#what purpose did that serve
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And if I said the multiverse twist this season shouldâve been them recreating the twists from the past seasons each week?
Like imagine, one week is the duos twists, one week is the saboteur, one week is teams, one week is a have nots comp, one week is pandoraâs box, one week is americaâs player, one week is the third nominee, one week is battle of the block, one week is the hacker, do you see the wasted vision?
This season was supposed to celebrate the shows 25 season run anyway and they did not do thatđ
#this would actually force them to play the game differently each week#no one could stay comfortable bc the game keeps changing#and the show would be embracing what it used to be#just be big brother yâknow#the actual multiverse twist we got was so pointless and boring#like what happened to the nether region#what purpose did that serve#the humiliverse can die#comicverse ruined the game#scramble verse wasâŠ. there#like i always forgot about the multiverse twist outside of certain comps bc it was so useless#bb25
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aight iâm just saying if someone youâre talking to is giddy/excited ab something there is no need to be fuckin rude about it/shut them down unnecessarily
#like ok great thank u#now i wanna cry instead of being excited ab something#what purpose did that serve
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Ok. I am maybe kind of losing my mind just a little bit.
A few days ago, I mentioned in a post that the IA only cares about information being digitized, not about actual digital access. And I mentioned that access includes patrons being able to actually find what they are looking for, and suggested IA did not prioritize that critical aspect of access. But I didn't really go into any more detail.
So someone over on bluesky linked to this write-up of a talk Brewster Kahle gave about using so-called AI. And one of his reported statements made my mouth drop open in shock.
...and then I read further in the article and realized it was incorrectly reporting basic facts around Hachette, so I had to go and listen to the whole speech myself.* (And I want to say, briefly - he raises some legitimate potential uses for LLMs! He's kind of a dick about some of it ("it's up to us to go and keep [Balinese] culture alive"), but some of the things he's talking about actually seem useful.)
*Incidentally, while Kahle doesn't lie about the ALA brief in the speech, he absolutely misleads about the nature and facts of the case and deliberately omit the part of the story where the IA decided to suspend the one-to-one owned-to-loan ratio thing, despite repeatedly emphasizing that one-to-one was what the IA was doing with their lending program.
And oh my god. He really said what the article reports. (This portion starts around 20:10.)
He says that the IA has scanned over 18,000 periodicals. And that they used to have professional librarians manually create descriptions of the periodicals in order to catalog them. (Sidenote: there are existing directories, but he describes their licensing terms as "ridiculous." This is not a field I know much about, but I spoke to one person who agreed, though for different reasons. His reason is that you can only license, not purchase, the directory descriptions. The person I spoke to was instead focused on the prices demanded for the licenses. Regardless, the idea of creating an open, free directory seems both like an incredible amount of work and an amazing resource...if it was accurate.)
But according to Kahle, it took 45 minutes to an hour to create a description and catalog each periodical.
And so now, instead, they're using AI to make the descriptions and so it only takes 7-10 minutes!
"And yes it hallucinates, and it has some problems, and whatever â but itâs a lot faster than having to write it yourself!"
Oh. My god.
Just.
YOU ARE KNOWINGLY INTRODUCING AI HALLUCINATIONS INTO YOUR CATALOG?!
(And yes, he says that they are "confirmed by a librarian" but it can't really be, not if it's only taking 7-10 minutes! Maybe the librarian can do a quick check for super obvious errors, but actually checking a AI's summary work requires actually going back to the source and reviewing it yourself!)
I just....
I need to emphasize for those of you for who aren't familiar - if a book or article is miscataloged, it is effectively lost. Because it doesn't mater if a library or an archive owes it - if someone can't find it when they are looking for it, it is not only inaccessible, the only way to find it again is through chance. Imagine if you went into a library, but instead of organized shelves (where if even if you can't find what you're looking for, the librarians know where to look), every single book was just piled in a heap.
If a book is miscateloged, it still exists, but it is lost, not truly accessible. And they know that this is happening, "but whatever." Because Brewster Kahle doesn't actually care about real, practical, digital access. (Much less non-digital access.)
(And then to top it off, he goes on to criticize the Library of Congress for not being "access oriented.")
I just. 18,000 periodicals. And they've knowing, recklessly lost who knows how many of them. I feel like crying.
18,000 periodicals.
#internet archive#ai bs#nope sure don't like using those two tags in the same post#also just admit that you are an archive kahle#archives are great!#I love archives!#they serve a critical purpose distinct from libraries#I don't understand why you seem to hate the idea of being one!#(except I do - the same reason why you won't just admit what the ia did w/ the 'emergency library')
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THE JETSET LIFE IS GONNA KILL YOU, ERIC CARTER!
my laptop charger uhhhhhh. met its end in a very permanent, very fire hazardy kind of way last week. while waiting for a replacement I decided to try and get some work done at the library and was asking around for some urban fantasy (extra points for a mystery plot of some kind) recommendations to check out while I was there
the eric carter series was mentioned a couple of times, AND had the added bonus of having a necromancer for a main character. I love necromancers. someday I'm gonna play one in a game instead of immediately defaulting to vampires.
Fire Season, Stephen Blackmoore
#i was also told to check out johannes cabal because. again. necromancers. and sandman slim#i'll get around to it next year probably#ive had urban fantasy on the mind ever since I did a full re read of the dresden files and then a SECOND re read of it right after#but from a different starting point and then did an unnecessary examination of harry as an unreliable narrator#with a very specific kind of world vision that does funny things to his perception. idk what purpose that served#ANYWAY. i got a whole list of gritty urban fantasy recommendations to slowly work through next year#i dont really play around with original english language urban fantasy fiction very often because it's like#a lot of what i want out of it I already get out of japanese/korean comics I read and also filipino horror#so I'm not exactly starved for it except that I'm low key kind of starving for it. when will filipino horror return from the war#anyway i appreciate the hate the main character has for spanish colonialism#and as a long time whump enthusiast i love it when a character goes through the absolute wringer#creative liberties were taken. i thought about rolling up the sleeve on his. left? arm and then thought about the tattoos and changed#my mind lmao. i started drawing some of them tho. i once dated a guy who was similarly tattooed and for a minute i thought#'well i can just rip off all of that' and then i thought 'wait i still have to draw it' and decided Not To#eric carter series
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And some days, I just wish you wouldn't look at me at all.
#ffxiv#sketch#wol#meteor survivor#zenos yae galvus#adventurer zenos#oh no#its the consequences of his actions#everything is fine until the only man on the star you care about looks at you with the same contempt your father did#(Meteor's not doing it intentionally- its a reflex after he comes back for quite a bit)#and zenos is getting bodied because its been a while since... you know... him being able to really feel anything at all#and no- its not him regretting anything that had to do with varis- just him regretting the thought meteor could look at him like that#little does Meteor know he's emotionally bodying the man he's trying to be cordial with#its a little okay because in how I write adventurer zenos this serves as one of his main wake-up calls to make some changes#and realizing both the mistakes he's made with meteor and that meteor hating him in any way is actually -not at all- what he wants#but not okay on the end that every time meteor does this he has to watch zenos actively dissociate right in front of him#until zenos just kinda autopilots and walks away#the second time (or perhaps third) in the last 11 years that zenos has felt regret to any major capacity-#on meteor's end I just enjoy seeing the progression of the WoL through subtext#and why meteor is willing to even entertain the idea despite how much he hates zenos- his decisions and the path he's walked#is the realization that there is high chance that he could actually be a direct catalyst for zenos' growth#and the realization the wol has that they were the only one zenos has ever genuinely reached out to#besides- i just like the idea of having your equal other half fighting back to back with you- or being able to handle threats you cant#and i find their dynamic neat- of meteor not forgiving zenos but giving him his last chance- and growing to enjoy being around him#and zenos being able to work on moving past being the weapon or the monster- finding the connections he's longed for#and giving himself purpose to finally truly just live- for him to learn to experience and have the freedom to find what he enjoys#(and curiously him having estinien's brand of accidently helping people even in StB gives me ideas...)#but enough tag ranting- ill get to zenos' actual adventuring in another post lol
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I think maybe every podcast should, in the final episode, suddenly make one of its characters with no established canonical appearance blond
#why did they do that#what purpose did that serve. it is so funny to me#the silt verses#the silt verses spoilers#NOT a terrible spoiler but better safe than sorry#faulkner thesiltverses
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Thinking about how angrily solas said there was nothing in the lore to tie the elven gods to the tevinter old gods
and how I think heâs about to find out that isnât true and itâs his fault
#da:v#da4#dragon age: the veilguard#dragon age 4#solas#he was so very adamant about it#I think those guys did some fuckery#and if solas sealed them away in part to seal away the Blight#and it got loose anyway - and the Blights happened because they got people to break their seal?#yeah no wonder he says fuck the veil - what purpose is it serving?
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just read this snippet in a vanilla fic where character A sneezes and character B unthinkingly lends them their jacket. only, A realizes after the jacket is on that it's feverishly warm, and they lean over and feel B's forehead... đ”âđ«
what lack of self preservation would you need to have to lend someone your jacket so unthinkingly when you're the one with a fever?! also to feel someone's fever through the residual warmth of a clothing article?? the scene will not leave my mind
#for the record the fic is not a sickfic and this goes unacknowledged and unexplained for the rest of the fic#why did the author write that in?????????? what purpose did the mention of his fever serve narratively??????#idk but it's very very hot to me đ#(...if anyone read my latest fic yes a is ti//ll and b is i//van in the fic i'm referencing. which i hesitate to link outside of dms bc#it is written by a vanilla đ but i fell asleep thinking about it and now i'm awake thinking about it again)
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i'm not going to say much about it, mostly on account that i do not consider myself a part of the gw2 community anymore, but you guys have a serious problem with poc speaking up for themselves and telling you when you've done something wrong and inheriently a bit racist. your first reaction should be to sit down and shut up, genuinely. a lot of you would do some good to examine who and what you're sympathizing with and why your first instinct is to exend a loving hand to your white community members, while swatting away and 'critically examining' the poc ones. have some goddamn introspection.
#you guys know what you did. seriously.#watching kami get chased off from space to space for being 'dangerous'? come the fuck on.#this is honestly the straw that broke the camels back for me. i'm tired of seeing it.#genuinely examine your biases of who you're willing to listen to vs. who is 'a manipulative danger to our community'#i'm glad i'm not a part of this damn tumblr community anymore. fucks sake.#save. this is only one example. and i've only been here for a year. but i feel like this one example should serve it's purposes enough#the fact that i've seen this problem occur more than once over the year-or-so i've been here should ALSO say enough.
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19 more images below the cut (WARNING: Some PG-13 saucy shenanigans ahead)
Part three of their date: an unconventional visit to a nearby alley so Light can clear his head and try to get to the point of the outing. The events lead him to becoming confident enough to move onto the next stage...
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#drawn by me#my fancomic#The Chain#Death Note#lawlight#L#Light Yagami#saucy shenanigans#smooch#Lightâs Kira is showing#those face-sucking images were very intimidating to do#but they were fun after I got over it lol~#I may share my other drafts of them making out and getting intimate that I did for this#it's pretty embarrassing XD#I gave up on the backgrounds. all that matters is that they're in an alley and there's a stack of boxes/wooden crates they utilize#happy early birthday L~#they are macking normally I suppose#but I just couldn't bring myself to write the sound effects. you all know what making out sounds like yes?#wanted to write âsmooch smooch smoochâ but it felt ridiculous and probably would've killed the mood lol#the kissing does actually serve a purpose. Hint: It's why Light feels better about going to the next location#maybe Iâll get the next installment out before the end of the year. đ
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Important post đ€
#đ€ đ«Šđ€ #5sos#5 seconds of summer#ashton irwin#ashton#eternity speedway#kh4f post#i have a headache rn and this is legit healing me thank u cowboy Ash#i don't even know if i have a consistent cowboy tag on here anymore do I đ#@ future Crystal pls fix that thanks#for now we obviously need to go with#daddy but đ€ #and now if you'll excuse me i need to have a meltdown about this guy's entire chest being right there#like fr what purpose did that tank even serve#just a beardy sweaty cowboy man đ#this what dreams are made of don't question it
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Concerning Lockley
A 3rd installment to the Smoke and Mirrors series.
Pairing: Marc Spector x Reader, Steven Grant x Reader, Jake Lockley x Reader
Summary: A year has passed since the events in Cairo and two things cannot remain hidden for much longer; the truth and a third alter.
Word Count: 3.8k
Warnings: canon-divergence, revolves around Marc and Steven's past so implied child abuse, lightly implied smut, descriptions of violence, language (but it's me so that's almost a given)
a/n: A criminally late third installment to Smoke and Mirrors/The Truth is Rarely Kind. It's fairly heavy so I'd recommend reading the first two chapters for context. Anyway, guess who's finally arrived? đ
You had grown fond of the night. The peace, the silence. The temporary comfort that, even just for a little while, things would be okay. Well aquatinted with the early hours, you woke to see them hit the clock almost religiously; every night without fail.
Every night since Cairo.
Sleep was something you'd forsaken. The few hours of rest you did manage to steal were few and far between and when you did manage to drift off your guilt followed you into your dreams. It seemed that was all you ever felt anymore; an overwhelming, crushing sense of guilt that never went away.Â
You'd started making a cup of tea some time ago, (five minutes perhaps? enough time for the boiling water to cool, now a comforting warmth radiating through the ceramic.) It was another sanctum in your ritual, the action almost bringing more comfort than the drink itself. The steam kissing your hands and drifting through your fingers in playful wisps, the hypnotic sound of the spoon gliding against the ceramic edges of the mug.
Your hand stilled and your breath hung idle in your chest; a moment later two arms settled around your waist with a gentle squeeze and a yawn muffled against your shoulder.Â
"Alright, love?"
Steven spoke the words into your neck. They were gentle and warm, just like the rest of him. There's a certainty in how he holds you to him and you quit stirring your tea in favour of supporting yourself against the counter. You fear your knees will give way, from the lack of sleep or guilt, you can't tell. His nose ran the length of your jaw and you offered a quiet hum in response to his earlier question.
"What are you doing up, ey?" His voice is breathily quiet, softening at the end as it would when he spoke to a child or small animal. Something he was worried he'd frighten. His hands, feather-light in their movement, traced down your arms until his fingers brushed the swell of your wrists. Intertwining your fingers, he brought your joint hands to your chest and pressed down. It was a grounding, comforting weight.
I'm here. I've got you.
You took several deep breaths, each somewhat steadier than the last. You swallowed down the sand that seemed to have formed at the back of your throat; dry and scratchy.
"Couldn't sleep," you answered truthfully.
Steven had waited patiently for your answer. He was always so patient. He'd been patient during the three weeks you'd scarcely spoken to them after Cairo, and patient still during the outbursts that followed when you did start talking to them again. And how could he blame you? Dying and coming back again was bound to have that effect. The entire dying situation was something that had been quickly placed in the red zone (extremely triggering and not to be talked about,) and after an exceptionally explosive episode with Marc over it, none of you were eager to revisit it.
Steven wasn't even certain you remembered your time in limbo, but if you did you didn't talk about it and he didn't pry.
"Come back to bed, yeah? I'll stay up with you till you doze back off."
He did know that you didn't sleep anymore. Not really. On more than one occasion he'd wake in the early hours to find you sat by the door or perched by the window, something sharp in hand. Harrow, by some miracle, hadn't come looking for you yet, but you planned on being ready when he did.Â
Steven and Marc could feel the anxiety that practically hung above your head like a black cloud of miserable smog. The thought of Harrow and his goons finding the ushabti and following through with their plans was one that haunted you. A fact made clear by your desire to, in your own words, 'find the deepest, most ancient well known to man and chuck the damned thing down there.' But dealing with people set on genocide called for something more permanent and Layla had assured you she had it handled.
You didn't doubt her but it didn't make you feel any more at ease either.
You focused on the weight of Steven's hands against your chest instead and took another steadying breath. You agreed to go back to bed, if anything just to ensure Steven got a few more hours of sleep. You would fake it, you'd gotten good at it too.
He kept your hand in his as he led you back to bed. The tea abandoned on the counter eventually went cold.
You awoke to Marc, his lean arms barely brushing the expanse of your stomach, hand resting openly against your waist. You always knew the difference, knew who you'd woken up to. Steven held you like you would turn to dust and Marc held you like you were made of glass.
His hold on you tightened as he woke, that subconscious urge to keep you at arm's length crumbling. He kissed your head, your neck and then the expanse between the blades of your shoulders, his hands reverent as they traced your skin.
He made love to you differently since Cairo. It was slower and methodical, that desperation and fear that had been there before was long gone and there was a certainty now. He was more sure of himself, of you and of what you were to each other.
You rested in a comfortable silence afterwards, the air still warm and sweet and the sheets grounding against your trembling body.
Marc was a work of art beside you and for the briefest of moments you could understand why Khonshu chose him. He was made to be divine, to be godly.
His eyes had lightened a shade, as they tended to do when he was unfocused and staring into nothing. It was something only you'd noticed; the way the dark chestnut brown turned amber, almost pools of honey in the morning light now.
You traced his temple and he turned to you, taking the time to plant a kiss to your wrist. Right above the gentle beating of your heart. You temporarily worried that he'd feel your guilt in how your pulse drummed irregularly against his lips. You always felt guilty when he touched you softly. Knowing what you did you felt you didn't deserve it.
Your anxiety must have bled into your expression and Marc mistook it for worry.
âI'm alright,â he said. âIt's just⊠quiet.â He traced his forehead and looked back at the ceiling. It was an observation he'd made several times in the last few months. His thoughts weren't as loud and his head didn't feel as crowded, no longer bursting and tearing at the seams. You supposed that made sense, now that a homicidal bird was no longer among his mind's residence.
You drifted with your thoughts until a gentle nudge from the man beside you brought you back to earth. His brows were furrowed subtly, trying not to give away that he knew something wasn't quite right.
âBabyââ
âI'm fine.â The words were so rushed they tumbled over each other as they left your tongue. You doubted Marc would have understood you at all if it weren't for how many times you'd parroted the phrase in the last few months.
Marc sighed and wrinkled his nose. âSteven doesn't believe you.â
âAnd you?â
âI think you're a bad liar,â he added. It wasn't accusatory, quite the opposite. âWhat's going on?â
The rehearsed lines came naturally. âI'm just tired.â
He seemed disappointed by your answer but said nothing. Another fifteen minutes in bed and Marc got up to start his morning routine and you prepared to keep up your masquerade for another day. You knew your lines as well as the part you had to play. It was all second nature now.
A week later you decided that you were going to tell them.
It wasn't the guilt that drove you to it in the end, not exactly. You'd been dealing with that for long enough. Rather it was the humbling realisation that this was no longer about you. It wasn't about how you spent every waking moment thinking about what you'd seen. How every time Marc laughed you envisioned the child that spent his birthdays either alone or berated. Or how each time Steven touched you softly you thought of the little boy cowering from his mother.Â
No, it was about Marc and Steven and the fact that they deserved to know. And if your relationship was the price to be paid for them to have their truth then so be it.
But just because you'd made the decision by no means meant you were handling it well.
âFuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.â You cursed with each step as you did laps of the kitchen. You'd started pacing just after Steven left for his shift and you were certain you could pace for the rest of the night if you needed to. A hieroglyphic on the patterned rug Steven had bought had noticeably worn down beneath your feet.Â
You'd tried to rehearse something, gone as far as writing out bullet points and trying to convert them into something that resembled a speech. But all that came out of it was a bin full of crumpled-up paper and an even deeper pit where your stomach should be.
You passed the fish tank for what felt like the ninety-ninth time and stopped to glance at its resident. Gus seemed about as interested in the current affairs as a goldfish could be.
âHow do you feel about staying with me on the weekends?â You asked. A single bubble left the fish's mouth in reply. âGods, I'm losing it.â
Your heart near burst from its ribbed prison as the doorbell sounded three clanging chimes of doom. Your anxiety was so off the charts you were certain anyone nearby with a radioactivity monitor would be recording some cataclysmic event with your apartment as ground zero.
You employed every shred of willpower you had to get your legs to move you towards the door and opened it with such a convincing smile you should have been handed a bafta then and there.
âHiya, love!â Already unsteady on your feet, the absolute, unabashed optimism in Steven's voice nearly had you keeling over.
He barreled forward past the threshold, a well-aimed kiss landing on your cheek and a bouquet of pink carnations brushing your chest.
âPicked these up for you on the way home,â he quipped easily as if the gesture came as easy to him as buying the milk. The bouquet was so large you had to employ both hands to hold it. The petals were so picturesque they almost seemed fake and the stems were a healthy green. The stall vendor had cared for them so well.
Steven hadn't stopped talking, not even as he removed his work clothes, electing instead to keep telling you about how the vendor had told him of the variety of colours carnations came in and their individual meanings but that he chose pink just because they were prettyâ
âAnd I thought maybe we could go out tonight, grab something nice to eat. It's been a while since we'veâ everything alright, love?â
Still staring at the flowers, you hadn't realised you hadn't looked at Steven once. And he'd read you like a book.
âDo you not like them? Is it the colourââ
âNo, no, Steven, they're beautiful.â You rushed. âIt'sââ That awful sensation of pressure began to coil around your neck and you struggled to swallow. Every thought spilled from your mind like water through a bullet-riddled tin can. âI justââ
In three quick strides, Steven was upon you, hands rising slowly to cradle your face. âHey, hey now, it's alright. Had a long day?â
Something close to a whimper caught in your throat. You'd had a long few months.Â
You closed your eyes and focused on the soft press of Steven's palms against your skin, how his fingers brushed your jaw and thumb was ceaseless in its comforting movements across your cheek.
You took a steadying breath, Steven praising you as you did, and in the moment of silence that followed you felt the extra presence. That there were two bodies in the room but three people. That reminder of Marc served as a final shove.
âI need to tell you something.â The words were so long coming you felt your lungs almost give out under the weight of them. âThe both of you.â
Steven's gaze softened, not an inkling of fear to be found despite your troubled expression. There was no doubt or worry he'd done something, only that certainty he'd carried himself with over the last number of months.Â
You thought about telling them your 'heinous crime' was breaking Steven's favourite mug and then he'd laugh and act offended regarding the remark Marc would have made about Brits and their tea. Then the three of you would go to bed and nothing bad would happen, nothing would changeâÂ
âI'm here, Marc too. We're both listening.â
âBack in Cairoââ A breath. Now or never. âKhonshu showed me something. I know it sounds ridiculous but when Harrow shot meâ when I died and before I came back, Khonshuâ he showed me your past. He showed me everything. And I've wanted to tell you for so long, I should have told youââ
His hands fell from your face and without the anchor of his touch, you felt yourself sway. When he took a cautious step back your heart capsized. You wanted to follow him but guilt and fear had fused your feet to the floor in equal measure.
âSteven please, I didn't want to hurt you. Marc, Iââ
His eyes fell closed and your chest felt like it was caving in atop your lungs as you waited for them to open. Waited to see Steven, eyes innocent and confused and knowing you'd have to tell him that everything he was came from something so awful. Or waited for Marc, eyes clouded and full of anger. Your entire life hung by a thread and at this rate, you wondered if cutting it yourself would be a kinder act.
They had every right to be angry after all, every right to hate you. Having someone poking around in your head without permission was such a nonsensical thing to have happen that you couldn't think of a single reaction that wouldn't be warranted.
After what felt like hours, his eyes opened.Â
But it wasn't Marc. And it wasn't Steven.Â
It was a dull, far-off stare; tired eyes regarding you from beneath hooded lids.Â
You dared not move. It wasn't just the eyes but his entire body that was different, the way he carried himself. A tired smirk pulled at his lips and this stranger, this intruder in their body, seemed to have caught on to your realisation. He turned his back on you and walked towards the kitchen without a word.
His footsteps were lighter than Steven's and heavier than Marc's and his shoulders remained squared as if ready for a fight. And for a worrying moment, you thought maybe he was.Â
You stayed as you were, moving only a few inches to keep him in sight whilst still within bolting distance of the door. It was a terrifying thought, having to run from someone that looked like them.
 The intruder opened the cabinet below the sink and pulled out a shoulder of whiskey you didn't know was there. The broken seal and missing liquor as well as how casually he grasped the bottleneck in his hand told you this wasn't his first indulgence.Â
Opening the second cupboard to the left, (how did he know where everything was?) he retrieved two short whiskey glasses and placed them on the counter, the bottle presented in the middle almost decoratively.
He looked to you, then to his alcoholic display, then back to you expectantly. Against all better judgment, you joined him at the counter. You hoped he couldn't notice the sweat at your brow.Â
âI don't know if you drink,â he said and his voice knocked the wind out of you. It was so foreign, coming from his mouth; like hearing the brass notes of a trumpet come from a clarinet. âBut I think you might want one for this.â
You regarded him as one might do an unwanted guest, cautionary and with no shortage of distrust for this stranger wearing your boys' face.Â
âWho are you?â he didn't answer. âWhere's Marc and Steven?â
His brow twitched in a move you took for unamused disapproval. Ignoring your questions, he generously topped his cup and downed it all at once before pouring himself another and this time including you in the debauchery. You didn't trust your hand enough to lift the glass from the tabletop. You hoped he hadn't noticed how you were shaking.
His eyes set on you and his head tilted to the side. You were sure, rather you hoped, it was a harmless gesture but feeling as small as you felt it was hard to receive it as anything but predatory.
There was a stretch of silence that lasted so long you felt yourself losing your nerve, thenâ
âThree's.â He said, grasping his glass loosely. âAll good things come in three's. You heard that one before, carino?â He lifts his pointer from the glass and tilts it in your direction.
If it weren't for the fact he was suddenly speaking Spanish you might have found the strength to answer. You anxiously toyed with your glass and you were certain he caught the tremble in your fingers.
Scared as you were, the fear was slowly melting into frustration as the absence of Marc and Steven became more pronounced with each passing second.
âYou're not Marc.â He shook his head. âAnd you're definitely not Steven.â Another slow shake of agreement. âThen who are you?â
âPeople with big houses buy big guard dogs to keep them safe.â He took another swig of his drink. âLet's say I'm this house' guard dog, I keep things safe. And since you joined our little fiesta, that includes you.âÂ
You tried to swallow the information but found yourself choking on it instead. There was a third.
Your mind was near bursting, cracking and fissuring at the revelation. An hour ago you had convinced yourself that you were ready for whatever was to come, ready to change the trajectory of your life for the worst all in the name of both what was right and your love for Marc and Steven. But by the universe and all the gods within, this was not what you were expecting. The thought that Marc and Steven had been keeping this, keeping him from you was an unwelcome one. You could understand it of course, but the notion that youâd all been keeping practically life-altering secrets from one another left you feeling uneasy.
âRelax,â he said, and either the body's skills were interchangeable or you really were just easy to read. âThey werenât lying to you.â
The length of time you spent processing the information proved enough for him to finish his drink with another five seconds of wiggle room.Â
âThey donât know?â
He shook his head and for the first time all night, he took his eyes off you. âAnd weâre going to keep it that way. They wonât find out about me, or Khonshu, or that little stunt back in Cairo-â
Your blood ran cold, freezing water flooding your veins. âHow did you-?â
The movement of his mouth fell somewhere between a smile and a grimace.
âKhonshu told me to give you his compliments. Youâre the first person in decades heâs done that to whose brain hasnât turned to sand and come out their ears.â You stopped breathing. âThat, and that he wishes you could have been there when we put three bullets in Harrowâs skull.â You rose so quickly the chair fell away behind you and your drink toppled. He kept a good hold on his own glass, ignoring the spilt liquor seeping into the timber. He didnât seem concerned as you backed away from him.
âWhat the fuck did you do?â The words burned as you spoke them, leaving your throat hoarse. All the fear and confusion had warped into a horrified anger so palpable that your body trembled to withstand it. âWhat did you do?â
âWhat I had to.â He rose to meet you, in tone and stature. âTo keep this safe-â he motioned his arm around at the apartment. â-And to keep this together.â This time his hand motioned between you and him. No, not him. The body.
âThey have a right to know.â You bite the words out harshly, the tears of frustration welling in your eyes only making you more intimidating.
âThey have a right to some peace.â His answers came quick and concise, as if he had them memorised like a well-versed script. âI think thatâs something we can both agree on.â
Your lips parted with the promise of an argument but the absolutely overwhelming weight of the conversation crested and swept you away before you got the chance.
âThey donât want to be avatars anymore, thatâs fine. They can stay here and keep playing house and happy families and Iâll do what has to be done. All you have to do is keep it that way. Now, Iâm going to leave and when you open the door again it will be to one of them. And youâll smile and act like everything is fine and the three of you will get on with things as if nothing happened. Understood?â
âAnd what about you?â You doubted the walls of any courtroom had ever heard a tone as accusatory as the one youâd just employed.
He made a brief noise of amusement before raising his head to look down on you and it was again made clear that this man couldnât have been any more of a stranger.
âSome dogs are meant to be kept on a short leash.âÂ
With that, and leaving a deepening cavern beneath your ribs, he started for the door. You tried to breathe, tried to speak, tried to stop yourself from throwing your heart up. He swiped the bouquet of carnations from the desk as he went; Steven was prone to daydreaming, all he had to do was reset the scene.Â
âWait,â you managed as he turned the handle. If you were going to even entertain going along with this sick, twisted theatre of lies then you deserved to know who you were performing with. âWho are you really?âÂ
He grinned, apparently sharing the sentiment. âJake,â he said, the sound like water on hot coals. âJake Lockley.â
And then he was gone, leaving you to rehearse your appreciation of carnations and the colour pink.
Thank you so much for reading!
Smoke and Mirrors tag list: @bakerstreethound @crazydavefromplantsvszombies @admin-in-residence @bibli0thecary @mischiefmanaged71 @hoemadegrace @the-great-imagines-of-1812 @lokiedokiee @linkpk88 @theconsultingdoctor10 @jamiethenerdymonster @ponyboys-sunsets @shirukitsune @stwrawr @spectorsvoid @slytherheign @spideysimpossiblegirl @bored-as-hell-666 @marimarvelfan @stanmixtapes @stevenwith-av @buckys-other-punk @evienorville @stilllivindue2spite @daughterofthequeen @alotofsomething @niname92 @angelstark16 @child-of-the-moon-gods @interactive-brain @le3h4 @cutiecoww @heeheeeeeesblog
#âa number of months had passedâ see what i did there đ#the concept of jake thinking his primary purpose is to serve and that he isnât deserving of love/being part of the group because of it >>>#heâs wrong obviously but the dynamic#jake lockley x reader#steven grant x reader#marc spector x reader#moon knight imagine#moon knight x reader#jake lockley imagine#steven grant imagine#marc spector imagine#jake lockley x you#steven grant x you#marc spector x you
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#ducktales 2017#dt17#trying to figure out which is the funniest option.#yes i know they did a lot so there was probably time if it was on purpose but what if they were in the fridge and didn't melt fast enough#my posts#i havent even watched ducktales in months this just came to me randomly like my brain said#''hey remember when launchpad served popsicles as drinks'' and then i heard him go ''the stirrer has a riddle on it!'''#ducktales
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Aelswith and Alfred (eye fucking) in 2x01
For @kingslionheart, @thedarknone, @volvaaslaug, @garunsdottir
#the last kingdom#sevenkingsmustdie#tlk aelswith#tlk alfred#aelswith x alfred#alfred x aelswith#michela you know why I had to make this#her little smirk at the end of the last gif#she's like if we don't have sex you know what I'm going to be doing all alone in my room#I'm utterly obsessed with this scene#this is hotter than any sex scene on this show#she went into that room with A Purpose#I will never get over how they just stared at each other with such blatant desire for like a minute#your honor I love them#eliza and david SERVED#they did this for me#and I am forever indebted to them#they understood the assignment and delivered#god I love them so much#I'm obsessed#this foreplay#anyway I love them#they mean everything to me#they are everything
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âEgo is like a dish that only feeds you false fruit. Right? Like, the more that you eat off of your own ego, the more you starve your spirit.â
âJosh Johnson
#the way I had to fully stop what I was doing to just process that#josh johnson#is my favorite comedian#because heâs funny but also he says things like this#and he provokes people to think#and not to get all Christian up in this comedy thing#but he does a whole thing about the way power money and fame can corrupt you#and he even points out that we can yell at billionaires#but if we (and many do) go to a foreign country where the locals are poorer than we are and we start getting greedy and rude#and donât treat the locals like people#then weâre acting like billionaires#his point is that money really makes you stop acting like a person and like you live on a different planet from the real world#and all I could think was the scripture where Jesus says no one can serve both God and money#and this quote was his whole thing about feeding your ego and pride#he has another quote about ego being a still small voice in your head saying I am the center of the universe#and Iâm screaming because yes! a still small voice! a phrase used to describe the voice of God! if you serve your ego it becomes your god!#I donât know if he made that reference on purpose (I donât think heâs a Christian) but if he did thatâs a spectacular use of reference#reblog for posterity#philosophy takes
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the trials and tribulations of being an ekurei enjoyer who never wants to see that damn security guard again in my life :/
#i simply like reigen and dimple and their funky little dynamic#would love it if the content did not come bundled with either major consent violations#(ooc *even for dimple* if you're looking at any point after mid-S2)#or else shoehorning a third unrelated character we know nothing about into the dynamic#i don't caaaaaare#he's not necessary!#it's so weird and baffling to me#dimple doesn't need a body#literally what purpose does he serve?#like it's fine it's whatever i just wish i could find stuff for the dimple and reigen ship#that is actually about dimple and reigen#okay that should be enough rambling that this doesn't get maintagged#i hope#mp100#ekurei
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