#lower the perceived stakes

[maaarine]

The Heteronormativity Theory of Low Sexual Desire in Women Partnered with Men

"Since the birth of the twins, Denise felt a great sense of loss after leaving her previously rewarding job, James’ work increased in duration to compensate for the shift in income, and Denise’s identity as a mother superseded any sense of herself as a partner or lover.

She lost desire for sex and for James completely and perceived his requests for sex as intrusive; they were yet another demand placed upon her following a full day of devoting herself to her two demanding children who slept no longer than 4-h intervals through the night, even now at 22 months old.

James withdrew from childcare and household chores and activities, in part due to exhaustion following his 14-h work days and in part to “punish” Denise for withholding sex from him.

She resented him for expecting that she would be the sole caretaker for their children, and lost attraction for him as he increasingly retreated to online gaming late at night after the twins were asleep.

(…)

And yet, as they went to leave the end of their first session with the therapist, James turned to the provider and asked, point-blank, whether she thought that “the female Viagra” could help solve their woes.

This case study is one example of the issues plaguing perceptions of low sexual desire in women partnered with men.

That is, while James and Denise’s situation seems an obvious example of contextually-determined low desire, James ascribed the problem to a biological dysfunction in Denise’s body.

The idea that low desire rests in the individual reflects an essentialist view of sexuality that has been advanced by the medical field for decades and cogently critiqued. As such, James’ reaction is not particularly surprising or uncommon.

(…)

But why have essentialist, medicalized views of sexuality come to monopolize how people understand low sexual desire?

One argument is neoliberal—that locating the problem of low desire in individuals’ bodies has high financial stakes.

Naming low desire as an individualized biological dysfunction creates a demand for biological (i.e., medical) solutions; thus, pharmaceutical companies stand to gain by selling a “treatment.”

(…)

It reflects what has become a suspiciously common pattern in women’s relationships with men more broadly, where a woman’s sexual desire disappears and/or becomes “too low” and then is deemed a dysfunction within the woman.

This pattern is suspicious because the numbers of women reporting low desire are so high that they might be modal, if not ordinary; and, they are certainly too high to reflect individual pathologies within individual women’s bodies.

It is also suspicious because many women who report low sexual desire describe considerably similar interpersonal problems with their men partners.

Thus, while low desire is likely not an individual problem within Denise’ body, the issues and inequities it results from are also likely not an individual problem within James or the interpersonal dynamics of James’ and Denise’s specific relationship.

Instead, we turn to a structural level explanation: gender norms, following other foundational work.

(…)

Desire is often situated as low because of its relative status to a partner’s level of desire.

Interestingly, however, this is not a gender-neutral process and the bound is often set with the man partner as reference point.

Accordingly, when a woman experiences lower desire than a man partner, her desire is often labeled low.

In the converse situation, however, men are still the referent: in the case of a man reporting lower desire than a woman partner, the woman’s desire is labeled too high (e.g., they are labeled insatiable or “sluts” in negative ways), rather than the man’s desire being labeled too low.

This highlights the gendered subjectivity inherent to conceptualizations of low desire, where low desire is most often seen as residing not just in bodies, but in women’s bodies relative to men’s desires.

(…)

In Prediction 2.1, heteronormativity’s inequitable casting of women into a caregiver-mother role to men partners contributes to the women’s lower desire.

While heteronormativity slots women into nurturant caregiving roles in general, this caregiving is also directed at men partners specifically.

Nurturance—warm, loving, and caring treatment—is a critical aspect of long-term and/or successful relationships, but one inequitably shared between women and men in relationships with each other.

Heteronormative asymmetries in caregiving can matter not only because they are inequitable, but because they translate into dependencies that contravene contemporary norms of relational interdependence.

Interdependent relationships involve a mutual ethic of care, with partners supporting each other simultaneously or sequentially, akin to a something like a mix of equals, friends, and sexual partners.

The gender inequities inherent to heteronormative framings of complementarity violate norms of relational interdependence, transforming expectations of a partner–partner relationship into something closer to one that is caregiver-dependent or mother–child.

Women end up doing many of the same things for their men partners as mothers do for their children, e.g., reminding them of chores, organizing social events (or playdates), buying clothes, ensuring there is food for snacks and meals and that these are made available.

Additionally, women often take on tasks for their husbands or other men partners that were originally performed by the men’s mothers, perhaps an implicitly-held leftover from more historical understandings of marriage.

(…)

In Prediction 3.1, the heteronormative push for women to focus on their appearance, especially during and in reference to sexual activity, contributes to their low desire.

Heteronormativity focuses on women’s sexual appearance over their pleasure, socializing women to be sexy rather than sexual.

It positions women as sexual objects for men partners, and women’s bodies as offerings gifted to men for sex as part of a relationship contract.

This can result in sexual objectification.

The internalization of this objectification—sexual self-objectification—means that women’s desire is often contingent upon whether they think they are desirable.

(…)

Penetrative intercourse is painted as the only version of “real sex” within heteronormativity, but women have a low likelihood of experiencing orgasm (a highly pleasurable experience) with penetrative intercourse.

Heteronormativity means that, though women may want to be sexual, even with men partners, they are often taught that they can’t be in the ways that are more likely to feel pleasurable for them.

This ongoing separation between experiences of desire and sexual pleasure may dampen desire because it is not reinforced or followed up by sexual activity that actually leads to sexual pleasure.

In Prediction 4.3, seeing sex as a duty to perform with men will contribute to lower desire in women.

Some women have sex they want, and some women have sex that their men partners want and that the women are open to.

But a number of women (and almost no men) have reported in a nationally representative survey that they engaged with sex because it was part of their job, a duty or obligation of being married, which is a heteronormative hallmark.

“Duty sex” is not very sexy, and people—including men—report losing sexual interest in this situation, as occurred in our case study above.

(…)

Moreover, that low desire is seen as a medical and health issue could make for a circular association between it and chronic stress.

Women come to know their desire as “too low” and report feeling like failures as women and partners, making for an iatrogenic source of chronic stress.

Locating the “problem” of low desire in women’s bodies and minds ultimately places the responsibility for it on women, arguably a form of gaslighting when the problem exists outside women and will not be fixed with individual effort.

This can exacerbate women’s stress, by placing yet another responsibility on their shoulders but one that is impossible: to fix their desire problem by fixing themselves, when they are not the problem."

#article #weaker sex

[ms-demeanor]

hello! sorry to bother w this but im sort of desperate at this point. given your post about school abuse: so like. i had a similar experience and i thought that i had sorted my brain out. BUT. big but. now im trans and every time i have to correct people w/ misgender or come out to people that i dont already know their opinion on the issue, i get an anxiety attack that makes me unable to do it. ive told many therapists and no one so far has understood why im terrified of making stuff that other people can perceive as me being difficult to work with. would you have *any* advice? thanks!

Okay so first of all it is totally valid to feel that way; that isn't an irrational response, that is your body and brain going "!!!! I have learned this lesson before!" But just because it's a sensible response doesn't mean it's functional in the long term, which is why it needs to be addressed (which I'm sure you already know, I'm just explaining for people in the back).

So now here is some meandering advice:

Spend time with people you already know you can trust. It's okay to take a break from new people and situations (as much as is possible) when you are processing traumatic events and learning to care for yourself. Spending time with people who you don't have to come out to, who don't misgender you, can help you normalize being out and correctly gendered to yourself.

Recognize that you don't have to be out to everyone and some assholes aren't worth it. This is going to depend some on the context, but you don't owe everybody an explanation for yourself and if people repeatedly misgender you after being corrected you may just be better off not spending time around those people.

Loop in trusted people in low-stakes ways. If you get the sense that someone who you think is pretty safe has misgendered you on accident, it might still feel too intimidating to correct them in person but it might be a good idea to follow up with text or a call or a message to say "hey, just FYI, I think I heard you use a/b pronouns for me earlier, I just wanted to let you know that I use c/d pronouns. Did you want to meet up again next week?" the breakdown on why I think this is effective is - Distance means you're safe - nonthreatening "FYI" means you aren't saying "I'm offended" and assumes good faith from the other person - feels less accusatory (not that you need to tone police yourself, but if you're trying to lower the stress level overall then assuming it was a mistake and letting them know you don't think it was on purpose should reduce the overall tension) - request to meet up again or topic switch to something lighter once again says "I'm not mad, that was just regular information, we can now return to our scheduled programming"

I think that, generally speaking, this is also a decent way to come out to people if you're nervous; physically remote and emotionally casual can be a good place to work from (even if you're actually panicking in your head but you can pull off casual in a written message)

Find (or create) a space where people are 100% going to support you. If you need to create a discord server, if you need to schedule a regular coffee date with trusted friends or family members, whatever it is, give yourself a space where you are unconditionally supported and can have people to bounce ideas and concerns off of. Even if it's just you and one other person, it's good to know you have *someone* who you can say "I think I want to tell this other person to use my pronouns but it's scary" to and know that you're not at risk in any way. I'd say try to make sure that you're still interacting with people outside of that space, but have a space to retreat to where you can just drop the worry.

Recognize that somebody else's problem is not a reflection of you. If you have, for instance, a coworker who is being a piece of shit and refusing to recognize your gender, that is not a reflection of your gender that is a reflection of them being a piece of shit. If there is a classmate or a sibling who uses the wrong pronouns after being corrected that doesn't mean you're not entitled to your pronouns that means they are being a piece of shit. Some people are just not going to accept you and that's on them. Try to minimize your time spent with them and if you have to spend time with them at work take steps to ensure your safety, but don't fight losing battles with assholes.

It really is legitimately scary. You have good reasons to be scared and you are doing a very frightening thing (and not to do the meme thing but you are legitimately being so brave about it; the fact that you are reaching out and asking anyone for help, including randos on the internet, means that you are taking steps to doing the scary thing and that is SO GOOD and I'm really proud of you for making the effort in spite of the fear).

Here is some less meandering advice:

Practice. Talk to yourself in the mirror, practice with friends, practice with your therapist. Practice coming out to yourself in a casual way. Practice correcting your pronouns. Practice an introduction for yourself that explains the information you want to give to new people you might meet. Get it down to a quick little patter, get it to be something that's easy to say to yourself in the mirror first, then try it with friends for practice, then try it around the safer people you might want to give the information to. It'll get easier as you go.

Look for a local support group (or an online support group). If there's a local LGBTQ+ center you should see if they've got events going on or a support group you can join or workshops or any manner of social thing where you can go interact with people who have been through similar stuff.

Journal. Each time you find yourself frightened of talking to someone about your gender, do what you need to to get through the day and then sit down and think about that interaction. Write down what happened, write down what you were thinking. Was there something in particular that made you anxious? Is it something you can practice addressing? Was there something you noticed about the person that made you uncomfortable? Is that a common thread in the times you have trouble talking about this? If you're able to narrow down specifically what is making it hard to speak to some people that might make it easier to explain to therapists but will also make it more actionable for you.

Here's some very optimistic advice:

If at all possible find a friend who will be rabid and unflinching in their support for you and hang out with them around new people. Get yourself an attack dog copilot who will cheerfully step up and make corrections for you. I know not everyone can do this and I know that if you can find someone like this they can't be around all the time, but it can be wonderfully reassuring to find that one person who you know is going to be ride or die about making sure that everyone in the room respects you. (Being that person for someone else can also teach you how to be that person for you)

[xensilverquill]

The stormchaser kirin (Kirinus nimbus), also known as the river warden, is a medium-sized, herbivorous chimera native to the great savannas of the Sunken Continent. Individuals stake claims to stretches of river banks and local watering holes and become increasingly territorial until the beginning of the rainy season. Its double set of fleshy whiskers are highly sensitive to changes in humidity and barometric pressure and are thus thought to enable it to predict the weather. Individuals are often observed running in the wake of thunderstorms. Kirin will briefly gather in herds of up to a few hundred individuals to mate and graze together during the peak of the rainy season before dispersing once again.

Previous | Next

(Extended species description under readmore.)

The stormchaser kirin (Kirinus nimbus), also known as the river warden, is a medium-sized, herbivorous chimera native to the great savannas of the Sunken Continent

A double set of flexible fleshy whiskers grow from the kirin's snout and lower jaw. These neuron-dense appendages are highly sensitive to changes in humidity and barometric pressure. It is theorized that these whiskers enable kirin to predict incoming weather up to one hundred miles away, and it has been observed to run in the wake of thunderstorms.

Like other kirin species, its head and nose horns are characterized by a two-part structure. Bony cone-shaped protrusions grow from its skull and are covered in a keratinous sheath. The outer layer is typically shed shortly after the beginning of the rainy season and regrown by the peak of the dry season. The size of each of its horns as well as the number of tines in the head horns increase with an individual's age.

This species is characterized by its lion-like mane and tail as well as the feathering on its legs. This thick fur starts as a dark gray on foals and lightens with age. Kirin have been observed to puff up their mane and tail in both territorial and mating displays.

Adult stormchaser kirin are solitary for much of the year. Individuals stake claims to grazing territory along stretches of river banks and local watering holes. They become increasingly territorial until the beginning of the rainy season and will actively drive away any animal they perceive as a competitor (or a danger to their foals in the case of brooding individuals).

Kirin will briefly gather in herds of up to a few hundred individuals (also known as tempests) to mate and graze together during the peak of the rainy season. A grown female (also known as a rin) will gather and defend a harem of two to eight males (also known as a ki). While this species does not exhibit a high degree of sexual dimorphism, stormchaser rins are slightly larger on average than kis.

Rins lay soft, leathery-shelled eggs in small clutches in the dry season. Nests are typically made in dense, thorny thickets. Superfecundation is common in kirin, and each kirin foal may have a different sire. Foals mature quickly and either wander away or are driven out by their mother by the following dry season. Adolescent foals from the same clutch have been observed to briefly travel together in a group known as a scud.

Mortality rate is high amongst young stormchaser kirin, with only an estimated one in four surviving to adulthood. Sand sharks and phoenixes are common predators, and older kirin will often kill younger individuals in territorial skirmishes.

--

A friend of mine gave me some beautiful cloud-patterned yarn for a holiday/b-day present, and I’m so excited to finally use it! I had a lot of fun figuring out leg/body proportions on this guy. He’s going to be the centerpiece for an event I’m going to in a few weeks and I’m so stoked with how he turned out!

#kirin #qilin #amigurumi #fantasy #crochetblr #xen makes frens #beasts of the sunken continent #his name is cirrus and he needs $0.32 for bus fare to get back to his husband edgar and their 52 grandchildren

[lillified]

can i ask what the general lore for your au is? love me some good lore

I think I’ve done a pitch outline before that’s covered some of this, but I can give you the basic background for reference! (Tumblr page search seems a bit broken the further back you get anyway)

Cybertron is an alien planet with a long history of strife. Following the reign of the Quintessons, a hostile and colonial alien species, and their eventual ousting, the remnants of a military-industrial state and its tyrannical caste system left only a matter of time before massive conflict erupted.

Cybertron: The original home planet of the Cybertronians, and the current territory of the Autobots. Cybertron is a very ancient planet formed around the remnants of an enormous organic “ancestor,” whose blood and other material is extracted for use as food. This organic material is vital to the survival of all Cybertronians, and the most important component, Energon, is extremely highly coveted. It can be found sparingly in other parts of the universe (notably other early established Cybertronian space colonies), but without access to the original ancestor, or its sparsely documented relatives and protégé, it is unrenewable, which would inevitably mark the end of the Cybertronian race. Extensive industrialization on a global scale made Energon sparse, and an exhaustive global war only exacerbated this scarcity.

The Decepticons: Made up primarily of the former lower castes of Cybertron, the Decepticons are a mish-mash group of revolutionary mercenaries, banded together to end the tyrannical rule of Cybertron. Although they were originally known as the Ascenticons, they gained the derogatory name after their defacto “leader,” Megatron, permanently maimed her rival for the primacy, Optimus, during a political demonstration that turned violent. Optimus was famously left without a lower jaw, and the brutal scuffle was used to galvanize moderates against the perceived extremity of the group.

Now, having been largely driven off of Cybertron after a battle which devastated both sides., the fractured branches of the Decepticons struggle to find places they can recoup and regather amid the cosmos. Their primary squad, team Alpha, is currently drifting in space, eagerly anticipating the day it can find the resources to reestablish communication with what remains of the Decepticon army.

The Autobots: A faction formed out of the former military of Cybertron and its allies. Figureheaded by the stoic and personable Optimus Prime, the Autobots barely hold onto control of Cybertron, and seek to persist against the Decepticons’ demands for radical reconstruction. Now made up of many of Cybertronian’s youth, plenty of Autobot soldiers aren’t fully aware of what they’re fighting for, and barely retain memories of life before the war. If the current course of the war continues, they hope to drive the Decepticons out of anywhere they’ve hidden until they surrender and concede.

The Present: With impassible stakes for everyone involved, if they want any hope of surviving and reclaiming Cybertron, the Decepticons must do the impossible: overcome their many differences and work as a team. Our story starts in the far reaches of space, where Decepticon Team Alpha is searching for resources and a temporary residence where they can begin to reestablish communication with their allies.

The members of Team Alpha include:

Megatron: the melancholic leader, whose reputation does not match her lethargic withdrawal.

Starscream: the second in command with a penchant for mutiny. Her disloyalty is kept a secret, for both Megatron’s sake and Starscream’s.

Soundwave: the enigmatic and cynically self-important communications officer and third in command. Their speciality is espionage and information control, though they haven’t seen much of it recently.

Lockdown: former bounty hunter turned medic. this mean-looking ‘Con might not be certified, but in a pinch, he’ll patch you up—by any means necessary.

Knockout: the only thing worse than a mad doctor is his lackadaisical and negligent assistant. Knockout doesn’t really believe the Decepticons will win, but his hate for the Autobots is stronger than his realism.

Breakdown: a bruiser-in-training rescued from a docked Decepticon warship. He and Blitzwing were the only trainees who survived being stasis fried. Albeit a strong and capable fighter, this ‘Con doesn’t really have the “Deception grit” yet.

Blitzwing: Breakdown’s fellow soldier. Though she was also trained to be a mercenary, Blitzwing lacks a lot of the natural talent for fighting Breakdown has. Her unrecognized skill lies in weaponsmithing, though Starscream hopes to make a competent combatant out of her yet.

Ravage: don’t be fooled—this weapon class Minicon only looks like a Cybercat. The eldest of Decepticon team alpha, this odd bot gave up his Cybertronian appearance to live out the laid back life of a lazy mechanimal. His powerful spark makes him Megatron’s weapon of choice.

#transformers #ask #text post #text #long post #lore

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Idk how I feel about armys saying Hobi's streams are lower because of the fandom hating the rapline and others saying it's because of boycotters. Something about both narratives rub me the wrong way, as if both sides are trying to push narratives that don't truly really stand up.

You've said you don't focus on streams I think but you're still a rapline bias BPP. You still bias Hobi so you know about his streams. How do you reconcile how these narratives are?

***

I don't think this is complicated. Hobi's numbers were lower because some ARMYs didn't stream his album. That's it. It's the same case for RM.

It doesn't mean the fandom "hates" the rapline or that boycotters are to blame (given they so far appear to be a small minority). It just confirms that the fandom has imploded and so there is less cohesion around music goals, and so ARMYs who just aren't the audience for that kind of music aren't going to stream it.

What I've observed is that the core fandom that also started with BTS, are hiphop-heads. They are fans who actually enjoy the grit, the experimentation, and the crudeness of hip hop, which is the bread and butter of the BTS rapline.

When we used to be a proper country, it was the fandom that worked to make much of that music more palatable for other parts of the fandom, by translating and spreading interesting nuances in their lyricism, by making cool edits and fan mixes, by hosting stream parties with fun playlists, etc. It gave the members a headstart in building an audience. It took cohesive initiative from the fandom, and now much of that cohesive initiative is either hibernating or gone. If BigHit actually knew what they were doing (which is dubious given what MHJ has shown about BigHit and HYBE), they'd take the headstart the fandom gave them and work to establish a more solid market/audience for the members as they matured.

But for that to happen, BigHit has to know how to actually market the members beyond k-pop, beyond mindless radio pop, to more specific audiences. And lol, well, I'm still waiting to see that happen. Just look at the difference in quality between the kind of collaborators the members themselves seek out to work with (Little Sims and Ryuichi Sakamoto) vs. what HYBE arranges for them (Kodak Black and Central Cee).

I'm not worried for RM though. I've never been the sort of fan to take personal stake in his accolades, rankings, or perceived success, but even then I can see he's still doing more than fine, all things considered. Could be have a better performance if more of the fandom was engaged or if BigHit marketed him more to an audience that would better appreciate his solo work? Of course, but I don't ascribe the reasons for that not happening to "hate" or whatever ARMYs think boycotters are doing.

If anything, I find the blame-shifting from ARMYs to boycotters a bit cringe. The fandom is split, people are distracted and most of the people here are more focused on fighting a war on Bang Sihyuk's behalf than actually focusing on BTS and taking time to appreciate their work. It's a bit pathetic, but not malicious and frankly, it's expected.

Stream Neuron and Right People Wrong Place.

#bts #bts rapline #namjoon #hoseok #bts fandom #bts army #bighit #hybe #bang pd #hybe boycott #rapline bias

[sideprince]

for the snape asks: 1, 12 and 14 please :)

Your favorite thing about Snape?

He gives no fucks and yet also cares so SO deeply.

He doesn't care what people think of him. He has a wonderful tenacity that comes from standing up for himself and not being intimidated by how others perceive him. We see it on the Hogwarts Express when he meets James and Sirius, we see it in the way he fights back again and again when they bully him, and we see it in him as a teacher. He doesn't care if people don't like him, because he's certain in his perceptions and perspectives. He doesn't care what the students think of him, or what Fudge thinks of him as he shows him his Dark Mark, or even what someone like Umbridge thinks. He can't help but be snarky because however full of self-loathing he might be, he also knows that he's the smartest person in the room and ran out of patience for everyone else's bullshit a long time ago.

At the same time, he is so deeply invested in serving Lily's memory and protecting her son, and as he grows as a person he comes to care so much for saving any lives he can, that his dedication ultimately costs him his life. As he works towards that moment, knowing it's on the horizon, his lack of needing to be liked by anyone serves him every step of the way. Chef's kiss.

12. While on the topic of Movie Snape, what’s your favorite Snape-shot from the films?

Brilliant. Best moment in the entire film series, without a doubt. Not one word of dialogue, yet it says so much. This is why Rickman was right for the role, in my opinion. He was incredible with physical work, and Snape, being a terse, serious, closed off character needed to be portrayed by an actor who knew how to speak through their eyes and movements.

The way he lowers his wand to signal he means no harm to Harry and isn't threatening him. The way his eyes convey a trust in Harry while also asking him to trust him in kind. The certainty in his hand as he puts his finger to his lips to convey that he knows something Harry doesn't. The look on his whole face, that says, we're not teacher and student right now, we're both here to serve the same greater purpose and we both know what's at stake. It starts with these these two characters who have a history of not trusting or respecting each other raising their wands to each other, and ends with him having Harry's trust and being in control, all in the span of three seconds. It shifts the dynamic between these two characters entirely. It’s the most connected and intimate these two are in the entire film series.

Snape's motivation is that he knows the moment he's dreaded has come, that he has to kill Dumbledore now, and he also knows that he needs to keep Harry quiet and below the action of the scene to protect him. Even though seconds later he will kill Dumbledore, in this moment Rickman is able sell the audience on the idea that this character has Harry's trust, serving both the goal of the moment between these two characters, and of the story itself because having that trust gives him something to subvert and raise the stakes in the drama of the moment that follows immediately after. There's an incredible amount of storytelling packed into three seconds here, and it's all character work. It's not the dialogue, and it's not the direction, it's pure physicality and decades of acting training and movement work culminating in a moment that looks deceptively simple and is beautifully, profoundly effective.

14. Favorite Snape line/moment? (books or movies!)

I love the moments where he lets the control over his facade slip for a moment and gives away who he really is, like when he's in the middle of an Occlumency lesson with Harry and hears a scream upstairs and immediately runs off without locking his office or telling Harry to get out. Or like when he runs upstairs from the dungeons in his night shirt in the middle of the night because he hears the opened TriWizard egg screeching and doesn't know what it is, just that it sounds like wailing. He forgets his own vulnerability, running out in a nightshirt that would, no doubt, make him look silly in front of colleagues or rogue students, and definitely doesn't help when he's confronted with Moody who already has him on the back foot Not to mention that the castle is described as cold and the man doesn't even think to throw on a dressing gown, he's just off like a bullet because someone might be in danger. I love seeing this character who's controlled, meticulous, who thinks first and then speaks, who observes more than he reveals, who's set up as a foil and is villainized by the protagonist of the narrative, drop everything because he thinks someone is threatened. Love a good chink in the armor.

I also love his first scene in the PS film. Dramatic. Ruthless. Establishes exactly who this guy is and his zero tolerance policy on bullshit. Irrevocably changes the vibe in the room when he walks in. Threateningly charismatic. Love to see it.

#asks #st-severus

[caesarflickermans]

Is The Capitol supposed to be the Western/Developed world or is it supposed to be the Elite of the Western world or is it both? Are there social classes in the capitol or are they all wealthy? I ask because living in the prosperous West even as a "poor" person we have access to sooooo much even if it's cheap stuff, we have an abundance of it all being shipped from factories from poorer countries. Who would you say are the capitol residents in the real world, is it us or is it the celebrities going to the Met Gala?

From what I’ve seen, people very frequently misconstrue the Capitol as the rich people in our society alone. As you mention, especially the Met Gala is perceived as a prime example due to its similarity in the crazy fashion that the Capitol likes to display.

However, this reading tends to forget the class system that is ever present in the Capitol. While we see people like Snow with his large mention, or people like Caesar and Plutarch who, by all means, seem to have a luxurious lifestyle when we meet them in the trilogy, there’s other Capitol citizens who do not live such lives.

Plutarch talks about how becoming a peacekeeper is a means of escaping debt in the Capitol, thus making the peacekeepers not only a way of escaping debt, but further an instrument for the government to wield in keeping their peacekeeping forces high (MJ, 6). We can rightfully assume that plenty of debt goes to unnecessary materialistic spendings that aim at keeping the illusion of a specific lifestyle to the outside world: new clothes, expensive brands, luxurious expenses.

However, our dying middle class proves to us how difficult it can be to afford a living, and how few receive a living wage. High rents, high costs of food. Who is to say the Capitol does not have that, too? In fact, with the peacekeepers being such an overt parallel to US military that often tends to prey on those who have no other opportunity, keeping a lower to middle class in the Capitol has its advantages for the ruling class: The low and middle class in the Capitol have someone to kick down to while striving to rise in a class system that will not truly let them.

Katniss’ stay at one of the Capitol apartment’s also leaves us with an impression of the ‘average’ Capitol life. Apartments that are furbished exactly the same as well as food scarcity that has had people stock up on supplies (a certain pandemic comes to mind) (MJ, 21).

The Hunger Games has had us experience this world from Katniss’ point of view. We emphasise with her, and for that to happen the Capitol needed to appear like an outlandish place from the view of someone oppressed.

I do wonder how people in poorer countries look at us: Do they see the Instagram influencers, the Shein and temu purchases, the maintaining of an aesthetic in fashion and appearance? The wastefulness of our water and food? Do they see how we spend our time obsessing over new TV shows and being online seemingly 24/7 virtue signing about the newest conflict where we do not have any stakes from the comfort of our couch, having forgotten about it by the next week?

How, then, are we not the Capitol?

#the hunger games #thg #thg meta #mhmm this is why i love exploring the capitol <3 #thank u anon for letting me rant about one of my fav topics

[moriartyluver]

FALSE LOVERS CHAPTER XIV

"WHERE DID BROTHER GO..?" A drunken (name) mumbled in William's arms. He had on hand to her back and the other on the underside of her knees.

After her encounter with Sherlock, (name) had went to the lounge to socialise with other aristocrats and keep and eye on Enders, but during her time there, she had had a few glasses of wine to drink and being the lightweight she was, she was now drunk. Albert had managed to find William and leave (name) with him to take care of. Thankfully, (name) was a bit more of a silent drunk and none of the other nobles had perceived her behaviour as odd nor was her reputation at stake.

"Are you calling Albert 'brother' now?" William chuckled as he opened their shared room

(Name) squinted her eyes at him as she leaned further against his chest "No...brother...(brothers name).." she muttered. William looked at her curiously

'(Name) has a brother..?'

Without warning, (name) had cupped William's face in her palms, running her thumb along his pale skin as she brought him closer to her. A tinge of pink had risen to his face within seconds while (name) laughed.

"You're so beautiful..like an Angel.." she smiled softly "I don't think I've told you enough previously but you're possibly the most handsome man on earth. And your eyes too..they're a bit frightening but so encapsulating all the same.." she said as she gazed into his scarlet eyes.

William coughed in an attempt to cover his embarrassment, but that didn't stop his face from becoming painted in the darkest shades of red imaginable. "(Name)..I believe you should sleep..."  He said as he slowly placed his wife down on their bed

"Woah..your voice is pretty too..I’ll only retire to bed if you sleep with me" she said as she squished and stretched his cheeks against the inside of her palms "I sleep better when you're beside me.."

There had only been few times that the couple had slept in the same bed together: on their wedding night as well as throughout their honeymoon in the (last name) grand dukedom in (home country). Drunken words were sober thoughts and (name) truly did sleep well beside William. She was often plagued by nightmares yet whenever she slept beside her husband, (name) not only felt refreshed and happier in the morning, but she also didn't have these nightmares.

William put his hand to his lower face as he felt himself heat up even more, if that were possible. Usually it would be him flustering her but now that the roles were reversed, his throat had grown dry and he couldn't bare himself to say a thing.

"Are you able to undress yourself?" William asked as he stood up against their bed. She may be drunk but her independence would surely remain. She tried to stand up on the carpeted floors, but instantly fell. William caught her before she could sustain a serious head injury and let out a sigh “I suppose that’s a no..”

He went behind her, unbuttoning her dress and sliding it down her body for her to step out of and toss aside. He attempted to not lead his gaze wander, even the smallest sight of her exposed skin could drive him insane.

(Name) was muttering nonsense about interaction she had had with other nobles in the lounge and how much she disliked some of them. As William began unlacing her corset, she spoke up

“Ohhhh we’re going to sleep together in a more intimate way,” she said, completely unaware of the effect her words had on the man behind her. Although she was drunk, her speech remained as elegant as ever “And that bastard detective said I had marital issues! That’ll show him.”

Her husband leaned forwards,ignoring the rush of blood to his face and whispered into her ear, his hand resting against her waist and another in her hair “Not like this, not yet..when we do, I’ll make sure you remember every touch, every whisper of praise, every thrust, every kiss…I want you to feel it all to the fullest..” he said before kissing her earlobe.

William pulled away after he had finished putting her nightgown on her and asked calmly once she was facing him “Are you feeling tired, (name)?”

She nodded into his chest, a (skin colour) hand gripping onto his waistcoat “stay with me..please..?”

William smiled and guided her onto the bed “I’m sorry, but I must leave for a while before returning. Feel free to wait, although you’ll likely fall asleep before I return.”

“I won’t..! I’ll stay awake for you, I promise..!” (Name) said childishly as she held onto his sleeve

The blond chuckled and kissed her cheek before leaving “I’m sure you will.”

“Tomorrow’s breakfast will be course B, sir,” a disguised Moran said to William as he placed his cap onto his head. “Oh, and the room door is already unlocked.”

“Thank you.” William smiled as he continued walking down the hall

‘Our investigation had suggested him to be a bizarre sort of killer but..’ his gaze narrowed ‘Enders actually killed someone..!’

A knock came from the other side of the murderers door.

“Earl Enders?” A soft voice called out “Are you alright sir? This is Moriarty. I thought I had heard a scream coming from your room..”

‘Moriarty?!’

“Wha..” as the Earl tried to form a sentence, his mind was racing, thinking frantically for an explanation as to why there was a dead man in his room

‘Dammit…This is not good..!’ He looked down to the body with a knife plunged into its heart ‘I can’t let him know I had just hunted this animal..what do I do..?!’

“The doors open, I’ll come in, if you don’t mind” He said as the doorknob twisted and the door slowly swung open.

‘I thought I’d locked the door!!’

“W-Wait..! Don’t come in!”Enders pleaded while William approached him

“Oh dear..” He put a curled finger to his chin and looked down at the scene “this is troubling..”

Panic coursed through Enders’ veins, suffocating his every thought. The weight of the moment crashed down upon him, as the reality of his sins had begun to sink in. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing as the fear consumed him. His eyes darted around the room, desperately seeking an escape yet only being met with the overwhelming presence of his actions. The walls seemed to close in, as a suffocating dread enveloped him, leaving Enders feeling trapped in a nightmare he had created.

“Now..” William spoke, his voice still as silly as usual “What exactly has occurred here..? Is this your doing?” He asked as he looked at the dead commoner.

Enders stood up in a panic “No!! It’s not what it looks like!! He was the one who attacked me..out of nowhere! He..”

William looked at him skeptically “Was he a thief.?”

“Precisely!! This was a robbery!!” He yelled “This vile had hidden himself in my room, I am the real victim here!!”

His lies weren’t convincing, of course. The manner of speech and nervous sweat on his forehead were all very telling.

“For a robbery, your room looks quite in order,” William pointed out as he rested his hand against a dresser “Not to mention, a precise stab, right in the heart..”

Another bead of sweat ran down the Earl’s forehead.

“In addition, the dagger doesn’t look like it belongs to any ordinary citizen, I assume it’s yours.” William added.

“Are you…suspecting…me?” Enders managed to squeak out.

“No.” William tilted his head and looked over his shoulder to him “You are a noble, I trust you..what would be the point in killing a simple commoner?”

However, it had the underlying message of ‘We shall pretend this never happened. I am your accomplice’

“Yes..you’re right!” Enders exclaimed

William hummed “Yet, as things stand, it will be difficult to prove he was a thief..has anyone seen you enter your room?”

“N-No..”

“In that case,” William smiled “Let us throw the corpse overboard..what do you think?”

Enders blue eyes widened in surprise. Was he helping him this easily?

“It’s already dark, no one will notice.” He said “And nobody will make a fuss about a commoner going missing.”

“But of course!!” Enders agreed enthusiastically “What a wonderful idea!”

The two took the body, william holding his arms and Blitz holding its legs. They readied themselves to throw him overboard as william counted.

“On three..one..two,” and the body fell over the barrier as William stumbled slightly “oops..forgive me..I get seasick and was resting in my room earlier.”

“Oh, my apologies..” Enders rested his hand on the barrier as he watched the waves crash against the ship. “One cannot see a thing..”

“Indeed.” William said as he turned to the man beside him “No one will ever know anything about this.”

Unknown to Earl Blitz Enders, the body hadn’t been thrown overboard and had been caught in a net by Moran and Fred, who now dragged the body back inside, ready for the next phase in their plan.

“Everything is going to be fine. You can relax,” william assured. His silky blond hair was flowing in the breeze, the air of the sea surrounding him.

“B-But..!”

“A drunkard falling off a ship shouldn’t be uncommon, right?” William said as he guided the man into his room

“Correct..but this incident…”

“I will stay quiet.”

“Truly..I am in your debt, Lord Moriarty”

“William..” (name) whispered in her sleep. She had imagined the man’s lips colliding with hers in her slumber, his gentle touch against her skin until she woke up.

The following morning, (name) awoke with her head rested against William chest. She found her body entangled with his. Her appearance was disbelieved and she had felt a sudden pain in her forehead as she yawned awake. The memories of the previous night in the lounge had all began to flow back to her, and she hadn’t fully acknowledged that she was still in William’s arms.

She felt a hand running through her hair and playing with it “Good morning, my love.” William smiled down at the woman who looked up at him with a look of shock.

After ‘hiding’ the body, william returned to his room to find (name) fast asleep. Once he had crawled into bed beside her, she had awoken and sleepily demanded he embrace her so she can sleep comfortably. William enjoyed this more affectionate (name), but of course, he adored her no matter what.

She instantly slid out of his arms in surprise “We didn’t…did we?”

“Wait, you don’t remember?” William asked as (name) panicked further “Was I not good enough? I suppose you were right..I really am inexperienced..”

(Name)’s eyes widened as she backed further away from him “What on earth?! You’re serious- I actually slept with you?! Oh my god I can’t believe I had such little self control-“

“Calm down, (name), nothing happened. Contrary to what you believe, I am a gentleman and you were clearly in no condition to consent to any intimate activity.” William smirked, and then he realised she had not remembered a single thing. Not the mention of her brother, not her flirting and certainly not that flirtatious remark he had made.

(Name) sighed in relief as William went to get her a glass of water to aid her in her headache. Thankfully it wasn’t that extreme, considering she hadn’t actually drank much. (Name) had never had the opportunity to get drunk before. In university, there were no girls dormitories so the after-lecture activities would usually consist of dedicated studying and overachieving either alone or with William in the school library, not to mention she had no interest in anything but her studies.

After breakfast, William and (name) went together to their reserved mezzanine with Albert. As planned, william left following the first act to speak to Enders regarding the body from the last night and it’s strange reappearance amongst the crowd.

“The curtains should be up for the second act soon..” (name) muttered to Albert who raised a glass of wine to his lips. She looked over to him with a frown “I had never noticed how much you drank until now, no wonder I was heavily intoxicated before you..”

“You are quite the lightweight..pity, I was hoping to replace Moran with you as my drinking partner” Albert said to his sister in law

“I doubt he enjoys it himself..I wasn’t acting…peculiar, last night, was I?” (Name) asked “I don’t remember anything, really. It’s all a blur.”

“Your reputation is perfectly intact, if that’s what you were wondering,” he furrowed his brow “Now that you mention it, you didn’t seem to recognise me, or rather you did, but much more fondly than usual. You were calling me brother and—“

He noticed (name) freeze up and chose not to continue on her behalf. As he had finished speaking, the stage had begun to raise and as he squinted, Albert could see their target, stabbing the already dead commoner as planned.

“I suppose it is our turn now,” (name) whispered as she held up the binocular to her eyes.

The lights had shon brightly and focused on Earl Blitz Enders, holding a knife in his hands s he repeatedly stabbed the innocent commoner “Wha..?” She could see his mouth form.

The dramatic orchestral music stopped. The crowd grew silent in shock. All eyes were on him.

“This is not in the script!” One of the directors called out

A man in the lower crowd stood up and yelled at the top of his voice, straining his vocal chords as much as possible. “AHHHH!! MURDERER!!”

A look of terror washed over each member in the crowd. They had just witnessed one of the greatest sins against God’s creation. The death of a man at the hands of another.

“N-No..it’s not that..” Enders tried to defends himself as he kneeled by the corpse.

“He stabbed him!! He killed him!!” The crowd roared. A mixture of screams and gasps could be heard throughout the theatre hall, fearful for their own lives.

“This is not a part of the play!! This man is a murderer!!!”

“Terrible!!”

“Did he kill him under the stage?!”

“Wait a minute..” Albert spoke aloud “Isn’t that..Earl Blitz Enders?!”

“Indeed!” (Name) repeated, raising her voice to make sure the audience heard “It’s Earl Blitz Enders!”

“The Earl?!”

“It’s a noble?!”

“I can’t believe it! Lord Enders..”

“So the rumours about him were true after all..!!”

“He actually hunts people!!!”

“Seriously?!”

“Vile!”

“How little does human life mean to you?!?!”

The voices had suffocated the main character in the play the Lord of Crime had written, and yet, he seemed to feel no guilt.

“Human life, you say…?” He smirked as he rose to his feet “Don’t make me laugh! What nonsense!! So what’s the big deal about killing one of you mere cattle?! I am a nobleman!!”

The crowd gasped at his audacity.

“Who cares about who this was?!” He continued “I earn money and keep the economy running! I have done more for our kingdom than this wench ever has!! How many cities were erected, how many bridges built and how many forests cleared with my money?!

“Who has the right to condemn me?!” He yelled, his voice echoing against the walls of the hall “Well?!”

“Disgusting..”

“You don’t get it, everything is excused for me!! After all, this is the ark of Noah!” His entitlement seemed to know no bounds. “Aside from us nobles, the only ones here are cattle!! And whether I slay all of you pests or keep you alive is my decision!!”

“That’s not right..” a noble in the crowd muttered “the workers in this country keep the kingdom running..”

“Dirty Liar!!” Enders pointed a finger to him “just moments ago, you were calling them filth!!”

He was right. Although these nobles were surprised, most of them were exaggerating and defending the commoners only to save face.

“Don’t you dare compare yourself to me!!” The man yelled back accusingly “Which one of his here is the murderer?!”

Enders gritted his teeth and leapt into the crowd “Filthy dog!!!”

He had managed to land a blow to his face before the policemen chased after him, lead by the familiar detective (name) had befriended. With a swift kick, he disarmed the noble and allowed the bobbys to chase after him.

“Don’t touch me!!” Enders yelled in desperation

The police attempted to arrest him while he fought back. (Name) gave Sherlock a wave from above, surprised once he waved back, then kneeled down to exam the body.

From the little that they could hear, (name) had realised that Enders would rather commit suicide than be apprehended. No matter how much privilege he had, he would still be arrested and tried in court. Everyone had seen him murder someone, he wasn’t going to be let off easily.

“Because of the way I am now…is how the future generations of nobles will be!! Don’t forget your dreams!”

“My lord, no..!!”

It was strange. Even after witnessing him kill someone, this noble..this animal, had still been respected as though he were human. The aristocracy still lived even as Enders climbed onto the railing and jumped.

William had returned from where he previously watched, stood beside Albert, and (name) who was also observing the detective alongside her husband.

“This puzzle is not that simple!”

Three days later, everyone had returned to the London manor, discussing the recent events.

“William..(name)..” Moran greeted as the two entered the room together.

“Louis could your make us some tea?” William said

“The extent of our last endeavour has caused some unusual developments, isn’t that right, Fred?” (Name) called out to the boy who sat in the middle of the lounge, peering into a chest “You’re still not over it, are you?..that we used the death of a commoner, I mean.”

“Death moved the heart, isn’t that so?”

“I’m telling you,” Moran spoke up “Had Enders killed me instead of the commoner, I would’ve let him kill me. For their plan, I would gladly give up my life if needed, do you not feel the same, Fred?”

Fred shit the chest and muttered an “I know..”

“But to think things happened just as you planned, you two really took every detail into account, havent you?” He continued

“Yes,” William smiled “and thanks to you all, it was a success” he paused as he took a seat beside (name) “Although..it appears we may have a thorn in our side.”

“An enemy..?”

“We can’t say for sure how dangerous he is,” (name) said “as such, we will make sure to investigate him.”

Moran leaned forward in his seat “Tell us, we ought to know who it is.”

“Of course, although our encounters were very brief..as we were leaving the Noahtic…”

“Ah, well this is interesting,” a cockney accent spoke “But it is fitting..I couldn’t imagine either of you married to anyone else, Mathematicians.”

(Name) and William looked to each other as if to say ‘do you know him?’

(Name) sighed to herself. Of course, only her husband would be enough to rival Sherlock. She should’ve known

“I was looking for someone like you two,” Sherlock smiled, a cigarette in his mouth “Nobody seemed to get what I was on about. What a spectacular performance that was, don’t you think?”

“I assumed you’re not referring to the opera,” William said

“Hah! Of course, I’m talking about the murder.” The ravenette said as he lit his cigarette “That was no ordinary homicide.”

“Did you see anything unusual?” (Name) asked.

Sherlock smiled enthusiastically “You bet! The corpse itself! The man had been dead since last night!”

(Name)’ s and William’s eyes widened simultaneously.

“The right mortis had already reached the fingertips, that meant the victim died 10-15 hours ago,” he continued “no matter how you look at it, the man didn’t die under that stage!”

Sherlock proceeded to explain his theory of a third party. (Name) was amused. When she and William were planning, she considered bringing up the rigor mortis, but decided against it. Nobody would notice, only there was someone who did.

“..a third party?”

“Correct.” Sherlock smiled “ I know it might sound crazy at first, but a theory could confirm my conclusion..I think..the entire ship served as a stage. Using a few accomplices, and some tricks, someone had made the Earl act that way. It’s certainly possible that someone planned this all.”

(Name) chuckled “so you believe it was cunningly planned? But for what purpose?”

“No idea.” Said Sherlock “It would still all make sense. Even if I, before leaving the ship, hadn’t found any evidence.”

“You seem to have no doubts about that theory of yours.” William smiled

“Of course not.” Holmes grinned “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

“Hm..you are quite imaginative, even after these horrible events.” (Name) raised a brow

Sherlock exhaled some smoke “Can’t deny that. After all, someone…no..a whole organisation has created such a tough puzzle for me.” He said “You mathematicians get what I mean..isn’t the greatest thing about an equation the solution?”

“Good question.”

“Indeed,” (name) smiled. “As fascinating as your theory is, I’m afraid we must leave.”

“Come to think of it, I never asked for your name,” William said

“My name is Holmes…Sherlock Holmes!”

A/N: was this too much spice?? Never. Also get ready for next chapter I’m bored and want to be a menace to society. William really had fl so surprised ong 💀she was panicking and hit and he was just smirking to himself like an idiot as if he wasn’t flirting with her last night

#—a’s anons 💄 #moriarty the patriot #william james moriarty #william moriarty #william moriarty x reader #mtp william #yuukoku no moriarty #yuukoku no moriarty x reader #moriarty the patriot x reader #yuumori x reader #—false lovers 💋

[chickenparm]

Reassurance (Cyno/f!Reader)

this was written for @kaeyas-fur-cape :^)

---

General Mahamatra Cyno is jealous over absolutely nothing, but you’re in no position to argue your case. If only because your voice would be a little too loud, a little too shaky, and he’d misunderstand entirely since he’s really only perceiving what he wants to see.

AO3 LINK

Cyno/f!Reader 2,013 Words - NSFW MIND THE FOLLOWING TAGS (Yandere, pre-established relationship, jealousy, rough sex, marking, degradation (whore is used in particular), mention of breeding, dirty talk, choking, semi-public sex)

---

“Just because I’m not there doesn’t mean I don’t know.”

The brick is surprisingly chilled against your skin as he presses you against the wall, just out of sight but not out of earshot of the Grand Bazaar. You’d been expecting him back in over a week, and even at his fastest, he’s never returned this early from an investigation. It only leads you to the conclusion that he left early on purpose, dropping his work when he caught wind of your promiscuous actions. 

And by that, it really just means that you went drinking with Kaveh. 

Kaveh, who is decidedly uninterested in you in any way beyond friendship. Kaveh, who is in a committed relationship, just as you are. Kaveh, who hadn’t even laid a finger on you the entire night, except a drunken hug at your doorstep when he walked you home. 

But to an outsider with a skewed perception of events, it might’ve seemed less than innocent. Except Cyno knows all of this, and still pins you against the wall with his teeth on your neck and his fingers grabbing at your clothing to find the fastenings. 

General Mahamatra Cyno is jealous over absolutely nothing, but you’re in no position to argue your case. If only because your voice would be a little too loud, a little too shaky, and he’d misunderstand entirely since he’s really only perceiving what he wants to see. 

Cyno’s breath is hot against your ear as he presses himself against your backside and goads you with his accusations. “Did you let him take you? Were you so desperate without me that you had to resort to being a whore?”

At that, you find enough willpower to stammer, “N-no, he barely even touched me! I swear, Cyno, nothing happened. You know this-”

“I’m well aware of the exclusivity of our relationship. You’re the one that needs to be reminded.” Cyno’s hand slides around the front of your neck, gentle at first as the webbing of his thumb and forefinger press into the soft skin beneath. His fingers curl against your jaw on one side, his thumb on the other, and you’re almost fooled into thinking he’s going to be tender with you. 

And then the fingers slide lower, against the sides of your neck, and he squeezes. 

A sharp gasp leaves you, choked-off with the firm pressure against your throat, petering off into the tiniest whine as he restricts your blood flow and the world starts to grow hazy. The only sound that makes it through the blood rushing in your ears is his hum of approval. When your body starts to grow lax and you lean heavily against the bricks, he releases his grip. 

Those rough fingers glide harshly along your neck, pinching at the front until it starts to sting, and then a little longer until you’re certain there will be the marks of his fingers left behind - a makeshift collar when there’s nothing around to provide an alternative. Cyno has always left his marks just on the cusp of somewhere you could hide if you wanted. A quiet compromise that you’re undeniably his, but you have the agency to keep things to yourself if necessary. 

That same option isn’t offered to you this time. There is no hiding the bruises that will grow in a pretty ring about your neck, in the exact shape of his fingers. Your falsely perceived boldness with Kaveh has ensured that, at least this time, there is no mistaking who you belong to. 

That would be enough, you think, to warn anyone away. But Cyno is furious with you, and desperate to stake his claim on something no one else has dared to make a move on in his absence. It’s not as if it’s some secret that the two of you are in a relationship; no one is stupid enough to attempt to encroach on you when the massive presence of the General Mahamatra is looming in your shadow. 

Just beneath the welted ring that will surely begin to turn purple soon, he sucks another mark into your skin, just along the tendon of your neck. Then, another at the sensitive skin behind your ear, leaving you hissing sharply between your teeth. As if to soothe you, or perhaps to rub salt into the wound, his hand worms between your bodies to the swell of your ass, then down further to press roughly into your folds from behind. 

And then his amusement breezes past your ear in a low, rasping exhale. They’re followed by words carefully placed to efficiently taunt you and stoke the fires of your embarrassment. “You’re dripping. This is what you wanted, wasn’t it? Me coming back to put you in your place, to let you know who you belong to?”

The sharp point of his canine tooth nips at your earlobe, almost in reprimand, “No, you didn’t need a reminder at all. You just wanted me jealous enough to come all the way home to fuck you.”

Not exactly, but Archons, you’re not complaining. Not while his fingers unceremoniously push into you, fingers hooking forward with vicious precision. It’s only when his hand clamps around your mouth do you realize you’re just on the cusp of crying out at the sharpness of pleasure he’s pushing on you. At least he has the presence of mind to keep track of your reactions, because you’re already too far gone to really care much if someone were to get curious. 

Just around the corner, the Grand Bazaar bustles on with the midday markets. There’s music in the distance of a busker performing for Mora, the scent of food in the air, the dull buzz of hundreds of voices mixing together. 

And Cyno adds yet another finger to stretch you out, to prepare you for what’s going to come whether you like it or not. The fabric of his headpiece falls over your shoulder as he leans further into you, putting all his weight onto your body to keep you trapped when your hands slap against the wall. It doesn’t matter much if the motion was to ask him to slow down, or to brace for more - Cyno’s legendary single-minded pursuit can be applied to all things. 

Your sudden, harsh orgasm is one of those matters, where he doesn’t let up until the hand on your face grows wet with your tears, and you’re shaking hard enough that the only thing keeping you upright is the steady pressure of his body. 

Every exhale you let out is accompanied by a quiet whine, your lungs burning as his hand pulls from your mouth. For just a moment, his fingers are gentle to wipe away your tears - and then they’re wiped off on the fabric of your shirt. Push and pull; just enough tenderness to keep you hooked in the moment. It’s all to maintain your attention so you don’t miss a single moment of how he lines himself up with you, how he nudges at your entrance before sinking in with one smooth motion. 

There’s no warning, but it’s not needed. Still, you push against the wall again, seeking some semblance of reprieve that never comes. Every sensation only spirals you higher, exponentially overwhelming as Cyno rocks into you, as he notes your half-hearted resistance. “Quit fighting it. Take it all just like the little whore you are.”

And what can you do besides just that? 

Cyno plunges into you with long, deep strokes, uncaring of your quiet whimper that he’s going a little too deep. Once more, the calloused tips of his fingers drag along the skin of your neck before squeezing down to choke off your sounds - a little too loud, you think, but he’ll handle it. Of all the things you can trust him with, this is one of the most assured. 

Still, you soundlessly cry out his name, your mouth forming the syllables but nothing coming out but a quiet wheeze. The brick scrapes your nails as you try and fail to dig in for purchase, to find leverage to push back against him and become more than a passive participant. 

Except he likes you passive. Cyno prefers it when you’re helpless and dangerously close to prey. When all you’re capable of doing is accepting what he gives you, endlessly pliant and docile so he can use you as he pleases and mark you as his own. 

Breathlessly, between pants, Cyno’s words burn into your ears. “I should mark you permanently. Something to… to let everyone know you’re mine when I’m not here to keep you satisfied.” 

The thought makes you throb. To have something of Cyno’s to brand you as his would be divine, if not a little lewd. But you can’t bring yourself to care while he’s fucking into you, claiming you internally just as surely as he does externally against your skin.

The grip on your neck loosens, just enough to let you answer his next question. “Maybe I’ll breed you. Fill you up and it would be unmistakable that you belong to me. Wouldn’t you like that?”

And unbidden, you crumble, your body betraying your sense as you come apart at the seams all over again, a single word on your lips in both encouragement and response. 

Yes, yes, yes, yes-

Something inside you throbs, and you realize rather quickly that it’s not your own heartbeat, but the sensation of Cyno doing exactly what he threatened. He buries himself so deep that your hips dig into the bricks and the only sound is the shuddering groan that lingers under his breath with each pulse of his cum inside you. 

The sounds of the Bazaar trickle back in, mingled with your heavy breathing and your heart beating hard enough to feel as if the world is tilting along with it. Behind you, Cyno shifts - he’s looking around the corner, checking his surroundings, ensuring that despite the very public nature of this dalliance that no one was fool enough to actually look. 

You’re not exactly sure what he’d do if that were the case. 

Then, his nose nuzzles into your neck, inhaling the scent of your sweat-slick skin. His fingers trail along your sides, featherlight and reverent. Verbally, he’ll say nothing, not even a real apology. But his actions are enough to bring you into some semblance of yourself as you quietly hiccup, “...I wasn’t trying to be bad…”

“But you were anyway.” Cyno murmurs against your skin, squeezing at your hips before pulling from you and setting to work adjusting your clothes back to decency before even bothering to work on himself. It’s the little things, you suppose. The chill of the bricks goes from your chest to your back as he turns your body and cages you against the wall again. 

For the first time since he cornered you, you’re able to look at him fully. There are dark circles beneath his eyes, common during investigations and pursuits that take up too much time to allow him to properly sleep. Internally you fret over him, but you carefully keep your hands on his shoulders for now. 

Cyno in this headspace isn’t as accepting of your coddling as he is when he’s a little more relaxed. Truly, he must have dropped everything to come here and chase you down, to make sure you understood that he was always watching in come capacity. Rather than feel violated or invaded, it’s something you’ve come to find comfort in. 

Under his watch, you’re safe and protected, but there comes the caveat of being a little more cautious around others than would be normal. Forwardness of any sort could always land you in this exact situation, where you’re sore and marked and encased in Cyno’s protective little barrier. 

To others, it would be stifling. To you, it’s just reassuring. Cyno keeps you safe, makes it so you don’t have to worry about what’s best for you. And if he’s a little rough, it’s just for your own good. 

Cyno cares, in his own weird ways.

#mind the tags in the a/n #nsft #cyno #cyno genshin #cyno x reader #cyno/reader #female reader #f!reader #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #yandere #male yandere

[deadpanwalking]

deadpan your tags on that depression post… you are always so perceptive and wise and eloquent in general, i delight in reading any long string of tags you write, but that one in particular hit so hard and so good. literally screenshotted it to use as reminder when i’m feeling That Depressive Way. thank you for sharing your thoughts I always gain something from them, trivial or serious.

To be honest, the wording of that post rubbed me the wrong way, so I'm glad the tags worked for you—I'm a big fan of humanist psychology, which is predicated on the idea that nobody actually wants to be in pain. When we keep making the same mistakes, it's not out of a desire to be trapped in a Freudian masochism loop, but out of a simple animal desire to do it again and again until we get it right. I know I always paraphrase this thing my old SLP once said, but it's true: if any of us were lazy, we'd be having fun.

Physical self-harm—cutting, drinking, substance abuse, even suicide—feels right because it brings relief; if they didn't serve us, nobody would keep doing them; avoidance also serves us—a therapist in my last outpatient program explained the neuroscience behind why it feels great to cancel plans: the wash of relief you feel when you don't have to put on pants is partially due to neurotransmitters that help you relax after getting anxious; when you cancel plans too often, the neurochemical reinforcement tricks your brain into perceiving any social situation as a threat, in turn, that lowers your threshold for handling bad stress and good stress (aka eustress, which you get from challenging yourself), until even the thought of cracking a cold one with the boys feels like too much.

Fortunately, you can bounce back by going outside and committing to low-stakes high-reward interactions that remind your brain how cracking a cold one with the boys can be more fun than cracking six warm ones in your gross bedroom. And this will work even if you spent the past few years wrapped in a cocoon of your own wings; if the avoidant behavior death spiral were completely irreversible, I'd literally be answering this ask from an underground cave while shirking my administrative duties as Governor of the Mole People.

#if i sound blithe rest assured that no matter what i say my mental illness is characterized by a lack of insight into my own depression #if the past is anything by which to judge there are better than even odds that my next episode will land me in the hospital for some time #during this time i won't be able to access anything i told you in a meaningful way. it will sound like gobbledygook & i'll repudiate it #but like 2 months after i get discharged i'll finally work up the nerve to go to a salon and get the matted clump cut out of my hair #and maybe 1 month after that i'll let myself be coaxed on stupid shitty walks to the wretched park to look at the birds #and at the end of all my exploring i will arrive at the place where the boys are chilling and crack open a cold one for the first time #this is a threat btw #anonymous #assbox

[chikoyama]

An assortment of headcanons related to Chiyori as a Jujutsu Sorcerer:

Although, Chiyori is categorised a semi-special grade sorcerer, taking on special grade missions usually exhausts her to the point where she'd take three days off just to recover. She'd spend the first two days sleeping and healing. Third day, she'd pack, prepare and generally take the day off, usually hanging out with her non-sorcerer best friend @opalchoi or voluntarily help out at her café.

Honestly, Chiyori is such a pushover. On missions if she's accompanied by students, she'd likely tell them to stay put, but if they insist on participating, she'd probably fold after a rather pathetic attempt at negotiating, lol.

Chiyori doesn't mind selfishly hooking one of the assistants to accompany her on missions. She enjoys the company, and she needs someone to keep her spare clothes safe while she gets the job done. (Usually, she prefers Ijichi, because he's easily persuaded. Surprisingly, he's more of a pushover than her).

On rare occasions when someone actually unquestioningly complies to her requests, Chiyori will praise them. She'd say things like: "Aah, how come you're being such a good boy/girl today?" Or: "You truly are my hero/champion, you know?" She's called Ijichi this countless of times. He blushes every time, and she finds it so cute, lmao.

Unlike many other in the industry, Chiyori is not married to her job. Because the sorcerer job pays fairly well, she takes weeks off at a time to visit her parents living in the outskirts of Tokyo. Majority of her income goes to support her parents. Despite this, Chiyori fares relatively well as she doesn't tend to spend her money recklessly.

In Tokyo, Chiyori lives alone in a small two-room apartment. At night she leaves on the TV in the living room. Her electrical bills are probably insane, but the background noise helps drowning out the voices inside her head, and it provides her the comforting illusion that someone else is there in the apartment with her.

Despite her rank, Chiyori possesses only an average amount of cursed energy. Using her cursed technique can drain it rapidly, though it highly depends on which curse(s) she transforms into.

Pertaining to the politics of Jujutsu, Chiyori doesn't involve herself too much. She doesn't understand the full intricacies of it, and isn't interested as she perceives the stakes she has in it as close to non-influential to her personal life.

Chiyori prefers being assigned missions classified second grade or beneath. She finds anything above gruelling. To her dismay, the higher-ups refuse to assign her these types of missions — usually, they give those to sorcerers of lower grade. While it does make sense to her, she still feels quite bitter about it.

In her arsenal, Chiyori only possesses one special grade curse. In combat, if she can avoid it, she won’t draw out that special grade curse as her control over it is rather erratic. Instead, Chiyori gravitates towards switching between the few first grade curses she has in her arsenal.

#headcanons #can imagine others disrespecting/looking down on her for not being fully committed to her job #i'm not sure if it's bc she doesn't care or if it's bc her focus is on her private life or bc she knows sorcerers will always be on demand #probably all of it - what a smart girl 😌 #if they aren't too scary chi would 100% flirt w assistants as she slides into the car to try get on their good side that day lmao #“eeeh ijichi-san looks extra handsome today doesn't he?” #*claps hands* someone. give. chi. an. ijichi #im gonna repeat dis: yes chi prefers partners who give off massive beta vibes bc like everyone else she likes to get her way with things

[sublime-beyond-loss]

Having listened to most of the narrator’s lines in Dungeons 2 and 3 over the last few days, the Dungeons narrator really is the TSP narrator Doing His Thing, just in a different game series. 

I’ve decided to make it my headcanon that the Dungeons-verse is where he fucks off to during the skip button/epilogue/whenever the player stops playing TSP. Dude’s clearly living his best life narrating the Dungeons games. Everyone is a morally dubious asshole in these games and there are no true good guys, so his more cruel streak shown in some of the endings in TSP is right at home in this verse, and even then he still throws the player bones using his powers over the narrative just as much as he likes to fuck them over. He clearly starts developing a softer side for the ‘evil’ faction by the end of 3 too.

One of the more surreal aspects about going from TSP to this is that in Dungeons 3 he starts to regularly converse with at least one character in the game, which given some of the things Ultra Deluxe puts out there about him, it’s weirdly cathartic to see this lonely bastard finally making some friends who can talk back to him and that he can bounce off of and get into endless snark wars with lol. Yeah, it’s probably not actually canon to the TSP narrator, but if you try to put some continuity between the two series, it really does feel like the bastard goes through the found family trope and some character development by the end of Dungeons 3. A weird, horribly messed up family, of course, but at least he’s taking his omniscient narrative powers out on people who more than deserve it now lol.

Probably the weirdest thing a few of his lines imply in Dungeons is that there might actually be an entire narrator species out there, and boy if that isn’t a scary thought lmao. 

There’s also some nice meta irony to be had in the fact that he might very well be narrating the games for Stanley while not knowing that he is doing so, if the player is one who has already played the role of Stanley before. Especially since he becomes the voice for the voiceless Ultimate Evil protagonist (antagonist) of the game on multiple occasions since it (yes, that’s its pronouns if you’re looking for a game where you are called by those pronouns the entire time) cannot speak for itself. 

And I mean, there’s something really nice about the idea that if you consider this the TSP narrator, that upon leaving the room after being repeatedly skipped by the player (if that’s what happened), or giving up on his game and its sequel after it bombed (if that is what the epilogue is implying), or even when it comes to the existential stuff about him knowing he’s a fictional being who only exists while being perceived by the player and thus the game being turned off by the player cannot be a good thing for him, that him finding himself narrating a series of games where the plot is more goofy than anything and everyone is laughably evil, thus the stakes are much lower, and that he suddenly has other characters to bounce off of and alleviate some of his existential dread. It feels like a surprisingly good bookend for a character like him. While he doesn’t know it, if the player is someone who played TSP before, he’s still narrating a game for Stanley, and in the end, while he has no way of knowing this, the player didn’t abandon him as thoroughly as he thought, if the skip button shenanigans are to be taken into account. 

He starts narrating in a much less oppressive and frustrating setting for him once he has let go of the parable, and he can even interact with the player in an ever so slightly more co-operative manner once he no longer knows it’s Stanley he’s still gaming with lol. I think this is the closest thing to a happy ending you could get for the TSP narrator. Now he narrates for a world where everyone needs a therapist as badly as he does so it all evens out for a change lol. Here we were all sad about the epilogue when it turns out the narrator just went off to narrate Dungeons instead lol. (It’s canon in my heart)

#the stanley parable #dungeons #the narrator cinematic universe

[seiya-starsniper]

WIP Search Game

Tagged by @lenreli and @ginoeh! Love you both <3

My words are:

jewel, comfy, difficult, break, silver (from len) & shiver, dark, sleep, hot, red (from ginoeh)

Putting them under a cut since this is going to get a bit long, and probably nsfw!

Jewel - surprisingly, jewel is nowhere to be found in any of my WIPs! I may need to remedy that!

Comfy - It's not an exact match, but it's the closest I could find. This is from the next part to Break Me, Shake Me:

“Tell me what you need,” Hob says, rubbing comforting circles along Dream’s lower back. “I’ll get you whatever you want.”

Difficult - From the "Retired Dream is a Fuckboy" WIP: (first draft can be found here!)

“Hob,” Murphy interrupts his thoughts, drawing out the vowel in his name. There’s a bit of mischief in his expression, which both thrills and unnerves Hob. “While I may no longer be able to perceive your daydreams, it is not difficult to parse your thoughts.”

Break - From my "Dream thinks coffee is a courting gift" WIP

"Then you should not be offering it as an apology," Dream says, as if Hob were breaking some sort of social code. He probably does think Hob is breaking some sort of social code. For all the unlimited knowledge Dream seems to contain, he does have a hard time grasping some human intricacies from time to time.

Silver - From the "Retired Dream is a Fuckboy" WIP:

“You look at me the same way others have,” Murphy says, flicking his tongue out and swirling it around the glass. “The same as the man who gave me this,” he adds, sticking his tongue out and flaunting the silver stud for Hob to fully appreciate. “Right before I wrapped my lips around his -” “All right, that’s enough out of you,” Hob says.

Shiver - From the "Hobrintheus Tentacle Sex in the Dreaming" WIP (first draft can be found here!)

The possessive tone in which the Corinthian stakes his claim sends a shiver down Hob’s spine. Hob has always enjoyed how much the Corinthian covets him, loves it even more now that he inspires it in both the nightmare and his creator.

Dark - from Chapter 5 of Midnight Pleasures

Dream huffs. “Were it up to me,” he says, brushing a thumb against Hob’s lips, “I would lock you away for safekeeping. To keep you bound in blood to me by some task impossible to achieve.” Hob inhales sharply at the sudden possessive and dark tone. “You wouldn’t,” he answers immediately, but he is not as convinced as he wishes he were.

Sleep - from the Dragon AU

When he settles himself back into his human form, Dream retreats into his cave and settles down for sleep. He dreams of a simpler time, a time when he was not the last of his species, and when humans were not so odious to live amongst.

Hot - from my still untitled Spy AU

He imagines Dream, rumpled with sleeplessness, dressed in tacky pajamas, a cup of hot tea in his hand. Hob has never been privy to such an image, the Quartermaster of MI6 would never allow such a moment of vulnerability with any of his agents, least of all Hob.

Red - from my "Dream is fae instead of Endless" AU

When he catches the man in the woods, Hob immediately knows he’s won something more than just eternal life.  “Touch me,” the man says, eyes glowing an otherworldly red, “and eternity is yours.”

Tagging @tj-dragonblade, @honeyteacakes @silver-dream89 @27dragons @phinofthestorm

Your words are: sand, heat, blue, wine, run

#seiya gets tagged #seiya's wip previews #the dragon au is slowly becoming one of my longer fics ahahhaha

[ill-be-istj-if-no-one-else-is]

Hey , I hope you are doing ok. I assume asking to type isn't inconvenient.

I'm confused for my type as my mom and sister have a completely different view of my personality than my friends. What the outside world thinks of me is a bit different than what my family thinks of me.

I do love spending time with my friends and colleagues. I'd love to meet them on the weekends. However, I feel sometimes I need to prepare for social interactions.

I do love sports a lot. I love playing and following them. At the same time, I'm quite heads deep into sci fi and interesting concepts.

I know I'm a thinker and not really a feeler

Im not good at planning nor good at following a particular plan. I just do what feels fun at the moment. I hate sticking to one thing for a long time.

I'm not particularly detail orientated. I ignore/neglect details of my work and my personal life. I have a good memory nonetheless.

At work , I'm very task oriented and a bit short term in my thinking. I'm more result oriented than process oriented.

Can you help type me. I'm 25M , working as a game developer

Hi,

So this is somewhat difficult in that I've turned off the inbox for a bit since I really do not have the time nor do I care to do more than one or two typings a month, if that, at this point, and I got four or five in the past few days but: this is extremely vague and so it's difficult to type. If you have not read the FAQ, please do so, and if you have, please review it. I will open up the inbox again in a few weeks if you want to do a follow-up.

To talk through this in the hopes of guidance:

Pretty much everyone is different around different groups of people, and different groups of people will have different views of you both because your behavior depends on the context (how you act at work is not how you act with friends which is not how you act with family) and because they are themselves different groups of people with their own opinions and preferences.

Hobbies can be helpful to an extent if they are highly specific or unique or if there is a pattern (eg, all very outdoorsy hands-on, though even then hobbies can reflect lower functions that people want to explore in a low-stakes environment) but something as broad as sports and science fiction is not helpful since again, many, many people like these.

It is good to let me know what you think of your type; but ultimately that's only a small piece of what I use, since people can be wrong, and I need examples. What led you to believe you were a thinker?

The part about planning and not being detail-oriented is useful; you are more likely a perceiver (high Ne or Se) based on this. Task and results oriented is also somewhat useful, though examples as always help.

In general a very important part of typing, and indeed the premise of typology, is seeing what traits you have that are not very common. The foundational text was named "Gifts Differing". What makes you different? Focusing on that helps eliminate things like very common hobbies, or nigh-universal behaviors.

#answered #venuuntyped75 #mbti

[onaperduamedee]

Notes on Winter's heart

The opening on the Black Ajah hunters is one of the strongest since The Shadow Rising, which bodes well. It’s a shame we move on to an Elayne section that’s much slower and lower stakes. While not bad, it loses the momentum for me.

On top of that, I enjoy reading royalty in a very specific context, as a satire or tale of redemption. Elayne fits neither so I don’t feel particularly involved in her storyline so far. As long as there was a gap between her status and her role in the story, she was rather fun to me. Now, not so much.

The first-sister ceremony... I have never seen such a preposterous attempt at no-homoing two characters. Dear light, that was such a peremptory attempt at shoving Aviendha and Elayne back into the sisterly closet.

The suggestion that Aes Sedai are somewhat frigid because they feel stronger than the men they are sleeping with... Excuse me while I gag.

Rand and the schools… Rand and his quest to clean saidin... It's never clearer than in those moments just how unsuited he is to the role of general, of chosen one, how much he is a builder and mender before being a leader and it's heartbreaking to read. I like that the books never point it out outright but it’s still evident from his actions.

I don't care if the sisters are with Elaida: I am rooting for their escape so hard.

Faile is genuinely whip-smart. Her sharpness prevails despite the Shaido abduction scene being one of the malegazyest I have ever read. Of course, she needs to be slapped on the arse while naked to stay awake. 

Same with Berelain. Yes, I am aware she is a sexual harasser. No, I don't care because she's interesting. She remains an MVP of the first order. It's telling that her competence and authority still shine through despite the ridiculously hostile lens she is seen through.

I wish RJ didn't write women in groups so often in this petty, squabbling way. It’s too close to the way we still perceive women in our reality.

One leitmotiv that is getting almost comical is the extreme cultural relativity of some traits. The Aes Sedai are the most lacking in expression, but the Aiel are even more lacking in expression, and the Shienaran even more; the Cairhienin are the most avid practitioners of Daes Dae'mar, save for the Aes Sedai, and the Andoran, and the Shaido. And oh those lecherous Mayener, except when they are on par with the Saldeans, and the Domani, and the... You get the gist. Characters are obsessed with stereotyping groups of people and entire cultures, which is very People are people. 

I am not amused by RJ's kinks masquerading as cultural differences though. 

Perrin sure is getting patronizing for someone who doesn't want to be a lord.

The parallels between the Aiel and the Aes Sedai keep hitting. The general population is starting to conflate the Aiel as a whole with the Shaido like the rebel Aes Sedai are perceived to be with the Elaida tower.  

The cats having six toes only in the Two Rivers is such a peculiar but delightful detail. 

“Fresh caught”: the term is so well thought out and disturbing. It reflects what the Black Tower has been doing as well as the Aes Sedai in the past. Hopefully, like the Aes Sedai, they will denounce it soon. 

Elayne complaining about Birgitte being more older sister than warder was really cute. I do enjoy that Elayne has now gathered a small army of female protectors, much like Faile and Egwene.

Nynaeve bullying Vandene into teaching the novices made me laugh, but then Vandene mourning her sister broke my heart. That “But everything tastes like ashes” was a gut punch.

“‘Alise thought they were the most likely to run if we didn’t give them something to do.’ Glancing over her shoulder at Lan, she snatched her hand back down.” - Extremely interesting undercurrent in their marriage that is coming out to the surface. As if Nynaeve wasn't prepared to deal with a man of Lan's baggage at her age. Honestly, it's the most interesting they've been so far and it fleshes out the genuine affection between them as well.

“Only, she did not see how to keep it unless Egwene came up with something truly wonderful.” - Egwene will because she comes from the trouper Moiraine line. 

They are trying to make the Seanchan enslave the sul'dam by teaching them to channel? What the hell is that plan? How is that supposed to work beyond hurting more women? 

“She moved her fingers as she channeled, as though guiding the flows of air that bound Marli to her chair, then tied them off and cupped her hands as though shaping in her sight the ward against sound that she wove around the woman.” - Light, the show is so so clever for keeping these details. It's Moiraine shielding Logan in the show. 

Alivia has been a slave for hundreds of years?!? Blood and ashes, tell me every last one of the Seanchan burns in hell at some point.

"You will have to watch her closely, but keep her collared when she wants to be free, and you are no better than they are." - Yeah, that was the issue with Moghedien as well. The a’dam in itself is a tool of torture. I understand the necessity, but it doesn’t stop being inhumane because the good guys do it.

“They just rubbed against each other sometimes.” - Please tell me we are not getting the road to Salidar 2.0 I will scream 

I'm going to keep ignoring every line hinting that marriage is "settling" Nyn and instead focus on the fact that Lan is apparently coaching Nyn on being an Aes Sedai drawing from... Moiraine? 

An interesting marriage to say the least.

I’ve talked at length on Twitter about how the Aes Sedai/Warder bond is very much a marriage and how that informs pretty much all interactions between Nyn and Lan, each coming with another Moiraine-honed edge. It’s fertile ground for incredible drama, even if it’s not frontally addressed here.

I honestly don't think the Oath Road shortening Aes Sedai life is such a bad thing: three hundred years is a long time. But I like the idea of allowing older sisters to retire. It's something I am really curious about regarding channelers in general: they are humans, they aren't Ogier or Elves or Time Lords, they still experience time like humans, so hundreds of years is really, really long. Unless you argue their ability to channel makes them distinct from humans? I am curious to see why the books seem to insist living for so long is a goal rather than a curse. 

Halima is causing the migraines: Egwene, come on, you're smarter than this.

Ohhhhh, so a warder bonded to a black sister will kill her if he isn't a Darkfriend himself so they mask the bond, I love it. Between Lan, Elyas, and Kennit, we now have three very different complicated AS/Warder bonds.

What is Asne doing? What is going on? I am loving the chaos on the dark side.

Hello, I knew the guy who saved Elayne had to be a plant. I knew it!

Honestly, the endless nattering about the power structure in women's circles only is so bizarre, I hope I can articulate why it is at some point. 

We hate Aes Sedai, they say. Aes Sedai are wretched creatures, they say. And then they still do everything to dry them of their knowledge and experience.

Rand and Lan meet again and immediately encourage the worst trait in each other AKA “Rand and Lan are stupid and Nyneave needs to box the toxic masculinity out of them now” part 1 

Yessssss, Nynaeve is at last in on the quest. WE HAVE AN ARC FOR NYNAEVE WITH RAND I am so excited! Also slowly warming to her relationship with Lan. I stand my ground regarding the fact the RJ is far better with established relationships. They are good together now.

As much as I complain about the ludicrous love triangle in the show, it is certainly in tune with the ludicrous love quadrangle in the book, and how much I don't want to be reading this. 

Nynaeve's reaction was funnier in the books though. 1000/10, you tell these girls to stop this foolishness and that’s coming from someone who always ends up polyshipping characters. 

The way Elayne, Aviendha and Min behave around Rand while he is on the edge of madness makes me furious. The three of them treat him horrendously as if he is more lapdog than partner.

Elayne lecturing about bonding without consent is quite rich considering what happened with Birgitte and what will happen with Birgitte just after this. 

Hey, what Elayne, Min and Aviendha did to Birgitte without warning is not cool at all, and treating it as a joke when Birgitte gets angry about it is bloody nasty. The three of them are bloody immature and Alanna getting payback for the non-consensual bonding is greatly marred by how much Brigitte does not deserve that at the same time. 

Also, my theory that the closer Min, Aviendha and Elayne are to Rand the less I like them still stands.

I hope I never have to read anything as mortifying as Chapter 12 though.

The fact that the saying "Take what you want, and pay for it" is used both for Siuan and Moiraine, and Rand/Min/Aviendha/Elayne is underlying, again, just how evident Siuaraine is in the books and it gives me hope for the longevity of their relationship in the show.

Where do I sign up to read the romantic court comedy of Darlin and Caraline as prisoners of Cadsuane in Caemlyn and escaping by boat to Tear? #StraightPeopleDeserveSomeRights

Ailil and Shalon were lovers! I don't know how I feel about Aes Sedai basically calling all wlw “pillow friends” regardless of culture, but still! Is this the first queer relationship in the books?

I sure am happy to learn that Cairhienin carry on like rabbits in private. Yes, Moiraine fucks Siuan.

“The Sea Folk were another tool to be used on the boy, no more.” - Cadsuane is looking more and more like Moiraine with Nynaeve's temper, it's so funny. The fact we have seen so little of Cadsuane and Nynaeve together so far is a crime. 

Nynaeve in general deserves far more page count, I am starving.

So Damer also rediscovers healing stilled sisters on his own... I love that these books depict a large-scale Renaissance with barriers between knowledge and cultures breaking. 

“‘You might be surprised what is within my reach, Lord Dobraine,’ she said in a cold voice.” - Cadsuane is a stone-cold badass. Also, she kept her eyes on Moiraine and Siuan all these years!

The return of the Chekhov's weapons of mass destruction with the Choeden kal! The excitement is building!

Also, Cyndane is Lanfear, obviously. She's just been punished for her past failures by the DO.

Not that Macura woman again. If she becomes the Padan Fain of Nynaeve and Elayne I will laugh.

So, Tuon is a) fated to wed Mat and b) on her way to make Rand kneel following her prophecy. That can't go wrong. 

Awwww, Aludra is so protective about the Guild now that she was kicked out. It's sad to realize the number of cultures and communities unintentionally shattered by Rand. 

Why are Thom, Beslan, and Olver discussing titties sleeping? On the same woman? Leave Riselle alone.

Hell yeah, rebellion is coming to Ebou Dar, probably with fireworks too. See, that’s what I was talking about: despite being a royal, Beslan as a proponent of rebellion is a tale of redemption I am much more drawn to than Elayne’s ascension to the throne that already belongs to her.

Oh, Noal is here! I’ve heard a lot about him. His character is very similar to Thom though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the show merges him with the bard.

Seeing Mat panic at the dice stopping when he met Tuon was a most excellent use of multiple POVs. Also, the leitmotiv itself is simple but extremely striking.

Enid and Mistress Anan to the rescue! Hell yeah, I love competence.

Mat is so "I hate you and won't help you. Blood and ashes, I am now saving your life"-shaped, I love him and his chapters remain some of the most entertaining. It’s pure Count of Monte Cristo shenanigans.

Everything about the damane's treatment makes me sick to my stomach. I want to sick up. Genuinely, everything about it is such a negation of personhood that it makes many paragraphs unbearable to read. This makes the fact that I can care about Egeanin all the more disturbing.

Because oh boy, Egeanin is completely ensnared in Suroth’s machinations and she gave away the male a’dam for that?

Tylin’s behaviour with the Seanchan is also reminding a little of French Collaboration and Pétain and oof.

Darkfriend Taim was well-telegraphed. The man reeked of envy for Rand the moment he stepped on the page, he wanted so badly to be the Dragon Reborn.

It's Padan Faiiiiiiiiiiiiin. Love that guy. He's so single-minded in his evilness, so relentlessly self-serving. Turns up in the most unexpected places, kills random people in the most horrific way - truly an agent of chaos.

Nynaeve attracting attention because she is decked like a Christmas tree is fun but where does she get all that money? And she must be loaded now to go from the parsimony in TSR to this? Are Aes Sedai’s pockets that deep? Even in exile? Is Lan even more loaded than Moiraine?

I really hope the show expands on this Rand/Nyn/Lan quest because so far we are not seeing enough of it.

Min feeling nothing after Rand killed a man, Rand being able to draw after Lews Therin… He is being devoured from the inside by a dead man.

Isam/Luc killed the Gray man in the WT? Killing wolves? Is he a gholam? What is he?

“Supposedly the White Tower was like some mechanical contrivance that ground up thrones and reshaped them to its will. Of course, the machinery did seem to be broken, now.” - Yep, it's a headless institution, has been for centuries: that’s why it’s so compelling to study.

The sea folk do not believe Ogier exist! This is so good.

Harine more or less threatens Sarene and Sarene misinterprets it as an offer to discuss philosophy is just *chef's kiss*. The Aes Sedai are just massive nerds sometimes, it's so funny. I am digging Shalon's POV too.

“What would it be like to lose the sun?” - Light, I am in my Siuan feelings again.

Far Madding looks beyond gorgeous and fascinating. Between Tear and the Stone, Far Madding and the Guardian, Ebou Dar and the Rahad, Cairhien and the Sun Palace, Caemlyn comes out as generic in comparison, so I hope the show gives it a little more oomph.

“She seldom sees a swelled head without deciding to deflate it, even when it happens to be wearing a crown.” - Cadsuane is just so entertaining to read.

“‘I think you have frightened them quite enough,’ Cadsuane said firmly.” - I bloody adore Aes Sedai and their little mind games. 

“She suspected the warrants for Verin Mathwin’s exile had never been suspended.” - Ah, yes, my favourite five Aes Sedai: Siuan "heretic pope" Sedai, Cadsuane "presumed dead" Sedai, Verin "wanted in Far Madding" Sedai, Moiraine "forbidden weaves" Sedai and Leane "Mae West" Sedai.

The conversation between Rand and Alanna is just so meaty too. I really appreciate the way RJ handles complex tension between characters: screwed-up dynamics, that he lets be screwed-up without sliding into irony, but still very human. The conversation needed to happen and it didn’t offer a satisfying conclusion from the parties involved but it established a middle point on which something could be built.

“She sounded a great deal like Siuan Sanche, as Siuan had sounded in Tar Valon before everything had changed.” - I miss Egwene. I miss Siuan. I miss their relationship. I love these two more than I can tell.

Egwene and Rand both want to see their parents now. Oh light, these two truly are mirrors of each other.

It’s a bit difficult not to see Elayne’s very one-sided decision to have Rand’s child as a way to bond with him in a manner Aviendha and Min don't.

My disinterest in Elayne's plotting vs. Egwene's comes from her POV lacking ambiguity for me: I get exactly what she thinks and what she is doing. It feels like listening to someone describe a game of battleship. I am sure some people enjoy it, but I don't. There's no sense of irony either to her confidence in her title, which doesn't make her particularly sympathetic to me. It’s eh, whatever.

“‘I am a thief-catcher,’ the man growled, shaking off Mat’s arm, ‘not a thief!’” - I love Juilin and hope he will survive to retire with his Seanchan lady.

Again, all the love to Mat for risking so much to rescue a bunch of Aes Sedai and Sea Folk.

“Petulant and spoiled? He was looking at a lioness to match Blaeric and Fen. ‘Believe me, I won’t leave an Aes Sedai in the kennels.’” - This goes back to Siuan’s speech last book about what it meant to be Aes Sedai, as well as Egwene’s protectiveness. Despite all their faults and machinations, they are a sisterhood.

Right, Mat doesn't know of Setalle's involvement with the kin and now Joline is starting to recognize Setalle's from the Tower. This storyline is the intersection of so many interesting plot threads, I am having a blast.

“And now he belongs to her. So’jhin are more than just property, you know.” - Some very interesting parallel wording to Nyn's assessment of Moiraine and Lan in the show, particularly since Bayle and Egeanin are in love. I am looking forward to the show’s take on this storyline. 

The search for Kisman feels so vain now that we know Padan Fain killed him.

“I always skip over the battles when I read a history.”  - you and me both Verin, I read them like I read Jules Verne's enumeration of fish species.

“Moiraine had died because he was not hard enough to do what had to be done.” - RAND NO STOP THAT

“‘You can never know everything,’ Lan said quietly, ‘and part of what you know is always wrong. Perhaps even the most important part. A portion of wisdom lies in knowing that. A portion of courage lies in going on anyway.’”

It's a beautiful quote (that feels 100% Moiraine), and then Rand and Lan reach new depths of stupidity, with the help of Nynaeve I might add. Although we forgive her because Nyn is expected to bring that Tanchico-level of chaos to the table whenever she can.

So yeah, still “Rand and Lan are stupid” part 2

Everything that happened in Far Madding? The catastrophe of the Lan and Rand expedition? The Cadsuane rescue mission and politics games? Rand accidentally wrecking another nation’s government? The stored saidar? Riveting, please give me more!

“The male and female halves of the True Source were alike and unalike, attracting and repelling, fighting against each other even as they worked together to drive the Wheel of Time.” - The entirety of the Wheel of Time gender dynamics summed up in one sentence.

WE ARE CLEANSING SAIDIN BABY

Dashiva was Osan'gar?!? Elza is a Dark Friend who now supports Rand? LANFEAR? EVERYONE?!?

I love the idea of all the Forsaken flocking to Rand and Nynaeve like moths to a flame and Semirhage just being lol I'm out

I have serious questions about Rand's initial plan before Cadsuane turned up: did he think he could hold off all the Forsaken by himself with only Alivia as a shield who yeah outranks even Lanfear but as Cadsuane pointed out doesn't know much about any weaving that isn't martial? Without Asha'man?

It honestly doesn’t matter: I loved every second of it. This is my favourite ending since The Dragon Reborn, as the respective Mat-led and Cadsuane-led rescue missions were also quite strong. I wish we spent more time with Nynaeve and Rand before the actual cleansing, maybe seeing them argue the logistics of the weaving or planning a defense with Lan. 

“Two of her people” - Cadsuane does see the Asha'man as her people at last. That’s a meaningful way to show that saidin is indeed clean and the world is starting to heal. So emotional. Light, this was a fantastic finale.

All in all, pleasantly surprised by this one smack in the thick of the so-called “slog”. I genuinely enjoyed the slower, more reflexive parts for Perrin once I accepted the pace was going to be like this throughout. The built up for the Mat rescue mission and the way he got tied to the Aes Sedai and probably a future revolt in Ebou Dar was very satisfying. The Rand, Nynaeve and Lan road trip is mostly underwhelming because there isn’t enough of it, but it packs a punch in several places. Cadsuane’s parts are delicious treats, even more so when they combine with Rand’s. The Elayne parts feel tonally jarring so far to me and I’m not into them for personal reasons, but it’s also a very different type of narrative that RJ is veering into, so I’ll see if it gets more enjoyable. A bit bummed we got so little of the rebel Aes Sedai and the touted Black Ajah hunters but they are bound to come back, pretty please? 

#the wheel of time #wot book spoilers #winter's heart #wot book journey #wot book review #remblai #this got really long but at this point these are mostly for me #I really enjoyed this one as well #tepid take: the slow parts are not slower than certain slow parts in TEotW and LOC so yeah #Wot review

[marketingprofitmedia]

High-Ticket Profit Strategies Adopted by Industry Giants: A Peek Inside the Boardroom

In the fast-paced world of business, where success is measured not just in revenue but in strategic prowess, industry giants stand out for their innovative approaches. Our journey begins with a fascinating exploration of High-Ticket Profit Strategies Adopted by Industry Giants: A Peek Inside the Boardroom. In this blog, we unravel the enigma surrounding the meticulous planning and groundbreaking decisions made behind closed doors. Join us as we delve into the world of premium offerings, strategic brilliance, and the boardroom secrets that propel industry leaders to unparalleled heights of success. Get ready for an insider’s look at the high-stakes game of high-ticket profit strategies.

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Definition of High-Ticket Profit Strategies

High-ticket profit strategies revolve around the sale of premium-priced products or services. Unlike traditional sales approaches, these strategies target a smaller audience willing to make substantial investments. The emphasis is not on volume but on the significant profit derived from each sale.

Importance in Business Growth

For industry giants, high-ticket profit strategies are not just about immediate revenue; they are a long-term investment in sustainable growth. By strategically positioning and selling premium offerings, these companies create a robust foundation for continuous success.

Understanding Industry Giants

Definition and Characteristics

Industry giants are renowned for their market dominance, expansive reach, and influential position within their respective sectors. These companies often set the standards for innovation, customer service, and, most importantly, profit generation.

Examples of Industry Giants

Companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google stand as prime examples of industry giants. Their success is not solely attributed to their products or services but also to the astute utilization of high-ticket profit strategies.

The Role of High-Ticket Products and Services

Definition and Examples

High-ticket products and services are those that command a premium price due to their exceptional quality, unique features, or exclusive nature. Examples include luxury automobiles, high-end electronics, and personalized consulting services.

Impact on Revenue

The revenue impact of high-ticket offerings is profound. While the sales volume might be lower, the profit margins are significantly higher, contributing substantially to the overall financial health of a company.

Crafting High-Ticket Profit Strategies

Market Research and Analysis

Before implementing high-ticket profit strategies, industry giants invest considerable resources in market research and analysis. Understanding customer behavior, preferences, and market trends is crucial for successful execution.

Identifying Target Audience

High-ticket strategies are tailored to a specific audience willing to make substantial investments. Identifying and understanding this target demographic is a critical step in crafting effective strategies.

Value Proposition Development

Crafting a compelling value proposition is essential. Industry giants ensure that their high-ticket offerings not only meet but exceed customer expectations, providing unique value that justifies the premium price.

Pricing Strategies for High-Ticket Products

Psychology of Pricing

The psychology of pricing plays a significant role in high-ticket strategies. Industry giants leverage pricing strategies that create a perception of exclusivity and premium value.

Building Perceived Value

Beyond the product or service itself, building a perceived value is crucial. This involves creating an aura of luxury, excellence, and superiority around the high-ticket offering.

Competitive Analysis

Understanding the competitive landscape is essential for effective pricing. Industry giants analyze competitors’ pricing structures to position their high-ticket products competitively.

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Building Trust and Credibility

Testimonials and Case Studies

Building trust is paramount in high-ticket sales. Industry giants showcase testimonials and case studies to demonstrate the positive experiences of previous high-ticket customers.

Establishing Authority

Positioning themselves as authorities in their respective industries, these companies instill confidence in potential buyers, reinforcing the credibility of their high-ticket offerings.

Leveraging Influencers

Collaborating with influencers adds a layer of trust and authenticity. Industry giants strategically leverage influencers to endorse and promote their high-ticket products.

Marketing High-Ticket Products

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a powerful tool in high-ticket sales. Through thoughtfully curated content, industry giants educate potential buyers about the value and benefits of their premium offerings.

Targeted Advertising

Rather than widespread advertising, industry giants focus on targeted campaigns that reach their specific high-ticket audience segments. Precision in advertising is key.

Social Media Strategies

Social media platforms serve as avenues for engaging potential buyers. Industry giants deploy strategic social media campaigns to create awareness and interest in their high-ticket products.

Customizing Sales Processes

Consultative Selling

High-ticket sales involve a more consultative approach. Sales teams are trained to understand the unique needs of each customer and tailor their pitches accordingly.

Relationship Building

Building strong relationships is integral to high-ticket sales success. Industry giants prioritize long-term connections over quick transactions, fostering customer loyalty.

Overcoming Objections

High-ticket sales often encounter resistance. Industry giants equip their sales teams with effective objection-handling techniques to address concerns and build confidence in potential buyers.

Adapting to Market Changes

Agility in Strategy

The business landscape is dynamic, and industry giants understand the importance of adapting swiftly to market changes. Flexibility in high-ticket strategies ensures continued relevance.

Monitoring Industry Trends

Constant monitoring of industry trends is a cornerstone of success. Industry giants stay ahead by identifying and capitalizing on emerging trends in high-ticket markets.

Adjusting Business Models

When necessary, industry giants are not afraid to reevaluate and adjust their business models. This flexibility ensures sustained profitability in the high-ticket arena.

Case Studies: Successful Implementation

Examples of Companies Embracing High-Ticket Profit Strategies

Apple’s Premium Ecosystem

Apple’s success is synonymous with its high-ticket strategy. By creating a seamless ecosystem of premium products, Apple has cultivated a devoted customer base willing to invest in its ecosystem.

Tesla’s Innovation and Exclusivity

Tesla, the electric car giant, emphasizes innovation and exclusivity. With cutting-edge technology and limited-edition releases, Tesla maintains a high-ticket positioning in the automotive market.

Lessons Learned

These case studies highlight the importance of innovation, exclusivity, and customer loyalty in successful high-ticket profit strategies.

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Challenges and Solutions

Overcoming Resistance

High-ticket sales often face resistance due to the significant investment involved. Industry giants address this by providing extensive information, guarantees, and flexible financing options.

Managing Customer Expectations

Clear communication is crucial in managing customer expectations. Industry giants set realistic expectations and deliver on promises, ensuring customer satisfaction.

Handling Competition

Competition in the high-ticket market is fierce. Industry giants stay ahead by continuously innovating, offering unparalleled quality, and maintaining a strong brand presence.

Future Trends in High-Ticket Profit Strategies

Technological Innovations

Advancements in technology will continue to shape high-ticket strategies. Virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and other innovations will enhance customer experiences and offerings.

Globalization Impact

Globalization opens new markets for high-ticket products. Industry giants will explore international opportunities, adapting strategies to diverse cultural and economic landscapes.

Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability. Industry giants will integrate eco-friendly practices and social responsibility into their high-ticket strategies.

The Impact on Small Businesses

Feasibility and Adaptability

While high-ticket strategies are synonymous with industry giants, small businesses can adapt them on a smaller scale. Feasibility and adaptability are key considerations.

Steps to Implement High-Ticket Strategies

Small businesses can implement high-ticket strategies by focusing on niche markets, building strong value propositions, and leveraging digital marketing.

Success Stories

Highlighting success stories of small businesses adopting high-ticket strategies showcases the potential for growth and profitability.

Expert Insights and Quotes

Thoughts from Business Leaders

High-ticket strategies are not just about making a sale; they’re about creating a lasting relationship with the customer.

Tips for Implementation

Understand your audience, innovate continuously, and never compromise on quality. These are the pillars of successful high-ticket strategies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the adoption of high-ticket profit strategies by industry giants unveils a world of meticulous planning, innovation, and customer-centric approaches. From crafting compelling value propositions to navigating market challenges, these strategies are a testament to the resilience and foresight of successful businesses. As we look to the future, the evolution of high-ticket strategies will continue to shape the business landscape, offering opportunities for both industry giants and smaller enterprises.

FAQs

1. What defines a high-ticket product or service?

A high-ticket product or service is one that commands a premium price due to its exceptional quality, unique features, or exclusive nature.

2. How do industry giants build trust in high-ticket sales?

Industry giants build trust through testimonials, case studies, establishing authority, and leveraging influencers to endorse their high-ticket offerings.

3. What role does marketing play in high-ticket strategies?

Marketing in high-ticket strategies involves content marketing, targeted advertising, and strategic social media campaigns to create awareness and interest.

4. How can small businesses implement high-ticket strategies?

Small businesses can implement high-ticket strategies by focusing on niche markets, building strong value propositions, and leveraging digital marketing.

5. What are the future trends in high-ticket profit strategies?

Future trends include technological innovations, globalization impact, and a focus on sustainability and social responsibility in high-ticket strategies.

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Affiliate Disclaimer :

This article Contain may be affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission at NO ADDITIONAL cost to you if you decide to purchase something. While we receive affiliate compensation for reviews / promotions on this article, we always offer honest opinions, users experiences and real views related to the product or service itself. Our goal is to help readers make the best purchasing decisions, however, the testimonies and opinions expressed are ours only. As always you should do your own thoughts to verify any claims, results and stats before making any kind of purchase. Clicking links or purchasing products recommended in this article may generate income for this product from affiliate commissions and you should assume we are compensated for any purchases you make. We review products and services you might find interesting. If you purchase them, we might get a share of the commission from the sale from our partners. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended.

Source : High-Ticket Profit Strategies Adopted by Industry Giants: A Peek Inside the Boardroom

Thanks for reading my article on “High-Ticket Profit Strategies Adopted by Industry Giants: A Peek Inside the Boardroom“, hope it will help!

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