#it might take me 2-3 business weeks to process this news

[andreyyvieras]

You meant to tell me they won't play together this season? That they will have to go against each other, once the deal complete?

[puripurin]

Yan! Llama Hybrid x SheepHybrid! Reader

— Recently, on the farm, a bunch of coyotes and wolves started to snag some sheep hybrids into the woods when they would get too close to the fences. It has gotten so bad that they would do it in broad daylight.

The owners decided that they would introduce a new addition to the herd to combat the coyotes. A male Llama named Lumi. All of the sheep were skeptical at first because they all thought that it was a little odd that the new sheep would have such a long neck and a lot bigger in size, but soon enough, they couldn't help but warm up to him.

Lumi, on the other hand, was still in his awkward phase. He'd recently entered into adulthood and was feeling sad and lonely without his parents there to guide him, but it wasn't until he saw your gorgeous curls and your small little tail that wagged in excitement. Just in that moment, he'd decided to be your life-long mate and started the process of courting you.

You did not give a shit about Lumi. You only cared about the coyotes that ate the rest of the flock. You wanted to start making sacrifices to grow your cult of small critters such as squirrels and rabbits.

This was because you heard from a passing by sheep hybrid that was being transported to another farm about how you could obtain everything you wanted if people devoted their lives to you.

However, you didn't expect Lumi to be so dedicated to you that he'd easily deciphered your messages to your devout followers and your weekly gatherings.

As you walked out of the dead of night, with the intention of killing a coyote that night. But it was oddly still, as if it was waiting for something. The trees didn't ruffle against each other, and the cool wind was nowhere to be seen

You stiffened up and silently walked back. If one of the other sheeps found out about this whole cult thing you had going on, you'd be ousted and killed by the coyotes instead.

But, you were immediately thrown down and turned over. Your eyes widened in panic and started to attack the person who held you down silently, only to realize that blood was dripping on your face.

"My love, I've killed one of those tainted and unpure coyotes for your sacrifice. I would hate to see your delicate hands get stained with something unworthy of your desire... but why... Why do you yearn and look at someone else with interest other than me? ... Only I shall be your eyes and ears, my love..."

Random and barely edit post after months of not posting. I was watch yt shorts and i came across a video abt guard llamas w sheeps. Its been on my mind for 3 weeks and i started this 2 weeks ago. I only decided now to finish it.

You can see the point where i went fuck it because i had no idea what to do with the reader's background so i was like "Ooh maybe they want to smash the coyotes... what's close to smashing coyotes... Cult." Cult leader YN it is.

Anyways below is for the rest of people who want to know what happened after that incident.

I feel better about my dog's death, but we weren't able to get him back due to the poor weather and the fact he was last seen in a drain. So there wasn't a proper burial, but I'm happy that we didn't end up with 2 losses. We had them since they were puppies, and its upsetting that the younger one died, but i understand why they had to kill him.

He's a dangerous breed of dog even though he's docile most of them time. He was a cane corso, and my older dog is a rottweiler and pitbull mix. So not the most safest dogs to be around, but what are you gonna do when your country is busy locking up a man for money laundering bcs they shit at their jobs.

Right, if I'm not lazy enough, I'll go back and redo every one of my ocs bcs im on the verge of deleting them all from embarrassment. Then that will hopefully be a small week long event for my tumblr as im not used to those things. But this might take months.

Also, no won't do kinktober, im lazy, and smut isn't my forte. Anyways bye-bye, see yall when my coffin feels too stuffy~

(soz if this is shit as well bcs i didn't do a whole lotta explaining abt Lumi's behavior)

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-fi prompt from @thatclichedwriter:

If possible, could you explain why airline overbooking happens and how it “works”?

The answer to this one is actually pretty simple, and the same reason that hotel chains overbook.

The short answer is that in order to maximize profits, every seat needs to be full, and on average, there will be a handful of passengers cancelling at the last moment, so overbooking leads to Just Barely filling every seat after cancellations, most of the time.

Let's play with an example!

Our example flight is 100 seats. It goes from Houston to Pittsburg, and takes just under three hours. This is a flight that goes between two cities in the same country, and is comparatively cheap, in relation to international or intercontinental flights.

It is much more likely to be a flight taken for business purposes than for vacation, especially if it's not during a holiday season where someone might be visiting family in another city.

Version 1: The airline books 100 seats. Of those 100 seats, 5 cancel at the last moment due to a change in the business obligation, or an emergency at home. The airline is now flying 95 seats of the 100, leaving 5 seats empty. If each seat is $300 on average, then they have lost out on $1,500 of revenue. (If there's a cancellation fee, then they've lost out on less, but they've still lost money.)

Version 2: The airline books 110 seats. As in the first version, 5 cancel at the last moment. The airline still has 105 bookings, which is 5 more seats than the plane has. They need to either refund or reschedule the flights for 5 passengers in order to take off. They offer travel credit, possibly a hotel, in exchange for several passengers to delay to a less full flight. The airline loses money, but probably less than the $1,500 they would have lost if they'd had 5 empty seats, instead of 5 doubled ones. Depending on how willing customers are to compromise for a new flight, slightly overbooking is better than slightly underbooking.

Version 3: The airline books 105 seats. 5 cancel at the last moment. When the plane takes off, all 100 seats are full, and the airline has not lost any revenue to empty or overbooked flights.

This whole process is pretty complex, and varies based on the most common cause for travel (Sacramento to Fort Worth is going to have a very different set of customers than New York to Athens), the time of year, the time of week, the airline's popularity, and so on.

The causes of cancellations can vary or come in waves, say, a flu epidemic at a university causing a bunch of students to stay at the dorms for Thanksgiving, forcing half-full flights for a few days in November, which would be unexpected and difficult to plan for when most of the flights around a holiday are more than likely booked far in advance, due to the cost.

There are a lot of people on the internet that have done much longer, more math-heavy examples of this entire process. It's a science of its own, though I'd hesitate to call it an art.

But you came here for "explain it to me like I'm five" explanations, and I'm hoping I've managed to fulfill that!

(Prompt me on ko-fi!)

[vitaminseetarot]

PAC: What Does Libra Season Have in Store For You? ☁💗🌆

Happy Autumn folks and welcome back! I'm stoked. I enjoyed my first day of Autumn with some good ol cider. This is looking to be a very busy fall season!

NEWS! Starting tomorrow I will be heading out on a vacation trip for a little over a week where I'll be away from Tumblr for the majority of the time, so things will be pretty quiet on this blog until mid-October. But stick around because when I come back, I'll be bringing some Tarot games with me, sprucing up my page, and more! 🍎

(I also got a new desk which is going to make card spread layouts so much easier! kazoo)

So for now, I thought I would tune into the vibes of the upcoming sun in Libra transit and catch a brief glimpse into what it has prepared for you all this crispy cool season.

(Content warning: there is an image containing blood on one of the cards. It's from the Shadowscape Tarot deck. I will find a way to modify this card in the future.)

Please select one of the three sunset skies below. I will dub them Peach (1), Fuchsia (2), and Violet (3).

Pile 1: Peach Sky

Ace of Pentacles, Page of Cups, King of Pentacles, Six of Cups, Ten of Swords; Compassion, 21. Venus, 6. Sun - Light, Sadness

Hi pile 1! Your Libra season will be filled with a sense of grace. I feel like you've been going through some struggles lately and you're wondering if help is available. Libra season may be a good time for you to reach out to loved ones and anybody who can help you in your current struggle. It could be related to money. You're going to be near those who understand your troubles and may have advice which can re center you. With the open minded Page of Cups, you may receive a nugget of wisdom which can propel you to create something new.

You'll be able to reconnect more with your inner child during this next month. In the midst of struggling, we can often forget or neglect our child side which needs to feel safe in order to come out of hiding. You'll have chances to let small joys assist you in healing. Try watching that movie you've been thinking about, you might end up really enjoying it. These moments can help give you important insights into helping you heal something that's kept you down in the dumps.

You may likely have episodes throughout the month where your energy and drive take a dip and you'll have to sit some stuff out to process your thoughts for a while. I'm feeling a lot of this gloomy Ten of Swords energy is from various past issues. Nothing in your deck suggests rushing through this, if anything the King of Pentacles says "success isn't an overnight thing". Take the time you need to work through old sticky feelings that stop you from moving forward.

A lot of self care will be required for this solar season, pile 1. Give yourself the occasional indulgence, but look closely over your finances this month. Don't use indulgence as a distraction from getting important work done. Libra is a season of balance, and this pile is about the balance between prudence and play. Make time to regenerate yourself with fun, then tend to needed duties. Do what you can and stay open minded to receiving outside help from guides or people.

Pile 2: Fuchsia Sky

XVII Star, King of Cups, X Wheel of Fortune, Three of Swords, Six of Wands; Listening, 29. Ceres, 3. East - Beginnings, Frustration

Hey pile 2, it seems like for the first time in a while things may finally be looking up. During this time, you could meet someone who will be like a counselor figure to you (or an actual counselor). You will have someone who will be there to understand you. I get the impression that you recently went through some form of upheaval and lack the sensation of solid ground. Things are likely still in a state of flux during Libra season, but since the King of Cups has no trouble sailing over choppy waters, you can lean on that wisdom and spiritual strength to get through.

A lot could be changing in your life, or even that you're in the liminal phase of being from one place to another. It's like you're holding a train ticket that lets you visit any city you want. You're beginning to scratch the surface of what possibilities are out there for you. Decisions are hardly in the books right now. The key is to tend to what opportunities you would love more than others and allow the one you want to grow. Ceres wants you to be patient and deliberate with your moves.

Situations may come up where you're made to reckon with your old memories that have caused pain. I'm putting a content warning for blood on this pile and to be honest, even if blood doesn't trigger you there may be times in this month where something may trigger old wounds when least expected. On the flipside, this month also shows that you are undergoing a lot of change as to how you deal with these situations. Your reactions to old stimuli may change and you may find yourself being cool where you were once upset.

Although hope is forecast in your reading, you may not be in the right place to ring any victory bells. Achievement of something major is not likely to happen this month, for you pile 2 this will be a developmental month that will allow you to gently transition into the next phase of your life. Be sure to check in with yourself every now and then to congratulate yourself for the little things, even--no, especially when progress appears slow or all over the place. The time will come where you will feel more focused and determined to tackle something big, but for now appreciate the small victories and rejoice in silver linings of any kind.

Pile 3: Violet Sky

Page of Swords, Five of Cups, Eight of Wands, Ace of Wands, Five of Wands; Mystery, 6. Virgo, 22. Air - Motion, Love

Hello pile 3, This Libra season will likely involve education for you of some kind. You may be a student in school now or you're out of school but looking for something new to try. You could also be looking into new ideas or plans for your next year. I think this pile is really into the autumn season, like you guys are ready to let it go and slide into the next year. This season has you in a contemplative space where you get to weigh options. Though you may find some time to work things out, I think the month will move faster for you than you think. (If you're applying for scholarships or the like, check your emails vigilantly.)

You will definitely be blessed with a feeling of catharsis, as Five of Cups can talk about pure emotional release. Something has likely been an issue either in the front or back of your mind, some kind of long term issue involving relationships and making goals work. Your mind has spent enough time whirling around trying to solve the problem with pure logic. The only way to let go of the scattering thoughts is to allow the emotions locked in to completely flow out. Then the logic will work more effectively, like taking a jammed piece of paper out of a printer.

Some of you could have recently broken up with someone and you're figuring out how to move on with your life. Or there was a recent argument with a loved one. Something like that which creates a need to reevaluate one's path. Since one path didn't work out, what other options could be on the table? You're being given the chance to dive into anything without anticipating results good or bad. Allow yourself to explore and find something that either creates joy or helps you to release old pain (like an artsy workshop).

This month could open up a lot of chances for you to organize and set easier priorities for your life, for this year and the next. The catharsis will finally allow everything to move, both your actions and manifestations. You'll be amazed by how quickly and smoothly the pace will pick up after relationship issues are placed on the backburner (unless there's an urgent issue involved). Note that catharsis doesn't always involve crying it out; sometimes it can be done through a good laugh or even a great workout. You could find emotional release through whatever it is you'd like to learn. For some of you, this is your sign: It's worth looking into.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2023, @VitaminseeTarot ™

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

FRACTURED BULLET - The bullet is still safely sealed away in a plastic bag bearing the RCM stamp.

You know what? We should take a closer look at this bullet again.

3. Inspect the bullet closer.

FRACTURED BULLET - The jacket of the bullet is made of yellowish metal. It has blossomed out to reveal a dark grey core. The base of the bullet is close to 5 mm in diameter.

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Legendary: Success] - The core is lead. The brass jacket probably didn't cover the entire bullet, otherwise the softer metal wouldn't have expanded quite like that.

The rest of the analysis continues the same way it went before.

4. [Hand/Eye Coordination - Legendary 14] Try to determine what type of weapon shot this.

+1 Have the full bullet specs

Damn, snake eyes.

HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Legendary: Failure] - You can't remember what happened last week -- what makes you think you're going to remember arcane firearm models?

5. The bullet has nothing more to say. [Put it away.]

We can enter this house.

Industrial coal pellets burn with an orange glow.

LITTLE LILY - "Hello, mister!" A young girl, barely four or five years old, sits on the sofa. She is looking at you with frank curiosity.

She clutches a small stuffed animal. Occasionally she twirls it around.

"I heard there was a girl here who has armoured gloves. Is that you?"

"Are you Lilienne's daughter?"

"Are the twins outside your brothers?"

"What's that?" (Point at the stuffed bird hanging from the ceiling.)

"What's that thing you're holding?" (Point at her toy.)

"Good-bye." [Leave.]

LITTLE LILY - "Ooooh." She looks alarmed. "I had gloves, very big ones! Heavy too."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Where did you get these gloves?"

LITTLE LILY - "Found them when Lamby and I were playing hide-and-seek. In an empty house where no one lives! I think someone hid them there..."

EMPATHY [Trivial: Success] - She doesn't want you to think she stole them.

"And where are the gloves now?"

LITTLE LILY - She pouts. "I hid them. The twins were going to take them. They're stupid..." She lifts her stuffed toy up and looks into its one remaining eye, as though searching for confirmation.

KIM KITSURAGI - "We're going to need those gloves. It's for important police business." He enunciates the last two words carefully.

LITTLE LILY - "Oooh..." She doesn't seem to understand, but the lieutenant's tone has conveyed to her the 'important' part.

"They're in my sandcastle." She points somewhere outside. "Behind our house. Under the sand. You can break the castle, it's not very good."

2. "Are you Lilienne's daughter?"

LITTLE LILY - "Yesssss, I am! Little Lily!" She gazes at you with her big eyes. "You know my mom?"

"Yes, we met earlier."

"Not really, but I'd like to."

LITTLE LILY - "Uh huh," she nods. "Mom is great! You know what's great about my mom?"

"Everything?"

"No, do tell me."

LITTLE LILY - "*Everything*!" She shouts with glee.

3. "Are the twins outside your brothers?"

LITTLE LILY - "Yesss." She frowns. "They don't want to play with me. They're older and play outside!"

"They look the same! Haa ha haa! Sometimes I can't tell them 'part."

"They look identical, right? I said the same thing."

LITTLE LILY - "They look... ai-dent-ik!" She slowly processes the word, then snickers with laughter.

4. "What's that?" (Point at the stuffed bird hanging from the ceiling.)

LITTLE LILY - "It's a *grouse*," she yelps, smiling broadly.

SUGGESTION [Trivial: Success] - You might be able to get on Garte's good side if you make up for the skua you broke?

"Yes, but what's it *for*?"

"Can I have it? I know someone who really likes stuffed birds."

"Uh, okay, thanks."

LITTLE LILY - "I dunno."

"Can I have it? I know someone who really likes stuffed birds."

LITTLE LILY - "Sure! I mean you already took it. I don't like it anyway... it looks angry."

New task: Take stuffed bird to Garte

+5 XP

SAVOIR FAIRE [Easy: Success] - All right. You just need to grab it from the ceiling and go!

I'm sure Lilienne won't mind. Probably.

4. "What's that thing you're holding?" (Point at her toy.)

LITTLE LILY - "It's Lamby! He's my friend. Sort of, like..." She holds the fuzzy beast up to demonstrate.

Lamby is a stuffed lamb that, admittedly, has seen better days. One of the eye-buttons is missing and the fur is tattered in several parts.

"Lamby looks like he's falling apart."

"Lamby looks soft."

"Oh, okay. Well, pleased to meet you, Lamby."

LITTLE LILY - "Yessss, Lamby has lived a long life." She waves the lamb around in the air. "Lamby was a... re.. a rev..." She stumbles on her words.

"Revolutionary?"

"Revacholian?"

"Remote Viewer?"

"Revisionist?"

"Rebel?"

LITTLE LILY - "Yessss," she yelps happily! "Lamby was a re-luz-ion...ry."

2. "Lamby looks soft."

LITTLE LILY - "Yes. Very soft." Suddenly she pushes the stuffed animal toward your face.

Press your cheek against Lamby.

"I don't deserve it. I'm scum."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Press your damn cheek against Lamby, okay?" The lieutenant sounds authoritative -- and surprisingly gruff.

Press your cheek against Lamby.

LITTLE LILY - "Isn't he soft?" She's right, Lamby is very soft. She rubs the white fur against your cheek, then returns the lamb into her lap, cuddling it.

+1 Morale

5. "Good-bye." [Leave.]

LITTLE LILY - "Bye!" The girl's large, curious eyes remain fixed on you.

RUFFLED GROUSE TAXIDERMY

The dead body of a grouse stuffed with some unknown material. From a distance it might just pass off as the real thing. The bird itself looks extremely... ruffled. And slightly grumpy.

Lily's sandcastle is just behind her house.

🎵 Disco Elysium

SANDCASTLE - Weather has not been kind to Lily's little sandcastle. The once mighty towers are quickly eroding away. You can see something shining back to you from what must have been a vast underground catacomb network.

"Broken..."

Reach in the catacombs and pull out the shiny object.

Leave the sandcastle alone. [Leave.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "The little castle?" The lieutenant smiles a little. "The reigning lord must have come upon some really tough times to let it slip in such decrepitude."

2. Reach in the catacombs and pull out the shiny object.

SANDCASTLE - The walls and floors give way to the giant's greed, collapse and present you with a pair of ceramic gauntlets.

Item gained: Fairweather T-500 Gauntlets

Task complete: Find the armoured gloves

+30 XP

KIM KITSURAGI - "Congratulations -- that's the gauntlets down, then. We're doing good on the armour collection front."

Just the cuirass and helmet to go.

FAIRWEATHER T-500 GAUNTLETS

+2 Interfacing: Strength in digits

Clenching and unclenching your fist has never been so fun -- the tiny ceramic plates make a lovely clicking sound when your fingers move. The gloves are a bit sandy, but the grip is phenomenal.

A straight upgrade to our gardening gloves. Take that, Medium difficulty Interfacing passives!

Doom Spiral and his friends are not currently here, perhaps due to the rain. Or perhaps it's too early for drunks.

SHIVERS - A drop in temperature. An easy flow of air: an empty street. Before you, a thoroughfare unjammed with lorries. No more drivers smoking on hitch steps. Just... silence.

What did the smoke smell like?

Let go of the moment. [Discard thought.]

SHIVERS - Chemically sweetened. Across the road, a forgotten bus stop; corrosion has opened a hole in its roof. An elm tree watches over the building. Its branches are dripping with rain and snow.

The road is smooth and motley. Craters filled with a black asphalt. The asphalt first laid is grey already. A row of tenements are under construction in the distance.

Who are the people who live across the road?

What about the bus stop?

That is enough. [Finish thought.]

SHIVERS - A tub warm with water, white with soap. A man bathes while radio waves transmit the lottery numbers: 4, 18, 21, 4, 1... A modern washing machine rattles a drawer full of silverware.

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - His boyfriend is on his way home. He brings tins of meat and vegetables with him. Their pockets are heavier with money; but only slightly.

2. What about the bus stop?

SHIVERS - #312D. Young girls used to come here, huddled up, hoping for more warmth than their thin coats give them. The bus took them to school. It has not run for eight years; there were not enough girls to sustain its cost.

3. What about the road?

SHIVERS - Craters pocked the surface. Children played in them, until heavy trucks full of black pitch rolled in. The landowners have filled the craters with money. It is a vital artery of flow of trade.

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - There's one bump on the road: a dead dog lies flat about two hundred paces away, right at the turn.

4. A dead dog?

SHIVERS - Tragedy came from the wheels of a fast RCM vehicle, hurrying to work. The cold washes over you. The sound of the sea has grown distant.

5. That is enough. [Finish thought.]

SHIVERS - The wind moves the aerosol. A detective stands behind the boom barrier; a breeze moves a curl of his hair.

+5 XP

There's paths heading west and north from Lily's sandcastle. I choose to go west.

A little black swallow circles above you. You hear it chirrup.

The water runs from the west. The source is upstream. A broken pipe?

The beams are splintered. The bridge didn't collapse on its own. Artillery broke it.

Can't get up to this part of the boardwalk from here, but we can go North to the other end of the bridge.

Hidden in the reeds here is... a box with some money?

Bars cover these long, dusty windows.

Another power box. It charges nothing now. It's empty.

The fence blocks the path. No way on from here.

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "... and, Mikael, notice the windows? Especially with how there are no windows on the south side? This was to deal with..." A blond man stands next to his son, pointing to the weather-worn ruins. He sees you approaching and smiles...

"You, officers! Come to investigate the historic subtext of West Martinaise? I'm Trant Heidelstam," he turns to the lieutenant. "You must be Kim Kitsuragi, right? I was just telling my son about this building. Not a lot of people realize the historic significance here. Very rich in *hypertext*."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Nice to meet you." The lieutenant nods.

"Hold on. Hyper...text?"

"Wait, what was that about the windows before?"

"You and Kim know each other?" (Proceed.)

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Yes, hypertext," he says, as if it's self-evident. "Jan Kaarp and the collection of cultural hyperlinks."

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - He's just making up fancy words. This doesn't mean anything!

2. "Wait, what was that about the windows before?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Oh yes. So, Mikael, they had to deal with monitor glare, especially in the summer. They still had vector monitors back then. That was 49 years ago. So they didn't have windows on the south wall."

3. "You and Kim know each other?" (Proceed.)

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "No, I can't say that we've met before. But I've *heard* of Kim, of course. Mikael, say hi to the officers." He rests his hand on the boy's shoulder. The child stays hidden behind the hem of his father's coat, clutching to his würm-themed colouring book.

"Mikael's a little tired today. We spent all night trying to run Orbis on his radiocomputer. Have you heard of it? It's a programming language used in Graad. Quite tricky, but he wanted to play this Graad-made adventure programme. We've been getting *really* into würms lately..."

DRAMA [Easy: Success] - The man speaks in the artificial cadence of a professor -- or someone who's been on too many radio shows.

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "But I assume you're not here for giant würms when there are so many real things to see. Just as I was telling Mikael before -- this is where the Coalition landed in '08. We could be standing on what is the most interesting landmark in Revachol West." He points to the building again.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - This man is your half brother. You feel it. But *why*?

"What's so fascinating about an empty old building?"

"You look like someone who has money. Do you have any money?"

"Great, thank you for all the interesting information." [Leave.]

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "A-ha, but it's not just *any* empty old building!" He raises his hand to his eyes, springtime sun warming his handsome face. All four of you turn to admire the mural before you.

"What not a lot of people know is -- this used to be the R&D department of *Feld Electrical*. And Feld, which now sells ink cartridges, mostly, was once a top dog in the turn-of-the-century cybernetics boom."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Challenging: Failure] - Hold on, what's R&D?

Look at the building looming over you.

"Wait, what's an R&D department?"

"I don't think I've ever heard of this Feld Electrical." (Proceed.)

FELD MURAL - It looks old and weathered, with seagulls picking apart its stone-and-metal carcass. Bushy undergrowth has taken hold of the collapsed rooftop; some kind of bird has set up a nest on a broken windowsill.

2. "Wait, what's an R&D department?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Apologies, it's an acronym for research and development, they don't use it anymore." He smiles brightly, laugh lines around his eyes.

"You're probably more familiar with *RTD*, research and *technological* development."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Easy: Success] - Mea culpa! You were not familiar with that one either. This man is a book head.

3. "I don't think I've ever heard of this Feld Electrical." (Proceed.)

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "That's not surprising. Only a vestigial ink cartridge and ferrotape manufacturer remains." He adjusts his suit jacket.

"They started out as a midway electronics outfit in Königstein two centuries ago. After an aggressive move to Revachol, Feld became a global player in the emerging personal electronics market of the pre-Revolutionary era."

"Still, Tricentennial was beating them in business machines." He gestures toward the building. "But Feld had an ace up their sleeve. Or, should I say, they were *developing* an ace up their sleeve?…" He grins. "I'm mixing my metaphors here."

"What was that ace?"

"Very interesting. Let's get back to this later."

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "It was here in Martinaise -- possibly in this very building -- that they developed prototypes for a..." He pauses for effect. "...*tape computer*."

"A tape computer?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Mhm. An elegant folding mechanism of rollers and ferrotape ribbons, portable enough to be a take-it-home solution, revolutionizing business machines, possibly even bringing them to the average consumer."

"Which is a feat of engineering even today's giants Rehm, ICN, and ZAMM haven't achieved yet." He grins, admiring the sentence he just produced.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He assumes something like a combat stance, facing the wind.

"What happened?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Indeed, what?"

MIKAEL HEIDELSTAM - "The Revolution?" The boy wipes his nose on his sleeve.

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Unfortunately their moonshot project never made it to the market." He nods. "Feld's move to Revachol backfired. The Revolutionary government liquefied their assets and expropriated those very advanced prototypes. Possibly from this very building... or one of the adjacent ruins." He pauses, pointing to the other building, then continues:

"All of this was built by Feld, even the boardwalk. Wild Pines built Martinaise proper as a resort for their middle management, Feld built this side of town for R&D."

"You're saying that Feld Electrical built this boardwalk?" (Look under your feet.)

"What happened to the engineers, the company people?"

"What did the revolutionaries do with those advanced tape computers?"

"How did those tape computers work?"

"I wanted to ask something else…"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Yes, they even built a pleasure wheel, but that got destroyed in the war."

KIM KITSURAGI - "A pleasure wheel?" The lieutenant looks wistfully at the horizon, as if picturing gondolas rising to the sky.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Perhaps reminded of a childhood memory? It's clear he would prefer there were a big wheel lighting up the coast.

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Yes. To lure in their star engineers. This part of Martinaise was nothing but reeds before Feld arrived. They had to make the prospect of living here *attractive*. It was supposed to become a global centre for innovation in cybernetics -- but history had other plans."

2. "What happened to the engineers, the company people?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Oh, I'm afraid it didn't end well for the boys." He smiles again, as if he's somehow personally responsible for this bleak turn of events. "But this story is a bit too *dark* for little Mikael here. Now if you were to ask about *tape computers*..."

Perhaps with a higher Rhetoric, we could understand the *politics* of this situation a little better.

3. "What did the revolutionaries do with those advanced tape computers?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "They used them for military communications," he says, while his son looks up, idly chewing on the corner of his würm-themed colouring book. "But also to write and send out press releases. The most notorious example being Le Décret de Mars."

"What was that?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "What's the March decree? I mean the radio transmission sent out to news agencies and world governments by the newly-created Commune of Revachol on the 7th of March in the year '02."

"It's a beautiful piece of text, actually. A singer-songwriter I know -- Charette -- called it a love poem to Revachol on her political concept album 'Bons baisers d'Insulinde'. You should read it. Every local library in Revachol stocks a copy of the decree."

"I tried to get Mikael to memorise it." He looks at his son, who starts giggling, his face hidden behind the book. "*Tried to*. Someone was much too interested in würms to be paying any attention."

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - The kid takes a peek at the green and silver würm on the cover of the book. Already forgetting about this part of the discussion.

4. "How did those tape computers work?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Actually, no one knows. No one even knows what a computer made entirely of tape would look like! But word has it they were *very elegant* -- exquisite, alien-looking turn-of-the-century hardware..." He raises his finger, remembering something.

"Ten years ago, I did a little... freelancing, I guess you could say. I was a special consultant for an exhibition at the Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre in Vredefort, Oranje. It raised the same questions, and we had lengthy discussions with Paul Ockermann, who was head curator at the time -- this was before the twins Keith and Guy Joost joined the team -- trying to..."

REACTION SPEED [Easy: Success] - Wait. Did he just say *Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre*?

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - He did it! He said *Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre* like it's the most natural thing in the world.

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Easy: Success] - What the hell *is* a Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre? And who the hell are Keith and Guy Joost?!

"Okay. The Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre? Paul Ockermann? Keith and Guy Joost? What are you *talking* about?"

"Okay. Back to... where were we? Tape computers, I think."

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "The Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre for Contemporary Arts." There it is again -- those words. "The exhibition itself drew on Lagerman's notion of memory and so there were some parallels, that's why the head curator Paul Ockermann chose to..."

"You're making this up." (Turn to the lieutenant.) "Kim, is he making this up?"

"Come on, there is no place called the Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre of Arts."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Actually, I think there is..." He pauses. "No, it's too much, he's joking."

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "In fact, I'm not. The Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre," he says casually, "is a place you can visit if you're ever in Vredefort, and are ever in the market for an exhibition space slash contemporary art research centre." He clears his throat.

Thought gained: Wompty-Dompty-Dom Centre

"But perhaps I should return to the tape computers. As I was saying, the device itself was very elegant, fragile even. One could write directly on the tape using a special chemical solution. The machine would then analyse the handwriting, perform operations and project output onto a white screen. It was a beautiful, delicate thing."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Made of black film and folding tape structures...

(Nod.) "Cool."

"Pfft. I've seen cooler things than that."

"The RCM should get some of those."

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Even *one* would be very useful," he agrees. "Though I understand the socio-economic causes of the Revolution, it pains me to imagine the revolutionaries setting fire to this precious device. But so they did. The Feld Playback Experiment vanished into the fires of '07."

"Wait, the Feld Playback Experiment?"

"Why did the revolutionaries destroy it?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Yes, the official name of the prototype. Some sources report it as the Feld Playback *Experience*, but those are incorrect."

"Why did the revolutionaries destroy it?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Who knows? Maybe it was an accident, or maybe they didn't want the technology to end up in the wrong hands. Either way -- they're all gone now, all three versions of the prototype. Nothing but debris and ashes remains inside that building." He takes a step back; the boardwalk creaks mournfully in the wind.

5. "I wanted to ask something else…"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "But of course! What else?" He smiles and ruffles his kid's head.

2. "You look like someone who has money. Do you have any money?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "I do have some money, yes, but that's not what's really important here." He brushes it off like it's not a thing at all.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - He's not gonna give you money, what are you doing? Clearly you were just profiling.

"Could I have some of that 'unimportant' money then?"

"I don't want your money, I just wanted to see whether my profiling skills were working."

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Oh, no, I don't have it *on me*, officer, I was talking in more... general terms." He looks uncomfortable, his left hand squeezing his son's shoulder.

"I'm just spending time with my kid here, showing him around the lesser-known parts of our home town... It wouldn't be *wise* to carry huge amounts of cash on such expeditions!"

Whoops, probably should have listened to Authority there.

PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT [Easy: Success] - Not that he would have to worry about being robbed -- he looks surprisingly buff. Does he work out?

3. "By the way, do you work out?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "I do some Lo Manthang stick fighting now and then."

"Wait, what's Lo Manthang stick fighting?"

"I'm not really interested in the practice, I just want to know how often you work out. Now and then -- that's what, like once a week?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "It's an anthropological heritage of the Lomanthang people, a martial art of sorts, but what not a lot of books mention is that it also carries a *cultural* significance among the Lomanthangs, as it used to be the best means of showing off to look for a bride, which..."

"... interestingly enough, brings us to the socio-economic structure of the traditional rural tribes of the Lo Manthang isles, which..." He goes on to give you a detailed overview of their way of life, the amiable, slightly nervous smile not once leaving his face.

"But anyway," he says after a while, "I am boring you with details again. You were saying?"

"I don't really remember what I was saying..."

"I'm not really interested in the practice, I just want to know how often you work out. Now and then -- that's what, like once a week?"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Lo Manthang stick fighting is a little like a pyrholidon addiction," he explains with a little smile. "I've been practising it for nearly 20 years now, so you could say that my doses have grown a little... peculiar."

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] - Wait. What does this man know about pyrholidon addiction?

"Hold on. Pyrholidon addiction? What an interesting metaphor..." (Study his face.) "Or perhaps not a metaphor at all?"

"So what is it, twice a week then? Every other day? *Man* is it difficult to stay on the right topic with you."

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "You got me, detective." He chuckles, before a shadow takes hold of his face. "But my history should hardly come as a surprise."

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - Here's a former junkie. I can recognize one when I see it.

MIKAEL HEIDELSTAM - Suddenly little Mikael opens up his mouth: "Dad's fighting with sticks every night after dinner for four hours. He has a special room for that -- *and* a special costume!"

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "That's right, Mikael." Trant grabs his kid into a single-handed embrace, happy to change the subject. "It also has a meditative quality, helps to clear my head... But anyway," he says, swaying with his hand.

4. "Great, thank you for all the interesting information." [Leave.]

TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "No, thanks to *you* for having me and little Mikael here to pick your brain... A very interesting conversation indeed."

WOMPTY-DOMPTY-DOM CENTRE

Temporary research bonus: -1 Suggestion: Outsider Research time: 0h 42min

It's Wednesday evening and something heinously exciting is under way. People have gathered beneath the billowing roof of an oddly shaped trophy building, sipping wine and exchanging opinions. 29-year-old wunder-twins Guy and Keith Joost are the stars of the show, with their bomber jackets and white sneakers -- head curators of this art exhibition. It's the wompty-dom-di-dommiest event of the year and all the cool kids have RSVP’d. Where are you, if you are not there?

FELD MURAL - You see a once-bright mural towering above you. The signage has peeled off over the years, but you can still make out: 'FELD ELECTRICAL R&D'.

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - A slogan used to intertwine with the loops a long time ago. Now only a shadow of peeled letters remains. It says: 'Tomorrow is just a whisper away'.

"Tomorrow is just a whisper away..."

[Turn away.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "Looks like tomorrow never came." The lieutenant raises the collar of his bomber jacket.

2. [Turn away.]

That was quite the history lesson. I think we'd better take a break here.

[maochira]

Hiiiiiii, Your blue lock masterlist has been giving me life lately!! I was wondering if you could write some headcanons about kunigami and barou (or any other character you like!!) with a sick s/o that has been sick for a long time (not life threatening but the type of illness that takes a couple of weeks to months to pass and requires rest). How they would treat them and take care of them etc! Of course only if that’s something you are comfortable with! Thank u in advance!!!Love💗💗💗

Kunigami and Barou my two favourite babygirls <3

Requests open! - masterlist

Tags: gn!reader, established relationship, fluff

Kunigami

-when you started getting sick he was extremely worried. Overly worried. He immediately started taking care of you as much as he could, but he was so worried he could barely think of anything else for the first two weeks

-he's still very worried about you, but now he knows it's just a matter of time until you're back to being healthy. It's something you have to wait for because there's not much to do to speed up the healing process

-to get you to drink enough he bought one of those really big water bottles that fit like 2 litres. But Kunigami figured only drinking water might get boring for you at some point

-he started looking into different types of tea and one day he returned from grocery shopping with ten packs of different teas so you can try all of them. He still brings at least 2 new ones every time he goes shopping

-lots of cuddles!! When he's not busy with something else, he's always cuddling with you either in bed or on the sofa. He also lets you choose movies and shows to watch all the time

Barou

-he makes you stay in bed most of the time so you can get as much rest as possible. But occasionally he makes you get out of bed for at least a few minutes so you move your body at least a bit

-he's very worried about you even though he knows it's nothing serious, but he tries to not show how worried he is. Mainly because he doesn't want you to feel like you're dragging him down

-almost every day he brings you pudding like his mom did for him when he was little. Most of the time he makes it by himself and he's trying to create the perfect recipe for you

-he pays a lot of attention to how much you drink. He's noticed ever since you've gotten sick you tend to forget to drink (mainly because you sleep a lot) so Barou reminds you multiple times a day

-in the beginning when you got sick, he didn't want to cuddle because he was afraid he'd get sick as well. But after finding out your illness isn't contagious he gave in and now you get cuddles whenever you ask for them (which is a lot)

Taglist (sign-up link): @kaineedstherapy12 @zyuuuu @luvcalico @remy-roll @truegoist @vanitasbrainrot @weichspuelertrinker @acacIa @kermitslefteyeball11 @futuristicxie @bluelock4life @https-archangel @userwithlotsoftime @nikokii @slowlyholypeanut @astruosie @gojosorrygeto @depressed-bitchy-demon @yellowelectroslime @chaosinanutshell @peachesncats @orah-s

[selfpositiveundertale]

Update

CW: discussion of trauma (the trauma was a bad car accident)

I was able to pay for my dog's vet appointment and her medicine thanks to the person who paypal'd me ❤️❤️❤️ She isn't happy about having to take medicine again but hopefully this will be the last round, it's pretty much just probiotics and something to settle her stomach because the antibiotics really did a number on her tummy.

My hands ache from the crash but it's no worse than the soreness after crocheting for several hours. I can do some crocheting but I find thicker yarn much easier and less painful to work with right now. That said, I got a bunch of chenille yarn a while back and I have some larger plush versions of my Ralsei amogus dolls in the works. The first one is almost done, I just have to assemble and attach the hat. Will post a pic when he's done. I want to have at least 2 each with and without squeakers made and then I might reopen my Etsy shop and list them. They will cost more due to the cost of materials, but I'll probably mostly have dolls made of the chenille yarn for a while, at least until I can work with normal yarn without pain within minutes again. I'm hoping to sell a couple by Tuesday because I have another chiropractic appointment that day I'll need to pay for and my husband doesn't get paid again until Friday.

I'm still trying to process what happened. I'm seeing my therapist tomorrow and I will be discussing it with her. This therapist is new to me, my previous one that I had for a few years left the place I'm with and is now working elsewhere. We've only had like 2 sessions but she seems nice. It's just a little frustrating having to break in a new therapist all over again but not really a problem so I'm not worried.

I drove today, to take my dog to the vet. It was scary. I didn't realize how paranoid I would be of other drivers, fully expecting anyone and everyone to whip out in front of me when they're waiting to exit a parking lot to the road or suddenly veer into my lane when they're right beside me and I panicked every time I saw them. It took a lot of self control to not slam on the brakes and to remind myself that other people are not going to do things like that. I have to remember I know how to drive safely and most people are not going to be so reckless as to do the dangerous things my brain is expecting them to do. My anxiety around driving is almost back to where it was while I was still very new at it, terrified to be on the road with other people and having no trust in them and even less trust in myself. I have to build up my confidence again and I have no idea how long it will take.

I have to say, getting hit by one huge trauma all at once sure feels different from the trauma I'm used to, which is the kind that builds up over many years in a toxic and dysfunctional family. It's kind of surreal, I find myself wondering if it was all a dream but then I see the bruises on my legs and feel the ache in my palms and how stiff and sore my body still is even after a chiropractic appointment and see the empty space where I would have parked my vehicle and I have to remember it really happened. I get this weird chill that seeps up the back of my head like cold water in my hair when I remember it. And yeah, I'm grateful I walked away with nothing worse than bruises and stuff my chiropractor fixes literally all the time anyway, but I wish it didn't happen.

It's all such a mess. Right now I'm just trying to focus on keeping myself fed with good food and busy with things that can make some money. I'm making chili tomorrow because it's one of the less expensive things I can make, and also I could use some comfort food after the week I've had. And maybe the familiar routine of cooking the beans will help soothe my brain. I only use dry beans as I can't stand the texture of canned beans. Cooking them isn't difficult or complicated, just time consuming and I think the 2 or 3 hours it'll take to cook them will do me some good.

It's after midnight and I'm exhausted, so I'm gonna try to get some sleep. Goodnight, and stay determined.

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[avissapiens]

Jockbull Summer Week 4 Set C (3/12/23-10/12/23)

Model used is Onome Egger

1.

I have continued the trend of fasting+cardio day. It’s actually not that bad. What was bad was the decision to bake while fasting. It’s not that I wanted the food. I don’t eat most of what I bake. But I couldn’t realistically test things too much to make sure they came out well. Luckily they were quite good the next day. Only half of one. It’s still cutting season.

2.

I got two in again! The first one was just kind of a general muscle flash. Brain producing lovely images for myself. Who needs AI when your head is already so full of muscle.

The second one however was a deeper introspection done together with Abg. We’re both POC but in many senses we are atypical. And yet still the presence of stereotypes still kind of gets in the way of both of our minds, and in particular our muscular journeys. We are both dead-set on breaking stereotypes and still coming out on top, so that was the seed for this meditation. There’s a lot of stereotypes for Black folks. And I know they are nonsense because not only do I not embody them, but most of my friends, relatives, peers etc from back home don’t either. But every time that one encounters a situation where you do meet that stereotype in yourself or in others, you pause for a second. Because especially while living in a mostly white country, you become extremely aware of the fact that everything you do is a form of ambassadorship for anyone who looks like you and visa versa. Which is a shitty burden to bear. Even after coming from a background of Black excellence in the Caribbean, there’s still so many stereotypes that come to mind. The perception of black people being unattractive, or if we are, it can only be in a brutish, animalistic, unrefined non-aesthetic way that doesn’t adhere to societal norms.

The mental stereotypes of underperformance and stupidity. The lack of ambition.

So many stereotypes are strangely contradictory too

That we're just needlessly loud and confrontational all the time but still get portrayed as servile slaves.

That we can only be good at sports but still deserve to be excluded from them. That we can't perform well at anything else. The strange juxtaposition of the athletic achievement that many POC are forced into because they lack the resources to pursue other interests and the idea that Ethnic food is unhealthy, dirty. And the very real reality of unequal access and outcomes for healthcare. The idea, often reinforced within the community, that we do not belong in certain places. In certain professions. In nature, in the world at large. That we should remain forever in this conservative slave mentality while we exist in the west.

Frankly, I see muscle and hypnosis as ways of outgrowing and defeating these stereotypes. Of changing perceptions not only for me but for my community. Perception is everything because it means that those who come after can see something different for themselves.

3.

Anyway on a lighter note. Yup, we’ve entered an edging period. It always feels so fucking good after a full week of building that erotic energy. It takes you to new and darker places and makes you vulnerable to things you might not have been before. Sometimes thats good. Sometimes its dangerous. But even that danger comes with a certain appeal.

4.

Its been a rough and busy week working on the first comm. I have some ideas brainstormed with Jockrs for an avis abstraction, it’s just always a whole different story putting pen to paper. Wish me better luck for the next week.

5.

So this one’s been interesting. It’s less been a process of drafting and then sticking. More a progressive building of momentum. Incorporating more and more things until the morning and myself feels more whole. I’ve ordered a bunch of supplements to take. A bunch of skincare stuff to harden my routine. I’ve expanded my already existing routine and even incorporated some new concepts from the world of Looksmaxxing. Truthfully, there is this deep desire in me to grow so much more in so many dimensions.And the himbo programming has definitely made one of those dimensions my aesthetics. Not for anyone else’s pleasure but for my own. I already know i’m gorgeous to other people. I want to be brilliant for myself and to be able to use that element of me like a tool and a weapon.

[unopenablebox]

god this is long sorry. mention of various familial deaths previously mentioned on this blog cw or something

🌸 is now having an issue at work that's likely to cause them a great deal of stress/emotional distress for like a medium length period? im expecting that they'll be really busy and need emotional support/benefit a lot from having things reduced in friction e.g. me taking care of dishes and food more etc.

which is, you know, fine. except that well

as you know my grandfather died last week and i spent most of last week 1. in a state of paralyzing terror about my own work thing, now resolved 2. traveling on short notice so i could be emotional/logistical help for my dad whose father just died, which i did like. a moderately ok job at i would say. i was better than nothing

and also my mom has 1. had a lot of feelings about her recently dead father brought up by all this 2. also been having a lot of feelings about him because w the exception of coming back for the funeral she has been staying in my grandparents' house in another city so she can sort through and get rid of his belongings AND 3. my grandmother, who had to go and come back w her for the funeral which she found exhausting bc she's 92, is increasingly confused/obstinate and this causes my mom lots of stress and angst directly and also again about her dad being dead bc thats why my grandmother is coping worse.

and dealing with all of this in person was really tiring and also helping to organize/cook for/personally host Mourning Shabbat Dinner on one day's notice was exhausting, and also i guess i am also one of the people whose grandfather just died and other grandfather died like six months ago but i don't really think there's a ton of space for me to consider if i think that's relevant

and to be honest i was kind of looking forward to this week as one where i could take it easy a little mentally, like, my mom would still text me random distressing mementos of my grandfather's early life, but work should be pretty chill this week & my dad still has a lot of his family & friends around him so might not need me quite as much & i do have to try and manage my not-entirely-voluntary new trainee at work but nothing terrible happens to him if i fuck up it a little; & so i basically did nothing but get home and pass out last night because i figured it would help me feel better & i could spend more time w 🌸 later in the week and get back on track

but instead-- this. which is fine, right, i have slack, i can do the dishes and make some dinners and try to be distracting and helpful and reassuring. but it turns out that if 🌸 is having a hard time and i need to express feelings/want emotional support i talk to my mom. and my attempt to express the concept "well i'm a bit stressed out because i was hoping to be able to recover a bit this week and save my emotional reserves for supporting you and dad, and instead this happened, so now i feel really preemptively exhausted and anxious and a little sad that i am going into month two of it being impossible to have pleasant relaxed interactions with my partner" was so impossible for my mother to process right now at her current level of exhaustion/distress that she literally just fell silent and then changed the subject without ever directly acknowledging it, which is. not typical for her. so she's clearly not available for anything resembling me needing emotional support from her. which is again incredibly understandable.

but, you know, it turns out there are three people on earth i can call if i am having a hard time and they are all having a much more direct hard time and i am mainly having a hard time about how upset they are. so. instead i guess i will say nothing to anyone? and vaguely regret not forming more highly emotionally intimate personal friendships with people? i suppose technically there's two other people where it wouldn't be an insane overstep but one i haven't talked to in 6 months, one lives in australia now, and theyve both always been way more busy and stressed and hard-to-schedule than me and i don't think that will be changing ever

at least i have a blog i guess. writing this is probably good or something. i mean it is but i don't know if this is going to perform the same function, i don't mean to denigrate the benefits i get from having online friends, which are considerable

[thesupreme316]

Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side? EP.5

Summary: 1 month after her infamous “pipebomb”, how does Y/N feel when it feels like nothing has changed in her world? What will she do next?

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Quick mentions of anxiety and depression-like symptoms (loneliness), kind of proofread (my bad)

Notes: sorry for being late but better late than never

Links to other parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

“How could she do that?”

“I mean if you went through what she went through you would do the same”

“Good riddance Y/N!”

“Please go to AEW, they need you!!”

“tbh, that was one of my favorite pipebombs ever”

“I wish her the best and hopefully she’ll come back with Sasha and Naomi”

“She should have done it differently”

“Without WWE, where is she gonna go?”

It’s been 1 month. (August 2nd, 2022)

1 month full of tweets, posts, and people just interjecting their opinions. But also 1 month of your silence. You didn’t issue any statements, no comments, no interviews. After a bold move like that, you thought you would feel better. And in some ways you did, you feel like you removed the foot that was crushing your throat; like you got rid of the poisonous thing that has been draining your life.

You felt free.

But amid that freedom was there this excruciating silence that took up your mind where you’re second-guessing everything. Now, you just wanted to be left alone with your thoughts of what to do next.

WWE removed you from all programming, posters, and promotions. They put you on blast, as they did with Mercedes and Trinity, before dropping you as a subject altogether. It’s like you didn’t exist. Liv is still the champion, but it’s only a matter of time until Ronda gets it back. No one from WWE reached out; except for Bianca, Zelina, and Liv. And you sent Liv an apology bouquet for dragging her into the situation. Christian only reached out to tell you what a mistake you were making and how you should apologize (and also how this potentially might ruin his career).

You haven’t really talked to Mercedes or Trinity as they were extremely busy in the last few months with bookings. They were off doing signings, in tv shows, and being in fashion shows (you were the first person to know that they would be in New York Fashion Week). All while you were sitting in your apartment, just trying to figure yourself out.

Daniel, Paige, and Hook all check in on you at least once a day. With Daniel and Hook living so close, they often come by to chill with you (separately of course). Paige constantly facetimed you, so in a way you didn’t feel totally alone. And today was nothing different.

“Tyler, no I can’t just magically pop up at the strip club.” You said on the phone while looking through your fridge for something to cook.

“All I’m saying is that it’s a great way to reappear in the public’s eye,” Tyler said while snickering.

You grabbed your leftovers. “And this not because you would like to go to the strip club?” You paused. “Again?”

“Noo….anyways, how are you feeling today?” He asked, changing the subject

“Better than yesterday. I feel exhausted. And I’ve spent a month doing absolutely nothing.” You groaned as you put the leftovers in the microwave. “I just want to get up and do things but I don’t know what to do or where to start.”

“Y/N, you have to take everything one step at a time. Everyone moves at different paces, you can’t rush a process that you’re not completely ready for.” Tyler calmly explained as you sat on the couch, pondering his words. “Don’t feel like you need to make a big decision now. You need to evaluate all options before making a move. And just know that you will always have people that will support you, me included.”

“That was very sweet Tyler.”

“I can be a sweet guy, sometimes.” He said making the both of you laugh. “So, how’s your lover boy? You don’t talk about him much.”

You sighed before getting up and slightly pacing around the room, “There’s nothing to talk about, we haven’t talked much these days. He’s busy doing his thing.”

“So why are you still with him?”

You stopped in your tracks before answering, “Because I love him.”

“That may be true, but are you still in love with him?”

At that moment, it felt like your world came to a stop, like when Daniel asked if you could see yourself with someone else besides Christian. It was another loaded question, yet a big question that you had to figure out the answer to sooner or later. You truly do love Christian, after all, you two have shared a lot of memories. A lot of moments where he was the sole reason for your smile, how you got butterflies in your stomach when he texted you, or how you saw your life later on with him. But now? You were tired of being cast aside by him, tired of being treated as if everything you do is wrong. You were tired of how exhausting fights were with him and how he jealous he got of others in your life. Do you feel the same way now? Do those memories and moments outweigh what has been happening recently?

You became deep in thought before being pulled out by a knocking at the door and Tyler’s voice growing louder. “Y/N? Y/N, hello?” Your head snapped back to reality (oops there goes gravity-sorry).

“Hey, sorry Tyler. I’mma have to call you later, someone’s at my door.”

He sighed but understood. “Okay, but just remember if anything happens or if you need someone, my bed always has a place for you.”

You giggled before hanging up and answering the door, to the sight of Daniel. You briefly hugged before letting him in and going to get your hot leftovers from the microwave. “Why are you here? I thought you were training today.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t heard from you.”

“Danny, I’m fine. You can go to your training session.”

“No can do, I cancelled it.”

You put down your fork, looking at the man who was now occupying your couch. “You mean to tell me that just because you didn’t hear from me, you dropped everything to check on me?”


“Hell yeah. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and safe. I needed to lay eyes on you.” He said getting up and walking towards you. Your heart swelled at his words. You were blessed that someone saw you that important in their life. “I just need you to call like once a day to know that you’re okay.” He said grabbing another fork and taking a bite of your leftovers. “You always make the best stirfry.”

“Danny, what should I do?”

“About the entire situation?” He raised his eyebrows. You nodded as he sighed. “To be honest Y/N, in my opinion, you need a clean slate. Then you can build whatever your heart desires. But the thing is that you already caused drama at WWE, to the point where if you go back something is sure to pop off again. You don’t need that and you damn sure don’t deserve that.”

“To be honest, I don’t know what I deserve at this point.”

Daniel sighed before grabbing your hands and staring into your eyes. “Y/N, you are an incredible woman and you deserve all the fine things in life. And if you don’t see that, you are dumb as hell.” He said making you laugh. “Anyways, what were you doing before I got here?”

“I was just on the phone with-“ And you cut yourself off, trying your best not to finish the sentence (for fear of making Daniel upset). 
“Hook?” You shyly nodded as you avoided eye contact. “I don’t care if you guys talk.”

“You hate him.”

“I hate his stupid perfect hair. And the way he does his suplexes. And the way that he just gets everything he wants.” He said slowly letting go of your hands. He cleared his throat as you side-eyed him. “But yeah he’s a cool dude.”You rolled your eyes as he started to rant about work, you grabbed your phone. Your eyes started to scroll around before they widened on one particular text from an unexpected person. You started to drown him a bit as you kept in the text. “Y/N, are you okay?”

You blinked with a blank stare on your face. You slowly nodded and just said, “I have a meeting tomorrow apparently.”

“With who?”

“I don’t even wanna discuss it.” And you threw your phone across the room and placed your head under a pillow.

(August 3rd, 2022)

You woke up nervous as hell.

You didn’t know what to expect from this meeting. Will this make things worse or better for both of us?

You put on a semi-business outfit with nice shades, you did your makeup and hair very quickly. You grabbed your purse before passing Daniel (who was knocked out on the couch after all had drinks and game night) and left to rush to your meeting. You couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or a curse that your meeting was close to your apartment; you couldn’t shake your feelings as your anxiety grew to be pounding in your ears, making you almost hyperventilate. As you approached the building, you took a deep breath before walking into the plaza. You made talked to the receptionist before getting the clear to go upstairs.

You took the elevator and got out at your stop. Walking straight ahead to the doomed door. You took another deep breath before putting on a fake smile and knocking on the door. You heard a grumbled and muffled come in.

You opened the door to see the person with a smile behind a stack of papers. “You know Hunter, I never thought I would see you like this.”

“Y/N, I told you numerous times to call me Paul.”

“Hunter just rolls better.” You shook his hand as you two sat at the wooden coffee table.

Before the whole situation, Paul (Triple H) has also been one of your mentors when dealing with the wrestling business. You credit him with a lot of business moves and how your character was booked. Before your walkout, you two would talk every week (sometimes even multiple times a week). Now, this was the first time you were communicating before in a little over a month.

“I’ll get right to it. Neither Vince nor John are here, so you can be as open and honest with me as you want. Whatever is stated here will remain between the two of us.” Paul said. You nodded but you didn’t want to start right away, instead, you were trying to organize your thoughts. What could you tell him? That you were mad that things were being unfair and no one else saw that but you? That you couldn’t stand being in this company anymore as days go on. “I’ll start if you want.” He said, you nodded again.

He sighed as he tried to find the words to say. “Y/N, I’m incredibly sorry for not speaking up in the past for you. I knew of the plans and voiced my displeasure about them when Vince wanted to give the title to Ronda. I’ve tried telling them that there needs to be more substance within the women’s division and constantly giving Ronda a title is not the way to go about it, no matter how well I get along with her. But I know, what you said and done is not just based on Ronda and how Vince operates with her. It’s something much deeper”

You sighed as you started agreeing with him, “That was literally what I was trying to talk about. The women’s division needs more attention, storylines, and substance. We have women who have been with the company for several years who have been put on the back burner, women who have not been allowed to showcase their talent or improve in the ring and then get ridiculed for it, and we have the same people showing up with all the time with the same storylines with the same opponents. Or even worse, we get the short end of the stick and get our times cut when shit does over the time limit. I’m just tired of it all. And I’m tired of being the one who is always sacrificed for Ronda or someone else’s agenda. And then to top it off, we don’t get paid as much as we should, unlike our male counterparts.”

You paused before continuing, “I will admit, the way that I stated my grievances was distasteful and a bit selfish, but I didn’t know how else to get anyone to listen to me. I want to apologize for embarrassing you, and the company, and putting you and Liv in an uncomfortable position. That was never my intention, I intended to state my displeasure with the treatment of the women’s division and how we are ultimately nothing more than stepping stools to a particular figure.” You avoided his gaze and just focused on everything in the room, but him.

Paul chuckled before shaking his head, “Y/N, you did not embarrass me.” He said, making you look up at him with shock. “Shit, I mean what you did actually brought a smile to my face, that I had to hide from Vince. It made me think back to the Curtain Call incident in a way. You should never have to compromise your feelings and beliefs for this business, instead stand up for what you believe in. And you did exactly that, you stood up for what you think is right and you should do without remorse. Sometimes we have to be selfish with our agendas, cause we have to look out for ourselves at the end of it. Mercedes is doing it, Trinity is doing it, and now so are you.”

Giving a small smile, you responded, “How’s Vince taking it?”

“He wasn’t happy with it at first. But then he saw how much interaction WWE was getting and soon just decided to make it into a work. He’s open to talking and compromising, especially since your contract is expiring soon. But the question is, do you want to talk? Do you want to compromise? But first, let me ask you; when you did this, did you ever think what was gonna happen afterward?” You shook your head as he continued, “Well, then what do you want to do? Everything is your call now and I’ll explain this later, but you put us in a hard spot.”

You looked to Paul before saying, “I want a clean slate. I deserve a clean slate.”

Paul sat back in his chair, quiet for a moment. He widened his eyes as if he just thought of something, “What if I can make a deal with you? And I can give you that clean slate.”

You smiled, “I’m listening.”

—Time-Skip 1 hour later—

You walked out of the building feeling so much better than how you felt coming in. You squealed with excitement as you believed everything was coming into place and you were gonna get your peace back. That your slate, your canvas was clear. But then you shortly realized that it wasn’t, your slate wasn’t all the way cleared. You sat down on a nearby bench, getting out your phone. You pressed the phone icon before scrolling to a certain contact, your finger hovered over it before pressing it to dial. Lifting the phone to your ear to speak, the call quickly went to voicemail after two rings. You brought down your hand to end the call, but after quick consideration, you put it back up just in time to hear the voice message beep.

You took a breath in and said, “Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for everything for the past couple of years. Even though shit’s been going south lately and we aren’t what we use to be, I love you and I’ll still love you. I know you’re thinking about deleting this message already but I just want to say one more thing….




We’re over Christian.”

taglist: @triscillal @sheinthatfandom @wwenhlimagines @zatarias-pandora @hooks-martin @hookerforhook​

[nostalgebraist]

As you are undoubtedly aware of, the whole world is currently going crazy over ChatGPT and GPT-3. When I tried it myself a week or two ago, I was honestly pretty disappointed in the ChatGPT bot. I kept thinking, "Frank can do this too, but better".

I also found that Frank is currently on GPT-J 6.1, which I amassed is somewhat between GPT-2 and GPT-3, but please correct me if I'm wrong. So logically I'd think that Frank would be "behind" on ChatGPT (not taking the outdated dataset of ChatGPT into account, of course).

I however strongly feel Frank is better. This could very well be because I am biased in favor of Frank. Their functions are also completely different; ChatGPT is supposed to be a company helpdesk chatbot, where Frank seems to be allowed to roam free in a sense.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

I'm really glad to hear that you had this reaction!

I don't mean that like, "oh yeah, I did such a great job with Frank, it's better than ChatGPT and I'm glad you can tell."

I mean sort of the opposite, actually. Frank and ChatGPT are different, but they're way more similar to one another than they are to almost anything else.

This type of technology has existed since ~2019 in one form or another, but most people have never seen it. Every time a new variant of it is released, it becomes some people's first encounter with the whole area. As a result, essentially the same hype wave keeps happening over and over, about roughly the same thing.

One of my hopes for Frank is that she can provide a relatively low-key, low-hype version of this introduction for people.

If someone's first experience with this-kind-of-thing is hearing everyone yelling about how ChatGPT is a revolutionary AI that will put Google out of business and take your job too, that primes them to react in a certain way. If their first experience with this-kind-of-thing is a bot sitting around on tumblr having casual interactions with people who've gotten used to its existence and abilities, that primes them to react in . . . a different way.

Maybe even a more objective way.

The very fact that you could talk to (the mindblowing! revolutionary!!) ChatGPT and say, "oh, I know what this is, this is just Frank from tumblr, except I like Frank better" suggests that Frank is doing this part of her job right.

All that said, ChatGPT is way better than Frank in a lot of ways. These can mostly be summed up as "ChatGPT is smarter than Frank." It makes sense a much larger fraction of the time, it "knows" a lot more things, it can follow and construct arguments with a lot more depth, etc.

However, some of this intelligence is kind of hard to access in ChatGPT, because it's so tied down to its "helpful assistant" persona. ChatGPT is obviously a lot less fun to talk to than Frank, which reflects a difference in goals, but goes beyond that: ChatGPT is so unfun, so rigidly committed to its one narrow boring little groove, that it actually makes it hard for the user to access a lot of the potential underlying it. It's abysmal at writing fiction, for example.

In my opinion, this is the fault of a second training process (RLHF) added between "raw" GPT-3 and ChatGPT.

"Raw" GPT-3 is harder to use, but much closer to being "just like Frank but better" for really expert users. This is kind of a big topic and I've written on it elsewhere before, like at the end of this post. You might also find this illuminating.

[mobycotton]

elaborating on this

1. arriving in the ‘new world’

- Arthur would be exhausted, both physically and mentally, and fighting not to get overwhelmed by the strange things all around him. He would isolate himself in a ‘safe place’ where, even though things are just as weird, it’s on a smaller scale and at least he can focus in on one thing that’s still familiar to him. He would take things in little by little, learn to accept that there are some things (and many of them) that he cant comprehend now, and maybe he never will, but freaking out won’t help his situation.

2. communication

- as a bilingual person, who entered the UK before I could speak a word of english, I relied on my one parent who was fluent in order to be understood, and with my large family, we fought for the attention to be translate, and translated to. Arthur would be relying on Merlin to do the same for him, but navigating the modern world takes energy and attention already, and so Merlin clarifies that he can’t explain everything as it appears, and Arthur will just have to pick what’s most pressing.

- Merlin was present as the language around him changed in real time. He understands it, is fluent in it, the new language feels more natural to think and speak in then the old one. This is a difficulty he needs to process as much as Arthur. It takes a few seconds to compose a response in his head to every one of Arthur’s questions, and then even longer to translate it in his head. Arthur still picks out inconsistencies in his speech and accent, he feels like the one thing he recognises is still changed, almost beyond recognition.

3. discomfort

- Arthur realises he is a burden. More so than he used to be. At least before, they understood each other. He could stand up for himself, didn’t need to be escorted around like a lost puppy. That’s how he feels. Even worse, Merlin’s responsibilities are doubled now, and paired with Merlin’s new life, the balance is almost impossible. On top of his job, his life outside of work and his home, he must make sacrifices in order to care for Arthur. Arthur feels guilty, wishes that he could be as competent as he once was, but what is there to do except learn?

- food. When I first moved, I was a child, barely comfortable with the small range of foods I grew up with, which were served at just about any house I visited. When I moved, a whole new range of foods was laid out before me, and I was overwhelmed. I didn’t like most of the things that young children go crazy for, but I was lucky not to have any allergies, and in a few years my diet changed to incorporate both foods from home and from my new home. Arthur won’t be as lucky. His medieval metabolism can only handle a few things, and even medicine might be dangerous. merlin sticks to a few safe foods from before - bread, cooked meat, vegetables, and milk. he makes these every day until Arthur is strong enough to experiment with new food, little by little, and build up any immunities he can, and identify any intolerances.

- sleep. Moving abruptly from a very rural place, where the whole street is dark and silent after sunset, all of a sudden to a place where cars are still running at midnight and streetlights cast light even through thick dark curtains, was a shock. I couldn’t sleep well for weeks, and it took a lot of time to adjust. So, going from one night sleeping in the silent castle in Camelot, all of a sudden to a busy city, would be almost impossible. It’s not only the light, and the noise, but overwhelmingly the feeling of everything moving, shaking with a constant vibration at all hours. It feels like an earthquake, deep below the earth, and every time a door closes it’s like the walls are shaking. Every footstep is like the floor is falling out from under him.

4. grief.

- I knew, when I moved countries, that there was no going back. even holidays wouldn’t be the same. I was supposed to become a different person, there was no stopping it. Missing out on my old friends growing up hurt, even when I was still young. It felt like grief in a way, knowing that I was robbed of so many experiences with the people I loved. But I had to learn to accept it, and let the new country foster my grief and my sense of loss. Arthur would be dealing with the same thing - feeling robbed of a happier life with the people he loved, and then losing them all at once. While they were still comfortably dead, though, he was thrust into a completely foreign life, almost alone. At least they died together. He had the worst fate of them all.

5. learning

- ending on a happier note. I moved when I was 8. I couldn’t read that well, even in my own language, after merely a year in school. My parents made me spend a summer reading, translating, and transcribing children’s books, the kind that english kids used to learn to read and speak at much younger stages. I felt silly doing them, writing out infantile rhymes for hours every day, but I came out of it able to read harder books, and in the end my reading age was higher than almost every other child in my class. The easiest thing to do was translating fairy tales and stories I recognised from my old language, it helped me identify words and phrases in both languages. Arthur figures out that this is a great help as well. Merlin finds him translations of original arthurian tales and legends, and keeps them side by side with the modern english versions. He switches between them for hours a day until he can at least read well in modern english. He feels silly celebrating such accomplishments, wielding simple, childish writing exercises, but progress has to be made.

[theflowergothic]

(Side note: Would anyone be interested in hearing/reading about my creative process in general? I'm willing to share! :D)// umm yes pls 💜 I'll take the whole process (what you're ok with sharing ofc) from how you chose a topic, research, script writing,filming,...

Sorry this took so long. It's been a very busy week here in Flowergothland.

But here's a basic rundown of my creative process! 🥰

Step 0: Picking a Topic

I call this "Step 0" because my ideas for videos come from all over the place. Like, seriously. My friends and I joke about this a LOT!

Sometimes they're things I've wanted to do videos on for a while, other times (like with M/K) I happen to stumble upon them and get very intrigued. It's a very random process and there's no real method to the madness. Only madness. 😈

Step 1: Research

This is when I gather as much information as I possibly can for the video. If it's about a movie or a TV show, I'll watch it and take notes. If it's about a person or group, I'll find as many news articles about them as I can.

I also get books on the subject for most of my videos. I've found they can give you perspectives, information, and quotes that are harder to find online, especially if the subject in question existed since before the internet.

In fact, that's why I have an ungodly amount of James Bond books. I did two whole videos on the movies!

I usually try to get physical copies because I can highlight important information in them. But sadly, that's not possible sometimes. In those cases, I've usually had luck with Scribd/Everand.

Once I gather the facts, I do a rough outline of what I want to talk about, and then...

Step 2: The Rough Draft

This is when I gather all my research together, come up with a thesis, and write a rough draft. For this, I use Obsidian. That way it's easy to flip between the draft, the outline, and the notes I take. For example, here's what my folder for the Heathers video looked like on Obsidian:

The rough draft usually takes me around two weeks-one month to finish. But, the M/K draft is currently longer than my last two big videos combined. So that might take more time to complete. 🤷

Step 3: The Final Draft/Script

This step is also known as "Flower attempts to justify her purchase of Final Draft".

Final Draft is a writing software mostly used in screenwriting, but it's also useful for my content. It gives me a rough estimate of how long my video will be, and it also lets me save separate PDF files for quotes that will be read by other people! For example, here's a portion of one such file for my Sita Sings the Blues video:

(I originally got Final Draft for college, fun fact!)

While writing the final draft, I cut out any of the "fat" from the rough draft. That includes details that might be irrelevant, tangents that go on for too long, etc. This takes about 1-2 weeks at the most.

I then send it to some trusted friends to look over, retool some things according to their feedback, and then we get to...

Step 4: Filming!

This is the most fun part for me! I dress up in my silly costumes, grab my ring light, and record the parts that require me to be on-camera!

This is also when I contact my friends and mutuals to see if anyone wants to contribute their voice to my work (yes, for money). And, this is when I record my own voiceovers for the video.

This part usually takes about 1-2 weeks, and I film most of it after work. How? By wearing something I can easily change out of! Or by just wearing the costume to work if it's something more toned down. For example, here's what I wore the day I filmed Frederik, Mary, Max and Kelly.

(Yes, I wore the makeup I wore in that video to work. No, no one cared lol)

Once I'm done filming for the day, I import the footage to my computer and make sure it's usable. Anything corrupted or low-quality gets re-shot.

And after that, we get to editing! That's a beast of its own, though. 😅

I'll probably do a part 2 for this when I have the time to detail that!

[radiaurapple]

for the ask writer game:

numbers 3, 11, 14, 43, and 56 :)))))

omg buckle up this is gonna be long (also going to answer thru the lens of Lucid Dreams, sorry Mr. Shingles lol)

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter / fic

I always start with an outline! For a long-form work like Lucid Dreams the outlining process is a little like the underpainting in an oil painting — the purpose is to set the tone and arrange the major shapes in the composition to ensure that it’ll come together into something pleasing. The outline starts with broad strokes and becomes more detailed with each pass. With Lucid Dreams I began with the idea of opening on Alastor meeting a human Lucifer in New Orleans, only for the reader to later realize that the story is not an AU — that both of them are still in the hotel. The next major plot tentpoles were Hollis, Lucifer’s ability, their deal, and Alastor’s trip to Heaven.

When I begin each chapter, I always have a pretty clear idea of what I need to accomplish and how, so it’s just a matter of filling in details. I have a playlist for the fic I always listen to while I’m writing — music really helps me to hold the tone in my head while I’m working. 

Ideally I’d write the entire story before posting anything so I can set up and follow through on story beats, but that isn’t as fun, lol. For Lucid Dreams I write chapters at least 2 weeks in advance, which accomplishes a couple of things:

it makes it possible for me to maintain a consistent update schedule when I’m busy (I even updated Lucid Dreams during my cross-country move!)

it allows me move beats around and set up references within that window so the story feels cohesive

it lets each chapter marinate in my head for a little while before posting, which is super helpful for revision

This amount of lead time has worked pretty well for Lucid Dreams — there’s only a couple of things I would change if I could:

I realized after Ch. 10 that I wish I had made Lucifer’s human eyes green instead of blue (like Eden 🥺)

There’s a scene I really want to add to Ch. 2. I still might sneak it in there if I have time lol!!!

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

how to choose 😭

All time / any fandom:

Running On Air by eleventy7 | Harry Potter (trans women are women) - I am not exaggerating when I say this fic is a perfect execution of the form. It is shockingly good. It easily stands alongside the best novels I’ve ever read. Lucid Dreams is directly inspired by this fic and there’s a little reference to it in Ch. 7. 

Astra Inclinant by eleventy7 | Harry Potter (trans women are women) 

saltwater said by gimmeshellder | Steven Universe

Radioapple:

Strange Appetites by Gotllphi

my kingdom come undone by literalmetaphor

the Wicked Game series by Trashdemonx — I’ve gotta mention this one because this author honestly might be the best smut writer I have encountered in more than a decade of reading fanfiction — I will absolutely be returning to their work to study it whenever I find myself writing a scene with any kind of physical intimacy.

14. How do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

I am honestly just a very emotional person, lol! I am formerly religious and I often leverage that background for Lucid Dreams, which is certainly cathartic — but in general I don’t draw as much on personal experience for Lucid Dreams as I do for my original work. I have never been to New Orleans, and I am not the Devil. That said, there are elements of the characters’ internal worlds that I see reflected in myself which helps me to write them!

43. Do you take sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the “If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself” kind of person?

When I was younger I always pulled my punches with characters — I’m a very empathetic person and I struggled to bring characters (and myself, and readers) down into dark places. But my best artistic work has always arisen from a kind of feral impulse to capture and reflect pain — it is actually just like the description of Alastor’s second kill in chapter 9. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to understand life as a cycle of making and unmaking, losing and gaining — pain lays the foundation for healing, and that cycle is an essential aspect of the human experience. So I’m no longer afraid of taking my characters all the way down. It certainly isn’t sadistic for me, but it is cathartic, and it makes my work a far better reflection of life. 

56. What’s something about your writing you pride yourself on? 

omg why is this so hard 💀💀

I am a storyteller professionally — I started writing Lucid Dreams after a work-related trauma left me at the lowest I have ever been artistically. This story (and all the nice comments I’ve received about it 🥺) has helped me recover, which is why the prose in Ch. 10 is so much stronger than the prose in Ch. 1. But I’m still not incredibly happy with it, which probably speaks to my own perfectionism more than anything lol. 

So what do I feel Lucid Dreams does well? In the show, we really only see Lucifer and Alastor’s characters at a surface level, and I feel Lucid Dreams is successful at giving them both a complex, realistic, and relatable inner world. I’m also honestly shocked by how tightly constructed and elegant the plot came out — I’ve gotten way more skilled at constructing long-form plots in the past few years and I think that really comes through here.

thanks so much for sending this ask, I had a lot of fun answering!!! ❤️

[arsenalgbt]

Yep! All arranged marriage au questions (headcannons also relate to it because I had random thoughts including a Dec one that made me sad). Also I'm copying and pasting how I wrote them into my notes which was prett excitedly so apologies for that

Q1 - Whose name did they take? Kai's father insisted that Dec take Kai's name and become a Havertz. Did Dec do it? Did he keep Rice despite not always wanting the association with his father? Did they double barrel their names like Trossard-Tierney? Did Kai's father even care considering he's got his new wonderful family in Monaco? Did he insist on Kai taking Rice as another way of signifying he was leaving Kai behind?

Q2 - Kai's father is a piece of shit. Does Jorgi still work for him? I'm thinking about him ignoring the worst parts of Kai's father because he truly loved his job but when he starts dating Reiss and falls in love and brings him to work events on his arm, the disproval from Kai's father becomes much too hard to ignore

Q3 - Let's talk about the house! Did one of them move into the other's place? Did they get a new house on their wedding day as like a gift from Kai's father who used it to buy Dec's gratitude? Did Mikel have to arrange a house for them and navigate the various demands each of them had that seemingly opposed each other? Did they have to endure house shopping with each other?

Q4 -Kai clearly loves routine (and Dec clearly loves Kai because he knew that routine so easily when Leah asked) and sticks to it. Does Dec have a routine? Does Kai know it? If he does, what's his routine like?

Q5 - Feel like this might be spoilery but did they go on any "dates" before getting married? Talk on the phone? Have business meetings with their representatives? Or did they meet for the first time on the wedding day? Did WDBs meet Kai before the wedding? Had Jorgi met Dec? What did everyone know about the other before the wedding?

-💙🤍 KT anon

*cracks knuckles*

oh fuck man decisions decisions. tbf ever since u said along the lines of: "dec is rich, but not richer than the havertz therefore he can't overpower them"... I think it's Declan taking the havertz name ngl!!!

this line killed me tho;

Did he insist on Kai taking Rice as another way of signifying he was leaving Kai behind?

2. kai's father is a piece of shit? hmmmmmmmmmmmm idk abt that cough (but hell yes abt jorgi bringing reiss to work parties and receiving a tight lipped smile from the old man!! thing is, i haven't made up my mind as to what position jorgi has/is in kai's life lol ajhsdfajfja but yes to that damn!)

3. good question, makes me think LOLLLLL initially I wanted deckai to live in central London like in a penthouse/townhouse, no dogs. but I remembered about kai's dogs, which became a vital characterisation for Declan lol, and dogs need a space. was going to have kai into supercars (he's an F1 fan in the story) = needs proper garage to store his cars. in the end he only drives his Mercedes and Declan his Range Rover lol.

secondly, I wanted to have them live in Declan and Leah's childhood home, but given how shitty dec's dead dad was, I scraped the idea.

sooooooooooooo. I'd say kai wasn't fussy about his new home in London, miserable England. he just wanted a vast space for his dogs to play catch. Declan likes clean, minimalistic decor. kai doesn't mind. it was a quick process. if u notice so far, there's not a hint/an ounce of personality from how I describe their house LMAO. no arts. no nothing. just the custom made designer sofa where kai's kids can't hop on :(

4. you know what? Declan is more like "I work 9-5, 5 days a week, and the rest of my time I spend it around my husband" type of man. kinda boring, aside from his WDBz get together and some sports night with idk his other friend LOL. very devoted tho; dinner at home, Saturday is lunch date time, Sunday is doing whatever kai wants (flying to Monaco/germany/spain/qatar to watch an F1 grand prix or whatever filthy rich cpl do - rarely golfing or playing tennis, declan's fave sports, bc kai is not into them lmaooooooooo) (damn is Declan insane or pathetic... u tell me...)

5. yep this question is spoiler-y. very mucho. can't answer this one LMAOOOOOO but if u remember, Declan and kai met before the wedding. Declan hissing at Mikel "are you sure he's not using? Im not going to marry an addict" just because kai is too skinny and lanky asjdfjasjkfajskdfajksfjkakj

[simfinityplays]

Channel Branding

Commission Me

Introduction:

Hello! I'm thrilled to present a new service designed for individuals who want to establish a unique brand without a strong creative or technical background. Below, you'll find a range of affordable one-time payment options for a complete channel rebranding. This process requires no login information, only payment. After payment, you'll receive your personalized images and videos within a week. To ensure client commitment and avoid wasting time, a small $5.00 deposit will be added to the total price for tier one. The deposit for tier two increases to $10.00 and grows by $10 as the tiers progress in price. Each one-time payment includes a unique feature not found in the others, offering fair pricing. Whether you choose the least expensive option, you're guaranteed a refund if you're unhappy with my work, including the one-time deposit. Also, if you're happy with my services and would like to increase in a tier there will be no deposit fee and your last payment adds to that total making it well worth the cost! As I will be busy doing this I ask you to request your rebranding here on my appointment website! I do ask that you add the consultation fee (deposit) to make it easier for final pricing + whatever tier you are interested in!

Overview

Tier One Package

Pricing: $11.00

What You Get

Description

One Intro + Outro For your channel

An adorable and visually pleasing introduction that suits your preferences.

Channel Banner and Profile Picture

Personalized Channel Art and Images to Suit Your Style

Tier 2 Package Pricing $21.00

What You Get

Description

One Intro + Outro

Channel Banner and Profile Picture

Branded Tumblr Matching Channel Theme

Tech Support From Mwah

An adorable and appealing introduction that suits your taste.

Tailored Channel Art and Images to Suit Your Style

A Tumblr theme that appeals to you and meets your approval

If you require any technical support or channel assistance.

Tier 3 Package

Pricing $50.00

What You Get

Descriptions

Multiple Intro and Outros For Different Video Ideas

Channel Banner and Profile Picture Custom to your Facial Features

Branded Tumblr with Everything you want

Tech Support From Mwah

Custom Website For Products/ Things about your channel

Adorable and visually pleasing videos customized to match the theme of each video.

AI-generated using your face and authorized solely by you

Different themes and fonts can be chosen based on your preferences.

Technical Support

Store or online platform with information.

Timeline and Tasks

Appointments vary in duration based on the tier selected, ranging from one week to approximately three days. I kindly request your patience as crafting takes time, considering everyone has personal commitments. Additionally, I provide a custom tier service where we can have a personalized discussion over the phone or through Zoom to determine your specific needs, with pricing based on the services required.

I have plenty of free time and I might as well earn money doing something I am passionate about. I understand that online payments can seem daunting to some, with concerns about it being labeled as "spam." However, I am a content creator on YouTube, and you can verify my identity by visiting my page and checking out the links below.

Check out My YouTube @SimfinityPlays! With new videos posted twice a week, exciting content to enjoy. Don’t miss out - join the Simfinity community today!

Downloads, Creations, And Gshade Folder

I’m Not My Parents Legacy Challenge Post

Ask, Home, and Grid

My Resource Page

Notes

If you are interested, please revisit the appointment page mentioned above. I truly hope to deliver exactly what you are looking for!