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ipseitydelrey · 6 months ago

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cherry ☆ s. reid

ship spencer reid x afab!reader

content smut, period sex (kinda?), eating out (f!receiving), while on your period, it’s not that gross i swear, he’s a munch ur honour 🙇

word count 1.7k

summary usually during your period, you get really hot and bothered for no particular reason other than hormones. spencer offers to help out with your problem.

a/n im posting this directly after seeing a show at the moulin rouge, it’s currently 2am; this was inspired by my experience at the eras tour in stockholm

Periods are hell for you. Not just because of the cramps, or the blood, but because you just get so horny.

Now, to others it’s completely normal to masturbate while their periods are happening, either with a fingers or with a toy. Period sex is also a thing you’ve heard of, even from your friends who have often recommended the activity.

But to you, doing anything remotely like that, either by yourself or with anyone else, is a no. Mostly because of the messiness and how troublesome it would be to clean it up. So instead of getting relief by just touching youself, you always decide to wait until your period is finished to start doing sexual activities again. Besides, you only just have to go a few days without stimulation.

But this week is hard. You have the urge to just rip your underwear off and play with your clit until your wrist starts to ache all the time. It’s pure agony for you, and sometimes you find youself clenching your thighs together, or pushing your heel against your clothed pussy to get some sort of relief.

In the middle of your monthly period, one day is especially hard. You’re laying on the couch with a heating pad on your abdomen, your hair hidden in your drawstring hood, and your legs on your boyfriend Spencer’s thighs while he reads a book at 20,000 words per minute. He sometimes glances up at you from his novel whenever you squirm a bit, though you’re not sure if he thinks you’re just in pain from your cramps or if he’s able to read through you.

Besides, you know for a fact that your boyfriend won’t help you get off while you’re on your period. Spencer’s known to have a thing with germs, so there’s no way that he’ll touch your pussy, especially if it’s bleeding.

The next time you shift slightly and whine softly, Spencer closes his book and sets it down on the coffee table. “Are you okay, honey?”

“‘M okay,” you respond, your voice muffled by your pillow being cuddled in your arms. You unintentionally clench your thighs together at his caring voice which unfortunately, Spencer notices.

“You sure?” He gently massages your calf, which only adds fuel to the fire. You hate that he’s a profiler now. “Just cramps?”

“Mmph…” You nods your head a bit as you hide your face in the pillow, trying to hide your soft blush.

“Maybe you’re aroused?” He asks suddenly. One of his hands moves up your leg to squeeze your thigh. Profilers.

Again, you nod your head, defeated since he can so clearly see how horny you are. “Mm-hmm.”

“I see,” he mutters under his breath, but you can hear him. Disproving your previous judgements about him, he shifts his position so that he’s directly facing you, leaving one of your legs to hang off the couch and allowing him to be between your legs.

You pull the pillow down to your chest, wanting to see what he’s trying to achieve. “What’re you doing?” you ask, your eyebrow cocked.

“Can I help you?” Spencer suggests, his hands planted on your upper thighs, close to your core.

“With what?”

“You’re aroused,” he points out again. “And you’re in pain. Studies have shown that orgasms can help subside period cramps.”

Oh, that’s probably why your friends keep recommending period sex. But you feel too tired for full-on penetration right now. Yet again, he could maybe help you in another way. “Are you sure? It’s gonna be messy, and I know you don’t like germs, and I just feel gross.” You argue self-deprecatingly.

“Well I can put a towel down.” He gets up from his position between your legs and goes off to the bathroom. From the couch, you can hear him opening cupboards before he comes back with a black towel in hand. He continues with what he was saying. “And I want to help you. It’s not gross, it’s natural. I want to make you feel good. Here, lift up your hips.”

He puts a hand on your hip to guide you as you lift your bottom half up just enough for him to place a towel down and make sure it’s flat before he guides you back down. The towel is only just there if you say yes though, which he eagerly awaits before he does anything else to you.

You sigh, and figure that this might be worth a shot. You drop the pillow to the ground in front of the couch, quickly followed by the heating pad that was on your stomach. “Okay, fine,” you say as enthusiastically as you can which, with your cramps and your tiredness, isn’t really that enthusiastic.

Still, Spencer mouths a silent “thank you” before he hooks his fingers in the waistband of your sweatpants. You lift your hips up once more to make it easier when he tugs them down and off, leaving you in your underwear. Following the same pattern, he once again pulls your period panties off, and you let your hips settle onto the towel-covered couch.

His hands find their way between your thighs and he spreads them just enough for him to have access to your core, wet from your arousal and your blood. The five seconds he spends just staring at your vulnerable pussy, dripping blood onto the towel, are the most nerve-wracking five seconds of your life. You halfway convince yourself that he’s going to back out and leave you like this, horny and bloody with your pants off.

And yet, he buries his head between your legs and starts by gently kissing your heat, then licking a long stripe from the base of your slit all the way up to your sensitive clit, causing an equally long moan to erupt from the depths of your throat.

“You’re so beautiful, honey,” he says before he dives back in again, drawing circles around your bundle of nerves with his tongue before he traps it between his lips and suckles.

You kick your legs up a bit when he focuses on your clit, the stimulation to your sensitive bud ripping sudden moans from your lips. Your hands find their way to the top of his head and you grasp on to his hair tight.

He looks up at you through his lashes, still working his lips around your clit before he moves his tongue down to your slit, licking a bit before thrusting it into your wet cunt. His thumb replaces where his tongue was before, rubbing small tight circles around the bud.

You can’t believe how good he’s making you feel right now, and you can feel your pleasurable knot in your stomach tightening because of his undeserved-but-needed efforts. You don’t know if he’s doing this for you just to be helpful — considering his complicated personal relationship with germs and the like — or if he just really enjoys eating your pussy this much. With each second that passes by having Spencer lapping at your cunt like a man starved, you start to think that it’s the latter thought.

And he can tell you like it too, with the way you moan and arch your back and even when you start to grind your clit against your nose while his tongue is deep in your pussy. Even if you’re wearing a baggy hoodie and were wearing sweatpants, he still manages to make you feel incredibly sexy. Or “sexy” is maybe not the right word — loved; you feel loved in this moment.

He appears to feel the same as well, with the way he moans in content seeing you like this and feeling your fingers nestled in his hair and tugging lightly. With every small pull, a tiny sound emits from his throat and it feels oh so pleasurable on your pussy.

Sensing your impending orgasm, he takes his tongue, wet by your slick and blood, out of your weeping hole and quickly replaces the muscle with his index finger. He slowly pushes the digit in, feeling your walls pulsate around him as he pushes and pulls it in and out in a steady rhythm. A minute later, he adds a second and starts to curl his fingers against that gooey button inside your cunt once he’s knuckle-deep into your warmth.

It’s so much for you; almost too much. Your jaw hangs open in a silent moan and you almost can’t believe it when you start to grind your hips against his thrusting fingers, fucking yourself with his index and middle as it continuously and without fail hits the spongy button everytime.

Your orgasm hits you almost unexpectedly, a wave of pleasure overflows you as your eyes flutter shut and your back arches just a bit more. Your chest heaves while you gasp for air; this is just what you needed during your period. Seeing you’re damn near overwhelmed, Spencer works you through your orgasm, your arousal forming a creamy circle around his still-working fingers.

“There we go, that’s it, you’re doing so well” are among the small praises he breathes onto your pussy while you slowly but surely come down from the high. At the same speed, his fingers slow down until they become stationery, before he pulls them out with a wet squelch, causing you to whimper softly. When your eyes meet next, he can see how glossy your eyes are with satisfcation pulling at the corners of your lips.

“You didn’t have to do that.” You half-lie with a small laugh trailing behind your words. Though to be fair, you definitely needed it.

He pulls himself up to be eye level with you while you’re still laying there on your back catching your breath. You can already see a mixture of your arousal and your blood dribbling down his chin, though he doesn’t seem to mind all that much. “No, but I wanted to.” He says with a dopey smile, still pussy drunk.

Though the lower half of his face is still covered by your juices, he tries to lean in and kiss you, only to be stopped by your hands on his shoulders and you turn your head to the side with an amused smile. “Ew! I don’t wanna taste my blood!”

Spencer scoffed playfully at your reaction. “I just ate you out and I don’t even get a kiss?”

The way he pleads just makes you melt a little and you decide to give in just a bit by gently kissing his cheek. You can feel his cheeks heat up against your lips. Despite his previous openness, he gets flustered and smiles sheepishly, sighing a little. “You’re gonna be the death of me,” you joke, your mouth still planted on his cheek.

i’ve been plane-hopping around europe for over a month so i haven’t had a lot of access to wifi + i nearly failed one of my courses bc my professor was horrible at giving feedback, hopefully this explains my absence and i hope u enjoyed this !! (i posted this in a flurry btw, lmk if there are any errors whatsoever 🫶)

taglist @queermaxwooo @theoraekenslover join the taglist!

#✩ ⊹˖ ꒰ spencer ꒱ ୨🎧୧ #spencer reid #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x you #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fandom #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfiction #dr. spencer reid #mgg #matthew gray gubler

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cupidlovesastro · 1 year ago

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₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿ ˚₊

𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑜𝒾𝒹 𝓊𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃(𝟣𝟧𝟪𝟧) 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒𝓈

what does union represent?

this asteroid represents marriage, when you come together with someone, how you come together, what attracts you two together, and what will be important in your relationship!

check natal, synastry, or composite chart. if your looking at your natal chart then this could be referring to your future spouse!

1st house- you two could’ve came together for appearances. you both could be very attractive people that just seem like you would be together. this also could’ve been a “let’s pretend we’re dating” situation, and you guys ended up liking each other a lot and marrying. what’s important to your relationship is to keep your appearances, you could want to be seen as the “it” couple. your wedding will be very aesthetically pleasing, and the way they asked to marry you could also be like something out of the movies. you could’ve came together on january, the 1st of a month, new years, new moon, aries season or beginning of a new era in your life

2nd house- you two came together at work or you met then when you were going through some kind of daily/ weekly/ monthly routine. grocery shopping for example. you also could’ve gotten together because you financially support one another. what’s important in your relationships is keeping each other in check financially and being financially stable. when you you get married, the wedding could be very rich looking and the rings could be expensive. you might gift your partner money or vise versa. you guys could meet or get together in february, the 2nd, 20ths , waxing crescent, taurus season or valentines

3rd house- you two could’ve met at a young age or during elementary or middle school. you also could’ve met at a social event like a concert. what’s important to your relationship is communication and understanding. you value long and in depth conversations with your partner. what attracts you to your person is their intelligence, intellect, and the way their brain works. this could be intriguing to you or you guys are on the same page about many things. when you two get married your vows could be long because there’s so much you have to say. when you propose or when they propose, they could have a lot to say when you or them are on their knees. you could meet during march, the 3rd, 30th, first quarter moon, or gemini season

4th house- you two could’ve met because of a family member that was introducing you two or at a family event. you also could’ve met through your mother or on a self care day. what’s important to you and your partner is building a family , having children, being motherly or a good mother, and self care. what attracted you two is your parental qualities, your emotional intelligence, and how you feel like you could build or start a family with this person. when you get married, you or them could do it in front of family or people you consider family. one of you or both of you could also be crying or start crying when this happens. your wedding could have your entire family invited as well. you could meet during april, the 4th, 14th, 24th, waxing gibbous, or cancer season.

5th house- you two could’ve met in an artistic setting like art class or entertainment setting like theatre. you also could’ve met from a dating app of some kind, looking for love, or just to link up. what attracted you two is romantic attraction, and you guys brought out each others inner child. you also could’ve felt like yourself around them and they inspire your creativity. what’s important in this relationship is keeping things lively and brining out your playful sides often. keeping the love strong and the spark going is something you value. when you get married, you could be at an artist even or they could do it in a creative way. you could meet them during may , the 5th, 15th, 25th, or during leo season

6th house- you could’ve met at the gym or during volunteer work. if your in service work, then you could’ve met that way as well. if you work at a pet shelter or a job that deals with animals often, you could meet them there. what’s important to you two is doing things for one another, your love language could be acts of service. what attracts you to one another or to your partner is the analytical nature you both have and if one of you work out or have a good routine, that could be a green flag. when you get married , this person could purposely have worked out more so they could be in shape for your proposal or vice versa. they also could’ve had this planned for months. i can also see that the day of the proposal, before they proposed they could’ve done a lot of things for you like make you breakfast, but you gifts, do your chores, etc. significant times for this placement are the 6th, 16th, 26th, june, or virgo season

7th house- you could’ve met at someone else’s wedding, business meeting, or your friend and their lover could’ve introduced you to this person as well. what attracted you two is that you both seem harmonic, peaceful, and marriage material! what’s important to this relationship is keeping peace, balance, and also the love strong. you guys don’t want to argue or have any conflict between you two. when you get married, their vows could be about how you make them feel at peace or vice versa. the wedding could be iconic and very significant to both of you. it could also be very aesthetically appealing. important dates for you could be july, 7th, 17th, 27th, libra season

8th house- you could meet in a mysterious location or a location where there’s suspense like an escape room, forest, haunted house, etc. you also could’ve met by linking up for sexual reasons or even while you were moving houses and getting new property. you are attracted to them because they have sexual appeal and it’s someone you feel like you could become one with. they also could have a mysterious aura to them, vise versa. what’s important in your relationship is sensual intimacy, sharing things together, and maybe even spoiling each other. when you get married, you two could’ve signed your names on something together, and your wedding could be in a area that’s secretive like a forest. they also could’ve gave you a large sum of money before or after getting married. important dates are august, 8th, 18th, 28th, or scorpio season

9th house- you could meet this person while traveling, while in college, while in a debate, or at some kind of church or religious gathering. they also could come from a different community than you, like if your white, they could be black. this first interaction could’ve also been long distance, or when you get together it could be long distance. what attracts you two is your knowledge on certain topics, specifically societal topics like religion, culture, and law. you and this person could debate or share your conspiracies and philosophies on random topics. what’s important to this relationship is being open minded with each other and allowing you both to come together and support each other while also having freedom. when you get married, it could be outside of the country you currently reside in, and it could be cultural. you guys could also get eloped. important dates could be september, 9th, 19th, 29th, or sagittarius season

10th house- you will meet them through work, a boss, your dad or a masculine figure, your career, or at a place where there are well known people. what attracts you two to each other is possibly one of y’all’s masculine nature, or fatherly nature. also the line of work one of you do could’ve also appealed to one of you, or if they are well known then that could’ve attracted you. what’s important to this relationship is your reputation, status, and keeping structure in your relationship. you want to to be strong and stable. fulfilling relationship goals could also be an important focus. when you get married is could be very public, and gain a lot of media attention or exposure. this person could have proposed in front of work friends, in the work place, or after you’ve had work, vice versa. your marriage could give you some kind of reputation as well. important dates are october, the 10th, 20th, or 30th, halloween, or capricorn season.

11th house- you guys could’ve met through a shared community or friend group you were in. it also could’ve been a singular friend that introduced you guys to one another. i can also see that meeting them through the internet, like social media could’ve been a thing. you could’ve manifested them or they could’ve manifested you as well. what attracts you to each other is that they could’ve been everything you wished for in a person and you could see a future with them, vice versa. this person could also be your best friend within a lover which you enjoy. what’s important in your relationship is keeping things friendly, not in the sense that you guys aren’t a couple, but it’s like you can be 100% yourself around them. you guys could have the same friends or get along with each others friends which is a nice addition to you and/or them. when you get married it could be in front of all your friends, or in front of a specific group of people. it could also be exactly what you wanted from a proposal. your wedding could have many friends and family friends. i could also see you two eloping and having a private wedding. significant dates are 11th, 21st, 22nd, 31st, november, thanksgiving, or aquarius season

12th house- you could’ve met them at the end of the year, end of a relationship, or end of an era in your life. you also could’ve met them during a spiritual journey or awakening, when your older in age, in your dreams, or during a healing journey. what attracted you two is each other’s spiritual nature, or you feel a spiritual connection to them. you also could be attracted to each other because you met when you were healing or on a spiritual path. what’s important to this relationship is being empathetic, healing one another, and growing old together. when you get married, no one could’ve known, like suddenly you guys popped out and was like “we’re married !”😭. also they could’ve proposed during you two’s alone time, or you could’ve had a dream that they proposed then they did. significant dates could be december, 12th, 22nd, 24th, end of the year, new years, new moon, or pisces season

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sanctus-ingenium · 10 months ago

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Ooo!! What's the dragonriders of pern???

NOT to contest the claim of trekkies everywhere, but Anne McCaffrey of Dragonriders Of Pern fame invented sex pollen and omegaverse in the 60s. Whether or not this is a good thing is up for interpretation

Dragonriders of Pern is a series of sci-fi novels that started in the 60s about human settlers on the planet of Pern who live in a pre-industrial era. Every few hundred years, their planet comes under fire from Thread, an invasive rainfall shed by a nearby dwarf planet that destroys all organic matter it touches. To fight Thread, humans have genetically engineered dragons which breathe fire to burn the Thread before it harms anyone. The series starts during an unusually long lull between Threadfalls, and in the centuries people have neglected their dragon riders and dragons to the point where when Thread does inevitably fall again, they are completely unequipped to fight it. Nearly all common dragon riding genre tropes originate from Pern!! Anne McCaffrey was the blueprint. I adore this series, but my favourite part is how as the series go on, the characters slowly uncover the truth that they are aliens in this world, dig up ancient technology, learn to use it, and progress as a society. The genre shift from fantasy to sci-fi is one of my favourite things to experience and, as the reader, slowly realising the forgotten truths that the characters themselves are unaware of is great. In this regard, a big inspiration for my Siren setting.

The series contains scenes of sexual assault and a weird adult/minor love story so I can't in good conscience recommend it without pointing this out. It should be considered a product of its time and approached with a critical lens. It was also one of the first books I ever read with normalised gay side characters and gay sex (not any of the main characters) so that was cool. For anyone wondering my fave is obviously F'nor.

#also irish travellers as actual characters.. somewhat stereotypical but they're among the first dragon riders #ive never read another fantasy or sci-fi book that explicitly includes travellers

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richarlotte · 2 months ago

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365 Days from Rot to Hot (Pt. 3).

Find your colors. You could use AI, take a trip to Lowe’s (this is one of the things I did), or actually use a service, but sorting out what colors suit you is essential. A major part of building my blend and creating my personal style was based around finding things that suited me, and I do believe that you shouldn’t start buying clothes or putting a look together unless you know your undertone, have a grasp of your colors and your body type, understand your seasons, and are prepared to experiment with what you’ve learned. Finding your colors should be the first step you take, as it will make the process of creating looks easier and give you a general idea of what things will look good on you.

Search for inspiration and don’t hold yourself back. It’s your life; it’s your fashion; it’s your style. You can be as basic or as eccentric as you want. If you think Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber are goddesses, then take inspiration from them. If you’re a budding Betsey Johnson or a Lisa Frank and want to design your own clothes and make them even brighter, then do that. If you’re obsessed with Bella Hadid’s western era and want to chase your own wild horses, then go ahead. I’d recommend doing what I did and creating a number of Pinterest boards and using Instagram to create polyvore-like style and vision boards.

Set a reasonable budget and stick with it. You cannot spend more than you have, and it’s not wise to get into debt pursuing a lifestyle that you know you can’t afford in the long run. Create a reasonable budget and work with it; don’t try to work around it. I found myself shopping from Walmart, Meijer, Gap, and J. Crew Factory and looking for sales before I bought anything. Don’t jump into the process and waste your money buying everything straight off the racks; utilize stores like TJ Maxx, look for sales, use what you already have, and really make an effort to make your dollar stretch. Another part of working with your budget is not blowing it by shopping at Shein; if you buy something and then have to throw it out and rebuy it after 5 wears, you’re not actually getting any bang for your buck.

Utilize Pinterest and social media to find women that look like you. An integral part of creating your own blend and finding what works for you is seeing it on other women. I followed a number of women that looked like me and didn’t look like me, lived in areas of the world I found fascinating, and had tastes that I wouldn’t describe as mainstream. I used a number of different languages to search for the trends that I liked; I used Twitter and Instagram to look at hashtags; and I took total advantage of the resources I was able to access. I used magazines, went through online archives, and spent time building my ideal image. Was it perfect? No, but as time passed, it became more and more helpful, and it eventually became the Pinterest board that I use now and my main vision board.

Tie it all together and see how things work. I had to experiment with so many different looks, delete and recreate so many vision boards, and try things for myself. Am I a hairstylist? No, but I’m also not a billionaire, so I had to learn how to style my wigs to see what suited me. I went to stores to try things on, experimented with IG to see if certain pieces of jewelry would suit me, and had the time of my life during my experimentation phase. Collecting online images isn’t enough, and it’s very hard to actually get a grasp of what you like if you’re doing everything online. Try your lookout, put things together, adjust it as you please, and tie your loose ends up.

Pt. 4 to come next.

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rassicas · 2 months ago

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hello!! lately i've been thinking about houses/interiors in splatoon as i've been pondering some up for my ocs, & i was wondering if there's any info on them in canon? so far the best that comes to mind is the splat 1 loading screen & that new art of acht, but I was curious on if there's anything about apartments & interiors specifically... tysm! :-]

Unfortunately we don't have much, and considering how much living spaces vary in real life even within the same culture, it's hard to say x thing applies to all splatoon households. the game developers are japanese, the game takes place in japan, and takes inspiration from japanese culture and daily life. taking that into consideration, where canon fails, i use modern japanese living spaces as a reference for imagining what an interior may look like in inkadia. headcanon aside. time to dig up what canon info i've found regarding homes and living spaces

In the Octotune album booklet we get one of the few examples of an inkling home interior, the Houzuki mansion. though pearl, as well all know, is Insanely Fucking Rich and our average inkling is NOT going to be living this luxuriously. one useful tidbit we can get from the text is this:

Q5: Wow! Is this the garage? Pearl: That's just the shoe storage, man.

the word she's using for shoe storage is ゲタばこ which is a cubby you're meant to put your shoes in before entering a house, located in an entryway. in other words, implying a cultural norm of taking your shoes off before entering (something adhered to more strictly in japan vs america). not like this is really followed in official art showing inkfish at home (except for this s1 era piece of an inkling watching tv) probs because shoes are cooler lol

let's see what else ummm bedding.

s1 and s3 dialogue for flounder heights mention futons. traditional japanese bedding typically laid out on the floor when in use, and folded up and put away in a big cubby during the day. its a common sight to see them hung out in the sun on the balcony to not get moldy. some of those things draped over the railings in flounder heights are futons.

not everyone in japan does this though- youll still see western style beds or even futons on bed frames since taking it out and putting it away is a pain in the ass. also not every apartment has a built in proper futon storage space. (...mine does, but i repurposed it into another closet and just use western style bedding lol)

same is true for inkadians too -the bed in the s1 splashscreen doesnt look like a futon to me. point is there's options for what do with the bed situation.

speaking of the apartment splashscreen for s1, there is a blurb in the artbook about it and how inklings are typically pretty tidy with their living spaces.

im sure there's plenty of messy inklings too. anyway there's just a few tidbits about living spaces in relation to canon info. unfortunately there's Nothing about the bathroom or how they bathe, though previously i shared my headcanons about how i think that could work. for the kitchen i think all we can do is assume. Acht has a fridge how surprising /s at the start i mentioned that i take inspo from japanese life where canon fails. ive spent a few years in japan so this works conveniently for me LOL but i assume most people following me do not have that experience. so for those who wanna take that japan inspo too, here's a few small things that are different in japanese living spaces that ive thought may be true for inkopolis? -living spaces are so much smaller on average (of course) -washing machines do not use heated water and like Nobody has a drier in their house. laundry is hung on the balcony, or by the window if there is none, to dry. you want a drying machine? go to the laundromat. -big ovens? like for baking? casseroles? this is Rare in japanese homes. more likely youll see like a little toaster oven. microwaves with an oven setting. i have a gas stove with a fish grill drawer like this. ive never seen this in america but i KNOW in my heart inklings would have this -tiniest fucking kitchens sometimes. a pattern ive often seen for little one room apartments is a pathetic kitchen space in the hall between the entrance and bedtoom where its like. one sink. and space for an electric burner. you want counter space go fuck yourself. if youre a broke inkling who doesnt cook much this may be the option for you. -i think every house ive been in has had a genkan in some form.

#its like 2am im stopping the post here.#asks #splatoon headcanon #splatoon lore #splatoon world

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swiftyangx12 · 3 months ago

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🕸️Webs Intertwined🕸️

[Pairing]: Villain!Miguel x Spider-Woman![Reader]

[Synopsis]: Miguel has encountered a respectable scientist from another competitor and things get interesting.

[TW]: Female Reader insert, Marvel/ATSV Violence, and Moral Quarrels

[A/N]: This is inspired by @exhaslo’s Corruption series. Ex, if you’re reading this, you’re an awesome writer and I adore your work. Especially the smu-!

Just another day at ALCHEMAX, employees with their assigned duties and responsibilities while heads lowered to avoid distractions. Though, many stir clear from one such scientist, specifically the infamous geneticist and son of the company’s owner, Dr. Miguel O’Hara. A ruthless madman who would do anything to “improve” humanity, no matter whose life is destroyed.

However, things would change when another famous company signed a deal, a collaboration where both respectable parties will start working together for future projects. People whisper among themselves that the other also has their own infamous scientist, but they seem a little "nicer" than O’Hara. For such example, they don’t risk anyone’s live and safety during highly dangerous experiments.

Meet…

[Y/N], a bright and cold bioengineer: I’m Dr. [Y/N] [L/N]. It seems my company is collaborating with yours for the entire year.

Villain!Miguel: “Shock, she’s beautiful.” It appears so.

[Y/N]: My director informed that I’ll be working with you for the time being. Here’s my business card, and contact me for work purposes only.

Villain!Miguel: “Cold and strict. Shocking Hell, gonna melt [Y/N] and make her mine.”

♦️🔷🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️ 🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🕸️🕷️🔷♦️

As weeks flew by since the start of the collaboration, workers from both sides feel the high tension between O’Hara and [L/N]. Everyday is eventful from the two who always battle each other with different ideas to deem whose is better with less casualties. They even bicker during break times.

[Y/N]: Absolutely not! We are not jeopardizing our coworkers for your cruel experiments. We need to start with smaller subjects before human trials.

Villain!Miguel: Think of the possibilities, [L/N]. Humanity needs better outcomes so it’s best to use them.

[Y/N]: O’Hara, we’re trying to help others. Not play God by sacrificing many people.

Villain!Miguel: Help. You think it would change for the better.

[Y/N]: Rather to continue with testing than have high body counts. It’s why our companies signed together, to enhances civilians so they can live healthier and be at the appropriate age to move on from life.

Villain!Miguel: “Even her view on humanity is too good, and macabre.”

As the sun already set with lights of Nueva York shun bright through the night’s darkness, trouble already started. Criminals from many corners of the city have begun with their dirty work, however a certain spider has to prevent the rates from climbing up.

Spider-Woman: *Hangs the defeated criminals in her web* “Stupid shocking O’Hara. Why so obsessed with messing with people? Trying to prove to someone?” *Sighs* At least these idiots are easy tonight…

Spider-Woman notifies the police to clean the mess up and shoots her webbing, swinging out of the scene. She swung from buildings to skyscrapers while discreet at best to avoid witnesses…

“Did you see the news?”

“An actual hero.”

“We haven’t seen one since the Era of Heroes.”

Word got around as scientists and nosy coworkers gossip among themselves about the mysterious hero. Though they sounded in disbelief, were ecstatic that an actual heroic figure is present in their precious city.

[Y/N]: People, we have work to do. You can talk during your breaks, but not while doing your routines.

Everyone around Dr. [L/N] groan and return to their work while some need their coffee. As unfortunate timing for [Y/N], a familiar presence casted over her.

Villain!Miguel: You don't like the new hero?

[Y/N]: *Not turning to face him while feeling disgust and annoyance* O'Hara. No, it's a distraction. We have other priorities to fulfill before fooling around.

Villain!Miguel: So uptight. Have you actually loosened up during your hours?

[Y/N]: I'm just doing my job. Unlike you, a reckless scientist who care less of others. *Walks past Miguel without looking at him the slightest*

Villain!Migual: *Chuckles lowly* We'll see about that.

Later in the evening, [L/N] had to deliver some late-night reports to Miguel’s office and arrived at the door. She heard from other ALCHEMAX workers of how secretive he is with his work, so he has his A.I. assistant, L.Y.L.A. to drop updates of any whereabouts that concern him.

L.Y.L.A.: *Materializes in front of the bioengineer* Hey girl! Here to drop some reports, I see.

[Y/N]: Yes, I just finished them. Could you let me in?

L.Y.L.A.: Sure thing! *Opens the automated doors to the office* Just be aware I have eyes everywhere. *Adjusts her heart-shaped glasses and smirks*

[Y/N]: “Not for long.”

[Y/N] shivers as the cool air from the room hits her. Before entering, she pulls out a hard drive and inserts it in the keypad next to the doors.

L.Y.L.A.: What are you-

[Y/N]: *Calmly commands* Shut the cameras off.

L.Y.L.A.: *Shuts them off unwillingly* What did you do?

[Y/N]: Just updated your system and added in something that can benefit me. *Her eyes glare down at the A.I.* I want you to follow these commands: don't record any footage involving my presence, especially with audio recordings. This includes what I'm about to commit tonight. And also, don't tell Miguel about this. If you do, I’ll insert a nasty virus that you’ll never recover from. Do I make myself clear?

L.Y.L.A.: *Nods silently and disappears*

Then [Y/N] steps into the room, observing the unfamiliar surrounding and proceeds to drop off the reports. Afterwards, she searches through his desk and found notes explaining some unethical experiments.

[Y/N]: Genetically modified arachnids? O'Hara, what are you playing with? *Snaps most of the notes with her phone*

[Y/N] took more images of the arachind species displayed in the office and neatly places everything back in order. She leaves the room quickly and returns home like nothing happened.

Nights passed since that event, Spider-Woman swings around the city. The breeze hitting her face as being shielded behind her mask, performing the duties as presumably the only hero people are protected by and all seems normal. Until she encounters another problem.

Spider-Woman: *Lands on the wall and sneakily crawls into a safe space to relax a little* Oh my god, that bastard is playing like if he’s God. No worries, he’s just a pawn I’ll knock down.

Then her Spider-Sense is triggered.

Spider-Woman: Shit, someone’s here. *Hides in the shadows*

As Spider-Woman peeks out, she sees a menacingly tall figure stood with his back turn to her view. Dark, skin-tight blue suit with intimidating crimson accents.

Spider-Woman: “Who is he? Wait, that can’t be him, right? I know that backside from anywhere. Ugh, why did I acknowledge the details?"

The crime fighter escapes through the shadows and swings away from the scene.

Back at ALCHEMAX located in a temporary office, the bioengineer herself couldn’t sleep much since the discovery from that night. She knew the man back at the late hour during one of her patrols. It was none other than Miguel because everything was connected from the notes, catalogs of species, and everything to manipulate nature itself, especially the human kind. While lost in thought, [Y/N] didn’t notice someone behind her…

“[Y/N]?”

[Y/N]: *Spider-Sense triggered and quickly turns around* WHAT?!

Villain!Miguel: *Little surprised* You didn’t have to be that tense with me.

[Y/N]: I…I’m just tired from working long hours. Are you here discussing about the project or to annoy me again?

Villain!Miguel: It’s about the project. Stone requested that before it’s finished...

Miguel's voice in [Y/N]'s perspective became mudded as she couldn't stop thinking of that night when it was obvious that the other Spider is in front of her.

Later at night, Spider-Woman was out patrolling as always, shooting her webs to grapple onto buildings as she swings through her beloved city. Then trouble arose as she witness citizens running away from the source.

Spider-Woman: *Lands on the side of a tower and scans the area* Great, Doc Ock came back. *Leaps off and swings in scene*

Spider-Woman reaches to the chaos her notorious nemesis created. She lands in front of the eight-legged former scientist.

Spider-Woman: I thought you were sent to prison, for help.

Doc Ock: They mean nothing to me. All I want is to show who’s boss and why they shouldn’t have!ignored everything I worked hard for!

Spider-Woman: Ock, we…I would have helped you with another way but your actions killed innocent lives.

Doc Ock: *Scoffs* They were in the way.

Spider-Woman: *Pissed* In the way?! *Shoots webs behind Doc Ock*

The webs attach to a wrecked vehicle and Spider-Woman yanks them towards Doc Ock.

Doc Ock: *Blocks the attack by caging themselves with their mechanical appendages*

Spider-Woman: *Wraps more webs around the tentacles*

However Doc Ock breaks free from their bonds and swings their tendrils, attempting to swat at the arachnid figure. Spider-Woman leaps backwards, performing backflips and throwing some Web-Bombs at the mechanical cephalopod. They become stuck in place due to the blown-out silk.

Spider-Woman: Doc, you need to return back to your cell.

Doc Ock: *Struggling to escape* Never…I rather die than be directed by anyone.

Spider-Woman: *Sighs* Just return back. We already caused enough damage for today.

As she was about to finish catching the villain, another criminal was on the loose. Spider-Woman’s sense was triggered but it was too late, the other figure swoops in, able to knock the spider hero. She braces herself and crashes into a wall.

Spider-Woman: *Plops down and barely moving* G-Goblin! You two are working together? *Struggles to get up*

Goblin: *Smiles sinisterly* Bingo! Octco was merely distracting you.

Spider-Woman: *Able to sit up but was kick down by Goblin*

Goblin: Now I get to squish this pesky spider~

Before Goblin could end the heroism of Spider-Woman, they were yanked back by more web.

Spider-Woman: “Neon red? He’s here. Wait, feeling limp…Fuck, passing out…”

[Y/N] shoots up awake, breathing steadily as she looks around the foreign setting. It seems like a bedroom and looking down, her suit is gone replaced with a university shirt and some shorts.

She gets quickly got out of bed and rush out of the room. Walking quickly on the chill wooden flooring and looking for someone. Then, she stops at an office where her worst nightmare sits behind the desk.

[Y/N]: O’Hara? No, wait, I should address you as that other web-crawler.

Villain!Miguel: You finally figured out. Congrats.

[Y/N]: I already know it’s you because of your backside. Who else has a muscular back shaped like the discontinued Doritos?

Villain!Miguel: And who else was acting too suspicious when I already know you’re Spider-Woman?

[Y/N]: You already know my other identity?

Villain!Miguel: Of course I know. I sense you, by your scent.

[Y/N]: You smelled me?! I need a minute.

♦️🔷🕷️🕸️[Hours Later]🕸️🕷️🔷♦️

[Y/N]: *Carefully sips some tea Miguel brewed for her*

Villain!Miguel: Calm down?

[Y/N]: *Sighs* Yeah, I’m good. Disturbed, but good. When did you get your powers, O’Hara?

Villain!Miguel: I had experimented on myself a couple months back. When did you get yours?

[Y/N]: ...

Villain!Miguel: Heh, won't confess? Guess I'll force it out of you~

[Y/N]: Do that and I'll force something up your ass.

Villain!Miguel: *Laughs a little* This is one of the many things I love about you.

[Y/N]: *Sighs* I was bit by a spider that was genetically modified back in my company. My director put me in charge of developing more advacned medicines to help people. Somehow, one of the specimens escaped from its enclosure and you know the rest. I'm Nueva York's only Spider-Hero, until you came along as an invasive pest.

Villain!Miguel: Where did you even get these spiders?

[Y/N]: Some biologists and other specialists procured these kinds of species, but why am I telling you this? I have a mission to fulfill.

Villain!Miguel: What mission?

[Y/N]: It’s none of your business. Personal matters for me, only.

Villain!Miguel: Fine. Then you don’t mind explaining these.

Miguel pulls out [Y/N]’s suit and gadgets he held up. He got a hold of them when the bioengineer was resting from the last battle.

Villain!Miguel: Voice modifier. You really know how to hide your identity.

[Y/N]: O’Hara, this isn’t for show n’ tell. I need my suit back and my gadgets too.

Villain!Miguel: I can’t let you go yet. I need to know more about your powers.

[Y/N]: Miguel, this isn’t the time for jokes. I have a mission and you’re in the way.

Villain!Miguel: Tell me what’s your mission and maybe I’ll hand everything back.

[Y/N]: I’m not explaining until you give my stuff back.

Villain!Miguel: *Smirks and he levels his face to hers* Make me~

[Y/N]: *Punches his stomach hard*

Villain!Miguel: *Crouches down and lets go of [Y/N]’s gadgets and suit*

[Y/N]: *Quickly gatherings her belongings and exits out of the apartment*

That evening, Spider-Woman was swinging around the city. Leaping from one building to the next skyscraper as she tries to formulate another plan to get rid of Miguel. Safely landing on the rooftop of an apartment complex, [Y/N] removed her mask to get some fresh air. Viewing the city helps her to relax and keep calm.

Spider-Woman: *Spider Senses triggered* What now, O’Hara? *Turns her direction towards his*

Spider-Man: *Lifts his hands up* I just followed you.

Spider-Woman: Followed me? *Turns off her modifier* Did you smell me like a blood hound?! Tracking me down and other creepy shit you do.

Spider-Man: ‘Course not. I put a tracker on you.

Spider-Woman: *Finds the tracker and smashes it to bits* What do you want from me?

Spider-Man: I just want to understand why are you doing this. Why’d you have a vendetta against me?

Spider-Woman: You wouldn’t understand, Miguel.

Spider-Man: I know I don’t. Just tell me why?

Spider-Woman: Want to know why? Fine. I’m only doing this to get back at your father for killing my parents. I’ve planned everything just to bring his empire down, along with his prodigy of a monster. I dedicated my life and education to destroy everything Stone built and tear his family apart so no one else can be harmed by them.

Spider-Man: I’m not like my father. I was never like him.

Spider-Woman: Will you shut it? Just like that murderer, you decide to hide everything from the public for your own gain. I’m giving back what people deserve to know.

Spider-Man: *Feels a painful string from that comment* [Y/N], you don’t have to do this.

Spider-Woman: *Scoffs* Oh, please! I know you’re eyeing me the whole time because you assumed I’m a spy, right?

Spider-Man: “No, I thought you are the most beautiful woman I ever met and wishing to have you with me forever. ㅜ_ㅜ”

Spider-Woman: *Sighs* Miguel, just stay away from me. We’re only coworkers by day, not close after hours. Don’t want you ruining everything. *Shoots her web and swings off*

A week has passed, the two are founded in the most uncomfortable atmosphere. [Y/N], still keeping her word of only communicating with Miguel for work while the mad man himself, he didn’t try anything to disturb the other. Colleagues and other workers already knew something happened between them. And it’s a first to see Miguel in a much depressive state.

At the end of the day, there aren’t any crimes to solve and the bioengineer took this as a night off from her responsibilities for now. Then, someone came to visit.

[Y/N]: *Holding up her phone* What are you doing here?

“Villain”!Miguel: *Sighs* Here. *Holds out a thumb drive* It’s most of the data of ALCHEMAX’s illegal projects.

[Y/N]: *Looks at him suspiciously and carefully takes the thumb drive* You know I’ll be running this if it’s untraceable and hopefully you’re not tricking me.

“Villain”!Miguel: I’m not. Why’d you have to be so cold?

[Y/N]: I don’t trust you, that’s why. You’re Stone’s son and heard from former workers that you were evil enough to force them to participate in dangerous trials. It proves my judgement on you is true.

“Villain”!Miguel: …What if I prove you wrong?

[Y/N]: What?

“Villain”!Miguel: I’ll prove I’m not bad.

[Y/N]: Really? Would that undo the years of torment you caused?

“Villain”!Miguel: No. I can do better. Just give me a chance.

[Y/N]: “I don’t know. He’s probably using this as an advantage against me. Better not let my guard down. Though, he’ll be more persistent if he continues.” Fine, are you willing to put your own father behind bars?

“Villain”!Miguel: If it shows I’m good, yeah.

[Y/N]: “It takes time to gain my trust, you freaky-ass man.”

As months pass, the atmosphere surrounding the two scientists feels lighter. The duo seemed to communicate better without much disdain though they sometimes quarrel and in their case, [Y/N] would be the one to walk away from the conversation to cool off but is always followed by a 6'9 semi-former mad scientist like if he was a dog worried about his fuming owner.

[Y/N]: Dr. O'Hara, would you stop following me? And quit hugging me, I'm working.

"Villain"!Miguel: *Holds her closer to his chest* No. I feel better staying with you.

Some of their colleagues are questioning their dynamic.

"What’s happening with Dr. O'Hara?”

“You think he finally lost his mind?”

“Don’t know, but I think Dr. [L/N] has something to do with his behavior.”

[Y/N]: O’Hara, people are talking about us. Let me go.

“Villain”!Miguel: So? Let ‘em. At least they know not to bother us.

[Y/N]: “Ugh. Such a clingy man.”

In the duration of their time together, the two Spiders were able to gather evidence of Stone’s future plans and defeat other villains connected to him, bringing down the corrupted empire. With his presence gone, someone else would have to take over his position which leads to Miguel filling in the role.

[Y/N]: Well, our collaboration has finished just as Stone is taken custody for his crimes. This means we’ll not see each other as much.

“Villain”!Miguel: Yeah, that’s right.

[Y/N]: It was pleasant working with you while it lasted. Hopefully we’ll work together in the future. *Remains professional but has a sadden look in her eyes*

Before she can leave, Miguel stopped her tracks.

“Villain”!Miguel: Wait. If you’re okay with this, could I buy you a drink? If you’re alright with that. I know it doesn’t make up what happened to you and everything my father did to hurt your family. I want to be better for you and do everything I can to help make your life easier-

[Y/N]: Miguel, stop. With everything we went through these past months of cooperating with our projects for making the future better and safer while stopping your father, I’ll take my chances going out with you.

“Villain”!Miguel: [Y/N]… *Gently holds her hands* Gracias, for trusting me to take you out.

The months after the confession, [Y/N] still works for her company while Miguel runs ALCHEMAX by his own terms. Changing for the better of his employees and botches out the illegal activities Stone left after his arrest. Everything seems to be the same, though the only thing that has evolve were Nueva York’s heroes working as partners and lovers…

[5 years later]

[Y/N]: …And they lived happily together for the rest of their lives.

Gabriella: Woah…Love does change people.

[Y/N]: *Smiles warmly* It does. Now… *Tucks her daughter in* It’s bed time, sweetheart.

Gabriella: What happened to the couple?

[Y/N]: I’m sure they’re enjoying life together and keeping each other loved.

♦️🔷🕷️🕸️[Later]🕸️🕷️🔷♦️

[Y/N]: Gabi’s asleep. Miguel, I’m worried.

Miguel: What’s there to worry about?

[Y/N]: Our daughter could have our powers, but the side effects…What if they hurt our baby?

Miguel: Cariño, there’s no worry. I checked and she won’t have to suffer.

[Y/N]: Still, I don’t want her to feel as if the powers are a curse.

Miguel: We’ll do everything we can to help her. Be there for her.

[Y/N]: You’re right. We need to be by her side.

Miguel: Sí, we’ll support her. Hey, maybe we’ll give her some “enforcements” to cheer for her. *Giving her a knowing look*

[Y/N]: *Understood the innuendo* Miguel, I was still sore from our first time. Despite having powers, you ravaged me like a demon in heat.

Miguel: Thought you needed a day off at that time.

[Y/N]: *Deadpans at him* -_- I had to call in sick for the next three days.

Miguel: Then Gabi wouldn’t exist if we didn’t.

[Y/N]: *Sighs* At least it was on a Saturday. Come on, it’s your turn patrolling. Maybe after you come back, we’ll talk about siblings if Gabi is okay with it.

Miguel: *Gets thrilled hearing a possibility of growing his family* I’ll get to it.

[Y/N]: Okay. Just come back in one piece. *Kisses on his lips* And still breathing. I love you.

Miguel: *Smiles down at her* Love you, too.

[THE END]

[Tagged]: @mrsoharaa @lazyjellyfish300 @hao-ming-8 @greensagephase @queenoftiddies @kenjioharashotspot

[A/N]: FINALLY! I FINISHED THIS PIECE THAT’S BEEN IN MY DRAFT FOR MONTHS! Yes, I wrote Villain!Miguel as if he was a neglected puppy who wants to be with the feisty kitten (The [Reader]). But it adds flavor for a Hero x Villain trope. I tried to write the reader as someone who acts cold, but with boundaries they put up for valid reasons. The kind of traits like Viper from Valorant. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this story.

💙🕷️❤️Reblogs help creators and creates more content💙🕷️❤️

#Marvel #Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse #Across The Spiderverse #ATSV #Spider-Man 2099 #Miguel O’Hara #Villain!Miguel #Villain!Miguel x Reader #Villain!Miguel x Hero!Reader #Spider-Man 2099 x reader #Miguel O’Hara x reader #Across The Spiderverse x reader #ATSV x reader

153 notes · View notes

portraitofalinkonfyre · 2 months ago

Note

hello :D i'm so in love with your writing i actually came up with a request for the first ever time *ever* since i joined like 5 years ago lmao

-reader gets into trouble with the chain for self endangering, reckless behavior, reprimanding/arguing ensues, maybe with reader not valuing themselves all that highly in comparison to the others? preferably with some rather rough lovin' as an escalation, just to get it through reader's thick skull that they're wanted and important

-i'd love to see Time, Warriors or Sky with this, but if you think someone else fits better that's perfectly reasonable too

-feel free to switch up any details you can't really work around (but no degradation please)

Absolutely!! I love this idea so much, so thank you for gracing me with it! I was also really inspired by this ask so it's going to be about 3-4 chapters long <3

The Bluest Eyes

Pairing: Warriors x Reader

Warning(s): A whole lot of smut and a few scenes of Reader suffering from PTSD. Reader is requested to be female.

Notes: Set in the same AU as Burning Love, where Reader is a retired war medic from Warriors' Hyrule. Also, a "night rail" is a type of nightgown :)

Main Masterlist | Fic Masterlist | Next Chapter

"Get down right now!" Hyrule's shout rang through the clearing, unusually annoyed for the typically patient traveler. Warriors lifted his head, blanching when he caught sight of you sitting atop the thick branches of one of the nearby trees, feet swinging down as you yelled back.

"No! Go heal Wind!"

"Wind has a scrape on his arm," the traveler stressed, gesturing to the snoozing hero as the others began to gather under the tree, expressions ranging from concerned to downright shocked. "You've been stabbed, (Y/n)."

"I'm fucking fine," you hissed back as blood dripped onto the ground from the wound in your shoulder, and Warriors was caught between terror at your condition to complete bafflement at how you managed to climb the tree in such a state. "Leave me alone!"

"Not until you let me heal you," Hyrule ground out with a stormy expression, hands twitching as if he intended to make you come down with sheer force of will alone.

"(Y/n)," Time tried in a soft tone, ever the voice of reason. "Denying yourself care will only hurt you further."

"Then I'll be hurting and Wind will be alive," you snarled, snapping your legs up when Wild took a running jump for them. More blood splattered from your shoulder, staining the sleeve of your tunic beyond repair, and Warriors finally noticed the unaltered fear in your expression.

You were afraid, and he had an idea why. Being a medic during the War of Eras, there was no doubt in Warriors' mind that you had seen terrible things–death, disease, perhaps even betrayal--and the way your eyes nervously shifted to study each of them only confirmed his theory. You were trying to sacrifice yourself for them, though he couldn't fathom why; they had more than enough health potions to go around, and Hyrule had hardly even used his magic when tending to Wind.

There was no reason for you to be acting this way, yet he knew exactly what you were. There was a faraway gleam in your eyes, like you were looking at something that didn't exist anymore.

Warrior's stomach churned as he couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since you felt truly safe.

"(Y/n), please..." Legend's voice was uncharacteristically soft, eyes wide with worry, an expression they all shared. "It was only a lizalfos attack, no one else got hurt."

"He did," you spat, pointing to Wind, and Warriors couldn't take it anymore.

"That's it, we're coming up."

You gasped as the captain took a running start, leaping up and just barely latching on to the branch below your feet. "Get down right now, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"We're just trying to help you," Sky took a less physical approach, moving to stand beneath the branch with a look of barely disguised regret.

"I'm fine," you repeated in a weak voice, and Warriors knew he had to act fast.

"You're bleeding out," he grunted as he heaved himself over the branch, ignoring the blood dripping down onto his scarf; it wasn't like he couldn't wash it later.

"It's just blood," you said, and he could have laughed at how disappointed you looked in yourself when the words sunk in.

"Just blood?" Warriors pulled himself onto the branch, settling next to you, hand reaching around your waist to stabilize your swaying form. Your hands valiantly tried to bat him away, but you were far too weak to do any real damage.

"Please," his heart ached at the beginning of tears forming in the corner of your eyes. "Get down."

"Not without you," he countered quietly.

"You're hurt," you whimpered, and it was as if all the air had been sucked from the space. Your gaze was worryingly unfocused as you turned your head to look at him, and Warriors could only imagine what you were seeing. "I can't heal you."

"I'm not hurt," he replied gently, not wanting to scare you even more than you already were. "It's all yours."

"Oh," you blinked slowly, as if you were struggling to comprehend his very words. "I'm sorry."

There was a knot in Warriors' throat. He tried to gulp it down, but it bounced back with more force than he expected. "Don't be sorry, just let Hyrule heal you."

Your gaze flicked slowly to the heroes waiting below, a protective glint in your slowly-focusing eyes. "...What about them?"

"They'll be okay," Warriors promised, and you nodded weakly, head lolling to the right to rest against his shoulder, pressing your wound to his chest with nary a hiss.

"Okay," you whispered in the most broken tone he had heard from you.

Warriors was sure he hadn't moved quicker in his life, carefully gathering your limp form in his arms and dropping back to solid ground. He remained silent as Hyrule dashed over, hands already glowing with green magic.

"Lay her down," the traveler said in a wavering voice, and Warriors did as instructed, placing you on the ground as if one wrong move would shatter you, and it was then that he truly noticed the ashy pallor your face had taken on, eyes squeezed shut as Hyrule worked his magic above you.

Slowly but surely, the exposed wound on your shoulder closed, your skin knitting together under the traveler's hands, leaving behind a wide rip in the blood-soaked sleeve of your tunic. The fitful expression on your face softened some, but he could still see the slight frown tugging at the corners of your mouth.

Warriors' hand found your uninjured shoulder, shaking it softly as Wild plopped down beside you, face twisted with worry. "How are you feeling?"

There was no response, and his heart could have damn near stopped when he registered the tell-tale softness your breathing had taken on. Nearly shoving Hyrule aside, he pressed two fingers to the side of your neck, fearing the worst.

"Is she dead?!" Four exclaimed in absolute, unadulterated horror, and the others began to murmur in fear. Warriors' pressed harder, motions unusually desperate as he fought to find a pulse. No, his mind whispered, a cacophony of dread as his fearful thoughts soared, cursing himself for not acting sooner. He shouldn't have waited, and now you were paying the price for his stupidity--

The very notion of time seemed to skid to a standstill when you wheezed suddenly, throat bobbing harshly against his prodding fingers.

"She's alive!" Hyrule exclaimed in palpable relief, and the tension in the air began to dissipate. Warriors took several breaths to calm his racing heartbeat, removing his hand from your neck as you coughed, turning your head to the side, groaning softly. "Fuck," you said, and the captain was torn between crying and laughing.

"Are you alright?" Sky was quick to help you into a sitting position. You winced, rubbing at your healed shoulder with your free hand.

"Yeah," you mumbled, looking around with mounting apprehension. "...Where's Wind?"

"Here!" called the sailor, having just woken up from his nap, and you gave him an exhausted half-grin.

"Good," you tried to stand, only to be pushed down by Hyrule.

"Not a chance, (Y/n)," the traveler chided, obviously still shaken from your initial refusal of help. "You're staying right there."

"I'm okay--"

"No," Hyrule said in a tone that brokered no argument. "You are– you are going to sit there and get better, or Hylia help me I will tie you down until you do."

You opened your mouth to respond, but Warriors noted how quickly you reconsidered the idea when Hyrule fixed you with a dark glare, crossing his arms over his chest in a manner that screamed 'try me and die'.

"...Fine," you relented, slumping backward, and the captain had a distinct urge to ruffle your hair. Your cheeks pinked and you all but hissed: "Stop that."

"Nope," said Warriors, laughing softly when you fixed him with one of your practiced stares, though even a fool could see that there was no heat whatsoever in your gaze. He rose to his feet, deftly dusting the tops of his pants. "Time, do you–"

"Um, guys?" Wind's voice interrupted, filled with apprehension. Warriors turned to face the sailor... only to blanch.

A portal had opened in the center of the clearing--pure white mixed with swirling hints of gold. The air around it crackled softly, charged with an explicably dangerous energy that had the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

"Is that...?" You trailed off, letting the situation speak for itself.

"Time," Warriors drew his sword, stalking over to put himself between you and the portal. "Do we have another–"

"No," the oldest hero cut him off, tone unusually icy. "This isn't anything I recognize."

"We'll have to go through it, then," said Wild, already advancing forward. Warriors gazed back at Twilight and Legend, who both nodded, unsheathing their swords while the captain re-sheathed his, bending over to gather you in his arms.

"I can walk," you half snapped, though you made no real move to prove that point.

"No, you can't," Warriors responded, turning to face the portal as Time and Twilight entered it, disappearing in a flash of light. The others followed swiftly, and he could only hope they'd be able to survive what awaited them on the other side.

You recognized the castle gates as soon as you saw them.

You had long since wrapped your arms around Warriors' neck, holding on for dear life despite the fact that you knew he wouldn't drop you, deftly studying the bustling streets as the group stepped into Castle Town.

It was undoubtedly your Hyrule, and there was a certain comfort in being home again. You remained silent as the others chatted, half because you were nearly asleep and half because you couldn't fathom what to say to any of them at this point. Embarrassment coursed through you as you recalled their terrified expressions when you scaled the tree, too lost in your thoughts to realize what was going on.

You liked to think you kept decent control of your emotions, but now...

"Hey," you felt the words rumbling from Warriors' chest before you heard them. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," you said quickly. Perhaps too quickly, from the way he cocked an eyebrow down at you in response. "I'm fine."

"You keep saying that," the hero paused, then continued in a far quieter tone. "But I don't think I believe you anymore."

"Maybe because it's none of your business," you hissed... and immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, I just–"

"I understand," said Warriors. The hand on your ribcage tightened as he hefted you tighter against him. "I really do."

You didn't doubt that, you really didn't, but a thick ball formed in your throat and you didn't trust yourself not to start bawling in the middle of the street. With a shaky huff, you tucked your head against the broad expanse of Warriors' chest, letting familiar darkness consume you.

You couldn't sleep.

The bedroom Queen Zelda had so graciously gifted you was too cold, yet your pillow felt hot enough to burn a hole through metal. You flipped onto your stomach, gripping the pillow as you buried your face into it. Every time you closed your eyes, memories of the War would pop into your mind's eye like flies, only dropping when you awoke, panting like you had run a lap around the castle itself.

"Fuck..." you whispered to the empty room. Warriors had passed you off to Twilight and Hyrule as soon as his boots crossed the foyer, declaring that he had a meeting with Zelda, only returning with a grim expression and ten keys. The Queen had heard reports of a black lizalfos roaming the land, but they were largely unreliable, leaving everyone with no choice but to stay in the castle for the night.

While you were grateful for the unexpected privacy, there was something to be said about sleeping in the open with what you now considered to be some of your closest friends. The room, decked out in purple tapestries, was terribly lonely, as four-poster beds typically weren't the chattiest of company.

The bed creaked as you shifted onto your back, staring up at the stone ceiling, hands fisted in the soft fabric of the creme night rail you wore. You tried not to think of how Wind had almost been slashed, or how close Time had gotten to being bisected by a moblin, but they kept popping up the harder you willed them away.

It was hopeless, you realized. Completely, utterly hopeless.

You swung your legs off the side of the bed, kicking your slippers on and shuffling to the nightstand, where a lone candle sat. With trembling hands, you lit it. A fierce orange glow illuminated the room, and you used it to guide you to the door, peering outside at the empty hallway.

You were no stranger to the castle, which is why you stepped out for a short walk, shoes scuffing gently on the polished floor.

Aimlessly, you wandered, uncaring of where you ended up. Dark shadows stretched and spun before you, quickly vanquished by the light of the candle. You walked beneath one of the many arches, entering a hallway you didn't recognize. A large portrait hung on the very back wall, a stunning caricature of Queen Zelda and... Warriors.

You approached the portrait, holding up your candle for a better view. Their faces were relaxed–not too relaxed, of course–and could be vaguely described as peaceful. Warriors himself looked younger, like the burden of being a hero had not yet hit, with a small grin that made the corners of your lips quirk up.

"...(Y/n)?"

You nearly dropped the candle as you spun around, heart nearly leaping from your chest.

"Wars?!"

And there he was, in all his blonde-haired, bleary-eyed glory, dressed in nothing but a pair of pants. You tried not to look at his chest, mostly because it was highly inappropriate and partially because you were supposed to be upset, and looking at that glorious abdomen made you feel anything but sad.

"You're not asleep," he observed in a matter-of-fact tone. "Why was I expecting this?"

You crossed your arms over your chest. "I could say the same about you."

"I know," his gaze flicked to the portrait, then back to you. "Do you want to talk?"

"Not really."

"Liar."

You bristled. "Excuse me?"

"You're unexcused," Warriors shot back, and you became distinctly aware of just how close a two-foot distance was when you were alone. "Tell me the truth."

"And that is?"

The captain fixed you with a half-hearted, largely exhausted glare. "Gee, (Y/n), maybe when you climbed a tree to avoid medical attention?"

"That's diff–"

"Or perhaps when you refused to let Hyrule heal you until we climbed the tree?"

"That's not–"

"Or should I mention that time you attempted to give Wild a healing potion after he stubbed his toe?"

"You–"

"I'm not done," Warriors cut you off, running a hand down his face. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? How worried I was?"

There was silence, because you didn't trust yourself to speak without breaking down.

"Well?" the captain prompted. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

You stared at him. This was pointless; you didn't want to talk, you wanted...

A knot formed in your stomach. What did you want? It had been so long since you considered something so... well, you felt it was rather mundane, but that didn't excuse that you had no idea what you wanted.

You didn't realize you had begun to cry until Warriors' hand swiped gently at your face with a gentleness you didn't know he possessed. For you, at least.

"It's going to be alright," he said, and, before you knew it, you were bawling, thick sobs shaking your shoulders. Wars wordlessly pulled you to his chest, wrapping his arms around your trembling form.

"I can't do it," you whispered against his clavicle, arms encircling his bare back. "If I can't help him, how am I to help the rest of you?"

"You don't have to," the captain responded softly, hugging you a bit tighter. "You've helped enough-- no, more than enough."

"I know, b-but," you hated how your voice wavered noticeably when you spoke the last word. "I can't lose you."

"You won't."

"How can you promise that?" you hiccuped, pressing yourself closer, heavy tears blurring your vision. "Wars..."

"We're strong, (Y/n), we'll always be here," he responded slowly. Carefully. "Always."

“Promise me,” you whispered, unable to force any other words out. You needed to hear him say it, and the anticipation was tearing you from the inside out.

“I promise,” said Warriors. He sounded genuine, but, then again, he always did.

“Good,” you sniffed, feeling slightly sheepish for crying on him in the middle of the night. “I’m sorry, I just…”

You froze when Warriors put a finger over your lips, shushing you softly. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, holding you like he would never let go. “Don’t apologize for things that aren’t your fault, okay?”

That… that was new. You had always liked Warriors; he was kind and reliable, not to mention an excellent strategist. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach, but you willed them away, hoping the night was dark enough to conceal the burning flush on your cheeks.

“...Okay,” you agreed, distinctly aware of the flexing muscles lying just beneath your fingertips. Warriors was strong–they all were–and you felt as much anxiety over it as you did comfort. “Why… Why were you up?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he responded quickly, and you couldn’t help but chuckle half-heartedly. “What is it?”

The words slipped from you like a knife through butter, like the softest silk and the quietest breeze. “We’re both hopeless.”

Warriors hummed and turned his sparkling cerulean gaze to you. “Maybe,” he whispered to the night. “Helplessness can be helped.”

“You think?” You were almost afraid to ask, but you could have done anything to hear his voice again.

“I think it’s time for bed.”

You laughed before you could stop yourself. Warriors released you when you pushed lightly on his chest, arms hanging loosely by his bare sides. “Isn’t that Sky’s line?”

“...I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Deal.”

With slightly-lifted spirits, you peered outside, studying the star-spangled sky with mild interest. The moon was bright, bathing the hallway in a milky sheen that made it all the more eternal, and you wondered why you hadn’t taken the time to study it before. “It’s so–… I never noticed…”

“Beauty comes in many forms,” Warriors intoned softly with a glance in your direction. “There are people who go their whole lives without appreciating the little things.”

“And you are?”

The captain hesitated, shoulders slumping slightly, making you wonder if he would appreciate a hug. “I’m still working on it,” he admitted softly, and made the executive decision not to pry.

“So am I,” you shot an exhausted grin his way. “...How mad do you think Hyrule will be if I don’t sleep?”

Warriors ran a hand down his face, and only a fool would miss the very obvious, very large smile he was attempting to conceal. Until it shifted to a grin, then a smirk.

“If I have to sleep, you do too.”

“Actually–”

“Hush,” you blinked dumbly when his hand extended, palm up, toward you. A few seconds passed, and Warriors let out a small huff. “(Y/n)–”

“Present.”

“...Just take my hand.”

You did.

First chapter done! This is the second ask that has activated me like this, and I'm excitedly-terrified of the other wonderful ideas y'all might send me in the future!

#linked universe #linked universe x reader #the chain x reader #link x reader smut #loz fanfic #lu x reader #lu warriors #lu warriors x reader #lu fic #hurt/comfort #shameless smut

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thoughtportal · 3 days ago

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A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (and Some Bears)

PublicAffairs, 288 pp., $28.00

But don’t worry—it almost never comes to this. As one park service PSA noted this summer, bears “usually just want to be left alone. Don’t we all?” In other words, if you encounter a black bear, try to look big, back slowly away, and trust in the creature’s inner libertarian. Unless, that is, the bear in question hails from certain wilds of western New Hampshire. Because, as Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling’s new book suggests, that unfortunate animal may have a far more aggressive disposition, and relate to libertarianism first and foremost as a flavor of human cuisine.

Hongoltz-Hetling is an accomplished journalist based in Vermont, a Pulitzer nominee and George Polk Award winner. A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (and Some Bears) sees him traversing rural New England as he reconstructs a remarkable, and remarkably strange, episode in recent history. This is the so-called Free Town Project, a venture wherein a group of libertarian activists attempted to take over a tiny New Hampshire town, Grafton, and transform it into a haven for libertarian ideals—part social experiment, part beacon to the faithful, Galt’s Gulch meets the New Jerusalem. These people had found one another largely over the internet, posting manifestos and engaging in utopian daydreaming on online message boards. While their various platforms and bugbears were inevitably idiosyncratic, certain beliefs united them: that the radical freedom of markets and the marketplace of ideas was an unalloyed good; that “statism” in the form of government interference (above all, taxes) was irredeemably bad. Left alone, they believed, free individuals would thrive and self-regulate, thanks to the sheer force of “logic,” “reason,” and efficiency. For inspirations, they drew upon precedents from fiction (Ayn Rand loomed large) as well as from real life, most notably a series of micro-nation projects ventured in the Pacific and Caribbean during the 1970s and 1980s.

None of those micro-nations, it should be observed, panned out, and things in New Hampshire don’t bode well either—especially when the humans collide with a newly brazen population of bears, themselves just “working to create their own utopia,” property lines and market logic be damned. The resulting narrative is simultaneously hilarious, poignant, and deeply unsettling. Sigmund Freud once described the value of civilization, with all its “discontents,” as a compromise product, the best that can be expected from mitigating human vulnerability to “indifferent nature” on one hand and our vulnerability to one another on the other. Hongoltz-Hetling presents, in microcosm, a case study in how a politics that fetishizes the pursuit of “freedom,” both individual and economic, is in fact a recipe for impoverishment and supercharged vulnerability on both fronts at once. In a United States wracked by virus, mounting climate change, and ruthless corporate pillaging and governmental deregulation, the lessons from one tiny New Hampshire town are stark indeed.

“In a country known for fussy states with streaks of independence,” Hongoltz-Hetling observes, “New Hampshire is among the fussiest and the streakiest.” New Hampshire is, after all, the Live Free or Die state, imposing neither an income nor a sales tax, and boasting, among other things, the highest per capita rate of machine gun ownership. In the case of Grafton, the history of Living Free—so to speak—has deep roots. The town’s Colonial-era settlers started out by ignoring “centuries of traditional Abenaki law by purchasing land from founding father John Hancock and other speculators.” Next, they ran off Royalist law enforcement, come to collect lumber for the king, and soon discovered their most enduring pursuit: the avoidance of taxes. As early as 1777, Grafton’s citizens were asking their government to be spared taxes and, when they were not, just stopped paying them.

Nearly two and a half centuries later, Grafton has become something of a magnet for seekers and quirky types, from adherents of the Unification Church of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon to hippie burnouts and more. Particularly important for the story is one John Babiarz, a software designer with a Krusty the Klown laugh, who decamped from Big-Government-Friendly Connecticut in the 1990s to homestead in New Hampshire with his equally freedom-loving wife, Rosalie. Entering a sylvan world that was, Hongoltz-Hetling writes, “almost as if they had driven through a time warp and into New England’s revolutionary days, when freedom outweighed fealty and trees outnumbered taxes,” the two built a new life for themselves, with John eventually coming to head Grafton’s volunteer fire department (which he describes as a “mutual aid” venture) and running for governor on the libertarian ticket.

Although John’s bids for high office failed, his ambitions remained undimmed, and in 2004 he and Rosalie connected with a small group of libertarian activists. Might not Grafton, with its lack of zoning laws and low levels of civic participation, be the perfect place to create an intentional community based on Logic and Free Market Principles? After all, in a town with fewer than 800 registered voters, and plenty of property for sale, it would not take much for a committed group of transplants to establish a foothold, and then win dominance of municipal governance. And so the Free Town Project began. The libertarians expected to be greeted as liberators, but from the first town meeting, they faced the inconvenient reality that many of Grafton’s presumably freedom-loving citizens saw them as outsiders first, and compatriots second—if at all. Tensions flared further when a little Googling revealed what “freedom” entailed for some of the new colonists. One of the original masterminds of the plan, a certain Larry Pendarvis, had written of his intention to create a space honoring the freedom to “traffic organs, the right to hold duels, and the God-given, underappreciated right to organize so-called bum fights.” He had also bemoaned the persecution of the “victimless crime” that is “consensual cannibalism.” (“Logic is a strange thing,” observes Hongoltz-Hetling.)

While Pendarvis eventually had to take his mail-order Filipina bride business and dreams of municipal takeovers elsewhere (read: Texas), his comrades in the Free Town Project remained undeterred. Soon, they convinced themselves that, evidence and reactions to Pendarvis notwithstanding, the Project must actually enjoy the support of a silent majority of freedom-loving Graftonites. How could it not? This was Freedom, after all. And so the libertarians keep coming, even as Babiarz himself soon came to rue the fact that “the libertarians were operating under vampire rules—the invitation to enter, once offered, could not be rescinded.” The precise numbers are hard to pin down, but ultimately the town’s population of a little more than 1,100 swelled with 200 new residents, overwhelmingly men, with very strong opinions and plenty of guns.

Hongoltz-Hetling profiles many newcomers, all of them larger-than-life, yet quite real. The people who joined the Free Town Project in its first five years were, as he describes, “free radicals”—men with “either too much money or not enough,” with either capital to burn or nothing to lose. There’s John Connell of Massachusetts, who arrived on a mission from God, liquidated his savings, and bought the historic Grafton Center Meetinghouse, transforming it into the “Peaceful Assembly Church,” an endeavor that mixed garish folk art, strange rants from its new pastor (Connell himself), and a quixotic quest to secure tax exemption while refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the IRS to grant it. There’s Adam Franz, a self-described anti-capitalist who set up a tent city to serve as “a planned community of survivalists,” even though no one who joined it had any real bushcraft skills. There’s Richard Angell, an anti-circumcision activist known as “Dick Angel.” And so on. As Hongoltz-Hetling makes clear, libertarianism can indeed have a certain big-tent character, especially when the scene is a new landscape of freedom-lovers making “homes out of yurts and RVs, trailers and tents, geodesic domes and shipping containers.”

If the Libertarian vision of Freedom can take many shapes and sizes, one thing is bedrock: “Busybodies” and “statists” need to stay out of the way. And so the Free Towners spent years pursuing an aggressive program of governmental takeover and delegitimation, their appetite for litigation matched only by their enthusiasm for cutting public services. They slashed the town’s already tiny yearly budget of $1 million by 30 percent, obliged the town to fight legal test case after test case, and staged absurd, standoffish encounters with the sheriff to rack up YouTube hits. Grafton was a poor town to begin with, but with tax revenue dropping even as its population expanded, things got steadily worse. Potholes multiplied, domestic disputes proliferated, violent crime spiked, and town workers started going without heat. “Despite several promising efforts,” Hongoltz-Hetling dryly notes, “a robust Randian private sector failed to emerge to replace public services.” Instead, Grafton, “a haven for miserable people,” became a town gone “feral.” Enter the bears, stage right.

Black bears, it should be stressed, are generally a pretty chill bunch. The woods of North America are home to some three-quarters of a million of them; on average, there is at most one human fatality from a black bear attack per year, even as bears and humans increasingly come into contact in expanding suburbs and on hiking trails. But tracking headlines on human-bear encounters in New England in his capacity as a regional journalist in the 2000s, Hongoltz-Hetling noticed something distressing: The black bears in Grafton were not like other black bears. Singularly “bold,” they started hanging out in yards and on patios in broad daylight. Most bears avoid loud noises; these casually ignored the efforts of Graftonites to run them off. Chickens and sheep began to disappear at alarming rates. Household pets went missing, too. One Graftonite was playing with her kittens on her lawn when a bear bounded out of the woods, grabbed two of them, and scarfed them down. Soon enough, the bears were hanging out on porches and trying to enter homes.

Combining wry description with evocative bits of scientific fact, Hongoltz-Hetling’s portrayal of the bears moves from comical if foreboding to downright terrifying. These are animals that can scent food seven times farther than a trained bloodhound, that can flip 300-pound stones with ease, and that can, when necessary, run in bursts of speed rivaling a deer’s. When the bears finally start mauling humans—attacking two women in their homes—Hongoltz-Hetling’s relation of the scenes is nightmarish. “If you look at their eyes, you understand,” one survivor tells him, “that they are completely alien to us.”

What was the deal with Grafton’s bears? Hongoltz-Hetling investigates the question at length, probing numerous hypotheses for why the creatures have become so uncharacteristically aggressive, indifferent, intelligent, and unafraid. Is it the lack of zoning, the resulting incursion into bear habitats, and the reluctance of Graftonites to pay for, let alone mandate, bear-proof garbage bins? Might the bears be deranged somehow, perhaps even disinhibited and emboldened by toxoplasmosis infections, picked up from eating trash and pet waste from said unsecured bins? There can be no definitive answer to these questions, but one thing is clear: The libertarian social experiment underway in Grafton was uniquely incapable of dealing with the problem. “Free Towners were finding that the situations that had been so easy to problem-solve in the abstract medium of message boards were difficult to resolve in person.”

Grappling with what to do about the bears, the Graftonites also wrestled with the arguments of certain libertarians who questioned whether they should do anything at all—especially since several of the town residents had taken to feeding the bears, more or less just because they could. One woman, who prudently chose to remain anonymous save for the sobriquet “Doughnut Lady,” revealed to Hongoltz-Hetling that she had taken to welcoming bears on her property for regular feasts of grain topped with sugared doughnuts. If those same bears showed up on someone else’s lawn expecting similar treatment, that wasn’t her problem. The bears, for their part, were left to navigate the mixed messages sent by humans who alternately threw firecrackers and pastries at them. Such are the paradoxes of Freedom. Some people just “don’t get the responsibility side of being libertarians,” Rosalie Babiarz tells Hongoltz-Hetling, which is certainly one way of framing the problem.

Pressed by bears from without and internecine conflicts from within, the Free Town Project began to come apart. Caught up in “pitched battles over who was living free, but free in the right way,” the libertarians descended into accusing one another of statism, leaving individuals and groups to do the best (or worst) they could. Some kept feeding the bears, some built traps, others holed up in their homes, and still others went everywhere toting increasingly larger-caliber handguns. After one particularly vicious attack, a shadowy posse formed and shot more than a dozen bears in their dens. This effort, which was thoroughly illegal, merely put a dent in the population; soon enough, the bears were back in force.

Meanwhile, the dreams of numerous libertarians came to ends variously dramatic and quiet. A real estate development venture known as Grafton Gulch, in homage to the dissident enclave in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, went belly-up. After losing a last-ditch effort to secure tax exemption, a financially ruined Connell found himself unable to keep the heat on at the Meetinghouse; in the midst of a brutal winter, he waxed apocalyptic and then died in a fire. Franz quit his survivalist commune, which soon walled itself off into a prisonlike compound, the better to enjoy freedom. And John Babiarz, the erstwhile inaugurator of the Project, became the target of relentless vilification by his former ideological cohorts, who did not appreciate his refusal to let them enjoy unsecured blazes on high-wildfire–risk afternoons. When another, higher-profile libertarian social engineering enterprise, the Free State Project, received national attention by promoting a mass influx to New Hampshire in general (as opposed to just Grafton), the Free Town Project’s fate was sealed. Grafton became “just another town in a state with many options,” options that did not have the same problem with bears.

Or at least—not yet. Statewide, a perverse synergy between conservationist and austerity impulses in New Hampshire governance has translated into an approach to “bear management” policy that could accurately be described as laissez-faire. When Graftonites sought help from New Hampshire Fish and Game officials, they received little more than reminders that killing bears without a license is illegal, and plenty of highly dubious victim-blaming to boot. Had not the woman savaged by a bear been cooking a pot roast at the time? No? Well, nevertheless. Even when the state has tried to rein in the population with culls, it has been too late. Between 1998 and 2013, the number of bears doubled in the wildlife management region that includes Grafton. “Something’s Bruin in New Hampshire—Learn to Live with Bears,” the state’s literature advises.

The bear problem, in other words, is much bigger than individual libertarian cranks refusing to secure their garbage. It is a problem born of years of neglect and mismanagement by legislators, and, arguably, indifference from New Hampshire taxpayers in general, who have proved reluctant to step up and allocate resources to Fish and Game, even as the agency’s traditional source of funding—income from hunting licenses—has dwindled. Exceptions like Doughnut Lady aside, no one wants bears in their backyard, but apparently no one wants to invest sustainably in institutions doing the unglamorous work to keep them out either. Whether such indifference and complacency gets laundered into rhetoric of fiscal prudence, half-baked environmentalism, or individual responsibility, the end result is the same: The bears abide—and multiply.

Their prosperity also appears to be linked to man-made disasters that have played out on a national and global scale—patterns of unsustainable construction and land use, and the climate crisis. More than once, Hongoltz-Hetling flags the fact that upticks in bear activity unfold alongside apparently ever more frequent droughts. Drier summers may well be robbing bears of traditional plant and animal sources of food, even as hotter winters are disrupting or even ending their capacity to hibernate. Meanwhile, human garbage, replete with high-calorie artificial ingredients, piles up, offering especially enticing treats, even in the dead of winter—particularly in places with zoning and waste management practices as chaotic as those in Grafton, but also in areas where suburban sprawl is reaching farther into the habitats of wild animals. The result may be a new kind of bear, one “torn between the unique dangers and caloric payloads that humans provide—they are more sleep-deprived, more anxious, more desperate, and more twitchy than the bear that nature produced.” Ever-hungry for new frontiers in personal autonomy and market emancipation, human beings have altered the environment with the unintended result of empowering newly ravenous bears to boot.

Ignoring institutional failure and mounting crises does not make them go away. But some may take refuge in confidence that, when the metaphorical chickens (or, rather, bears) finally come home to roost, the effects are never felt equally. When bears show up in higher-income communities like Hanover (home to Dartmouth College), Hongoltz-Hetling notes, they get parody Twitter accounts and are promptly evacuated to wildernesses in the north; poorer rural locales are left to fend for themselves, and the residents blamed for doing what they can. In other words, the “unintended natural selection of the bears that are trying to survive alongside modern humans” is unfolding along with competition among human beings amid failing infrastructure and scarce resources, a struggle with Social Darwinist dynamics of its own.

The distinction between a municipality of eccentric libertarians and a state whose response to crisis is, in so many words, “Learn to Live With It” may well be a matter of degree rather than kind. Whether it be assaults by bears, imperceptible toxoplasmosis parasites, or a way of life where the freedom of markets ultimately trumps individual freedom, even the most cocksure of Grafton’s inhabitants must inevitably face something beyond and bigger than them. In that, they are hardly alone. Clearly, when it comes to certain kinds of problems, the response must be collective, supported by public effort, and dominated by something other than too-tidy-by-half invocations of market rationality and the maximization of individual personal freedom. If not, well, then we had all best get some practice in learning when and how to play dead, and hope for the best.

#article #new hampshire wildcats #the new republic #bears #ecology #economics #urban planning

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chere-indolente · 10 months ago

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At the Theater

It's me again ! I won't rest easy until I'm done filling the gaps in my 1880s wardrobe and evening wear sure was a big one. So here, come and look at these 1870's / 1880's evening bodices, 4 of them ! You're welcome, just don't use them for gardening or the historical fashion police will be on your back ❤️

More pics and download below

This set was inspired by 2 of Mary Cassatt's paintings : as referenced in the title, At the Theater, 1880 and Woman in a Loge, 1879.

——————— Plain and Bow Bodices ———————

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These 2 bodice are the ones that are most inspired by Mary Cassatt's paintings, but it's also a style I've seen a bunch in other impressionist paintings of the time. It's a simple sleek bodice with off the shoulder sleeves and a low rounded collar as was fashionable in the late 1870s and early 1880s.

It is specially made to be worn over my bustle skirts. An overlay is included to change the bow's color.

74 swatches for the bodices : 22 solids, 10 floral, 6 plaid, 25 striped & 11 polka dot patterns

22 solid swatches for the bow overlay

the bow overlay is in the right wrist section

Disclaimer :

1 -be aware there will be some distorsion in the armpit area, I did my best but armpit weights are tricky.

2 - the patterned swatches will not be seamless in that same armpit region as you can see below it's quite cluncky :

————————— Rococo Bodice —————————

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This bodice, like the name implies, is inspired by Rococo fashion. The Rococo style dates back to the 18th century and it had a bit of a revival during the victorian era which impacted the fashion as much as the interior decor among other things. This influence, here, results in a squarish neck line and a triangle piece reminiscent of 18th century stomachers.

Like the the plain and bow bodices it has been specially made to be worn over my bustle skirts. An overlay is included to change the trim's color.

74 swatches for the bodice : 22 solids, 10 florals, 6 plaids, 25 stripes & 11 polka dots patterns

22 solid swatches for the Rococo trim overlay

the Rococo trim overlay is in the right wrist section

————————— Flower Bodice —————————

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This bodice was mostly inspired by some fashion plates from 1880.

Contrary to the 3 others, I made it so it sits under the skirt, so it'll work with other bottoms than my bustle skirt too should you want to.

74 swatches for the bodice : 22 solids, 10 florals, 6 plaids, 25 stripes & 11 polka dots patterns

62 swatches with various color combinations for the flower overlay

the flower overlay is in the right wrist section

—————————— Boutonnière —————————

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In addition to the flower accessories from my previous set, here is a boutonnière that sits lower on the chest to work with lower neck lines. Contrary to my previous boutonnière, this one is also compatible with necklaces. Like my other flower accessories, this is a pretty timeless accessory as evidence by the picture below.

Once again this is an edit of @the-melancholy-maiden's Hair Flowers Through the Ages Part 2 thanks to her very open TOU.

not compatible with hats

in the nose piercing section (so that it's compatible with necklace)

51 swatches : the-melancholy-maiden's original 29 colors and my 22 colors

available for female frames

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Download : dropbox — simfileshare

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And as a little bonus some of my main reference pictures :

#my cc #ts4cc #ts4 historical #ts4 clothes #ts4 accessories #sims 4 historical #sims 4 clothes #sims 4 accessories #maxis match #decade challenge #1880 #clothes #timeless #accessories #teen #grown up #1880s Impressionism Sets

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allisluv · 8 months ago

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DATING MODERN!FINNICK ODAIR HEADCANONS

finnick odair x fem!reader

this is completely inspired by the wonderful @sirenologyyy !!! please check out their sejanus headcanons, they're actually my favourite thing in the world! also im thinking of turning this into a series, so let me know which characters you want next by telling me in my inbox <3

modern!finnick whos love language is acts of service.

modern!finnick who will give you the homework in a heartbeat (even if half of his answers are wrong).

modern!finnick who queued up online for hours to get you eras tour tickets.

modern!finnick who showers you in love and affection at every single opportunity.

modern!finnick who buys you matching shark tooth necklaces and never takes his off.

modern!finnick who never goes to bed without telling you how much he loves you.

modern!finnick who always makes sure to buy you a new bouquet of flowers before your old ones die.

modern!finnick who loves when you wear his clothes -- especially his lacrosse jerseys. (this man would be feral ifywkim).

modern!finnick who watches tutorials online so he can learn how to braid your hair.

modern!finnick who is always holding your hand or linking your pinky fingers together in a crowd.

modern!finnick who buries his face in your neck when he's flustered.

modern!finnick who religiously watches the mamma mia movie (and cries during the slipping through my fingers scene). he's overall just a sucker for romcoms tbf

modern!finnick who is an early bird and goes for morning swims.

modern!finnick who had a youtube channel at some point or another.

modern!finnick who wanted to be a doctor because he watched greys anatomy ONCE .

modern!finnick who helps the kids on your street set up their lemonade stands during the summer <333

modern!finnick who is the best at gossiping. this man is telling you all the drama and making up code names so you can talk about it in public. hes so invested in other peoples lives (me too babe).

modern!finnick who loves the beach but hates the feeling of sand in between his toes.

modern!finnick who is your biggest supporter. he's such a good hype man and he cheers you on with whatever it is you choose to do.

#grace talks🐚🌷#the hunger games #thg #headcanons #finnick odair #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair fluff #finnick odair smut #finnick odair angst #sam claflin #catching fire #mockingjay

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obsessioncollector · 3 months ago

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Hi friends! Inspired by @librarycards I wanted to make a post celebrating Women in Translation Month! Anglophone readers generally pay embarrassingly little attention to works in other languages, and that's even more true when it comes to literature by women, so I will jump at any chance to promote my faves 🥰 Here are some recs from 9 different languages! Also, I wrote this on my phone, so apologies for any typos or errors!

1. Trieste by Daša Drndić, trans. Ellen Elias-Bursać (Croatian): An all-time favorite. Much of Drndić's work interrogates the legacy of atrocities in Europe, particularly eastern Europe. Trieste is a haunting contemplative novel centered on an elderly Italian Jewish woman whose family converted to Catholicism during the Mussolini era and were complicit in the fascist violence surrounding them in order to protect themselves.

2. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, trans. Anton Hur (Korean): A collection of short stories that are difficult to classify by genre–speculative fiction in the broadest sense. The first story is about a monster in a woman's toilet, which sounds impossible to pull off in a serious, thought-provoking manner, but Chung does so easily—these are the kind of stories that are hard to explain the brilliance of secondhand.

3. Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy, trans. Tim Parks (Italian; Jaeggy is Swiss): Another all time favorite! The cold, sterile homoerotic girls' boarding school novella of your dreams.

4. Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories by Taeko Kono, trans. Lucy North (Japanese): I think I read this in one sitting. Incredibly unsettling—these stories will stay with you. They often focus on the unspoken psychosexual fantasies underscoring mundane daily life.

5. The Complete Stories by Clarice Lispector, trans. Katrina Dodson (Brazilian Portuguese): I think Lispector is the best known writer here, so she might not need much of an introduction. But what a legend! And this collection is so diverse—it's fascinating to see the evolution of Lispector's work.

6. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, trans. Melanie L. Mauthner (French; Mukasonga is Rwandan): Give her the Nobel! Mukasonga's books, at least the ones available in English, are generally quite short but so impactful. Our Lady of the Nile is a collection of interrelated short stories set at a Catholic girls' boarding school in Rwanda in the years before the Rwandan genocide. These stories are fascinating on many levels, but perhaps the most haunting element is seeing how ethnic hatred intensifies over time—none of these girls would consider themselves particularly hateful or prejudiced, but they easily justify atrocities in the end.

7. Extracting the Stone of Madness: Poems 1962-1972 by Alejandra Pizarnik, trans. Yvette Siegert (Spanish; Pizarnik was Argentinian): Does anyone remember when my url was @/pizarnikpdf... probably not but worth mentioning to emphasize how much I love her <3 Reading Pizarnik is so revelatory for me; she articulates things I didn't even realize I felt until I read her words.

8. Flight and Metamorphosis: Poems by Nelly Sachs, trans. Joshua Weiner (German): Sachs actually won the Nobel in the 1960s, so it's surprising that she's not better known in the Anglosphere. Her poems are cryptic and surreal, yet deeply evocative. Worth mentioning that this volume is bilingual, so you can read the original German too if you're interested.

9. Frontier by Can Xue, trans. Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping (Chinese): Can Xue is another difficult-to-classify writer in terms of genre. Her short stories are often very abstract and can be puzzling at first. I think Frontier is a great place to start with her because these stories are interconnected, which makes them a bit more accessible.

#literature #women in translation #world literature #reading list #book recommendations #resources

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orteil42 · 1 year ago

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enough about cookie clicker, what inspires/inspired you to make NESTED 1 and 2? and also what inspired you to add certain things too like the cat thoughts or pasta butts and so on-

as much as Cookie Clicker draws from various sources i think Nested is probably the "purest" thing i've made! i toyed with the idea of a complex interconnected text-based world during a lunch break once and started coding it once i got home. after i got the basic recursion mechanic working the rest basically wrote itself! (it didn't it took me a while) in the end due to design limitations i didn't have much of the initially planned interconnectedness (ie. finding some person in an office thinking about their spouse and kids, then exploring the rest of the town and coming across said spouse and kids at home) but that would've been a lot of work for something that hardly anyone would notice anyway. in Nested 2 i try to suggest a bit more structure and cohesion ie. each planet procedurally generates its own set of recurring brands, famous authors, popular drinks etc.

each category of animal in Nested has its own set of thoughts based on whatever archetype i thought was funny at the time, ie. horses are very confused, worms go squirm squirm and cetaceans are insufferable. cats, along with some lolcat quotes of the era, quote the Time Cube conspiracy website, to reflect their wise and easy-going personalities.

as these were the far reaches of 2011 i was fairly big on "lolrandum" humor which is why among other things there's a 0.01% chance the game will generate a random kind of pasta inside someone's butt, and 0.2% of some crustacean spawning inside a black hole, for instance. this sort of infantile nonsense is something i still stand by and i will try my best to maintain it for the sequel

#nested

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heavenmercy · 3 months ago

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I never understood why people dont bring Gregory being interested on military stuff more. I remember loving Gregory because of the military aspects of his character.

I had studied War history and Military history for years, it's actually a big part of the things I'm interested in. I mostly specialize on the history of UK and France's side of it in past history. I also study on UK's Airforce during a specific era, the Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes are something I really really love.. And basically put that onto Gregory's interest too.

But anyways I really feel like people should point it out more! Gregory literally leads the revolution so prepared and is canon that he has done stuff like this before.

AND AND LOOK AT THESE LITTLE ARMY FIGURES I know that it's not implied of who own these, but I like to think they're Gregorys since he's the one handling them to tell the plans of where they should go and how the base is set up.

Another thing I found in detail is the song that comes up in the background when Gregory finds the La Resistance's hideout.

youtube

(Starts at 0:37)

I know, It might be a stretch, but to me it sounds so familiar (or at least inspired) by army marching music, it defiantly has the tone to it, which is a detail I adore and I never see anyone point it out before I also feel like it makes sense since the setting of the movie is... mostly about military and war themes, Gregory volunteers to be apart of this, defiantly has experience, knows what hes talking about, and has knowledge about it. (Note: He's also literally political about the American government and all the shit going on) And of course he knows Christophe who also very similarly is experienced in those topics too (I mean.. look at him) And the final part, is Gregory of course being inspired by Enjolras (Les Misérables) which is basically about the French Revolution War... (I know its not Military specifically but I really hope you get what Im putting down) I just love the details! I feel like Gregory is defiantly a military interest guy and loves taking charge of something he knows a lot about. I like the headcanon of it and how theres canon parts that can back it up. People kinda ignore it a lot... which is upsetting, since it's such a big part of his character. But of course, I won't put this as something people need to force into their headcanons and face it as 100% fact. I only find it disappointing that it's just a detail that is left neglected and barley even brought up.

(Old art coming in ew)

I remember featuring it on past Gregory artwork ... and I am considering just bringing it up again not only here but in future stuff as well. I dunno, I just wanted to ramble and I hope I had pointed out stuff that you didnt know about before!!

Military Gregory ily, they'll never make me hate you

#gregory of yardale #gregory south park #sp #south park #rambles

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umlewis · 2 months ago

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Lewis Hamilton: I've Struggled With Depression From A Very Early Age

From Formula One glory to making a film with Brad Pitt, at 39, the sports star is more successful than ever. It's been tough, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Sir Lewis Hamilton is the most successful Formula 1 driver in history, with 105 (at the time of writing) grand prix victories to his name, as well as seven championships and a knighthood in 2021. What makes this achievement even more extraordinary is Hamilton's background. He is the first and only black man to race in F1, a sport dominated by the gilded progeny of wealthy white families. A child of mixed heritage-his father, Anthony, is of Grenadian descent; his mother, Carmen, is a white woman from Birmingham-Hamilton was partly raised on a council estate in Stevenage, his family sacrificing so much to get him to the track. "I am grateful I had that experience. I remember not having any money. I remember the struggle of my parents. I feel that's an advantage," he says. "Did you fight harder on the track because it was so tough for you to get there," I ask. "One thousand per cent," he replies. We are meeting at the Kensington Roof Gardens (Hamilton has a home in London, as well as Monaco, Geneva, Colorado and New York). He is a vision in expensive beige: Maison Margiela slacks, chunky Bottega Veneta boots, a Dries Van Noten cardigan, Dior bracelets, Cartier rings, a pearl necklace he bought online, twinkly little studs, one for each side of his nose, his hands a collage of geometric tattoos. But his love of fashion goes beyond amassing a "dream" wardrobe. He has collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger on several collections and has just been made guest designer at Dior, for whom he has a debut collection coming this autumn, the palette for which was inspired by his travels in Africa, particularly Nigeria. Hamilton agrees it's a busy time for him. At the end of this season he will be moving to Ferrari, after twelve years with Mercedes. "It's been a rollercoaster of emotions from the moment I signed the contract. Telling my boss, that was terrifying. But it's so exciting because I remember as a kid watching Michael. Every driver watches that car and you're like, 'What would it be like to sit in the red cockpit?'" He is a quiet presence, boyish almost, despite his 39 years. He uses euphemisms for swearwords such as "frick" and "shoot." He doesn't drink, is "plant-based," and loves hanging out with his nieces and nephew, playing Uno and Fortnite, chucking them about in the pool on holiday. "I'm really good with the kids," he says, setting aside his oat latte. "With them I feel like I'm able to be the kid that I am."

Hamilton's own childhood was not so carefree. His parents separated when he was two, his father meeting his new wife, Linda, at British Rail, where they both worked. Sundays with his dad were spent watching Formula 1. This was the era of the talismanic Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna, Hamilton's hero. It was during a holiday in Ibiza that he first got in a go-kart. "I was hooked," he says. "The adrenaline, the chaos, trying to control it. You feel it in your chest, your emotions, through your fingers, everything." Hamilton's dad bought him a kart for Christmas when he was eight. "I think he just wanted something to do with me, this kid that had all this energy, that had no fear." He describes himself, back then, as a "Tasmanian devil," a child who didn't enjoy school, who had undiagnosed dyslexia, who was shy - but behind the wheel "something flowed through me. It was the only thing I was confident in." The family began to orientate their existence around Hamilton's racing, his father taking extra jobs, while his stepmum spent all her savings on his new passion. Hamilton won his first race when he was ten. "That was really empowering for me," he says, 'Because I was competing against a lot of wealthier families."

It was also around this time that Senna died, his car crashing into a concrete barrier during the San Marino Grand Prix. "I was with my dad; we were working on the go-kart. I remember going to the front and crying, bawling my eyes out. I couldn't cry in front of my dad. He was not that kind of guy." Hamilton suppressed his grief, in the same way that he suppressed his emotions about the bullying and racism he endured. "There was no escaping it. You experience it at school, in the parks, walking through town. I didn't understand it and my parents never spoke to me about it. They never explained what was going on. My dad was just, 'Keep your head down, hold it in, don't say anything, just beat them on the track, that's all you can do.'" So that was what he did. When Hamilton was thirteen he was offered a place on the McLaren driver development team. His father became his manager, looking after all elements of his career, including finance. "Even when I got to Formula 1, at 22, I had no comprehension of money," he says. Hamilton's first F1 season was in 2007, his first championship win in 2008. But despite all that it gave him, despite his deep love of the sport, of competing, Hamilton found the world of F1 corporate and stifling. There was a requirement to conform, a residual feeling that just one misstep and the opportunities he had been given would be taken away. "It wasn't until I'd had some wins that I started to put my toe out of the box. Each time it was, like, you make one step and that rock's safe, but that next one was wobbly or would fall away. You'd get criticism about how you were presenting yourself. But I kept punching and kept fighting." Racing, like so much competitive sport, can be a lonely business. "You're nice and friendly outside the car," Hamilton says, "but in the car my dad would say you have to be ruthless, aggressive, sharp. In the car there are no friends." He found greater freedom, a sense of belonging and camaraderie, in the fashion world, attending his first show in 2007. "Everyone was wearing what they wanted. You didn't feel like you were being judged because everyone's on their own vibe. It was the first time I got into an environment where everyone was expressing themselves and I loved it."

Hamilton tried to bring some of that creative freedom to his professional life. In 2010 he sacked his father as manager. "Obviously parents try to protect their kids, forever I guess, and some don't want to let go. My dad struggled with that. There was a point when I was like, 'Look, I've done everything you've asked me to do, now let me live my life. I am going to have to make my own mistakes.' That was a really tough process." At the end of the 2012 season he left McLaren for Mercedes. "They gave me a lot more freedom," he says. He became involved in the look of the team, bringing in Hilfiger to help redesign the clothing. "But still if I felt there were wrongdoings, I didn't feel I could speak out." That all changed in 2020, when Hamilton watched a video of the murder of George Floyd by the policeman Derek Chauvin. "The cork popped. It had me on my knees in tears. All this emotion came out. It was such a strange experience because I don't remember crying since I was really young. I knew that I'd had enough, I really needed to speak out. There are people that are staying silent, people that feel voiceless, and I have this platform. Winning championships is an amazing thing, but what are you doing with it? What are you doing with your time on this planet?" These were the questions that Hamilton began asking himself during that pandemic year, which was also when he started meditating. "I would struggle initially to calm my mind, but it's a really great way of getting in touch with myself, my inner feelings, understanding what I want to do." These days he meditates every morning, waking at five, following this with a ten km run, which he sees as an extension of his meditation, a time to have ideas, to clear his mind.

"When I was in my twenties I had some really difficult phases. I mean, I’ve struggled with mental health through my life." What are we talking, I ask. Anxiety, depression? "Depression. From a very early age, when I was, like, thirteen . I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school, the bullying. I had no one to talk to." I ask if he has ever seen a therapist. "I spoke to one woman, years ago, but that wasn't really helpful. I would like to find someone today." He has gone on silent retreats and reads books about mental health, including The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. "You're learning about things that have been passed down to you from your parents, noticing those patterns, how you react to things, how you can change those. So what might have angered me in the past doesn't anger me today. I am so much more refined." The year 2020 was a time of profound personal change. Hamilton took the knee before every race he entered that year. He advocated for change within his industry, initiating the Hamilton Commission to research the underrepresentation of black people in UK motorsport and the STEM sector. Using this information, he launched Mission 44, a charity to help young people around the world overcome social injustice, investing £20 million (he is worth an estimated £350 million) into the project.

He also started moving into other spheres with greater purpose, including fashion and music. He developed a non-alcoholic drink, Almave, and set up a film production company. "I want to be able to tell diverse stories. Film has changed my life. There is so much inspiration I have received," he says. One of his first co-productions is F1, the upcoming movie with Brad Pitt and a more diverse vision of the circuit, including a female technical director. "That was important to me. I lived with my dad, but I was really raised by my two mums and my two sisters. I grew up around a lot of female energy, powerful women. Most of the people on my team are women. The women hold it down." And, of course, there is Pitt playing a driver in his fifties. "That was a tricky part for me," Hamilton says, "because, shoot, of course we want Brad. But I was like, there is no way a 58 year old can compete with a twenty year old. These guys have got nothing going on but to race. And they're fit. So we had to work around this narrative, telling him how much harder he would have to train to get in shape." Hamilton himself is old for an F1 driver, most of whom retire in their thirties. His replacement at Mercedes, the Italian Kimi Antonelli, has only just turned eighteen. You could be his dad, I say, and Hamilton laughs like this hadn't actually occurred to him. "Honestly, right now I feel I'm healthier than I've ever been," he says. "I'm in such a good place, physically and mentally. My reaction times are still quicker than the young guys. I think I'm a better driver than I was at 22. I was just young, energetic and ruthless, but no finesse, no balance. I didn't know how to be a team player, how to be a leader. Being a good racing driver, it's not just about being fast. It's about being the most rounded. When I study the legends, they're spread between small percentages, so it's the whole package. What do they speak for, stand for? That's what I look at. I look to Ayrton Senna and Nelson Mandela, and those are the two people gelled together that I want to be."

Senna used to cross himself before every race. Like him, Hamilton was raised a Catholic. "I pray every time before I race," he says. "I pray that everyone is safe." Motor racing is far less dangerous than it used to be, but people still die. I ask Hamilton if he fears death when he drives. "I don't, no," he says. "But still, we're traveling at crazy speeds. You have to respect it. So that's why I'm conscious of the time I spend with my family, with my mum. Is this the last time I get to hug her? Because you just don't know. Nothing is guaranteed." Hamilton is single, but he would like to have a family. "One day. I wouldn't be able to do what I do to the level that I do it today with that. One of my best friends has just had a kid and I'm seeing how manic it is. And my nieces and nephew are a handful. There will be a time and a place for it, and I can't wait for that part. But right now I have some work to do."

#lewis hamilton #f1 #formula 1 #fic ref #fic ref 2024 #not a race #2024 not a race #between singapore and usa 2024 #(note to self: article posted 6 pm bst on sep 28 2024. no idea when actually conducted.)#tw alcohol #tw racism #tw police brutality

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