he pulled out slow and thrust home so hard she cried out and grabbed onto the headboard, startling herself. 

Shoko wasn’t the type to be loud, never cried out, usually. But then again she also never consented to being outsourced out to a private sex club and blindfolded herself and asked a roomful of strangers to treat her like the party favour fucktoy, usually, too.

That was all it took for the room to break.

Suddenly there were hands all over her, aggressive and impatient and possessive. A hot mouth on her breast, teeth tugging into her left nipple, her wrists violently wrenched from the headboard so each of her hands could fist around somebody's already hardened cock, wet with pre-come. The relentless and punishing rhythm continued on well into the rest of the night—hard and fast and rough and quick, everyone insisting they have a go at her, wanting to taste her for themselves. They forced her open and split her raw, filling her up every time. They drove all kinds of sounds from her body and she couldn't so much as think of her name. The sounds the men were making, the wet noise of the cock in her cunt, the plush mattress threatening to swallow her whole, the fingers that turned her head to the side and forced her mouth open for someone’s cock, hot and heavy on her tongue. 

Shoko was gagging so hard, it tasted and felt wrong, and for a second panic threatened to close in on her: before she felt a familiar warm, large hand she recognizes as Gojo pinch reassuring bruises into her hip. I’m here, we’re here, no matter who else has you tonight you belong to us. 

Shoko came shaking, gagging on the cock in her mouth. Her legs spasmed the way it usually did when she came, until she feels someone grab her ankle and hold it still. Her head quickly filled up with laughter all around her, the men’s voices on varying degrees of lust-filled.

“Fuck yeah.”

“Fucking made for it.”

“Let's strap her down and keep her here, the complimentary fucktoy.”

Shoko wanted to cry. She was so spent already, she can't even lift her arms anymore.

A few more titters pass around, until someone drawls lazily in a voice she also recognized, “You’re here to make her happy, kid, not the other way around.” 

Shoko would have laughed along with them in amusement, but she was too busy already getting her face and cunt fucked, her body all hot and pliant and languid with orgasm. When he came inside her she felt the hot pulse in her cunt and moaned for it, which set off the guy in her mouth; she swallowed and spit and groaned when he drew back, fucking hot Jesus, rolling her head on the table. Everything was touch, and hearing, and taste, and the smell of sex and sweat. Shoko craved for this primal, carnal debasement she had made of herself. When he pulled out of her and stepped away, she lifted her hips, beckoning, and got what she wanted almost at once, it was too soon, she was still so sensitive, it was amazing.

Where is the goddamn line?

Shoko was heaving so heavily, sweat drenching her entire body and her breaths coming in painful pants. Just a minute. She just wants a minute. Then someone put their fingers on her clit. All conscious thought deserted her.

Then there was a third, fourth, fifth: she was a mess, filthy with come and her own slick, a writhing moaning mess, being driven casually into orgasm after orgasm after orgasm. People came on her chest and stomach. She didn't even bother counting the blowjobs, her tits were sore with being fondled, the blindfold damp with her tears. The sixth, seventh, eighth: she was nearly yelling, near-continuous, breathless moans and panting and begging, for what she didn’t know. They dragged her down from the bed, bent her across it to fuck her from behind. Then up against the wall, smooth and cool against her overheated and overstimulated skin. 

Someone sprawled her out on one of the couches, put her in his lap and bounced her on his cock for what felt like goddamn hours, showing her off to the room. The best possible position for the whole room to see her, to see what a mess she was, see how much she wanted and begged for it. She was sore and shaking violently; sprawled across his body like this her feet barely touched the floor, and Shoko felt so pliable, so malleable, as if her bones were rubber. They found it so easy to move her any which way they wanted. His thighs must be covered in her slick, in other men’s come, and finally he tipped her onto all fours on the floor again and jerked himself off over her ass, groaning in relief when he came.

Shoko sank down on her arms, shaking and waiting. She was flushed with desperation and exertion. There was a few seconds of grace before she felt the next pair of arms tugging her to them. But Shoko wasn't even there anymore: the world was floating, she was outside her head and her body, and the room felt and smelled misty and hazy and lusty. Here she knelt on display for a roomful of strangers with her ass in the air for them to do whatever they wanted with and she was so delighted with it that she was very nearly giggling in sheer unadulterated, delirious glee.

"Fuck," Shoko laughed, bitter and throaty.

The stranger rubbed lube and come and her own slick into her ass, stretching her wide as someone prodded his cock into her swollen mouth. Shoko reached for him, stroking his already hardened length. He thickened in her palm and she rubbed him a little harder, his hips surging forward. He palmed her breasts barely covered by Gojo's shirt—now so soiled and tattered and dirty like her—and stepped closer. Shoko teased him with her tongue, her kiss, the moan she unleashed on the room. Behind her someone else had their fingers in her ass, big strong hot fingers, splitting her open even before he pushed his cock inside her.

Shoko wailed. 

It probably wasn’t sexy. It probably wasn't her finest hour, but if they made her come again she might pass out. She didn’t think she could possibly ever again, not after this—

They made her come again. And again and again.

-

"You got her?"

Then there was darkness, distant voices, and warm water splashing into her skin. Her blindfold came off and she could see the showerhead raining down on her, flinching from the sudden intrusion of the light and drawing her legs near. She hisses in pain when she can't even so much as move her toe. 

"Easy now. Here." 

Shoko can't stand up, can barely lift her head. She feels a pair of secure, strong arms hold her upright. They were kneeling in the showers, the lights dimmed now. Her throat was sore, her voice cracking and raspy. Washing was its own personal hell so they did it for her, gently scrubbing off the sweat and slick from her skin. Soft hands coax the tangled knots from her head, and all Shoko can do is rest her entire body on someone's chest, letting them do everything for her. Then there were heated towels and clean clothes that smelled like fresh laundry.

She couldn't damn well walk, either. She feels herself slowly and so gently being carried from the bathroom to the bed, now replaced with a fresh set of sheets and mattress. All the while cleansing incense burned throughout the room. 

Settling down onto the bed, Shoko took her first real breath of relief. 

It's times like that they remember just how much smaller she was, always the most petite of all of them. She didn’t fill out the same way someone like Meimei or Utahime did, curves and flesh; so watching her be dragged around like a ragged doll tonight only added to the excitement of conquering her. Maybe it was a carnal caveman male thing, even in highschool Gojo and Getou always nearly barricaded her everywhere. If Nanami thought their overprotectiveness was odd then, he didn't know what he'd make of his own instinct to wrap her in clean clothes and feed her warm soup now.

They settled themselves on either side of her, tugging the blankets closer and more snugly into all of them. 

Nanami gently swept away some of the hair on her face. "How was it?"

Shoko sighed dreamily, still closing her eyes. “You liked it.” 

Nanami went red at once and glanced away, biting his lip, but didn’t deny it. “Ah. Well.”

Shoko let out a weak giggle. "It was—" she yawned. "Amazing."

Now it was Gojo’s turn to chuckle, looping an arm around her. "I'll bet it was."

"Fuck yeah, it was," Shoko snuggled closer to him. "I think at one point I forgot my own name."

"That was kinda the point," Nanami supplied, dimming the lights and snaking their legs together under the blanket.

Shoko hummed. "Who was the first?"

"Me," Gojo said.

"And the couch?"

Nanami blushed. Shoko grinned. "I knew it.”

[the-haunted-office]

Two small parcels have been dropped off in the office. They've been placed just outside the door that Eisuke and his fellow yakuza friends would often use to come visit their lovely haunted office friends. One of the presents is firm, rectangular shape. It is addressed to Thursday. The other present, is a slightly larger box that is addressed to Thisday.

There is also a note that is addressed to both of them. The writing look as though it were done in a rush.

Hello my dear friends!!!

It's been hell here in Kamurocho. I'm really sorry I haven't stopped by at all recently. I hope you enjoy these gifts I've got you!

I'm missing you both so dearly and hope to catch up with both of you soon!! <3

Lots of love, Eisuke <3 <3

Thursday's gift is a ocean coloured ceramic coffee/tea cup. It doesn't have a handle, but it's thick enough that the hot liquid held by the cup wouldn't burn the user. There are two small tins in the box, one is for matcha powder, the other is for chai tea. Finally, there are a few Japanese sweets for her including dorayaki, alfort biscuits and a small variety of manju.

Thisday's gift is a soft plush toy of a Don Quijote penguin. It's super squishy and incredibly cuddly. There's also a ton of Japanese sweets in the box, including a few packets of pocky, numerous different kit-kat flavours and konpeito.

[ Eisuke / @reubyocs ]

The arrival of parcels outside the door through which some of their favorite people normally visit of course issues quite a stir throughout the Office! But none more in Thursday and Thisday, who come bustling along as soon as they hear the news of the arrival of those packages. Even Doomsday tags along - much to anyone's surprise - and together, the three of them handle these two packages in the most peculiar of ways.

Thursday opens her box, carefully removes the gifts that are inside of it, sets them aside, and then promptly sticks her head inside of the box - as much as will fit.

Thisday opens his box, carefully removes the gifts that are inside of it, sides them aside, and then promptly sticks his head inside of the box - as much as will fit.

For a moment they both look rather silly, sitting there in the hallway, surrounded by gifts, and with two different sized boxes on their respective heads while Doomsday observes them with a rather hopeful expression on her face.

And then, in a strangely coordinated motion, Thursday and Thisday both remove the boxes from their heads, set them aside, and promptly burst into tears, because what they were hoping to find in those boxes most of all was not in them.

Their friend Eisuke.

Doomsday doesn't cry, though. She picks through their gifts and inspects them, demanding they look at them while patting them both on the head with the Don Quijote penguin plushie. It does eventually get them both to calm down and Thursday brews some of the chai tea for the three of them to enjoy, while together the three of the tear into all the treats that were given to them and reminisce about their friend and wonder what all he is up to now.

They are thankful for the gifts and miss Eisuke terribly so.

And so they decide to send a gift back to him.

Thursday dresses up Mae, who is a little over a year old now, and gets a picture taken with Mae, herself, and September, the three of them, all standing in the Office flower garden that Timmy has worked hard on growing. Then she picks some of those flowers and has Mae help her (sort of) press them into a journal that Thursday has kept about all the weird shit that has happened at the Office over the last year. She thinks Eisuke will like this very much.

Thisday likes the picture idea, and so he decides to get dressed up too, and puts on whatever of his suits or outfits that Eisuke has liked the most, and gets a photograph taken of him in that. He gets it put into a nice frame and spends a lot of time decorating it himself with little glue-on jewels and everything. It's a piece of bling to be reckoned with by the time he's done with it. But wait! There's more! Because there's always more when a Day's involved. He also gets Doom's help into procuring some really nice To'Ak Chocolate and caviar and Dubai's truffles and something called "swallow's nest" that Thisday honestly doesn't even know what it is but apparently is some super expensive delicacy and so it's going into the gift box. He really just thought it would be amusing to get some of the most high end things out there and see what Eisuke thought of them, because Eisuke is the most valuable person to him.

And now Doomsday... well, of course she and Eisuke have never really gotten along. Eisuke probably isn't even aware yet that she's been revived through a series of fortunate or unfortunate events, depending on how you want to look at it. Point is, there's a lot about her he doesn't know, and that's very much her fault for antagonizing him when they first met. Part of her regrets that. Most of her doesn't. But the part of her that does can't help but wish to make amends, as that part of her wishes to grow, pushing up through the decaying soil of the rest of her, like a little shoot of growth reaching for the sun. That little part of her dumps a bunch of different colored shiny glass rocks she found at the glass rock beach into a box, without any sort of organization or packaging, along with a note that just says Let's hope none of these are cursed, hehehehe - Doomsday, before sealing it up. All of them are, in fact, cursed... with good luck. Doom tested each of them herself.

With that done, it's time to write their collective note, which they each write in turn.

Eisuke,

We miss you terribly! Come back to us immediately! Or, you know, as soon as you can. There's no rush. OR MAYBE THERE IS. We're kidding. The only rush is that we miss you, but that's a given. We understand that you have lots to do and that's okay! We hope it's going well for you despite the fact that you said it's been hell. We hope that was a joke or an exaggeration, and if it wasn't, well, shit, man, it better get better or else we're gonna have to charge in there and start fucking up some shit! (squinty eyes)

Thursday - Seriously though, Eisuke, I hope you're doing well! I miss your face! I just can't play Tetris without you here - it's not right, man. You know what I mean? I mean, I can, but it's weird. You know I met someone from another planet who had never heard of Tetris, and they don't allow computers and computer tech on their world, so I had to like, draw him a picture and explain it by hand? It was wild! Try playing Tetris without an actual console to play it on. It's just not the same. But anyway, it's all in that journal I gave you, so you'll see what I mean. I hope you get a kick out of some of the things in there. The multiverse is something else, isn't it? Love you!

Thisday - What can I say other than I miss you, Eisuke? Well. I love you, I guess? Is it too soon for that? Wait, no it's not, Thursday said it! So I can say it too. I mean, I know she said it in a different way than how I mean, but I can still say it too. I hope it's okay for me to. It's how I feel, at any rate. But yeah. The gifts! I hope you like them. I thought you might get a kick out of it, hehe. Some of it might look and smell really weird but I swear to you none of it is rotten! It's just weird rich people shit! If it tastes awful you should blame them for having weird taste! When we get together we'll go get some actual food, haha. Anyway, love you, Eisuke. Take care.

Doomsday - THAT NOTE INSIDE THE BOX WAS A JOKE, THE ROCKS ARE NOT ACTUALLY CURSED. I MEAN, THEY ARE, BUT THEY'RE CURSED WITH GOOD LUCK, YOU'RE WELCOME.

When everything is all packaged up and ready to go, the three Days stand together in front of the door that takes them to Kamurocho. They put those boxes into the doorway, and give them a good push, and then close the door.

And then it's time to get back to work.

Which isn't really work. It's just goofing off. But it'll do until it's time to see their friend again.

[spanishskulduggery]

Can you explain reflexive verbs in Spanish? They're so confusing

The first thing that's confusing is that a good portion of "reflexives" aren't actually "reflexive" so let me start at the beginning and hopefully it will clear up some things or at least help you recognize some of the things you're seeing

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First, what's important to note is that there's an overall umbrella term called "pronomial" or "pronomial verbs/expressions"

What this means is that they're expressions that use reflexive pronouns, and above all they're expressions that use se in 3rd person

These include:

reflexives [true reflexives]

reciprocal reflexives

passive expressions with se

impersonal expressions with se

superfluous dative [dativo superfluo] and/or ethical dative [dativo ético]

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True reflexives (and reciprocal reflexives) are quite easy to understand in general

They function based on the principle that the subject and object are the same - that is, "someone does something to themselves"

Many verbs can be regular, but take on reflexive qualities if the object is themselves

In other words: lavar el piso "to wash the floor" or lavar al perro "to wash the dog"... one person [the subject] is doing the washing, but the piso or perro are the ones receiving the action [the object]

This means if someone washes themselves it becomes reflexive lavarse

...What might be a touch confusing is that there are certain verbs that use body parts, and body parts are technically "us", so you'll see lavarse las manos "to wash one's hands" which is literally "to wash oneself the hands"

It could be me lavo los pies "I wash my feet" or me lavo la cara "I wash my face"; as long as the body parts are our own, there's no need to include a possessive adjective like "my"... it's just implied

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Reciprocal reflexives are also easier to understand in general because they function along the same lines, except it's plural

Reciprocal means "two or more people doing something to each other"

A simple one is abrazar "to hug", where someone can hug someone else... but if that hug is returned it's se abrazan "they're hugging"

Some verbs can be singular reflexive or plural depending on context, or they can be read differently depending on the context:

Se casó. = He/She got married. Se casaron. = They got married.

With se casaron plural, you could be saying two separate people got married... or it could be reciprocal and be "they got married (to each other)"

In some cases, there's some other words added to make it clear like amarse (los) unos a (los) otros "to love one another", or se pelean entre sí "they fight amongst themselves"

*Note: This sí is not "yes", it's an object marker for 3rd person - directly related to se as 3rd person; you're probably going to see this mostly with sí mismo/a being "himself/herself" or "itself", or you'll see en sí as "in and of itself"

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se is an interesting grammatical particle because it usually implies 3rd person, and that can be "he" or "she", but very often in grammar it's an indeterminate subject

That's how you end up with expressions that are either impersonal or passive that use se

These are technically different from reflexives in that they only apply to 3rd person, and they read much differently

For the sake of understanding terminology:

passive - linguistically refers to the object being the focus of the sentence. In active voice, a subject verbs an object. In passive voice, the object is verbed by the subject. Passive voice is either accomplished with ser + past participle + por (alguien) such as El Quijote fue escrito por Cervantes which is "Don Quixote was written by Cervantes". The other way is by using se expressions; it will read as "it is done" or "they are done" etc.

impersonal - linguistically this refers to an ambiguous or undetermined subject. In translation it is often translated as "we" or "they" or "you"; not always a real person, but things like "how do you make a cake" which could be read as "how does one make a cake". Impersonal expressions are often used with se, but you can also use actual pronouns like a vague 3rd person plural or use certain subjects that are vague like alguien, nadie, la gente etc.

The most common example is se habla español and the translation might be different depending on how you intend it.

In high school my Spanish class had a sign that said se habla español aquí which I took to mean "we speak Spanish here" [impersonal], but it could also be "Spanish is spoken here" [passive]

The key difference between them is that passive can be singular or plural, but impersonal is only ever singular

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I’m going to include my tag on reflexives which has more information in general about the pronomials and everything else

Additionally:

voz pasiva

dativo ético

The dativo ético itself is a cause for a LOT of weirdness involving reflexives, so it’s a broad but important topic for more intermediate-advanced people