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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 months

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Tabs give me superpowers

Berliners: Otherland has added a second date (Jan 28) for my book-talk after the first one sold out - book now!

"Lifehacking" is in pretty bad odor these days, and with good reason: a once-useful catch-all for describing how to make things easier has become a pit of productivity porn, grifter hustling, and anodyne advice wreathed in superlatives and transformed into SEO-compliant listicles.

But I was there when lifehacking was born, and I'm here to tell you, it wasn't always thus. Lifehacking attained liftoff exactly 19 years and 348 days ago, on Feb 11, 2004, when Danny O'Brien presented "Life Hacks: Tech Secrets of Overprolific Alpha Geeks" at the 0'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference (aka ETCON). I was there, and I took notes:

https://craphound.com/lifehacksetcon04.txt

O'Brien's inspiration was his social circle, in which people he knew to be no smarter or better or motivated than anyone else in that group were somehow able to do much more than their peers, in some specific domain. O'Brien delved deeply into these peoples' lives and discovered that each of them had merely ("merely!") gotten very good at using one or two tools to automate things that would otherwise take up a lot of their time.

These "hacks" freed up their practitioners to focus on things that mattered more to them. They accomplished the goal set out in David Allen's Getting Things Done: to make a conscious choice about which things you are going to fail to do today, rather than defaulting to doing the things that are easy and trivial, at the expense of the things that matter, but are more complicated:

https://gettingthingsdone.com/what-is-gtd/

One trait all those lifehacks shared: everyone who created a little hack was faintly embarrassed by it, and assumed that others who learned about their tricks would find them trivial or foolish. O'Brien changed the world by showing that other people were, in fact, delighted and excited to learn about their peers' cool little tricks.

(Unfortunately, this eventually opened the floodgates of overheated posts about some miraculous hack that turned out to indeed be silly and trivial or even actively bad, but that wasn't O'Brien's fault!)

I'm one of those people whom others perceive as very "productive." There are some objective metrics on which this is true: I wrote nine books during lockdown, for example. Like the lifehackers O'Brien documented in 2004, I have lots of little hacks that aren't merely a way of getting more done – they're a way to make sure that I get the stuff that matters to me (taking care of my family and my health, and writing books) done.

A lot of these lifehacks boil down to making your life easier. There's a spot on our kitchen counter where I put e-waste. Whenever I go out to the car, I carry any e-waste out and put it in a bag in the trunk. Any time I'm near our city dump, I stop and throw the bag into their e-waste bin. This is now a habit, and habits are things you get for free: I spend zero time thinking about e-waste, which means I have more time to think about things that matter (and our e-waste still ends up in the right place).

There's other ways I use habits to make my life easier: after many years, I learned how to write every day:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/22/walking-the-plank/

For longer-form works like novels, I "leave myself a rough edge," finishing the day's work in the middle of a sentence. That way I get a few words for free the next day, meaning I never start the day's work wondering which words I'll type:

https://locusmag.com/2014/01/cory-doctorow-cheap-writing-tricks/

One of the most powerful habits I've cultivated is to have a group of daily tabs that I open in a new browser every morning. The meat of this tab group is websites I want to check in with every day, either because they don't have RSS feeds, or because I want to make sure I never miss an update.

This tab-group habit started before RSS was widespread, when most of the websites I wanted to check in on every day didn't have feeds yet, and for many years, this group was just a set of daily reads. But over the years, I started throwing things in the tab-group that I needed to stay on top of.

My daily tabs are in a folder called "unfucked rota" (they were originally in a folder called "rota," which got corrupted and had to be reconstructed in a folder I called "fucked rota," until I finally took a couple hours off and got it in good running order, hence "unfucked rota"). As I type this, "unfucked rota" contains more than a hundred websites I visit every morning, but it also contains:

The edit-history pages for four Wikipedia entries I'm watching;

Chronological feeds of my books on Amazon and Audible, to catch counterfeits as they are posted;

The parent notification portal for my kid's school;

The mileage history for the airline I flew on yesterday (I'll delete this once the flight is posted);

The credit card history for a card I reported a fraudulent charge on (I'll delete this once the refund is posted);

The sell-pages for three products that are out of stock (I'll delete these once the products are in stock and ordered);

A bookmarked newest-first Ebay search for a shirt I like that has been discontinued by the manufacturer;

The new-survey-completed pages for my last two Kickstarters;

The courier tracking page for an item being shipped sea-freight to me from Asia.

The tail end of this unfucked rota changes all the time, but as you can tell, it's got a lot of stuff that would be time-consuming to build a whole new system to track, but which has a web-page that can be easily added to a daily, habitual check-in and then removed when it's not relevant anymore.

Some of these things have email notifiers or RSS feeds, but those are too easy to lose in the noise. I generally delete email from ecommerce sites unread, since 99.99% of the messages they send me are unsolicited marketing nonsense, not the "notify me when this is back in stock" message I do want to see (same goes for my kid's school, which sends me fifty unimportant messages for every message that I must reply to).

Most of the internet is still on the web, which means it can be bookmarked, which means that it takes me one second to add it to the group of things I'm staying on top of, and one second to remove from that group. I get up in the morning, middle-click the "unfucked rota" item in my bookmarks pane, make a cup of coffee, and then sit down and race through those tabs, close-close-close.

It takes less than a second to scan a tab to see if it's changed (and if I close a tab too quickly, the ctrl-shift-T "unclose" shortcut is there in muscle-memory, another habit). The whole process takes between one and 15 minutes (depending on whether there's anything useful and new in one of those tabs).

Tabs, like lifehacks, are also in bad odor. Everyone stresses about how many tabs they have open. It's even inspired Rusty Foster's excellent newsletter, Today In Tabs:

https://www.todayintabs.com/

But this is a very different way to think about tabs. Rather than opening a window full of tabs that need your detailed, once-off attention later, this method is about using groups of tabs so that you can pay cursory, frequent attention to them.

In a world full of administrative burdens, where firms and institutions play the "sure, we'll do that, but you're going to have to track our progress" game to get out of living up to their obligations, this method is a powerful countermeasure:

https://memex.craphound.com/2015/02/02/david-graebers-the-utopia-of-rules-on-technology-stupidity-and-the-secret-joys-of-bureaucracy/

My little tab habit is so incredibly useful, such a powerful way to seize back time and power from powerful actors who impose burdens on me, that I sometimes forget how, for other people, tabs are a symptom of a life that's spiraling out of control. For me, a couple hundred tabs are a symbol of a couple hundred tasks that I'm totally on top of, a symbol of control wrestled back from others who are hostile to my interests.

This isn't how tabs were "meant" to be used, of course. It's an example of the kind of "innovation" that comes from users repurposing things in ways their designers didn't necessarily anticipate or intend.

This is what Jonathan Zittrain meant by "generative" technology back in 2008, when he published his incredibly prescient The Future of the Internet: And How To Stop It:

https://memex.craphound.com/2008/07/22/zittrains-the-future-of-the-internet-how-to-save-the-internet-from-the-internet/

For Zittrain, "generativity" was the property of some technologies that let its users generate new, useful tools and solutions for themselves (this is very different from "generative AI!")

Zittrain described how "curated" computing systems, like mobile devices that relied on apps that couldn't be adapted by their users, were dead ends for generativity. 15 years later, the dismal world of apps has proven him right:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/24/everything-not-mandatory/#is-prohibited

To the extent that "lifehacking" is about doing more, rather than being more deliberate about what you accomplish, it can be harmful. I am not immune to the failure modes of lifehacking:

https://locusmag.com/2017/11/cory-doctorow-how-to-do-everything-lifehacking-considered-harmful/

But overall, using tabs as something I close, rather than something I open, is a source of comfort and calm for me. For one thing, ripping through a group of tabs every morning means that I don't have to worry about missing something if I go too fast. I'll get another chance tomorrow:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/27/probably/

Decades ago, Dori Smith dubbed her pioneering blog her "#Backup Brain":

https://web.archive.org/web/20020120231027/http://www.backupbrain.com/

At their best, our systems – be they physical, like a spot on the counter where the e-waste goes, or digital, like a tab-group – are "congitive prostheses." They allow us to move important things from the highly contested, busy and precious space between our ears and out there into the world:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/09/the-memex-method/

Like those lifehackers that O'Brien studied for his presentation in 2004, I confess to feeling a little silly about telling you all about this. For me, this habit of decades is so ingrained that it feels trivial and obvious. And yet, when I look at people in my life struggling to stay on top of a million nagging administrative tasks that could be easily watched through a morning's flick through a tab-group, I can't help but think that maybe some of you will find a useful idea or two in my unfucked rota.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/25/today-in-tabs/#unfucked-rota

#pluralistic #productivity #life hacks #mozilla #firefox #open web #systems #getting things done #externalized memory #outboard brain #generativitiy

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starflungwaddledee · 6 months

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If you could give Bandee any alt appearance for powers like kirby gets, which power would you choose and what would that appearance look like?

kirbytober 2023 23 + 28 : copy ability + katfl [ prev || next ]

wooohooo oh boy i am so glad you asked anon!!

here's my mini thesis on how bandee could have easily had extremely cool upgrades in katfl and worn many hats and yet still have been totally recognisable!

no more "is that one waddle dee supposed to be him or not" (i'm looking at u, official art + merch. give my boy his hat!!!), because as it turns out he's actually got plenty of reoccurring motifs that you can use to make it clear it's him no matter what he's doing or wearing!

each of these would also have a specific move-set and gimmick, enhancing his existing abilities or giving him a totally refreshed playstyle (yes i have thought about this a lot).

in this essay i will-- [1/348]

#my art #kirbytober #kirbtober #bandana waddle dee #running a little behind on the kirbytobers sorry but i'll catch up #i do have movesets and thoughts about exactly how these would work... if you're interested....#and also like... a dozen ideas for other abilities and upgrades and so on. i do think he'd have basic spear up until the upgrades rolled in #there is actually also a secondary theme to the four specific ones i picked here though; for the keen eyed!#“where's morpho spear” come back on day 25... (ominous)

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lost-in-beacon-hills · 5 months

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"He's still smiling when he settles the second on my head, but his eyes, just inches from mine, are as unforgiving as a snake's.

That's when I know that even though both of us would have eaten the berries, I am to blame for having the idea. I'm the instigator. I'm the one to be punished." (THG pg 348)

Snow ignored Lucy Gray's flaws. He looked past them thinking that she belonged to him and therefore it was forgivable. He could look past it by saying she just didn't understand. He rationalized it for her in order to not have to feel he was compromising his own fucked up morals.

But it's the very thing he rats Sejanus out for. He's a part of the rebellion and Snow can't look past it. Both Sejanus and Lucy Gray dislike the Capitol but Snow ignores it for Lucy Gray.

He also pretty much ignores Peeta, the boy who reminds us so much of Lucy Gray. He's a performer, a lover at heart, and more importantly he's just along for the ride.

Katniss is who Snow blames. She's another Sejanus. She's set on tearing down the Captiol and watching it burn. I was just so shocked to find this beautifully reflected back in the original Hunger Games book one.

Suzanne Collins has such a deep understanding of her own material. It's rare to see books hold up so long and even more so to get a good add on to a series years later.

But still you can find a ton of small moments in the original trilogy that hammers home what tbosbas says.

#hunger games #katniss everdeen #thg #everlark #haymitch abernathy #peeta mellark #suzanne collins #lucy gray baird #lucy gray #coriolanus snow #sejanus plinth #bosbas #ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games

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alexcollix7 · 1 year

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Sarah J Maas: plagiarism or inspiration

In this post we are going to discuss the various and stricking similaries between Sarah J Maas series TOG/ACOTAR with original books she admited to consume, as well as the use of direct lines from movies, books and tv shows in her books, and where do we draw the line in what we consider to be inspiration vs plagiarism.

As some people know, SJM is a big fan of Anne Bishop's work, especifically her Black Jewels trilogy. Some people already noticed similarities between the two series (and in her TOG books as well) in terms of storyline, races and characters, but it's not nearly talked about enough.

It's good to make clear that the first book of "the black jewels" was published in 1998 and the last one of the trilogy was published in 2000, over 12 years before acotar and TOG was even launched. So Bishop's work was around a long time before sjm started to publish her books.

That being said, let's start with the fact that the beginning of her first series TOG is pratically the same as the beginning of the second book of The Black Jewels, Heir to the Shadows, but with a different character:

"After a year of slavery in the Salt Mines of Endovier, Celaena Sardothien was accustomed to being escorted everywhere in shackles and at sword-point. Most of the thousands of slaves in Endovier received similar treatment—though an extra half-dozen guards always walked Celaena to and from the mines. That was expected by Adarlan’s most notorious assassin. What she did not usually expect, however, was a hooded man in black at her side—as there was now" (TOG, 2012)

"Surrounded by guards, Lucivar Yaslana, the half-breed Eyrien Warlord Prince, walked into the courtyard, fully expecting to hear the order for his execution. There was no other reason for a salt mine slave to be brought to this courtyard, and Zuultah, the Queen of Pruul, had good reason to want him dead. Prythian, the High Priestess of Askavi, still wanted him alive, still hoped to turn him to stud. But Prythian wasn't standing in the courtyard with Zuultah." (Heir to the Shadows, 1999).

So, Sarah's first work begins with a paragraph that is already really really similar to the first one in Bishop's second novel.

Now, let's then move on to the part that shocked me the most and made me sure of doing this post: The extreme and undeniable resemblance between the Illyrians with the Eyriens, a race portrayed in Bishop's Black Jewels books, who one of the main characters, Lucivar (coincidentally or not, Sarah's favorite one) is a part of.

The Eyriens are described to be warriors with tanned skin, gold eyes, and "batlike wings". Eyrien males are trained in hunting camps as children, and the females are forbidden to touch weapons. They are often found in a mountainous territory called "Askavi Terreille", and carry prejudice against half-eyriens. Does all that sounds familiar?

The Illyrians are so much like the Eyriens, it's not even funny. They have bat-like wings, the males are trained in camps, live by the mountains, have their own personalized weapons, and the females are usually mistreated and not allowed to fight. And what does Rhysand suffer from them? Prejudice, because he's half illyrian. Even their physical characteristics are the same: golden brown skin, hazel eyes, black hair. What mainly sets on them apart is their names (which still sound pretty similar) and the fact that the illyrians have tattoos.

"He spread his dark, membranous wings, trying to ease the ache in his back." ( Daughter of the blood, page 12)

"Indeed, it was still Rhysand’s face, his powerful male body, but flaring out behind him were massive black membranous wings—like a bat’s, like the Attor’s" (ACOTAR, page 348)

"Still, it was home, and centuries of enslaved exile had left him aching for the smell of clean mountain air, the taste of a sweet, cold stream, the silence of the woods, and, most of all, the mountains where the Eyrien race soare" (Daughter of the blood, page 16)

"The Illyrians … We love our people, and our traditions, but they dwell in clans and camps deep in the mountains of the North" (ACOMAF, page 165)

"He had never felt this weary, this beaten. Not as a half-breed boy in the Eyrien hunting camps, not in the countless courts he'd served in over the centuries since" (Heir to the darkness, page 13)

“When I turned eight, my mother brought me to one of the Illyrian war- camps . To be trained, as all Illyrian males were trained" ( ACOMAF, page 168)

”She kept resisting because Eyrien females traditionally didn’t touch a warrior’s weapons" (Queen of the darkness, page 151).

“Some camps issued decrees that if a female was caught training, she was to be deemed unmarriageable. I can’t fight against things like that, not without slaughtering the leaders of each camp and personally raising each and every one of their offspring.” (ACOMAF, page 434)

”There are reasons why Eyrien males are the warriors— Lucivar said, his eyes skimming over the women as he paced slowly down the line and back again.— We’re bigger, stronger, and we have the temperament for killing. You have other strengths and other skills. Most of the time, that works out well." (Queen of Darkness, page 156)

“The Illyrians— Rhys smoothly cut in, that light finally returning to his gaze — Are unparalleled warriors, and are rich with stories and traditions. But they are also brutal and backward, particularly in regard to how they treat their females.” (ACOMAF, page 166)

"She wanted to cut the wings off, raise the boy as Dhemlan maybe. But he said no, in his soul the boy was Eyrien, and it would be kinder to kill him in the cradle than to cut his wings" (Daughter Of The Blood, page 138)

“I banned wing-clipping a long, long time ago, but … at the more zealous camps, deep within the mountains, they do it." (ACOMAF, page 434).

"But they’re good boys, and they’ll carry their weight. And they are full-blooded Eyriens — he added.

— So they don’t carry the stigma of being half-breeds? — Lucivar asked with deadly control." (Queen of the Darkness, page 39)

"He gave Rhys command of a legion of Illyrians who hated him for being a half-breed" (ACOMAF, page 136)

"Then he called in his Ebon-gray Jewels and the wide leather belt that held his hunting knife and his Eyrien war blade" (Heir to the shadows, page 257)

"I went from physical defense to learning to wield an Illyrian blade, the weapon so fine, I’d nearly taken Cassian’s arm off." (ACOMAF, page 367)

Some people can look at this as simple inspiration, but others consider the races to be almost identical. Their prejudices, the place they live, the place where they train and how they train being the same, with only a few minor key points being changed.

In Bishop's work men and women are adressed and divided as "males" and "females". Their society is based the existence of jewels, where the darker someone's jewel is, the more powerful that person becomes.

The jewels are close to what SJM called siphons, used by the illyrians. They are a representation of the powers of members of the blood, serve as containers, and vary in colors. Siphons, however, are literally jewels who filter Illyrians powers, manipulating magic. Members of the blood can have more than one jewel, and illyrians can have more than one siphon.

"An uncut Jewel is a rare thing, little Sister — Titian said, removing something from the box. — Wait until you know who you are before you have it set. Then it will be more than a receptacle for the power your body can't hold; it will be a statement of what you are." (Daughter of the blood, page 71)

"He held up his hands, the backs to me so both jewels were on full display.— They’re called Siphons . They concentrate and focus our power in battle.” (ACOMAF, page 162)

"The Black-Jeweled ring on his right hand glittered with an inner fire." (Daughter of the blood, page 39)

"Siphons atop his scarred hands flickered like rippling blue fire as he reached for the Attor." (ACOMAF, page 262)

" Your fingers clenched around that Jewel. There was a flash of Red light, and the guards were flung backward." ( Daughter of the blood, page 136)

"Cassian lifted his hand into the air. Red light exploded from his Siphon, blasting up and away" (ACOMAF, page 543)

"Her strength was gone. The Jewel hungaround her neck, dark and empty" (Daughter of the blood, page 399)

"Azriel’s blue Siphons were dull, muted. Utterly empty." (ACOMAF, page 554)

The Blood possess some ability to sense and mask their psychic scent. The conception of "scent" not only acts as a way for them to recognize each other, but also sense their emotions, and seems to be highlighted between couples, with Daemon for using it in order to fantasize or look for Jaenelle. That matches perfectly SJM's universe where the Fae are able to feel each others scents, sensing their emotions through it, it being stronger between mated couples:

"The psychic scent was almost gone, but he recognized it. A dark scent. A powerful, terrifying, wonderful scent. He breathed deeply, and the lifetime hunger in him became intense".(Daughter of the blood, page 178).

"Like the body that housed it, a witch's psychic scent had a muskiness that a Blood male could find as arousing as the body—if not more so" (Daughter of the blood, page 184)

His scent drifted to her, darker, muskier than usual. She’d bet all the money she didn’t have that it was the scent of his arousal. (ACOSF, page 235)

"A room where she had slept would still be strong with her psychic scent, even if it had been cleaned" (Daughter of the blood, page 182)

"Cassian had flown back up to the House. And found the oak door to the stairs open, Nesta’s scent lingering." (ACOSF, page 99)

"No psychic scent of emotions for the guards to play with as they put the sobbing man into the old, one-man boat." (Daughter of the blood, page 149)

"He didn’t need to use a psychic probe to know who was on the other side of the door. The scent of her fear was sufficient." (Queen of the darkness, page 120)

"Their faces were vacant. Not a trace of fear in them, or in their scents." (ACOSF, page 344)

"Those of us who have would notice the similarities in your psychic scents and reach the correct conclusion" ( Queen of Darkness, page 114)

"He didn’t believe me. So he grabbed Catrin, because our scents were nearly identical, you see" (ACOSF, page 652)

The basic unit of Blood society and government is a Queen and her Court. To create a Court, she must be at the age of majority and have twelve males who agree to be in her First Circle. Jaenelle creates hers in the second book, who is denominated as the "dark court". How is Rhysan's court called? The night court. How is his unity of power named? "the inne circle". Rhysand's court is also referred as "the court of dreams", and Jaenelle is called "dreams made flesh".

"He hoped she'd be pleased to have the use of this place. He hoped he'd be invited when she established her own court. He wanted to see whom she selected for her First Circle" (Daughter of the Blood page 92)

"They’re Rhysand’s Inner Circle.The ones I’d heard mentioned that day at the Night Court—who Rhys kept going to meet." (ACOMAF, page 135)

"The living myth— Saetan whispered.— Dreams made flesh— His throat tightened. He closed his eyes." (Heir to the shadows, page 459)

“And what is this court? — I asked, gesturing to them. The most important question.

It was Cassian, eyes clear and bright as his Siphon, who said — The Court of Dreams.”

Remember Lucivar? The main Eyrien character? Well, it doesn't help sjm's case that he's incredibly similar to Cassian:

Because he's an eyrien, Lucivar was raised as a warrior and has bat wings, together with gold eyes and tanned skin. He also has long black hair and is considered to be well-built. Initially his jewels are birthright red, and later they descent into being ebon grey. Just like his father, he is known as having an explosive temper who often lead him to trouble. Thanks to him not being recognized by Saetan initially, Lucivar is seen as a bastard. This is not at all far from how Cassian is written.

Let's also keep in mind: Lucivar is also responsable for recruting and training Eyrien warriors in the Dark Court, later training the women who live in Ebon Askavi (which, as I will show later, is almost identical to the House of Wind).

Cassian's tragetory is marked by him being underlooked as a "bastard" and not being able to control his temper, and that is further developed in acosf. His appereance is carbon-copy of Lucivar (the only difference being that his eyes are hazel), and his siphons are red. He also happens to train illyrian warriors, and later Feyre, Nesta and the other priestesses from the library. Like Lucivar has a brotherly bond with Jaenelle and waits for her to be his queen, Cassian has a brotherly love for Feyre and respects her as his high lady:

"Unlike the other slaves who couldn't contain their misery or fear, there was no expression in Lucivar's gold eyes" (Daughter of the Blood, page 13)

"Like their High Lord, the males—warriors—were dark-haired, tan-skinned. But unlike Rhys, their eyes were hazel and fixed on me as I at last stepped close" (ACOMAF, page 155)

"She looked so pale against his light-brown skin, and he knew it wasn't simply because she was fair-skinned" (Daughter of the blood, page 19)

"She watched his light brown fingers play against her pale skin" (ACOSF, page 367)

"The man wore a leather vest and the black, skintight trousers favored by Eyrien warriors. His black hair fell to his shoulders, which was unusual for an Eyrien male. [..] A wild joy filled Daemon, even as his heart clogged his throat and tears stung his gold eyes. Lucivar." (Queen of the Darkness, page 45)

"Cassian surveyed Rhys from head to foot, his shoulder-length black hair shifting with the movement" (ACOMAF, page 155)

"Because he was a half-breed bastard, he had no hope of attaining a position of authority within a court, despite the rank of his jewels" (Daughter of the Blood, page 17)

"I can tell you how I hear Eris and Devlon and the others talk and, deep down, I still believe that I am a worthless bastard brute. That it doesn’t matter how many Siphons I have or how many battles I’ve won" (ACOSF, page 434)

"Tears stung Lucivar's eyes. Why, Daemon? What did she do to deserve being hurt like that? His voice rose. He couldn't stop it. She was the Queen we had dreamed of serving. We had waited for her for so long. You butchering whore, why did you have to kill her?" (Heir to the shadows, page 31)

"He’d thought about that painting a great deal in the days afterward—how it had made him feel, how close they’d all come to losing their High Lady before they’d ever met her." (ACOSF, page 43)

"Because he was a trained Eyrien warrior and had a temper that was explosive even for a Warlord Prince" (Daughter of the blood, page 16)

"Cassian was lounging in his chair, a glass of wine in his hand, staring at nothing. A brooding warrior-prince, contemplating the death of his enemies." (ACOSF, page 275)

"He could have caught him on the first pass. The young one will have to concede the battle, but it’ll stay in his mind that he put up a good fight. No, Lucivar understands how to train an Eyrien warrior.” (Queen of Darkness, page 103)

"Cassian prayed that the gods were watching over him as Rhys sipped from his tea and said,

—You’re ready?

He leaned back in his seat. — I’ve gotten young warriors in line before." (ACOSF, page 43)

There's even a line when Lucivar is training the women in ebon askavi that hits very close to one used when Cassian is training the priestesses:

”If you can become half as proficient with this as she is, you’ll be able to take down any male except an Eyrien warrior — Falonar said slowly. — And you’ll be able to take down half of them as well.” (Queen of the darkness, page 158)

"Cassian continued to train Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn. The rain didn’t let up, and they were all soaked, but the exertion kept the bite of the cold away.— So this can really down a male in one move? [...] He concentrated on the females in front of him. — This move will knock anyone unconscious if you hit the right spot.” (ACOSF, page 385)

Daemon, his brother, is too very similar to Rhysand. He has the reputation of a sadist, after being tortured and used as slave in the hands of Dorotothea, close to how Rhys was known as a cruel fae who had to serve Amarantha (the way they a called is also pretty much the same, as well, being referred as their "pet" or "whore"). Daemon believes to be destined to Jaenelle, even before meeting her, sometimes feeling her touch, and dreaming or her, just like Rhysand talks about knowing Feyre was his mate, and dreaming of her before they met. He, like Saetan, Jaenelle, and Lucivar, is a black widow: which means he can access people's minds and thoughts, as well as communicate telephatically, exactly how daemanti in acotar have the ability to do.

"His face was a gift of his mysterious heritage, aristocratic and too beautifully shaped to be called merely handsome. He was tall and broad-shouldered. He kept his body well toned and muscular enough to please. His voice was deep and cultured, with a husky, seductive edge to it that made women go all misty-eyed. His gold eyes and thick black hair were typical of all three of Terreille's long-lived races, but his warm, golden-brown skin was a little lighter than the Hayllian aristos—more like the Dhemlan race." (Daughter of the blood, page 24)

"I stepped out of the shelter of my savior’s arm and turned to thank him. Standing before me was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Everything about the stranger radiated sensual grace and ease. High Fae, no doubt. His short black hair gleamed like a raven’s feathers" (ACOTAR, page 193)

"I had no answer to that—to the tenor in his rich, deep voice. So I examined the tattoos on his chest and arms, the glow of his tan skin , so golden now that he was no longer caged inside that mountain." (ACOMAF, page 289)

"Daemon smiled that cold, cruel smile. "Now you know what it's like to get into bed with Hayll's Whore." (Daughter of the blood, page 77)

"Lucien interrupted — What do you know about anything? You’re just Amarantha’s whore.

— Her whore I might be, but not without my reasons.” (ACOTAR, page 239)

"In his soul, he knew her. In his dreams, he saw her. He never envisioned a face. It always blurred if he tried to focus on it. But he could see her dressed in a robe made of dark, transparent spidersilk, a robe that slid from her shoulders as she moved, a robe that opened and closed as she walked, revealing bare, night-cool skin. And there would be a scent in the room that was her, a scent he would wake to, burying his face in her pillow after she was up and attending her own concerns." (Daughter of the Blood, page 27)

“Three years ago, he said quietly, — I began to have these … dreams [...] The images were foggy, like looking through cloudy glass. They were brief—a flash here and there, every few months. I thought nothing of them, until one of the images was of a hand … This beautiful, human hand. Holding a brush. Painting—flowers on a table.” (ACOMAF, page 504)

“I saw you through your dreams—and I hoarded the images [...] I’d wake up with your scent in my nose, and it would haunt me all day, every step." (ACOMAF, page 505)

"There was a bitter taste in Daemon's mouth. The ashes of dreams. After all, he was Hayll's Whore, a pleasure slave, an amusement for the ladies no matter what their age, a way to pass the time" (Daughter of the blood, page 267)

"And he would be at that table in the town house, roaring with laughter—never again cold and cruel and solemn. Never again anyone’s slave or whore" (ACOMAF, page 497)

"You're my Queen,he thought fiercely. His body ached. She was his Queen. But with her family surrounding them, watching, there was nothing he could say or do to help her" (Daughter of the blood, page 360)

"My equal in every way; she would wear my crown, sit on a throne beside mine. Never sidelined, never designated to breeding and parties and child-rearing. My queen." (ACOMAF, 598)

"He caught her wrists, holding her off with an ease that made her scream. He hit the Black shields on her inner barriers hard enough to make her work to keep them intact, but they wouldn't keep him out for long." (Daughter of the blood, page 302)

"My innate talents allow me to slip through the mental shields of anyone I wish, with or without that bridge—unless they’re very, very strong, or have trained extensively to keep those shields tight." (ACOMAF, page 59)

At some point Daemon is even called Jaenelle's mate:

"He’s here! Jaenelle’s mate is finally here! Daemon felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him" (Heir to the shadows, page 117)

His position and title of highlord is parallelled a lot by how Saetan is decribed:

"High Lord of Hell, the Prince of the Darkness, the most powerful and dangerous Warlord Prince in the history of the Blood" (Daughter of the darkness, page 266)

"For what it’s worth, I’m the most powerful High Lord in Prythian’s history" (ACOMAF, page 145)

Moving on to other similarities, Ebon Askavi, known as the black mountain or "the keep", who is put as a sanctuary, keeping a library containing the history of the blood, matches the form in which the house of wind is developed in sjm's books, with the palace also being embedded into a mountain. The Keep is a safe place where the high lord of hell reserves for the demon dead to rest, same as Rhysand turning the library into a home for the priestesses. And the whole Bryaxis situation? A creature who lives in the pit of the library? Well, Ebon askavi used to be the home of the prince of dragons: Lorn, who guess what? Used to reside beneath it. Finally, Bishop literally describes the palace as the place where "The winds meet".

"Saetan limped across the empty courtyard to the huge, open-metal doors embedded into the mountain itself, rang the bell, and waited to enter the Keep, the Black Mountain, Ebon Askavi, where the Winds meet. It was the repository for the Blood's history as well as a sanctuary for the darkest-Jeweled Blood. It was also the private lair of Witch" (Daughter of the blood, page 59)

"Draca led him through the corridors of Ebon Askavi toward a large stairwell that descended into the heart of the mountain." ( Daughter of the blood, page 431)

“Her throat closed at the surge of memories and at the sprawling view—the glimmering ribbon of the Sidra far below, the red-stoned palace built into the side of the flat-topped mountain itself." (ACOSF, page 49).

“I made this library into a refuge for them. Some come to heal, work as acolytes, and then leave; some take the oaths to the Cauldron and Mother to become priestesses and remain here forever" (ACOWAR, page 212)

"She still served the Keep itself, looking after the comfort of the scholars who came to study, of the Queens who needed a dark place to rest" (Daughter of the Blood, page 61)

"— Who was here before them?

— A few cranky old scholars, who cursed me soundly when I relocated them to other libraries in the city. They still get access, but when and where is always approved by the priestesses.” (ACOWAR, page 213)

“There is a creature beneath the library. Do you know it?

Amren shut the book.

— Its name is Bryaxis.

— What is it.

— You do not want to know, girl.” (ACOWAR, page 452).

"Mother Night, Saetan — Geoffrey said, his breathing ragged. — The Keep is his lair.

He's been here all the time.

He hadn't expected Lorn to be so big. "(Heir to the shadows, page 476)

As for Amren being a unknown creature who was tuned into a faerie and lived centuries before everyone else? Same thing as Draca. She lived by the time Dragons ruled the world and was later turned into something "human", assisting the high lord of hell:

"When only the Queen and her Prince, Lorn, were left, the Queen bid her Consort farewell [...] When the last scale fell from her, she vanished. Some stories say her body was transformed into some other shape, though it still contained a dragon's soul" (Heir to the shadows, page 375).

"— Why won’t Amren go in here?

— Because she was once a prisoner.

— Not in that body, I take it.

A cruel smile.

— No. Not at all.” (ACOMAF, page 185)

"Spiraling? — Geoffrey thought for a moment and shook his head. — No, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. Ask Draca. Compared to her, you're still in the nursery and I'm just a stripling." (Daughter of the blood, page 243)

"In the countless millennia they had existed here in Prythian, Rhys—Rhys with his smirking and sarcasm and bedroom eyes ...And Amren was worse. And older than five thousand years." (ACOMAF, page 145)

"When they had first arrived at the Keep, Lucivar had given him a cryptic warning: Draca is a dragon in human form.The moment he’d seen the Seneschal, he’d understood what Lucivar meant. Her looks, combined with the feel of great age and old, deep power, had fascinated him." (Queen of the darkness, page 252)

"Because even though the short, delicate woman looked like High Fae … as Rhys had warned me, every instinct was roaring to run. To hide. [...] But Amren’s eyes …Her silver eyes were unlike anything I’d ever seen; a glimpse into the creature that I knew in my bones wasn’t High Fae. Or hadn’t been born that way." (ACOMAF, page 158)

"Draca asked. Her unblinking reptilian eyes revealed nothing" (Daughter of the blood, page 431)

You can also find some of the names of characters and places of Anne Bishop's books in Sarah J Mass ones. For instance: Sarah admited Prythian was a trick on Pryddain from the chronicles of Pryddain but that she couldn't put the original name because it belonged to Phillip Alexander, so she choose Prythian. But one of the high priestesses in Bishop's trilogy is indeed named Prythian.

"Prythian, Askavi's High Priestess, couldn't leash his temper enough to serve witches he despised" (Daughter of the blood, page 16)

If you look at the titles of some of the TOGs books, you realize they are alike Anne Bishop's as well:

The thing is: where do we draw the line when it comes to inspiration in books? It's common to have some similarities between author's works, however, to have that many in lines, places, plots, on top of races and characters who are nearly identical to the ones someone created fourteen years before you? I don't know.

I don't appreciate Bishop's work, in fact, I suffered a lot to go through the trilogy, for problems like: explicit sexual violence, mutilation, and worst of all grooming (Daemon meets his so called soulmate when she's a child, and he kisses her when she's 12), which literally made feel sick, but, is clear Bishop came up with a lot of things a long time before SJM did.

Because her series of books came out by the 2000, most of sjm's target audience doesn't know Bishop's work, making it very easy to avoid comparison. This is one of the reasons why this situation becomes a big problem, because most of her fans think SJM work is totally original, and that she came up with 99% of the concepts by herself.

Besides the black jewels, Sarah was said to have taking scenes, plots and quotes from other original productions/books, like the lord of the rings (which she's also a huge fan):

For example, The White Tree of Gondor and Kingsflame.

The White Tree of Gordon only blooms when the rightful ruler sits on the throne. Coming to later bloom in Aragorn's coronation:

"And so the kingdom of Gondor sank into ruin, the line of kings failed, the white tree withered and the rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men."

Kingsflame, however, it’s a magical flower that first bloomed when Brannon arrived, proof that was a good king:

"since those ancient days, only single blossoms had been spotted, so rare in their appearance that their appearance was deemed a sign that the land had blessed whatever ruler sat on Terrasen’s throne. (KOA 686)"

Similarly, the flower also blooms after Aelin’s Coronation:

Across every mountain, spread across the green canopy of Oakwald, carpeting the entire Plain of Theralis, the kingsflame was blooming. (KOA 984)

We also have the scene when Haldir arrives at helms deep:

"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance."

While Manon says this in KOA:

"Long ago the Crochans fought beside Terrasen, to honor the great debt we owed the Fae King Brannon for granting us a homeland."(KOA, page 693)

And don't forget, Aragorn saying:

"My friends, you bow to no one"

While Rhysand says this in ACOWAR:

"You bow to no one, was all he replied"

Don't forget, the conversation between Theoden and Gamling in the Two Towers movie:

"Theoden: Who am I, Gamling?

Gamling : You are our king, sire.

Theoden : And do you trust your king?

Gamling : Your men, my Lord, will follow you to whatever end.

Theoden : To whatever end... "

Followed by this conversation between Rowan and Aelin:

“—To whatever end? — she breathed.

Rowan followed her, as he had his entire life, long before they had ever met, before their souls had sparked into existence. —“To whatever end, Fireheart.”

We also have other examples, like treasure island:

"Look at you! Glowing like a solar fire. You're something special, Jim. You're gonna rattle the stars, you are!" (Treasure Island-2003)

"You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most. "( TOG page 385, chapter 54)

ASOIAF:

A quite similar phrase to "Queen that was promised" was used in GRRM’s ASOIAF, where an ancient prophecy talked about a "Prince who was promised", later it being reveleaded that they expected a boy, but the title was said to fall to Daenarys Targaryen (a queen). This is mentioned in " A dance of dragons" which was published in 2011. This prince is also mentioned as being “the Heir of Fire”.

"Westeros must unite beneath her one true king, the prince that was promised, Lord of Dragonstone and chosen of R'hllor" ( A dance with dragons, 2011)

"Perhaps it had all been for nothing. The Queen Who Was Promised" (KOA, page 121, 2018)

"He is fire made flesh, she thought, and so am I." (A dance with dragons, page 949, 2011)

"Fire - he reminded her of fire made flesh." (ACOWAR, 2017)

Harry Potter is added to list, as well:

Dumbledore: Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love. (HP and the deathly hallows, page 705, 1997).

Rhysand: Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all. (ACOTAR, page 418, 2012).

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." (Harry Potter and the prisioner of Azkaban, 2004)

“Light can be found even in the darkest of hells” (ACOWAR, page 577, 2017)

The movie spirit:

Little Creek: Take care of her, Spirit-who-could-not-be-broken (Spirit, 2002)

Nehemia: I name you Elentiya, ‘Spirit That Cannot Be Broken.' (TOG, page 44)

Shadow and Bone:

The quote "like calls to like" explains one of the most important plot points in shadow and bone, the first book was published in 2012, and Sarah was mentioned in Leigh's acknowledgments as the person who gave her first review. She had used "magic calls to magic" before in throne of glass in 2012, yet the book was published in august, while Shadow and Bone came out before, in june. The principle of "like calls to like" in her books was mentioned by the time ACOMAF came out, in 2016, four years later. It was also used to describe attraction to objects of power, which follows Bardugo's concept.

Shadow and Bone: The grounding principle of the Small Science was “like calls to like" (page 113)

ACOMAF: The box—the Book—was silent. Then it said, Like calls to like (page 350)

“The Grisha claims the amplifier, but the amplifier claims the Grisha, as well. Once it is done, there can be no other. Like calls to like, and the bond is made.” (page 130)

The movie troy:

"Menelaus : Prince? What prince? What son of a king would accept a man's hospitality, eat his food, drink his wine, embrace him in friendship, and then steal his wife in the middle of the night?

Paris : The sun was shining when your wife left you." (Troy, 2004)

“If you hadn’t stolen my bride away in the night, Rhysand, I would not have been forced to take such drastic measures to get her back.

I said quietly, The sun was shining when I left you.” (ACOWAR, page 396, 2017)

The Land before Time:

"Some things you see with your eyes. Other things you see with your heart." ( The Land before Time 1988)

"Some things you hear with your eyes. Other things you hear with your heart."( Crown of Midgnight, page 168, 2011)

Mulan:

"Shan Yu: How many men does it take to deliver a message?

The other Hun: One.

The Hun proceeds to shoot one of the imperial soldiers with an arrow." (Mulan, 1998)

“But it seems like tonight isn’t really your night, Elide said to the ilken, lifting the hatchet again over a shoulder. The ilken might have been whimpering as she smiled grimly.—Because it only takes one to deliver a message. And your companions are already on their way.

The axe fell.

Flesh and bone and blood spilled onto the stones.” (Empire of Storms, page 455, 2016)

There's more to show about the black jewels, but this posts is already huge, so I'm going to finish by talking a little bit about her new series: Crescent city, which people already pointed out to be similar to another series she also talked about before: The Fever series by Karn Marie Moning, published in 2007. Now, I don't think is the same case as the black jewels, because crescent city does follow a much more different story, but is still have matching characters and main storyline.

Darkfever tells the story of MacKayla, a girl who seemingly had a perfect life. After the murder of her sister, she sees herself obligated to make an alliance with the mysterious Jericho in order find her killer, whilst exploring her sidhe-seer powers. Crescent city, on the other hand, is also about a girl losing people close to her: her best friend and her crush, then deciding to solve their deaths by teaming up with the fallen angel Hunt.

Mackayla is a sidhe seer, a person who can see fae, and ends up in the book series as their queen, while Bryce is half fae. They are both extremely attractive girls, who love to party and take good care of their appereance. Jericho, however, is a handsome, tough supernatural being who resources to Mac in order to find answers, ending up getting involved with her. Lastly, Hunt is a fallen angel, who needs to make sure Bryce cooperates with the investigation, and develops feelings for her.

"My sister's whole body had holes in it, Inspector! Not just her arms! The coroner said they looked like teeth marks! — Not of any person or animal he'd been able to identify, though.— And parts of her were just fora!— I was shaking. I hated the memory. It made me sick to my stomach" (Dark Fever, page 71)

"She knew in her bones it was not a hallucination, what lay on that bed, knew in her bones that what bled out inside her chest was her heart. Danika lay there. In pieces" (Crescent City, page 74)

"Grieving wasn't going to bring her back, and it sure wasn't going to make me feel better about whoever'd killed her walking around alive out there somewhere, happy in their sick little psychotic way, while my sister lay icy and white beneath six feet of dirt" (Dark Fever, page 10)

"Briggs planned to hurt people, and he deserved to be in jail, but—he’d been wrongly accused of the murder.Danika’s killer was still out there" (Crescent City, page 145)

"I think I just finally expelled the last drop of moisture from my body that wasn't absolutely necessary to keep me alive. And rage watered my parched soul. I wanted answers. I wanted justice.I wanted revenge." (Dark fever, page 11)

"She didn’t know where to start.But she’d do it. Find whoever had done this.[...] She ground her teeth. She’d find whoever had done this and make them regret ever being born." (Crescent City, page 164)

Once again, Hunt has the exact same appeareance as Jericho, and their personalities are also pretty much alike.

"He studied me with his predator's gaze, assessing me from head to toe. I studied him back. He didn't just occupy space; he saturated it.The room had been full of books before, now it was full of him. About thirty, six foot two or three, he had dark hair, golden skin, and dark eyes. His features were strong, chiseled." (Dark Fever, page 36)

"An angel who reason and history reminded him was an ally, though every instinct roared the opposite.Predator. Killer. Monster. Hunt Athalar’s angular dark eyes, however, remained fixed on the window. On Bryce Quinlan." (House of earth and blood, page 80)

"Hunt nodded once, his golden-brown face betraying nothing." (House of earth and blood, page 81)

"Then the male leafed through Quinlan’s thin file, his shoulder-length black hair slipping over his unreadable face." (House of earth and blood, page 81)

Darkfever presentd V'lane as a third character, an attractive seelie prince, who rules the Tuatha Dé Dannan, and happens to go after Mackayla as revenge against Jericho. In crescent city, there third main character is Ruhn, Bryce's half brother, and who is he? A crowned prince of the fae. And what is his last name? Danaan.

"Even today, after all that I've seen, I couldn't begin to describe V'lane, prince of the Tuatha Dé Danaan." (Dark Fever, page 134)

"Thinking she’d get a nice, sweaty ride with a Prince of the Fae, she’d be sorely disappointed. He was in no shape for fucking right now." (Crescent city, page 199)

“I got a phone call, Naomi said. From Ruhn fucking Danaan. He’s livid that we didn’t notify Sky and Breath about bringing in the girl." (Crescent city, page 96)

The scene where Hunt goes to watch over Bryce in her apartment follows the exact same patterns of the scene Jericho goes to visit Mackayla in her home:

"A moment later, her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Right as her show began.She didn’t know the number, but she wasn’t at all surprised when she picked up, plopping down onto the cushions, and Hunt growled,

— Open the curtains. I want to watch the show.” (Crescent city, page 84)

"Someone knocking at my door awakened me [...] I glanced at my watch. It was two o'clock in the morning. I was sleepy and grumpy and didn't try to disguise it.

—Who is it?

— Jericho Barrons." (Dark Fever, page 40)

“Open the curtains.

— No, thank you.

— Or you could invite me in and make my job easier.

— Definitely no.

—Why?

— Because you can do your job just as well from that roof.” (Crescent City; page 184)

"Do you intend to open this door, Ms. Lane, or shall we converse where anyone might attend our business? [...]. If he was willing to trade, I had to open that door. Unless…

— We can trade through the door, I said.

— No

— Why not?

— I am a private person, Ms. Lane. This is not negotiable." (Dark Fever, page 41)

"His dark eyes didn’t so much as blink. Striking—that was the only word Bryce could think of to describe his handsome face, full of powerful lines and sharp cheekbones. — You can make this investigation easy, or you can make it hard.” (Crescent City, page 187)

" When I said nothing, he said softly — If you are not with me, Ms. Lane, you are against me. I have no mercy for my enemies.

I shrugged." (Dark Fever, page 46)

So, I do believe SJM is the type author whose actions we need to discuss. Even if you see the whole thing with " The black jewels" is just an inspiration, you can't deny the fact there some exact lines of movies and books in her work. Plus: it's not just one quote or just one plot, but many.

If you ever try to read The Black Jewels trilogy you'll notice much more than what I brought in this post, and I do hope more people are able to research it. However, if you have any triggers regarding SA, mutil*tion, abuse, gr*mming, or torture scenes, I strongly recommend you do not read these books. They are not easy to go through, and the same thing goes to Dark Fever, although is a lot lighter.

Now, you can find more about the "Lord of the rings" and "Harry Potter" situation in here:

This is not a post trying to "cancel" sjm or simply attack her without reason. But I do believe we have to talk about her work and the problems with it, especially when it involves the work of other writers. If anyone has any more examples, or articles about this matter, quote this post with them if you can. I couldn't put more because you have a limit for tumblr posts, and it would be way too much. Anyway, thank you sticking here until the end.

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landscapeexposurenetwork · 4 months

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Thank you again for another great year allowing us to share original photographers with you. We will be taking a break and return January 8th. In the meantime we have set up a queue filled with photos from our past featured blogs this year. If you are looking for new blogs to follow, please have a look at the list below. We have listed a general description of the types of photos each blog posts, so it will be easier for you to find the ones you like. And of course applications are still open during our break. Hope to see you all again in 2024. Happy holidays and much love from all of us at LEN.

January 341 @cissaking (landscape) 342 @foliorumviridis (forests, landscape) 343 @rchrgd (nature, forests) 344 @marljin (forests)

February 345 @highways-are-liminal-spaces (landscape, animals) 346 @dk-thrive (landscape, quotes) 347 @fotozeiger (landscape) 348 @alyaly (landscape, flowers)

March 349 @joeswildlifephotos (animals, landscape) 350 @silver-frog (landscape, urban) 351 @bedr-focus (landscape, urban, animals) 352 @alli-takes-photos (nature, landscape, urban)

April 353 @thethingsiveseen-photography (landscape, animals, flowers) 354 @rock-cedar-mosquito (forests, landscape) 355 @zedensposts (landscape, animals) 356 @whitneybarkman (nature, forests)

May 357 @renmoldovan (landscape, animals) 358 @gettinglostisnotawasteoftime (landscape, forests) 359 @nwalthall (landscape, flowers, portrait) 360 @ivacunja (landscape) 361 @moer-koffie (flowers, animals)

June 362 @lbk-photography (landscape) 363 @stillwater67 (landscape, urban) 364 @desomnis (landscape, urban) 365 @tomo8455 (flowers, animals, landscape)

July 366 @bluebelly-sun-serpentine (nature, landscape) 367 @carmen-art (landscape) 368 @thomaswaynewolf (landscape) 369 @birdmemorandum (birds) 370 @thecorpsofrediscovery (landscape, urban)

August 371 @orofeaiel (forests, fungi, animals) 372 @sugiichi (birds) 373 @oscar-out-of-a-suitcase (landscape, urban) 374 @pela-schmidt (landscape)

September 375 @andulkaphoto (nature, urban) 376 @orendarling (landscape, urban) 377 @thomas--bombadil (birds) 378 @kiteknots (nature, forests)

October 379 @differentharmonywasteland (nature) 380 @zocher (landscape, flowers) 381 @mbhfphotos (nature, fungi, forests) 382 @wild-e-eep (nature, fungi, animals) 383 @franz-bauch-foto (forests)

November 384 @vnvnationfan (landscape, flowers) 385 @sssnapspics (nature, animals) 386 @ohlsdorf-cemetery (nature, forests, cemeteries) 387 @flippantsmeagol (landscape)

December 388 @coenderuiter (landscape, forests) 389 @opdrie (landscape, forests)

2022 Featured Blogs | 2021 Featured Blogs 2020 Featured Blogs | 2019 Featured Blogs 2018 Featured Blogs | 2017 Featured Blogs 2016 Featured Blogs

#photographers on tumblr #original photographers #nature #landscape #original photography #nature photography #landscape photography #featured blog #photography #landscape exposure network #year end #2023

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starsandhughes · 9 months

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Penalty Box— National Girlfriends Day Edition

22/23 Season/Summer Masterlist

this is short and i kinda hate it but i promised so here it is

trevorzegras

liked by yourusername, _quinnhughes, and 81,449 others

trevorzegras happy national girlfriends day to the love of my life! i know you’re my fiancée now, but i also know you love every excuse to post about the people you love so i decided to take my chance. i snooped through your poetry books, and i found one that describes how i feel about you (i’m not sorry)

it reads “the moment i met her my soul begged for me to make her mine. it was as if in the moment i looked at her i discovered my life’s purpose. and that is how i fell for her.” (written by edgar holmes)

i know we met when we were young, but i could picture being in love with you from the day we met. everyone says they knew we were made for each other before we did, but they’re wrong. i was the first to know that we’re meant for each other. i was the first to know that we’d be destined for forever

i wouldn’t change a single thing about us, my sweet girl❤️ i love you, forever

tagged yourusername

view all 348 comments

yourusername i’ll forgive the snooping because you did it with such pure intentions 🥹 i love you, always, z baby❤️ best five years of my life!

trevorzegras can i do it can i do it

yourusername go ahead

trevorzegras SAP

yourusername UNO REVERSE

user97 STOP THIS IS SO CUTE😭

_alexturcotte if you were the first to call forever then i was second💯

jackhughes @_alexturcotte i’m the one that set them up?

yourusername @/jackhughes all you did was leave us alone in an ice rink?

jackhughes @/yourusername you’re welcome

trevorzegras @_alexturcotte @/jackhughes just share the silver medal

_alexturcotte @/trevorzegras no we need two

jackhughes @/trevorzegras you’re giving us medals?!

trevorzegras @/jackhughes @_alexturcotte it was a joke!

jackhughes @/trevorzegras too late you owe us medals

user7 MOM AND DAD

_quinnhughes i’m taking all credit for this relationship

yourusername i feel like z and i should have a little credit

lhughes_06 @/yourusername no it’s all quinn’s

trevorzegras i know you gave me permission but i had a solid part in the making of our relationship

_quinnhughes @/yourusername @/trevorzegras “”no <3” -sissy” -me

yourusername @/trevorzegras i think we only exist for other’s enjoyment

trevorzegras @/yourusername as long as i exist with you i’m good

jackhughes @/trevorzegras GROSS STOP

lhughes_06 @/trevorzegras 🤮

yourusername @/trevorzegras SAP

jamie.drysdale she’s everything and he’s just ken

trevorzegras does this make you allan

yourusername ALLAN >>>>

jamie.drysdale yeah okay

trevorzegras ily allan

jamie.drysdale @/trevorzegras you’re job is beach

yourusername @/trevorzegras and you do it so well!

trevorzegras @/yourusername why is my job not fiancé

yourusername @/trevorzegras because people aren’t defined by relationships did you learn nothing from barbie

trevorzegras @/yourusername nonsense i learned everything

jamie.drysdale @/trevorzegras you should’ve just stuck with beach

user44 trevor = fiancé of the year

user16 SAPPY TREVOR AWW

jackhughes am i still your favorite hughes?

trevorzegras you know it

yourusername i’m not murdering only because jacky boy is also my favorite hughes

_quinnhughes @/yourusername i’m your best friend!

yourusername @_quinnhughes best friend and favorite hughes are not synonymous

lhughes_06 @/yourusername am i nothing to you

yourusername @/lhughes_06 you’re tolerable at best <3

user22 they will be my royal wedding

colecaufield you dropped these👑👑

trevorzegras wrong. y/n needed two.

colecaufield i agree

yourusername @/trevorzegras @/colecaufield saps❤️

yourusername PSA I HAVE THE BEST EX BOYFRIEND IN HISTORY!!

trevorzegras STOP SAYING THIS! I’M YOU’RE FIANCÉ!

yourusername no <3

#penalty box series #penalty box series: bonus editions #trevor zegras #trevor zegras imagine #trevor zegras x reader #trevor zegras fanfic #quinn hughes #jack hughes #jamie drysdale #cole caufield #alex turcotte #hockey imagine #trevor zegras insta edit

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busra-tr · 10 months

Photo

🖤 ACID SET-348 BD968 + BD969 🖤

10 Colors

Adult-Elder-Teen-Young Adult

For Female

Compatible with HQ mod-

-New Mesh

-All Lods

- Custom thumbnail

**-Please do not re upload or claim as yours feel free to re color but do not include the mesh .

* Early Access * It will be open to the public 2 weeks later.

TOP DOWNLOAD

SKIRT DOWNLOAD

I hope you like them. ♥

💖 You can check out my Patreon for special cc and other early access content. 💖

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the-soliloquies-of-sadists · 1 year

Text

#348

“Good morning bitch. Did you sleep well on that fag mat? That’s too bad, but you’ll get used to it. If not, I don’t want to hear about it. I just realized that I didn’t go over your alarm duties. Every morning, I want to be woken up at a set time. You will wake me up with either a blowjob or a rimjob. That all depends on which my dick or my shithole is more accessible for your toilet mouth. Right now my shithole needs to be wrapped around your tongue. Get back there and do your duty.

“Wait, get back here. Let me see that cage. I don’t like that your clitty is pushing out the cage in its attempt to get hard. I think a more restricting cage and with deterrents, such pinpoints on the inside. You are not entitled to a hardon.

“Get back there. We’ll worry about making your clitty permanently useless later.

“Climb on. Get comfortable cause you are going to be back there for some time. Get used to how I smell back there. Take note of everything. You want to survive your time with me, you need to know every square inch of my ass. Rimming my ass is not just a job to do, but it is your way of life. I would take a rimjob over a blowjob any day. Other than to wake me up or to get my dick hard in order to fuck, blowjobs are boring. I can’t remember the last time I shot a load from a blowjob alone.

“Now a rimjob, fuck. So may faggots do it wrong. Pay attention to what I say, cause I am going to tell you what you need to do to make my hole feel tingly. When my hole is tingly, I’m a very happy man. When I am happy, you are happy. So follow along.

“First thing you need to do is to clean my crack. You know I work out a lot; it’s going to be musky there. I don’t care to know if its dirty or not, just take care of it. Flatten out your tongue and run it up and down my crack. Like that. Taste my ass hairs. When you lick for a very long time, those hairs will start to feel like razor blades slicing your tongue.

“When worshiping my shithole… And worship is how you should view it. You are getting access to my most private spot. You should feel honored that I trust you to pleasure me. Know that when your tongue or your lips touch my shithole, you should feel this is where you belong, and that nothing else in the world matters.

“Now run your tongue across the ridges of my hole. Flatten your tongue and lick it like you would an ice cream cone. You need to vary your techniques when you do. Switch it up to using your pointed tongue to run around the hole, across the folds of skin. Oh that feels good.

“Use the tip to run along the slit. Wiggle it in place, starting up slowly and then go faster. Oh man, just like that. Fuck, your tongue was made for this.

“There are two ways I want your tongue to enter my hole. First is to swirl your tongue, all around and side to side. Like that! Fuck yeah. Your goal is to use your tongue to massage the sides of my hole without going inside. This is probably my favorite way to be stimulated. And you are doing it exactly how I like it.

“The other way is to tongue fuck me. Pull your tongue out. Now shove it in; extend your tongue as far in my shithole. No no no. Don’t push your face into my crack. Slamming your nose or chin into my taint aint working. Let your tongue do the fucking. Get it in as far as you can and hold it there. Feel the inner lining of my shithole roll down your tongue. Pull it out and tongue fuck me again. And again, and again. Hell yeah boy.

“Now when you are slurping my hole, focus your attention on varying your style. I get so fucking bored when a faggot does the same thing over and over. Spend some time doing one technique, about a minute or two, then change it up.

“It doesn’t have to be all your tongue. You can suck on my hole while your tongue is working inside. Not all the time, but suck. You can even use your teeth to scrape lightly across my lips. You can even use your lips to kiss me on the lips very tenderly.

“Your neck will probably get tired. I don’t care. Long rimming sessions are usually done with you under one of my rim chairs, where you will be expected to go for hours.

“On a day where I will use you as an alarm, I’ll probably last ten to fifteen minutes before I get up and shove my cock into your cunt to begin our day. But today is Sunday, I’m going back to sleep. I fully expect you to continue rimming me while I sleep. You got that?

“Oh and remember to breathe. Speaking of breathing, hold still. Ripping one in your mouth is my way of blowing you a kiss. Treat it as a gift.”

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matan4il · 6 months

Text

Daily update post:

Yesterday, there were a lot of unofficial initiatives and ceremonies across Israel to commemorate one month since the massacre. It wasn't official, because the state is still in the middle of a war, but regular people felt the need to connect with the Jewish custom of marking 30 days since the death of a loved one. In many places, people stood, wherever they happened to be, for a minute of silence at 11 in the morning (myself included), or held up posters or yellow balloons in honor of the hostages and the missing persons:

This girl is absolutely awesome:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Avi Azulay (@avi.azulay_)

instagram

Rashida Tlaib has been rebuked for using the hateful chant "From the River to the sea, Palestine will be free." Here's a link to explanations on why it is indeed a call for, at the very least, the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the Jewish ancestral homeland.

On a personal note, I just discovered that another colleague of mine has a sister and BIL held hostage in Gaza. I said before that every Israeli has a "list" of those they know and love affected by this, and it just keep getting longer as we find out more about people's fate on Oct 7, and as the list of fallen soldiers in this war gets longer, too.

I saw a new lie being pushed, that the majority of people in Israel who were killed during Hamas' massacre were soldiers (implying the civilians were never specifically targeted, that they were collateral damage). But the numbers are very different. Out of over 1,400 people murdered on that day, only 348 were soldiers. That's before we get to the confiscated documents showing instructions that clearly stated the goal was civilians, the Hamas terrorists who were captured alive and confirmed this, or the fact that if those terrorists weren't interested in abducting and killing civilians, why take over entire civilian communities? There were no military bases in kibbutz Be'eri, kibbutz Nir Oz, or kibbutz Kfar Azza, there was no army outpost at the Nova music festival. Hamas' terrorists set up blockades on the only road leaving that festival and gunned down anyone trying to escape. Over 260 young people. Not one was in army uniform, driving an army car, or even just... armed. That's targeting civilians intentionally. A baby being placed in the oven, or being beheaded, or tied with wires to an adult and then both being burned alive, or a 14 year old girl being raped and then shot in the head in her bedroom, or firing thousands of rockets into cities, that's not "collateral damage."

The UN general secretary said it's clear something's wrong with Israel's military activity, based on the number of civilians killed in Gaza. Based on the numbers released by the highly unreliable terrorist organization Hamas, the perpetrator of a massacre, an actual crime against humanity, which doesn't allow any external inspectors come into Gaza to verify the numbers.

After Israel has been asking for European countries to send hospital ships, Italy is sending one. Israel is also working with the United Arab Emirates on the UAE being a field hospital next to the Gaza border. As many Gazans have been heeding Israel's call to evacuate from the north, Israel has prolonged the route it's securing against Hamas, to allow them an even safer passage.

Manor Salomon, a successful Israeli soccer player, was criticizing UEFA (the European soccer federation) for their refusal to denounce Hamas. For this, his IG account was closed. Prominent Israeli voices ARE being silenced.

This is 19 years old Yoav Mellev, who on Oct 7 was fighting on the Zikim beach, where Hamas terrorists landed in boats, and were massacring civilians. After he got badly wounded, he left a note, in which he said (as conveyed by his mom) that it was the best 20 minutes of his life, because he got to defend people. He died of his wounds. May his memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

#israel #israeli #israel news #israel under attack #israel under fire #israelunderattack #terrorism #anti terrorism #antisemitism #hamas #antisemitic #antisemites #jews #jew #judaism #jumblr #frumblr #jewish

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albarrancabrera · 2 years

Photo

Albarran Cabrera —– Instagram

The Mouth of Krishna

#347 Platinum/Palladium print #348 Platinum/Palladium print

We’d like to thank @ibasho___gallery and @sieboldhuis for thinking on us to be part of the Wabi-Sabi exhibition @sieboldhuis starting on 23 September. Japanese definitions of beauty have been developed over many generations. Japan has focused on the natural world adopting a sensitivity to and appreciation for nature. The Japanese have developed a distinct sense of aesthetics to depict different kinds of beauty, and among them we find the concepts wabi and sabi. After the Heian period, during the Medieval Times and inspired by Buddhism a new set of aesthetic values are developed centered in “the lack/absence of apparent external beauty”, discovering “another new beauty”, more elevated and sober based on simplicity, nature, impermanence, poverty, imperfection, coldness. Wabi means “poverty.” To be poor, that is, not dependent on things worldly and yet to feel inwardly the presence of something of the highest value. Wabi is to be satisfied with a little hut, like the log cabin of Thoreau, to stay content with the contemplation of Nature. Sabi literally means “loneliness.” Sabi consists in rustic imperfection. In poetry Sabi stands for “austere and solitary beauty.” Sabi suggests the passing of time and the patina this passing produces in the worldly things destined to vanish. Wabi sabi represents rustic and desolate beauty that correlates with a dark, bleak beauty that can be easily overlooked; but that it can be found everywhere: such as a small worn-down hut hidden in the forest, the shy first green sprouts fighting their way out in the snow in a high-mountain village. Wabi sabi is linked with a discreet beauty in the colourless, the old, and the fragile. In short, the beauty of a cold, bleak, solitary, wintry landscape that is used as a symbol representing and suggesting the impermanence of men. We could say that new aesthetics places us on the way to an imperfect beauty that leads us directly to the infinite beauty.

#the mouth of krishna #Platinum Palladium Print #albarran cabrera #albarrancabrera #artists on tumblr #photographers on tumblr #acnews #wabisabi

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nonsensical-pixels · 7 months

Text

awkward monday upload: my 4t2 conversion of @syboubou's little dino kids set... but almost completely redone, with a bunch of quality of life fixes! those include: no more annoying vignette crunchiness on the deco objects, no more t-posing plushies, and no more giant texture sizes!

major changes have been listed below the cut, but suffice to say that i've been dissatisfied with my conversion of this set for ages and was inspired to redo it when i saw an anon ask @freezerbunny-sims2 got some months ago. i'm considering this a redux and not an update, since the older set isn't specifically 'broken', just not up to my standards. you can't have both though, as they use the same guids!

DOWNLOAD: SFS | MF 🐱‍🐉

credits go to @syboubou for the original meshes & textures, and to @themediocresulk, whose toddler pet beds (but for toddlers) i have cloned the new and improved toddler bed in this set from! 💗

Changelog

All textures (should) now be of a maximum 1024x1024 texture size.

No more weird vignette textures! All TXMTs have been updated.

The Big Plushy (and Small Big Plushy) now have their arms in non-T-pose positions. Sorry this took so long anon, I kinda forgot!

The toddler bed has now been updated and cloned from themediocresulk's Toddler Beds as Pet Beds (but for Toddlers).

Things to Note

'T-Rex the Rex, but Tinier' is repo'd to 'T-Rex the Rex'.

Diplo toy is not decorative, it can be played with like a regular toy from the toybox!

'Dresser' and 'Dresser Small' are a hallway table and endtable, with the smaller version being repo'd to the larger.

'Ivy Bed Decor' and 'Bed Blanket' must have moveobjects and snaptogrid off to be placed.

Items Included (By Order of Folder Appearance)

T-Rex the Rex (1504 polys, General -> Child, Decor) T-Rex the Rex, but Tinier (1504 polys, General -> Child, Decor) Ceiling Lamp (560 polys, Lighting -> Ceiling Lamp, Lamp) Chair (1046 polys, Seating -> Dining Chairs, Chair) Hamper (1426 polys, General -> Child, Decor) Desk (92 polys, Surfaces -> Desks, 1-tile Desk) Thibault the Diplo (884 polys, General -> Child, Toybox Toy) Drawings (128 polys, General -> Child, Decor) Dresser (2008 polys, Surfaces -> Miscellaneous, Hallway Table) Dresser Small (2008 polys, Surfaces -> Endtables, Endtable) Hanged Chair (1740 polys, Comfort -> Living Chairs, Living Chair) Hanger Bathroom Bag (745 polys, General -> Child, Decor) Height Chart (396 polys, General -> Child, Decor) Ivy Bed Decor (356 polys, Decorations -> Sculptures, Decor) Kid Bed (1114 polys, Seating -> Beds, Single Bed) Lamp (1762 polys, Lighting -> Table Lamp, Table Lamp) Leaf Rug (274 polys, Decorations -> Rugs, Rug) Nightstand and Books (442 polys, Surfaces -> Endtables, Endtable) Pencils (880 polys, Decorations -> Sculptures, Decor) Pillows (720 polys, Comfort -> Miscellaneous, Decor) Wicker Pot Plant (534 polys, Decorations -> Plants, Decor) Popup Book (348 polys, General -> Child, Decor) Posters (852 polys, Decorations -> Paintings, Painting) Succulents (1563 polys, Decorations -> Plants, Decor) Toddler Bed (1731 polys, General -> Child, Toddler Bed) Wallpaper (8 patterns, Left-Right Variants, Wallpaper) *i removed the bed blanket; it sucked and i couldn't get it to fit to the ts2 bed... **collection file is now included because idk why it wasn't before

if there are any issues that you find with this set, please don't be afraid to let me know! happy simming, apologies for all my inconveniences to you guys, and when you download this, do keep in mind,

( @4t2ccdatabase )

#sims 2 download #the sims 2 cc #ts2cc #s2cc #sims 2 cc #the sims 2 #sims 2 #4t2 #4t2 conversion #4t2 buy #ky fixes her cc

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bratshaws · 1 month

Text

through the hourglass 376. brb x oc

a/n: OKAY IM FINALLY HAPPY WITH THE SMUT SO, NEXT CHAPTER ITS FINALLY HAPPENING KAJNCKJNWAJKD (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none........yet

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

/316/317/318/319/320/321/322/323/324/325/326/327/328/329/330/331/332/333/334/335/336/337/338/339/340/341/342/343/344/345/346/347/348/349/350/351/352/353/354/355/356/357/358/359/360/361/362/363/364/365/366

/367/368/369/370/371/372/373/374/375

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @fanboyswhore9 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @kmc1989 @enchantingharmonyalpaca @callsign-magnolia @mrsbradshaw01

She runs her fingers over the rim of the glass, leaning on a hand as she waits. She licks her lips, fixing her dress a bit before looking up when she feels a presence sitting next to her. Her eyes move to the person, a very handsome man, military, mustached with beautiful brown eyes still wearing his uniform.

Beatrice sips her drink but lets her gaze drink him over, then moves away when he looks back at her “Evenin’.” he says, his accent so nice and thick, “What’s a pretty woman like you doin’ here all alone?”

She sips her drink, “Enjoying the sights.” she whispers, flipping her hair to the side, exposing her shoulder - something that makes his gaze drop to the curve - “Enjoying a quiet night, you?”

“Celebrating.” he smirks, sipping his whisky, “Just got promoted.”

“Oh, congrats.” she smiles, “You must be very good at what you do.”

He keeps the glass against his lips, eyes burning with desire, “I am.” he says before setting it down, “...what’s your name,gorgeous?”

“Beatrice.”

“Beautiful name,” he says, holding out his hand, “Bradley, my friends call me Rooster.” her cheeks turn pink when he lifts her knuckles to his full lips, kissing them gently, “And…you said you were enjoying the sights?”

“Yeah.” she says while placing her hand back on her lap, “I…it’s been a while since I went out and –” she frowns, “Roos I’m running out of banter.”

This idea happened minutes after they decided to go home, after Bea’s parents said they’d keep the kids for the night and they could ‘celebrate’ how they wished. While thinking about it, they thought about roleplaying as if they had just met in a random bar - not the Hard Deck - and it was a great idea…until she ran a blank. Her husband blinked, “You were doing great,gorgeous.” he smiles at her frown, “I’m serious, it was very attractive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course.” he smirks, folding his arms over the counter, his white jacket stretching over his bicep and Bea noticed it. “Unless you aren’t comfortable doing this anymore–?”

“No,no! I…”she licks her lips ,”I do want to try–I didn’t know you liked this type of stuff,Roos.”

Rooster chuckled softly, "Well, you never know what hidden talents I might have," he teased, his voice low and playful.

Beatrice rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Oh, I'm sure you have plenty of hidden talents," she replied, her tone teasing. She could try again,right?

Rooster's smirk widened as he leaned in closer to Beatrice, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Care to find out?" he murmured, his breath warm against her ear.

Beatrice's cheeks flushed pink at Rooster's suggestive tone, her heart fluttering in her chest. She leaned back slightly, trying to maintain a semblance of composure. "Maybe later," she replied, her voice slightly breathless.

Rooster's eyes danced with amusement as he pulled back, his smirk still firmly in place. "I'll hold you to that, beautiful" he said, his tone playful.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the tension between them palpable. Beatrice took a sip of her drink, her mind racing with thoughts of what the night might hold.

"So, Beatrice," Rooster said, breaking the silence, "Tell me more about yourself. What do you do for a living?"

Beatrice cleared her throat, trying to remember the persona they had created for her character. "Oh, you know," she said, trying to sound casual, "Just your average bartender. Nothing too exciting."

Rooster raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "I don't believe that for a second," he replied, his voice low and teasing. "There's something about you, Beatrice. Something... intriguing."

Beatrice felt a shiver run down her spine at Rooster's words, his gaze intense and penetrating. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly feeling very exposed under his scrutiny.

Dear god she was already wet.

Rooster leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Tell me, Beatrice," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear, "What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

Beatrice's heart pounded in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. She felt a bead of sweat form on her brow as she struggled to come up with a response.

Rooster's smirk widened as he watched Beatrice squirm under his gaze. Just as Beatrice was about to reply, they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. They both turned to see a waitress standing nearby, a curious expression on her face.

"Can I get you two anything else?"

Beatrice glanced at Rooster, her cheeks flushing pink. "Um, no thank you," she replied, her voice slightly shaky. "We're good for now."

The waitress nodded, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Alright then," she said, turning to leave, "Just let me know if you need anything else."

As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, Beatrice let out a shaky breath, her hands trembling slightly. "That was close," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rooster chuckled softly, reaching out to squeeze her hand gently. "Yeah, it was," he replied, his voice warm with amusement. "But don't worry, still doing fine.” her panties, however,were about to be absolutely ruined.

“Thank you…sooo…” she licks her lips, “You are a Lt.Commander now,yes? And a pilot for the Navy.” he smirks in triumph, oh he loved that she wanted to keep this going, “What..what does that do? I have no idea how the Navy works.”

Rooster chuckled softly at Beatrice's question,"Well, as a Lieutenant Commander," Rooster began, his voice rolling inside her ears like honey, "I hold a senior rank in the Navy, just below the rank of Commander. I oversee the operations of my squadron and ensure that our missions are carried out successfully."

Beatrice nodded, her brows furrowing in concentration as she tried to grasp the concept. "So, you're like... the boss of your squadron?" she asked, seeking clarification.

Rooster grinned, pleased that Beatrice was trying to understand, his cheeks hurting from smiling so much. "Exactly," he replied, nodding. "I'm responsible for leading and guiding my team, making sure that everyone is working together towards our common goals. And as a pilot for the Navy, well... I fly missions to support our military objectives, whether it's reconnaissance, combat, or transport missions."

Beatrice's eyes widened with interest as Rooster spoke, her curiosity piqued. "That sounds... intense," she remarked, her voice filled with awe. "I can't imagine what it's like to fly a military aircraft."

Rooster chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "It can be pretty exhilarating," he admitted, a hint of excitement in his voice. "But it's also a lot of hard work and dedication. The training is rigorous, and the missions can be dangerous, but it's all worth it.”

“I see.” she licks her lips, still playing it off as if they had just met, “So you fly, you command…that’s pretty…interesting.”

Oh he loved how red her cheeks were.

“Oh?” he sips his drink, “Care to elaborate?”

Beatrice felt her cheeks grow even warmer under Rooster's gaze, his playful smirk sending shivers down her spine. She cleared her throat, trying to gather her thoughts as she met his gaze. "Well," she began, her voice slightly shaky, "I just find it fascinating how you balance both roles. Flying planes and leading a squadron, it's like... you're living two lives at once."

Rooster's smirk widened into a grin at Beatrice's observation. "You could say that," he replied, his voice tinged with amusement. "It definitely keeps me on my toes, that's for sure. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Beatrice nodded, her lips curving into a small smile. "I can imagine," she said, her voice filled with admiration. "It takes a special kind of person to handle that level of responsibility."

Rooster's grin softened into a smile, his eyes warm as he looked at Beatrice. "Thank you," he said sincerely, "It means a lot coming from you."

She felt her heart flutter at Rooster's words, her cheeks flushing pink once again. She ducked her head, unable to meet his gaze as she tried to compose herself. "So," she said, clearing her throat, "What made you want to become a pilot in the Navy? Was it something you always dreamed of?"

"Actually, yes," he admitted, "I had always known that I wanted to be a pilot. I was drawn to the Navy because of my father," Rooster explained, "He served in the Navy for many years, and I always looked up to him. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, to honor his legacy."

"But it wasn't until I went through flight training that I truly fell in love with flying," Rooster continued, excitement in his voice. "There's just something about being up in the air, feeling the wind beneath your wings... it's like nothing else in the world."

Beatrice smiled, her eyes shining and for a second she almost forgot they were roleplaying right now. "It sounds amazing," she said softly, her voice filled with warmth. "I'm glad you found something that brings you so much joy."

Rooster's smile softened, his gaze lingering on Beatrice's face. "Me too," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "And what about you? What can I find out about you,hm?”

Beatrice felt a rush of nervous excitement at Rooster's question. She hadn't expected him to turn the conversation back to her, so quickly "Well," she began, her voice hesitant, "I'm not nearly as exciting as you, I'm afraid. I work as a bartender in a nice military bar not far from here. It's not as glamorous as flying planes or leading a squadron, but I enjoy it."

Rooster's smile widened as Beatrice spoke, his eyes lighting up as he spun his glass in its axis. "Bartending, huh?" he said, his voice laced with curiosity. "I bet you have some interesting stories to tell."

Beatrice chuckled softly,"Oh, you have no idea," she replied, "Let's just say, working in a military bar definitely keeps things interesting."

Rooster leaned in closer, his interest piqued. "I'd love to hear some of those stories," he said eagerly, "But only if you're comfortable sharing, of course."

Beatrice smiled at Rooster's, her whole body was warm, painfully so. "I'd be happy to," she said, her voice remained soft. "But fair warning, some of them might be a little... wild."

Rooster grinned, leaning on his hand. "I can handle wild," he replied, his voice laced with something else . "So, tell me, what's the craziest thing that's ever happened to you while bartending?"

Beatrice laughed softly, "Well, there was this one time," she began, her voice tinged with amusement. "We were hosting a party for one of the officers, and things got a little out of hand."

"Go on,”

“And, there was this one guy,” she flicked her gaze towards him, his smile widening immediately, after all…she was talking about him. “He was a friend of the birthday officer…so he,walked in, sat down on a piano we had on the bar…and started playing.” honestly he was surprised Payback remembered anything from that night, hammered up as he was ,”A very, very nice song.”

“He seems like a fun guy.”

She smiles, gently, cheeks reddening, “...he’s the best guy.”

"Well, I try my best," he replied with a sheepish grin, breaking the roleplaying with his blush "But I'm sure I'm nowhere near as good as you make me out to be."

Beatrice chuckled softly, shaking her head in amusement. "Oh, I don't know about that," she teased, her voice light and playful. "You're pretty amazing in my book."

Rooster's smile widened at Beatrice's words, his heart swelling with love for her. He reached out to take her hand in his, his touch gentle and reassuring. "Thank you, gorgeous" he murmured, his voice soft but filled with sincerity. "That means a lot coming from you."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, lost in each other's gaze. The air between them was charged with unspoken emotions, and Rooster found himself wanting to lean in closer, to feel Beatrice's lips against his own.

The night is still young after all.

“So…tell me.” he rubs her fingers, “...what do you think about getting out of here?”

“...are you proposing something?” she asks with a little smile, “What would that be I wonder?”

Rooster's smile widened "Well, I was thinking," he began, his voice low and teasing, "We could go for a walk along the beach. Just the two of us, with nothing but the sound of the waves and the stars above us."

“Hmmmm…that sounds amazing," she replied, leaning closer to him, eyelids dropping just enough. "I'd love to."

Rooster stood up from the table, offering Beatrice his hand. "Shall we?"

Beatrice smiled up at Rooster, her heart fluttering. She took his hand in hers, allowing him to lead her out of the bar and towards the beach. The cool night air felt refreshing against her skin, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore was soothing to her ears.

As they walked along the beach, hand in hand, Beatrice leaned into Rooster's side, reveling in the warmth of his touch as they strolled along the shoreline.The moon cast a soft glow over the beach, illuminating their path as they walked. Beatrice glanced up at the sky, the stars twinkling brightly overhead.

It was a picture-perfect moment, one she wished could last forever.

Rooster squeezed Beatrice's hand gently, his eyes warm as he looked at her. "You know," he began, his voice soft but filled with sincerity, "I feel like the luckiest man in the world, being here with you."

Beatrice felt her heart swell with love at Rooster's words. She looked up at him, her eyes shining "I feel the same way," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Being with you makes everything feel right."

Rooster smiled down at Beatrice, his heart overflowing with love for her. He leaned in closer, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "I love you," he whispered, his voice filled with emotion. "More than anything in this world."

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as she pressed her cheek against his chest. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "More than you'll ever know."

Eventually, they continued their walk along the beach, their footsteps leaving imprints in the sand behind them. As they reached the end of the beach, Rooster stopped and turned to face Beatrice. "Beatrice," he began, his voice soft, "There's something I want to ask you."

Beatrice's heart skipped a beat at Rooster's serious tone. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with anticipation. "What is it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“How would you like…to go to the second round tonight?”

Her eyebrow arched up

“...but you have to promise me,” he smirks, “You won’t freak out.”

She blinked at him,waiting for more but when nothing came she parted her lips, “...why would I freak out?” he smirks more, “...Rooster why would I freak out?”

He licks his lips, “...do you remember when we got into the base when we dated?” There was a very loud pause. “Rooster.” she begins, “...what did you do?”

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