#yes we need to simplify

[nientedal]

You're trying to teach something that, while interesting and mostly well-reasoned, is not as applicable to this subject matter in this context as you assume. Please bear with me for a moment.

You have a hammer you've built and refined over a lot of years, and it sounds like it's probably even a really good one, but the quality of your hammer does not actually make this problem a nail. Being able to apply data analysis to these concepts does not make them a problem of data analysis. Using handy shorthand values to describe certain things in casual conversation is useful and necessary, but if an extreme oversimplification like this one becomes The Way We Talk About Things, it can validate and perpetuate wrongheaded, harmful assumptions in the broader social consciousness.

It's not rocket science to say the way we talk about things matters. Way too many people do not realize bodies of all kinds make both estrogen and testosterone in differing amounts. That's a problem because the belief that female bodies produce this but not that and male bodies produce that but not this reinforces the concept of "men are from mars and women are from venus" -- the idea that there are two binary sexes and they are super-duper different and chemically distinct from one another, when (1) that is only somewhat true, (2) only true up to a point, and (3) that point is NOT where most people think it is. It supports the underlying assumptions one of my coworkers is working from when she says "men and women just have different brain structures; my husband can't understand me." It supports the ideas radical feminists are working from when they say "if you have a penis then you are dangerous to women; this is inescapable."

When someone says "pi is 3," that is worth correcting, even in casual conversation. Yes, WE know pi is approximately 3, but A LOT OF PEOPLE think pi IS ACTUALLY 3 in this analogy and they are using that belief to support violence, do you understand?

You may not agree this contributes to violence to an extent worth worrying about. That's fine! You don't have to agree! But telling other people it's true enough for data analysis so it's true enough for everyone and they're wrong to worry because it's true enough for you, in your field of study and you've won awards for teaching at big prestigious schools is...an asshole thing to do. Your heart seems to be in the right place overall, but holy smokes, my guy. If you can't make a point without bragging on your credentials and patting your own ass, it may not be the fantastic point you think it is. Maybe this is an opportunity to consider the worth of a new point of view instead of immediately bouncing up and down trying to explain why your existing biases are universal constants.

tl;dr: Yes, I know being overly precise isn't helpful and is sometimes even harmful in both data analysis and basic conversation. Yes, I know the act of discussing reality necessarily requires simplification; that is basic postmodernism. The level of simplification and approximation necessary for good data analysis in this case IS HARMFUL in practical day-to-day conversation, and going "wellll, they're male and female hormones in MY field of study ;)" is not actually talking about practical conversation AND it is not helpful to people engaging in practical conversation. Again, pi is not actually 3. This isn't a tweet arguing approximations are never appropriate; it's talking about people who believe pi is actually 3.

[subconsciousmysteries]

Oh yeah it just occured to me...

This "counterphobic 6" "I'm full of shame about being a 6" *typing everyone who acts embarrassing or annoyingly as 6* nonsense was probably invented by a lot of bitchy ass 3s. Struggling with their 3 -> 6 line and hating on their integration type as we all do.

Every 3 sees 6 as a massive loser type and a shameful thing to be. Because 6s *gasp* believe in conspiracy theories and they even *faints on chaise* talk about them in public sometimes! How embarrassing to be a human being that speaks the truth! See if you're an image type and you have the vice of Deceit this makes sense.

Also part of speaking the truth is talking about your earnest feelings and how your vulnerable humanness is being violated by the corruption in the world. Another big no-no thing for 3s.

[malkaviian]

its honestly so funny that my homophobic grandmother says that i should "make use of my talent" when it comes to art and that "if i had that spark glow, it was for something" girl............ i started to draw because i wanted to make gijinkas of the male fn4f animatronics kiss each other

[transingthoseformers]

Me making a few physical Silverlight sketches with pencil and paper🥰

[scentedpeachlandcreator]

How to manifest your desired body:

So i noticed that this topic which everyone struggle with, so i'm gonna talk about it here in this post.

!! Note !!: Okay first of all, please After this post don't send me Asks or questions, get it together and apply the Law and you'll thank me later.

Okay let's start!

Firstly let's simplify the Law of assumption :

Deciding and assuming that you have your desires + knowing it yours and that creation is finished + not Caring about the 3d and persisting in your assumption + Moving on with your life with the knowing feeling that you have your desires.

Done, that it, it is easy right?

And just let the work to your subconscious.

Let clear some limiting beliefs you have, shall we?

Is it possible to change my bone structure? YES.

Is it possible to go from fat to skinny overnight? YES.

Is it possible to have the exact same body of my visual board from Pinterest? YES.

Is it possible to have those anime/manhwa body? YES.

Is it possible to have a thigh gap and a hourglass body? YES.

Is it possibl-? SHHH, you Heard me, yes, the answer would Always be yes, why? As long you Can see it in your mind then it is possible.

Now to the important part.

How to deal with the 3d?

Hold up- first of all, why do you need to check the 3d when you already affirmed a minute Ago that you already have your desired Body? Seriously? Pull yourself together 🗣️👏🏻

YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR DREAM BODY! done, that it, no question, no when or how, no but, no anything.

When i tell you that creation is finished, i really mean it.

I mean Come on! Manifestation is instant, the moment you affirm you have your desired body which mean it is NOW, not in the future or in the past, you have it in your imagination NOW, and that what matters, you just need to keep persisting and let the work to your subconscious, just don't freak out or start checking the Time and yada yada.

Just know that the 3d will change and will adapt to your 4d.

Seeing yourself in the mirror and nothing changed? Nope i already have it.

Your family or your mutuals pointing out at your appearance? Nope, i already have my desired body, i'm beautiful.

Time is running out? I have my desired body NOW.

Always flip your thought when seeing the opposite in the 3d, well that because the subconscious mind doesn't know what happening around you, it only hear your thought, so when for example your mother saying to you that you look fat or skinny well in your mind just flip your thought saying "oh yeah, i already have my desired body, i mean i'm very sexy", you know where i'm going with this?

That all you need to do.

Accept that it is done, and move on with your life, you know you already have your desired body like you know you have the phone in your hand, you are not going to Wonder where it is when it is obviously in your imagination, you see it in your mind? Then you have it now! Congratulations! You have such an incredible body!

You Can Do whatever you want in the 3d, you Can eat whatever you want and with the knowing that you're skinny or lean.

Stop complaining, stop asking, stop Being in the state of lack, stop Being Desperate, stop dreaming, stop wishing, stop making excuses, just STOP AND START APPLYING THE LAW!

It is very easy, you're just making it more complicated.

YOU'RE THE GOD OF YOUR OWN REALITY! YOU CONTROL EVERYTHING! SO STOP SAYING THAT MANIFESTING YOUR DESIRES IS HARD!

Remember: Everything Comes from you.

Now get your ass up and start manifesting.

If you want to loss weight read my post if you want ➜ (click here!).

Also if you have any struggle with your manifestation or the 3d i advice you to visit the page of @shradsmanifestt

Xoxo, Eli

© Scentedpeachlandcreator.

[leefail]

This is just a mini info dump from an Arab batfamily fan because I find Damian calling his siblings Akhi... adorable (for me as a native speaker watching a writer use Arab words) and, not painful, just... itchy, it URGES me to make a pptx with 300 slides and just? Talk about Arabic?

So... أخي, Akhi, Brother.

It's not incorrect. The word is used in the right place and delivers its intended meaning. Other Arab speakers might not find a problem with it. They'd feel odd like I did but will likely go "eh" and carry on. But I'm an Arabic enthusiast, so...

Like with every language with geographically widespread users, the Arabic tongue kind of- deviated from its roots. The language has naturally branched out into so many dialects I myself can't keep track of.

Arabs from different regions can understand each other. They use the same words but for different purposes and with different pronunciations.

The original root language that holds them all (Quranic Arabic) was simplified into an easier, standard version that is used for formal speeches and as a communication bridge (seeing that you can't, say, translate something to Arabic and say it's for all Arabs if you use a certain dialect. Because an Arabic dialect is an identity at this point, tell me somebody is Syrian, and I know them already)

Now, with the fun part.

See, no Arab calls any sibling of theirs Akhi, I myself would burst laughing if mine did.

Yakhoi يَخوي (nonstandard, everyday Arabic for o, brother) , maybe, if I'm calling a stranger from the streets or an offender I'm going to give a piece of my mind.

Or, hold your breaths, my brother is crying, and the lights are out and I NEED to use the tenderest, most loving, most adoring, most revering tone I could muster so he just knows he is loved and family. Y'know? This specific situation.

And other Arabs might just say, no, I use it when, I use it when, I don't use it, etc.

The point is, nobody will mention Akhi. Because it's a Standard Arabic word, a formal word, and a word used in translated texts and stories when a foreign character we don't consider part of us call their brother. It's weird, it's devoid of emotions, and it's like watching a robot trying to be emotional, but it's a translated text. That's what translated texts use, and it's fine.

It is fine, Standard Arabic has been used for stories so much that nobody questions its influence on a character's characterisation.

I'm not saying Standard Arabic shouldn't be used for story writing, quite the opposite, in fact. I'm just saying that if Arabic is used to represent an Arab, its usage should also consider an everyday Arab experience and manners.

Now to Damian.

Akhi is robotic. Damian's personality does allow him to fall under that category. If for his well refined manners and polite, formal speech.

But even the King wouldn't call his brother Akhi.

He'd call him by his name. For my community (and most, I'm sure) siblings are called by their names, and if we look up historic Quranic (Root) Arabic speakers, they, too, call their siblings by their name. Yes, even the Sultan.

If not by actual name, then either endearing or demeaning names.

Arabs LOVE endearing names, but they're dipped in a pool of honey I don't think Damian would like to dive in.

Talia, on the other hand, would most certainly call Damian Mama. Arab parents call their kids by their own titles. It's the ultimate expression of parental love of all times, in my opinion.

(Don't make Batman call him Papa, though. Pretty sure Damian would malfunction)

-

Well, I said all that, but watching writers include Arabic words in his vocabulary is still sweet. Tt is not even a word, but it's such an Arab thing it's my favourite.

If only I could make subtitles of everyday Arab talk and show you, their speech is heavy with, excuse my English, word softeners, it's like they're talking in a TV drama and not the real world.

Watching Damian adopting it would be interesting :D

[mariana-oconnor]

Types of AO3 Summary

Option 1 - The Excerpt:

The quickest, the easiest! Find a section of your fic that contains the main premise of said fic and also showcases your writing. Copy paste that into the summary box. BOOM! Done.

Best used for any fic, unless it's so short the excerpt would be the whole fic.

Option 2 - The No Frills:

Just a description of the fic. No need for drama. No need to complicate matters. Keep it simple, keep it safe.

Example: "A short character exploration of Blorbo's thoughts after Daisy leaves."

Best used for short fics, poems and fics where the style/format is more important than the plot. Or fics that tie directly into a scene/episode from canon or another fanfic.

Option 3 - The Hook:

Draw the reader's interest by giving them a set up with no conclusion. Introduce the main character(s), introduce the status quo, describe an inciting incident, leave a question in the reader's mind.

Example: "Blorbo is a barista at a coffee shop, struggling to pay their bills, but after handsome rockstar Obrolb walks into their coffee shop they find that they have to decide whether a chance at love is worth the cost of fame."

Best used for mid to long fic where there's a strong premise and follow through. Especially good for AUs. Can be expanded for more complex plots or used multiple times in one summary for multiple characters or subplots.

Option 4 - The Sitcom One-Liner:

"The one in which [over simplified description of one of the main plotlines]" This is essentially 'boil your plot down to the very simplest statement you can, oversimplify if possible. The more bizarre or unhelpful the better.

Example: "The one in which Blorbo learns to like cake".

Best used for fics with at least a little humour in them.

Option 5 - The Rule of Three:

Three is a magic number. Find three key moments in your fic and just list them. That's it. Often ends with 'not necessarily in that order' if used for comic effect. If it's an AU, establish that quickly (i.e. 'Star NHL player Blorbo…').

Example: "Blorbo makes a friend, falls in love, and almost burns to death, not necessarily in that order."

Best used for anything, really. Three is a magic number. The human brain loves things that come in threes.

Option 6 - The Trope Lure:

Why bother describing the plot? We all know AO3 readers are here for the tropes. Similar to The Sitcom One-Liner just using tropes instead of plot. Often followed by the phrase 'that nobody asked for'.

Example: "The Space western / A/B/O / Mail Order Bride fic that nobody asked for."

Often tacked on to the end of The Hook or The Excerpt as a tl;dr.

Best used for fic that plays its tropes straight with no shame or second guessing.

Option 7 - The Pre-emptive Strike:

(Not recommended) You just wrote this fic, the self doubt is consuming you. You feel the need to apologise profusely for your existence for no apparently reason. You feel cringe, you think the fic is cringe, you want everyone to know that you think the fic is cringe in case they don't like it and judge you for it.

Example: "So I fell in love with this pairing and had to write this. It's weird and terrible. Lol! I suck at summaries! Sorry!"

Best used for no fics ever. I cannot stress this enough.

(Seriously, I am begging you, don't do this. If you're planning to use this option, rethink it and do one of the others. I guarantee you more people will want to read your fic.)

Sometimes added on to any other summary as a strange disclaimer. (srsly. don't.)

Option 8 - The Unapology:

Embrace the mayhem, embrace the deep dark depths of your soul. The opposite of The Pre-emptive Strike. A combination of The No Frills and The Trope Lure that truly gives no fucks.

You have committed crimes and you are proud of them. You know what your USP is and you're going to make sure your target market finds you. Look upon my works, ye readers, and despair!

Example: "There aren't enough tentacle fics in this pairing, so I had to write one myself!"

Best used for fics with controversial/polarising tropes with all relevant details already clearly stated in the tags.

Option 9 - The Interrogation:

What if you wrote a summary entirely in questions? What if your readers had to read the fic to discover the answers? Who knows what will happen if you do this?

Example: "What happens when Blorbo McBlorbo gets his wish and Daisy doesn't make it to the plane on time? What happens when Obrolb finds out? How will this change Daisy and Blorbo's friendship?"

Best used for... I honestly don't know. This style of summary does not vibe with me. Mystery fic maybe? Sorry guys.

Option 10 - The Multipack:

Got a bunch of shorter fics in one work? No way of summarising them all without a wall of text larger than the Great Wall of China? This one is similar to The No Frills in that you're not describing the plots themselves and similar to The Trope Lure in that often broader genres and tropes are mentioned. What links those fics? Are they all in the same fandom? The same pairing? The same challenge? Just slap that right in the summary. A chapter list with 1-2 word trope/pairing summaries can be included or not.

Example: "A collection of Blorbo/Daisy/Obrolb fics based on Tumblr prompts. Chapter 1: Regency AU Chapter 2: Werewolves vs vampires Chapter 3: Ghost!Daisy Chapter 4: Space pirates!"

Best used for (obviously) works that are compilations of fic.

Option ? - The Void:

I said The Excerpt was the quickest and easiest summary to do. I lied, well... I didn't exactly lie. What is quicker and easier than not having a summary at all? After all, that's what the tags are for.

Example:

Best used for... nothing? Write a summary, guys. Please?

[petermorwood]

Is "Uh, nope" a frequent US response to lamb?

Or is US lamb somehow different?

This is just a vaguely mystified response to some comments here.

I'm guessing the "G-word" is gamey. I've smelt gamey meat, I don't like it, and Irish lamb definitely isn't that. Also, most people I know don't need to screw up their courage before cooking or eating it.

Mutton, mature sheep-meat, has - or so I've been told, because I've never found it in any local butcher - a much fuller flavour, still not gamey, but more ... robust, pronounced, emphatic, choose your descriptor. It is, after all, a more mature meat.

For terminology reference (though this may not be current any more), "lamb" is up to one year old, "hogget" - remember the farmer's name in "Babe"? - is up to two years old, and "mutton" is over two years.

*****

As I said, I haven't seen mutton anywhere, and haven't HEARD of hogget.

This might be, as I hinted, because terminology has been simplified and all meat from sheep is now "lamb" - and that may answer my own question. Sometimes US lamb has a fuller flavour than, say, Wicklow lamb in Ireland, because sometimes US lamb is hogget or mutton instead.

If so, it restores a possible original meaning to "mutton dressed as lamb". That's now best known as "an older woman dressed inappropriately young", and though the meaning has been around for a long time (this Rowlandson print is dated 1810)...

..."dressing" is also the term for preparing meat for sale.

And THAT makes me wonder if the critical phrase goes beyond fashion into the fine old tradition of adulterating food, and wily butchers transforming elderly sheep into the semblance of younger lamb then charging undiscerning customers accordingly.

I don't know how they might have done it, but if they could then they would. The ways in which 18th-19th century foods were fiddled with is amazing, and more than a bit Yuck.

Or in this case, Ew.

Comments, corrections, criticisms and all the rest are cordially invited.

:->

*****

Side-note; in keeping with the way nicknames get attached to surnames - "Chalky" White, "Dusty" Miller etc. - anyone called Curry usually ended up as "Mutton".

Two brothers at my school had this happen; Tom Curry, the older one, had been "Mutton" for a couple of years, and when his kid brother Will started school he became, of course, "Lamb".

Oh, how we laffed...

*****

ETA: @bellyoftheblast just messaged me this:

It turns out, and I only learned this very recently (I think it's in Hannah Glasse) that "dressed" used to mean "cooked" rather than "prepared for sale". Which would mean "mutton dressed as lamb" would be fast-cooked and thus greasy, unpleasantly tough and decidedly stringy. (Meanwhile I'll never waste good lamb on stew again now that I have a source for mutton -- MUCH better flavour for slow cooking).

Thanks for this snippet! We've got the Prospect Books facsimile of Hannah Glasse 1st ed, so I pulled it down, blew off the dust - it's been a while - and yes indeed, I found the following recipes in just four successive pages:

"To dreſs a Leg of Mutton à la Royale",

"To dreſs a Leg of Mutton to eat like Veniſon",

"To dreſs Mutton the Turkiſh Way"

"To dreſs Veal à la Bourgoiſe"

Mutton dressed (or dreſsed) as Lamb doesn't get mentioned, probably because Mistress Glasse knew better, though that business of Mutton to eat (taste) like Venison is interesting.

It involves cutting the leg of mutton "in the shape of a Haunch of Veniſon" then steeping it in the sheep's blood "for five or six Hours" before wrapping it in layers of buttered paper and roasting it, basted frequently with butter or beef dripping.

Not quite mutton as lamb, but still mutton disguised as something more expensive...

[guyoftheego]

People stop trying to simplify the actual most complicated situation in the world challenge.

Yes, Netanyahu's government is horrible and we should oppose all of its terrible actions. Yes, Palestine deserves to be a free state with its own government.

No, this does not mean we support HAMAS, which mistreats its own citizens and puts them in the line of fire. And No, Israel itself can and should not completely stop existing, the Jewish population in Israel is too populous and too well established for them to ever be able to "go back to their old homes" which don't even exist anymore. And considering the atrocities commited by Israel against the Palestinians, I don't doubt for a second that the hurt Palestinian goverenment would lead a campaign of genocide right back against the Israelites.

You guys *need* to realize that this issue will never be as simple as "Palestine owns everything" or "Israel owns everything" because that will lead to nothing but more loss of life down the line. You *need* to realize that Israel is no longer made up of people who migrated there, and its now mostly people who have lived there their whole life. On the other side, you *definitely* need to realize that Palestinians are not horrible monsters for the sins of one extremist group in the Gaza strip, and you need to realize that the Palestinian people have just as much of a right to self-determination as any Israelite, and deserve to be able to live without fear of the IDF bombing their home.

There's nothing I myself can do personally to lead to peace, but I can at least hope for Netanyahu to be ousted one day, for the West Bank and Gaza to be free and not have to worry about their livelihoods being ruined by the IDF, for HAMAS to eventually no longer have the influence they have, and for Israel and Palestine to be able to exist with eachother without any sort of encroachment on eachother.

[meg-girumi]

How did you make your head for your Mr puzzles cosplay? (I’m trying to make my own, and I want to get some ideas for the face mostly.

Ok! Lemme tell you how I made mine)

It's gonna be a long one so...⬇️

The head

1) Make the simplified 3d model

It's only base. Without knobs and vent

Here's the link (to open it you'll need pepakura viewer)

This link is pdf (just glue sides with identical numbers)

2) Print it!

I used high thickness paper, so It would be more sturdy

Next is a long one, so you'll need scissors (scalpel) and a lot of patience

3) Cut out pieces

And don't forget to number them (If you're using the program it will be easier to assemble)

4) Glue pieces together

5) Cut out the hole for the neck

6) To make head even more sturdier we will strengthen it with plastic (not necessary)

I used 3d pen and pla plastic and covered the whole surface of the head with grid

Sorry, no photo :(

7) Cover with thin foam

I used white, 3 mm one

This face didn't make it btw

8) Paint!

I used metallic paint and also painted edges black for the cartoony effect!

How to wear the mask?

For head to be fixed in place I glued polystyrene foam (I had few big blocks left)

And to how actually get it on head I made a door that holds on metal hinges

Knobs and vent

Knobs were made out of cardboard and covered with foam

Meanwhile the vent was created completely out of foam

The hat and antennas

The felt hat was found in the arts and crafts store

Yet couldn't say the same for antennas

Base was made out of cardboard and then covered with polymer clay

As to how I attached them?

✨ 3d pen ✨

And the last but definitely not the least

Screen

The screens glass was made out of palette made of plexiglass (that's also the reason why here it's green)

on the photo the same pallet but this one I actually used for paint

Faces were made using the same white foam and acrylic paint

For the screens to hold up I glued small clamps to the base. This thing allows me to change faces)

That's how mask looks from the inside

As to how I see through them

Yep there's a hole in the mouth, covered with black plastic canvas. Yes the vision is a bit blurry this way, but it's better than seeing nothing.

Ok, that's all byeeeee

[commsroom]

circumstances surrounding the “leaked” documents about eiffel’s sentencing in need to know, as i understand them:

one of the very first things kepler does is offer eiffel, minkowski, and lovelace a drink. in true “at any given moment, kepler has about eighteen ulterior motives” spirit, it is, among other things, “hospitality”, sure, a test for eiffel, definitely, but… i think the main reaction he was checking for was minkowski’s. will she look at eiffel, or react to his reaction? how much does she know? how much does he trust her?

in don’t poke the bear, jacobi and maxwell stop lovelace from breaking into kepler’s server by pretending to be in on it with her: “she’s very good. it might turn into a problem.” / “i’ll run it by kepler.” two episodes later, files from kepler’s very secure server are “leaked.”

(the words "need to know" are spoken offhandedly by eiffel in the episode itself, but it also calls back to the excuse maxwell gives lovelace: "colonel kepler practically lives by the words 'need to know.' and, apparently, nothing i can say will ever convince him that i 'need to know' everything that's in our databanks.")

need to know opens with minkowski finishing an eleven hour shift, and then finding out kepler moved that shift to, well. now. she’s already frustrated and sleep deprived.

minkowski complains to kepler. jacobi and maxwell, on cue, barge in and complain to kepler. kepler assigns minkowski, jacobi, maxwell, and lovelace to punishment detail, taking eiffel out of the group because “you’re the only one who hasn’t wasted my time with pointless whining.” lovelace says: “um, i don’t think that i did any complaining either, so…” but that doesn’t matter. it’s just an excuse to remove eiffel from the group; he could just as easily have been singled out for special punishment. either way, it was going to happen.

hilbert isn’t there. not the most significant factor, since he’s already been effectively sidelined by kepler, but remember he already knows about eiffel’s sentencing, doesn’t care (about eiffel’s history OR about anyone else’s personal drama), and will later respond to minkowski asking by telling her to grow up and get back to work. it simplifies things to not factor him in.

consider the files themselves: we know from happy holidays that maxwell not talking to her family is common knowledge, but jacobi reacts like it’s news. we know from hera’s performance review flashback in memoria that kepler and jacobi were aware of “multiple attempted crew member homicides” in her record. the file about hera’s bentham directory was on kepler’s server. if there’s one person who would’ve been briefed on everything there was to know about hera, it would’ve been maxwell; her shock is entirely feigned. in fact, almost every reaction from jacobi and maxwell here is feigned. they’re black ops specialists who arrived prepared with divide-and-conquer tactics. there’s no reason they wouldn’t know these things. also note that none of the “leaks” reveal anything about the mission they didn’t already know, and that nothing about the si-5 is incriminating - if anything, it’s mostly silly and even humanizing. and, yes, all of that contextualizes maxwell’s reaction to “skiing?!”

eiffel’s file comes through last, once they’re already worn out. kepler sends eiffel to check on them at the same time so that he’ll walk in. jacobi shows minkowski the file. he lurks around waiting to see how her not-confrontation with eiffel goes, and then cements the thought in her head: what about you? are you going to care?

it’s true that there are aspects of the mission only kepler knows, but as far as information on the hephaestus crew goes (barring one very particular detail about lovelace)? that’s part of the job they were chosen for. when they kill the plant monster, kepler says: “you think we didn’t know about that thing? please. we listened to every log that you beamed down to canaveral.” kepler’s entire foundation is shaken when jacobi turns on him because this is how they operate: “have one person take the blame, say the mean things. meanwhile, the poor, betrayed little guy gets a bit more leeway - just enough to sneak up and hit you from behind.” the show is not subtle about any of this. you can pick apart any early-s3 interaction between two hephaestus crew members and an si-5 agent and see the same divide-and-conquer tactics at play. jacobi and maxwell are always - in morals, loyalty, job description - closer to kepler than they are to the hephaestus crew, and to even sort of believe otherwise is falling for that facade. it’s worth remembering that the hephaestus crew are prisoners. some of them were aware of it from the start, and some of them were lied to, but none of them were meant to leave. the si-5, on the other hand, went up there with a unified goal, and the knowing intention they would be, among other things, prison guards.

[phoenixyfriend]

Accountant of Theed

Read on AO3

After all is said and done, someone needs to balance these books, and nobody actually told the accounting department how they paid for this new hyperdrive. Mimi really hopes it's not a loan from the Hutts.

Disclaimer: I am not an accountant, but I work in an adjacent field (and have been considering getting a certification, but that's neither here nor there). While I did take some courses on it, I asked an Accounting Person to look over the excel sheet before I went forward with the rest of the fic to make sure it's internally consistent. Thank you to @gnomer-denois for confirming my balance on these works!

The reconciliation sheet does NOT follow contemporary guidelines in terms of format etc, but that is because it is:

In space! Standard practice differs from Modern United States or what have you.

Not the primary balance sheet, just the simplified version made to show to Queen Amidala.

If you'd prefer to view the Excel sheet in a more easily navigable form, there is a google drive link available. This is also your best option if using a screen reader.

-----------------------------------------

Theed is safe. They are rebuilding. There is even financial support, aid, from the Republic.

It comes with strings attached. Oversight. Auditors.

Wouldn’t want Naboo to misuse funding after that nasty mistake with the Trade Federation, right? Sure, Naboo wasn’t the one at fault, but one can never be too careful...

Mimi, as an accountant for the government of Naboo, does not in fact want to commit fraud, or enable corruption, but the rolling audits do feel a little like the Republic is punishing them for getting invaded.

“Hey, boss?”

That tone. Mimi does not like that tone. “Please tell me it’s not another unauthorized purchase with a missing receipt. Which account did they pull from this time?”

“Um... we don’t know?”

Mimi gives them a moment. No elaboration is given.

“You don’t know?”

“We don’t know,” the younger employee repeats.

“What do you mean?” Mimi asks. “People charge things to accounts or cards. They forget to submit receipts. We hunt them down for receipts, and make sure nobody is skimming off the top. That’s how it goes. Unless this is a purchase on a personal and we need to reimburse—”

“Um, maybe?”

“In which—what? That’s just... okay. There’s a process for reimbursements. You aren’t following it, which means... what? What do you mean, you don’t know? Did they use cash, or pull from an account?”

The younger employee looks down at their datapad. Looks back up at her. Looks baffled and a little scared. “Um, it’s... we still don’t have a receipt, but we also don’t know where the money for it came from? But nobody’s put in a reimbursement request and I can’t imagine anyone on the mission had those funds on them, not even the Queen herself.”

“The money for what?”

“Um. It sort of just... showed up?”

“So, it’s some kind of gift?” Mimi presses.

“Too big,” the younger mumbles, refusing to meet her eyes. “It would have to be disclosed.”

“I am giving you five seconds—”

“It’s a hyperdrive!” they yelp.

“...Explain.”

“One of the mechanics was looking over the Royal Cruiser, and found that there was unrecorded repair work to the hyperdrive. The ship took enough damage during the escape that he wasn’t surprised, but then he noticed that it was from an earlier run of the part, and when he checked, the serial number was completely wrong. The hyperdrive was completely replaced.”

Mimi closes her eyes and takes a breath. “The mechanic doesn’t know?”

“He said there’s nothing in the records that matches it at all, and it’s a big enough part that there’s no way it would just slip through the cracks, not when it’s that expensive and going on the Royal Cruiser.”

“So,” Mimi says, “we have a part worth almost as much as the rest of the cruiser combined, that just... came out of nowhere, and nobody claiming for reimbursement.”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s what it looks like.”

Mimi has no interest in fraud.

“Find out who was piloting when Queen Amidala escaped, and see if they have any answers,” Mimi tells them. “If we can keep it to just the hangar staff without drawing in the Royal Retinue, it’ll be easier on all of us.”

“Here’s hoping, ma’am.”

(Continue on AO3)

[happilykrispypirate]

hello! I was wondering if you could write a Mattheo x sweet! Slytherin reader where the other Slytherins are picking on her because they don't believe she's a Slytherin. And maybe Mattheo saves her and tells her that he likes her.

Mattheo's Girl

Pairings: Mattheo Riddle x Sweet!Fem!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, minor bullying, and my shitty writing.

A/n: Sorry for the really long wait. School year started three weeks ago and things have been hectic. I'll try to update and write as much as I can but if I don't update in a long time please don't think I'm ignoring your requests! I'll get to them as soon as I can.

-

Y/n, was the sweetest girl in Hogwarts. Many found it hard to believe she was in Slytherin.

She'd never say no to anyone, she'd always offer to help, and there wasn't a single mean bone in her body.

She was walking to class, a little hop in her step as always, when she was that a few of her fellow Slytherins were making fun of Neville. Poor Neville, she thought.

They tripped him causing all of his books to scatter on the floor while they walked away laughing.

Y/n immediately went over and helped him pick his books up.

"Sorry about them," She sighed as she helped him pick his books up.

"I'm used to it," He said which made the girl's heart ache for the boy.

"You shouldn't be. Boys like them are the reason Slytherin have such a bad name," Y/n said as they both stood up. She handed him his books.

"Atleast Slytherin has you to show that not all Slytherins are evil," Neville said smiling at her kindly.

She returned it with a bright and kind smile before saying goodbye to Neville before he walked off.

The Slytherin boys that tripped Neville didn't go far and watched the whole exchange. Giving her nasty and disgusted looks.

When Neville left they walked up to her, "You shouldn't help a pathetic excuse of a wizard like him."

Y/n turned around and faced the towering boys, "You really shouldn't bully people, it's not nice," She replied.

The boys laughed, "You're also a fucking pathetic excuse of a witch. You don't belong in Slytherin."

"I'm sorry that you think that," Y/n said, "I have to get to class. Good day to you."

She turned on her heels and walked as fast as she could, completely ignoring the calls from the boys.

Mattheo glared at the boys who were making rude remarks about Y/n as she walked away. His jaw clenched, how could anyone ever want to heart an angel like her?

-

In the common room, Mattheo and the rest of the boys in his friend group sat comfortably on the sofas. Pansy and Y/n were at the table.

Pansy was struggling in Astronomy so Y/n offered to help her.

"This stuff doesn't make sense," Pansy said sighing as she placed her head in her hands, "I'm fucking over it."

"No need to swear," Y/n said, "You just have to simplify it for yourself. Try to remember the constellations with riddles that you make up for yourself. Example, my very easy method just speeds up nothing, My is Mercury, Very is Venus, Easy is Earth and then you should know the rest."

Pansy nodded and went quiet for a moment, thinking. "Oh! I got one. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Major is Big so Great Bear and Minor is small so Little Bear."

Y/n smiled brightly, "That's one of the easiest ones but yes! You got it."

"Thank you, N/n. I don't know what I'd do without you," Pansy smiled as she leaned over and hugged Y/n.

"You're welcome, Pans. We can continue tomorrow night. I think we both need a rest," Y/n said. They packed Pansy's stuff and Pansy went to sit with the boys while Y/n took the books over to the bookshelves that were in the common room.

The boys from earlier came up behind her, "Studying hard to make up for you being a pathetic Slytherin?" One said.

"You can't cancel out the fact that you're pathetic by getting good grades you know," The other one said.

"Trying to get good grades is not an excuse to 'make up' or as you boys say to 'cancel out' anything. I'm simply determined to succeed in life. If you boys are struggling with anything. I could always tutor you," She said and they burst out laughing.

Their laughter caught his eye. His eyes immediately darkened and his demeanor changed.

"Oh I don't like that look," Enzo said as he saw the look on Mattheo's face.

Enzo turned and saw Y/n with the boys, "Oh, I see."

"They've been bothering her. Calling her names behind her back and telling her she's pathetic when she helped Neville the other day," Pansy said, "She told me about it and said it doesn't bother her, but I can hear her cry at night."

"This has to stop," Theo said.

"It will," Mattheo said as he stood up and walked over to them.

"You don't deserve to be in Slytherin you good for nothing little bi-" The one started before he was grabbed by the collar and slammed against the wall.

"You say one more thing to her, or come near her ever again, I will fuck you up," Mattheo spat in his face.

"Mattheo, stop," Y/n said trying to pull him off. Tears were threatening to fall. Things were getting too overwhelming.

"Oh yeah? Is that it?" The boy mocked, "You're not gonna kill me? Not a daddy's boy after all."

Mattheo's fist came flying into the boy's jaw. Soon enough the other boy's joined in, resulting in Theo, Enzo, Blaise and Draco to join in.

The tears ran down Y/n's cheeks as she fled the scene. Pansy trying to follow her but she lost her.

-

Y/n walked back to the common room later that night. She spent her time in the Room of Requirement, crying and trying to calm herself down.

It worked, but one tiny thing might set her off. Like the fact that Mattheo has been waiting for her the whole night long in the common room.

She bit her tongue, trying not to cry, "Where have you been?" Mattheo asked as soon as he saw her. He stood up and walked over to her, "Are you alright?"

Y/n looked at him and saw the bruises on his face along with the spots of blood.

"I'm fine, come on, let's go clean you up," She said as she pulled him to the nearest bathroom which is the bathroom in her and Pansy's shared dorm.

She made him sit on the edge of the bath as she took out a rag and put it under the running tap.

"Why did you run away?" Mattheo asked as she was cleaning his face.

"Everything got too much to handle," She replied, "You didn't have to do that. I can handle them."

"I can't," Mattheo said.

Y/n halted her movements and looked at him. He looked up and made eye contact, "What do you mean?"

"I can't handle them hurting you. I can't handle you crying yourself to sleep at night over them hurting you," He said.

She sighed, "Pansy?" Mattheo nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I didn't want to bother you," She said.

"You never bother me," He replied as he stood up. He looked down at her, their faces mere inches apart.

Mattheo leaned down and Y/n stood on her toes just before their lips met. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he placed his hands on her hips.

They pulled apart after a few moments, lips still brushing against each other.

"I will never let anyone hurt you again. As long as you're mine, even after you're not, which by the way will never happen, no one will ever hurt you," He said.

She smiled sweetly up at him, "Is that your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?"

Mattheo smiled, "Yes, it is," He said.

"Well, then I accept," She said.

Mattheo's smile only widened before he placed his lips on hers again.

He'll keep his promise.

No one, will hurt her ever again.

[sweetimpurity]

6.6k w.c.

“So, you were doing it mostly right… you just have to simplify it before you use the theorem…” Miguel explains and you nod your head. But you are distracted looking at the side of his face. How his glasses sit on the bridge of his nose and his eyes occasionally dart to you as he can feel you staring at him. A slight blush on his cheeks and a certain huskiness to his voice. 

He’s been helping you with your homework for a while now. It used to be once or twice a week. You’d tell him to come to your dorm and he’d say yes every time. He’d help you finish your homework and in return you’d suck him off or let him eat you out or bounce on his dick for a while. Sure he was a brainiac but he was super hot and he did whatever you wanted him to do. And he was a big guy in every way. Every. Way. So it was a win win. 

“So, you wanna try the next one?” He asks softly and holds out the pencil for you. Bringing you out of your thoughts and your attention to the work in front of you. “Sure.” You sigh and take the pencil from him, brushing your fingertips over his knuckles, looking down at the math problem in front of you and solving it. He watches you type into the calculator to get the different solutions, glancing at your hair and your hands as you work. You’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen and he tells you that when he can work up the courage. 

If you didn't already have a boyfriend and if your boyfriend wasn’t the biggest asshole who ever walked the planet… then maybe Miguel would have already worked up the courage to ask to be your boyfriend, seeing as you’ve spent countless nights with him whimpering into your hair as you milked him of every last drop. That’s all he wants is to be your boyfriend, spend time with you and make you happy. 

“Done!” You chirp and turn your head to him. He backs up a bit, realizing how close he was leaning into you and smiling. That damn smile that makes you want to bite his lips and swallow every moan you can pull from his throat. “Oh- g- yeah good…” He blushes and pushes his glasses further up his nose. He still gets so nervous around you even though he’s been balls deep in you more times than you can remember by now. You think it’s because sex isn’t something he ever asks you for. You just give it to him when you feel like it. And you feel like it a lot.  “Can I check it?” He asks softly and reaches across to accept the paper as you slide it across your desk. You smile wickedly, thinking of all the things you want to do to him right now. The things that he always so graciously and gratefully accepts. 

He clears his throat and starts checking over your work. Silence falls over the both of you as you gaze at the side of him. Now you’re watching his fingers, his thick fingers, typing gently into the calculator and nodding his head when he sees you’ve done it all correctly. “Looks good to me…” He says lightly and nods his head. You can tell he’s getting a little nervous. But not in a bad way. More like in a “he knows the look you’re giving him and he knows what follows” way. The kind of anticipation that makes him hold his breath anytime you look at him. 

“Thank you for helping me…” You hum and smile at him sweetly. He looks at you and smiles bashfully. “I don’t even think you need my help anymore… you sorta have this stuff down…” He chuckles and turns to you more, placing the pencil down on the desk. It’s true. You don’t really need his help anymore as he managed to help you bring your grade up. But you like having him around… and his cock makes you happier than any A+. 

“What should we do next?” He asks innocently and starts sorting through your binder. You don’t answer, you just keep looking at him, wanting to sink your teeth into his shoulder as he begs you to give him a break. “Uh… maybe Chemistry?” He suggests and grabs your binder and your textbook. You watch him flip to the chapter he knows your class is on now. He’s not even in your class and he knows that you guys are up to Chapter 15. He looks over the work you were assigned and skims the page in the book before starting to explain it to you. “So, this is pretty easy once you’ve done a few of them. What you wanna do is y-” And you cut him off by kissing his cheek. He releases a breathy, pent up laugh from his chest and adjusts his glasses again. “What do I wanna do?” You hum close to his ear and you hear another breath released from his chest. He turns his head to look at you but you gently force his head to look straight forward. “Don’t look at me…” You kiss his cheek once more and lay your hand on his chest. “Look at the book and explain it to me…” His cheeks redden at your actions and he’s holding his breath at this point. “I want to understand…” You whisper in his ear. Waiting for him to continue. “Um… so the way you do it.. is… um…” It’s hard for him to focus when you start ghosting your lips over his cheek and kissing his neck. 

“C’mon Miguel, you gotta do better than that…” You mumble and stop kissing him. Seeing him grip the pencil hard and fidget with the edge of the page in your textbook. “Uh…”’ He chuckles nervously and lifts his hand to the back of his neck. You take the opportunity to get up off your seat, grab his shoulders and swing your leg over his lap, straddling him. His breath instantly gets heavier and you can see his chest expanding. His needy hands go to your hips but you grab his wrists before he reaches your ass. With a dark look in your eyes you lift his hands off of you and place them on the desk behind you. “Focus, Miguel.” You tease him and adjust yourself on his lap, pulling yourself further up on his thighs. You lean in and kiss his neck once more, sucking marks into his skin. At the feeling of you giving him hickeys, his lips part in a gasp and his hand comes to your back instinctively. So you stop, pulling away from him and shaking your head gently. “Hands off…” You whisper and he has a sort of pleading lust in his eyes. With just the raise of your eyebrow he takes his hand off of you, balling it into a fist and placing it back on the desk. 

“Y/N…”  He breathes out and you leave kisses on his throat, making his breath get caught. You roll your hips slowly over him, feeling his dick already hard for you. Pressing up against your clothed sex. It makes him shudder. “Oh my god…” He sighs, practically in agony as you roll your hips with more purpose, smiling against his cheeks as you hold his head in your hands, grasping at his hair as you kiss his skin. Your hand moves down between your two bodies and you palm him through his jeans. He flinches and jolts forward, pushing you back with him. A sharp shaking breath leaving his throat as his hands come up to your back, grasping tightly at the material of your shirt. 

“Miguel…” You tut and pull away from him. He squeezes his hands in the material on your back, looking up at you and sighing. “Sorry… I-I can’t…” He whispers and you think to yourself for a few moments. He can tell the gears are turning in your head so he tries to think fast. “I’ll try… just don’t stop… please” He says and pries his hands from you, laying his fists on the desk once more. Hearing him say ‘please’ brings a smile to your face and you caress the back of his neck, finally bringing your lips to his. He hums into your mouth and accepts your tongue. His knuckles turn white as he squeezes his fists tight. Both of your hands run through his hair as you torturously lift your hips and push them down on the tent in his pants. Earning a whine from his throat and into your mouth. You pull away and give him air, brushing some fallen hair out of his face as he pants. His cheeks red and his glasses all crooked on his face. He looks absolutely adorable. 

His hands come to your back once more and you pull away. “Do you want me to tie you to this chair?” You ask low and soft as you pull away and he immediately removes his hands and places them back on the desk behind you like you commanded. And he holds his breath again, knowing what this means for the next few hours of his life. “I can do it… I’ll keep my hands off, whatever you want.” He breathes out and nods to you. You shake your head. “Do you want me to tie you to the chair, yes or no?” You repeat and raise your eyebrows at him. Your voice is still sweet, and he knows you’re not doing this to hurt him. At least not any injury that can’t be cured with pumping you full of his cum. “Yes.. I don’t know… do you want to?” He asks, his voice all husky. His leg bouncing slightly at the pressure in his pants. “No…” You hum as your brow furrows, looking over his shoulder at the rest of your dorm room. “I wanna tie you to the bed…” You say and he can’t help but roll his hips up to you. Trying to release some of the tension, his dick screaming at him to be inside you right now. Your eyes widen when you bob up and then down on his lap. “Would you like that, big boy?” You ask him, leaning in close to his lips. “Yes…” He whispers and his hands flex behind you. He’s trying so hard. 

“Good…” You hum and get up off his lap. He huffs out the breath he was holding and almost keels over at how painfully hard he is right now. He manages to stand up, resisting the urge to palm himself over his pants. Knowing you wouldn’t like for him to do that. 

You go to your closet and find a scarf that you never wear and a pair of tights that you also never wear. He watches you place them on the bed and get up onto the blankets, crawling over to him as he stands near the edge. You kneel on your bed, a little bit closer to eye level with him and bring your hands to the hem of his shirt. Looking in his eyes for approval. He nods his head eagerly and helps you lift it off. His chest, his perfect lean torso, and tiny waist being revealed to you. Every time you see him naked it’s like the first time all over again. You can never quite get over how perfect his body really is. You smile and bite your lip, moving to undo his jeans and he pulls them down for you. His arousal is clear to you once you see the bulge in his boxers. And again, his hands are clenched into fists at his sides. “Now me…” You say and his eyes brighten looking up at you. You usually take your own clothes off since you’re the one that’s always in control. But he’s being good. 

“Really?” He smiles and steps closer to the bed, his big hands coming to your hips and moving up to your shirt. You look up at him sweetly when he looks in your eyes to double check that you’re serious. He lifts up your shirt and you help him get it off.  Already not wearing a bra underneath and his eyes roam your naked chest. He takes a deep shaky breath and starts to pull off your sweatpants, your panties coming down with them and you lift your knees to pull them off completely. He stares in awe at your body, his hands on your back moving down to your ass as he drinks you in. He looks in your eyes, breathing heavy, needy. “Please…” He breathes out and pulls you a little closer to him. “Please what? What do you wanna do?” You hum, trying to get him worked up, running your fingers up his arms. “I wanna kiss you…” He says almost impatiently, looking in your eyes and pleading. “You wanna kiss me where?” You tease him and a frustrated sigh leaves his lips. His big hands running down your lower back, to your ass and squeezing. “I… I wanna kiss your tits…and your neck…” He whispers. You smile at him, a little proud of him for using his words. 

“Okay…” You allow him and immediately he’s on you. His mouth attacks your neck and your shoulder like a starved man. He pulls you into him and leans over you, making your back arch with his hands as he leans down to suck on your breasts. Taking your tits into his mouth and you can feel the vibrations of his hums and moans against your skin. Lapping, licking, and kissing so desperately. Gasping for air all the while. Your hands go to his hair and you can’t help but moan. “Oh!...” The sound escapes your mouth and he breathes hot and heavy against your chest. Feeling like he might cum right now knowing he just made you moan. 

He moves up to your neck, savoring his chance to kiss you and hold you. You reach down to the makeshift binds at your ankle. “C’mon Miguel…” You hum and he looks up, seeing the binds and knowing it’s time. You urge him to get on the bed and he holds you tighter. “Please, just… I need more…” He breathes out desperately and his hands splay out onto your back. “You’ll get more, but you need to be patient.” You smile almost too sweetly, knowing exactly what you’re doing to him. “Okay…” He sighs and pulls his hands off of your skin, starting to get on the bed. “Ah. But you need to take those off first” You stop him and gesture to his boxers. His dick basically busting out at the seams at this point. “Right.” He nods and looks at the floor as he takes his boxers off and lets them pool at his feet. Your eyes move from his face to his cock. Seeing his frustration in the veins and red hue that decorates his sun kissed skin. You smile at him and bite your tongue, tilting your head and silently gesturing for him to get on the bed now. He obeys your instruction and climbs up, moving the pillows so he can sit against the headboard. He knows exactly how you like him to be. 

He sits against the headboard and you crawl over to him, your legs straddling his thighs as you reach to both of his hands and bind them to the brass headboard. This bed was almost made for tying him up. You smile at him once you’ve finished and he looks at you with a weak, weary expression. Situating yourself over him, your tummy presses his dick to his stomach, putting on more pressure that he didn’t need. Pressure that’s not helping him cum, just making this all harder for him to bear. “Are you okay?” You ask softly, resting your hands on his chest and watching him in his struggle. You do care about him after all. 

“Y-yes.. I’m…I just need you…”  Miguel admits with heavy breath. “You have me… I’m here” You reassure him and kiss his cheeks. Feeling his breathing slow down just a little bit. And now you’re not so worried about him passing out or something. “But I need you to do something for me first.” You say low and deep. “Yeah?” He asks and opens his eyes. “I need you to finger me.” You breathe out and nod to him. His eyes widen and shine and he immediately nods back, holding his breath again as you move to release the bind on his right arm. “You need me to… do that?” He asks with a nervous smile, hoping you’re serious and this isn’t some cruel joke. “Well I can’t take you all by myself… Need a little helping to take you, baby…” You hum in his ear and he melts at your words and the sound of your voice. Once his hand is released he brings it to your heat slowly, cupping you as your body jolts. Looking you in the eyes as he does it, wanting to do it right.

He presses the pad of his thumb to your clit and applies some pressure, circling his two fingers around your entrance. Hoping this isn’t a dream he’s going to wake up from. “Miguel…” You moan his name erotically in encouragement and he plunges the two digits inside you, causing you to hiss, biting down hard on your bottom lip. Sounds of satisfaction vibrate in your chest as he pumps his fingers in and out, trying to feel the inside of your warm walls with the pads of his fingers. His bound hand squirms as his right hand works to stretch you out. “Does that feel good?” He pants and keeps pumping his fingers within your tight, hot walls as best he can, his thumb working on your clit, of which you���re always impressed with his ability to find. Tilting his head so he can see your face through his glasses which are once again crooked on his face. “Mm…yes… so good… faster…” You pant and roll your hips into his hand. His long, thick fingers massaging the warmth of your cunt.  He tries to move faster, leaning up more and using his shoulder to pump his fingers inside you as hard as he can. He really wants to kiss you. But you’re leaning just far enough away that he can’t reach. Your hands pushing on his chest as you feel your orgasm approaching. “Miggy, you’re gonna m- make me…” You squeal and gasp. Your arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him closer to you and he finally gets to plant his lips on your skin. Ravishing your neck with his tongue and his lips as he keeps pumping you, feeling your walls squeezing around his fingers. He’s close to cumming himself even though you haven’t even touched his dick yet.

 “Mmm-ah!” You gasp and your back arches, press your stomach against his, putting more pressure on his aching dick as you gush on his fingers. His cock is squeezed between both of your stomachs as he whimpers loud and cums hard. His seed glistening between your soft tummy and his toned abdomen as you finally lean back from him. “Oh fuck…” You breathe out and catch your breath. His head is leaned against the headboard, his hand leaving your warmth and coming up to hold your thigh, stroking your skin softly with your slick still on his fingers. Trying to regain the breath you’ve taken from him. 

You smile and lean forward to kiss his lips. He grins lazily and already looks so fucked out by now. You haven’t even touched him and he already came. He came while he was touching you. Reaching over, you take his hand off your thigh, tying it back up to the headboard tight enough to keep him there but not so tight that it hurts. He sighs deeply and watches you do it. His arms now spread and bound again as you spread yourself over his dick. 

“Couldn’t wait, Mig?” You tease him and look down at the cum on your stomach. “I- sorry… you’re so pretty…” He breathes out and you smile, his face flushed, his body almost shaking. “It’s okay… now I just need you to hold it until I say, okay?” You say with an evil sweetness, running your soft hands over his flushed cheeks. Your fingers go up to the arms on his glasses, fixing them on his face. “Do you want me to take these off?” You ask him and start pulling his glasses off his face. His eyes blinking and squinting slightly as he tries to focus his vision on you but you’re too close up. “Can I leave them on?” He asks innocently, his breath still heavy. You figured he’d want them off to be more comfortable but maybe not. “You want to keep them on?” You giggle and put them back on. “Yeah… so I can.. see your face…” He confesses and you watch his eyes as they come back into focus and look over your face lovingly. 

“Are you ready, Miggy?” You ask him sweetly and stroke his dick in your hand, lubing it up with a mix of his cum and your slick. He shutters and his hands squirm in the binds, flexing and balling up into fists. “Yes… please I- I’m-“ He stutters and in one motion you lift yourself up and slide yourself down on his aching cock. Even with the stretch from his fingers, his size still splits you open. His head falls forward, mouth agape and his stomach muscles tense and relax over and over as you accept the whole of him. Sinking yourself down to his base and staying there. Your hands move to his thighs behind your ass and you wiggle your hips slightly. Helping yourself to adjust to his thickness before moving forward. His head pulls up to watch you as your head throws back, watching your breasts and the small ripples that spread across your soft supple body as you move. His eyes scan your pretty face as your jaw falls open. Feeling a swell of pride in his chest knowing he’s making you feel this way. His eyes move down to where your bodies connect. Watching your body swallow him whole. Willing himself not to cum again so soon. 

“Tell me if you’re gonna cum, okay?” You moan and lay your hands on his shoulders. “O-okay…” He grits out, desperate not to cum right now. Not wanting to disappoint you. “Breathe with me” You whisper and wrap your arms tight around the back of his neck, face to face with him. Your mouth opens as you urge him to take deep breaths. He looks in your eyes, his low-lidded eyes glossed over. He tries his best, takes in a deep breath and as he does you lift your hips, dragging his cock through your tight walls, making the breath he takes get caught and strangled in his throat. As he’s forced to breathe out you push your hips down on him once more. His tip going deep inside you, pushing up against your cervix, feeling him almost painfully deep in your guts. At this his breath is morphed into a moan, an urgent and desperate moan. “Y/N… oh- oh my god-“ He whimpers and his eyes shut tight. “So sensitive, Miggy…” You smile and kiss his cheeks as you start moving your hips as a consistent rhythm. Up and down, back and forth, wiggling your hips as you squish his big dick into you over and over. His hands fight against the binds and his knees pull up slightly in reaction. A moaning mess with a sheen of sweat on his broad chest.

“Y/N… Y/N… oh my god- oh m- oh fuck” He moans and squirms. His voice becomes more hoarse and cracks every time you squish your pussy down onto his sensitivity.  Rasping out cries of your name, how perfect you are, how beautiful you are, how much he needs you. He watches your greedy pussy drink him up and listens to you moaning like the porn he watches while he’s thinking of you. “I-I’m.. I’m gonna cum- Y/N!” He whimpers urgently and his arms are shaking, his hands clenched into fists in the binds and his chest heaving. “Hold it, Miguel… hold it for me” You moan as you bob on his cock. The air of sex and the mix of your moans and his pleads filling the air. “I’m gonna- I-“ He pants and you stop moving. Halting your hips and rubbing your hands over his chest. “Shhh… hold it for me… you can do it…” You hum sweetly and kiss his red flushed chest. “Okay…” He whispers and you kiss his cheek. Starting to move your hips once more, slower this time, letting yourself feel every inch of him pulsing through your heat. 

He closes his eyes tight, hoping that maybe if he’s not looking at you he can hold out for longer. He purses his lips together, trying to hold back everything. Trying to think of all the ways he can hold back so he can hold it for you. You roll your pussy on his aching, pulsing dick and moan loudly, sending shivers down his spine. “Look at me…” You whisper and hold his face in your hands, bouncing on his cock and squeezing him so perfectly. “Miguel, look at me…” You repeat and kiss his lips. “Open your eyes…” 

You watch his pretty brown eyes flutter open, glossed and glazed over. Completely fucked. “I can’t look at you… I can’t…It’s too much…” He whispers and tries to close his eyes again, letting them flutter. “You have to..” You whine and pout, wrapping your hand around the back of his neck, tangling your fingers in his hair. “Y/N, I’m gonna cum, I can’t…” He whimpers and pulls on the binds that restrain him. “Please Y/N… please… I n- I need to…” He pants and begs you. His hips rolling up into you to meet your movements. His dick twitching and throbbing inside you. Needing release. 

“Shhh… breathe… breathe for me…” You smile against his cheek and kiss him. “I can’t!” He rasps and groans. “You can.” You assure him and slow down your hips, making him hiss and protest. “Don’t stop! Don’t stop, please don’t stop!” He begs and bucks his hips up. His teeth clenched and bared as he exerts himself in frustration and need. 

“Please please please!” He whispers and you’re about to soothe him but your phone starts vibrating and ringing loudly on the bedside table. It draws your attention but he’s too much of a mess to even hear it right now. You flip over your phone, not even looking at who’s calling and press decline

“Miggy…” You start to say softly and run the backs of your hands over the sides of his face. Him leaning his head into your touch. And your phone rings again. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzzzt. On the bedside table. A little annoyed, you do the same thing. Press decline without even seeing who’s calling because you don’t really care right now. 

“Just a little longer Mig-“ And the phone rings again immediately after you decline it. “Oh my fucking god.” You groan and grab your phone. Miguel is still a shaking mess beneath you. You sigh and look at who’s calling so many times. It’s your boyfriend.

“Please don’t stop please don’t stop” Miguel breathes out and he’s chasing the high that’s slowly dying down. You start moving over him again slowly, earning a deep moan the depths of his chest. 

You answer the call and put the phone up to your ear. Immediately met with a lot of noise on the other end. He must be out drinking with his friends again. “Fucking bitch, why don’t you answer the fucking phone?!” He slurs and yells in your ear. “Excuse me?” You’re immediately angry with his tone and his choice of words. You hate when he’s drunk, he’s always such a dick and he’s been going out every night lately. Some nights he doesn’t come home and you know he’s cheating on you. But you’re cheating on him too. 

 “I know you pressed the fucking decline! You don’t decline my calls when I’m calling you, you fucking pick up!” He yells into the phone and you roll your eyes, moving your hips faster and harder over Miguel’s weeping dick as he fights the binds on his wrists. A hoarse whimper escapes him and you clasp your hand over his mouth. His glossy eyes shoot open and he stares in your eyes. And you slam your hips down on him hard. Watching his eyes roll back as his moans are muffled into your palm. You bite your bottom lip and smile deviously as him. 

“Hello??!” Your boyfriend's loud obnoxious voice rings out through the phone and your smile turns to a scowl. “What?” You ask sharply into the phone, listening to Miguel moans humming through the prison of your fingers and his heavy breathing through his nose. “Is there a reason you called me?!” You raise your voice a bit. And your boyfriend is silent on the other end for a while. “Just wanted to let you know that I’m having a great night and if you weren’t so boring you could be having a great night too… and I’m wasted… and just so you know I could get any bitch in this club right now if I wanted to.” He rants loudly into the phone. “Wow, great, thank you for letting me know.” You say sarcastically and your brow furrows. But what he says really bothers you actually. You hate when he’s like this and he gets in your head. Miguel can’t hear what your boyfriend is shouting about but he can see how you’re reacting and he doesn’t like it. 

“Fuckin’ whatever…” Your boyfriend scoffs and slurs drunkenly. Abruptly hanging up the phone. You lower your phone from your ear, turning off the screen and angrily slam it down on the bedside table. Taking your hand off of Miguel’s mouth, you slap it to his chest and use it at leverage as you pump your pussy down on his dick. And Miguel gasps for breath. 

“C-can… can I cum?” He begs with his teeth bared and his brow creased, his glasses still crooked and too fucking adorable. Way too adorable. “No.” You say sternly and you didn’t mean to say it in such a harsh way. But you’re pissed off right now. Feeling bad about yourself. You fucking hate your boyfriend so much, why do you even stay with him? Is it because you think you really don’t deserve to be treated any better?

You slow your hips to a halt and he whines in protest. “Nooo… no please” He whines softly, panting and trying to catch his breath. You look at his face… and his stupid adorable crooked glasses and you just feel awful inside. All you know is you need Miguel. You need him because he’s the only person who’s always there for you. When you need help with your homework, when there’s a spider on your ceiling, when you’re too scared to go down to the laundry room at night by yourself. 

“Are you okay?” Miguel asks softly. His body is still now as his attention is on you. “I’m okay…” You lie and nod to him, resting your hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating under your fingertips. “Are you sure?” He tilts his head and asks, trying to look at your face.

“I wanna try something new.” You suddenly say, feeling tender and needing to be soft. Soft for him. Soft for yourself. “Okay… whatever you want…” He says sweetly. So sweetly it just adds a little more to your frustration. You frown a bit and look up at him in his eyes. Looking at his chest and his neck covered in marks, his perfect face. 

“I’m gonna untie you… and you’re gonna fuck me. You think you can do that?” Your eyes darken and he swallows thickly. And you can feel the pressure building inside you as his dick comes alive again. Your brow creases in desperation and it’s the first time he’s ever seen it. Both of your hands go to the binds and take them off as fast as you can. “I need you to fuck me, Miguel, please” You grab his face in your hands and press your cheek to his. “Please Miguel!” You whimper and beg him. And he can’t believe this is actually happening. “Okay… I will” He whispers, his chest already heaving again and he wraps his arms around your back, squeezing your flesh. He runs his hungry hands up to your shoulder blades and down to your ass, squeezing pleasantly and pushing you backwards with his body. As he leans you back your arms wrap around the back of his neck and your legs around his waist. He pushes you back and supports you as you lay down on the other end of the bed. His mouth coming down on your neck and your chest as you rub his back. Feeling angry. Feeling bad. Needing him. He makes you feel good. 

He pulls off his glasses and places them on the bed and out of the way. Dipping his face into the crook of your neck. Kissing your skin, inhaling your scent, absorbing your heat, listening to the soft moans that escape your throat. “Miguel!” You practically sob his name, fingers digging into his back as you feel his cock pressing against your thigh. Needy to be inside you again. “I know, I got you…” He hums and kisses down your chest. He knows you better than to know you’re okay. He hates your boyfriend for being able to affect your mood so strongly and so quickly. Miguel would never question why you’re still with him, as he knows the answer is not a simple one. So he’s just thankful for the time he gets to spend with you and avoids your boyfriend in the hallways. 

“Okay, okay, it’s okay…” He whispers as your hands run through his hair and down the sides of his face. He positions himself at your entrance and slowly starts pushing in. Capturing your lips in a searing kiss. With his thighs pushing your legs to spread wider, he presses himself deep inside you, shuddering at the feeling. You cry out loudly for him, your hands, one on his bicep and the other on the back of his neck, holding him so close to you. He bottoms out and kisses your neck and your collarbone. Basking in his own little sliver of heaven. One of his big hands comes to cradle your head, holding you like you’re the most precious thing in the world. And you are, to him. His face falls to the crook of your neck, breathing hot into your hair as he holds you. His chest pressing down, weighing on top of you, grounding you as he thrusts into you hard and fast. Pumping into you with all the pent up tension he’s been holding for you. You’re both so sensitive already so it doesn’t take long for that familiar blooming feeling to burn in your thighs, blossoming its way up to your stomach. You clutch onto him, your legs wrapping around his waist and rubbing your thighs over the sides of his hips as he thrusts into you. You squeal and gasp at the rush. 

“With me… please Miguel… oh fuck-” You beg him to release. Give you all of himself. Giving him permission. With the last final pushes he slowly stops as your cunt contracts and squeezes him. Your orgasm rips through you like fangs in flesh. He holds you so tight as he finally lets go, pumping you raw and full of him. Moaning your name into your neck before he rasps out: 

“I love you… I-I love you, Y/N” 

As you come down from the high and you hear his words, your eyes flutter open. Did he really just say that? You feel him tense around you. Realizing his mistake and he loosens his grip, pulling away from you slowly. “Sorry… sorry Y/N…” He mumbles and looks at your face worried. Pulling out of you slowly and sitting up more, looking for his glasses on the bed. Once his hands touch them he puts his glasses on as fast as he can, looking at your face. Seeing your eyes a little wide and your eyebrows raised. He’s not quite sure how to read your face right now. “I’m really sorry, Y/N, I shouldn’t have said that… I didn’t mean that…” He runs a hand through his hair, anxious that he’s ruined everything. He’s pushed you away. “Which is it?” You sit up and ask him, face to face now. “What?” He asks and his eyes tell you all that he’s thinking right now. “Should you not have said it or did you not mean it?” You ask so softly. And your voice to him is like a warm safe blanket he wants to wrap himself in. He looks in your eyes and works up the courage to say what he feels. “I shouldn’t have said it… but I mean it.” He sighs and he’s sure this is the last time he’ll ever be this close to you again. 

You stare at him in silence, not knowing what to say. He sighs and dips his head down, his shoulders slumping, his head in his hands. So you lay your head upon his shoulder and wrap your arms around him tight. It takes him a second to realize what’s happening. But he doesn’t question it and he wraps his arms around your waist. 

“You don’t have to say it back.” He mumbles into your hair. And you can hear how hard it is for him to say that to you. “I love you too…” You sigh into the crook of his neck and hold him close. You can almost hear the flutters in his chest when you say that to him. His arms tighten around you and wrap you up in the warmest, safest embrace. “I love you” He says again into your hair and you can hear the smile in his voice. It feels like a weight has been listed off of his chest now that he’s finally said that to you. You’re done with your boyfriend. You’re done letting yourself let yourself be mistreated. You love Miguel and he makes you happy. So you have to stop shying away from the way you feel about him for fear of messing things up or getting hurt. You don’t think Miguel could hurt you if he wanted to. “I love you” You repeat in reply and you feel yourself smiling too. 

“Please will you stay the night?” You ask softly into his neck and a soft laugh rumbles in his chest, a laugh of relief and pure happiness. “Of course. I’ll always stay. Whatever you want. Whatever you need.” He says softly and you think he’s almost too good to be true. You look forward to the future with Miguel, making love with Miguel and letting him love you freely while you let yourself love him with no restraint. Still, he’ll never pass up the opportunity for you to tie him up.

[briebysabs]

I’ve been deliberating for a couple days now and have decided to discuss in-depth about Kim Dokja and the tendencies of putting his life on the line. For most of the novel, I was split on whether I should view KDJ as a self-sacrificial bastard or a suicidal character. And by the end, I’ve reached the conclusion that he is both.

Before I elaborate further, it should be noted that while we all meme about KDJ’s dying count, he actually isn’t that careless with his life. What I mean is he sacrifices himself usually as a last resort, plans A to F didn’t work and it’s the only option left to hope for kimcom’s safety-ditch effort. Usually. We’ll circle back to that when we bring up OD. But his sacrifices are always done as granting his companions salvation, utterly blind to how they feel about it. But to understand his constant need to do this you have to first start with where he learned how to love. Lee Sookyoung’s love was sacrificial, she’d take the brunt of her husband’s rage to shield KDJ, she’d take on blame for his death and be incarcerated for years so Kim Dokja won’t discover the truth. All of this, in my opinion, unbeknownst to KDJ, imprinted onto him this interpretation of love. As nobody else until the scenarios began had loved him (Yes HSY technically but he doesn’t know that). Which gives the irony that multiple characters KDJ resent in the story such as Kim Namwoon, his mother, the constellations are ultimately revealed to be reflections of himself.

Another component to his self-sacrificing is “Kim Dokja the reader”. I’m not going to dive deep into how orv interweaves dissociation and escapism into its narrative, I’ll do that some other day. But KDJ views himself as the reader, an outsider, the sole member in the audience watching the story unfold before him. Yes he grants commentary, the players notice and acknowledge his existence, but he isn’t part of the play. So if he decides to step out of the auditorium for a while, if he decides to leave a bookmark where he left off and close the book, nothing should change. The story will continue in his absence, the characters cannot possibly miss him because Kim Dokja was not a character. He was not part of their world so even if he’s gone, the ending will still happen. And that is something I want to stress here.

KDJ says “he wants to see a certain story’s epilogue”. Specific choice of words, “see”. He doesn’t say he’ll be part of it,that he’ll be with them, or any close variation of those phrases.

This is where I want to diverge to talk about KDJ's suicidality. You can say “Ok then, KDJ has a clear goal in mind to reach the ending he desires. Yes he may feel the need to step out of the story every now and then, but he does so reluctantly. So obviously, he doesn’t want to die.” And you wouldn’t be wrong really but that simplifies it to an overwhelming degree. That’s how I initially thought of it until I realized how complicated it actually is. Because most people who deal with suicidal thoughts aren’t searching for death but rather feel there’s no other choice. It often isn’t as clear cut as 1863 YJH who, anyone that read this arc will say with certainty that he was suicidal. Yes KDJ isn’t chanting in his mind over and over that he wants to die but why does he want to live? To see the proper ending of a web novel that stopped him from attempting again to begin with. Over the course of orv he finds people he loves and who love him back deeply. People he longs to live for but despite that because of the disconnect between them, his self-loathing, accompanied with what I said before, believing he has no other way out of these threatening situations. Yeah it’s to save his companions but in the end Kim Dokja still feels the need to die. Even if you do not see KDJ as a suicidal character, it is undeniable that so much revolving him, the impact it has on those who care for him, and the visceral descriptions used to convey their thoughts, is a direct metaphor for that.

Or in a few cases, straight up what’s going on and now we arrive at what I think was the final straw for Kim Dokja. Meeting the Oldest Dream. For me, this is THE scene of orv. The biggest twist and what finally irreparably broke KDJ. Prior to this, Kim Dokja had become the “Enemy of the story” but it was unlike his previous dances with death. This time he truly had no intention of dying, he wants to be a part of the ending with his companions, he understands now that his sacrifices do hurt them. That according to him “I, someone of no redeeming quality, could be loved by the others.” That he is a character and that just maybe, he does deserve to live happily ever after with them. And then Kim Dokja meets a 15-year old boy with the same face as his, doodling in a notebook his ideas for Ways of Survival and a notification tells him to ‘Please end the Oldest Dream’. All of that progress is shattered in an instant.

KDJ tries to excuse himself by recalling his promise to SP to kill OD but we all know if that was any other kid, he would not have tried to kill them. He would’ve hesitated much more, he’d look for a loophole, he would’ve tried talking which is his biggest strength for every corner he gets into. Killing them would not be the first option but now it is. Because this isn’t an instance of sacrifice anymore, KDJ is sick of himself. OD is a presence that confirms KDJ’s worst fears. That he’s meant to be weak and pitiful and alone, that he was always an outsider, that he unintentionally causes pain and misfortune to people he loves, that everyone would be perfectly fine and better even without him. And Kim Dokja is the physical manifestation of them: a monster. And there’s only one way to get rid of this monster.

The chain of events from him swinging his sword at OD, trying to stab himself with the blade only for YJH to stop it desperately with his hand, everyone restraining and begging him to stop, KDJ crying and screaming for SP + the other Outer Gods to kill OD. Everyone else is forgiving him and KDJ is only thinking of getting a blade.

This is Kim Dokja’s relapse. It’s real, it’s harrowing, and he never recovers from it. He reaches the conclusion that he has to be alone, it’s his atonement, it's what he deserves. So he splits himself 49-51. I interpreted this when I first read it as presenting 49% of what you believe people want to see. More real than a facade but it’s not the true you. The true, fucked up version of who you are is trapped in a prison of your making, trapped in a darkness you feel you don’t deserve to escape. Which is why it’s so powerful that KimCom went after that 51%. They didn’t want just their version of KDJ, they wanted everything KDJ is including the larger side of him that he wishes didn’t exist. But the plan fails, they managed to turn that full stop into a comma but they couldn’t save KDJ. Because you can’t drag someone out of that train, out of that mentality, you can’t force someone to love themself. All you can do is reach out to any corner, every worldline you can and let them know you’ll always love them. That you’ll always love every aspect of their story and hope that perhaps one day, they’ll accept your hand and believe it.

[ID: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint art by Blackbox: first of Kim DOkja smiling, seen through a space in a bookshelf, and second of astronaut Yoo Joonghyuk floating upside down as letters float around him. End ID]

[anim-ttrpgs]

@thewelllitweenie

These are two very related asks so I’m going to answer them both in the same post.

Okay so first of all, it’s pretty unlikely that a Eureka party will be all in the same room together for the entire duration of the mystery/adventure, so there is plenty of opportunity for investigators to do things behind each others’ backs!

Next, yes, there is a special procedure for when a monster needs to go off and eat people without the rest of the party watching, and this is often handled in a secret solo session, though it doesn’t have to be.

That doesn’t mean that all monster stuff has to be handled in a private solo session. If a monster has a chance to quickly scarf someone down mid-session and can reasonably do so without anyone noticing (which a witch in particular is extremely capable of), they can do that too.

I’m going to write a simplified summary of an Example of Play that isn’t currently in the rulebook that’ll give you an idea of how a monster might use a power without alerting all other players to the fact that they’re a monster.

This actually comes directly from real gameplay, a playtest in which a vampire went the entire 6-month campaign without ever being identified by any other players or PCs.

Yvette (vampire) and Eunica (does not know that Yvette is a vampire, neither does her player) are in the town hall, and need to get into the office of a missing person to investigate the disappearance, but the office door is locked.

Yvette lies to Eunica, saying she can pick locks, and that she just needs Eunica to go to the end of the hall and stand watch in case anyone is coming.

Eunica agrees and starts walking to the end of the hall.

Then, Yvette’s player sends a secret text to the Game Master, saying something like “Yvette turns into smoke and flies under the door, then rematerializes and opens it from the inside.”

The Game Master sends a text back to confirm.

Yvette’s player fakes making a roll for the lockpicking, then says that Eunica hears a click and when she looks back, Yvette has opened the door and is motioning her inside.

Normally, rematerializing as smoke and then back to a human would have caused Yvette to make 2 Composure checks at a +3 Modifier each. Failure on these checks would not have caused her to fail the action, but would’ve cost her some of her Composure. However, there’s also a rule that so long as at least one other player at the table is unaware of the monster being a monster, those Composure checks can be skipped entirely. This not only makes it easier to hide your monster from the other players because you’re not making as many mysterious dice rolls, but also serves as a nice little bonus in reward for keeping the secret as long as you can.

By the way, if you want yourself, a friend, or an OC to appear as an encounter when monsters go on hunts, please check out the post linked below! We have empty slots on the tables that we’re trying to fill!