#sb consulting

[prettymunchkin]

Redevelopment in Pune by SK Fortune Developers faces challenges like aging infrastructure, limited land, regulatory hurdles, tenant displacement, environmental impact, traffic congestion, and financial viability. Solutions include infrastructure upgrades via public-private partnerships, high-density mixed-use development, streamlined regulatory processes, fair tenant relocation, green building practices, transit-oriented development, and innovative financing mechanisms. SK Fortune Developers adopts a collaborative approach with government and communities to promote sustainable urban revitalization, aiming to create a more livable, resilient, and inclusive city.

[navxry]

Some coughing can be overheard before a voice speaks up, though shaky, they seem to be trying their best.

" Ah, hello.. I heard you, do cases? Do.. has anyone under the name of, 'Orpheus Deross' been in your records by any chance? "

-- homesick (SIAB) anon!

.

Oh. Uh, hold on, let me check...

...

...

I believe I do. From my colleagues, I was told it was a missing person's case— dated... 3 months ago, at best.

...

You must be... Orpheus, right? Man, brown haired, father of a young child whose alias is Aging?

[wachinyeya]

Legislation passed last year allows federally recognized tribes to practice cultural burning freely once they reach an agreement with the California Natural Resources Agency and local air quality officials.

Northern California’s Karuk Tribe, the second largest in California, becomes the first tribe to reach such an agreement.

(Feb. 27, 2025, Noah Haggerty)

Northern California’s Karuk Tribe has for more than a century faced significant restrictions on cultural burning — the setting of intentional fires for both ceremonial and practical purposes, such as reducing brush to limit the risk of wildfires.

That changed this week, thanks to legislation championed by the tribe and passed by the state last year that allows federally recognized tribes in California to burn freely once they reach agreements with the California Natural Resources Agency and local air quality officials.

The tribe announced Thursday that it was the first to reach such an agreement with the agency.

“Karuk has been a national thought leader on cultural fire,” said Geneva E.B. Thompson, Natural Resources’ deputy secretary for tribal affairs. “So, it makes sense that they would be a natural first partner in this space because they have a really clear mission and core commitment to get this work done.”

In the past, cultural burn practitioners first needed to get a burn permit from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, a department within the Natural Resources Agency, and a smoke permit from the local air district.

The law passed in September 2024, SB 310, allows the state government to, respectfully, “get out of the way” of tribes practicing cultural burns, said Thompson.

For the Karuk Tribe, Cal Fire will no longer hold regulatory or oversight authority over the burns and will instead act as a partner and consultant. The previous arrangement, tribal leaders say, essentially amounted to one nation telling another nation what to do on its land — a violation of sovereignty. Now, collaboration can happen through a proper government-to-government relationship.

The Karuk Tribe estimates that, conservatively, its more than 120 villages would complete at least 7,000 burns each year before contact with European settlers. Some may have been as small as an individual pine tree or patch of tanoak trees. Other burns may have spanned dozens of acres.

“When it comes to that ability to get out there and do frequent burning to basically survive as an indigenous community,” said Bill Tripp, director for the Karuk Tribe Natural Resource Department, “one: you don’t have major wildfire threats because everything around you is burned regularly. Two: Most of the plants and animals that we depend on in the ecosystem are actually fire-dependent species.”

The Karuk Tribe’s ancestral territory extends along much of the Klamath River in what is now the Klamath National Forest, where its members have fished for salmon, hunted for deer and collected tanoak acorns for food for thousands of years. The tribe, whose language is distinct from that of all other California tribes, is currently the second largest in the state, having more than 3,600 members.

Trees of life

Early European explorers of California consistently described open, park-like woods dominated by oaks in areas where the forest transitions to a zone mainly of conifers such as pines, fir and cedar.

The park-like woodlands were no accident. For thousands of years, Indigenous people have tended these woods. Oaks are regarded as a “tree of life” because of their many uses. Their acorns provide a nutritious food for people and animals.

Indigenous people have used low-intensity fires to clear litter and underbrush and to nurture the oaks as productive orchards. Burning controls insects and promotes growth of culturally important plants and fungi among the oaks.

Debris, brush and small trees consumed by low-intensity fire.

The history of the government’s suppression of cultural burning is long and violent. In 1850, California passed a law that inflicted any fines or punishments a court found “proper” on cultural burn practitioners.

In a 1918 letter to a forest supervisor, a district ranger in the Klamath National Forest — in the Karuk Tribe’s homeland — suggested that to stifle cultural burns, “the only sure way is to kill them off, every time you catch one sneaking around in the brush like a coyote, take a shot at him.”

For Thompson, the new law is a step toward righting those wrongs.

“I think SB 310 is part of that broader effort to correct those older laws that have caused harm, and really think through: How do we respect and support tribal sovereignty, respect and support traditional ecological knowledge, but also meet the climate and wildfire resiliency goals that we have as a state?” she said.

The devastating 2020 fire year triggered a flurry of fire-related laws that aimed to increase the use of intentional fire on the landscape, including ��� for the first time — cultural burns.

The laws granted cultural burns exemptions from the state’s environmental impact review process and created liability protections and funds for use in the rare event that an intentional burn grows out of control.

“The generous interpretation of it is recognizing cultural burn practitioner knowledge,” said Becca Lucas Thomas, an ethnic studies lecturer at Cal Poly and cultural burn practitioner with the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region. “In trying to get more fire on the ground for wildfire prevention, it’s important that we make sure that we have practitioners who are actually able to practice.”

The new law, aimed at forming government-to-government relationships with Native tribes, can only allow federally recognized tribes to enter these new agreements. However, Thompson said it will not stop the agency from forming strong relationships with unrecognized tribes and respecting their sovereignty.

“Cal Fire has provided a lot of technical assistance and resources and support for those non-federally recognized tribes to implement these burns,” said Thompson, “and we are all in and fully committed to continuing that work in partnership with the non-federally-recognized tribes.”

Cal Fire has helped Lucas Thomas navigate the state’s imposed burn permit process to the point that she can now comfortably navigate the system on her own, and she said Cal Fire handles the tribe’s smoke permits. Last year, the tribe completed its first four cultural burns in over 150 years.

“Cal Fire, their unit here, has been truly invested in the relationship and has really dedicated their resources to supporting us,” said Lucas Thomas, ”with their stated intention of, ‘we want you guys to be able to burn whenever you want, and you just give us a call and let us know what’s going on.’”

[zepskies]

Lost on You - Part 1

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x F. Supe!Reader

Summary: 1983 is a big year for you. You’re finally chosen to join the ranks of Payback, led by the most (in)famous supe in the world: Soldier Boy. He’ll never admit that he’s trying his damndest to figure you out. You’ll never admit that he’s actually growing on you. But the problem with this game is deciding who’s the predator, and who is prey.

AN: Welcome to Part 1! You guys have really warmed by heart with all the anticipation for this series, so thank you so much. I think it's going to be a fun ride. 😉

Song Inspo: “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John. And check out the full “Lost on You Playlist” here. There’s going to be lots of ‘80s music in this series!

Word Count: 4K

Tags/Warnings: SB being an entitled asshole (strap in for a lot of that), misogyny, bullying, and a “meet cute” of sorts…

🎙️ Series Masterlist || YouTube Playlist || Spotify Playlist

Part 1: Siren Song

April 3, 1983

“Why the fuck wasn’t I consulted about this?” Soldier Boy groused.

Arthur Cohen, otherwise known as “The Legend,” released a heavy puff of his cigar within the relative privacy of his office. Vought afforded him a great deal of luxuries, at the cost of days like this.

So, he’d offered the supe one of his most coveted Cubans to pacify him. Because true to form, he was edging closer to a temper tantrum by the minute.

“This decision came from on high, my friend,” Arthur said, with a smile that hid his inner anxiousness. He tapped some ash off his cigar with a finger adorned by a gaudy gold ring. “Stan Edgar, Stillwell, even the entire board of directors signed off on this one.”

“I don’t give a fuck who bought into this PR bullshit,” Soldier Boy postured, crossing his arms across his dark green supe suit as he leaned into the plush seat adjacent to Arthur’s desk. He raised a solid boot on the edge of the newly polished mahogany, and then another, crossing them at the ankles. His cigar was balanced between his teeth in the corner of his mouth.

“The last thing we need,” he said, pausing to inhale. Then he took the cigar from his lips to blow out smoke in hot annoyance. “Is another broad on the team.”

Arthur inclined his head. “I understand your concerns.”

“Do you?” Soldier Boy snorted. “Countess is bitch enough to deal with, believe you me.”

Arthur sympathized. He knew Crimson Countess’s attitude well, but he supposed Soldier Boy had license to say so more than anyone else, considering she was his girlfriend.  

“Look, I could give you the numbers: expected profit margins, demographics, etcetera, but you don’t get paid to hear that from me,” Arthur said, with a magnanimous hand gesture and a fair bit of old Jewish charm. “I’m askin’ you to trust me. This girl’s good, okay? Not just a wig and a pair a’ tits. Nah, she’s got talent. Got a set of pipes on her too, my God.”

Soldier Boy gave him a sly look. 

“Not like that,” Arthur said. He shook his head in amusement, but not with the face of a man who hadn’t already thought about the girl’s pretty mouth. He stroked his chin.

“She’s…interesting. Well, you’ll see. If she brings up the ratings the way we hope, we’ll be able to relocate Swatto. Hopefully to Siberia. He’s a fucking PR nightmare waiting to happen.”

“All right, the guy’s a moron, but he’s fucking hilarious,” Soldier Boy said, smirking. “Like one of the three Stooges.”

Yeah. Arthur wondered if that homeless man Swatto almost split open in Central Park after a sneeze thought he was funny. 

“And her powers. Really?” Soldier Boy went on. His brows drew together then, as he frowned. “Sounds like she blew something up someone’s ass to get this far, and it ain’t smoke.”

“Trust me, that’s the real deal too,” Arthur assured.

But he could see that Soldier Boy wasn’t convinced. The supe rolled his eyes and released another puff.

“Anyway. I’m fucking bored. What’s the next project?” he said. Arthur took an unfiltered breath and peeked at the files strewn across his desk.

“Well, Red Thunder is coming out this fall. We’re pretty sure it’s gonna be the blockbuster of the year,” he replied. “After that, we’ll see about writing a sequel.”

If it makes back the millions we spent in production going over budget, thanks to this asshole’s weekly benders, he mentally added.

“I don’t care about a bullshit sequel,” Soldier Boy said dismissively. “I want to do something new.”

“Something new,” Arthur intoned.

The supe raised a brow. Again, the cigar was balanced between his teeth.

“Yeah.”

He really must be bored, Arthur thought, if he actually wants to work.

“All right, let me brainstorm on that for ya,” Arthur said. “Matter of fact, tell you what. Give me ‘til the end of the week. In the meantime, we’ve got the security team monitoring the police scanner for potential saves.”

The supe didn’t look impressed. His brows furrowed, as if he was irritated that he didn’t get an immediate answer, but his slight nod signaled his agreement before he finally got up from his chair. His boots dragged off Arthur’s desk, knocking over a framed picture of his kids with it, and thudded heavily on the ground. He left the office thereafter.

Arthur heaved a breath of exasperation. He didn’t get paid enough for this shit. 

Fucking supes.

But he didn’t dare utter that thought out loud.

It was days before Ben finally crossed paths with the new girl. Not that he’d been giving the idea much thought.

After that day in Arthur’s office, Ben became engrossed in his own devices—namely one of the assistants, Joanna, his stylist, Angela, and Rachel, his maid, after Donna blew him off for dinner for the third night in a row. This time for some tree-hugging conservationist gala of some kind. 

Frigid bitch, he thought, shaking his head. 

On his way to the gym, he passed the T&T Twins gossiping. Just the sight of them irritated him. Tommy was a kiss-ass, and Tessa shared a brain cell with her brother, so she wasn’t saying much for her gender either. 

“Would you pick your tongue off the floor already! You’re so disgusting,” Tessa said, shoving her brother.

“What? She’s fucking hot,” Tommy snapped in defense. When they finally saw Ben coming, Tessa piped down with her attempt at a “demure” greeting.

Tommy came in hot with a too bright voice and a, “Hey, boss!”

Ben gave them a stoic nod, fully intending to blow past them.

“Have you met the new girl yet?” Tommy asked, with an unmistakable pop of his brows and indecent smile.

Ben nearly rolled his eyes. “No.”

And don’t fucking care, his tone conveyed. He continued on his way to the gym. Behind him, the twins gave each other a look, and a shrug.

When he got to the gym, Journey was playing overhead. Ben frowned as he saw Black Noir working out by himself. The young man wasn’t wearing his suit. Instead, he was bare-chested and running on a treadmill with a nearly 90-degree incline, sweat glistening on his skin. 

Fucking show off, Ben thought. 

Then there was Gunpowder, his young sidekick, practicing his archery. Ben went to him and slapped a hand on his back in greeting, none too gently. The teen stumbled, his arrow landing into the wall instead of the target. 

“Spot me at the bench, ey kid,” said Ben. “And grab me a towel while you’re at it.”

“Uh, sure,” Gunpowder replied, ducking his head as he went. Ben got settled at his usual bench press machine, sliding his back down the thin leather cushion. He waited for the kid to add on his fifty-pound weights on either side, until it reached two hundred pounds. That was just the warm-up. 

“You met the new girl yet?” Ben asked, after he began lifting his first rep. Gunpowder stood behind his head.  

“No, sir,” he said. “Haven’t seen her yet.”

“I haven’t either,” said Noir. He’d come over on his way to the showers, regaining his breath all the while. Ben gave him a sharp side-eye.

“Did I fucking ask you?” he said. 

Noir paused. He hid his frown behind a stoic front, since he didn’t have his mask to do it for him. He toweled off his face and chest as he left the gym. 

Ben shook his head, but he never broke stride on the bench press. 

You seemed to be mysterious. 

Barely anyone had seen you, and you hadn’t gone out of your way to ingratiate yourself with every member of the team, like Ben would’ve expected. Donna had set him in her sights on her very first day.

With fake demure in her hazel eyes, a flick of her long red hair over her shoulder, and a sultry smile, she’d let him take her hand and bring it up to his lips for a gentlemanly kiss. 

That same night, she’d accepted his invitation up to his suite and let him do some very ungentlemanly things. Ben smirked at the memory as he made his way down Vought Tower’s infinite hallways. She sure knew her way around some kinky shit.  

And she still did, the little minx. She’d just been putting the freeze on his balls lately, for whatever her reasons were this time. He didn’t pretend to care or keep track at this point. 

If people only knew what a royal pain Crimson Countess was.

Ben was only taken out of his thoughts when he heard someone singing in the breakroom, gently, but beautifully. He couldn’t make out the words though. He stopped and leaned inside the doorway, just to see who it was. It was early enough in the morning that he was surprised anyone but him was awake.

You were standing there at the counter, making some coffee from the percolator. Soft and dulcet notes fell from your lips in some kind of lullaby. Quirking a brow, the oddness of it managed to draw Ben’s steps into the kitchen. You were wearing a leather supe suit that molded to your every curve, not unlike Donna’s, except yours was black with violet trim lines.

You eventually noticed him with a smile.

“Good morning, sir.”

Ben gave you a charming grin, blatantly eying you from breast to toe before he noted that the coffee had finished percolating. 

"Hey there, sweetheart,” he said. “Pour me a cup, would ya?" 

You did so, and he admired the graceful movements of your hands, and the sweet sound of your voice as you continue to hum to yourself. 

"You're a little crooner, aren't you?" he asked, taking the plain white coffee mug from you. 

When your hand brushed his, he felt it.

Your power.

It threatened to overtake him, drawing you into him like the crash and current of a tidal wave, where he couldn’t help but be pulled undertow. There in that darkness, he craved your warmth as well as your body. The thought, the need gripped him at his core… 

He wanted you to devour him, body and soul.

And he finally registered that your eyes were glowing violet, along with your knowing smile. 

Then you blinked. The violet haze was gone, along with your hold on his mind. 

You went back to sipping your coffee as if nothing had just happened. Ben faltered, mentally and physically as he was forced to grip the counter. He even had to catch his breath as his mind reeled from the loss of connection. 

He covered his unbalance with a steely, angry frown. What the fuck just fucking happened?

He looked at you harder than before, drawing himself to his full height and towering over you. Still, you didn’t seem all that intimidated.

“What the hell did you just do?” he growled.

Your knowing, easy smile remained. 

“Nothing,” you replied. “Just a little smoke.”

Ben’s eyes widened.

“Sounds like she blew something up someone’s ass to get this far, and it ain’t smoke.”

How the hell had you heard about that?

He quirked a brow, but you just sipped your coffee with a gentle slurp. Your gaze moved away from him as you went to the fridge to take out a carton of eggs.

“Want some breakfast? I’m thinking of making some eggs, sunny side up,” you said.

Ben’s hand clenched at his side, but then, he forced himself to relax. Or at least, to look relaxed. You had some fucking audacity to try toying with him…but he had to admit, you were something new.

Interesting.

“What’s your name?” he asked, in a tone that demanded.

“Sirena,” you answered. Your superhero name, which he’d already known when Stan Edgar told him about you a week ago.

Ben’s frown deepened, but he reminded himself to retain some charm. He took your chin between his fingers. His grip was light, but his green eyes were intense, and focused on you. 

“No. Your real name, sweetheart,” he said, brushing your cheek with his thumb.

You blinked, but you obliged him with your name, and a smile that edged at flirtation.

“What’s yours?” you returned.

He had to smirk. He knew you knew full well who he was.

“Call me Ben,” he said.

Three Days Ago…

You tried not to be completely overwhelmed by the sight of this huge tower as you pulled your suitcase behind you. Vought-American was an institution of superhero production, and Payback was the face of it all. The absolute pinnacle.

I still can’t believe they chose me, you thought, but you tried not to let that show. You needed to make it seem like you knew what you were doing. You belonged here, and you were seizing this chance.

Madelyn Stillwell, the head of Superhero Public Relations, personally greeted you at the gate and showed you up to your room. However, you’d barely gotten a chance to step inside and look around before her pager went off. She wore a certain smile when she saw the number on the screen. She tossed a strand of strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder and glanced up at you.

“Sorry, sweetie. I have an appointment to get to, but the directory is there on your desk if you need anything. Feel free to get comfortable,” she said, gesturing at you with her pager in hand. “I’ll be back in an hour or so to give you a tour of the building.”

“Okay, thank you so—”

The door closed behind her before you could even finish your sentence. That deflated you a little, but you tried not to let that small exchange bring you down. Your apartment was huge. Or at least, it was much bigger than the shoebox you left in the Village, let alone the Brooklyn brownstone you grew up in, sharing with two other families on each floor.

You hefted your suitcase onto the bed and began to unpack your clothes, makeup, and toiletries. 

You also took out the only framed picture you had—one that housed your parents and your older brother Chris. You were both grown already, but in this picture, you were barely twelve years old. That little girl didn’t know that her entire world was about to change, when her powers manifested for the first time. 

That thought did succeed in dimming your mood for a moment, but you sighed and set the frame down on your new dresser. You’d have to remember to call Chris. His son was turning four years old in a few weeks. 

Though your attention shifted to a black shape in the corner of your eye. It was a garment bag hanging on the closet door. You went over and unzipped it, revealing your new super suit. It was all black leather and violet accent lines down the sides, along the collar, and down between the breasts in a V-shape. It was strategic to accentuate curves and bust. 

You whistled lowly. It was beautiful, but Jesus did it look tight. 

“Wow,” you remarked, trying out the zipper up and down. “They really like their leather, huh?”

Still, you itched to try it on. After a few minutes of struggling and wiggling, you managed to get into the suit. They’d taken exact measurements, so it did look good. You felt like a new person…a superhero.

You smiled at yourself in the bathroom mirror. But then, you forced the smile off your face and shook your head, schooling your expression into something less doe-eyed and pathetic. More in control.

There you are, Sirena, you thought. You had long ago trained yourself with that enigmatic look. You knew how it felt on your face. The easiest way for you to get what you wanted in this world, the way you’d gotten this far, was with this exact face.

Only show them what you want them to see.   

Almost two hours later, you’d finished unpacking your belongings and explored every corner of your new beautiful apartment, but still, Miss Stillwell wasn’t back yet.

You checked your watch and hummed to yourself. Your curiosity getting the best of you, you decided to leave your apartment and explore the tower by yourself. You took off the suit as well, so you could make your way around more anonymously. You were sure no one really knew who you were yet. 

Your theory was proven true when you walked through the halls, passing Vought employees without even a blink in your direction. That was okay though. Soon enough, all these people would know your face, as well as your name. 

You reached one of the top floors, where you thought you remembered The Legend’s office was supposed to be (according to the directory). Maybe you could meet him and get a jump start on your schedule.

You stopped short, however, when an office door slid open. Out came a slightly disheveled Miss Stillwell. Her blouse was hastily tucked into her gray pencil skirt, and strands of her blonde hair were a bit frizzy as they brushed her shoulders, as if she’d combed them down with her fingers. You plastered yourself to a wall around the corner, only peeking around after she passed by.

Your brows popped up incredulously when you read the name plate beside the door she just came out of.

Stan Edgar…holy shit. His signature was on my contract!

Along with Arthur Cohen, or The Legend, as Stillwell had told you when she welcomed you in. He was the Senior Vice President of Hero Management, so who the hell was Stan?

Well, whoever he was, he was giving it to the head of PR.

Okay then. You shook your head and continued on your way. At the end of the hall, you finally found the right office. You were about to open the door, when you heard male voices coming from inside—one older and dry, and the other deep and strong.

You reached out with your awareness and allowed your powers to engage, likely making your eyes glow with a violet hue.

Sure enough, you sensed two men in the room. And as the voices raised, you recognized one of them. It was unmistakable; you’d been taking the time to binge all of his movies for the past month, ever since you auditioned to get into Payback.

Soldier Boy. 

A smile spread across your face. For a moment, you were incredibly excited…until you actually heard what he was saying.

“The last thing we need is another broad on the team.”

Your mouth fell open in shock as your brows drew together. You carefully pressed yourself to the door and kept listening.

“And her powers. Really?” he said. “Sounds like she blew something up someone’s ass to get this far, and it ain’t smoke.”

“Trust me, that’s the real deal too,” Arthur assured.

You glared at the door furiously, as if you could burn lasers out of your eyes. You crossed your arms, but you breathed evenly as you strived to keep your emotions contained. 

Control, you reminded yourself. With another deep breath, you managed to let go of your ire, but the more you listened to the conversation, the more impossible that became. You turned away from the door and made clipped strides down the hall.

You knew you had to tread carefully here. You’d heard some of the real stories about Payback, because you’d taken the time to listen. You weren’t about to enter Vought Tower without having some idea of what you were getting into, and you knew you’d have to prove yourself as the rookie on the team. You just hadn’t expected their leader to be such a chauvinistic asshole. 

Though inwardly, you snorted. Well, the guy is from the ‘40s. Best generation, indeed.

You rolled your shoulders and shook it away, like water off your proverbial feathers. Your mouth set in a firm line as you held your head high.

The game begins, you thought.

For the next few days, you watched. You studied each member of your new “team” as you encountered them, and you quickly realized that this team wasn’t much of one. 

They looked out for themselves, and bickered amongst themselves, in the case of the TNT Twins. Crimson Countess had given you a lovely, polite face that still somehow mocked you when she walked away, along with the bounce of her red hair. 

Your powers didn’t allow you to sense or read women, but you recognized a diva when you saw one.

Clearly, she was used to being the woman on top, especially as Soldier Boy’s girlfriend. You wanted to roll your eyes at the thought. From what you’d heard (and the masculine cologne you smelled on Arthur’s assistant Joanna yesterday), Soldier Boy got around. His relationship with Countess was either very open, or it was well-crafted PR.

You had another growing, unsettling thought. The more information you gathered just by observing the team, the more you had a hard time believing that you were ever going to fit in around here. 

It was only your third day in the Tower though, you reminded yourself, as you got dressed for the day in your suit. That kind of negativity wouldn’t serve you here. 

So you left your apartment in search of coffee and breakfast at the breakroom and lounge area, exclusive to the team. You supposed these guys were either late sleepers, or they got their food brought to them. You were relieved to find the room empty, and you let out a deep breath.

Remember why you’re here, you thought. It’s not about you. 

It had never been about you. 

You rummaged through the cupboards in search of the one thing that would perk you up—good coffee. You found it near the top shelf and began to prep the coffee maker. You hummed to yourself while your hands moved on autopilot. The tune strengthened, deepening and then sweetening on higher trills. 

Suddenly, your spine prickled. Your mind buzzed faintly with awareness as you sensed a presence.

It was familiar and overwhelmingly male, with heavy, confident steps coming down the hall. You tilted your head and frowned. 

Soldier Boy, that asshole. 

But then, your lips curved upwards. This could be fun. 

When Soldier Boy walked into the breakroom, he noticed you. You pretended not to realize he was there, but you felt the heat of his gaze roaming over your body. You wanted to sigh. Predictable.

Right then, you made a quiet, firm decision. Today, this man was going to learn your name. And he wasn’t going to forget it. 

You turned to him with a smile when he approached—the most pleasant one you could manage.

“Good morning, sir.”

AN: Game, set, match. 😘💚 As many of you know, this story is expanding on this Soldier Boy imagine, which I wrote almost a year ago now. In the back of my mind though, I always thought this idea could be more someday.

So please let me know what you thought of Part 1! I'm so excited for you guys to see what's coming up next...

Next Time:

“Countess, I’m not trying to replace you. I’m not trying to take anything from you.”

“Except my boyfriend,” she shot back. Finally she turned her head towards you with cool disdain. “You think I didn’t see you flirting with him last night at the afterparty?”   

You rolled your eyes, though you hid a sliver of embarrassment. You should’ve known she’d spot that.

“He approached me, okay?” you said. Maybe you were about to let your pettiness to get the best of you, but you couldn’t help it. You smiled slyly. “And from what I hear, I’m the least of your worries. Looks like Ben has quite the appetite.”

The cracks of Countess’s cool façade finally broke through to anger.

▶️ Keep Reading: PART 2

Ko-Fi Me ☕

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[fearmeeeee]

having a conversation with my friend and i think we need to consult the ceo of sebek on this. do u think sebek swears/curses?

HMMMM I will say this more is based on his english translated dialogue, which isn't very trustworthy to begin with.. I think sebek is overall using a very rude tone if he doesn't respect sb, but wont use many swears. He HAS used "knave" in game and also does call ppl dense p often, so he IS insulting, but the fact he talks like hes from a period drama makes him look more elegant about it. If he respects someone he is EXTREMELY polite though, sudden butler transformation , SIRE however could I be of useeee hur durr I think if he heard slang and casual swears he'd explode though so... distasteful.. how Dare you... this is no way to address a guard bla bla bla

[jmoonjones]

Sorry Santa, Andarna got peckish.

A note on the shadowbaby stockings and the process behind Xaden's shadowbabies below:

I took a poll on IG awhile back about whether Xaden could be officially considered a shadowdaddy and thus be entitled to his own shadowbabies.

The vote for overwhelmingly YES, but since he's not in the Maasverse, I wanted to differentiate his SBs somehow. So many prototypes were doodled and agonized over:

So after having a fair few DMs with opinions, and consulting the Shadowbaby Matchmaking Society, Xaden was partnered with: a shadowdragon (Figgy), a shadowbaby (Mikhail), a relic-marked shadowbaby (CPB [Chonky Prawn Boi]- his WIP name just stuck), and a veninbaby (Regan)

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

[woundliqour]

For those who didn't hear, in Florida, Senate Bill 254 which banned gender affirming care for minors, imposed stringent requirements of adults, mandating in-person consultations/prohibition of telehealth, banned puberty blockers for minors, rigorous informed consent, etc had more of its stipulations struck down.

June last year ('23), fed judge Robert L Hinkle was able to block the ban on beta blockers and hrt for minors as unconstitutional, concluding it was an exercise in politics and not medicine. This month, his rulings have been able to overturn the ban on medicaid coverage of gender affirming treatments. The ruling comes six months after a three-day trial for Doe v. Ladapo in which the court heard testimony from experts in psychiatry, endocrinology, medical ethics and pediatric medicine.

the remaining measures of the bill have to do with the prohibition of telehealth and the requirements to see a physician and undergo the psychological assessments. House Bill 1557, the don't say gay bill which was extended last year to include 4th - 12th grade is still in effect. Restroom restrictions in public gov facilities are still in effect, and gov officials/businesses are still able to discriminate against trans individuals, among other bills still targeting trans people.

There's still work to be done, but theres some good news and progress we're taking back. Stay safe, keep each other safe. More than ever, try to seek out your community, participate in organized activism, and build solidarity with other communities. mask up, be vocal about Palestine, and reject the prison-industrial complex.

[the-eternal-quest-for-balance]

Nashville, TN — In a historic move to address systemic failures in mental health care and public safety, Tennessee has enacted HB 1349/SB 1146, a groundbreaking law requiring autopsies of suspected mass shooters to include toxicology screenings for psychotropic drugs. The legislation, co-drafted by AbleChild—the nation’s leading nonprofit advocating for informed consent and the right to refuse psychiatric products and services—and Amy Miller, former director of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Reform Pharma initiative, marks a seismic shift in how States confront mass violence.

The Law’s Core Mandate: Shining Light on Hidden Factors

The bill, signed into law on April 10, 2025, mandates toxicology testing for deceased mass shooters who killed four or more individuals, including consultation with their mental health providers. It also calls for University of Tennessee Health Science Center (HSC) studies on interactions between psychotropic drugs and other substances in perpetrators’ systems, and public disclosure of psychotropic drug use by shooters upon request, with personal identifiers redacted.

The law amends Tennessee codes to prioritize transparency over privacy in cases of mass violence, directly challenging pharmaceutical and behavioral health industries to confront potential links between their products and practices and public safety risks.

[mariacallous]

Last week, the Indiana Senate passed a bill targeting diversity, equity and inclusion across state government, including in K-12 and higher education. Senate Bill 289 would ban DEI consultants, internal DEI audits and any offices or workers whose “primary duties” include providing noncredit DEI programs at public colleges and universities. The state attorney general could ask courts to fine institutions up to $250,000 per violation.

The state Senate Democrats—outnumbered four to one by their Republican counterparts in Indianapolis—gave speech after speech Thursday against the legislation. Senator Shelli Yoder, the minority caucus leader, said the bill was about “silencing essential truths and reinstating discrimination under the false pretense of neutrality, or words like ‘merit.’”

But Dr. Tyler Johnson, a Republican senator and one of the bill’s authors, said SB 289 would actually combat discrimination. He said he was inspired to take action more than two years ago, after a student he mentored felt discriminated against in medical school admissions at an Indiana university that Johnson declined to name. “Our goal here is to remove divisive and discriminatory top-down manipulative ideology,” Johnson said. “You can’t fix discrimination with discrimination.”

As the vote on the measure loomed, Democrats suddenly moved to oust the Senate president—Indiana lieutenant governor Micah Beckwith—as chair of the session for a post on X celebrating the bill’s passage before it actually passed. “HOOSIER REVOLUTION: Indiana Just TORPEDOED Woke Indoctrination!” the post began. “The Indiana Senate just dropped the hammer on the radical DEI racket with SB 289—and the left is LOSING IT. No more taxpayer-funded race hustling.”

The Democrats’ ouster attempt failed and the bill passed 34 to 13; it still has to pass the Indiana House and be signed by the governor to become law.

PEN America, a free speech and academic freedom advocacy group, has raised concern about SB 289, including a provision that it says “broadly prohibits faculty and staff from ‘promoting, embracing or endorsing stereotypes,’ using language so vague it could severely restrict classroom instruction and discussion.”

The bill is just one example—though perhaps the closest to passage so far—of renewed efforts by Republican lawmakers in multiple states to enact legislation to diminish DEI. Donald Trump began his second term as president with executive orders and funding freezes targeting DEI, but these federal actions have met resistance in the courts. Now some states are taking up the fight, joining Florida, Texas and other states that, even before Trump retook office, already broadly banned DEI from public institutions. Some states are further proposing bills targeting things that Trump hasn’t directly gone after, including faculty tenure.

Amy Reid, senior manager of the Freedom to Learn program at PEN America and former chair of the faculty at New College of Florida—which has been reshaped by the Florida governor’s conservative board appointees—listed multiple concerning bills in a few states.

“What we’re seeing is less a response to changes in Washington than an acceleration of the movement to censor higher education at the state level,” Reid told Inside Higher Ed. “The slew of recently introduced bills in Iowa, Indiana and Ohio have broad and dire implications for free speech on college and university campuses.”

Here is some introduced or planned state legislation to watch:

Ohio

In 2023 and last year, Buckeye State faculty, students and administrators pushed back against Senate Bill 83, a wide-ranging piece of public higher education legislation designed to ban mandatory DEI programs, weaken tenure protections and—at least in some of its multiple amended versions—outlaw faculty strikes.

At an over-seven-hour-long state Senate hearing in April 2023, more than 100 people spoke out against SB 83, and hundreds more had signed up to speak. The Senate passed a version of the bill the next month, but the House sat on it and the legislation died.

In the current legislative session, however, Republican senator and Higher Education Committee vice chair Jerry Cirino has filed similar legislation as Senate Bill 1. And Ohio has a new House leader who might support SB 1’s passage: former senator Matt Huffman, who voted for SB 83.

Olivia Wile, press secretary for Ohio’s House majority caucus, didn’t say whether Huffman supports SB 1, but noted, “Higher education reform is an important issue for this General Assembly. We’ll take a look at [the bill] when it reaches the House.”

The 75-page SB 1 would, among other things, ban affirmative action in hiring as well as DEI “offices” and “departments” (the legislation doesn’t define the terms), scholarships that use DEI “in any manner,” and DEI trainings and orientations. Cirino told Inside Higher Ed that the new bill goes further in dismantling DEI than SB 83 would have.

“It’s institutionalized discrimination and [is] consuming an awful lot of money and time and effort in our universities,” Cirino said. “So an all-out ban on DEI programs and expenditures is in the bill now.”

He wants students to have equal opportunity, he said. He noted the prevalence of racism in the 1950s and ’60s, then said, “I think, prior to DEI, we were doing very well on our way to correcting a lot of those bad practices. But, again, you cannot solve a past discrimination by discriminating now against another group to make up for it.”

SB 1 supports one kind of diversity: “intellectual diversity,” which it defines as “multiple, divergent and varied perspectives on an extensive range of public policy issues.” (A Republican-backed Indiana law passed last year also used this term.) SB 1 would require institutions to “ensure the fullest degree of intellectual diversity,” including in curriculum, general education requirements, student course evaluations, annual reviews and student learning outcomes.

The legislation would also ban faculty strikes and require post-tenure review, plus allow for “an immediate and for cause post-tenure review at any time for a faculty member who has a documented and sustained record of significant underperformance outside” their annual performance evaluation. It would also prevent unions from collectively bargaining over post-tenure review and layoff policies.

While Cirino said SB 1 isn’t a “challenge to tenure at all,” multiple Ohio faculty union leaders have publicly disagreed. In a joint letter, they wrote that SB 1 “would imperil the retention and recruitment of excellent faculty by essentially eliminating meaningful tenure.”

“SB 1 is a slightly revised version of SB 83 from the last General Assembly that remains an example of blatant government overreach and micromanagement of the university,” the unions said. “It is state-imposed censorship of what occurs in the university classroom, and will have a chilling effect on academic freedom and freedom of expression.”

SB 1 has yet to pass the Senate or House.

Iowa

Iowa Republicans already banned DEI offices at public colleges and universities last year and prohibited institutions from hiring or assigning anyone “to perform duties” of a DEI office. But they may go further this year.

In November, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley created a Higher Education Committee, whose chairman, Taylor Collins, has promised a “comprehensive review” of colleges and universities.

Among Collins’s proposed bills this legislative session is House Study Bill 63, which would require that general education requirements “do not distort significant historical events or include any curriculum or other material that teaches identity politics or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent” in U.S. or Iowan institutions.

Collins has also proposed House Study Bill 53, under which public colleges and universities couldn’t “require or constrain students to enroll” in DEI or CRT-related courses for “any academic degree program”—unless the program title “clearly establishes its course of study as primarily focused on racial, ethnic or gender studies.” That bill would also ban institutions from requiring, soliciting or incentivizing faculty to apply or participate in DEI or CRT “practices” or include DEI- and CRT- “related content in any course.”

Collins didn’t return Inside Higher Ed’s requests for comment. The bills have yet to pass either legislative chamber.

The Iowa committee was visited last month by a policy analyst for the Manhattan Institute—the conservative think tank home to anti-DEI activist Christopher Rufo. The analyst criticized “activist-bent courses” and said, “Public universities in Iowa are no exception to pushing students into accepting progressive views and ideas as unquestionable truth,” according to a testimony transcript the think tank posted online. (Indiana’s SB 289 contains language similar to the Manhattan Institute’s 2023 model legislation.)

Jesse Arm, the think tank’s executive director of external affairs and chief of staff, said that analyst was invited to testify. Asked about the organization’s involvement in particular legislation, Arm said he’s “not familiar with the specifics of each state and their given bill” and said, “The role of Manhattan Institute is really to sort of serve as an incubator of ideas.” He said, “If lawmakers take inspiration from our reports or things that come out in our affiliate magazine, City Journal, and run with them, that’s great, but we’re not an aggressive 50-state activist operation with operatives on the ground.”

North Dakota

The current version of House Bill 1437 would ban tenure for any faculty member hired after July 1, 2026, at North Dakota’s two-year institutions, which the legislation defines as Bismarck State College, Dakota College at Bottineau, Lake Region State College, North Dakota State College of Science and Williston State College.

“I don’t see any advantage to the students to have somebody who can basically hide behind a protection where they could almost never be let go,” said state representative Mike Motschenbacher, the bill’s lead sponsor.

But Motschenbacher’s original iteration of the bill doesn’t seem to be moving forward. He shared with Inside Higher Ed a proposed amended version that wouldn’t ditch tenure but would require post-tenure reviews every three years for tenured faculty at both two- and four-year public institutions. The post-tenure review committees wouldn’t be allowed to have more than two faculty on them, so they could include many nonfaculty staffers.

“I fully expect to get enough support to get it through the House chambers here,” Motschenbacher told Inside Higher Ed, adding, “It’s really hard to say” what the prospects are in the Senate.

In 2023, the North Dakota House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would have allowed the presidents of Dickinson State University and Bismarck State College to fire tenured faculty members without any review from a faculty committee. But the Senate didn’t follow suit.

Texas

It’s unclear what form legislation will take in Texas, where in 2023 Republicans passed a sweeping ban on public college and university DEI programming. But as The Texas Tribune has reported, Governor Greg Abbott has indicated he’s interested in erasing the tradition of faculty involvement in hiring.

“College professors have increasingly pushed woke agendas,” Abbott said during his last State of the State address. “They have too much influence over who is hired to educate our kids. We need legislation that prohibits professors from having any say over employment decisions.”

Abbott’s press office didn’t return Inside Higher Ed’s requests for comment.

[prettymunchkin]

RERA, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, enhances trust in the real estate sector by ensuring transparency and accountability. SK Fortune strictly adheres to RERA guidelines, providing detailed project information, regular progress updates, and standardized sale agreements. This transparency safeguards homebuyers' rights, ensuring timely project delivery and quality construction. Financial discipline is upheld by requiring that 70% of project funds are deposited in an escrow account used solely for construction. Additionally, RERA's fast-track grievance redressal system ensures swift resolution of buyer complaints. By following RERA norms, SK Fortune fosters a more reliable and trustworthy real estate market, instilling confidence in homebuyers.

[play-rough]

Anon 🕸️ mentioned Flags and I'm going insane thinking about them so I wish to share my thoughts teehee

Head in hanfs.... little albatross. It just makes sense to me. He's always taking care of everyone and he deserves a little break from time to time. He's extremely full of energy and just so happy. He loves playing with like toy cars and planes and stuff. He is also pretty good at taking care of others (Kinda like ranpo??) he just Knows.

Doc I think is either a neutral or a cg. Leaning to cg and his little is Albatross. I love them. My sillies

I also feel like Lippman and Ice Man would be alphas. Or Lippman is an alpha but he's like Chuuya that he's also pretty good as a cg, cuz he's all soothing and he likes playing acting games with the little ones...

I'm conflicted about Piano Man.... Like I genuinely don't know what I'd classify him as 🙁

Going back to what 🕸️ anon said, I totally agree with alpha Verlaine. Drives me nuts. His protective instincts flaring up with chuuya and it being completely unrequited (for obvious reasons)

I'm just a sucker for Flags / SB content and that post made me think a lot.... I hope my thoughts are of enjoyment :3

Yesssss they are very enjoyable 🩵🩵 I admit I’m not as well versed in some of these characters so it’s nice to hear opinions from someone who DOES really know them yesss lemme consult the experts 🩵🩵 I’m so here for all these i especially like alpha (but cg personality) Lippman I’m a sucker for the diversion of dynamics 😭🩵

If Piano Man regressed they could call him Piano Baby 😭 but unfortunately i feel like he leans more neutral

[chryza]

you keep mentioning making money off of games like hsr but how? im dying to know

All right I'll make a proper post about this lmfao. May I present

The Invalid's Guide to Making Money Off Mobile Games

(Please note I'm using my affiliate links, so if you click through and join up I will get rewarded at no cost to you.)

The primary way that I make money is through Swagbucks. (I also use Inbox Dollars, but I tend to use Swagbucks more for different deals. They're both owned by the same parent company.) Swagbucks is a survey website, but they also offer affiliate deals with mobile games. For proof that I'm not grifting, here is my profile.

Each swagbuck (SB) is a penny, so 100 is a dollar, 1000 is 10 dollars. As you can see as of posting this, I've earned 121, 297 SB or $1,212.97 since I started in January. I play various mobile games for a few hours every day, but I took a break for about a month and a half since I was getting burned out. I cash out to Paypal usually, but you can get a bunch of different gift cards, it's nice to be able to directly get people gift cards for their birthdays through the website.

There are a ton of different offers to choose from, from various sponsors of varying levels of credibility. They'll offer to complete different checkpoints within the game for SB within a certain amount of time.

When I'm looking for an offer to start, I'm looking for a few things in particular. The amount on offer has to be worth my time. Usually, I'm looking for offers in the $40-$150 range. Anything above that is likely to have a catch, require massive amounts of in-app purchases to complete, or is downright impossible. I always consult the swagbucks reddit to check out offers beforehand, so I don't waste my time. I also consider the time investment I'm putting in. Usually 1000 levels of a puzzle game for $35 is the minimum I'm looking for. For idle games, I'm looking more in the $50 minimum range.

This is one of the offers I'm currently working on. (the game is Klondike, for $110 total offer)

Typically with an offer in this range, I know I'm going to make a few purchases. I always try to go for stamina boosters on the cheap. I've spent about $5 so far and I'm only a week into this and already about 1/3 of the way done. I log in multiple times a day since I am, as I've stated, disabled, so I have the freedom to do so. If you do not have the ability to be so on top of things, I recommend looking at the second to last goal point, and making that your target.

Other offers are like this

(This is Ant Legion, a game I've played before). As you can see the amount on offer is significantly higher. $340 to be exact, though keep an eye out for things like "purchase X"--typically those are 1:1 rebates, so you get a boost for free. With these types of games, you're going to be making substantially more in-app purchases. When I try this offer, I'm going to budget about $40-$50 so that I'm still making a profit of about $285. Understand that there is risk involved--if I spend that money and I *don't* make it all the way to 31 in time, I'm SOL.

Swagbucks also offers gambling games. Just stay away from those. I did one and spent about $70 to make a profit of about $150, but none of it was from the app itself. They're predatory and meant to funnel in-app purchases, though again, check the reddit. There might be a couple that are legit.

Typically with Swagbucks, I like to be doing 3 offers at a time--two idle games, and one puzzle game. I'll check my idle games throughout the day to make progress, and sit and binge the puzzle games to get to the level checkpoints (Usually about 1000 levels, which isn't as bad as it sounds.)

Before I get into the next section, this is very important, please listen to me.

If you cash out for more than the minimum threshold for taxation in your country, you will owe taxes on the money you make.

You'll need to do research for your individual situation. For USAmericans, the threshold is $600. I budget about 10% of that to go into taxes, and I have a spreadsheet with receipts for in-app purchases which qualify as business expenses in this case. Here is the SB page for more info.

Next, I've just started using Mistplay after being bombarded with ads about it. generally, I like it. I'm also not saying that it's possible to double-dip SB and Mistplay rewards, because I would not do that because it's against terms and conditions, but it might be possible (though I definitely don't recommend it).

Mistplay works differently in that it offers 'units' for playing games for a certain amount of time. I've earned about 500 units in a day playing mobile games for a few hours, and minimum cash out starts at $5 for 1800 units. Overall it's a nice system that allows me to make money on more "fun" games that I'd otherwise be playing anyway without making money, such as for instance, Honkai: Star Rail which I'm planning on starting tonight. And if you do join Mistplay, this is my recruit link ;).

Overall tips:

be prepared to watch ads. I have my shit set up on multiple devices, I have a phone and a tablet with different games on each and I usually have ads going on on one screen while I'm playing merge what the fuck ever on the other. That's how they're making the money to give to you, pussy up etc.

It does take some dedication to rack up big numbers. I consider myself on a fairly relaxed grind and usually play mobile games for about four hours a day. You can try out your limits and whatnot

RESEARCH. you can download a game and test it outside of the SB tracking to try it out, or check out the subreddit. Mucho helpful information.

IF YOU DO AN OFFER and it DOES NOT TRACK CORRECTLY do not panic. Complete the offer to the best of your ability, take screenshots, and use the SB help center to request your missing SB credit. They usually get back to me within a business day with my shit in pending.

It's a slow crawl to victory. You'll be like "i am not making fucking ANYTHING." and then the next week you'll be like. pending for $100. Be patient.

Check out the other shit on the SB and Inbox Dollars websites. I occasionally do surveys for over a dollar (though I use Forthright for surveys because overall it pays better for my time.)

Good luck gamers!

And. Please don't like. blow me up about this being a scam or whatever? I see people press x to doubt but the proof is in my bank account. Or well. My medical provider's bank account now because I've been using the money to slowly pay off bills.

[rhela-zhwain]

Rhel'a's sign names for each of the Scions btw:

One of the most underrated parts of sign language is how you get to give people/make up signs for people's names.

Alphinaud: little blue star > brave star

Alisaie: mirror blue star > little red star > kind star

(The twins started out with semi generic names, though Rhel'a appends/uses star for the Scions of the seventh dawn. He adjusts the names throughout the story, as he gets to know the twins better. As he meets alphi first alisaie gets saddled with a sign name that basically means "the other twin" until she distinguishes herself in Stormblood. Alphi's current sign name was chosen to kind of "overwrite" his unfortunate failings with the crystal braves while Alisae's was chosen after her contributions to the tempering cure post ShB)

Estinien: blue dragoon > big blue > peace star

(Estinien starts out as the Azure dragoon and then gets assigned "Alphi's big brother" during the HW roadtrip. Rhel changes his sign name when he joins the Scions post ShB. His current name is picked because Rhel thinks he deserves a peaceful life after what the Ishgard-Nidhogg blood war took from him)

Urianger: language star > bond star

(Urianger is actually one of the pioneers of ESL in Rhel's lore/this headcanon so his initial name reflects that. After that he gets christened with a new name after displaying an uncanny ability to connect with various cultures cough pixies and lopporits cough)

Yda and Papalymo: hot star and cool star > freedom star

(During ARR Yda and Papalymo were probably the two scions that Rhel worked the least often with since the two of them worked with each other frequently. So their initial sign names are just a pair based on their temperaments. Yda's name changes to freedom star over the course of SB. Paplymo's sadly never gets the chance)

Thancred: behind star > guardian star

(Rhel didn't have a very high initial impression of Thancred and he didn't do much to correct it so Thancred's first sign name was a kind of backhanded compliment. He's got your back, but he'll also go behind it. After getting a better handle on his character post HW all the way up to ShB the name naturally changed)

Y'shtola: truth star

(Y'shtola was and always has been one of the most frank conversationalists in the Scions and whenever Rhel needs advice on a hard decision, she's usually the first to be consulted. She however, has wisely chosen to not to comment on the super slow burn Rhel x Raha ship)

Krile: voice star

(Rhel has never needed ESL or even written notes to communicate with Krile thanks to her echo powers, which is why it took an embarrassingly long time for Krile to even realize she had a sign name from Rhel'a. While Y'shtola is the logical sounding board, Krile is Rhel's emotional sounding board and at times, a mini therapist for Rhel. Y'shtola Krile and Rhel have infrequent tea parties because of this)

(Y'shtola and Krile have a long running bet as to who will realize and act on their feelings first, Rhel or Raha)

Tataru: gold star/ms editor

(a rather straight forwards and obvious name for Tataru. though shes one of the rare people whom have multiple sign names used by Rhel'a. in between adventures Rhel'a often goes exploring, keeping detailed journals on both his adventures as well as interviewing any interesting people he comes across. initially these journals just piled up in a back room of the Rising Stones, but sensing an opportunity, Tataru dug up the writings, edited them, and sent them off to a publisher. A portion of the profits are sent to Rhel which he uses to cover his day to day living expenses, though having lived the experiences he's never seen the need to read the published works himself. nowadays Tataru has handed off the role of editor to another one of her business associates, but Rhel'a still occasionally addressees her as Ms Editor out of respect. meanwhile in every adventurers guild across Eorzea, copies of the infrequent periodical "Tales of the Realm" can be found and the articles within have inspired more than one novice adventuring party to embark on a sightseeing excursion, well prepared or not...)

G'raha: laughter digger > tower king > laughter star

(Digger is the sign name suffix Rhel uses for the sons of st Coinach due to their role as archeologists. So Raha initially starts out with a sign name tying him to the organization. Tower king is used during ShB for somewhat obvious reasons before changing over to laughter star when he officially joins the Scions. The laughter part of his sign name is not only a reference to their first meeting but also to the odd bubbly feeling Rhel has in Raha's presence… Too bad Rhel doesn't look any closer at that)

Minfilia: heart star

(Minfilia is the other big contributer to ESL in the Scions, having come up with the idea in the first place and sold the Grand Companies on the idea of a hand sign based language for use during operations. Minfilia was perhaps Rhel's biggest advocate, the creation and development of ESL being only one of the many examples of Minfilia moving heaven and earth to accommodate Rhel and his mutism. Minfilia's support at a time when Rhel was essentially a recent reintroductee to society shaped a great deal of his worldview and philosophies)

[starryjkoo]

Alright, not to get too caught up in the MHJ drama, but I’m crying because I just reread my now deleted post-Golden rant complaining about BSH, SB, and my issues with their strategy and I got to this part

😭😭😭

No but I was right. Say what you want about MHJ, but NewJean’s was truly HYBE's only other major success outside of BTS and it had nothing to do with BangPD and it turns out that it absolutely did piss him off LMAO. I knew it. You don't have to believe everything she says, but the elevator thing was basically confirmed and there's no normal, well adjusted adult who would ignore young girls like that if they weren't an immature, petty asshole.

Not to be messy and reopen this can of worms, but it does make me think it's even more likely that he might have been a little bitter over LC hitting #1 considering he couldn't take credit for it. He had that whole article in billboard that came out around the same time talking about how they were going to get the next #1 through their connections or infrastructure or however he put it, which was clearly referencing SB & HYBE America. I think he was trying to make it seem like this whole Scooter A&R strategy was ingenious and vital to Western success based on how hard they kept pushing and talking it up. So if MHJ was telling any amount of truth about his attitude and how he acted towards NWJN's, I just can't help but feel like he must have felt at least a LITTLE negatively about LC hitting that #1 right after he was talking such a big game about how his system (that he spent a billion dollars on) was going to be vital to that next #1.

LC was a Korean song Jimin made with a small in-house team so it must have been a little embarrassing for him to say all that to billboard (and probably investors lol) and have it be immediately invalidated. And LC so clearly demonstrated that BTS and the members could still pull off these big feats without him or his ideas and massive investment and personal involvement. And yeah, billboard did target LC right after that to try and smear it's success, but I think this argument still holds up. Especially because if LC was given any extra care or support it could have kept charting. And what billboard did in it's second week was insanely dirty.

(I’m not saying he was MAD about it, or that he didn’t talk it up to investors after, or that he sabotaged Jimin like a vengeful cartoon villain, I’m just being petty and speculating and saying I don’t think he was thrilled about it considering the circumstances)

Likewise NewJean's released music that did have a good chunk of English but was still Korean, and they managed to break a bunch of girlgroup billboard records as well, and that's ANOTHER project that BSH didn't have his hands on at all. In fact it was one he didn't believe in. Yes, ILLIT broke their record for getting their debut song on billboard quicker, however BSH followed the formula that MHJ created and apparently didn't even consult her or give her any credit while creating a group that was clearly inspired by her work (I genuinely love ILLIT and think they have their own identity! But they do follow the formula that MHJ popularized). So it's not like he got another group on billboard with his genius, it was again just following a formula someone else created (Magnetic was a bop and I loved the whole EP, so I'll give him that!).

I honestly don't even know what SB brings to the table that's so helpful because all they need for a pop song to succeed is basic charting tools like CDs and remixes and playlisting, which they could get before him, and basic decent promotions for visibility. And he's not doing anything interesting or helpful for the non-pop releases even though there's a massive market here for indie, alternative, R&B, and rap. Why wasn't CBTM on college stations? He's useless because the pop releases don't even need much to be successful. And none of JKs promotions were new or unique or something they couldn't have gotten before SB either. And if he's doing something else behind the scenes, I don't think that's worth it either.

JK did have more GP tuning in, but his solo debut was still heavily carried by ARMYs who took advantage of every provided tool, so nothing revolutionary they couldn't have accomplished pre-SB. It wouldn't have worked for anyone else like I said before either, a good example being TXT and their Jo Bros collab which flopped. BSH was all overconfident (top 10 on billboard lol) about it because he thought the secret to success was simply - western producer, western collab, english - but their fans didn't care for the song and therefore it didn't do well. So yeah, at the end of the day it's about good music and/or having a big fandom willing to carry (and that very rare charisma the BTS members have). Not whatever stupid synergy strategy BSH thought he unlocked. Honestly I wonder if he's really that stupid to think that they could get a hit with just those things, but I'm starting to think so. Genuinely what good decision has he made lately that wasn't just following trends?

Won't rehash everything again but this MHJ drama did make me look back on all this discourse even though I swore I was done with it. I'm not as bothered by all of this now, I just think it's interesting to look back on and compare some of her criticisms of HYBE & BSH to many of our own criticisms and speculation. While I take her words with a massive grain of salt, I do think there's a lot of outside evidence to back up some of her claims about the company and their issues (and I'm not her fan or excusing her actions or saying she's always truthful either).

Of course I could be totally wrong, just my thoughts. I'll go back to looking forward to Jin returning and upcoming projects because at the end of the day the BTS members are the ones responsible for their own careers and they have to be the ones to advocate for themselves and deal with their company, but the plus side of this situation is that I hope at least some K-ARMYs are approaching the company with more scrutiny and hopefully holding them accountable for certain things, although I won't hold my breath. It was hilarious seeing HYBE's quick response to their complaints about Jin's hug event though. I wish I-ARMYs would stop being such company stans (you can criticize HYBE/BH without being a manti you know) but not getting my hopes up.

I just sincerely hope that this whole SB creative strategy won't carry over into BTS music, or any more of their solo work. I wouldn’t care if the quality was there, but imo it’s too inconsistent (I definitely enjoy most of Golden! Seven is a bop, SNTY is 10/10). It’s not about creating art or good music for them, it’s about trying to design a song that they think will chart. And songs like that will almost always lack in some way. So I hope this doesn’t become a pattern and the members retain their creative freedom and recognize that they definitely do not need to rely on those people for a hit (ofc unless the want to work with them).

[morinotsume]

logan: i need to consult my wife. sb: the wolverine needs to check in with his wife? logan: you don't know my wife.

@talessculpted

[moonsb1996]

Hello again! @the-invisible-introvert-2004 Because this time my brain was still racing with excitement. So I will continue writing about Fidelza's aunt. and his bodyguards, and let's get to know their names.

(Thank you for the picture from SB @newmria from X. You can follow her. My sister drew it for me.)

First row :

Firmin Jean

french

ErrorEffect /EE(name of our novel's special power) : Pause.

Type: Floy (I'll explain it later when I write the history of this story)

Ability: When touching a living creature or human being (only), the target person will be "paused" of their movement until Firmin will unleash the power of EE. He is the first mercenary hired and becomes the head bodyguard for the current CEO of Allmind Company.

                Firmin is a quiet person who speaks when asked. He is loyal to the organization, earning him the nickname Agent Smith because he always wears sunglasses. He also has the ability to cook food at the level of a 5-star restaurant and has excellent close-quarters combat skills. He respects the CEO so much that he is nicknamed “The CEO's favorite dog” If the CEO wants to make something disappear, he can make the problem disappear as well.

                There are rumors that Firmin and the CEO are probably secretly dating each other. Firmin lives with the CEO because he was hired to protect the CEO's niece (Fidelza Hunter), which is...somewhat true, but not related. Because Firmin is the only one who has feelings for the CEO, because he is too afraid that he will be a "psychopath" because his cell phone has secretly taken pictures of the CEO, filling up the phone's memory.

Oya/Oney Rosalind

African

EE: N/A

Oya or Oney was a female warrior from an ancient tribe in Africa. (A fictional tribe in my novel) She and all the warriors were hired by The "mysterious organization" asks people to help fight in the war of judgment according to the tribe's beliefs in exchange for water and food to survive the vultures in the village. Unaware that the “mysterious organization” is a terrorist who wants to blame the tribe for the Peace Tower bombing. (You can think of it as 9/11.)

Oney was one of the few survivors of the explosion and the collapse of the building. before being sent to prison After that incident, the people of the world and the relatives of the deceased wanted to erase her tribe from history until now there were only 20 families left and wandering refugees. Oney became the bodyguard of Allmind's CEO, according to a survivor's testimony. who spoke of survival by she protected them with her body, While she was seriously injured, she had scars all over her body.

The company's CEO paid bail (and bribed some officials), and Oney was freed and came to work as a secretary. combined with the ability to organize schedules makes CEO who doesn't want to have problems with CPS regarding the niece who required psychiatric treatment at that time was able to take the niece into care. Oney also serves as a consultant and interpreter in the native language for the CEO when he travels around Africa, thus receiving an additional salary.

Fidelza Hunter liked the legends and stories of Oney's tribe very much and often asked her to tell her legends and folktales. Oney is a woman of few words. and was not good at expressing emotions because of the emotional pain of seeing so many people dead in the building collapse incident and news of the extermination of her own tribe herself didn't know that she was being flirted by her colleague.

Second row:

Fidelza Hunter

(Since we already know about her, we'll pass!)

Victor Radnar or Mr. Vic

American

EE : N\A

Victor Radnar, or Mr. Vic, is Fidelza's mother's younger brother. Ragnar's heir and the current CEO of Allmind Company He is considered to be the most famous and youngest billionaire in history. before becoming CEO and receiving wealth from the Radnar family circle Mr. Vic met with contempt. Physical and verbal abuse This makes him hate people with special powers who abuse their power and power. (He doesn't hate everyone with special powers.)

Because he doesn't have good human relationships with other humans. (He prefers to stay in his office 24/7) so he hires mercenaries. and former prisoners of serious crimes become their own people so they can spend time with his own niece to prevent CPS from taking niece from him. Because he knew who had kidnapped his sister (Fidelza's mother) but had no evidence.

Mr. Vic is a workaholic who is so focused on his work that he can survive on coffee. and instant noodles Fidelza is worried, so she always takes care of Mr. Vic's coffee intake. However, he has little interest in the opposite sex because he is gay. (One of the reasons why he was bullied while in school until university) thus causing Vic to not easily open up to anyone, even to his niece, who is his only remaining family. except for my own sister

Ms. Vic is also aware of “him” (who is “believed” to be Fidelza's imaginary friend) and is upset that her niece is dating a long-distance boyfriend. But because he saw that his niece was happy with a healthy relationship, he chose to keep an eye on his niece's boyfriend. And secretly planned the murder of Lev King with his accomplice, Firmin. But at this time there was no satisfactory murder plan, so Lev King's head had not yet come off his neck.

Last row:

Asmon Saika

german

EE : Stamina

Type : IGES

Abilities: When using her special powers, Asmon can use her stamina for 3 hours, but cannot make her power increase, so she uses her special powers for speed instead. This allows her to run almost as fast as a Formula 1 car. But when in this special power, the body will release a lot of heat from the spine. She couldn't wear shirts or shoes (Asmon always wore shirts showing off her back) because the heat would melt most of her clothing.

Asmon is hired by Vic as a driver because of her knowledge and ability to drive fast cars. And Mr. Vic is looking for volunteers to test out the company's new equipment. (Allmind is a major technology development company that has made the Ragnar family world-class millionaires.) Asmon wears a special suit under the CEO's driver's uniform for emergencies.

Asmon is a bright and cheerful young woman. But she's insecure about her height (she's 143 centimeters tall), so she likes to look at magazines that sell high-heeled shoes in order to be as tall as Oney. But she often forgets because she is more interested in car engines. Most of the money was spent maintaining the CEO's car's engine and customizing her motorcycle. Asmon is the one who notices that Firmin "might" have a crush on Vic, so she often bothers Firmin about this. But it's not because she secretly likes Firmin. But because she wanted to blackmail him. Which at present has not been successful at all.

Jungkun Inis

Half-Korean and half-Irish

EE : Filter

Type : Floy

Ability: Can create illusions of people, animals, or things that the target cannot see or see. But when touched, the “filter” will disappear. and can also trick the eyes of CCTV cameras or photographs and a video camera that records events that occur when using "filters" as well. Jungkun was once an official who was allowed to use special powers in public before he was arrested for attacking an employee.

He was also suspected of falsifying evidence, causing him to be sent to prison while awaiting trial. So he got to know Oya or “Oney” (he called her Oney because it was easier) and when Oney received a job from Mr. Vic as a secretary. She introduced Jungkun to Mr. Vic, who accepted a job as a makeup artist. (Mr. Vic's face is very tired from lack of sleep, causing him to have to hire a makeup artist when appearing in the media or attending social events.)

He was then bailed out by Mr. Vic and came to work at Allmind Company as well as Oney. causing him to try to flirt with her But because he's not good at romance, he doesn't do anything that seems romantic. As a result, he often buys her gifts that make him think of Oney. Like the brooch pendant that Oney currently wears while working and is the only piece of jewelry she wears regularly because she likes it. And because he knew that Oney was not good at expressing herself,so he was not in a hurry to confess his love either. So only Fidelza and Asmon sat and waited for the ship to continue sailing.