#thrust feels more adequate in this case so

[keyjamm]

If not meant for Sect Leader's arms, why A-Yao so small?!

[babyjakes]

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event | kinkmas 2023

prompt | fucking machine

pairing | porn director!ari levinson x pornstar!reader

warnings | reader is an amateur pornstar, ari is her beloved director. emphasis on safe/consensual sex practices (safe word mention.) mild dom!ari vibes. foreplay: nipple and clit play. fucking machine. spitting. orgasm permission + she comes :D

word count | 1,049

thinking about porn director!ari helping you, his favorite little star, take the machine for the first time 🥺 maybe you're fairly new to the line of work and you've only done tamer shoots so far. this is your first taste of intenser porn elements; you're just trying it out with ari before going through a proper shoot with cameras and everything because you're not sure how you'll take it or if you'll like it

ari is super protective of you and wants to make sure you're safe throughout the entire process. he insists it's just you and him because he doesn't want any outside pressure or elements potentially making it hard for you to advocate for yourself or ask to stop if you need to. you trust him so much, he's been so wonderful to you and you feel so much safer knowing it'll be just you and him in the studio 💕

he gets everything ready before you arrive, arranging a comfy leather chaise for you to lay on and setting up the machine/testing out to make sure it works. he gets lube, a few different toys in case you'll want them, and clean up/aftercare stuff all set out as well. he told you to wear whatever you want, whatever's comfy. when you arrive in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, he thinks you look so adorable and perfect just the way you are 🥺

he sits with you for a little while beforehand, talking you through everything that'll happen so you understand the machine and there'll be no surprises. he makes you feel so safe and supported, reminding you several times that you can stop at any time, making sure you remember the safe word, etc. he's smiling so big at you when you nod to let him know you're reading, "i'm so proud of you, sweetheart. i promise we'll make it feel good. and if you need anything, you just let me know. that's my job, i'm here to make things easy and comfortable for you"

he has the machine close enough so he can sit on the edge of the chaise there with you and adjust it as necessary. when you're ready, he lets you undress and lay back. he just has such a way of making you feel so secure around him, he's smiling so sweetly at you as he takes some time to rub your thighs, easing your legs open as you relax for him. he takes plenty of time loving on you the ways he knows you love best, gently playing with your nipples before moving down to rub your clit a little bit

"there we go. just relax for me, angel," he's coaxing you as you grow warm and wet beneath his fingers. "gotta get you nice and ready, princess. that feel good, right there? you can tell me what you need, honey. i'll take care of you." once you're adequately warmed up, he pulls away and preps the silicon attachment with lube anyway, just to prevent any friction or discomfort. "you ready, sweetheart? just remember your word, okay? the moment you say, we stop." your enthusiastic nod and gentle smile convince him you're ready

"okay baby, here we go. gonna ease it in," he explains as he gently extends the rod up to press the tip of the dildo against your leaky hole. "bit of a stretch here, deep breaths," he talks you through it as the rubber object is slowly but steadily worked up into you. "good girl, almost there," he hums as he reaches a good stopping point, making sure the thrusts won't push in too far or hit your cervix painfully

rubbing your inner thigh soothingly, asking, "you ready for me to turn it on, princess? we'll start slow, but it'll be intense. you just let me know if you need something on your clit- sometimes that helps with the pressure"

he starts you out on the lowest setting, watching carefully to see how you react. your immediate soft moans and melting into the couch are good signs hehe 🫶 his face is beaming with pride as you lie back and let the machine fuck you, watching as your eyes roll back slightly and your legs tremble as they fall to either side

"g-god," you're groaning as you're pounding steadily, "you should've l-let me do this sooner"

he's chuckling as your words are distorted by the rhythm of the machine. "i needed to make sure you were ready, pretty girl. and look at you, you're taking it so well," he knows it drives you crazy when he talks to you like that, and it's working alright!!

"m-more," you're soon begging, "faster, p-please!"

he can't help but laugh lightheartedly a bit more at your enthusiasm and impatience, nodding as he bumps you up a bit in speed. you let out the sweetest, happiest sighs as the repeated pounding rocks the entire couch. wanting to make the experience as good as possible for you, he goes back to cupping your tit with one hand, patting lovingly over your swollen clit with the other. his added stimulation makes your body jerk and writhe weakly, broadening his proud smile

"go ahead, baby. take what you need. you want it faster?" he asks as he twists and tugs at your hardened nipple. your pleading nod prompts him to boost you up another few notches, the machine growing a bit noisier as you're now fucked a bit more forcefully. wiggling yourself down a bit, you dare to let the tip of the rubber cock hit up perfectly against your weak spot. the build-up to your orgasm seems to happen over the span of mere seconds, but ari sees it happening

"p-please, i'm gonna-" you're panting weakly as you teeter towards the edge. he knows you so well, he can somehow tell exactly what you need to get you there. he brings his hand up, spitting on his fingers before slapping them down over your clit, rubbing in furious circles

"go ahead, baby. you've been so good. you can go ahead and come," his permission is all it takes- you come right then and there on that massive rubber dick as it pounds you into oblivion, ari's skilled fingers carrying through the wonderful high 💕

[trashytoastboi]

Day of Pride - Lucifer

~NSFW Alphabet~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Warning: NSFW content ahead (whole bunch of this and that)

A = Aftercare (What are they like after sex?) 

🎶 Soft aftercare king - He’ll insist you drink water (will not let you say no because it’s important that you stay adequately hydrated). Rubs and massages any sore muscles or aches you have and usually will prepare a bath for you. Even if you’re too exhausted and insist on not needing it - you both know you’ll feel so much better after you've had a bath. Treats you very delicately after, you enjoy listening to his voice when he tells you how good you did for him. 

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partners.) 

🎶 A hard question because he could list everything he loves about every part of you, but three that make the list- neck. Lucifer likes placing his hand on your neck, knowing how sensitive it is whether it’s his mouth or his fingers touching. When he wraps his hand around your throat and watches how much you react, he loves it. Loves your hands, holding them, feeling them touching his body, appreciating what he has to offer and being able to kiss and touch them. Or when they’re raking against his skin while you’re at the height of your pleasure. Your pretty back that Lucifer loves kissing, and watches arch whenever he takes you from behind. 

🎶 As for his own appearance, Lucifer takes pride in his overall appearance (his belief is reaffirmed by how much he knows you love it) so like a peacock he’d always try to show you all the best of himself. 

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum, basically) 

🎶 Lucifer loves cumming on your back, stomach and chest. Never cums on your face (aside from accidentally) while you tell him you don’t mind he feels that it’s disrespectful (please sir what even), you’ve assured him time and time again that’s not the case and he has no problem making you swallow or spit, whatever your preference. He’s just never cum on your face before.  He cums a lot, more than average and thick consistency. A bit awkward when he tells you to spit if you don’t like the taste, but you appreciate him being thoughtful. 

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs.)

🎶 So utterly lost and overwhelmed whenever he is with you. He’s watching, looking down between your face and where the two of you connect. With every forceful thrust that makes your body writhe and react; Lucifer will tighten his hold on your thighs, shifting his head to the side to kiss your legs that are resting on his shoulders and he feels so ruined, so filthy and sinful but he's learnt to love that feeling. Wondering how he didn't give into it sooner. He silently begs for you to ruin him more, and in turn he will do the same. He'll ruin you and drag you down with him. He'll never reveal where his thoughts go and he often gets lost in them. Sometimes it's obvious, other times it isn't. He knows he can only concentrate on the feel of your body when it tenses, trembles and shakes. He’s so full of desire, feeling those passionate fires of lust consuming every fiber of his being. 

E = Experienced (How experienced are they? Do they know what they're doing?)

🎶 Pointless experience he explains in his own words. A few hapless flings he had, when he first fell and needed relief, a darker comfort that he’d never been acquainted with the infamous sin of the flesh, he found no enjoyment in those encounters. Not in his partners, random demons that all but threw themselves at him, he found no rise, no comfort and no enjoyment; they were fruitless. The first time he experienced actual pleasure, and invasive desire was with you. The only thing he could thank those previous encounters for was teaching him how to pleasure another.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying.)

🎶 Mating press - Loves pinning you down beneath his body in this position makes him feel so deep and you can’t escape from his relentless pounding and he’ll tease you all the more.  

🎶 Missionary - It’s an intimate position, when he’s feeling on the calmer more romantic side of things. He just wants to be resting between your thighs, head buried in your neck while he’s taking those slow thrusts, kissing you and there’s no rush. Just the two of you at this moment. 

🎶 Reverse cowgirl -  Likes this when he wants to watch you moving all on your own. Unable to find that one spot and you’re begging Lucifer to help you and move, but he’ll tell you to do it on your own. He’ll sit back and smile while watching you struggle and whine. 

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment? Are they humorous? Etc)

🎶 Serious, no goofiness here sir. Lucifer isn’t one for cracking silly jokes especially not at this moment. He’s serious and sincere, you don’t see humor as appropriate with the way he’s acting and any attempt at jokes you crack will be met with Lucifer’s face looking like :/ he’ll reply with something like “That’s cute dear.” Trying to get back to the moment and making sure you focus on just him, maybe he’ll fuck you dumb so you can’t crack anymore silly jokes. 

H =  Hair (How well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? Etc) 

🎶 Keeps his hair kept, not a short trim per se but you can tell he grooms. You don’t complain because it’s never been an issue for you. He’s offered before if you’d prefer he keeps it shorter but you say it’s perfectly fine. Just as you’d expect colour matches that of his head. You find it pretty when you see the stark difference of his dark hair against his pale skin.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment? The romantic aspect) 

🎶 You know of Lucifer’s feelings, he’s intimate and romantic when he wants to be. All the soft love making that makes your heart thump with how tenderly and gentle he is. Other times he can fuck you like he hates you, it will feel so mean but he’ll tell you just how much you mean to him while it feels like he’s hatefucking you.  

J = Jack Off (Masturbation Headcanon)

🎶 Needs to be relaxed to really get into the mindset, because he needs to push away any useless thoughts. Or else he’d be too concerned about paperwork and other meaningless things that would definitely be killing his mood. He’ll push that out of his mind so his thoughts can be filled with fantasies of you. Thinking about what you do if were there, how would you move your hand, would you dare to tease him, stroke him and do that cute little thing when you act like you don’t know what you’re doing but have him getting close. 

K = Kink (One or more of the kinks)

🎶 BSDM - Umbrella term to encompass the very many things that Lucifer is into and he didn’t even know there was a name for half the things he likes. He’s very domineering and can be sadistic but so much more as well. 

🎶 Sadism - Likes integrating a little punishment and pain into things. He’d never really hurt you but you can handle a little spanking can’t you? 

🎶 Dacryphilia - While on a normal day- Lucifer couldn’t stand the the sight of your tears he does like seeing you when you’re crying from pleasure 

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

🎶 Bedroom - It’s a quiet space, one he’s familiar with and one that he knows will have no disruption when you two are together. His bed is very comfy and he enjoys it when you’re sleeping with him. He’s not opposed to going to your room either, but that runs the risk of his obnoxious brothers who forget to knock and just walk in. 

🎶 Office - His office, semi public and adds a little extra thrill to the mix. Not much in the way of comfort unless you’re riding him in his chair then it’s a little comfier for the two of you

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going?)

🎶 Sensuality, when you do things with intention, if you’re close. Just the two of you and you’re hinting for something…Running your hand down his chest, fingers, inviting him. You’ll pull his hands onto your waist, Lucifer is quick on the uptake but he can tease you just to see what you’ll do. He’ll pretend to be clueless, you know he’s not but he makes you work for it. If Lucifer is trying to be the one to initiate he’ll be close, light fluttering kisses that might move from your lips to your neck, his hands will be making the rounds, pulling you closer and moving up your back.  

N = No (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

🎶 Degradation - That’s one thing he can’t do. Not to you. Not when you’re being so vulnerable with him already, he can’t hurl insulting words at you. That’s one thing you noticed, even if you’re being punished, or Lucifer is in one of his rough hatefuck-esque moods. He’ll still call you so affectionately with words of endearment. You’re so dear to him, insulting you doesn’t sit right with him. Doesn’t want you to worry about his words nor dwell on them. He wants to fill your mind with only good things. 

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

🎶 He’s good - not a messy eater and he treats you like fine dining. Honestly uses it to tease more than anything, if he puts his mind to it he’ll have you cumming so fast you’d get whiplash. He knows your body, at this point probably even better than you know it yourself. 

🎶 Loves receiving there’s something about you on your knees all snug between his legs looking all adorable, he loves talking you through it and instructing you. He gives merit on how well you follow his instructions, can be a little mean but he wouldn’t push it excessively but he takes it slow encouraging you to take everything

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? Etc) 

🎶 Depends on his mood, can be all nice and sweet when he wants to be or can be the meanest, roughest person (You say that but you also know he would never do anything to hurt you.) Sometimes he’ll let you set the pace yourself when you’re riding him. He won’t even control your pace, he'll let you do whatever you want, move however you want

Q = Quickie (They opinions on quickies, how often etc)

🎶 Welcomes a quickie or two in his office, It’s the best and most effective stress reliever he’s ever found. Sometimes he just needs a little of you to let him go on his merry way. You quite like them too, especially with how good Lucifer can make you feel in 5 minutes. Sometimes your schedules don’t allow you two to spend too much time together so it gives you a little relief to last until you can spend time together. 

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? Etc)

🎶 He’s only willing to risk what he knows (The devil you know and all that) Also if it's something you’re willing to try, he’d never force you if he could see that you weren’t into it or feel whatever he was offering. He likes learning new things and will actively seek them out. Will bring it up to you before you do anything. He's transparent about everything and wants your feedback, he wants to know your hesitations. More attentive to aftercare afterwards if it was a mentally or physically straining scene. 

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for? How long do they last?)

🎶 Individual rounds last long unless he’s in quickie mode then he’s got no choice. Two rounds at the most and three is pushing it a little for him. He’s always operating with constant fatigue so physical exertion can catch up to him quickly especially when he’s with you and it makes him feel like resting. 

T = Toys (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or on themselves?)

🎶 He didn't own any- originally. Now he owns many interesting things. Of course most, if not all are for him to use on you. He personally just likes teasing you with them or enhancing things things like nipple clamps, blindfolds, things like that. He personally enjoys being the one to make you cum, rather than a cheap imitation. He doesn’t mind you using things if he’s not there to take care of you but he’ll instruct you.

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease?)

🎶 He’s soooo mean and unfair, he’ll keep it going for hours upon hours even if you’re begging him and pleading he’ll wait until you're sobbing before giving in and acting like he’s comforting you. He’ll be crooning and consoling you. If you're being punished and he’s put you on denial then best believe he’ll edge you and if he feels you haven’t apologized adequately 

V = Volume (How loud they are? What sounds they make? Etc)

🎶 Groans, growling, whispers - likes getting really close and moaning right into your ear, he knows you like hearing it too. When he lets out groan the moment you sink down and take every inch. Whispers to tell you how much he loves you and just how perfect you are, might whisper some very eloquently filthy things in your ear too. 

W = Wild Card (A random headcanon for the character?)

🎶 Gets him all flustered when you dress up for him, when you wear something out of the ordinary and tell him how you chose it with him in mind. He loves the confidence and comfort it gives you, but loves that you were thinking of him. He’ll let you know exactly how much he appreciates it. Can’t really complain if your nice clothes get all torn up in his need. He’ll buy you the same one, or three more if you desire. 

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on under those clothes?)

🎶 Human form: Not to toot his own horn (you’ll do it for him) but he’s got one of the most picturesque dicks, you wouldn’t normally use beautiful to describe a cock but for Lucifer it feels like a good description. Thicker than average, perfect- just so that fills you just right without being painful, the perfect length that you can take him comfortably. Peach coloured tip and upward curve 

🎶 Demon form: Size stays similar for the most part, the only way you can explain the feeling is full of texture, he gains a few ridges and more prominent feeling veins. 

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

🎶 High for you always. Lucifer is surprisingly a needy man after you gave him a taste of proper pleasure he’s never been the same since. If he has a chance to be alone with you it doesn’t always escalate into something sexual but if you accept his advances he will always rise to the occasion.  

Z = Zzz (How quickly they fall asleep afterwards?)

🎶 Makes sure you’re fine and settled, wait for a while until after you’ve fallen asleep before he goes to sleep. He’s tired and sleepy but able to wait. Good 30 minutes before he’s passing out into a restful sleep. Feels so calm when he’s with you, holding your naked form in his arms he’ll press soft kisses to your shoulders before sleeping.

Taglist: @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf @roninfromtheops

[mailperson]

The general schtick of combat has clicked with me for Sekiro but I do retain that there are some fights and mechanics that just largely are not beneficial to the game’s experience. Overall Sekiro’s combat is very fine-tuned and benefits strongly from its comparably fewer options in-battle compared to other fromsoft titles. That being said, in terms of both combat and world traversal:

-This is more a general souls-type combat critique, but to me for intentionally tougher bosses it feels IMMENSELY more rewarding for a player to face an enemy whose health/posture changes very slowly or only when specific oppurtunities are seized that deals average damage than to face a boss fight that in theory is quick but deals an unreasonably high amount of damage or regularly one-shots. I’m firmly in the camp that players should always be allowed reasonable margin for error provided they have the skills to make up for the lapses in performance. It doesn’t work for every or even most games obviously, but Bloodborne’s rally system is a famous way to do exactly that. Genichiro’s fight having him shoot an arrow at you for stepping back and healing that’s dodgeable if you know the timing is another good example of this.

-Grappling is so fun and a huge part of the experience, but frequently enough to notice grapple points are extremely vague or feel inconsistent about from where they’ll turn green and if you need to jump for that to happen or if jumping to them will lead to falling into the abyss.

-Sometimes it feels like there’s not quite enough player feedback to know where the line between ‘this is an endurance fight, just hold your own and whittle down their health and build up their posture bar’ and ‘you probably do not have adequate vitality or damage output to make this a reasonable fight, maybe do other stuff’ is.

-Thrusts, sweeps, and grabs are great ways to mix up enemy attacks that (typically) can’t be deflected. All of them sharing the exact same visual flair that often literally blocks the enemy’s movement where you cannot properly see the telegraph, however, feels very clumsy. This isn’t the case for all enemies, but far too often the danger symbol results in just having to make a lucky guess which move an enemy is about to execute and how to respond. It further does not help that some enemies don’t even flash the perilous attack icon for grabs. I almost wish that you could unlock combat skills for grabs that could deal with them just like the mikiri counter. Lightning is a perilous attack that is always clearly visually communicated so is exempt from this issue.

-I think the skill tree is just slightly too grindy to progress. It’s almost okay, but I’ve had a playthrough where I died a lot and farmed a lot and a playthrough where I’ve hardly died at all and in both instances it just feels like a massive slog to unlock a meaningful number of skills in one playthrough.

[dragonsarecool]

June of Doom Day 14 - Surrender

A/N: He was getting too old to keep being arrested like this. A short look at Doc's thoughts while waiting for Marty to arrive in 1931. Set during Episode I - It's About Time.

He'd given up on trying to sleep hours ago.

It simply wasn't possible for someone of his age to get any amount of adequate sleep on such a skinny piece of stone. Though I assume the deprivation of hospitable sleeping conditions is meant to be a part of one's punishment.

An involuntary shiver wracked his aging body. He pulled the jacket around tighter, tucking his hands into the sleeves as he contorted his body as far into the fetal position as he could manage, desperate to conserve all of the remaining warmth he had. I knew I should've packed warmer clothing than this. Clara will have my head if I bring home another cold and make the boys sick.

Of course I couldn't have been incarcerated in a modern prison. Specifically, one with adequate heating.

Part of him knew he shouldn't be feeling sorry for himself. I did put myself into this mess, after all. I was the one who insisted that minimal time travel was beneficial to ensure stability of the space time continuum.

Then again, I'm also the one who said 'what the hell'.

He was starting to understand how Marty must have felt when he landed in 1955 for the first time, although in Doc's case it was more deja vu than bewilderment. To revisit a point in history that you had lived through once before already was definitely having a psychological impact.

He couldn't help looking out of his cell when he'd heard his younger voice outside the courthouse earlier in the day. Although he didn't have a good angle from his current position, Doc had still been amazed at just how young he'd looked back then. The hair, the clothes, the mannerisms; all of it had been long forgotten by the passage of time, and the brief view of seventeen-year-old Emmett Brown had left him in a curious state of contentment.

I wonder if it's worth rebuilding the mind reading machine into one that can measure the electrical activity when looking at photos of one's self…

It had taken him two mouthfuls of the dinner he'd been provided to determine that it was a specimen that should've been thoroughly tested for chemicals and other substances, for it tasted about as appetising as a piece of plastic fruit. Although his stomach hadn't stopped protesting in the hours after, he didn't regret not finishing his meal. The last thing I need to get in 1931 is food poisoning.

He decided to roll onto his back, folding his hands beneath his head as he examined the ceiling above. There were cracks in some of the bricks surrounding him, though strangely enough the roof seemed to be the only place where there wasn't some kind of mould growing.

Why the hell hasn't Marty shown up yet?!

The sudden impatient thought startled him. He'd been so calm up until this point, so accepting of the situation he'd been thrust into, and here he was about to have a nervous breakdown in his cell.

Did I miscalculate something? Maybe the car appeared in the wrong place?! What if someone else has found it and now the timeline is-

Doc inhaled sharply. For goodness' sake, Emmett, there's no point in pondering what might be.

But for all you know, you might be alone.

His eyes started to ache as much as his joints.

He found himself longing for the comfort of his own bed.

For the tender touch of his wife.

For the delighted smiles of his children.

For the chance to finally see Marty again.

He finally surrendered to the suffocating sense of loneliness and allowed a few tears to run down his cheeks.

The teasing whispers of dawn crept through the bars of his cell by the time his tears had dried, their tracks still staining the scientist's face. Doc groaned as he stretched his arms out, welcoming the return of circulation to his fingers. Next time, I am not doing this alone.

[dastardly-imbecile]

Pt 2 of the Dr. Livesey fanfic

refer to prior post for explanation

The sun beat down on your back and the top of your head, almost unbearable. The beach of bodies was far enough behind that if you looked back, the island would curve before you could see them, but you still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. 

A feeling not helped in the slightest by the presence of your companion. He swaggered along beside you, seemingly quite unbothered, just quick enough that you had to stumble to keep up. 

To your right lay the endless expanse of the sea, glimmering in the sunlight and barren of any type of rescue. You’d kept your eyes on the shoreline for any sign of a crash, but not a single plant of wood littered the sand. To the left, the beach slowly seceded to a forest. You may have been inclined to walk under the treeline for the shade, but something about it made you appreciate the open expanse of the beach more than you would otherwise. Who knew what lay inside of the tangle of trees?

Besides that terror, an all-more-pressing need slowly crept up on you. The stores of food and water that had been on the ship were - much like the ship - nowhere to be found, and under this heat, thirst was already creeping up your throat. 

Well, you had to break the silence sometime, didn’t you?

“Do you have water?” 

He paused and immediately reached into one of the pockets of his overcoat. A moment later, it came out holding a leather flask. “Ah, I keep it on me at all times. Better than rum, yes it is, no need for that…”

He grinned at you. The flask was warm, and so was the water inside, and it was all you had to only take one sip before handing it back. 

“Thank you.” It went back into his coat. 

Don’t stare at it longingly. When you’re thirsty again… when it runs out… what then…?

Maybe staring longingly would’ve been conducive after all, but by now, you were simply staring at the expanse of his chest and not anything you could drink. 

And so, the day dragged on under the weight of the sun, trudging through piles of sand. Eventually, it began to dip below the horizon, flaring the sky into a quilt of colors. 

“I think we’re alone.” Truly, you hadn’t ever really thought you’d find another ship. Maybe it was simply denial, but something about the island made you feel distinctly… isolated. 

“Maybe, maybe.” The man beside you looked out over the sea. There was a peculiar smile on his face as he regarded the sunset - a smile very out of place in this situation. Still, you looked towards it as well, suddenly unwilling to let the sun go, despite how much you’d been cursing it only an hour ago. Heat and light were infinitely better than the darkness. 

“What should we do now?” The logical course, in your opinion, was to set up a fire. A chill was already creeping into the air and under your clothes. But fire meant wood and wood meant entering the forest, and in this half-light it appeared as a smudge of black and gray. 

“Why, we sleep, of course. A very advantageous thing. We will need to be well-rested to make it around the island.”

“...Around? Are we still going?” There had been nothing to find but sand and sea and what there was to find, bodies with no ships, was less appealing than even that. 

“What else are we to do?” He let out a long laugh. It definitely didn’t fit the situation you were in. “How foolish.”

You didn’t respond, mostly because you couldn’t think of an adequate one. As a cold breeze rustled past the island, finding its way under your already-light clothes, you couldn’t help but shiver. 

Your companion’s brow furrowed in concern. “Ah, yes, the chill is coming. That won’t do. Cold begets illness, you know, so we must keep you warm…”

Whatever he was thinking was rather inscrutable - at least, until he began to shuck off of his overcoat. It was made of some thick, green fabric, clean and finely woven. Perhaps his ship was richer than usual, or it was just his own fortune. In any case, you shied away. 

“I can’t. What about you?”

He stepped forwards to thrust it upon you. “I would not be felled by some lowly cold.” Another laugh. It was starting to get vaguely unsettling. “I am in superb health, you know! My body is finely honed.”

With the coat off, his clothes underneath were much like yours - thin linen, vaguely white and unfitting. Yours were too large; his were on the other side of the spectrum. It creased where his arms, his chest, were too large to contain, the faint definition of muscles below. Finely honed indeed - if physical prowess was a contest, he would win. Strength of mind, on the other hand…

You grabbed the overcoat. It was rough, but not overtly uncomfortable, and smelled of herbs, something faintly bitter. Medicine, most likely, given his profession. 

Far too large for you, as could be expected. But warm, enough so that it felt almost like you were standing in the embrace of someone else. The shivers subsided quickly enough, and sure as he’d said, he showed no sign of vulnerability to the wind. 

“Thank you.”

“Nothing of it.”

Without anything more to do, you gingerly sat down on the beach. For a moment, he stood above you, a monolith stretching high beyond your comprehension- but then, he sat, and was once again reduced to a mortal. 

“What’s your name?” You asked, suddenly realizing that, over the course of the entire day, you’d never learned it. Strange. 

“You may call me Doctor,” He responded. As close as he sat - perhaps it was simply the lingering qualities of his coat, but you could almost feel the warmth of his body. “Doctor Livesey.” 

[cprcourseonline]

How to Easily Complete PALS Recertification Training Course

Table of Content

How to Easily Complete PALS Recertification Training Course 1

Introduction 1

What to consider for the PALS recertification training course 1

Conclusion 3

Introduction

Completing PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) recertification is essential for maintaining proficiency in providing optimal care for pediatric patients. However, finding time for recertification amidst a busy schedule can be challenging. Nonetheless, it's important to prioritize recertification as it ensures you stay updated with the latest techniques and skills necessary for delivering effective care to young patients in critical situations. The PALS recertification training course covers essential material through lectures, skills practice, and scenario-based evaluation to reinforce key learning objectives.

Given its intensive nature, finding adequate time for pre-course preparation, actively engaging during the day-long session, and following up afterward can feel overwhelming. This is especially true if you are juggling clinical responsibilities, continuing education demands, and personal obligations. However, with some preparation and strategy, recertification is possible with minimal stress.

This article provides tips to ensure the PALS recertification training course goes as smoothly as possible.

Considerations for the PALS recertification training course

Following are the tips you can follow for a hassle-free recertification:

Choose a suitable date

Before starting the PALS recertification training course, the first step is to book your recertification course date in advance. Review your work schedule and availability, and pick a date at least six months before your certification expires. This gives you time to prepare without last-minute rushing. It also increases the chance of getting your preferred course dates and allows you to sign up quickly when options are limited. Try booking weekend offerings if weekdays are difficult due to professional reasons.

Prepare in advance

Pre-course studying lays the groundwork for a more hassle-free review experience. Set aside short blocks of daily study over several weeks. Focus on crucial protocol changes, medication dosage reviews, algorithms, and cases you found challenging. Reinforce skills with online videos if access to simulation is limited. 

Simulate skills practice

Practicing CPR chest compressions, airway maneuvers like chin-lift and jaw-thrust, and techniques like intraosseous line insertion will be helpful during the course. For CPR, record yourself reviewing the technique and making corrections. Seek volunteer programs, medical simulation centers, or code blue training for hands-on practice with mock emergency scenarios. Extra skills practice will build your confidence and competence.

Choose the right training provider

Selecting a reputable training provider is crucial. Look for organizations recognized by leading bodies that ensure high-quality training that meets industry standards. Ensure the training program offers in-person and online training options, has received good reviews and testimonials from former participants, and is led by experienced and skilled instructors. Remember to verify the provider's certifications, and inquire about their track record in delivering effective PALS recertification courses. By choosing a trusted provider, you can have confidence in the quality and relevance of the training you receive.

Review course logistics (for in-person training)

Research your course location, timing, required materials, schedule details, and testing criteria. Note start and end times, plan travel accordingly, and pack needed items like ID, prior cert card, and any required texts or manuals. Knowing logistics makes navigating the day less stressful so you can focus on learning. 

Opt for online recertification if suitable

Many providers offer online PALS recertification training courses, which can be more convenient for you if you have a busy schedule. Online courses include interactive modules covering theoretical knowledge, virtual simulations and scenarios for practicing skills, and assessments to test understanding and proficiency. Ensure that the course meets the necessary standards for recertification in your field.

Actively participate in the training

Maximize your learning experience by actively participating in lessons, skill practice sessions, and simulated scenarios. Ask questions when unsure, volunteer often during skills practice, and provide constructive feedback during peer practice and debriefing. Take thorough case notes to review later. 

Focus on active scenario participation

During scenarios, be assertive in leading roles, such as team leader, rather than waiting your turn. Volunteer for tasks that you initially found challenging to gain additional practice with support. Seek targeted feedback afterward to enhance your learning. Active involvement in participation makes evaluations less daunting and boosts overall performance.

Stay focused during assessments

PALS recertification includes written and practical assessments. For the written exam, carefully read each question and answer to the best of your ability, using the knowledge you've gained from your review and training sessions. For the practical exam, demonstrate your skills confidently, following the PALS algorithms and protocols precisely.

Utilize additional resources

Joining or forming a study group with colleagues preparing for recertification can enhance understanding and provide support. Utilizing these resources can help reinforce your knowledge and skills.

Conclusion

The PALS recertification training course is manageable with strategic preparation, support, and active engagement. By choosing a reputable provider, preparing thoroughly, and staying engaged throughout the course, you can ensure you remain proficient in pediatric advanced life support. Stay proactive in maintaining your certification, and you'll be well-prepared to deliver the best care to young patients.

[freyalise]

@najbeb1 this is a great question because i can go into a lot of unnecessary detail. my japanese is not amazing so i'm not familiar with teni--and my dictionary just says it means "transfer" 転移 which i'm guessing just means they just end up like that?--but i have thought a lot about tensei/reincarnation and shoukan/summoning (including the translations for everyone else).

i think all of them are fine, but reincarnation allows for the most interesting emotional hooks for an isekai story. here's why:

in terms of japanese isekai, especially those aimed at the shounen demographic, in a lot of cases these are interchangeable. shounen isekai is, for the most part, power fantasy wish fulfillment. it doesn't really matter how the protagonist ends up in the other world because they've cast off all attachments in favor of doing wacky fun adventure times in their new world. that's fine, but when you read enough of them it starts feeling like a cheat code for "i wanted to put this man in a Situation and don't particularly care how it happens." you don't have to figure out a way to force your protagonist to be in an unfamiliar locale when you can just press the isekai button, after all. so it ends up being that the means are irrelevant as long as it happens because the protagonist can happily be op and have a harem or whatever. there are some that play around with it in an interesting way, like how kazuhiro can travel to a fantasy world in his dreams in welcome to japan, ms. elf, but for the most part the how of how they end up in the world could be anything really

reincarnation, however, adds some nuance depending on how attached the protagonist is to their old life. for stories like i spent 300 years killing slimes and accidentally maxed out my level, azusa's death by karoshi at the beginning is more or less irrelevant after the first chapter because she has no real attachment to her previous life and her death via karoshi is mostly an excuse for her to chill out; once that's handled the plot treats her old life as more or less irrelevant. the one i love pointing to as a personal fave is the one within the villainess, when the villainess remilia feels the grief that emi, the japanese girl possessing her body, expresses when she apologizes her family for dying and leaving them alone. that's the good shit right there

if we're thinking of Korean manhwa, reincarnation feels like the most popular approach there. i've seen truck-kun show up more times in manhwa at this point than i have in manga, which is just funny to me. plus, there are some deeply messed up reincarnation scenarios in some of those manhwa, like how you get to see the main character of the golden summoner dying in a fire caused by a car accident (two for one combo!) that manhwa is unfortunately on infinite hiatus, but i recommend reading at least the first few chapters because it is Wild. you do get some decent emotional stake in those ones as well, but the ones i read are by and large "woman gets isekai'd to a book they read" (since isekai manhwa is largely aimed at women)* so the majority of them are focused on untangling the court intrigue of the vaguely european society they've been thrust into.

that being said, it's not completely unheard of that you get some of the other methods in manhwa! the meaning of you is a romance manhwa where the female protagonist gets summoned via saint summoning (just like [insert twenty saint summoning manga]!) but instead of being super cool and awesome she remains a nervous and depressed wreck with extra expectations thrust upon her as a saint. that method just feels less common compared to reincarnation in that country.

that got a bit rambly because it's late and i'm typing this on my phone, but i hope that answered your question adequately

* a lot of fantasy manhwa aimed at young men is more along the tower climbing/dungeon crawling fashion like solo leveling or wuxia manhwa. this might be a bit nitpicky of me, but i don't really consider those, regression stories, or time travel to be "isekai." while there are some that definitely could fit the bill later on such as the frozen player returns, i mostly leave them out just to keep my own sorting system from being overloaded. as for regression, i don't consider that isekai at all because they're not really going to another world but instead returning to their own with more knowledge. sorry, sss rank suicide hunter.

ask me about isekai. the isekai scholar has logged on

[tarlos-spain]

Don't stop dreaming just because you had a nightmare

Acknowledgments: Thanks so much to my betas @lire-casander @morganaspendragonss @chaotictarlos that made me this fantastic banner.

Chapter 02

TK woke up in a hospital room, in a silence broken only by the machines controlling his body. Carlos was sitting next to him, his healthy hand in his, kissing and caressing his. Next to him was Andrea, rosary in hand, praying softly, while Owen had sat on the other side of the bed and was staring out the window, stroking hs arm.

TK rolled over in bed but protested as he felt the intense pain in too many parts of his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, looking for a position that would be more comfortable and not make him want to cry and finally his brain decided to wake up and allowed him to open his eyes.

No one said anything at first, they had been told to give him time. The shock was severe enough that he was groggy at first.

So they waited.

"Carlos..."

"Ty, my boy..." Carlos walked over to the bed and smiled.

"What... those people... the ones who... me..." TK tried to stir again and that brought back the pain in his abdomen and made his insides burn with the senesation that incandescent irons were being thrust into him. "Hmmm Carlos... dad... It hurts so much."

"I know, son, that's why you need to stay calm and move as little as possible." Owen told him. "I'm going to let the doctors know you're awake in case they want to..."

"No please...Dad, don't try...please. I want to sleep."

"Ty, babe, we need you to stay awake a little longer. The doctors want to run a couple of tests on you and then you can sleep again, I promise." Carlos told him, sat on the edge of the bed and stroked his boyfriend's cheek. "Besides, your eyes are too pretty and I missed them."

TK loved it when Carlos got cheesy and said those tacky things. He smiled and and made an effort not to laugh, because he knew the pain would come later. But Carlos got his point across and just for that alone he stared at him.

"That's..."

"Carlos... it hurts..."

"I know, my love, that's why we asked also doctors to put you on an adequate dose of painkillers enough to make you feel good but not pose any problem."

TK trusted his life to Carlos with his eyes closed, so as much as the thought of being on any kind of drugs or substances, no matter how much they would take away his pain, scared him, he knew Carlos would do anything to help him

"Is there anything you need mijo." Andrea asked him and TK shook his head. He just wanted to sleep and forget and since the latter wasn't possible, sleep would be enough.

But Owen called his doctor and three people came into the room. Too many people, he didn't like it, it made him suddenly uncomfortable when there were so many people around him, especially when they were strangers.

Keep reading on AO3

[sparks-joy-imagines]

Hii I got a request! Can I request Sukuna with a s/o that has dimples 🥺 i don’t even have dimples but idk🤧 anyway if not that’s fine to it’s just the idea popped into my mind 🤓

hii~❤ dimples equal cuteness imho so yea, hope all of you dimple-havers and also dimple-less people can enjoy these headcanons~ t’is cute – mesu. Sukuna x reader

given that dimples are not a common thing in Japan, Sukuna is thrilled as you are different and different in his opinion is always good

totally the type to pinch your cheek gently wherever the dimple is located and will do it several times throughout the day. Stopping him from interacting with your dimples is a lost cause. So you better get used to your skin getting irritated easily at and around your dimple(s) simply because Sukuna is constantly squishing and pinching away

it may actually be one of his favourite physical trades of yours

he will not hesitate to thrust his tongue at your dimple whenever given the opportunity. Good luck with trying to make him understand that that’s not quite adequate to do in public tho

also, Sukuna gets really protective of you since your cuteness appeals to his possessive nature and protective instinct (he himself swears it’s not that, but let’s be honest, the last time someone tried to lay their hands on you and your dimples, the police had a hard time figuring out their identity cause even dental records couldn’t help the mess Sukuna made)

overall Sukuna’s enthusiasm about your dimples makes you feel much more comfortable in your skin (in case you weren’t) and you end up endorsing them all the more

[daydreaming-in-letters]

Three Nights (Unconditional sequel)

Night Two

05/25/2021

Pairing: August Walker x fem!reader (3rd person)

Word Count: 1,807

Warnings: hormones, sex during pregnancy, fingering, vaginal sex, slight dom!August, dirty talk, language

Summary: In the middle of her second trimester, Mrs Walker is a hormonal mess. One night, she finds herself in dire need of release, but August just won't wake.

A/N: Next part of the sequel coming right up and things are getting a little steamy...

If you like my story, you are very welcome to like, comment or reblog. Please don’t copy, repost or share my work on other platforms.

(I couldn't find the source of this picture, so if anyone happens to know, please tell me.)

“August?”

Expectantly she listened into the silence. Nothing. Well, at least if one didn’t count his steady breathing and the rolling of the waves in the distance.

“August,” she tried again, a little louder this time. But still he didn’t move. Measuring her options, she watched his face in the pale moonlight that fell through the open windows. He looked so peaceful, and she envied him his deep slumber. How was he not even sweating in this clammy heat?

Finally, the curtains swayed in a breeze of night air, making her hope for a little refreshment, but it only brought more of the sweltering humidity. With a thud, her head fell back into the pillows, underlined by a frustrated sigh. Slowly her hands drifted over the already rather prominent bump that had once been a delightfully squishy part of her body.

“You know this is really only your fault, right? As if the bloody nausea hadn’t been enough in the first place, now you decide to torture me with everlasting horniness instead. Is it too early to say that you’re taking after your father completely?”

But instead of an answer, another gush of wind rolled over her sensitive skin, the sensation alone enough to make her moan as it coaxed another wave of desire to roll through her. This was insufferable, she thought, as she propped herself up on one elbow again. Why wouldn’t he just wake up? At every other time, he picked up on her horny state with the precision of a bloodhound. Damned be his stupid sound sleep.

She bit her lip as a thought crossed her mind. She would most likely regret this and in the end it would probably hurt her more than him. But desperate times demanded desperate measures, and by now she was willing to do almost anything if he only tended to her need and got his dick inside of her promptly.

“August!” she almost yelled and with a swish, her hand cut through the thick air until it came down on his cheek with a harsh slap.

Roaring at the top of his lungs he was wide awake in an instant. And before she could fathom what was happening, she found herself on her back, wrists pressed into the pillow next to her head by his strong hands, furious eyes glaring down at her wildly.

“You’re lucky you’re carrying my child, woman, or you might have found yourself bend over my knees by now to receive your adequate punishment.”

She could feel her walls clench violently around nothing by the mere thought of him having his way with her like that. And before she even had the chance to hold it back, a needy whimper escaped her lips.

“Oh, you would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, very much.” She bit her lip again and it didn’t escape her notice how his grip on her loosened a bit, his eyes softening equally upon her eagerness.

“Is this why you woke me up?”

She nodded, shooting him a perfect pair of doe eyes. “Bloody hormones won’t let me sleep, Augie.”

With a huff, more of the tension left his body. “At least that would explain why you thought it wise to slap me awake.”

“What else was I supposed to do? I did try the nice way, but you just wouldn’t wake up and my panties are literally soaked.”

He growled lowly in the back of his throat, making her clench even harder.

“Are they now?”

Careful not to put his weight onto her body, he clutched both of her wrists in just one hand. He grinned smugly and she knew immediately that she was in trouble. The best kind of trouble. And while she still couldn’t believe that her ludicrous plan had actually worked, his free hand dipped down between her legs without a warning, forcing them apart to grant him better access. Lazily, he dragged his fingers through her folds, stirring the fire inside of her with minimal effort.

“Now that’s disappointing.” What? Having expected his praise, those words of displeasure made her heart fall instantly. But he wasn’t done scolding her, yet. “First you hit me like a bloody lunatic and now you have the audacity to lie to my face so shamelessly, princess?”

“I’m not lying,” she croaked, feeling utterly sorry for herself as she saw her chances for satisfaction dwindle, “My juices are practically flowing over.”

But August’s face stayed unreadable, giving her no hint at all where this was going.

“Oh, no doubt about that,” he finally stated after a long minute of silence.

Wrinkling her forehead in confusion, she was forced to watch helplessly as his face came closer. She could already feel his searing breath on her lips, closing her eyes in anticipation of a redeeming kiss, when he turned his head only the fraction of an inch before contact and dove down into the crook of her neck.

“But your panties aren’t soaked at all, princess, because actually, you’re not wearing any.”

The hunger in his impossibly low voice would have been enough to make her dizzy, but when he bit down on her neck with purpose her body reacted of its own accord. Her back arched violently, pressing herself into him while a deep moan told of her want for more. And when she suddenly felt his fingertips press into her entrance, she knew that his whole act of disappointment had simply been for show. A distraction, so that he -

Oh God, his fingers were filling her so perfectly. Deeper and deeper he sank into her until he was buried three knuckles deep. With a gasp her eyes flew open again and she almost missed his next sentence above the white noise that rushed in her ears.

“You know, you’re really lucky, my painfully aroused angel. Because your sweet little pussy is far too wet to worry about such minor details now.”

His fingers had picked up a steady pace, sliding in and out of her sensitive womanhood pointedly. It was a good start, she thought, but by far not enough to sate her craving. As always, he enjoyed teasing her more than anything. But unlike every other time, tonight she wasn’t in the mood for his teasing, not in the agonising state she was in.

“August, please,” she whimpered. “You promised to make it better, not worse.”

Unimpressed by her words, he continued his slow ministrations, his mouth nipping and sucking its way from her shoulder to her ear.

“You must be mistaken,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the soft spot right underneath her ear that made her shiver. “I can’t remember making a promise like that at any point.”

Another wave of frustration took hold of her as her brain registered his repeated rejection. Straining against his tight grip, she was practically begging by now.

“Please, I…”

“Say it!” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Tell me what you need.”

No, she wouldn’t let him have this triumph, even if he chose to deny her the satisfaction she longed for because of her disobedience. In that case she would have to tend to herself, but under no circumstance would she let him tease her anymo - oh.

Holy shit. She didn’t know how this was possible, but it somehow had escaped her notice altogether that his head had abandoned its spot next to hers and had dipped down to pay his attention to one of her oversensitive breasts. And before she would lose her mind completely, she cried out in a state of utter desperation.

“I need you to fuck me, August. Please. Let me feel your hard cock deep inside of me or I’ll go insane.”

In the blink of an eye he stopped, his hands and mouth retreating as soon as she had finally said the words, giving her some time to calm down a little.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, princess, was it?” he whispered smugly. “Now let me deliver you from your agony.”

Her senses still in overdrive, she felt too weak to even move, but that didn’t matter anyway because, as always, August took care of her. Gently he moved her around until her body moulded into his perfectly. His warm chest lay against her back, his arm offering her a comfortable place to rest her head, and soon she could feel the claiming press of his promisingly hard length. With no effort at all, he sank into her, and finally, finally the excruciating unease inside of her ebbed away.

“Shit, I don’t think you’ve ever been this wet, darling.” His hot breath fanned across her neck, setting her on fire.

“I’ve also never been this pregnant and this horny before,” she moaned, her hand finding his on the cool sheets, entwining her fingers with his as he slowly started to move.

“Don’t worry. I promise we’re going to change one of these two in no time.”

And eager to keep his promise, his free hand dove down to the junction of her thighs, granting himself access to her bud. Carefully he pressed down, opting for drawing slow, deliberate circles. She was so hypersensitive as of lately and he was determined not to overdo it like last time. But judging from her elaborated breaths and the tell-tale sounds that fell from her sweet mouth, she was enjoying herself genuinely.

“August.” His name rolled over her lips with a shiver while his mouth tended to the sweet spot on her neck. Argus-eyed, he monitored every movement, every noise she made. Her relief was all that mattered to him now. But the first beads of sweat were already beginning to form on her forehead, triggering his worry in mere seconds.

“Should we stop?”

“No!” she almost cried out as if she was in pain. “Please don’t stop. I’m so close.”

And as soon as she had uttered the words, she could feel the eagerly-awaited tension inside of her build. Every thrust, every kiss he left on her overheated skin, every groan that rolled through his chest brought her closer, pushing her closer towards deliverance. And when she finally passed the point of no return, she turned her head to find his lips while the redeeming pleasure rolled over her enraptured body. And just when she thought she would pass out from all the bliss, she could feel his response.

He was sure that she had never climaxed this hard, her walls gripping him so tightly that the sensation caught him completely off guard. Speeding up his hips, he allowed himself to give in as well. And while his mind gradually clouded over, he grabbed her belly possessively in his last moment of clarity and for the first time, he could feel a sign of the life that was growing inside of her.

Part 3

***

Tag List: please let me know if you want to be removed or added by either ask or DM - thank you!

@summersong69 @myloveforhenrycavill @dorothea-hwldr @omgkatinka @ashesofblackroses @amberangel112 @madbaddic7ed @icarusblinders @zealoushound @asuni921 @endofalldays01 @agniavateira

[saberstars]

I'm Here

Pairing: Gender Neutral Y/N & Loki

Fluff, angst, implied smut

Warnings: Mentions of depression/mental illness, epilepsy/seizures, mentions of sex, as always if I missed anything feel free to let me know

Summary: Loki & You have a pre-existing friendship with benefits & one night you have a seizure after some spiciness. He cares for you helping you afterwards & makes sure you rest easy & safe. Reader is portrayed to have seizures more so during changes in sleep phases, not awake. The wake seizures or more of a medium ish absence/ focal aware seizure that only occur on occasion & can be “fought” through.

Word Count: 1796

Notes: This was intended to be a gender neutral reader. I think I removed all he/she pronouns.

Additionally, I know that not everyone experiences seizures the same way, and that epilepsy can affect people differently. This is all written from my experiences with it, so I ask that you do not tell me I portrayed something wrong. I can and will accept constructive criticism, But I will not accept someone telling me blatantly that I am wrong with my experiences. Therefore please keep that in mind when reading. I genuinely hope this fic brings others comfort if you suffer from epilepsy or any disorder that causes seizures. Thank You <3

It’s been three years since you found out you suffered from epilepsy. A diagnosis that came late in your life to be fair. As a young child up until you reached adulthood, you suffered from eye shakes that would eventually turn into stuttering spells that made it difficult to breath or not breath properly at all. You never passed out though, you got close a few times, but you managed to stay awake and “fight it off.” You started to notice over time that you’d also get a strange taste in your mouth, almost like metal or as if you were sucking on a battery and it had that zing flavor. You knew that was a precursor and would panic on cue rightfully so. You hated when you had your mini stutter fests because all you could do was hope it didn’t happen.

Of course you complained to your parents as a child but they didn’t think it was anything. They said it was just a panic attack. So you took their word for it. That was until you started having grand mals in your sleep. At first you thought they were just a part of some strange dream, that wasn't real to you, not yet anyway. You would wake up exhausted, sore, sometimes unable to move properly, walk, open and close a fist, and you just overall couldn't stay conscious sometimes. Again you complained to your parents about it, but they said it was nothing. You probably had night terrors or some form of minor sleep paralysis. So you dumbly believed them.

When you moved out, You sought answers, and eventually got them. You were grateful. The medication they prescribed helped tremendously though, it did make you tired but it was worth not having your episodes. Thankfully your case wasn’t as severe as others and it was manageable so long as you took care of yourself and took your medications. Though you were warned, breakthroughs were common, and missing your dose can and would cause a seizure.

Despite having such a diagnosis, you kept it to yourself. You never really told anyone. It wasn’t until you started sleeping with a friend, that you finally divulged your secret too in the event that it ever happened whilst they were with you.

It was someone you randomly slept with on and off with. A friend with benefits, his name was Loki. You had met the god shortly after his father had passed and his home, destroyed. You found comfort with each other despite it being more of a sexual comfort. You both used sex as a way to fight your own demons, a distraction, a quick grab at serotonin. Despite the sex you both developed a very deep friendship. You’d read together on occasion, have very interesting debates on current events, history, as well as other nuances, and a lot of other things. You even met his brother and the avengers at one point.

You both slept soundly after spicy events had taken place 2 hours prior, Loki had come over desperate for attention of any kind. He didn’t say why, but you knew it was a rather serious topic he wished not to discuss and rather lessen the pain with ecstasy. Little did you know, on this day a few years ago he indirectly murdered his mother. He blamed himself dearly, he knew if he would have kept his mouth shut for once in his life she may be here today. So he needed a genuine distraction. One of any kind. Preferable you. Due to the spicy events that took place you missed your dose, due to falling asleep promptly after, which cost you dearly. Missing doses always caused this to happen no matter what.

You gasped for air like usual, your body contorting outwards first with a thrust. You were awake, conscious, and terrified for the few seconds you normally were given before blacking out. You began to stutter violently all the air leaving your lungs as it happened. Until no sounds were made and it was just you chattering. Loki woke immediately, with a completely calm exterior despite a raging mixture of emotions internally. He knew you never called an ambulance for these things because you were normally alone & unaware until you became conscious again. She made him promise to never call 911 unless it was over a certain time length, to save her medical expenses, or unless she stopped breathing for good.

Loki dare not touch you though as you shook and curled up. The last thing he wanted was his godly strength to crush you somehow or cause you more pain. Instead he watched and hovered until you finally stopped. It was a short 50 second one, which was under your time limit, but he still debated calling. It’s not like You would’ve known he lied.

His breathing hitched as he went to check your pulse and airway, ever so delicately, which were both clear and strong.

“Oh thank you.” he whispered

A few hours had slid by with still no response from you. Loki sat next to you, staring down at you, to the point where he would fight the urge to blink, waiting for a stir of some kind from you. He did give the courtesy of redressing you though, in a nightgown from a drawer after an hour slid past. He even went as far as ensuring that you were adequately covered by the blankets to avoid being chilled. It has been 3 ½ hours now, with no stir of any kind from you. He knew it would be awhile before you showed any signs of movement possibly but this worry tore him to his core. In the midst of waiting he refused to just idly go back to sleep next to you, he was determined to stay awake until you were conscious again, so that you knew, he stayed there waiting for you. Loki didn’t know when he found himself talking to you as if you were awake, but all he knew was that it made him feel a bit better, and he hoped that when you woke it would make you feel better too.

“You know, I’ve been reading this really dumb gothic romance novel. I think you’d like it because of how naive the girl is. I know you like to criticize and pick on how they make decisions.” he spoke with a chuckle in his voice thinking back to how you’d flail your arms and drop your book to scream about how dumb some main protagnist could be.

“I'll have to buy you a copy or give you mine when I’m done.” Loki shifted his weight from his right to his left brushing your bangs out of your eyes.

“I don’t know why you keep those so long, all they do is get in the way of your gorgeous eyes.”

It was in that moment you rustled, you shifted your neck ever so slightly, Your eyelids twitch. Loki leaned forward parting his lips as he watched with a heart of hope completely overwhelmed with joy when he saw the color of your iris’s. He exhaled a shaky breath cupping your cheeks which caused you to flinch sending a wave of shocks through your body. It was at that moment you knew. You knew what he saw, what he had gone through. Your heart sank and you immediately berated yourself internally despite your exhausted state.

“It’s ok you don’t have to say or do anything. I’ll stay, I’ll take care of you for as long as you need.” Loki assured you, wanting you to know that you didn’t have to go through this alone. You never really had anyone stay, let alone worry about you. Your eyes began to water as tears rolled down your face.

“I’ll go grab you some water, you’re probably parched. I’ll also grab you a banana. I read that potassium can help with the cramping.” Loki said leaving to yourself for a moment. He also grabbed tissues for your eyes and nose just in case. Upon returning her placed everything at your side offering help to sit up. “Do you need to use the bathroom or help sitting up?” He asked with a gentle tone.

You nodded trying to take a good deep breath so you could speak a bit. “I’m so sorry you had to see that… but thank you. Thank you for staying, for helping. I do need the bathroom and I would appreciate help. My legs are still...” you mustered out with all your might but after a point your tongue refused to work with you.

“Of course, I may be a monster but I’m not entirely cruel. If it helps… you can just think to yourself and I can listen that way. So that you're not struggling too much.” Loki admitted with a tone of self depreciation.

“You're not a monster just because you're different & have made mistakes.” you thought as Loki picked you up bridal style walking you to the bathroom. Of course he placed you down on the toilet and waited outside for you to do what you needed. Since he had only added a nightgown to your previously naked body it made things easier. It was exhausting to just sit up and do everything but you pushed through. You even pushed yourself up and limped to the sink best you could to wash your hands. Upon hearing the faucet though Loki came back in standing behind you offering support if needed.

“Catch me~” you thought before falling back into his arms with a snort.

“You're lucky I have godlike reflexes you minx.” He replied with a hint of flirtation. You had used more than you had in you to wash your hand. Loki caught you obviously and carried you back to the room placing you back on the bed. “No, more like I knew you were ready to catch me.” you slowly thought as exhaustion tugged at your consciousness again. Loki noticed the pill bottle on your dresser before prompting you to take it. Instinctively opening it and sliding one into his hand.

“You should probably take this before you fall asleep.” You took it mentally saying thanks drinking the glass of water with it.

“Yeah that would probably help avoid some added breakdancing.” You joked trying to use humor to lighten the situation. Loki stared plain faced trying not to entertain your joke though, despite finding it secretly witty. Maybe he’d laugh at it when you felt a bit better. Soon after you began to dance between awake and sleep. Loki took note based on how your thoughts jumbled around between multiple things, laughing to himself a bit before minor intrusive fears began picking at you. Loki immediately jumped into action in an attempt to squash them soothing you a bit.

“You can sleep soundly, please get some rest. You don’t have to force yourself to stay awake out of fear or guilt.” Loki spoke in the most caring and sweet tone he could muster up. Trying to convince you that it was going to be ok & it worked. Somehow you knew he was right & that you could trust him completely. You drifted back to sleep peacefully thinking about how for the first time in your life, you didn’t fear sleeping in your bed. You didn’t have intrusive thoughts about whether or not you’d wake up in the morning or not. Which honestly brought tears bubbling their way up and out of Loki's eyes. The amount of trust you had in him in your thoughts, at that moment completely took his breath away. And that was something he wasn’t going to break or ever lose.

[shelby-love]

JAY HALSTEAD

The Freeing Bliss of Adrenaline

Requested: yes

Prompts: none

Warning(s): angsty, happy ending

Author's note: Haven't written for Jay in a while! This will be the last one shot of the year. I've been working on imagines the entire day. Now I'll take some time off since New Year is in less than a hour! p.s. I just added some more spice to Jay’s fight! How’d you like it?

Happy New Near!!!!!

Note: It's important that you guys read my newest Hank Voight one shot to not be confused further into this one. Click here!

~

"Relax babe I'll be fine," You smiled impishly at Jay and leaned against your newest child. The large two-wheeled beauty was the highlight of your day.

But Jay eyed your Yamaha r6 skeptically. He saw a fair number of criminals die from crashing motorcycles less intimidating than the one behind you. He trusted you to be careful, but it didn't help him sleep at night any better than he did before. The damned matte black motorcycle was the cause of his nightmares.

"Just," He sighed. "Be careful."

You chuckled in adoration and kissed him. The two of you were aesthetically pleasing to see. Especially next to your large motorcycle.

"I'll see you at 7?" He nodded in confirmation and helped you with your helmet.

For effect, he slapped the top of it and didn't leave until you were out of his line of vision.

Jay rolled his eyes when you purred the engine for effect.

***

The motorcycle ride through the tunnel was freeing, especially upon exiting it.

Jay didn't understand how freeing the rides you've had felt. You left your worries behind in the dust whenever you roared the engine. You felt like you could do anything.

Your left hand is working the clutch and the turn signal, your right hand is working the front brake, your right foot is working the rear brake, and your left foot is working the gears up & down. The ride was a physical & emotional pleasure, with a layer of anxiety & adrenaline.

For a moment you wanted to close your eyes. To enjoy the feeling of freedom.

But you snapped out of it, just like every time; Jay's words rung in your mind. Be careful.

You were.

But the car that slammed into you wasn't.

***

The members of firehouse 51 arrived on scene in recod time. People were watching on the side next to their cars; the whole road was blocked with cars.

"I didn't know what to do," The officer on scene told Matt. "The motorcycle's crushing her, but I didn't want to do anything until you guys got here."

"Her?" He asked, surprised to hear it. "It's a good thing you didn't move her." That cop did exactly the right thing by not moving the weight off you until they had facility to adequately treat any injuries.

"She looks experienced," The man  sighed with anxiety, looking as if he aged 20 years in a span of 15 minutes. "The motorcycle's a Yamaha r6. Definitely not a beginner's bike."

The smoke that came from the bike was enough to quicken their pace. "All hands-on deck." Matt announced and proceeded to give out orders.

"Otis get the backboard."

"On it."

The rest of the men appeared around you. Severide at the front. It only took him a glance at your custom-made helmet to know that it was you. "Holy shit..."

"What's wrong Severide?" Cruz asked him.

"That's Y/N."

"Who's she?" The team asked him.

"Jay's girlfriend." Severide whispered. "Hey you!"

The cop turned to him, trauma in his eyes. "Call Intelligence."

"Why? This isn't a crime scene."

"That's Jay Halstead's girlfriend on the ground. Get him here now!"

Back where you were, truck was discussing your situation.

"We need to get this bike off her," Gabby said hurriedly.

"81 watch for the hot pipes," The team was working on getting it off you. "This thing's a beast, got to weight 500 lbs." Matt said.

"Okay easy guys," Sylvie had your helmet in her hands. "Possible spinal injury and head trauma."

"Okay let's get this off," All hands were truly on deck as Casey counted down to three. They took your demolished motorcycle and placed it away from you.

"Jay's gonna freak," Severide commented when his eyes fell on your leg. It was completely crushed. Red with blood and completely split in half.

"We need to get the helmet off of her." Sylvie instructed, changing places.

"Alright Mouch."

It was hard for you to decipher the voices because little did they know...

You were conscious under there.

You barely recognized Severide as he barked out commands left and right.

You felt the strap of your custom-made helmet being cut off. The pain that shot through your leg when they secured it had you wincing to the pint your lip started to bleed.

When they took it off it took several seconds for the light to push through to you. You could barely breathe, let alone move your neck to look at the firefighters credited as your lifesavers. Severide cupped the back of your neck and you could only look at him.

"Kelly..." You murmured, tears gathering in your eyes. The times he and Jay had told you to be careful...

You should have listened.

"Y/N don't move. You're okay," He reassured you but you only widened your eyes. "You've been in an accident."

Tears started to fall. "Kelly..."

"No don't speak," He said quietly.

You coughed, "The...other..."

"The other?" He repeated.

"Collision..."

They were losing you. "Hey! Y/N stay with me! What collision?"

A few meters away, Matt and Boden inspected the road and the remains of your bike. "It's dented. Like someone crashed into her."

Kelly's screams brought them back to reality and Matt ran to get you.

He crouched down, his face hovering over you and blocking the sun. "Y/N did someone else crash into you?"

More tears started to fall. "They fell...off."

Boden looked around until he noticed several aggressive lines from tires scattered around the road.

He stepped closer to the edge and looked.

Until he saw.

"This is Battalion Chief 25," He radioed. "We need another ambulance to our location. This was a vehicle collision. I repeat a vehicle collision!"

***

"She still hasn't woken up," Will told his younger brother. "The injuries she sustained were more dangerous than we thought."

"Will what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"There were some complications with the surgery," Will tried to reason calmly. "She started hemorrhaging. They got the bleeding under control, but they had to put her in a medically induced coma. Hey! Jay wait- "

The detective stormed outside. The ringing in his head was getting louder and the voices around him became a distant callout.

Two arms stopped him from raging out.

He pushed and pulled but the man before him didn't move.

Kelly didn't move.

"Jay man, you need to stop!"

He didn't stop. Not even when Sharon Goodwill came to break them apart herself. Jay pushed through and disappeared outside, not daring to enter a car because of what had happened to you.

Kelly and Will found him in a bar eventually.

They took him home, watched over his place as he showered the alcohol off. They helped him in bed, even pulled the covers over him like you used to.

Jay's body was warm under the covers, but deep within he was anything but.

He missed your presence in the bed, your body against his in the shower…

Even your jokes during dinner.

It wasn't the same without you. He wasn't the same.

But no one understood him.

Only you did.

But you were in a coma. Unreachable.

He hugged your pillow on which traces of your perfume still lingered and cried like a baby.

***

The man rushed at Jay, his fist pulled back by a mile to punch him. Jay ducked but the man growled and started swinging punches at him. It came to a point of giving up for the man. Jay was ducking, backing up, sliding to the side; doing all the things needed to slip right through his fingers. He moved quickly, confident in his abilities.

Jay sidestepped before thrusting his fist against the man's face, reeling the man back so he staggered on his feet. A stray of blood fell out of his mouth, but not even that was stopping Jay from doing more damage.

Whatever force had him possessed, it wasn't letting go.

Jay slammed his fist into the man's face like the impact didn't bother him at all. The man smashed into a wall, fell to his knees, and clutched his face and trembled as his head fell forward. Jay placed a foot on the back of his head and slammed his face on the ground without thinking twice. The man groaned but didn't give up.

He twisted his body under the pressure of Jay's boot and grabbed his ankle.

It really didn't take long before Jay had him completely pinned to the ground again. He started throwing punches to his face until there was nothing but blood coating his hands.

He broke his nose, knocked out his teeth and broke his jaw.

Maybe even more.

He couldn't take a better look because he was taken away.

"What the hell is your problem Halstead!?" His sergeant barked.

"He deserved it." Jay mumbled. It really was his only excuse.

"If you're not fit to work," Voight neared his face to Jay's. "I'll take you off the case."

"You can't."

Hank only shook his head, "I can, and I will. Listen… You're a good kid Halstead and I'm sorry for what happened to Y/N but that's not an excuse for what you just did, and you know it."

"Get yourself together." Was the last thing Hank told him before he disappeared.

His girlfriend and the newest member of Intelligence took pity and came to his side. "She's going to be fine, Jay."

"You don't know that" Jay mumbled.

She only smiled sadly, "I've been there."

"You ride motorcycles?"

She shook her head with a roll of her eyes, "No. I was shot while working for the FBI. Hostage situation. I was one of them. A part of the reason why I joined special operations but that's a story for another day."

She leaned against the car with him, "As I was saying... I was badly injured, Jay. The doctors had to put me in a medically induced coma too."

"How'd you get through it?" He asked. She shone in a completely different light to him now.

"The people that mean the most to me were by my side. For me it was family that helped me push through and fight," she sighed, her hands twined together. "You're her anchor Jay. And if you're not being strong for her... Who will she lean onto? Who will help her push through and fight?"

"Doctors believe hearing stories in parents' and siblings' voices exercises the parts of the brain responsible for long-term memories." She recalled what was once told to her.

 "Hey detective! Sergeant Voight is asking for you," A police officer yelled a couple yards away. Voight's girlfriend smiled and Jay could swear that he could see blush taint her cheeks. Jay and you won 20 bucks a few months back thanks to her and her blush.

"Be what your sergeant is to me."

Jay nodded smiling.

Before she was out of his line of vision she turned back and yelled to him, "Maybe take a shower too! I heard that helps!"

He rolled his eyes at her.

***

When he sat at your hospital bed, he didn't know what to say. Every word mattered to him. It's been weeks since the last time you opened your eyes.

And in those weeks a lot of things happened to him.

He hoped that now, after all that had happened, he was good enough of an anchor for you to hold onto.

He grabbed your small hand in his bigger one and kissed the back of it. You looked peaceful. Not your usual bubbly self; the version of yourself that lived for adrenaline and everything life had to offer.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," He started, brushing a stray strand of hair from your face. "I didn't know what to do…"

"I had your bike fixed," He informed quietly. "Although I don't think you'll ever want to sit on one again."

He paused. "But then again… You're batshit crazy."

Jay spent a long time talking to you about a million things. He made up for the times he failed to be there with you.

"Detective Halstead?" A nurse had joined him in the room. "Visiting hours are over."

"Oh," Was all he said. "I guess I should get going?"

She smiled sadly.

With a torturous sigh, he leaned down and kissed you. A tiny piece of his heart broke at the lack of response your once warm, now cold lips gave him. "It's not the same without you."

***

Chicago's cold wisps of air hit him without mercy the moment he stepped out. No one really payed him much mind. Occasional glances from girls that were passing by was something he was used to.

He was searching for his car when a figure jumped in front of him.

"Geez Will," Jay sighed. "The hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," He was beaming like a madman.

"Whatever it is you came here to tell me, just say it." He grumbled.

"Y/N labs came back."

Jay stopped in his tracks and turned to face his brother. For the first time in weeks he had hope shining within his irises.

"And?"

"She pulled through. They'll wake her up tomorrow."

Before another word could leave his mouth, Jay hugged him like his life depended on it.

It did in a way.

He broke down at the parking lot in the arms of his brother having gotten the best news ever.

"Let's get you home bro. You'll see Y/N tomorrow."

Tags: @lorenakaspersen​​ @fofisstilinski​ @short-potato​​ @miranda0102​​  @saracabbage​​

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MASTERLIST

[ill-skillsgard]

I’m IN NEED for something about Valter finding out you have a breeding kink 😭😭

Mmph, you know what? It's been a freaking minute since I wrote anything about our beautiful blond babe. I'll drink to that! Let's do it...

+

Maybe you'd had too much to drink, or not enough, but you couldn't shake the urge to check in with him—to make sure he found your note and the dinner you left in the fridge. More than that, you worried he might be upset you skipped movie night to go out with your girls. It was a silly nothing. Valter wasn't possessive. He didn't care if you took a night off from lounging in your pyjamas, eating snacks with him in front of the TV, watching shows you'd both already seen a dozen times. Valter encouraged you to go out, especially now that it was actually allowed. You were itching to see your friends for a night out doing all the things you'd missed during isolation. Drinks, dancing, long, rambling conversations about relationships and whose hadn't survived the lockdown.

No, it was fine, you told yourself. Yet, you stared at Valter's name on your phone screen with your thumb hovering above the call button, the letters bordered with heart emojis at the top. A feminine hand came into your line of vision and clasped yours.

"Girl, don't. He's fine. He's not a child. Plus, didn't you say he's totally cool with you doing what you want?" Your friend criticized as gently as she could.

"I know, I know. I just kinda want to tell Valter where I'm at."

"You left a note, right? So, just leave it at that. If he's really as cool as you say he is, then he won't mind. He can't be as bad as your ex."

"Nobody could be as bad as my ex," you muttered. "He was a grade-A douchebag."

She sighed wistfully after a sip of her sugar-rimmed cocktail. "I'm glad you're not with him anymore. You make Valter sound so chill. What can I do to get a chill partner?"

"It was a fluke, I swear. He came out of nowhere. All six-foot-four of him."

"How's the...You know. The D? The dick, the cock, the schlong, the lap-hog?"

You spluttered into your glass and wiped your mouth as your friend giggled. "It's fine!"

"It's fine?" She mocked. "That doesn't sound promising."

"No, no. It's more than good. Trust me."

"Better than the ex? From what you told me, you two used to have some freaky sex."

You sighed wistfully. "Yeah, we did, didn't we? I don't know...Sex with Valter is just different. He's not as dominant as I would like."

"You should train the boy," she said between sips.

"I'm trying. He still won't blow inside of me. Insists he doesn't want to get me pregnant."

"But you're on birth control, right? So what's the big deal?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. Valter gets nervous, I guess. Although, that's like my biggest turn-on."

"Mmm," she moaned. "I second that. Nothing like a nice creampie after a deep dicking."

"Oh my god, can you get any louder? Bartender, stop serving this animal," you tittered.

"What? It's true, and you know it."

With the help of your friends, you got through the night without calling Valter. Though, you insisted on getting home at a decent hour, expecting him to be asleep by the time you walked barefoot into your apartment carrying your strappy heels and purse. You took off your jacket, laid down your things and went to the bedroom where lights from the TV cast blocks of light over the carpet. When you turned the corner, you expected Valter to be asleep, having passed out while watching The Office, but that was not the case. What greeted you was more than you could register in one unblinking moment.

Valter was lying in bed sporting a hard-on hours in the making. He stared right at you, eyebrows close together and his lips stuck in a pout that usually meant something was wrong.

"Wow, did I um... Catch you at a bad time?" You snickered.

"No, I'd say your timing is perfect," he said. "Well? What's the hold-up? You just gonna stand there staring at it or are you gonna come over here and ride this cock?"

You were on him in a flash, tights barely off, his hands wrestling your shirt open, and sank into his lap with a mutual groan. The girth was enough to pop your eyes open. He must have been working himself up on purpose, for he pumped and pulsed incessantly, thick with arousal. You combed through his hair and watched his O-face turn his features soft. His hands gripped your ass, squeezing and leveraging you up and down until he rolled you back and took over with cervix-breaching thrusts. You twisted your hands into the sheets and clamped down on your lip to keep from squealing.

"How's that big dick feel, hm? You like getting wrecked? Is that what you like?" He gripped your chin and bore into your eyes. "Oh, yeah. Feels so good to get those nice, deep strokes, doesn't it?"

His sultry words robbed you of any adequate response. All you could do was whine as his hips slammed forth, drew back, slammed in again. Over and over until you gripped his arms as if the earth might crumble beneath you.

"Yeah, you like it nasty. Heard you on the phone talking to your girlfriends about how I'm not kinky enough for you. Not like your ex, who used to fill this pussy with cum all the time. Well, guess what? Now you're with me, and I'm the only man who gets to cum inside this tasty little gash."

"Oh my god," you said, eyes fluttering from the shock of hearing Valter growl.

"Bet you didn't know you pocket-dialled me. Is that what it takes for you to say what you want? Now you can tell your girls next time you see them how I dumped all my fucking cum inside you. Bred you like the filthy cum-slut you are. You wanna catch this load so bad? And who fucking cares if I get you pregnant, huh? All you're good for is taking this cock, and making me babies."

Valter delivered his promise after a few more minutes of spewing filth against your skin and positioning you so you could watch him tense up and climax so rigorously his thighs trembled and skin beaded with sweat. He dropped next to you and continued playing with your pussy, rubbing your clit and letting his cum run onto the sheets.

"Mm, sopping wet pussy dripping with cream. That's how it's fucking done."

He gathered you in his arms and kissed your forehead as his eyes closed, and his breath flattened. Shocked, you stayed next to him, wiggling your hips to feel the stickiness between your thighs.

"Hey, I just want you to know... I don't actually think you're only good for cumming inside and like procreation and all that shit. I just thought it might be hot to say since, I dunno, I guess that's what you like."

"I'm sorry, V. I should have told you first."

He kissed you again and pulled you into a one-armed embrace while he laid on his back, the TV tinting him in shades of blue. "It's okay, baby. Now I know, and I can think of new ways to make you all wet for me."

[natural-hazard]

Studying games to get an indexical feel for abstract qualities of complex systems

I've written before about the reductionism vs holism. Not about "which one is it?", but about what those distinctions are actually trying to track.

The first main idea was that there are a bunch of different properties a system can have (locality of action, monotonicity, modularity, composition) that make them easier to understand. When arguments about reductionism vs holism aren't secretly about some other bullshit, I think its the case that one person things that other is assuming one of these properties holds when it doesn't.

The second main point is that none of these properties are really meaningful in their unqualified forms. There is not a binary "do actions only have local effects?" box that is or isn't checked. Locality of action is always relative to some other assumed reference point.

So the debate should become "okay, in what sense exactly do you think I'm assuming the system is monotonic when it isn't?" This is both more exciting and tricky! How do you communicate about this with precision?

When you program for a while, you develop an intuitive sense for the repercussions of using too many global variables, in a way that's much richer than the free-floating advice "globals make it harder to reason locally about code". Okay, how much harder? When does this hardness become unmanageable? Well, start a medium sized software project and find out!

SO, what does any of this have to do with games?

1) most* competitive gaming scenes are "efficient markets" where you can expect the folk wisdom about good play to be very adaptive

2) there is a rich variety of games that one can play, all of which have different dynamics, and you can personally interact with them to build up a rich set of indexical reference points for reasoning about abstract principles

Quality Epistemic Environments and "Efficient Markets"

Competitive gaming scenes are a microcosom of human competency. There's a lot of things that collectively as a species, we are not very good at. But we are really good at things like Soccer, Starcraft, Poker, Super Smash Bros, etc.

Most competitive gaming scenes you can find are going to be ones where the generalized efficient market hypothesis holds true. You won't be able to come in as an outsider with "one weird trick" and wipe the floor with the competition. There's so much attention and energy and money pointed at some games, that "if it was that easy, someone would have done it by now" is actually a fair assessment. One can still discover new things, but it's by investing energy time and creativity beyond what others have already put in (which is a lot).

And the "efficiency" or "adequacy" of these scenes means that there's very good reason to believe that the folk wisdom about peak play among the elite levels is very adaptive and very fit to the environment. If the world champion of League of Legends tells you that lane control is a vital concept for understanding the game, they're probably right.

This adequacy is not the case for lots of scenes. It's totally possible that speed running scenes are more adequate at detecting fraud than some mainstream academic fields.

Infinite Variety that YOU can experience

Pick a property or a dynamic that some complex systems have which you're curious about. There's a game that exists that lots of people play which has that dynamic. Which means there's a scene with lots of valuable folk wisdom about the repercussions of that dynamic. Which means if you spent time talking with them and, god forbid, actually playing the game(!), you would develop a finger-tip feel for what it actually means for said dynamics to exist in a system.

But again, the point is not to find the perfect generalizations. It's not that, through playing Dota 2 you feel finally grok the platonic forms of Locality of Action. It's that these sorts of properties are only meaningful via their indexical instantiations in systems. And the only way you will be able to reason about them and communicate about them is by developing a rich repertoire of examples which you've personally interacted with.

*****************

(right now I'm very confident about the general thrust of this, but could be totally wrong about the specifics for a given scene since I still haven't embedded myself that deeply in any gaming communities)

[imnotoverlyobsessive]

Looks Like Someone Picked a Whole Bushel of Oopsie Daisies

Chapter Eight: The Morning After (part two)

“Nothin’,” she smiled back at him, squeezing her hair out with the towel before moving it over her body (she didn’t miss the way his gaze lingered on her breasts and legs when she toweled them off). “I’m just happy, is all.”

“Yeah?” He stepped towards her again, cupping her cheek with his hand, and leaned down to kiss her.

“Yeah,” she murmured against his lips.

“Me, too,” he kissed her then, one still-damp hand finding her equally damp waist, and she wound her arms around his neck, water droplets from his hair trickling down her skin.

It was stranger kissing him out of the shower while they were still wet than it was kissing him in it. She was cold, but in a different way than she’d been when they’d been outside, and she was more… present. Her mind was all there, 100% right there with him. Her head wasn’t in the clouds; she could think clearly.

At least, as clearly as was possible when one was having their second-ever non-solo-and-not-a-dream sexual encounter and that sexual encounter just so happened to be with one’s soulmate/twin brother.

Either way, she was doing a-okay overall. In any case, he was still kinda dripping, and so was she because although they had dried off, everyone knows that the only way to really get dry is with time, and Mabel was most certainly not up for waiting until they were adequately dry to lay on the bed without getting it all wet and icky.

He was kissing her neck, and definitely sucking some more hickeys into her skin (because apparently the right side of her neck was not adequately marked upin Dipper’s eyes, it would seem), and she ran a only-a-teensy-little-bit-shaky hand up his back, which, eek still bare still bare he’s still naked still naked-

“Dip,” she gasped his name quietly, and he hummed against her neck in response. “We probably shouldn’t… ah, that feels… mmm… we probably shouldn’t lay on the bed, but I want…” she trailed off, too embarrassed to express just how badly she wanted him inside her. She could only vaguely recall, and, uh. She wasn’t having that. She wanted the memory of how he felt inside her to be so vivid she could recall the sensation at a moment’s notice.

“We can in here,” he told her, pulling her bottom lip gently between his teeth and pressing himself against her.

“I- in here? Is that even a thing?”

“Mhm,” he hummed against her neck again.

“How does that work?”

“I’ve, uh,” he coughed, pulling away from her slightly. “Seen it done.” Translation: porn. He’d seen it in porn.

“Riiiiiiight…” she trailed off. “So, again: how?”

He kissed her softly and reached for her hand. “C’mere.” He pulled her in front of the mirror, which was still too fogged up for her to see anything but the vague shapes of herself and him standing behind her. And then-

And then he pressed another kiss to the hollow of her throat, right over where he’d sucked a bruise into the skin there the night before. He was pressed flush against her back, and he’d put both hands on her hips, trailing one up her side and then around to squeeze her left breast, pinching her nipple as he did so. She gasped, leaning her head back into him.

“Touch yourself, Mabes,” he whispered in her ear before continuing to suck her neck and pull at her nipple. She could feel him, hard against her lower back, and she slowly lowered a hand between her legs. “Put your fingers inside for me.”

She struggled with this from the angle she was standing at, but if she bent down a little, she was able to just… it was nothing like him. He’d filled her perfectly, and in comparison, her fingers fell woefully short.

“There you go,” he encouraged in that soft, sexy voice that she wanted to drown in, reaching up to grip her other breast, giving it the same attention as the right. She gasped again, a sound that was almost his name, but not quite. “Open yourself up for me. Pump your fingers in and out.”

She did so, and it felt good but it wasn’t enough. She wanted him. “D-Dipper,” she whimpered, the syllables of his name struggling to emerge from her throat.

“Mmm?” He was grinding himself against her, pulling and twisting her nipples.

“Please,” she begged.

“Tell me what you want, Mabes,” he told her softly, almost yanking at one of her nipples as she continued to move her fingers inside her.

“You,” she was practically sobbing, she needed him so badly. “Please, Dip, I- I want you inside me so bad. Please,” she begged.

“Anything,” he promised. “Anything you want.” He removed his hands from her breasts, and she whined quietly at the loss. “Bend over and put your hands on the counter.”

She pulled her fingers out and did as he said. Dipper reached down between her legs to find where her entrance was, and she whimpered again as he touched her,

“Dip,” she whined, desperate for him.

“I know, sis, I know,” once he found it, he put his hands on her hips and thrust inside her and-

Holy fucking shit if she thought he was deep before, she had no idea what she was talking about, because what he was doing was, like. Next level deep. She squeaked, because she 100% had not been expecting that.

“Fuck, Mabel, this is- fuck,” he groaned, pulling out and thrusting into her again.

“It feels good,” she whimpered, and then yelped when he thrust into her again. “Ummf!” Another thrust. “That’s- oh fuck, Dipper, please don’t stop,” she was begging him again. She knew she was. She didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything. As long as he didn’t stop, the sky could fall and the sun could explode for all she cared.

He thrust again, his hips slapping against her ass. “Why-why would I-“

“Harder,” she whimpered, clenching her fingers against the counter. He obliged, and Mabel couldn’t contain her screams. They echoed off the walls of the bathroom, mixing with the sound of skin slapping against skin.

“Scream for me, Mabes.” Mabel did, and he groaned, slamming into her. “Fuck, that’s so hot. I love it when you scream like that. All for me. Tell me it’s all for me.”

“A-ah,” Mabel gasped, struggling to speak because the dude was just. He was just not letting up. “All for you, Dipper.”

“You’re so beautiful, so sexy, I- I love you,” he gasped, punctuating his words with a thrust. “I love you,” he said again.

“I lo- mmmmmf just like that, yeah- I love you too.” Her arm was flat against the counter, and she was leaning her forehead against it, her eyes clenched shut and her mouth open slightly.

He pulled back a bit too far at one point, accidentally pulling out of her. “No!” She exclaimed, looking over her shoulder at him desperately. “Come back, put it back, bro bro, please!”

He realigned himself with her, slamming into her again, and her body jolted with the force of it. She cried out, startled at how rough he was being. He leaned forward, resting his chest against her back, kissing her neck and as he snapped his hips forward.

“Touch yourself,” he commanded softly, kissing her neck again. Mabel reached between her legs and started rubbing her clit with a sound that was somewhere between a whine and a gasp. “There you go,” he encouraged, pulling back up and thrusting into her again.

Mabel was whimpering quietly, which seemed to spur Dipper on, because he pounded into her furiously until she was screaming for him again, just the way he liked. He let up a bit, emphasis on a bit, because he was still gripping her hips hard enough to bruise (which, yes yes yes his fingerprints bruised into her hips fuck yes) and, for lack of a better term, fucking her senseless.

“Rub yourself faster,” he gasped out. She did as he told her, focusing on the feeling of him moving inside her and the sound of his moaning. Everything about him, everything, was just so unbelievably sexy it should’ve been illegal.

She felt herself clenching around his cock, and when he groaned at the sensation, she knew she was getting close. Rubbing herself as fast as she could with him slamming into her like there was no tomorrow, she managed to get out a few words, “Dip I’m- I’m gonna-“

“Good girl, that’s it,” he praised, fucking her harder. At his words, Mabel convulsed for a half a second, and then her body froze, her mouth hanging open. Dipper never stopped thrusting into her throughout her orgasm.

She was shaking afterwards, trying to catch her breath, her whole body sensitive and tingly. But he didn’t stop, he just kept going. Not that she minded, of course. It was just she was sensitive as all hell.

She was whimpering, gasping quietly, and he was going faster and faster, until-

He pulled himself out of her with a jerk and a groan, and Mabel was concerned for a split second because it almost sounded like he was in pain, or this weird mix of pleasure-pain, and she winced at the loss of him (how had she gone her entire life feeling so utterly empty?). There was something warm and wet trickling down her back, and she realized he’d just cum on her, and shivered at the thought, because his cum was on her skin oh god Dipper’s cum was on her skin.

“Shit,” he muttered, breathing like he’d just run a marathon. It was… nice to think that it was her who’d made him so out of breath. “Stay there, lemme… lemme get that for you.”

“Huh?” She was dazed; his words weren’t really sticking. She barely registered the sound of the sink being turned on, even though it was right next to her, or the shower door opening and closing again a few seconds later. A warm, wet cloth was being rubbed along her back and some on her butt, even.

“There you go,” came Dipper’s voice after a minute or so (not that Mabel could’ve pinpointed the time it took him, of course). “Uhhh… you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m- I’m good. Sorry, kinda out of it,” she pushed herself up from the counter.

He laughed awkwardly, looking away. “That’s… probably my fault.”

“It’s okay,” she told him softly, turning and falling into his arms, her bare chest against his. “I liked it.”

“Me, too,” he smiled, kissing the top of her head “let’s go lay down, okay?”

Mabel nodded.

He led her to the bed, an arm around her waist. Once she’d plopped down, he grabbed their respective underwear, and his shirt, and he was looking around for hers, too, when she reached up and snagged it from his hands, along with her panties.

“Gimme those,” she said, pulling on her panties and then yanking his shirt over her head. She grabbed it in her hand and brought it to her nose, breathing in deeply. Ah, she thought. Dipper smell.

“Uhh… Mabes,” he said awkwardly, pulling his boxers over his narrow (and incredibly sexy, if she were being honest) hips. “That’s… that’s my shirt.”

“No doi,” she told him, laying down and patting the space beside her. “Imma wear it. Suck it up, buttercup.”

“...kay.” He got in bed next to her, and she rested her head between his chest and armpit, smiling as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed the crown of her head affectionately.

“I love you, bro bro,” she told him softly, snuggling up against her.

“Love you, too.”

Mabel couldn’t have said exactly how long they stayed like that, peaceful and content, somewhere between sleeping and wakefulness. It was perfection. It was heaven.

Until they heard the door to their room open, and their parents walked into their little haven.