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theveryworstthing · 7 years

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today we learn about the mainlander castes, their ruling families, and their God Royalty. this is part one since i’m going to put the Royals on their own post.

pictured here we have:

Lord Cahphie (i call his family Fight Club in my head. you’ll see why.)

Lady Mirriow (a mirage brought on by the cacophonous sound of a million hyenas laughing.)

Lady Twaine (child made of coffee and architectural planning.)

and Lady Emelyerat (the pastel priestess who runs this god forsaken show.)

read below the cut to know the things. there are...a lot of things.

Caste system:

Royals: the King and Queen. God ruler bloodlines.

Lords and Ladies: The non-Royal royals. The four officially ruling families and some super rich families. They run around in a system called the courts, which is basically where rich people go to make deals and sneer at other rich people while looking fancy.

The People: Exactly what is says on the tin. The general range of middle class schmucks.

The Grey People: The lower class. Life is hard man, they’re just trying to get by.

Ink Servants: Pretty much slaves. Slavery was outlawed long ago but there is a contract system in place that makes it so people that can afford it can basically go into any prison and buy a person to have them serve out their sentence as their servant. The buyer provides room and board, the Ink Servant works, and since nobody really checks in on most of these arrangements, they just assume that everyone involved is treated with dignity and respect until this rehabilitation period is over. I won’t elaborate further. Its not all criminals though. Sometimes people in dire straits like poor single mothers or the disabled willingly sign themselves onto the contracts to secure housing and safety for their loved ones. Most buyers treat these people more like normal servants but there are some who see no difference between them and the prisoners. In fact, most of society sees them that way.

Courts:

Cahphie (keepers of the natural order): The Cahphie court and their subjects are known as the People Of Peace. This is ironic considering the astonishing amount of civil wars they’ve been in and how the Cahphie family seems to be entirely composed of ultra-petty ticking time bombs. They are a relentless people who hold serious grudges and thrive on pure brute force and cussedness. They treat the caste system as an absolute food chain that is never to be disturbed and are some of the few mainlanders who have no problem with feral animals and beastly behavior, since they feel those traits can be used to great advantage. Despite all this, when viewed from a distance (while holding completely still and radiating fear and respect like your life depends on it because it probably does), they seem pretty chill. The Cahphie are a reactive force at heart, you have to piss them off first. They find no honor in going after people without a reason. But oh man, are they good at finding reasons. The rest of Mainlander society has gotten really good at not doing that though and there hasn’t been a war for ages.

This would be good news for the current Lord Cahphie, who through a fluke in genetics isn’t filled with gallons of barely contained Liquid Fight, but that just means that his court gets bored. Past events say that boredom is more dangerous for his people than actually going to war so his great great grandfather, sick of not having enough excuses to stab people in peacetime, cultivated a strong dueling culture. People in the Cahphie courts duel over just about anything; land, love, the last slice of cake, and Lord Cahphie duels the most. Every day in fact. Every day by law. You see, only the strongest deserve to be at the top and winning duels is the best way to prove you’re still capable of running the Cahphie family. So every day there is a call for challengers and (almost) every day he destroys them. If he loses then one of his siblings or worse, his parents, get a chance to fight him and if he loses to them he loses his position. He’s come close to failure a few times but he’s still ruling ten years in with no sign of flagging. Good news for the court duelists, as he’s much better at non-lethal wins than his kin (much better meaning he tries at all not to murder them as hard as possible). Better news for the People Of Peace in general since his rule has really thinned out the heads on pikes. Neutral news for his family members, who totally aren’t using the dueling tradition to find honorable and legit ways to assassinate him before he has a child and take his place. The lack of a good war is really starting to make them itch.

Relationships With Non Mainlanders: They find Rabbits hardy and admire both their chemical warfare and their survival tactics. They mostly see them as possible cannon fodder/playthings though. They have the same kind of respect that a dude in a wolf shirt has for huskies. Noble creatures who are good enough, but at their core they’re dumb animals compared to Real Foodchain Kings. They respect the Hare’s ability to live their nomadic lifestyles and thrive in the wilderness but mostly hate the fact that they stray into their (at least they claim) lands without permission sometimes. They don’t really deal with Vultures. Vultures have seen too many battle aftermaths to play into the spiel about their honor.

The Mirriows (the blood that rejoices): The Mirriow family and their court are known as The Good Neighbors. This name is apt as the other courts basically go there to party and eat, while occasionally asking to borrow things that they have no intention of returning. Their cities are lively, boasting year round festivals, exciting new fashions, and news from the ships and caravans that stop there. Their food is legendary on the mainland, taking inspirations from the different cultures passing through (yes, even Vultures) and turning out dishes good enough to have local cooks routinely enlisted to cook for The Royals. Their theater and dance scenes have similar acclaim, and simply wandering the night can take you to anything from dramatic historical shows to small jazzy underground burlesque joints. Truly the Mirriow courts are places of happiness and distraction. Forget your sorrows, don’t mind what you saw out of the corner of your eye, and don’t bother reading the fine print sugar. Its probably fine.

Everyone’s not so easily swayed by the Mirriow though. The mix of cultures makes their courts far more accepting of the bending of societal rules, making it known by some as the Unseemly Court. This accusation is usually flung after meeting Lady Mirriow, the personification of the sound that a contract signed in blood makes when it snaps its fingers to a groovy beat. She sashays through life with the aesthetic of a Disney villain, wielding a laugh like a mildly singed saucy velvet painting of a hyena and an amazing Nervous Making Smile. Despite her whole deal, she’s good ruler and her people love her. She takes care of them, carrying on her family’s legacy of generosity, always ready to make deals with others for favors and goods. The amazing gifts and services she gives in exchange for what can usually be seen as trifles to the untrained eye through these friendly contracts keep her in the good graces of the other families and out of most drama. They are totally not ways to subtly manipulate people and find on the books reasons to punish anyone who tries to cross her with near impossible riddle-like fine print clauses that depend on quick clever thinking to make sure she doesn’t own you for life. They are certainly not that. Unrelated, her family is known for their disorienting conversational skills, distractive backhanded flattery, always following through on deals, and the ability to somehow never lie even when you feel like they are lying to your face. They also own a secret trove of very old, very illegal literature that would definitely have gotten their whole bloodline struck down in a bloody rage by the Royals if it was ever found. It’s a good thing its never been found. It’s a good thing everyone is too distracted to look.

Relationships With Non Mainlanders: Rabbits, while still certainly second class citizens as a whole, are treated a little more equally here. This is the only place that they and Hares are really free to act and dress more according to their own cultural ideals. Mostly the ideals mainlanders see as cool but still. Vultures are fans of the area, flying in with all the juicy gossip and relishing in cuisine that actually bothers to include their tastes.

The Twaine( the keys that shape the door ): the Twaine family and their court are known as The Fair Folk. The Twaine are strange, bordering on both the most beloved and most despised by the Royals. The dismissal comes from the fact that Twaine society is focused on forward motion. They’re the inventors and artists who develop housing, transportation, machinery, medicine, and manufacture a good chunk of mainlander goods. They’re driven to build and fix and work. They tend to be smaller and less bombastic than other mainlanders, typically going for simpler aesthetics. The Twaine family even crop their luxurious ears and tails when they come of age, signifying function over form. Despite all of this desire to make new discoveries and help society progress, The Fair Folk rarely do anything new with all this knowledge. This is because at the end of the day they are very loyal to the Royals (perhaps even more loyal than the Emelyerat in some ways), and the Royals have a certain way they want the world to be. So, before anything is made for public use it must be submitted to the Emelyerat for approval. Failure to make your thing official and use it anyway can get you labeled as a degenerate treasonous Witch, a term that doesn’t carry the sweet old aunt fondness of Rabbit society. Mostly because it usually carries a death sentence. Of course sometimes submitting your idea gets the same result so most Fair Folk just keep their ideas to themselves, occasionally writing them down or discussing them with those they really trust, burning the notes afterwards with a swell of love for the Royals, civic pride, and a little fear. Not a lot of fear (they will be quick to tell you) but like. Enough.

On the flip side of all the witch executing, the Royals love the Twaine for their amazing musical ability (more than a few have been summoned to the Royals for lifelong employment) and the sheer level of housekeeping they do for the mainland. They’re quiet and subservient and have no problem being ordered wherever to fix whatever. They’re a boon during natural disasters, getting places looking good as new in no time, and their restoration of older buildings and objects preserve much of the mainland history that is left from the Before Wall times. They also handle the building of the Castles, the twin structures that are destroyed and rebuilt in different locations every hundred years. The Twaine family are the head architects for the Castles and hold their position with pride. The Castles are labors of love (and slight madness), a release of all the creative energy that can’t be put elsewhere. Rooms of amazing art and beauty hidden in blank walls, stairs that descend into a darkness that lasts too long and is full of the sound of far off orchestras and footsteps that aren’t yours, secret gardens that can only be reached by singing at the gates of prismed glass, wash rooms that resemble pools in forest groves where its always twilight and clockwork lightning bugs perform synchronized dances through the trees, ballrooms of scented mist and crystal floors that make dancing feel like gliding over a troubled ocean. All this is done with no input from the Royals. They’re not even supposed to tell them what they’re doing. Sure there are guidelines but each Castle is meant for the next in the Royal bloodline and since no one knows what the child will like they just wing it. Pure freedom.

The current Lady Twaine just became the head of this project and is trying her best not to burn out on the creative power. Her father’s death was unexpected, so with her older brothers dead just years before in a witchcraft scandal and her mother trapped in a cycle of grief she took on the crown. She’s barely 19 and her people describe her as resilient, industrious, mature, and delicate. Mostly she’s just young. Young and tired and possessing an inability to read or exhibit social cues reliably that make her seem more aloof than anxious. She has thirteen years to get caught up on and finish the newest Castles before the next heir is born which is not much time to make something that should entertain your godlike king and queen.

But that’s okay because it isn’t like she ever sleeps.

Relationships With Non Mainlanders: They find Rabbits to be fine workers but they don’t really ‘get’ them. The abstractions in their art, their community based living arrangements, their social structures, and their family allegiances. None of it really makes sense to The Fair Folk. They work closely with Rabbits and share a love of discovery but to some this makes it look like they’re on the same level and they’re not okay with that. They will go through amazing lengths to show a rabbit with the exact same credentials and skill level that they are beneath them. Not in cartoonishly evil ways just… they’re cold. Cold and dismissive. As for the others, they straight up don’t trust Hares (liars and thieves, practically homeless vagabonds) or Vultures (disgusting cannibalistic flying germ factories) but they rely on them to transport materials and goods so they tolerate them and pay them well so they don’t return the saltiness and leave them up shit creek. There will be a paddle though. That paddle just happens to be held by a person on the shore who is snapping it over their knee while staring you straight in the eyes under a banner depicting rude illustrations of you getting sensual with a toilet brush. Of course if anyone drops out of their jobs its just claimed that clearly the mainlanders were right about them all along and how dare they shun their generous offers. The Fair Folk are not popular.

The Emelyerat( the holy uplifted): the Emelyerat family and their court are known as The Gentry and they are the only Lords and Ladies that have the privilege of getting direct holy orders from the Royals. Serving as the clergy for all variations of mainlander religion, the Emelyerat are…enlightened? They’re certainly devout. Taking the Royal’s words as law and shaping the culture and aesthetics to deliver whatever they need from all mainlander kind. They are the ones who write and approve mainlander history. They declare who won what wars and what they were fought for. Not so much editing as strong bias and a tendency to simply eradicate periods of time if the Royals deem it so. They serve them always and think of nothing but their happiness. And how could they not? The King and Queen are just…just…they love them. Their presence is a blessing. Their beauty inspires them and their power gives every mainlander safety in their fold.

The Gentry acquire the best entertainment, the most interesting baubles, and the strongest magics to grant their every wish. So what if the enlistment of certain people into the Royal courts isn’t done with their explicit consent or conscious understanding that they have been spirited away? That good mothers disappear on shopping trips and come back a week later wearing elegant flowing robes with golden beads braided into their new patches of silver fur and breasts completely dry of milk for hungry babs. So what if violent criminals and heretics are granted reprieve from the gallows only for sobbing monstrous beasts warped by magic and in need of hunting to appear in the Royal’s game forests days later? So what if beautiful young mainlanders follow flirty charming people that they’ve strangely never seen around here before into the woods on festival nights and don’t wander back home until its fifty years past? That they appear still twenty odd years old with bright glassy eyes and pregnant bellies and a glow about them that makes their remaining kin not question this gift. This reunion. That they talk about their time away as if it were a dream. The extravagance, the unbridled joy, their lover tall and regal and looking so upset when they reveal their homesickness. No. they were always radiant and loving and they cried the day you asked them where the door outside was. They begged. Begged you to come back to the gardens, to dance and eat more of the strange food. The warmth of their arms around you as you danced the night away. The tantrum. Things breaking. Beautiful crystal shards at your feet. Laughter ringing through the court like spring rain. That first lick of fear. You hadn’t felt it in so long. Your heart was full, you’ll never be happier. You finally notice that they don’t move quite right. Their voice is like honey. A tearful kiss goodbye as the court looks on. You can feel their warm eyes on your belly. You can feel the jealousy.

And now its only been a few days since you left but the baby feels like its almost due now. You can feel it moving and something inside you is screaming a warning but something stronger makes you feel the same glittering euphoria you felt dancing with your Royal lover. Everyone else just looks on, helpful and accepting and you don’t worry about them being in the birthing room with you. Its fine for this. Because someone will need to take care of the baby and you know, through the haze of peace and joy, that it won’t be you. So you let them watch while you expel the opalescent egg and smile at the tiny creature that turns to you when the shell cracks open. Your vision dims as you disappear inside of its hungry mouth but you don’t feel anything. No pain, no fear to accompany the sound of snapping bones. The onlookers coo as you all sense the first glimmer of awareness in its eyes. You feel your consciousness not so much fading as changing, sliding away. You close your eyes. Your baby has grown so much. Surely they’re five or six by now. They look it. Surely the will be happy.

But anyway.

So what? That’s such a small price to pay to bask in their majesty. Not even a price. A gift. A gift that these people find the less divine worthy of company. The current Lady Emelyerat knows all about this gift. As Head Priestess she has been invited to the Royal’s courts many times. Ever since she took the crown at twenty-four she’s been in their confidence. Now, at thirty-eight, she’s a powerful mage who runs the mainland like a well-oiled machine. Forty-nine years of excellent service to the Royals. Traveling from Castle to Castle, solving what problems she can for the people so they don’t have to, putting aside family life to serve. Or rather. Wait. That last one isn’t even an issue as she had no one left after her mother…no no she has a husband. Where was he? They were wed after her coronation. And the boy! I mean son. Sons? Oh what kind of mother was she? How embarrassing. But then again it was so easy to forget these things. Some of them happened at least ninety-three years ago! Speaking of which, her oldest turns three in a few months. She has to remember to do something for him.

She has to remember to.

Her husband will help. He’s so wonderful and.

And he’ll.

He’s.

She probably won’t have time for frivolous activities this week. She’s so busy and the Royals have new projects for her. Having tea with her court or whatever she was thinking about will have to wait. No activity has a greater need than service to her majesties after all! This makes her life a little lonely sometimes but the work is worth it and she’ll have plenty of time to herself when she hands the crown to her future children. No need to fret. She’s only twenty-five after all.

Relationships With Non Mainlanders: All peoples not of mainlander blood are welcome if they wish to swear themselves to the Royals. Sure these people might be lesser in some ways, but that just means they should be uplifted! Through the Royal’s wills all things are possible and all people with open hearts and minds will serve and be loved by Them. And those that don’t? Well.

They all come around sooner or later.

#rabbits of downtrodden #Mainlanders #body horror #pregnancy #worldbuilding for days ya'll #changeling

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lothiriel84 · 7 years

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Over My Shoulder

Every day it's a losing battle Just to smile and hold my head up high

A MarsCorp ficlet. Sequel to Froth, Coffee, And Liquor.

It wasn’t the first time David had stayed the night; Dave’s quarters might be tiny, and crammed with all sorts of stuff he’d somehow managed to scrape together over the years, but he had a faint suspicion that David wasn’t entirely comfortable with all the memories that lurked in wait as he walked through the deserted corridors at night. Their little co-workers-with-benefits deal had been going on for a few months now, and it worked perfectly fine for Dave; or at least, it used to, until he found himself staring at David as he got dressed in the morning, and wondering when exactly it had all started to feel so familiar – snug, even.

Well, it had to stop, he chided himself, even as he pressed a quick kiss to David’s lips. He was an Orange, and that meant he couldn’t afford getting soft, not if he wanted to achieve something in life; besides, they had both agreed on there being no strings attached right from the start, and he was going to stick to the terms of the contract. That was the essence of commerce after all – unless you could somehow get a better deal by tricking the customer, that was.

It was sort of ironic, that he would turn out to be the sentimental one; he had always feared that David, inexperienced as he was, might get too attached, and try to turn their little arrangement into something more. You’re pathetic, Dave, he sneered at his reflection as he shaved in front of the tiny reflective panel that served as a mirror. Time to pull yourself together.

They had already agreed on going out for drinks in the evening, the three of them, plus Hayley’s new girlfriend – Katie, or whatever. He supposed that was as good an occasion as any, patiently waited out the girls’ light-hearted teasing, and David’s awkward attempts at joking back; in the end it was just the two of them, and he bluntly offered to walk David to his quarters.

“Katie seems a really nice girl,” David remarked, somewhat casually. “I’m glad Hayley is finally dating someone,” he suddenly trailed off, but Dave could hear the unspoken ‘her age’ that hung in the air. Well, at least she would stop trying to hit on either of them, which was definitely a good thing.

“Do you want to, um, come in?” David hesitated after entering the key code. Dave shook his head, eventually made eye contact. “Listen, mate. We’ve had some good times, you and I. I think it’s time we move on, if you get what I mean.”

“Oh,” David uttered, though he didn’t sound particularly upset or anything. “Okay then. We can still be friends, right?”

“Yeah,” Dave nodded, vaguely surprised that David considered him a friend at all. “Sure thing. Why not?”

David smiled – a genuine smile, one that didn’t look like he was being kicked in the ribs. “Good night, Dave.”

He watched the door slid shut behind him, resisted the urge to bang his head against it.

“Oh, for Shareholders’ sake,” he heard a voice coming from somewhere above him, far too loud for comfort, threw an arm over his face to block out the light and the pain. He had a vague recollection of making the executive decision to have a couple more drinks before bed, couldn’t actually remember how or when he had ended up face down on the floor; still, the room wasn’t spinning anymore, and he decided to take that as a good sign.

“Here, take this,” the familiar voice instructed him, and he summoned whatever little coordination he still possessed to reach for the glass of water and handful of pills he was offered. Shareholders, but his head hurt.

“You know, you should consider yourself lucky that I found you before you choked on your own vomit,” Hayley quipped, her tone between fond and exasperated. Oh, right, so it was in fact Hayley – just what he’d always wanted, having a teenager witness one of his utterly pathetic crises. How delightful.

“Get lost, kid,” he muttered, defensively, too tired to even begin to care. Hayley didn’t budge though, forced him to scramble off the floor and onto the settee. “Your right hand, please.”

He complied out of exhaustion, finally started to realise just how much his palm was stinging. Great, he must have landed on broken glass, if the shards Hayley started pulling out of his skin were anything to go by.

“You and Katie have lots of fun, don’t you? Playing doctor, that sort of thing.”

“At least we don’t try and drink ourselves to a coma,” she retorted quickly, swiping his palm with something that smelt suspiciously like disinfectant. He was having a hard time deciding which one hurt more, his head or his hand, and he struggled to swallow down a fresh bout of nausea.

“If you’re all intent on mothering me, why don’t you go and make some coffee, like a good intern?” he joked half-heartedly, as she finally wrapped a piece of sterile gauze around his hand.

“You’re so lucky that I actually like you,” she threw at him over her shoulder, as she headed over to the knackered coffee machine, and retrieved two mugs that were only slightly cracked in places. “You know, I thought it would be funny to watch you mope over David, but it’s pretty sad, all things considered.”

“I’m not moping,” he spluttered, tried to push himself to an upright position in spite of his throbbing head. “And certainly not over David.”

“Yeah, right. If you say so,” she shrugged, waited for the ping that signalled the coffee was ready.

Dave practically inhaled his own, let his head drop back against the armrest. “David and I are both adults. We agreed this wasn’t working for us, and decided to end things by common accord. It’s as simple as that. No hard feelings.”

“So, that’s why for the past few weeks you’ve been looking like someone stole the secret recipe for Dave Cola, right?”

He stared at her as she calmly sipped her coffee. Damn, the girl was far too perceptive for her own good, and he wasn’t sure he currently appreciated that particular trait of hers.

“We had sex a few times. That was all it was ever about,” he pointed out at length, somewhat bitterly. “I’m a pathetic little Orange, he’s a Blue with a charming reputation as a criminal lunatic. Nothing much to work on, is there?”

Hayley put down her mug, looked him straight in the eye. “Katie’s citizen status is Red, and she’s an intern for the Medical Department. She pissed off her whole family when she told them we were dating. We still want to move in together as soon as we finish our internships.”

“Yeah, well done, you,” Dave replied, somewhat sarcastically. “I still expect you to pull your weight, regardless of your living arrangements.”

“My point is, you’re being an idiot. And David is not the frightened little boy who’s only just been released from prison anymore.”

Dave stared at his empty mug for a long moment, his thoughts stumbling upon one another in a quagmire of hangover and all the resentment against the system that had been accumulating over time. “Yes, well. I think I’m going to try and sleep on it, if you don’t mind.”

She smiled at him as if she found it only too easy to read between the lines, down to the grudging acknowledgment that she might even be right.

He settled back against the cushions, closed his eyes, and focussed on the comforting, empty blackness behind his eyelids.

What’s going on between you and David? That was what Hob had demanded to know in the early days of their not-quite relationship, and quite bluntly too.

Ooh, do you need me to talk you through the process? He had retorted then, because he simply couldn’t pass up the chance to be a smart-arse. The truth was that her concern was pretty much unwarranted; he might be entirely too selfish in the eye of his fellow employees, but he would never attempt to actively hurt someone as vulnerable and naive as David.

What he was about to do now, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. He honestly believed that for all his flaws, he wasn’t as bad a person as everyone else seemed to make him out to be; the crux of the matter, however, was that two broken people as he and David seldom made for a good match, never mind some sort of relatively healthy relationship. They came from different backgrounds, and still belonged to separate worlds even in spite of David generally being treated as lowly as any Orange; they might all hang out together now, pretend that they were some sort of makeshift family, regardless of colour and their respective pasts, but that didn’t mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. They were all MarsCorp property, every single one of them, and they hardly got any saying in the ruling of their own lives, no matter what their personal feelings.

David greeted him with a fairly cheerful smile as he entered his improvised lab, waved a large round-bottom flask at him. “Hello, Dave. I think I’ve managed to create an entirely new formula, with corn syrup as the main ingredient. Jim tried it earlier, said it tasted pretty good to him.”

“Yeah, fantastic,” he replied, somewhat absent-mindedly. “Look, David, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure,” David nodded, placing the flask back onto its stand. “How about we grab something from the vendibots while we’re at it? I’m starving.”

Dave looked at him, really looked at him for the first time ever since he could remember. David didn’t look like the ghost of himself anymore, and while he would probably never be completely free from the burden of his past, he was starting to act more and more like a normal human being of late. It had never been about romance between the two of them, but he found himself wishing the man in front of him as happy a life as he deserved, or the closest to it he could hope to get.

“Actually, never mind. It’s not that important. Just – forget about it,” he shrugged it off, turning his gaze to the assorted bits and bobs that cluttered the table. “I’ll see myself out.”

He was about to press the button to open the door, when he felt David’s hand on his arm. “What is it, Dave?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head, calmly freed himself from David’s hold. “Just changed my mind, that’s all.”

David stepped between him and the door, effectively blocking his way out. “Hayley’s worried about you. She refused to tell me what’s it all about, but – I’m not stupid, you know.”

“I never thought you were,” he conceded, crossed his arms defensively. “It’s just – it’s pretty stupid, all right?”

“You said we would still be friends, remember? That’s what friends do – they talk, Dave. Or that’s what I’m told, at least.”

He couldn’t resist quirking an eyebrow at him. “And just how many friends have you had in your life, David?”

“Sigh. That’s irrelevant,” David countered, quietly. Dave recognised the look on his face, the one that meant he was thinking of Colin Denham, his former mentor and lover. That was what eventually forced his hand, and made him admit to the truth even in spite of himself.

“As I said, it’s nothing, just a really stupid idea. It’s not as if I’m in love with you or anything, and I guess we’re not even compatibles, most likely.”

“But we are,” David pointed out, in his usual helpful manner. “Compatibles, I mean. I checked ages ago – not that I was expecting anything out of it, I suppose you could say I was just curious.”

He huffed a laugh, shook his head in amused disbelief. “You truly are a ridiculous man, you know.”

David cut him off by placing a palm on his chest, and leaning down for a kiss.

#marscorp #Mars Dave #mavid #hayley barrett #friendship #heavy drinking #angst and fluff #another cup of coffee (series)#i wrote a thing #*is forcibly removed from the marscorp fandom*

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officialroyalqueen · 5 years

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Wisdom Eight BECOMING SOCIAL MEDIA WISE S - Societal O- Obsession C – Constantly I – Influencing + A – Affecting L – Lives M – Making E – Entertainment D – Distractingly I – Interesting A – Always. When the purpose of a thing is not known abuse is inevitable. This is what comes to mind, when I think of social media and its effects on youths. Please don’t get me wrong, social media has been greatly useful in so many ways. With social media we are able to socialize, listen, watch, download our choice music and videos, share beautiful pictures and communicate with our family, friends regardless of the distance. We study and conduct researches, pay bills, get information via Google, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc. So no doubt, social media as enabled by internet has been profitable. A little more about its benefits; we are able to purchase, sell and make our brand and product more popular through it. We find jobs on social media. Some have found love and marriage through it. It has equally made public servants a bit cautious and responsible especially those in political positions in developed countries. Well, so many people believe it’s one of the best things that have happened in our generation. According to Rex Cleanus, “It is the voyage that modernity rides on to safe landing”. Even though social media is important, it could be abused when we don’t priorities adequately. We need to be cautious, when on social media, it can be addictive. It can make you become who you never thought you would be. I don’t follow most celebrities because sometimes they get petty, they talk without caution. They vent out on anybody that does not seem to agree with them. I don’t want to be like that, ‘so why should I follow’? If you follow celebrities on social media platforms without caution, you might begin to feel they have everything the world has to offer. Before the emergence of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, snapchat, etc life was simple and people where a bit more respectful, accommodating and purposeful. When smartphones were introduced some youths lost self-control. Young girls were ready to do anything for anyone that offers to get them a smart phone especially here in Africa. Yes! Smart phones, pads and other devices accessing social media platforms have come to dominate our world. We have no choice but to become social media wise. What happens if you’re not social Media-wise? Waste of Time Social media can consume more than a quarter of your time. An average person has three to five social media accounts and spends around 1 hour, 40 minutes browsing these networks every day on average of about 45 hours per week. It is disturbing to know that teenagers live in this massive 24/7 digital media technology space without proper guidance. Note that some youths spend about 9 hours on social media each day and it’s not for making researches or for assignments but on their social-media handles. This is totally a waste of time, one that ought to be curtailed. Some teenagers have lost focus; they don’t even have a clue of what lies within and ahead. I’m talking about people that should be world-class inventors, creative directors, professional athletes, authors, producers, entrepreneurs, etc rather they’ve spent their valuable time surfing aimlessly on social media. You might think you have your life all figured out, wait until you start paying more attention to your set goals. You’ll realize that greater innovative advancement is gained, more skill acquired, the vision becomes even more clearer and your approach more direct and productive. Therefore, allow productive task swallow up your time. I always ask young people what they would like to do after school, and they often tell me, actress, actor, social media influencer, PR, music artists, comedians. Yeah! They’re all interesting professions and do attract popularity. Although I’m persuaded to believe that the time they spend on social media is having effect on their choices and dreams. They are mostly influenced by those celebrities that show off constantly on social media. So they love the glamour and do think of living such lives. It is all about the smartphone camera and the fame pursuit. ‘9 hours on social media for a young lady’? Please how and where will she learn the basic virtues that will make her a successful career woman, a good wife and mum? I asked a 16 year old girl that came to stay in my home to make pap (Nigeria corn meal made from wet corn starch) for my kids; she told me boldly, she doesn’t know how to do it. I was shocked, but then I realized why. Although she stayed briefly with me, I realized she literally lived in the digital space. She spends the whole day petty-chatting online. Before this social media obsession teenagers knew what they were supposed to know, they took proper care of their families but today, most teenagers have become pros at managing their social media accounts only. Some can’t go a day without thinking about the trend they might have missed. It has become an obsession for many teenagers of today. How would a young man/woman that should be concerned with discovering his/her talent and nurturing it, succeed? when he spends his whole day chatting and surfing the net majorly to see what celebrities are up and about to do. The social media can be deceitful for youths; don’t allow it dictate your life by becoming obsessed with it. Don’t spend your youthful age admiring other people successes while failing to build up your own career. Now, everybody seems to live in the cyberspace. This is also one of the foundational causes of family issues; some people are no more living a real life but a fake one. You must place your priorities right. That way you will not be cut in the frenzy or drama that it propagates. You’ll be able to ride on it with purpose and safeguard yourself from falling prey to its distractions and time wasting invitation. SEXUAL EXPLOITATION You must esteem yourself and never succumb to trampling on your dignity. Social media makes it easy for you to be enticed and indulge in activities that could mess up your personality. And sometimes the damage done could be irrevocable. A teenage girl met some men on social media, they promised to help her achieve her dream of becoming an actress. She got carried away by all their ‘sweet lies’. They invited her over and demanded she tells no one about it. They said she needed to be discreet because sometimes family and friends are obstacles that hinder dreams (aspiration). She left her town without informing anyone of her where about, the awful part been she doesn’t know anyone in the city she was going. She got there late and finally met with the men. The moment she saw them she became uneasy, but it was too late to back-out. She was ‘gang raped’ and sent back home the next day. I’m sure if she had resisted or threatened they might have killed her. Another ugly incident happened in 2012; a girl traveled from Abuja to Lagos to meet her Facebook friend. She was robbed; gang raped and was killed in a hotel room by her so called ‘Facebook friend’. In her case the damage is irrevocable because she lost her life as a result. Very sad indeed! However, these identifies with the reasons why I desire to have you well informed. So that you can afford to guide your life with pride and walk on that safe pathway. You probably might have heard similar stories, the experiences of so many teenagers who in like manner have lost their lives or may have sustained life time scars. Another issue that falls within sexual exploitation is called sexting. Sexting is an act that some adult and teens alike engage in by sending explicit/nude photos and videos to each other for fun, some to please their partner and in some cases, they are pressured to do so. Why forward a photo, or anything in a text, that you wouldn’t want to be made public? We shall discuss more about ‘sexting’ in the next chapter. Grudge If you are not social media wise, it will be a huge part of your life and can detect your mood, countenance and shape your character. This can rear its ugly head when your friends do not reply to your messages, like your posts or comment on your photos; you feel bad and take it personal. And as a revenge tactics, when they post their photos, you see it but will ‘never’ like or comment on it. To you it’s payback time! Isn’t it funny? We existed even way before social media. At that time all conversations often took place face-to-face and people connected well. Most of the teenagers that’ll read this book grew up within the smartphones era but before then, people had friends. The difference is that; people were more committed and connected with their friends physically. While growing up, I observed how my elder sisters relate with their friends. I noticed how their faces glow each time they send or receive a letter from friends. They don’t chat on WhatsApp or Facebook with them but when they meet, they cherish every moment. Did you know they were able to communicate with everyone in their inner circle without having to constantly text or be on social media? Yes! It’s not exactly like what we have now. Today people use emojis (pictograms) that are sometimes the opposite of what they feel in reality. Don’t be a slave to these things. Social media shouldn’t make you lose control, it doesn’t matter if a friend likes your picture or not. It doesn’t matter if they fail to comment or reply your text, they are living their lives. You should not allow their actions shape or distort the wonderful person you are. Learn to resolve issues with friends by exploring reasonable alternatives. Never allow social media buzz and quest for recognition boost your anxiety and undue grudge. Depression We all have ways we handle our emotion. If you understood the first chapter of this book, you will understand this chapter effortlessly. Social media and its activities could trigger your stress hormones, for instance, you could be worried if you are going through a challenge and all you see on social media are happy people. You surf the net and all you see are people that are already where you desire to be. You see photos of your friends at exotic places having good time and they captioned it, “blessed beyond words”, “Living my best life”, “Cruising around the world”, etc. You could be going through a financial challenges and you see your friend’s pictures on social media with wads of cash and exotic cars. To top it all, they look so happy enjoying life to the fullest. This could make you feel sad and pressured. You might not feel jealous but you feel bad concerning your situation because what comes to your mind is that their lives are perfect and yours is in shambles. ‘Things are so working for them but not for you’. But it never occurred to you that everyone is packaging; no one will put up the ugly side of their lives on social media. All we see are only but a small slice, often the best slice. Possibly they had issues minutes before or after the photo, but the sweet moment is what everyone sees on social media handles. Social media can drive you into negative competition and if you don’t measure up, it could sink you into depression. This is often because of a common ‘deceitful’ perception that everyone is done sorting out their lives and you’re the only one still struggling. You must come to terms with the truth that there are lots of people in this world whom you think they know how but in reality have no clue concerning how to build an organized and meaningful life. Stay alert, keep away from the bad folks, work a little harder to find your path and associate with ‘the good people’ who can help you grow, develop and create a life worthy of emulation. Influence Social media is a platform that has influenced a lot of people. You can’t afford to follow what you see celebrities do blindly. You should have the discerning ability to separate the wheat from the chaff. Some updates written on social media platforms that are presented to be facts are not. The vast majority are just opinions and personal views. Believe me; those people might be clueless or less informed about the issue. They might not know as much as you think they do. The choices you make as you surf the internet could shape your life. Be prudent and watchful to avoid the footsteps that lead to destructive end. Distraction I was in a church one day and while the sermon was going on, I noticed some teenagers were busy surfing the internet. I wasn’t particularly surprised at all. Over time I’ve come to realize how interestingly distracting social media has become. We ought to prioritize by not letting less important things distract us from the more important things. Social media can distract one from ‘more needful’ things such as having quality time with family. It can make you pay less attention to studies. Remember that inner voice (intuition) that wants to help you discover and explore opportunities? How do you hear such a ‘voice’ when you are so distracted by social media? Don’t forget we are discussing about distraction as a means through which social media usurp our self-control. Therefore, we need to remain sensitive and checkmate our social media related activities, invest more time in productive venture and less time on social handles. Bragging You were thought to always ‘do good’ and not let your right hand know what you do for charity. Well! Social media says; ‘hell no’! ‘Take some pictures so your friends will know you visited the orphanage home.’ One of the attractions promoted on social media handles is showy display of one’s means of life. Showy display is often motivated by the intent to brag. Those who do are often cut up with the burden to show off more in other to remain relevant. The intent to brag on social media says; “take beautiful pictures tell them that you are not in the country”. It says; “they need to know you achieved this and you achieved that already’. The idea is often to showcase. So as a pastor they need to know your church is growing massively. As a business man they need to know you’re making so much money, travelling around the world. As a celebrity, they need to know you’re very rich, has state of the art cars, mansions and holidays in best beach resorts of the world. Somehow bragging has got its wings rooted on social media. If we are to do the same thing we do on social media in real life. It will be a situation like this: You make a large picture frame of you or your family in exotic place. You go around the neighborhood with it lifted up above your head, screaming; “Miami Beach USA was on point, nice time with my family. Neighbors come out to see the photo; it’s an amazing photo that depicts the luxury we all enjoyed while in Miami Beach”. It could also be a situation like this: You prepared a delicious meal and took it round the neighborhood screaming; “See what I’m having for dinner, it looks and tastes delicious. I’m having the best meal ever”. It will amount to one displaying all his awards on the street for people to see and applaud. Sounds ridiculous right? Yeah! I thought as much. Why would anyone post nudes on social media and cover up in reality. For me, it’s like living a double life. Social media is a beautiful thing as I’ve noted earlier, everything has been made so easy with it. I mean you can learn anything, just about anything on the internet through, Google, YouTube, etc. You can learn how to bake, how to be a public speaker, even how to speak other languages. You can even study a degree/certificate course through the internet. I enjoy all these benefits; I love the fact that studying and researches are a lot easier now, unlike the days with no internet. Being social media wise is vital for total management of your time and prevention of acts that promote bragging. Cyber bullying Cyber bullying is not good at all. The people on the internet are humans with emotions, blood runs through their veins, they read what you say and they get hurt because you don’t have a clue of what they have been through and who they are. It is sad when one comes on social media to mock and say something derogatory about another, especially when such information is false. Such an act could break you, so why break others? Becoming social-media wise makes you moderate and considerate individual. When you are social-media wise you find it strange using the platform to display flamboyance and lavish lifestyle. This is one of the reasons why there is increase in crime. You ought to live life intentionally with fairness and virtue as bedrock. You can ask yourself some vital questions to know where you stand; 1. How long do you spend on social media? 2. What do you do most times when you are on social media? 3. Does it encroach the more needful; like school work, home chores, communication with your family? 4. Would you be proud of your posts in the next ten years? 5. How would you want your children and grandchildren to see you when they search for those posts or check up your social media handles? 7. The people you follow on social media, how impactful have they been? 8. The celebrities you follow on social media, how do they react to criticism? Do you react to issues in similar fashion? 9. Do you have the power to abstain from social media for a while? 10. How do you think you can become social media wise? Sincerely answer these questions to see how you fair and what necessary changes you’ll need to make. You need to starve your distraction and feed your focus. Please kindly donate to have wisdom undiluted given out to those it was written for. Thanks

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