#even in things such as art where it benefits yourself as well

[vexwerewolf]

why is it that we only have like two licenses from any mech producer that’s a good guy? For a game where like there are clear good and bad guys (even if who you play isn’t necessarily linked to that) it seems strange to me that the only loot and XP you get is… more benefits from the bad guys

I can tell you the answer, but to do so, we're gonna have to talk about a completely different TTRPG.

If you've read @makapatag's truly excellent Filipino martial arts TTRPG Gubat Banwa (and if you haven't, here it is), you may notice that every single character class description (with one notable exception) ends with one of these babies:

I am not Makapatag, and I cannot write with quite as much grace and eloquence as he can, but I will try:

If you choose to become a Lancer, ask yourself why you mock the name of peace with these weapons of war. You call yourself a saviour, but your steed was forged from the murder of a world. You stride across the sky in a colossus built in your own image, so why are you too cowardly to give it your face? Why do you believe these machines of death can preserve life?

It is important to note that the admonitions in Gubat Banwa are not just there to make you feel bad; they are there as legitimate questions. The Sword Isles have seen so much blood, death and tragedy. Wars are not glorious and killing is not a game. So, knowing all of that, why have you taken up this discipline - no matter how noble and virtuous it might claim to be - to shed more blood, to bring more death, to write more tragedy? What could possibly drive you to this? What need is so great that you must kill?

The thing with Gubat Banwa is that there are legitimate answers to these questions! There are bad people doing bad things, and some of them will not be stopped with words or kindness. Sometimes, as sorrowful as it is, killing is the correct choice to prevent greater suffering and deeper tragedy - but adding less misery and death to the world is still adding some amount of it. Even the most necessary wars will drench the ground in the blood of the innocent.

A sword is a tool meant to kill humans; while it can be used for other things, it is not well-suited to anything other than this. A mech is, in its most basic essence, just a very complicated sword: it's usually used on things larger than a person, but it's still a tool built to kill.

So why have you taken up this path? Humanity was saved from the brink of extinction and has created wondrous technologies like printers, cold fusion and mind-machine interface, and yet you use them to play soldier in a giant metal man. Why do you choose to take up this machine of death, built by the greedy and pitiless? Why do you think these machines can ever make things right?

Because sometimes, despite everything, they can.

Warhammer 40K shows an awful world full of monsters and monstrosity, and in the darkest moments of its history, Lancer's world looked just as bleak, but Lancer's world differs in one crucial way. Warhammer's world has long given up trying to be better, but Lancer's world never did. Lancer's world kept insisting a better world is possible, and it used what tools it had to make it so.

Sometimes the correct choice, no matter how bitter it may seem, is to kill someone. When you need to do this, a sword is a perfectly good choice for the job.

If you find yourself discomforted by the fact that all the people you can buy mechs from are corrupt and immoral - good! You have correctly engaged with the text. You have understood that the sort of people who would make giant walking death machines and sell them for profit are not good people. But you still have a job to do, and you need the correct tools, and those people have them.

Lancer is not a game about a perfect world - it is a game about a deeply flawed and imperfect one that does not let its imperfection stop it from trying. You have to try to make a better world, even with imperfect tools made by unpleasant people.

#lancer #lancer rpg #lancerrpg #lancer-rpg #gubat banwa #philosophy #ethics #ttrpg

[ssahotchnerr]

hello my sweet! been reading your stuff a lot lately and the way you write aaron is so beautiful and real but anyway i’ll stop gushing - imagine just EXISTING with aaron. like the both of you doing your evening routines and just being happy and safe in each others prescence like UNF I NEED HIM BIBLICALLY

also also imagine him using his height to tease u like knowing you always use a particular mug so he likes putting it on the top shelf so he can tower over you and press himself against your back under the pretense of “helping” like aaron you little slut we know what you’re trying to do and its mean😠 (do it again)

anyway ily lots and i hope you’ve had a good day n stuff

- Gem💙

routine and a tease

thank you so much my sweet ily!! hehe here's a thing including alllll of that cw; suggestiveness, allusions to sex, mentions of food, aaron being a lil shit <3 wc; 1k

aaron's alarm goes off at seven, yours at seven thirty.

you're notorious for hitting snooze, several times, while aaron promptly rises at the first ring. half the time, you're convinced he even beats his alarm most days.

aaron's finished showering by the time you drag yourself out of bed. steam's still coating the bathroom mirror, the air's a bit thick with the lingering heat, and it fogs into your bedroom. as you enter, he exits, but not without giving you your first kiss of the morning. you hop in the shower next, while aaron dresses and trails out.

being the first awake, aaron has the awakening the apartment duties. he pulls the curtains open, allowing the morning light to flood in. he grabs jack's backpack off the chair at the dining room table, quickly double checks that homework was completed, and that the papers in his folder are orderly and within easy access, according to jack's lesson schedule - science is first, then math, language arts, so on - and back into his backpack it goes. he then double checks to make sure his briefcase and go-bag has everything he needs, he'll retrieve his gun and badge when he heads out later.

aaron sets both by the door, as well as your bag. he knows everything is already prepared and ready to go - you won't go to bed the night prior if it's not. you've told him many times, as not an early riser, why add a reason to rush in the morning if you can help it?

being the first awake also has its advantages, especially when it comes to a certain game aaron is fond of playing. he'll never deny himself the opportunity to poke affectionate fun at you.

and he does so for the other benefit; it does tend you rile you up.

even this, is routine.

you enter the kitchen with a yawn - you passed aaron in the hallway, where he gave you your second kiss of the day, off to jack's room to get him up and at 'em.

aaron's already brewed the coffee, and your creamer is on the counter waiting for you. all you need to do is open the cabinet to retrieve your favorite cup.

it's a mug jack painted you, at one of those pottery and art studios in the city. it was one of your birthday surprises this past year, and it's the only mug you plan on using for the rest of time. you even have a matching plate, aaron's own doing when he accompanied jack at the studio.

no matter how many times aaron pulls the stunt, your reaction is always the same. your brows crumble at the absence - at the empty spot amongst the other mugs. where you had left it the night before after unloading the dishwasher, it's no longer there. and as expected it's on the very top shelf, way out of your reach.

"aaron," you whine, loudly enough it trails out of the kitchen and down the hall.

a moment later aaron enters, a mischievous, knowing glint in his eyes. he knows that whine, but doesn't address it, naturally. "good morning darling. sleep well?"

you narrow your eyes, playfully glaring at him as your arms crossed in front of you. despite your ministrations, a smile tugs at your lips, "i did. you?"

"mhmm." he presses his lips to yours. his eyes quickly flick up to the open cabinet, right to where your mug stands, but remains purposefully oblivious.

you continue to play along. "busy day ahead?"

aaron shrugs, grabbing his mug and pouring his helping. "nothing out of the ordinary. budget meeting, there's a few reports i have to finish, the usual."

you hum in response, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

aaron takes a sip of coffee, only to hide his itching smile. "is there something wrong?"

"is there?" you mock his cheeky tone, and your eyes narrow again. "somehow, my mug isn't where i left it."

"that's strange," aaron feigns confusion, his brows furrowing as his gaze moved upward. "all the way up there? wonder how that happened."

you scoff lightly, turning back to the cupboard. you leaned up on your tiptoes as you attempted to reach for it, anticipating his next move. "yeah, i wonder."

as you expected, aaron's front is suddenly flush against your back, fully crowding you, his mouth at your ear. "lemme help." his voice is low as he reaches up, retrieving your mug with ease. his other hand lands on the spot right above your ass, daring to move lower, and causing your breath to catch in your throat.

but, aaron withdrawals his hand the second he hears the soft breath escape you, grabbing the pot of coffee and pouring it into your mug himself.

mission successful, once again.

you exhale, deeply yet gently, heat filling your cheeks. it's days like these, you'll opt for iced coffee.

some rare mornings though, with jack at jess's and neither you or aaron have anywhere to be, his actions don't stop there. more often than not, the two of you don't even bother to leave the kitchen.

aaron leans up against the counter, silently watching you prepare your coffee to your liking, rather unenthusiastically at that. after your first sip, and another amused glare directed at him, you start pulling out the cereal for breakfast. aaron falls alongside you, beginning to pack jack's lunch - grabbing an uncrustable from the freezer, filling a ziploc of carrots, another of veggie straws.

again, your shared, usual routine.

you're the one to finally break the silence. "one of these days, i'm buying a step stool."

"no you won't," a laugh bursts from him as he grabs a juice box from the fridge, the loudness of it making you grin instantly. he straightens his posture as he stands back upright, a half smile, half smirk plastered on his face. "you enjoy this just as much as i do. even more."

he has you there, and from the expression your face pulls in response, he knows it. a laugh leaves him once more as he crowds you, backing you against the counter and pressing his lips to yours.

"this is the best part of the morning,'' aaron mumbles into your lips. "is it not?"

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fluff #aaron hotchner smut #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds drabble #aaron hotchner drabble #criminal minds fanfiction #hotch imagine #criminal minds x you

[waltzingwithspirit]

PICK A CARD: HOW WILL YOU MEET YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE?

Top Left: 111 ; Top Right: 222; Bottom: 333

Disclaimer:

Take what resonates and leave the rest.

The disclaimer in pinned post applies here too.

No one is allowed to copy my work under any circumstances.

DM for personal readings.

🥀111🥀

You could meet your partner through a woman, (be it a mother, friend) an expressive and creative woman. She could be a  neighbour, married women or someone who has light within them and the ability to spread light, a woman in love with life, could paint or do arts and crafts, could like sewing too. You guys could meet in some class/workshop you both are taking. One of you may not want to be here. You could meet at an art exhibition, museums, while shopping etc. Another possible location is at the park, where you run or jog. Either or both of you are into fitness, if not you will be at the time you meet them and will be taking care of yourself. Definitely at a public place, could be party where they are your friend’s friends, there is dancing, food and things fun, people will be taking among themselves. Happy positive energy, one of you likes to talk. Yes, I am seeing you’ll meet them when you are satisfied and fulfilled with how your life is going, could be 9 months from now. You could also meet them in march or May next year. You are confident, vibing, and they will show up suddenly when you least expect it. First meeting, they’ll notice you for a while before approaching you, they come across flirty, graceful, and put their best foot forward. Definitely a pleasant meeting. The meeting could end up being open-ended, like you may not have set a time to meet again, no one’s asked anyone out on a date, simply exchanged numbers/social media’s. You two might also end up going at the same bakery and meet again. They do have an offer for you but it will take some time before things become official. Don’t be disheartened, this is your future spouse so you guys definitely do end up together. 

Comment ‘111’ to claim.

🌸222🌸

In class, a learning institution, could have meet in school, colleges, coaching centres, any hobby classes you take etc, but you are definitely here to learn and practice. These could be online workshops/certificate classes as well. It took you blood sweat and tears to pay for this course, it is something you have wanted to do for a long time, you know you are good, naturally talented. I am getting Annabeth from Percy Jackson, those vibes. You could meet at a martial arts academy, or even the gym. He is the new guy. Again, someone struggled to get where they are today(at the point you meet them). I am getting the same messages again, learning centre, through teachers too. You might be in the same group/team for projects, paired up together every time. You both will learn together, grow together. You will learn giving people benefit of the doubt, and becoming soft, not always having your guard up. You will be passionate about what you are doing, love is not even on your mind and you’d rather just focus on something else but it will creep up on you slowly, like the sea touches the shore take a step back before merging again, during the course of time the lines will get blurry, from I had dinner with them because practice ran late to ‘Hey, you want to get dinner together?’ With no compulsion of any situation. Slowly you will reach out to them, it will morph into a friendship with a small crush to your partner for life, it’s a slow burn but it’s worth it. 

Comment ‘222’ to claim.

🌻333🌻

It will take a way for your union. Right now you need to develop into your authentic self, become more of yourself and express that. You feel unfulfilled and incomplete, you think finding a partner will solve all things, some of you are up and down the curve, on one day you literally can’t live without your soulmate and are dying for them to magically appear in your life to who cares? I just want to focus on me, my career, and money. There is  loneliness in your heart. I hear that your future spouse is not currently decided which is a good thing, the more you evolve, the more evolved person you will attract as your future spouse. You could meet them during grocery shopping, buy plants, getting your salary, when you are living the life you want to life like in an apartment with many plants, some art, mainly white with pops of color all around. I am seeing Europe for some of you. You could meet them after a life changing decision you took, it could be pack up your bags and move across the world. You will not be staying where you are right now that’s for sure. You are taking a chance on life and loving it. After this everything will start to get better, feel better. You are buying flowers for no reason and getting your chai/coffee, dressing up everyday. Everything is so colourful suddenly, that’s when you meet them. This is a new person, no toxic exes here. You literally are living your best life, laughing, hanging out with friends, genuine happiness, good bed time, someone who can’t wait to wake up to their new life, that is when you’ll know your future spouse is ready to come into your life and they ARE MATCHING YOUR ENERGY.  

Comment ‘333’ to claim.

-

EL TAROT

#pick a picture #pick a photo #pick an image #pac reading #pick a card reading #ask response #pick a pile #pick a card #pac tarot #free tarot #future spouse pick a card #future spouse

[togglesbloggle]

In Defense of Bad Things

'Bad' here meaning mostly 'amateur'; stuff made enthusiastically by people at an unprofessional level. Art with visible gaps between what the artist imagined and what they achieved, products of flawed craftsmanship. I suppose everybody can appreciate them to some extent, it's a rare parent that doesn't put up their kid's drawings on the fridge in one way or another. But it turns out to be a fully general skill you can cultivate, and the more I do, the more I'm glad I did.

Partly, it's the teacher thing; finding delight in amateur work is one of the ways to find delight in the process of learning. Cultivating a love of striving-qua-striving can help make you a force for good in the world, as people start to feel safe trying to do things when you're around, even when their efforts are wobbly. You get to participate a little more in the process of atoms spinning themselves into ideas, even when there aren't any illusions about whether you're helping cultivate some revolutionary genius in the field.

And partly it's a fabulous way to build community. By necessity, our professional-level skills tend to be at the service of other people, performed for economic benefit; that's kind of how you get professionally good at something in the first place. When we're acting for our own sake, and among friends, most of what we do with one another is amateurish. I only cook middling-okay, I can't hold a tune that well, I'll never be a speed runner for anything. If you can only enjoy singing from the hundred best singers in the whole world, manufactured and polished by major studios, then you and your friends will sit shoulder-to-shoulder and passively listen to music. But it's so much richer an experience to sit face-to-face, actually singing together, even badly; you expose yourself to so many new ways to appreciate and respect one another, building relationships on what you've accomplished and not just by witty criticism or liking the same things.

And partly it's because some of the most powerful and innovative artistic experiences are in high-churn environments with low expectations and low barriers to entry, if only because those catch the passionate and driven young people that have been otherwise overlooked by our systems. The golden age of webcomics meant that a ton of the actual art involved was pretty lousy, but it also produced work that people still talk about today. D&D began as a profoundly unpolished collection of handmade rulebooks sold at cons in a plastic baggie. By the time these products of enthusiastic amateurs filter themselves through various levels of popularity and absorb mainstream cash influx, they're often risk-averse and missing a lot of the bold spark that inspired their fans in the first place; others will simply never drift towards the mainstream at all. I'm not saying you should be the person who goes out to dig through the slush piles of the internet looking for overlooked art, unless you want to be-- but sometimes a work of actual staggering genius also happens to be a Supernatural fanfic by a first-time author who's a little hazy on commas, and if that's a dealbreaker, you're going to miss out on some profoundly valuable experiences.

And hiding behind all of these things is, like...

Our appreciation of beauty has an odd structure, right? When things are done very skillfully, by brilliant artists with years of training, we can usually appreciate those accomplishments. And when we're looking at nature without human influence, and especially when we think very deeply about natural processes and understand them in context, we often rediscover that sense of beauty. There's just this bizarre hole in the middle where we declare things 'ugly'; as if a little skill is worse than none at all.

I really don't trust that gap. It feels like a trick my brain is playing on me, you know? It has me suspicious that a lot of what I consider 'ugly' or 'bad' is not a very direct experience of the world at all, or an informed judgment. That it is, rather, a declaration of (self-, social-) identity; a desire to be seen as a person of good taste, or as somebody who does things well, or just more primitively as one of the monkeys who is in the good-stuff-tribe and not one of the monkeys who is in the bad-stuff-tribe.

[astroa3h]

venus through the houses (positive traits) 🦢

Let's talk the positive side of Venus through the houses. Venus is your cosmic bestie dictating your love life, cash flow, and what makes you tick aesthetically. She's all about the allure, the glam, and the heart-flutters in relationships. Where Venus lands in your chart is like your personal love and beauty filter, shaping how you flirt, treat yo' self, and chase what you value. She's the vibe for your romantic escapades and your secret weapon for charm and attraction.

✨Venus in Your 1st House✨

When Venus graces your 1st house, you radiate charm and attractiveness. You're the person who catches eyes the moment you walk into a room. Even if you don't notice. Your vibe? Irresistibly magnetic. You care deeply about your appearance, not for vanity, but as a form of self-expression, making you a walking piece of art.

✨Venus in Your 2nd House✨

With Venus in your 2nd house, you find joy in the material world. Luxury to you isn't just about splurging—it's about surrounding yourself with things that have real beauty and value. You have this knack for making everything around you lovely and comfortable, creating a personal oasis that reflects what you value most.

✨Venus in Your 3rd House✨

Venus in your 3rd house makes you a master of words. Whether it's a heartfelt note or a witty text, you have a way of connecting that's utterly enchanting. Ideas and conversations aren't just exchanges of thoughts for you; they're opportunities to bond and share the beauty you find in the world.

✨Venus in Your 4th House✨

In your 4th house, Venus creates a sanctuary of love. Your home? The warmest, most inviting place on earth. You have this incredible ability to make everyone who enters feel cherished. Harmony in your personal space is not just a wish; it's a must, and you pour your heart into making it a reality.

✨Venus in Your 5th House✨

With Venus playing in your 5th house, life is your canvas. Romance, creativity, fun—you approach all of it with a heart full of joy. Your love stories are the ones people dream about, filled with grand gestures and heartfelt creations that showcase your unique way of expressing affection. Not to mention, you're a huge flirt, in the best way.

✨Venus in Your 6th House✨

In your 6th house, Venus finds beauty in the routine. A perfectly brewed morning coffee, a workspace that’s both functional and beautiful, the satisfaction of a well-done task—these are your love languages. Acts of service are your go-to, showing love through the meticulous care you put into the everyday.

✨Venus in Your 7th House✨

Venus in your 7th house is all about partnership. You shine brightest in a duo, thriving in relationships that are built on harmony, fairness, and mutual respect. For you, love is about creating balance and understanding, making every partnership an opportunity to grow closer and stronger. You may have been a twin in a past life.

✨Venus in Your 8th House✨

When Venus delves into your 8th house, love goes deep. You're drawn to relationships that transform you, craving emotional intimacy that breaks barriers. Your approach to shared resources and values is equally profound, finding beauty in the trust and closeness that comes from true partnership.

✨Venus in Your 9th House✨

With Venus in your 9th house, love is an adventure. You're drawn to different cultures and philosophies, finding beauty in diversity. Your open-hearted curiosity leads you to form connections that broaden your horizons, teaching you that love, in its many forms, is a journey of continuous learning.

✨Venus in Your 10th House✨

In your 10th house, Venus elevates your public image. Your career or social standing benefits from your innate charm and aesthetic sense. You understand the power of appearance and relationships in achieving success, using your grace and diplomacy to navigate the professional world.

✨Venus in Your 11th House✨

Venus in your 11th house dreams of a better world. Your friendships and community involvement are guided by shared ideals and hopes. You believe in the beauty of collective dreams and the power of working together to create a more beautiful, harmonious world.

✨Venus in Your 12th House✨

In your 12th house, Venus speaks softly of hidden love. You find beauty in solitude, in the acts of kindness that go unnoticed, and in a compassion that knows no bounds. Your understanding of love is deep and spiritual, connecting you to the universal in profound, often private ways.

xox astro ash 💖

Get your own astrology reading @ astroash.net

TikTok - astroa3h

#astrology #astrology readings #astrology aspects #natal chart #astrologer #astro observations #astro notes #astro community #astrology blog #daily astrology #astrology houses #horoscopes #zodiac #astro placements #birth chart #venus #1sthouse #2ndhouse #3rdhouse #4thhouse #5thhouse #6thhouse #7thhouse #8thhouse #9thhouse #10thhouse #11thhouse #12thhouse

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Insectiride

Debut: Mario Party 6

Mario and friends get up to all sorts of shenanigans! Many of these are dangerous shenanigans, and I would prefer not to get involved with them. If I were to fall in lava or be hit by a barrage of hammers thrown by a turtle, I would Die! I lament this fact, but I am no scrimblo. However, some of the antics are good safe fun, and that includes the act of racing in funny bug-shaped vehicles! I wish I could do that in real life!

Though there is a snail among these insects, for the sake of simplicity, I will call all these creatures Bugs. I usually reserve that term for arthropods, but I don't feel like saying "creepy-crawlies" a bunch of times in this post like some kind of Talking Flower. So Bugs. There are some people who'd call a snail a bug without even a disclaimer! Can you imagine that?

Players begin Insectiride by choosing their vehicle out of the four unique options! I think I played this minigame once and I THINK I used the grasshopper. I think it still might be my favorite! I'm sorry to this snail, but I don't like it much. It looks like pizza, and I like pizza a lot- I regularly observe #pizzafriday- but it's just not the sort of thing I'd like a snail's skin to remind me of.

Each of these bugs has its own control scheme! The player on the ladybug must press the indicated button ten times quickly to make it crawl forward a bit. The player on the grasshopper must press a sequence of various buttons to make it hop forward a few times. The player on the stag beetle must press each indicated button that appears one at a time, each press making it push along a bit. And finally, the player on the snail must press A when its body extends fully to make it pull the shell along behind.

When playing this with humans, there is probably no one Best Bug to reliably choose, since human reaction time must be taken into account. If playing against ambitious robots, however, there is absolutely an imbalance! In tool-assisted speedruns, Grasshopper is the winner, followed by Ladybug, Stag Beetle, and poor Snail in last...

Mario Party 6 is a Koopa Kid Game! And there is official art of him riding the funny ladybug mechanism! I'm glad he got to have fun here. We all know he isn't having fun where he is now... in the Purgatory Zone... poor kid. Oh well! That's life!

Those were the only four bug vehicles present in Insectiride, but in Mario Party 3's Ridiculous Relay, there was another! Way before all the rest! Here we have a Skeeter-inspired contraption, allowing the operator to maneuver across the surface of the water! I think this would be the main mode of transportation in Wet-Dry World, for those who are not already Skeeters. Between being a mecharthropod and having a strange control scheme that must be displayed to the player, I would not at all be surprised if this was an inspiration for Insectiride!

Now don't think you're getting out of this post without some real Bug Facts! Humans, of course, are much too large to ride on a bug. To be small enough to ride a bug, you would have to be a bug yourself. And some bugs do indeed do this! This is phoresy, the interaction in which one animal will latch onto another animal for the purpose of travel. Usually, the hitchhiker will be a tiny arachnid such as a mite (including ticks), or my favorite arachnid, a pseudoscorpion!

Phoresy is EXTREMELY funny to me. A teensy little critter will just grab onto the leg of a fly or something, and away they will go! Hang on tight! This is a type of symbiosis known as commensalism, where one organism (in this case, the one hanging on) benefits, while the other (the host) is largely unaffected. Humans riding horses is another example of phoresy! A human can be like a mite sometimes. Ok, see you later! *grabs onto a hoverfly's leg and flies away*

#insectiride #mario party 6 #ridiculous relay #mario party 3 #mario #mario party #mod chikako #phoresy

[soapoet]

PJO pick-a-card reading

Annabeth Chase; Your ideal career

01.

You would do best with a career that allows you to add your own touch. You could feel drawn to the prospect of entrepreneurship for a reason, and that is your inate ability to understand, follow, and set trends. You may rarely inspire neutrality, as you are either adored or disliked. This can cause you some hesitation in approaching anything self-made. Nobody wants to be put on blast or have their name dragged through the dirt the second they make a mistake, especially under circumstances where you are left alone to take the blame without a team to lean on, but you do have the benefit of forethought and diplomacy to avoid the worst of it. So long as you stay true to yourself and stay genuine, you have little to fear.

You inspire others, and thus you would do well in showcasing yourself and your lifestyle, your interests and your ideas for others. You would do well in business and in sales, as well as communications. You do well with people and are able to meet others with authenticity and really hear people. You could use your skills to promote important causes or rally people towards necessary changes. A career which allows you to travel and explore the world and write home about it would be very fitting. You can easily embrace different cultures and aren't afraid of trying new things, and your desire and willingness to learn new things is quite endearing and soften up your edges, inviting more warmth to how people perceive you. A chance to provide new solutions to problems or rework how things are done by inventing or designing something new could be really successful for you.

02.

Your best bet career wise would be to turn your passion projects into more than a thing you do on the side. You're creative and may really struggle when you feel unable to extend past limitations set by others. You enjoy variety and are drawn to more unusual concepts or ways of doing things. This creativity could lend itself to many things, but to name a few you would find yourself at ease within art and music, various online endeavours, writing and design. Though you may very well be introverted or simply a little, perhaps consider yourself a little socially awkward, you would do very well when involved with people. In any job, your clientele is met with a friendly and genuine demeanour as you try to meet people as unique individuals with their own stories and needs. You could be drawn to working with animals too, as your compassionate nature lends itself well to helping not just other humans, but animals, and the planet at large.

You could dread the thought of being in the spotlight, but the kind of following you would attract would feel quite familiar to you and rather easy for you to intract with when necessary. If you were to publish a book as an example, your readers would be drawn to your work out of the inherent mutual interest in its themes and thus make interactions fluid rather than awkward. You could even consider some anonymity to protect yourself. Fun will matter a lot in whether a career fits you or not. Work will always be work, but ideally it isn't all work and no play. Having a team of kindred spirits working towards a goal helps in this regard. Even if you wish to fly solo, you're collaborative and would benefit from teamwork and helping others, as well as allowing others to help you in return.

03.

Career wise you may want a little bit of a challenge, and plenty of opportunities for advancement and change. You're ambitious and cunning, and would do well in structured environments. To name a few, you could find it fitting to pursue academia, medicine, science, law, journalism, or anything else which allows you to use your wits and ability to learn and internalize new information. You are organised and steadfast, and a phenomenal problem solver. You could invest yourself in things that leave an impact on society, such as pursuing changes in the juridical sector, pedagogy and education, health care, or politics. Dissertations, articles, or other written works of you could prove very successful and provide objectivity in a world which is ever-increasingly divisive.

You're prone to stress, however, so creating a proper work-life balance is of upmost importance. Knowing when to step away and take a break is a skill that once mastered, you'll be able to wield it in favour of your productivity and take greater leaps in your career. Remember that you work best when you're not ill, aching, and burnt out. Due to your ability to multitask and see many things through, you could work on passion projects on the side. Ex. criminologist moonlighting as a poet or a songwriter. This duality would benefit you as a side hustle which aligns with what you may consider a mere hobby could end up providing you with extra income, which you can use to take good care of yourself and make sure you get to play too.

#pac reading #pick a card reading #annabeth chase #pjo #energy reading #intuitive reading #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile #percy jackson and the olympians #tarotblr #pac #soapy.post

[fixyourwritinghabits]

AI For Good, AI For Bad, AI for All

We talked about how to view AI as a writing tool, but I also want to acknowledge the worry about AI replacing creative jobs is completely valid, and we need to treat it with the caution it deserves. In an uncertain future, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves and our fellow creatives:

Support creative unions, back union strikes. The WGA strike is a critical example of how fair pay needs to be a factor, ever-changing technology is affecting creative jobs across the board, from novel editing to art direction. Support creative unions, back union strikes, and boosting efforts to form unions is one way to support the future of creative art remaining in the hands of those who make it. Support animation unions, support voice acting unions, support the formation of new unions to protect the future of workers.

Push for regulation. Even those working in AI are sounding the alarm that we need to have government regulations in place to ensure these systems are used in a way that benefits society, not tears it apart. Paying attention and participating by supporting candidates and policy will matter. Some promising motions have been made by the US Supreme Court rejecting copyright cases involving AI, but more needs to be done. We can get to a better future if we try.

Fight back against sketchy AI practices. Tor has once again been caught using an AI cover instead of paying an artist, something I promise you they absolutely can afford to do. Some companies are quietly switching out real narrators for AI. We do not need to accept a world where those critical to the writing process, be they editors, artists, or narrators, have their jobs stripped away by companies that make more than enough money to pay them. Call it out, don't buy content affected by it, and call it out on social media.

Be open and honest about how you use AI. As I've said before, I don't think AI is something you should boycott completely. What I do think is important, though, is to talk about how you use it. Trying to work out a plot snare, for example, or generating an AI image to help you figure out how to describe a room are decent examples of how it can be used as a tool, and it should be encouraged if it can genuinely helpful. Calling out AI-use passed off as original work is going to get harder, and one thing we can do is be honest with ourselves and others about how we use it.

Pay for your shit. Listen, I work in education. I'm double-dutying it when it comes to being a broke writer and a broke educator. But if you're an indie author and you need a decent cover and an editor that'll act more as a grammar-checker, you need to work with real people, which means you need to pay them what they're worth. As a creative you are part of a community of people who will need your support, as well as support you in turn. You'll only be doing yourself a disfavor by turning your back to it.

A better future is worth fighting for - and we can fight for it, no matter how bleak it looks.

#AI #support your fellow creatives #and you'll be supporting yourself in the process

[elliespectacular]

Any tips on how to correctly credit clips used in YTP? I'm very lost when it comes to finding copyright info and stuff like that.

The stakes are pretty low for YouTube Poop and crediting clips in the video/description is not standard practice - but it's a good thing to do! That said I am not an authority on this and even my method has some blind spots. These are just some generally good ideas for being a slightly-more-courteous-than-average shitposter.

The acknowledgement is the most important part, stating outright what the names of the sources are. Pay attention to the official titles of what you use and try to trace them to their original form - for example in The Price is Rice COMPLETE I wanted to credit the gamer-themed Dust-Off commercial I used in The Price is Rice Jr. Usually ads are more difficult to track down than other kinds of televised media, so often "___ TV Spot" does the job, but a quick peek at the official YouTube channel reveals that the ad's actual name was How to properly clean your gaming computer.

Then there's an acknowledgement of the owner. I try to list composers for music, directors for film, and of course artists for art. You aren't required to give an exhaustive list of every single contributor to the art you've sampled, but make sure you credit the person/company it belongs to at the very least. Going back to the Dust-Off example, the YouTube video contained a link to dust-off . com which now redirects to falconsafety . com - I lucked out because the top of the page indicates clearly that Dust-Off is a product owned by Falcon Safety Products Inc. but this info is often in the About section of a website or at the bottom of the page.

I like to throw the year on each YTP credit as well. Academic citations usually require a more precise publication date if available. Among other benefits it helps distinguish between things with the same name/owner that were rebooted later - for example there are multiple games called Sonic the Hedgehog owned by SEGA from different years (In fact in this example there are two games from 1991 so it's also important to note what system the game is for!) Generally your source credits should communicate to a viewer where to start looking for a specific thing or who to ask.

You can use Wikipedia to orient yourself if you need a lead on where to start tracking down copyright information for popular media, but make sure you cross-reference what's there with other sources. For Movies/TV I usually just look at the very end of their credits which usually has the copyright info. For music I use Discogs. Sometimes for more obscure or less-documented things I have to do some search-engine sleuthing.

If you're stuck, ask a friend for help! It can be fun and rewarding to track down something that isn't answered by a quick google search, and like most things turning it into a collaborative effort makes it less of a slog.

Copyright acknowledgement is tricky to do correctly and not every Best Practice applies to each situation. There may come a day when MLA-style citations become normal or required even for shitposts and your due diligence will become greater. Do your best, give credit where it's due, and you'll be fine :)

#ytp #youtube poop #ask

[dragons-hoard-of-fandoms]

(Murder Drones Episode 7 spoilers!)

THEY CHANGED THE INTRO V IS OFFICIALLY DEAD FUNERAL'S ON THURSDAY

Cult. It's a cult. This is definitely a cult. They probably don't even realize it but it is undeniably some kind of cult.

Nori what are you doing. Nori why are you like this.

The cross is a USB??

They're keeping the Drones themselves in the lockers??

Of course the unpaid intern whose opinion doesn't matter is the only one with any sympathy for them.

Pink Solver core?? SOLVER LIZZY?!?

Ah great, the Envy shippers are gonna be using this as "proof" that he's still in love with V.

HE IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZED HE LOVES HER SO MUCH

Tessa. Stop. I was willing to give you the benefit of a doubt but you're not doing yourself any favours.

And now she's being racist. Way to go.

"The power of a black hole in the palm of my hand."

SEE TESSA ALL YOU DID WAS MAKE EVERYTHING WORSE

THEY'RE BACK THAD AND LIZZY ARE FINALLY RELEVANT AGAIN

Did they change Thad's VA? He sounds different.

Was that V? Is she already back?

N BABY NO DON'T SAY THAT YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS

Eldritch V??

I can't wait for people to meme about his perfectly cut scream there.

Not going near the corpse. Smart move.

Cyn stop. Cyn stop. CYN STOP PLEASE I'M BEGGING I WANT YOU TO BE SYMPATHETIC

She hugged him. That's probably a good thing, right? That's probably proof that the real Cyn is still in there somewhere, right? THAT PROBABLY MEANS SHE MISSES HIM AND IS GENUINELY SORRY RIGHT

Nothin' like a good old-fashioned Robot Uprising Apocalypse, eh? In other news, Skynet is suing the Solver for copyright infringement.

Those admin privileges comin' in handy. Unfortunately they don't do much in the physical world.

Uzi has absolutely no reason to be crawling and scuttling around like a creature right now except for the simple fact that she wants to. Never change, little gremlin.

Oh I don't think you should watch that. N was right, y'know, there's probably stuff down here you don't wanna see.

Why does this remind me of the garbage maze in FNaF Security Breach?

Okay so it's not some kind of disembodied Solver Lizzy core. Don't blame me, the lights looked pink before and the cat ears headphones reminded me of Lizzy's bow.

Familiar?? Nori??? DID N ACTUALLY KILL YOU AND WHY AREN'T YOU BRITISH/MOMMY LONG LEGS

Khan? A hunk? In the words of Professor Membrane, NOT SCIENTIFICALLY POSSIBLE!!!

"How do you know my daughter?" "Well y'see, it all started when we tried to kill each other..."

Oh it was J. Is it bad to say I'm kind of relieved?

Are we getting the cool edgy Khan from the concept art??? Bro why are you so nonchalant about it being the end of the world.

INB4 people go frame-by-frame through the list looking for the most Russian-sounding name and say "THERE, THAT'S DOLL'S DAD"

Tessa was that really necessary? You're giving really bad vibes right now.

Patch? So the Solver can be removed? And she knows? Again, major bad vibes.

*FNaF 2 Foxy jumpscare*

I'm starting to suspect Yeva either can't or chooses not to talk.

Is she saying the Solver wiped her memory of the labs? I guess that would explain a few things.

N being so polite and cute as always.

What do you mean, "found its way back?" Where did it go? Is the timeline completely wrong? Did it start on Copper-9 then go to Earth then return to Copper-9? I'm so confused.

Nori why are you so casual about the prospect of your own daughter being a planet-eating eldritch abomination. This is exactly why I'm worried about the fandom giving you the Rose Quartz treatment.

I told you not to watch it, Uzi.

Welp, so much for Doll. Consider this karma for killing V. But "fight back?" Does that mean it can be resisted?

So now we know where Uzi gets it from.

Tessa no. Tessa stop. Tessa STOP. TESSA STOP YOU'RE NOT EVEN TRYING TO PRETEND TO HELP ANYMORE

YEAH N SAVE YOUR GIRLFRIEND

Whoa, didn't see that coming. No face reveal?? Does that mean she really is a Drone???

WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET THEM BE HAPPY

Imagine meeting your daughter for the first time and she's currently being possessed by an eldritch abomination masquerading as her boyfriend's dead sister.

Every time I think this episode's about to end on a cliffhanger it doesn't.

EVEN WHEN SHE'S BEING POSSESSED BY AN ELDRITCH ABOMINATION MASQUERADING AS HIS DEAD SISTER HE WOULD RATHER DIE THAN LET HER BE HURT AND IT WAS ENOUGH TO SNAP HER OUT OF IT FOR LIKE HALF A SECOND HOW COULD ANYBODY SAY THEY'RE NOT IN LOVE

Oh no, now people are gonna write fics about Nori being vored by her own daughter.

"Hang out" is code for "date." "Hang out" is code for "boyfriend and girlfriend." "Hang out" is code for "madly in love with each other." "HANG OUT" IS CODE FOR "WE MAKE SWEET AND PASSIONATE LOVE TOGETHER EVERY SINGLE NIGHT WE'RE ALREADY PLANNING THE WEDDING AND I'M GONNA WEAR THE DRESS AND WE'RE GONNA NAME OUR KIDS GLOCK AND BAYONET"

Literally smacked the sense back into her.

Imagine meeting your mom for the first time and you don't know who she is and she's a gross little fleshy crab-spider-thing similar to what your boyfriend's jerk boss turned into so you punt her into a bottomless pit and she makes a dodgeball noise.

LOOK AT HER REACTION SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT "HANG OUT" IS CODE FOR SHE JUST DIDN'T REALIZE HE THOUGHT OF IT THAT WAY TOO

My last two brain cells while watching this episode. Now would be a really good time for you two to kiss.

Oh good gosh she's not dead. Okay it wasn't at all necessary to put your head on backwards.

CYN IS HUMAN NOW??? OR IS SHE WEARING TESSA'S BODY LIKE ENNARD DID WITH MICHAEL

NO JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE ALREADY

Sorry J but you're still not plot relevant yet, you're not allowed to participate.

J: *sees the railgun* *has war flashbacks*

UZI YOU CAN'T SACRIFICE YOURSELF RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM AND TELL HIM TO "DIE MAD" AS YOUR LAST WORDS THAT IS LITERALLY NOT OKAY

*Uzi falls* *screen fades to white* *UNDERTALE*

The Void???

Glitch I beg of you please don't make us wait another half a year for the next episode. And Liam please don't let it end after one season.

#Murder Drones #Liam Vickers Animation #Glitch Productions #Murder Drones Episode 7 #Murder Drones Spoilers #Uzi Doorman #Serial Designation N #Nori Doorman #Absolute Solver #Murder Drones Cyn #Tessa Elliot #Murder Drones Doll #NUzi #Biscuitbites #Goldenbat #Posting this the day after 'cuz I hit the post limit yesterday #My drafts are clogged with SO much MD stuff right now #It's gonna be backed up for days #Straight From the Dragon's Mouth

[p1errost4r]

☆ | author's note : im so sorry for not uploading for such a long time ! I'll try to make up to it. Love yall ! Im so early omg.

♱   | summary : you are Kokushibos co - worker ( yall have benefits :33 ) and he gave you a gift for valentines day !

★ | warnings : smut ; uncanon interraction ; sex toys ; f reader.

♡ . . You sighed heavily as the were slowly clamping togheter in sleepish bliss. It has been a while since you had a comfortable was around 4 days ago , when you "visited" you co - worker .. Kokushibo. He probably gave you the best time of your life with the way he gently pushed into you .. you stil felt his dick print inside of you and you wanted more of him .. no , not more , you wanted him to yourself. You could feel your panties stick to your bare core just where your sweet hole was. But you still had work to do ... you couldn't give up so easily. You took the cup of water hy you into your hands and got a big sip , just to clear your mind from the dirty thoughts.

Then .. a sudden knock on the door. In echoed through your small office , then a ringing deep voice asking if they could come in .. was it Douma ? Or maybe Akaza ? You decided to think of the worst , that it was Muzan.

"Come in ! "

You saw the door slowly open as a familiar face showed in the crack. Kokushibo. It was supposed to be the worst out-come ! Yet you got what you wanted. You put your hands on the table , bumping up your chin with one of your hands.

"What a pleasent visit. Did you need anything ?"

Kokushibo stared at you silently for a good minute , before putting a small box on your work desk. It was neatly wrapped into a black ribbon , the box was white, you never had a doubt about Kokushibo loving monotone colors , but this looked like something you'd recieve on a funeral... not for valentines day. Kokushibos face had a rare sign of embarassment on it... what did he even out in that box ? He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Uhm.. hghm. Happy valentines day , dear co - worker. I .. i hope you enjoy the gift."

He said before basically STORMING out of your office and shutting the door behind himself. You were left in awe , but were now intrigued. You reached out your hands to the box and started untying the black ribbon.

Kokushibo clrealy spent alot of money on the gift. The first thing that greeted your eyes was a small box of chocolate with a cute note on it. Maybe he wanted to make your relationship deeper than just .. fuck partners ? Seemed like it. The next thing that was in there was a small box , it was a perfume ! That was a pleasent suprise. You placed your nose to the tip and sniffed in the sweet scent ... he seemed to memorise all the things you like , how cute of him.

You smiled warmly and was about to put the box away ... but there was something else in it... at the bottom of the bag was a small wrap in a shape of some .. banana ? You didn't know what it was so you unwrapped it ... and oh god . You felt your face heat up as you stared at the vibrator in your hand. You now knew why he was flustered and .. well it was so so reasonable. You shoved everything back into the bag and out it under your desk by your other stuff lije your purse etc.

Your night would be fun.

♡ | author's note 2 : art creds - pinterest. ( please , id you know the creator of the art tag them in comments so i xlcan later add it to the post <33 ) Ily all !

#kny #kny x reader #headcanons #demon slayer #demon slayer x reader #kokushibo x reader #kokushibo x y/n #writing #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba kokushibo #kokushibo x f!reader #kokushibo x reader smut #kokushibo x f!reader smut #smut #smut scenario #scenario #f!reader #reader #reader x canon #oc x canon

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Vante | Kim Taehyung

Summary: You favorite faceless artist Vante has an exhibit tonight and one of his close friends takes a special interest in you. Pairing: Artist Taehyung x Art Collector reader Word count: 2.3k a/n: This was supposed to be out for Tae's birthday and I failed miserably. But it's gonna be a two parter to make up for it so keep an eye out for that! (I also have a Jin fic but again I've failed miserably on getting it out on time) I wanted to post the first part to see how it's received and I'll decide when I'll put out a part two later. p.s barely edited because I just wanted to put it out asap lol

"You know that one artist you like is having a gallery show right?" my friend asks me. "Who? Vante?" I asks, my interest now peaked. "Who else would it be? You don't really mention any other artist to me by name. You just say 'Look at this new piece I bought' or whatever, but when it come's to him it's always 'I just found a new piece by Vante and I need to get my hands on it!' or something to that extent" she finishes, taking a sip of her mimosa. 

"Didn't you already have enough to drink last night?" I ask, reminding her about how plastered she got at the benefit ball as she downs the rest of her fifth glass this morning. "Yes, but today is a new day love. What did you expect when you invited me out to brunch?" she teases, waving down one of the waiters to bring her another one.

I roll my eyes at her and continue on with my meal. "Anyways, about the gallery show, do you know where it is? I know his events tend to be exclusive so I haven't been able to get an invite before. Is it somewhere in the city?" I ask taking a sip of my drink. "Well what if I told you I already got you an invite?" she says, smiling over the rim of her glass. 

"What do you mean you already got me an invite?" I ask in astonishment. "Are you the one who's drunk or am I? Yes I got you an invite!" she laughs at my growing excitement. "I love you so much girl thank you!" I say coming around the table and hugging her semi aggressively. "Okay okay now get off of me and order another drink for yourself if you really love me. You know I hate drinking alone" she says and waves the waiter over for me before I can protest.

~~~~

"So where's the show being held?" ask while we're waiting for the driver to pull the car around and instead of saying anything she hands me a luxe envelope with a wax seal and my name written across it in the most intricate font. "All the information you'll need is in there" she says and makes her way into the car leaving me mesmerized with it for a moment before she's calling after me to get in. 

"I still don't understand why you're so obsessed with him though, is it the whole faceless thing?" she asks once the car makes it way onto the street. "In part yes, that's definitely got me intrigued but his art alone speaks for itself. There's just so much life in it and-" "Yeah yeah I've heard you fan girl about him enough. I don't even know why I asked" she says resting her head against the window. "The alcohol is catching up to you isn't it?" I say amused by her cheeky response. "Shhh why are you talking so loud?" she whines making me chuckle and lean back in my seat, enjoying the now peaceful drive back to my home.

~~~~~

Closing my front door behind me I walk over to my living room mindlessly and sit down on the couch all while inspecting the envelop before reaching for my letter opener as to not break the seal. Once opened I'm met with a soft beige letter again with my name written in the same font. I open it and read all of the information about it and I panic for a moment seeing that the show is tonight. "Of course she would wait until last minute to give me this" I say out loud to myself with a smile on my face, taking a deep breath and making my way over to my closet. 

Once I've found an outfit that fits the theme of pale neutral colors I start getting ready to head out. Taking one last look at myself in the mirror I give myself a bit of a pep talk before leaving. "You've been to hundreds of shows like these before. There's no need to be nervous" I say, taking a deep breath and walking out before changing my mind. 

~~~~

The atmosphere is calm and quite compared to the loud colors and designs splattered on some of his paintings. The abstract faces and bodies of the people he paints a stark contrast to the people who are wandering around the gallery also donning the color pallet specified on the invite. I guess this is another way to ensure that the paintings themselves are the ones that are grabbing peoples attention rather than the attire of the various attendees.

Taking a deep breath I wander around acting as casually as I can, trying to maintain my composure and keep my excitement at bay. Seeing all of his paintings up close is a new experience that I wasn't expecting. Seeing his art online verses being surrounded by it in person feels almost like a full circle moment. He's been an artist that I've been following closely for years now so it just feel right being here. 

"Has this one caught your eye?" I hear a mans voice say from behind me, leaving me placing my hand over my heart in surprise. "My apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you" the deep baritone voice says now accompanied with owner by my side. "Oh no that's alright, I guess I just lost myself for a moment there" I say and take a glance at the man next to me. 

He looks as though he's my age or a few years older with strong masculine features but still having a few soft ones to make him even most interesting to look at leaving me at a loss for words. Not so much as being nervous but more as seeing him as being somewhat of a living piece of art that somehow found it's way over to my little part of the world. 

"You still haven't answered my question" he says playfully, turning to face me now. "I'm sorry?" I reply, embarrassed from being caught staring at him for too long. "The painting?" he questions nodding towards the piece in front of us. "Oh! Yes it's gorgeous! It's one that I haven't seen before and it just kind of pulled me in as soon as I laid eye on it" I say turning my attention back towards it.

"I love how he's steered clear of using a traditional canvas and has used glass instead. His usual pieces are usually full of color and chaos but I love how this one is almost stripped down but still has so much life and movement in it. It's almost as if you can see him painting it on the other side" I say tilting my head a bit and taking in the details a bit more. 

"You see these little bumps right here and how they're almost a bit more textured than the rest, there are a few of those spots throughout it as well" he says leaning in a bit closer to point out a corner of it so I can see it more clearly. "Would you like to know the story behind this painting?" he asks and I eagerly nod, waiting with bated breath.

"So, he had been feeling a bit restless while he had been cleaning up his studio a bit and he had been washing his brushes and so he didn't really have much of anything to paint with and he had finally figured out what he wanted to paint of this sheet of glass in front of us today. So instead of waiting patiently for his proper tools to be back into commission he took a stale baguette from his kitchen, ripped it in half and used that as his brush instead" he chuckles and I can't help but laugh right along with him, taking note of his adorable laugh and boxy smile.

"That certainly sounds like something he might do but if you don't mind me asking, how did you find that out?" I ask, interested as to what this man's relation might be to Vante.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Taehyung, I work closely with Vante and help out in any way that I can to make these shows run smoothly. I'm also full of fun facts about all of the pieces in here so please don't hesitate to ask me anything" he says while motioning around to the rest of the gallery. 

"Oh, I'm y/n, it's very nice to meet you!" I say and take his outstretched in greeting and he surprises me by kissing the back of my hand. "Likewise" he says with his breath still fanning against my skin. It sends a slight shiver up my spine at that, paired with the dark brown eyes of his that I find myself entranced with.

"Are you an art collector yourself?" he asks, walking with me to see all the rest of the pieces in the various exhibits. "I'm more of a beginner when it comes to collecting art and curating a collection but I do know that I always try to get my hands on any Vante piece I come across. I've been following his career for almost 6 years and I can't help but fall in love everything he creates" I gush while taking a closer look at another piece. 

"You really are a true fan of his" he replies, gazing at me with admiration while my attention is pulled to a sculpture close by. "I mean I guess you could say that" I reply, getting shy at how excited I've been. It's as though I've reverted to having a childlike wonder when brought to a candy store for the first time.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, I like seeing how passionate you are about art. It reminds me of how Vante used to be when he first started out" he says and walks over to another piece with almost a melancholy smile. "Used to be?" I question trailing after him. 

"He's been going through a bit of a slump lately and thought a show like this would bring him some sort of inspiration and motivation to continue and hopefully appreciate how far he's come" he says, glancing over at me. "Do you think it has? Is he here right now?" I ask, taking a glance around the room.

"Yes he's here and trust me, this show has done wonders for his creativity" he says smiling down at me before taking a glance around the room. I try to follow his line of sight to see if they land on anyone in particular but unfortunately he seems to catch me in the act. "You're quite the curious one now aren't you?" he chuckles, turning his attention back to me. 

"Why do you say that?" I ask, feigning innocence. "You're trying to find Vante aren't you?" he says with a knowing smile. "Can you blame me? This mystery behind who he is and even his age are driving me crazy" I laugh and he laughs right along with me. 

"Why don't you take a wild guess as to who he might be" he says and watches me as I take a gander around the gallery. "Mmmm, how about him" I ask, pointing at a man in his late 40s with a stocky build that is clearly wearing a toupee. "Very funny" he laughs and shakes his head. 

"What? I'm taking a shot in the dark here" I say trying to stop myself from laughing again. "Well how about him?" I ask pointing to a younger man that seems to be in his early 20s dressed in a more casual but clean outfit, just barely matching the dress code. "That's a good guess but no that's not him. If you ask me it looks as though he's been dragged here by his mother" he points out a middle aged woman dragging him along so he won't wander off. 

"Good point" I chuckle looking over at him as he continues to scan the gallery right along with me, never staying on one person for more than a few moments. "You probably wouldn't even tell me if I did guess right huh?" I say, seeing a devious smile flash across his face. "Nope" he says and walks over to another piece. 

"Why even suggest the guessing game if you wouldn't tell me the answer?" I ask and start checking out what he's brought us over to. "Because I liked watching you guess" he says glancing over at me and I frown at him playfully. "Hey in exchange for not telling you who Vante is, why don't I show you the pieces that didn't make it into the show?" he suggests and starts walking towards a door thats labeled 'Employees Only'. 

"Really? Are you sure this isn't against the rules or something?" I asks looking around to see if anyone is watching us, which thankfully no one is. "Of course it is. But don't worry, I'm famous for talking myself out of trouble, or into trouble depending on the situation" he says with a wink while holding the door open for me.

I take one last look around and see that again no one is paying us any mind. "After you my lady" he says and motions for me to walk in...

Taglist: @jkslipppiercing @trina864 @kaitieskidmore97 @goddesofimortality @coolbluedude @00frenchfries00 @bangtans-momma @coralmusicblaze @pastelpinkjoon @joonwater @marvelbun @j3nni-rs @evidive @beomieboi @forevrglow @jesssssmaybankk @teugiie @chaconnelatte @whoa-jo @snehal @xumyboo @mindurbuzznezz @diorh0seokie @hehurst23 @caro134340lina @ye0nvibezzn @olimpiiaa @hrtsj1m @junecat18 @ellesalazar @babycandy111 @felixz4life @lively-potter @esther-kpopstan @gyukookswhore @koohrs @skzthinker @vminkookgf @kookiescupcake0109

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[coldresolve]

are you a torture apologist, or are you just dumb

... said with all the due diligence this subject warrants, etc etc. i’ve written posts about this before, it’s fallen on deaf ears, people either aggressively ignore it, or they go out of their way to take me in bad faith, and when the latter doesn’t work, they fall back on ye olde reliable: tone policing. but we’ve had that conversation too, haven’t we? it’s my culturally determined value of blunt honesty versus your culturally determined value of politeness. i express my opinions in a way that’s admittedly harsh and hyperbolic, and in so doing, my intention is to treat you like someone who is mature enough to distinguish my point from its delivery, and emotionally well-adjusted enough to deal with whatever the fuck some rando on the internet has to say about what you wrote. i also do it because its more fun this way. are we still cool? ffs lol

the thing is, right, it’s fucking easy not to write torture apologia. very straight-forward and simple, in my humble little opinion. you learn what the usual arguments are, and then you try to avoid accidentally making them – a bit like how, when you learn that white supremacy is a thing, you typically then go on to try and not write some wildly racist shit. same principle.

and i genuinely don’t understand why people are so opposed to this, specifically. they don’t know they’re doing it, which is fine, but then when you try to let them know they’re doing it, on the off-chance they even acknowledge that you said anything, they’ll hit you with an “its just for entertainment,” or “it’s not that deep.” so you tell them they sure seem to spend an awful lot of time weaving torture apologia into their vapid, shallow entertainment. and they don’t like that, jesus. but what else are you supposed to say?

i figure i just havent bullied people hard enough about it, honestly. and by bullied i mean pointing out the mindless use of torture apologia as plot points in the slop everybody writes. i would happily tell all of this directly to the writers of 24’s jack bauer, but those guys aren’t here, so.

you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the majority of the myths surrounding torture are rooted in facistic, reactionary thinking. might makes right is big among people who endorse corporal punishment; the ends justify the means is in play when governments try to excuse the use of t-, ahem, enhanced interrogation tactics. allegedly.

and among a much, much longer laundry list of bullshit i’ve seen spewed – oh, not by shady governments, but by you:

torture as an interrogation method yields reliable information

some forms of torture are more sophisticated than others

torture makes people obedient

torture used as a punishment deters unwanted behavior in others

brainwashing is a thing that is possible (usually through torture)

it’s not torture unless it leaves a physical mark on the body

see to me, it’s fucking easy to rework that scene in your story where torture results in the perpetrator gaining trustworthy intel. fucking easy to reconsider that arc where a character gets rewired by torture into passive obedience. fucking easy, when writing a story, to not accidentally send the message that torture is a tool that works. but hey, allow me to really dig my teeth in.

you drumming up your torturer as “skilled” in the “art” of torture feeds real nicely into the myth that torture works as an interrogation method, here under the condition that you should at least do it properly. is that what you believe? or do just believe that there’s an extra special way to cause extreme physical or emotional destress in a person which, for vague unspecified reasons, superceeds all the other, more amateurish ways one could go about it? the former would make you an direct torture apologist – the latter, a fucking twat. ask yourself why “some torture methods are more sophisticated than others” is an idea that needs to be perpetuated. who benefits from that idea? who would feel really validated by that idea? which government on this green earth of ours, hypothetically speaking, could use this idea as a way to paint their own acts of torture as more cultured or civilized than, say, hypothetically speaking, the torture used by those other nations where the brown people live? allegedly.

alternatively, your little good boy slave fantasy seems to imply that being subjected to torture will make a person obedient. is that what you believe? is it true that might makes right? say, wouldn’t state-sanctioned corporal punishment be justified as a tool to make people obey the law, then? no? okay, hear me out then, cause this is really out there, but. could the idea that violence is a tool that makes people more compliant with the demands of their aggressors, possibly maybe perhaps, be something you only find it acceptable to greenlight as the result decades of war propaganda? naaaaah. fiction isn’t reality, and it means nothing, and victims of torture are weak and malleable and broken, and also what they say can’t be trusted cause they have no real fucking agency anyway. fuck me.

“but elias,” i hear you say, “how am i supposed to write an interesting story that features torture in a way that’s in accordance with scientific consensus on its effectiveness and/or consequences? realism and compelling storytelling are diametrically opposed to one another!”

here’s my take: you just straight up lack creativity. cope and seethe.

if you’re interested in writing about torture, read up on what it is, instead of assuming everything you’ve been told by military-sponsored action movies is true and valid. we’re talking about some pretty extreme facets of human behavior and psychology here, but ones that none the less exist in reality. the bare minimun is to not buy in to the myths and propaganda surrounding it. the next step is to write what it can look like in reality. the big boy galaxy brain move is to write torture in a way that challenges the status quo on how we culturally view torture, and how all these false myths affect victims and perpetrators alike. you just have to fucking think about it.

torture for information doesn’t work – but your perpetrator might be convinced that it does. so instead of going the easy route and proving them right – explore how they're wrong. show torture failing. show your perpetrator’s desperation as they gain nothing. they conceptualize their actions as the lesser of two evils, but whoops, there is no second evil. hows that for a change?

is there such a thing as “torture lite?” does it make any real difference whether it leaves a physical mark behind or not? where do we draw the line between interrogation and torture? is that question not interesting enough for you?

is complying with demands under threat of torture the same as genuine obedience? maybe your victim is forced to pretend in certain ways, through feelings of absolute powerlessness. their survival is pitted against the guilt that comes from following the demands of their perpetrator/s. the sense that they’re betraying themselves, the hatred they feel against their aggressor for making them obey, which is otherwise completely uncharacteristic of them. they’re never reduced to a blank slate, there’s always an internal conflict. what if they reach a point where they have nothing left to lose? real torture makes people more defiant. human beings are amazing at adapting to impossible situations. how is that not a wicked fucking cool thing to explore?

brainwashing isn’t real, but your victim’s loved ones believe that it might be. this means that their attempts to talk about their complex feelings toward the more humane sides of their torturer, or recount moments of a strenuous mutual understanding, are met with vehement denial from the people who are supposed to facilitate their recovery. “don’t talk about him like that, he hurt you.” and a desperation to get people to understand that it’s just not that simple. they’re not just saying it because they’ve been brainwashed – people just aren’t black and white, torturers included. the way they feel compelled by the pressure of their loved ones to just… keep quiet about that aspect of their trauma.

here's a fun fact: not only is torture absolutely useless at everything it sets out to do, but rates of PTSD are equally high among victims and perpetrators. the latter is something called participation-induced post-traumatic stress, or perpetrator trauma. you see it in murderers, too. nobody talks about that. and i get it, it’s a touchy subject, we wouldn’t want to portray torture as something human beings do. but, and here’s my counter-argument: maybe reality is just messy and complicated. and maybe exploring that messy complicated reality in fiction can serve as something interesting and worthwhile. emotionally cathartic. no?

if you read up on torture in psychological studies, regarding the psychology of both victims and perpetrators – and possibly also read some sociological studies about how governments have used a lot of the myths i’ve mentioned about torture to excuse their own actions (allegedly) – you start to get an idea for just how comprehensibly it fucks with people, and how effective that propaganda machine has been. real life torture is not rare. torture will continue to not be rare as long as people believe in the idea that it is useful. so maybe it’s a good idea to approach the subject with a little bit of thought beforehand, you know? we could approach fictional depictions of torture with the same amount due diligence we take with the topic of rape or child abuse, instead of, you know, literally affirming all the myths that justify its use and then brushing off criticism like mine in that aggressively uncritical fiction-isnt-reality,-depiction-isn’t-endorsement,-zero-further-introspection way.

or whatever. maybe im just a big meanie, i must be fun at parties, etc

#inspired by 10k notes on my last rb proving there are sane ppl on this site. im starting this discourse again okay idc #im happily dying on the hill of 'maybe don't gargle the balls of US war propaganda in your whump fic' tbh #other #torture #media literacy #media criticism

[foreverrogers]

parallel suns (1/4)

part one // part two // part three // part four

Pairing: steve harrington x f!buckley!reader

Summary: it's summer break, and you need something, or someone, to fill the time with before you go back to college.

Warnings: smut!!!! 18+!!!!! minors please DNI!!!!! friends with benefits, protected sex, oral (f receiving), steve is an adorably charming idiot. post-s3, pre-s4. no s4 spoilers!!

Words: 7.4k (!!!)

A/N: this fic came to me in a vision and i'm in love with it. big shout out to my notes app where i compulsively wrote 1.2k of this at 10pm. also shout out to the song partner in crime by lucy dacus because i am, once again, on my indie song title bullshit

request something! masterlist // series masterlist

Everything is sticky.

The humidity shimmers in the air like it's about to take corporeal form, and even with every AC unit in this Family Video on full blast, everything is utterly, disgustingly sticky.

It's one of the many things Steve hates about Summer. That, and school being on break means the store is always full of children, who are sticky all year round and only get stickier in the Summer, and teenagers, who embody the kind of sticky that tries to sneak into the adult section when they think no one is looking.

It's eight pm, the unforgiving sun just starting to glow yellow and orange at the horizon, and it's about the time Steve lets Robin go home so he can close up for nine.

He doesn't question it when she doesn't bolt out of the store on the hour like she normally does, desperate to go home even if she did prefer Steve's company over most others.

There's a slight jingle of the bell as the front door opens, but Steve is too busy taking his 10-minute break sitting on the floor behind the counter to get up, legs stretched end to end.

Somebody's above him, all of a sudden, announced by two sharp knocks against the counter, and when Steve looks up the backlight of the setting sun makes him think he's seeing an angel. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Robin mutters, hops off her stool and dips down to yank at the backpack sitting at her feet. "Bye, Steve!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Steve starts, so disorientated by the speed of everything that Robin's already slipped behind the counter before he's even thinking of standing up. Steve scrambles to his feet so quickly he almost slips on the linoleum. "Hey, Rob, you're not gonna introduce us?"

You've already taken a step back, and Steve's words stop Robin in her hurried tracks with a sigh. She looks between you, exaggerated turns in each direction, and sighs again. "Steve, this is my sister," She explains, matter of fact, not offering any other information than strictly necessary.

"You never told me you had a sister."

"You didn't?" You ask immediately, faux offense pinching your eyebrows as you look at her. You nudge her in the ankle with the toe of your boot. "Rude."

"Well," Robin starts, pointed as she looks at him. "You clearly don't ask about me as much as you talk about yourself, Steve."

"Hey, I do not- Don't listen to her," Steve cuts Robin to the side, turns to you with an outstretched hand and his cookie-cutter charming smile. It's a perfected art form you don't seem to buy. "I'm Steve, by the way. Steve Harrington."

"Seems like I've heard a lot more about you than you've heard about me, Steve," You smile, lean forward to shake his hand.

Steve thinks he likes the way you say his name. He also thinks your hand in his is warm, but the nice, soft kind of warm, and not the sticky Summer kind of warm he's gotten used to. He also hopes his hand isn't sticky. "All good things, I hope?"

You hum as you pull away, tilt your head to the side and narrow your eyes, your expression questioning. "Like 60%?"

"Okay, well, this has been nice, but we really have to go," Robin interrupts, looks to you then to Steve and gives him a single nod before she's gone, tugging at your wrist and pulling you with her.

"It was nice to meet you!" You call, turn a little to wave as your sister drags you through the door and into the carpark.

Steve's still not convinced you're not an angel, and spends so long staring after you that it takes him a couple minutes to realise you had never told him your name.

-----

Tonight is a different type of sticky. The type that only happens when it rains all day and the moisture hangs oppressively heavy, like you could drown where you stood if you weren't careful.

Which is why Steve can't be blamed for spending most of his free time standing in front of the huge air conditioner in the back room, letting the cool air bellow out his polo and his vest until he's almost too cold. It's a pretty good plan, except for the fact he can't be stationed at the counter waiting for beautiful women to walk into the store like he normally is.

When Steve emerges from the back room, there's a beautiful woman in the store.

Not that he can tell she's beautiful by the back of her head poking through the aisles of the romance section, it's just that he has a feeling... and it's been a couple weeks since he's been on a good date.

So, as always, Steve stands behind the counter and runs a hand through his hair, tussled and unruly by the effects of the fan, uses the darkened monitor of the computer as a mirror as he adjusts the sit of his collar and smoothes down his Family Video vest. It's the exact shade of dark puke green that always seemed to be a hit with the ladies.

He makes a 90-degree turn, back to the front of the shop, and all of a sudden there you are.

Steve gapes a little, turns left and then right and realises you're the only other person in the store. Oh.

"Hey!"

You're grinning now, too. Which doesn't help. "Hey to you, too."

"Did you, uh-" Steve clears his throat, walks towards you and slides the tape you've set on the counter towards him, pointedly ignores the fact you had just watched him check himself out in a computer monitor for any excruciating amount of time. "Did you find everything you need?"

"Just that, I think," You chuckle, still fighting back your smile as you cross your arms and lean them against the counter.

"16 Candles?" Steve asks, finally actually reading the cover of the film in his hands.

Your smile softens, a little fonder. "Yeah, Rob and I watched it like a million times the year it came out. I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"Really?" He asks, disbelief in his smile and the light pinch of his eyebrows. "Robin? 16 Candles?"

"I don't know what to tell you," You shrug, give a light shake of your head. "Everyone's got a guilty pleasure, her's is romance movies... And if you ever tell her I told you that I will make your life a living hell."

Steve thinks he's already experienced multiple living hells, but is still intrigued about what your could come up with. "Scouts honour," He offers, holds up the palm of one hand and presses the copy of 16 Candles to his heart with the other.

It makes you laugh, and Steve has to smile at the sight before he can remember he's supposed to be doing his job. You really might be an angel.

"And the name the account's under?" He asks, thinks he's smooth and is immediately told otherwise by the way you narrow amused eyes at him, the tug of a smile at the corner of your lips.

"Robin really didn't mention me at all, huh?"

"I really don't talk about myself that often, I promise."

You chuckle lightly, smile bright, eyes bright, makes the neon lights pooling in splotches of wet concrete outside look dim.

You're smile fades a little as the seconds go on, as you hold each other's eyes and Steve really hopes he's not staring right now because his face and his brain have lost all connection.

"Y/n," You offer, simply, and Steve was definitely staring because it takes him a moment to register that the sound that came out of your mouth had been your name.

"Y/n, right," He says, snaps himself out of it, maybe a little too animated in the way he shakes his head if the laugh you give him as he looks down is any indication.

Steve bites his lip as he clacks the letters of your name into the heavy keyboard, intensely concentrated. It's adorable, objectively, and you try not to let it pull anything too world-shattering from your gut into the base of your throat. You swallow it down when he meets your eyes again. "Last name?"

You grin at him immediately, simply raise your eyebrows and wait the few moments it takes him to realise what he's saying, tilts his head to the side with a tight smile as he moves to type in the rest of your name. "Right."

"What do I owe you?" You ask, lean a little closer against the counter, close enough that he can smell the sweet floral of your perfume or your shampoo or both.

"On the house."

"Really?" You start, raise your eyebrows at him. "Thank you... Do all the friends and family get discounts?"

"Just the pretty ones," Steve says, mouth and maybe libido moving too quickly for his brain to catch, words spilling and falling flat on the counter between you.

You're smiling again, gleeful surprise as much towards his admittance as the deep blush that rushes into his face as he realises exactly what he's said.

"I mean-"

"Nuh-uh, can't take it back now," You tease, sliding the tape off of the counter towards you and taking a slow step backwards. He's still mouthing at words to say, and so you take the opportunity to turn and start out of the store. You hold the tape up in the air beside you. "Thank you for the movie, Steve!"

-----

"Hey, why did you never mention me to Steve?"

You're in the middle of 16 Candles. Admittedly, it's not the best time to ask your sister about anything tangible, but something about the cheesy teen romance couldn't let you stop thinking about it. It takes her a few moments to answer, and you're about to repeat yourself when she gives back the uninterested "Why would I?"

"I don't know, the way you were talking about him it sounded like you two were basically best friends... Seems like pretty standard information to know about your best friend."

She shoves a messy fist full of popcorn in her mouth before answering. "It just never came up I guess."

"Right..." Robin still hasn't turned away from the movie, and you still haven't turned back, eyes narrowed at her profile. "So you told him you were a lesbian before you told him you had a sister?"

"Jesus Christ, y/n, fine!" Robin dramatically bends at the waist, reaches over to the coffee table for the remote and pause the movie. "He's a womanizer, okay? I knew that if I told him I had a sister, especially one who was basically the same age as him, he would never let it go and inevitably try to hit on you when you came to visit."

You scoff. "Hate to break it to you, babe, but him not knowing I exist has definitely not stopped him from hitting on me."

Robin's silent for a long moment, gapes at you in the dim light, and you think you can physically see the steam pouring out of her ears as her blood boils. "Y/n."

"What?"

"What did he say to you?"

"What, seriously?" You shake your head, turn back to the paused television screen in a sudden desire to no longer be having this conversation. "It was nothing bad, perfectly kosher. You should have seen the way he was blushing, though. Are you sure that guy gets around as much as you think he does?"

"He tells me about most of them in excruciating detail, so, you know, yeah." You feel her shift back towards the TV, pick up the remote at her side with a sigh. "Just don't fall for it, okay?"

You should let it go, because it shouldn't matter, and you shouldn't care. "What, you don't think he's a good guy?" You're looking at her again, trying to read the shadows of her expression. "You wouldn't be friends with him if he wasn't a good guy."

"Look, I say this with no offence to Steve but he's a Hawkins, Indiana good guy. He's not a New York, smartest girl in her class type of good guy."

You consider it for a moment, clench your jaw as you slide down the couch so you can only just see the screen over your bent knees. "It sounds like you're trying to say he's a 'literally anybody but you' kind of good guy."

"Yeah," Robin smiles, voice warm. "Glad we're on the same page."

-----

You think that maybe being told not to give in to Steve Harrington's fumbled, boyish charm just makes you want a taste even more.

Not that you went out of your way to do the things Robin told you not to, nor were you typically the type of person who wanted what they couldn't have. It's just that you had spent so long trying to be good, trying to get the best grades and get into the best schools and be the best adult, that now, during a Summer that should be inconsequential to the course of your life, you want to try something new. That, and every word and lingering glance you had received from him over the past couple of days had practically screamed how much he wanted you, and it was hard to deny that it was exhilarating.

No matter the way you try to reason it, nothing changes the fact that you're in an empty Family Video at 9am.

It's early enough that when Steve sees you pushing open the door he thinks he might still be dreaming. "Oh, y/n, hey! Hey, how are you?" Steve runs a loose hand through his hair, adjusts his position leaning against the counter a couple too many times to be natural. He flinches, hopes you don't register his fumbling. You definitely do. "Uh, Robin's not working today."

"Yeah, I know," You smile, innocent and polite, move to lean beside him on the counter with your forearms against the cool acrylic. You pick at your nails for a moment before turning towards him, but you realise as soon as you do that you've undershot your position a little, faces are a lot closer than you had intended. Still, you don't back away. "I'm here to see you."

Steve swallows, throat thick and chest fluttering with the proximity. "You are?" He mutters, doesn't have to say it that loudly for you to hear because you're that damn close. His voice is a little squeakier, too, like his body had suddenly forgotten it had already hit puberty five years earlier. He clears his throat, once again hopes you don't notice. Once again, you do.

"So..." You start, look back down at your nails because even though you had fully psyched yourself up to do this, you hadn't quite realised eye contact would be part of the deal. "I'm sure you know that I'm only in town for the Summer, which means I just so happen to have a lot of free time and also... just so happen to not have a boyfriend..."

Steve thinks he's hallucinating. Thinks that there must be something in the water and his sweating palms and dry mouth and tight chest are all symptoms of something awful. Either that or his mind is infinitely dirtier than he thought, because there was no way in Hell you were actually suggesting what he thinks you're suggesting. "I think I need... a little more."

"Oh, come on, Stevie," You start, tilt your head at him, and the combination of the nickname and the way you're looking up at him through your lashes makes his jeans tighten inexplicably. "You gotta have a couple brain cells knocking around that pretty little head of yours."

Steve pinches himself. Actually, physically pinches his arm to make sure he's not dreaming. He's staring again, and he's also a little speechless, silent for long enough that you start to second guess yourself.

"Unless you don't want-"

"No, no, no. Woah, no, definitely not. I definitely don't... not want to..." His hand is on your wrist before you can pull away, position shifted so he's now standing right in front of you, parallel suns across the counter. "I just, uh, wasn't sure that I was getting the right idea for a second."

"Yeah, I, um-" You look down, your well of confidence seemingly exerted too fast too soon. Your cheeks are hot with it. "Robin made it seem like you were pretty, uh... Loose about this type of stuff."

"She said that?" Steve scoffs, makes you look back up at him and the expression on his face is so genuinely offended it makes you laugh. "I can't believe she would- Wait, did you... tell her? About-"

"No!" You interrupt, eyes wide. "No, absolutely not. And Robin never knows, okay? Ground rule?"

"Yeah, right, of course," He agrees, and he registers suddenly that you're two people standing in the middle of a Family Video first thing in the morning defining the terms of casual sex.

"Not so much because she would get mad at me, but because I genuinely think she might cut your dick off."

Steve laughs, does that thing where he tilts his head to the side in a nod that's annoyingly endearing. "Yeah, I could see her trying."

You're both smiling, and you're both so close, his hand on your wrist still anchoring you to the counter. You chew at the inside of your lip, try to suppress some of the heat rising to your face. "This is a really weird conversation, right?"

"Possibly the weirdest I've ever had, yeah." And Steve has had a lot of fucking bonkers conversations.

There's a glint of light across your lipgloss as your smile widens, fresh and sticky and shining and all of a sudden Steve realises you wore it for him, and then all of a sudden wants to know what it tastes like.

You lean forward slowly, like you can read his mind or maybe you're just thinking the same thoughts, the curve of your lips deliciously tempting. "Steve."

"Yeah?" He asks, less of a word and more of a pitched exhale. He thinks he can feel your breath against his skin.

"You have customers."

You pull away, stand up straight just as the front bell rings and a gaggle of children storm into the store, followed begrudgingly by the slow steps of two exhausted looking parents. Steve pulls away, too, clears his throat in an attempt to regain his composure as he offers a tight smile to the two adults.

You're grinning, annoyingly and yet endearingly triumphant.

"That was mean."

"No idea what you're talking about," You start, shake your head with a shrug and a step away from the counter. You try to bite back your smile, bottom lip lightly pulled between your teeth. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Oh, you know." Steve gestures around the store, attention immediately pulled to a crashing sound somewhere to his side, like piles of hard plastic falling to the floor.

"You should go do your job," You tease, nod towards the source of the noise and make Steve narrow his eyes at you. "And I will be back at nine."

-----

True to your word, by the time nine pm rolls around you're already leaning against the hood of his car, watching carefully as he locks the door to the darkened Family Video.

You've changed, a light skirt that sits just below the knee to match the humid Summer night. Steve's first thought is accessible, and he immediately scolds himself for it.

"Hey," You smile, voice sickly smooth, sticky and seeping into his bones.

"Hey." He returns, finds it a little less graceful than yours because he's nervous, the kind of nervous that would probably make his chest shake if he stood still for too long. He doesn't think he's been this nervous around a girl since he first got together with Nancy.

"Fun rest of your shift?" You ask, even though you have a pretty good idea of what he might say, kick off the car and make a slow start towards him.

"A painful one, thanks to you."

The admittance makes you smile, too smug and too pretty as you look up at him, height difference exaggerated as you meet him at the curb. He tries not to look at your lips, but your lipgloss is fresh, and he still wants to know what it tastes like.

"My place or yours?"

"Are your parents home?"

Steve scoffs, a little offended. "What makes you think I live with my parents?"

"Oh," You start, eyes widening with something like surprise, embarrassment, maybe a little bit of both. "Do you... not live with your parents?"

"No, I absolutely live with my parents. And no, they're not home, by the way. I think I just resent the implication that-"

"Oh my god," You turn, walk towards the passenger side of his car with a shake of your head. You stand with a grasp on the handle, waiting for him to follow. "If you still wanna get laid tonight you better get in the freaking car, idiot."

"Wow," Steves says, keeps playing his mock offence but starts towards the car anyway. He digs his hand into his pocket in search of his keys. "I guess there's just something about you Buckleys and being mean to me."

You swing the door open as soon as it's unlocked, fall in with enough force to make the vehicle bounce lightly on its wheels. "Car, Steve!"

-----

You've made it this far without any hiccups. Without any bad omens descending from the heavens as a sign that this was all a bad idea.

If anything it felt too good to be true, a ridiculously handsome, charming boy with a genuine interest in you, complete with a mega fancy house and parents who were never in town. Then there was the tiny fact that he was your sister's best friend, but you tried not to think about that one too hard.

"What do we do now?"

Steve's moving to sit beside you at the foot of his bed, soft notes of music drifting from his cassette player slowly filling the background.

You smile at him, at the earnestness in his voice and the wide, open hope in his expression. It makes your chest ache so much you have to change the subject.

"Before anything, I just wanted to say..." You adjust your position, angle yourself to better face him. Steve looks terrified of what you're next move is, and it almost makes you laugh. "I don't know what you did to make Robin trust you enough to tell you... you know... But I just thought I would tell you that I appreciate it. I was really worried at first, about leaving her for so long with nobody else who really, actually knew her... It's just nice to know there's someone watching her back."

Steve wasn't exactly sure what he thought you were going to say, but it certainly wasn't that. It's a gesture that warms him through, not that he would ever admit that to Robin. "Yeah, no, of course. Thank you."

You offer him a gentle smile, nodding lightly as you lean back against your palms. You sigh like you're almost reluctant to keep going. "You're a pretty cool dude, Steve."

"I know," He says, response immediate, does that tilt thing again and proceeds to give you the smuggest smirk you've ever seen. "But thank you for reminding me."

"Oh, shut up," You mutter, nudge him lightly in the knee with your own and roll your eyes, can't help the smile that blooms across your face as he leans towards you.

"What?" He asks, accusatory, smiling, so close you can feel the fan of his warm breath against your skin. "I was agreeing with you."

"Steve," You say, try and almost succeed at pulling a serious face.

He's looking at your lips again, doesn't meet your eyes as he continues. "Yeah?"

"Stop talking."

Strawberry. That's the first thought Steve has when you kiss him, impossibly soft lips moving against his, turning his brain to fuzz in an instant.

It's all instinct from that point on, when he slots one hand around your waist and brings the other beneath your ear, thumb brushing against your cheek and opening you up for him.

"What?" You laugh, breathe it between sweet, sticky kisses.

"What?"

"You said something, I couldn't hear you."

Steve is only half paying attention, too busy pressing you back until your back hits the mattress. Oh.

"Strawberry," He repeats, hadn't realised he had said it out loud the first time. "Your lip gloss. It tastes like strawberry."

"That's what you're thinking about right now?" You're grinning at him, smile too wide to keep kissing and so Steve takes the opportunity to trail along your jaw, dips down to follow the column of your throat until he hears you sigh.

"It's not the only thing I'm thinking about," He mutters, presses curved lips to the crook of your neck and focuses on the spot.

Your breath is coming out a little heavier, your fingers tangling into his hair as he continues the gentle assault on your neck, but you try to keep up. "Care to share with the class?"

"Well," Steve starts, hands wandering downward to start to bunch up the bottom of your shirt. "I'm thinking about taking this off, for one."

Your position at the foot of your bed is a little awkward to manoeuvre, so Steve takes the opportunity to slowly stand over you, plants one last sloppy kiss to the dip of your throat before he's on his knees.

It makes you gasp, the sudden shift and the sight of him between your legs as he kisses the soft flesh of your stomach he's exposed. "I'm thinking about how fucking warm you are, and how soft your skin is." He leans back, moves to sit on his heels and brings one of your knees up to sit over his shoulder. The position makes the light fabric of your skirt fall back, bunches at the top of your thighs and leaves the cotton of your panties just hidden from his line of sight. He kisses the inside of your knee, one strong hand grasping the outside of your thigh, doesn't tear his eyes away from yours the entire time. "And I'm thinking about what other parts of you must taste like."

"Jesus Christ," You mutter, fall back against the mattress and look up at the ceiling because this might just be the best stupid decision you've ever made.

Steve chuckles, a deep reverberation that sends aftershocks through your body where his lips are still connected to your skin. "Are you gonna let me find out, sweetheart?"

"Jesus Christ," You say again, because what else are you supposed to say to something like that. You press up on your elbows, look down to see Steve already smiling at you, still annoyingly smug. "You can't just go around saying shit like that."

"Is that a yes?" He asks, and if there was any doubt in your mind all would be resolved by the feeling of his hand snaking under your skirt, fingers slipping just under the hem of your underwear.

"Please, yes. Fuck."

In any normal circumstance, you might register the fact that the two of you are still fully clothed, at the very least take off your shirts before you let another person take off your underwear. But this wasn't just any normal circumstance, and in that moment any force that could delay the feeling of his mouth on your cunt was sorely unwelcome.

Steve makes it slow, draws it out for as torturously long as he can before you're starting to squirm beneath him. He leans back, just so he can start to tug your panties down your legs, goosebumps rising at every tiny point of contact until the flimsy fabric has slipped to the floor.

Steve doesn't think he'll ever get over the way you say his name, not when he's heard it like this, the heady whine of it he earns with the first contact of his mouth on your clit.

Your hand is in his hair immediately, fingers threading through the thick strands and pressing him closer toward you, needing everything closer, craving everything impossibly closer than you could get it.

The tug isn't purposefully, simply another involuntary response your body gives at the feeling of him sucking your clit between his lips, along with your gasp and the arch of your back and the flex of your thighs. It does, however, pull something guttural out of his throat, the hum of it pressed against you sending a sharp shock of pleasure up your spine.

You say his name again, choked and frayed as it escapes through ragged breaths.

Steve pulls away, cruelly, awfully, leaves you hot and aching as he presses slick lips to the inside of your thigh. He kisses along, down, back up again, leaves behind quick little nips you're sure will leave marks tomorrow.

You laugh, a little because it tickles and mostly because you're not sure a guy has ever made you feel this good in your life, and this was only the crescendo.

"It's dangerous laughing at the guy who hasn't made you cum yet..." Another nip, quickly soothed by the warmth of his tongue. "Unless you wanna finish the job by yourself."

It just makes you laugh harder, knees coming up a little to close together and Steve has to tighten his grip to bring them back down. "No, no, no," You start, out of breath for multiple reasons, and when you look down at him he's grinning back at you, inexplicable and bright and beautiful. You comb your hand through his hair and bite your lip, slowly trying to tug him back towards you. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't laugh, promise. Just keep going."

Steve hides his smile back against the inside of your thigh, leaves one last mark. "Are you gonna ask nicely? I think it's the least I deserve after-"

"Fine! Fine, Jesus," You laugh, even though you had just promised you wouldn't, take a moment to compose something resembling a serious expression, make your best wide, innocent eyes at him. You give his hair a harsh tug. "Please make me cum, Steve."

And it has been a joke when he said it, but hearing the words come out of your mouth doesn't sound so funny anymore. The only thing hearing them does is make the strain in his pants exponentially tighter and brings his mouth back to you in an instant.

It's harsher, this time, relentless in the movement of his tongue and his lips over your clit. This time there's no mercy when it's too much, when you try to squirm and lessen the intensity of it all, the arm hooked around your thigh moving to spread over your pelvis and keep your hips in place as he works at you.

You try not to look at him, think as soon as you do the sight alone might be enough to make the rapidly growing well of heat in the pit of your stomach overflow. You can't help it though, when you feel the pads of his fingers start to tease at your entrance, tests the waters and let's another hum slip through when he finds you already dripping wet.

Your eyes meet his, and Steve gets to watch the look on your face as he presses two fingers into the sopping heat.

Steve wants that face burned into the inside of his retinas, wants to see it every time he closes his eyes and relive the feeling of your cunt clenching around his fingers. Your entire body is wound tight, he can feel it in his hand still spread over your hip and the flex of your thighs, sees it clear as day in the contortion of your face, and every point of tension is heightened tenfold when he starts to curl those fingers inside you.

You say his name again, different this time, pleading and needy and you want to let go so bad. Want to dispel all this energy into the universe and feel the waves of it drown you, crave the relief of that first deep breath of bliss that fills your lungs.

"I've got you, baby," Steve mutters, like he can read your mind or maybe he's just good at reading the cues, nods the best he can while still pressed against you when you look at him.

It snaps, like being cut loose, doesn't take much more of his mouth and fingers to have you falling and falling and falling.

That. That way you say his name. He's not sure you'll be able to top that.

Your hand slips out of his hair, meets your other one as you stretch out against the mattress with a sigh, a slow shiver creeping up your spine. "Jesus fucking Christ." You close your eyes and you laugh, because it's the only response you find fit enough for that.

"Now, what's funny?"

There's a mess against your thigh when Steve pulls his fingers away, slick and saliva melting on your skin as he slowly moves to crawl back up your body.

You open your eyes as soon as you feel his face hovering over yours, grinning and sloppy and hazy. You don't answer, say enough in the way you kiss him and wrap your arms tightly around his neck, welcome the taste of yourself on his tongue and the harsh squeeze he gives to your hip. "God, you're so fucking pretty."

You smile, catch him in another quick kiss, tugging his bottom lip between your teeth as you pull back away. "Funny, I was about to say the exact same thing." And it's true, because his hair is a mess and his face is flushed and you don't think anyone has ever been prettier.

"You think I'm pretty?" He asks, smug again, dips down to kiss the peak of your jaw.

"Like you haven't been called a pretty boy your whole life, pretty boy."

Steve gives you a lopsided grin and somehow becomes prettier. "And I never get sick of hearing it."

Steve kisses you, presses his smile to yours and waits until you're lucid enough to kiss him back. It's softer, for a little while, gentle in the way he cups your cheek and soothes the skin there with his thumb. It's you who deepens it, chases it as you bring your hand to the hem of his shirt. "Too many clothes."

You're right, of course; the two of you are still entirely clothed save for your underwear, a sore fact that Steve immediately moves to rectify, tugs his own shirt off and starts on the buttons of your blouse before you even register it.

"Careful, Jesus," You giggle, worried he might break a button, but even that's short-lived by the hasty urgency with which he takes off your shirt.

You have to sit up to let him slip the fabric down your arms, and as soon as you do he kisses you again, mumbles something unintelligible against your lips before his hands are at your waist and pushing you up the bed. "That's better."

You gape at him, not that he notices, too busy with looking down to work at the button of his jeans and kick them off.

He freezes when he meets your eyes again, reads the expression on your face. "What?"

"I can't believe I just got manhandled by Steve 'the hair' Harrington."

Steve sighs, dips his head into your neck so you can't see the deep blush that only exacerbates the condition of his face. "She told you about that?" He asks, muffled, oozing embarrassment, and it makes you laugh again.

"She absolutely did."

Steve nips at the crook of your neck, makes you gasp, and you're about to keep teasing him when he brings his face back to yours. "Let's change the subject?"

"To what?" You ask, smiling, tilt your chin up at him.

"To how perfect your boobs are and how much I want to fuck you right now."

You hum against him when he kisses you, effectively shutting you up as he takes a handful of your clothed breast and squeezes. His other hand slides up the outside of your thigh, hooking your leg around his waist, and with how close he's pressing against you you can feel just how hard he is. "A gentleman."

Steve smiles, presses one last heated kiss to your lips before he's leaning over you, dragging open the top drawer of his bedside table.

You take the opportunity to watch him, take in the solid, carved muscle of his stomach, the mass of dark chest hair, the flex of his bicep as he reaches for the small foil packet.

You want to touch him, and then you realise that you can, kiss him hard as soon as you can, hands slipping around the side of his waist to pull him in before gliding down his front.

The first inch of your fingers under the hem of his boxers makes him gasp, nodding when your eyes search his, asking for permission to dip further.

"Fuck," He mutters, squeezes his eyes shut for a moment and has to shake the fog in his brain loose, looks down to where he can just see the slow twist of your hand in his boxers. "You ready?"

You take the cue, remove your hand and mutter a quiet, "Yeah," before he's kissing you, kisses you and kisses you as he kicks off his boxers and moves to slip on the condom.

Steve pumps himself in his hand once, twice, four times, and then he's lining himself up with you, tip only just kissing your entrance. "I'll be gentle, yeah?"

You smile at him, shake your head into another kiss. "You don't have to be gentle with me, Steve."

He looks at you, mouth slack, and you have to nod to reassure him, a gentle squeeze at his waist to spur him on.

There's a slur of muffled, breathy profanities as Steve sinks into you, so slowly fills you up, makes you feel each tiny stretch of your walls around his cock.

You're both breathing the same hot, heavy air, open mouths slotted over the other, and the feeling of him finally pressed in to the hilt makes you both sigh. "Can I move?"

"Please," You breathe, and it's all Steve needs to start slowly pulling back, only makes it about halfway before he's pushing back in.

It's enough to knock the breath out of your lungs, regardless, the fullness of it all immeasurably more intense than you had prepared for. Steve's head is buried in your neck, pulls a little further out with the next movement of his hips, drives in with a little extra force.

"Faster, please, baby," You whine, needy and impatient and unashamed. The words make his grip on your thigh tighten, and he does what you ask, kisses down your neck and along your collar bone and peppers you in more tiny marks as picks up his movements.

It makes you moan, deep and echoing around the room and suddenly you don't know what you would have done if his parents had been home, or if you had had to sneak him into your place, don't think you could keep all this energy inside you without exploding.

"So big," You sigh, can't help the breaths and whimpers that catch in the back of your throat as his hips get even faster, chasing that same white-hot friction. "Feels so good, Steve. So- Fuck."

Your head presses back into the pillow, one arm coming up to wrap around his torso and dig your nails into his back. "Oh, fuck, there you go," He mutters, feels the sudden clench of you around him and thinks he might be done for, now and forever and until the next time you let him feel you like this again. "Can't believe how fucking tight you are, baby. So perfect."

Steve pulls his face back, dips his head to look at the place your bodies are connected, at the place you're swallowing him up and dripping onto his bed sheets and knows immediately it was a mistake, feels the shiver of pleasure it spreads throughout his body almost make him tremble.

But Steve's a gentleman, even if the brief manhandling may have told you otherwise, and he would be damned if he was gonna let himself cum before you.

He's not quite sure how you keep coming up with new ways to say his name, but the sound that slips out of you mouth when his thumb meets your clit is certainly new, only gets through the first couple of letters before melting into a low moan. You clench around him again, fluttering and velvet hot, and it makes Steve quicken the circling of his thumb, looking up to watch your face pinch with it.

"Are you gonna be good and cum for me, honey?"

"Holy fuck," You whine, don't miss a beat, open your eyes to already find him looking at you intensely, jaw slack and eyebrows loosely knit together, concentration and pleasure overwhelming his features. "Need it harder, baby. Wanna cum for you."

"Need it harder?" He repeats, doesn't wait for your answer for the next drive of his hips to be harsher, deeper, hits that spot inside you so well it almost makes you scream. "Need it rough? Like- Oh, fuck, I can feel you."

Steve can apparently tell you're about to cum sooner than you can, because all at once everything it too much, hits you so fast and so hard you don't even have time to warn him before you're coming apart around his cock.

And thank God, too, because Steve was already about to lose it, thumb on your clit working you through your orgasm as he stills inside you, moans into your mouth with a rough kiss.

Your legs are shaking, trembling in his touch and Steve registers the rush in his ears, high-pitched and muffling your shared pants into white noise.

Steve is now indubitably certain you're an angel.

-----

"You can drop me off at the end of the road, just in case Robin's still awake."

"Oh, right. Sure." He seems unsure, a little distant, and after the last couple hours, it makes your heart sink.

You turn to Steve, in the darkness, watching the street lights paint shadows through the angles of his face, his brow and his nose and his jaw. He's prettier than you think you'll ever admit, prettier than you could ever make him understand. "You're cool with this, right? Because nothing else has to happen if you're not."

"No, I'm cool with it. Totally cool, just like you said, I'm a cool guy." Steve smiles, and you smile at him, meet his eyes as soon as he's rolled the car to a stop at the bottom of your street.

"Cool."

You lean across the centre console and press a quick kiss to his cheek, feel the heat beneath your lips and know he's more flushed than the dim light is letting on.

You don't really pull away when you pull away, hover a couple inches away from his face as he turns towards you. Something pointy and solid is digging into your ribs, but you don't really care.

Steve kisses you, moulds you to him the same way he had in his room not so long before. His hand is on your cheek and his tongue is in your mouth and everything is hot. Too, too hot.

"Good night, Steve," You whisper, lips still brushing his because you're giving him another chaste kiss as soon as you say it.

request something! masterlist // series masterlist

You finally settle back into your side of the car, and all at once you're gone so fast Steve's own "Good night" hangs empty in the air.

part two

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x buckley!reader #steve harrington #stranger things #stranger things 4 #no stranger things spoilers #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington angst

[harlowtales]

PART 2

Jack faces a glitch in his master plan but can he turn things around?

📍See Part 1: Jack decides to teach his friends a lesson for how they treat Y/N

18+ Adult Themes - Drama/Language

It was all over town. Drake and JCole were coming to Lexington and of course Jack wouldn’t miss it. His two idols couldn’t pass through Kentucky without paying homage to the King of Kentucky. The buzz was crazy and there was already thousands of people on a Ticketmaster wait list.

Everyone in Jack’s crew looked forward to going. No question Jack would perform Churchill Downs with Drake and the afterparty would be legendary. Immediately his team went into preparation putting out promo. Jack started getting calls from his inner circle. “Of course you’re all coming” He said on his 20th call for the morning. Even his mother called. “Really mom?” He said incredulously.

As part of Jack’s team you flew into prep mode to support Neelam with anything she needed to coordinate the perfect experience with Drake and Cole’s teams. You got to FaceTime with both of them and realized Jack must have a nickname for you that he was telling everybody to call you by.

When Drake got on the phone with you he said the same thing as JCole “Sup lil Mama.” They endearingly said.

“Jackman.” You said seriously to Jack one morning, why’s everyone starting to call me “Lil Mama?”

“Cuz pups is Lil Yo and you Lil Mama.” He said as he pecked you on the forehead preparing to head to the studio for the day.

“Ah ok thanks for clearing that up.” You said smiling to yourself that he considered you, him, and the puppy such a unit. You didn’t live with him but you may as well. You had a lot of stuff at his place like clothes and a toothbrush. Technically you actually lived on campus.

Since the incident with you telling him about his female friends being two-faced with you Jack had a plan to fuck with them for fucking with you and you couldn’t wait.

You took “Lil Yo” a.k.a Lou Lou for a walk, went to the gym, and headed to art class. The bartender from the club Jack DJ’d at was in your class and always held a spot for you. “Hey girl” he said “You ready to present today?”

“So ready, I did a ton of research for this art history project. How about You?” You asked him.

“I’m not as prepared as you which is no surprise.” He replied with a sigh. “So has Mr. Lovin on Me proposed yet?”

You were surprised at the randomness of the question.

“Is there something you know that I don’t?” You said slightly irritated.

“Just think it’s been awhile. From what you’ve told me there’s no shortage of competition.” He said. Word in Jack’s circles was a proposal was coming.

Jack was going to pop the question and his female friends were saying in secret chat rooms that Jack could do better. Your friend was in that chat and you had no idea. He got chummy with some of them the night you ditched them to talk to him at the bar for so long. Finding out they had the same goals of hating you and Jack as a couple, they invited him into their inner circle of witches.

He wanted you badly since first year of college. The mission they gave him was to get things on you they could use and provoke a situation where you kiss, or even sleep with him and they get Jack back as an eligible bachelor. When Jack was single they believed one of them had a shot at landing him and they would all share the benefits in money, clothes, gifts, or trips, and have access to other rich men.

Jack was FaceTiming you which he often did when you were in class. He didn’t care about timing. Class hadn’t started yet so you picked up.

“Hey babe!” You said “what’s up?”

“Just wishing you good luck today.” He said but his smile soon faded.

“Hey What’s Poppin?” The bartender appeared and waved.

“Sup.” Jack said unceremoniously

You caught the change in Jack’s tone. “Babe are you good?” You asked concerned

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He said in a bit of a snarky way

“Ok either you’re suddenly bi-polar or I’m trippin.” You said about his complete switch up.

“He always sit next to you?” Jack asked

“Yeah of course, he saves me a seat most times cuz you know I’m always late.” You explained

“Oh of COURSE he saves a seat for you.” Jack repeated in a mocking way.

“Uh I gotta go hun. I love you, and don’t forget to call Drizzy this afternoon, we need everything to be perfect for the show.” You were a bit troubled by Jack’s change in behaviour all of a sudden and decided to bring him back to business.

After your presentation you were standing outside talking with your bartender friend and some other classmates who were congratulating you on a great presentation when a White Jeep rolled up with heavy bass thumping. Once people caught on who it was they swarmed the jeep screaming and whipped out their phones. Urban, Nemo, and Nicki waved to you as Jack jumped out with the puppy and came towards you. He had on jeans, a white tank top, and shades. A simple but deadly combination. He signed some autographs and took a few selfies on his way over to you and your friends.

“Baby.” He said handing you Lou Lou and planting a deep kiss on you making girls on campus wish they were you.

“Ummm hi” you said a bit embarrassed and a bit mesmerized as your lips parted. He always had that effect on you. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Well I thought I’d come see my girl and take her shopping.” He said glancing nonchalantly at the bartender who stood there with his arms folded.

“So as I was saying Y/N I think your point about Van Gough was spot on.” The bartender continued completely ignoring Jack Harlow just appeared. “Your work is amazing. I can’t wait to see it at a gallery one day. With all Jack’s connections I’m sure that’ll happen for you.” Bartender guy said. “Jack what’s your favourite piece Y/N has ever painted?”

Jack knew what this guy was trying to do but fact of the matter was Jack couldn’t really answer him. He was so absorbed in his career he didn’t know what your best work was.

“I can’t pick a favourite.” Jack said “Y/N is so talented, she can get her own opportunities and I’ll support whatever she does.”

“Wow, can’t even get a little hook up? That’s kinda rough Y/N.” The bartender said getting on Jack’s last nerve.

You watched the exchange in silence. Finally understanding what was going on. You decided to defend Jack. “You know if I was touring the globe I don’t think I’d have enough time to know all of my work either. Jack doesn’t have to know what his favourite painting of mine is. He supports me 100%.” You said lovingly looking up at Jack.

“Yeah well you’re an artist. Why did some other artist do his album cover? Drake’s 5 year old drew his album cover. Do you know all the words to Jack’s songs? I bet you know your favourite Jack Harlow song but he can’t tell us what his favourite painting is of his “Lil Mama?”” He dug into your deepest insecurities as you confided in him that you thought Jack was not selfish but self-absorbed.

Everyone was staring and a crowd was gathering. Jack didn’t want to make a scene and get you in trouble at school.

“Let’s go baby before someone gets hurt.” Jack said looking at the guy and then at his friends in the Jeep, sending a clear message. Jack’s radar went up. Only inner circle knew he called you his “Lil Mama”.

“Yeah Jack I agree let’s go” You said and looked disappointedly at who you thought was a good friend as you walked away.

“Why did you come to my school?” You said snapping your seat belt angrily.

“I thought you were happy to see me.” Jack said sarcastically.

“Since when do you show up at my school in your fucking sunglasses acting like you just showed up to some red carpet just to take me shopping? You don’t do shopping sprees, and I don’t want them. What douche bag is impersonating my boyfriend? And you should know my paintings and have a favourite!!! Everything is not about you!”

“You see what this fucking asshole is trying to do and it’s working!” Jack yelled as he hit the road. All the guys were quiet in the Jeep as you argued.

“Take me to my dorm.” You demanded.

Jack did want to take you shopping…for a ring. The thought of some other guy that shared your passion in life and could get into your head was not ok. He had to make a major move, but now he was just mad.

“Fine. Go back to your little dorm.” Jack said furiously

“I don’t even know who you are anymore.” You said bawling and slammed the Jeep door. You handed Lou Lou over to Urban and ran to your dorm. You weren’t even at the front door before you unfriended Jack on IG.

Jack’s female friends saw the unfollow as soon as it happened.

“You ok buddy?” One of them said as soon as he put them on speaker in the car.

“I’m fine why?” Jack said bewildered

“Y/N just unfollowed you.” She said

“What?” Jack said shocked “We had a fight, but why would she do that?”

“I never liked her. You don’t deserve that.” The girl said

“Naw you got it twisted. I don’t deserve Y/N” he said.

Jack couldn’t believe all the snakes in the grass and saw what everyone was trying to do to you and him. “Fellas, you wanna shut down a jewelry store so we can buy a ring in peace?” He said to his guys.

“A ring? After that just happened?” Urban said thinking his bestie had lost his mind.

“I need it now more than ever. Everyone tryna fuck me and Y/N up got it coming” Jack said determined.

“I’m down” Nemo said

“Let’s go fuck it up” Nicki agreed

“I think you’re crazy but count me in.” Said Urban

@itsyagirljaz @okaaay-mice @ride4harlow

#jack harlow #fanfic #jackman thomas harlow #romance #jack harlow fanfic #dramatic #jack harlow x y/n #jack harlow concepts #jack harlow x you #jack harlow x reader

[themirroredmoon]

Breathwork

WHAT IS BREATHWORK?

Breathwork is the active form of consciously working your breath to bypass the mind and enter a different state of awareness. This is what most people seek when meditating, and breathwork takes you to that place very quickly. The practice gives the brain's executive functioning something to focus on, so you can bypass the mental level of consciousness and drop into a deeper state of consciousness, where healing, spirit, and love reside.

HOW DO YOU DO BREATHWORK?

There are many types of breathwork techniques, and each form of breath has a unique purpose and creates a different effect. As you breathe, you will become aware of thoughts, feelings, memories, and patterns that are not aligned with love and self-love. Even though many of us have processed childhood, beliefs, patterns in psychiatry, therapy, coaching, or healing, breathwork offers an opportunity to release any energy that has been unconsciously residing in the body or energetic system. Once those energies are released, there is more space for your inherent life force to flow through you.

There are little-to-no rules when it comes to establishing your own breathwork routine: You can practice in person with a teacher (in a group or solo setting), tune into a digital session, or guide yourself through a breath sequence from home or even in the middle of your work/school day.

BREATHWORK VS YOGA AND MEDITATION

Breathing practices are on the rise, and there's a reason why: Unlike meditation, where we are aware of our mental chatter, breathwork allows us to disconnect from the mind and reconnect with our body and energy. From this elevated state of awareness, we are able to heal, grow, and expand.

While meditation is an extremely useful form of self-reflection because it allows us to see the pace, substance, and truth of our thoughts, it also keeps us stuck in our mind, while many people are seeking to get out of their own heads. Meditation is a slow and steady practice that over a period of time will shift our perspective. But many people are seeking relief now, and meditation does not bring the relief they are looking for. Breathwork, on the other hand, can be easier to drop into when you are seeking more immediate feedback. It's a great tool to pull out when you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or off-center.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM BREATHWORK?

There is a misconception that healing arts are for individuals who are struggling or suffering. And yes, breathwork is very supportive for stress, tension, overwhelm, anxiety, depression, fear, trauma, insomnia, etc. But breathwork is also nourishing for someone who is doing well and feels ready for the next opening—the next layer of love, peace, gratitude, clarity, connection, and insights.

SOME THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Some of the side effects that someone might experience during breathwork include tingling, buzzing, warming, cooling, or tightness in certain parts of their body. They may see colors or images or have downloads and insights. No matter what, whatever is happening is supposed to be happening. Your body has an innate intelligence and wisdom and it will support you in releasing what no longer serves you.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Breathwork, on the other hand, is an active form of meditation that allows us to disconnect from the mind and be guided by our body and heart. As we breathe out thoughts, beliefs, memories, actions that do not support our growth, we return to our wholeness and feel more equipped to handle stress, anxiety, and lingering trauma. There are many different breathwork techniques, and each one has a unique purpose and effect on the body. Here are three beginner techniques that deserve a spot in your repertoire and some recommendations for how and when to use them.

THE 4-7-8 BREATH

The Relaxing Breath from Andrew Weil, M.D., also known as 4-7-8 breathing, helps to slow down and calm the body. It slows the heart rate, brings our consciousness to the present moment, and slows the nervous system, bringing a feeling of calm and peace. This breath is ideal when you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, angry, triggered, and have trouble sleeping. It has the added bonus of teaching the body to take in less (in a culture where we saturate the mind and body with external stimulation), how to create space between inhale and exhale, as well as how to release excess energy and thought from the body.

HOW TO DO IT The traditional way of doing 4-7-8 breathing is to empty the lungs of air, breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, exhale out of the mouth for 8 seconds, and repeat at least 4 times. As you breathe in, imagine the grounded and nourishing energy of the earth, mountains, trees, plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs coming up into your body. As you hold your breath, visualize the breath spiraling up the center of your body and pulling any energy or thought that does not serve you. Then as you exhale over 8 seconds, imagine that excess energy releasing out of the mouth, and visualize light pouring through the top of your head back down to your feet and the earth below you.

THE 4-4-4-4 BREATH

Box Breathing comes through the Navy SEAL lineage and is also known as Square breathing, or 4-4-4-4 breath. This breathwork technique slows the heart rate and deepens concentration. It heightens efficiency and performance, as well as provides stress relief. It's best to use in the morning to wake up, in the middle of the day if sleepy, or before a big project or meeting that requires your focus.

HOW TO DO IT

To practice this technique, start by releasing all of the air from your chest, and hold your breath for 4 seconds, then breathe through the nose for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 4 seconds, then exhale out of the nose for 4 seconds. Repeat this cycle for 5 minutes to feel the effects. As you are inhaling, imagine the earth element of the north rising up and nourishing the physical body. As you hold your breath, imagine the breath swooping through the mind like the wind element of the east, clearing out any thoughts that do not serve and keeping the thoughts that do serve you. As you exhale out of the mouth, imagine the fire element of the south that resides in the center and heart of our body, burning any thoughts and feelings in our emotional heart and belly to release through the mouth (traditional box breath exhales out of the nose, but some like to exhale out of the mouth to incorporate the heart's energy).

THE 5-5 BREATH

While our natural tendency is to breathe at a rate of two or three seconds per minute, Coherent Breathing, or the 5-5 breath, is a controlled and conscious breathing practice that slows down our breathing to 4 seconds and then 5 seconds. The 5-5 breath is ideal for an overall sense of calm and can be practiced throughout the day.

HOW TO DO IT

To start, focus on the natural rhythm of your breath to obtain a baseline length of each inhale and exhale. Then for 1 minute, breathe in for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds. Then repeat for 5 seconds, then repeat for 6 seconds, and if you want to, gradually expand to 10 seconds. Start with 5 minutes total and work your way up over time to 20 minutes. Imagine the earth energy rising up into the body, and then the thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in the body that you no longer want to hold on to, releasing out of the body through the exhale. The best way to know which technique is right for you is to first identify what you are struggling with and what you are seeking. These are suggestions, but as with any healing modality, it is best to experiment with each form to see which one feels most aligned with where you are. Remember, your breath is your inherent healer and guide inside of you.

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