#outdated is a very strong word for this case

[halfetirosie]

♡ An Edmond-Post for the struggling fanfic writers ♡

(NOTE: This post will be LONG. I tried to be thorough and include evidence.)

I feel an AGGRESSIVE MORAL OBLIGATION to make this post because of the writing homies that want to write Edmond into their fics, but feel like they don't know enough about him.

My recent Character-Ask post for Edmond might help you guys a little, but I think you could use more information.

The NU: Carnival Lore Spreadsheet (Google Sheets)

This isn't an Edmond-exclusive resource, but still helpful.

If you don't spend any time on the subreddit, you may not have seen this, but this is a fan-made lore spreadsheet contains information the game's world and each of the characters. It hasn't been updated for a little over 3 months, so it's a bit outdated, but it is teeming with practical information that can help familiarize you with characters' backgrounds and such.

(Quick note for Edmond's "Power" category-- although he is unfamiliar with actually using magic, in Frozen Echoes/Tranquil Cloud Edmond intimacy rooms, we discover that Edmond has recently started to practice magic (particularly Light/healing magic).)

2. The current Edmond Era (the most recent Ed Dynamic)

Many people seem to be intimidated by the prospect of writing Edmond because he's a "tsundere." However, to borrow the words from my Character Ask post, "that’s only out of habit (and shyness), rather an actual reflection of his desires." In other words, Ed's inner workings probably look something like this:

It also is noteworthy that, when Eiden initiates sexual activity, Edmond willingly goes along with him. By that I mean, he might scold Eiden a lot and say something to the effect of, "You are a pervert!" but he doesn't actually tell Eiden to stop what he's doing when they're starting out. And while it doesn't happen as often in recent rooms, the habitual "Stop♡" and "No♡" Edmond might say are very clearly insincere, considering his tone of voice (as well as his physical reactions).

And during the rare occasions where Ed does tell Eiden something like "Stop," Eiden will stop; but then Ed will look disappointed, so Eiden will ask him if he wants to continue, and Edmond will say yes. Here's an example of this type of exchange from Sweet Aroma R2:

There have also been times when [we can infer], at the beginning of H-activities, Eiden doesn't have as clear of a read on Edmond's opinion; in which case, he will verbally search for confirmation on whether he can do more. The most accessible example of this is Ed's SR R3:

Here is another example, from Tranquil Cloud R5:

While Eiden is still the one that initiates sexy activity (14/16 of the Ed H scenes), Edmond willingly goes along immediately. That is the crux of the typical Edmond dynamic: Edmond also has strong desires, but is usually too embarrassed to admit them, so he needs an understanding partner that will guide him along until he feels secure enough [and/or horny enough] to admit his wants.

Edmond is in a bit of a transition period right now. He's starting to be much more active in his H-activities with Eiden. He also might "blame" Eiden for his own desires, but he's beginning to own up to his feelings, too. From Tranquil Cloud R2:

3. Edmond Anatomy & Kinks

One word: SENSITIVE. Edmond is HELLA SENSITIVE.

(I'd argue he's even more sensitive than Olivine, but idk if you could consider that a definitive fact or not.)

If there's an area that can be considered a relatively common erogenous zone, it's most likely an erogenous zone on Edmond. Here's the one's that have been canonically confirmed or STRONGLY suggested:

Mouth - Edmond's mouth is very sensitive. When he kisses for the first time in Sweet Aroma, Eiden coaxes him into admitting which specific parts of his mouth are most sensitive; roof of his mouth, tongue, sides. Edmond likes kissing a LOT, and has initiated kisses himself at least 3 times (Elite Instructor R5, Flaming Secret R5, Tranquil Cloud R5)

Ears - Ed has a strong reaction in Tranquil Cloud R2 (Eiden blowing on his ear helps send him over the edge to finally cum)

Neck - Eiden kisses his neck and Ed has a verbal reaction in Tranquil Cloud R5

Nipples - Best example is in Sweet Aroma R2 (he can cum from nipple-play alone); also featured in Spring Chaos R2 and Elite Instructor R2

Hands - Many rooms include Suggestive Hand-Holding™ but White Lover R2 includes significant hand-pay

Stomach/Waist - White Lover R2 includes Eiden caressing Ed's stomach, and in Tranquil Cloud R2 Ed has a strong reaction to Eiden tightening his hold on his waist

Ass - In Elite Instructor R2 Edmond gets spanked and he is VERY into it

Penis - *obvious answer is obvious*

Anus - Has cum from anal-play alone multiple times (including fingering and rimming). It isn't explicitly sated, but I'm pretty sure Edmond's anus is more sensitive than his penis

Additional canon sexual preferences:

A Little Pain - As is famously known, Edmond enjoys a little pain during sex

Praise & Dirty Talk - Gets very embarrassed by it (and will usually scold Eiden) but he has strong positive reactions to it

Roleplay + Dom/Sub Undertones - We see it in SR R5; once Ed is convinced to try it out he gets extremely aroused and feels more comfortable engaging in *mild* dirty-talk himself. It's also sorta-kinda in Elite Instructor R2, but only a little bit on Eiden's part (calling Ed "teacher")

Kissing - I mentioned it before, but I must emphasize it again; EDMOND LOVES KISSING

Overstimulation - Most Ed intimacy rooms include some element of this

Semi-Public Sexy Stuff? - Depending on if you count sex-in-a-carriage, this happens in 7-8/16 intimacy rooms. Idk if this is necessarily Ed's personal kink, but Ed isn't exactly opposed to it as long as Eiden is being careful. He does appear to get excited when Edmond says something like "don't be too loud, or someone will come and see you like this!" From Elite Instructor R2:

Light Bondage - Only seen is Elite Instructor R2, but he seems to like it:

4. Some Ao3 reading recommendation that you can use for Edmond-specific inspiration/references

As a passionate Edmond-Lover, here are some works of fanfic that I think do a particularly good job of writing Ed-relationships. Obviously (by the nature of fanfic) many of them take a lot of liberties, but when I was reading these stories, I didn't need to suspend my disbelief at all. The way Edmond acts in these stories feels very in-character to me.

(NOTE: All of these recommendations are NSFW where Edmond bottoms. Be sure to read their tags!)

Literally everything luster_candy has written (6 works at the time I'm posting this) - just be aware all of it is Eiden/Edmond.

Reprieve, Release by kkuro (~11k words) - Eiden/Edmond, one of the best (if not the best) BDSM-heavy Ed fics. Only note is, because this was written in 2022, Ed acts a bit more stiff/repressed in the beginning than he would now. In-character for Early Era Edmond tho.

A Helpful Hand by dracula (orphan_account) (~4.3k words) - Olivine/Edmond, Olivine tops (a rarity) and Ed is cursed with a V. Don't worry, Olivine-Lovers, he isn't a hella OOC sadist or ultra-masculine dom. XD Just very sweet and very horny, and Edmond is ruthlessly subjected to his brand of horny nonsense.

Do You Know Where the Wild Things Go by no birdstofly (~8k words) - Yakumo/Edmond, idk if it's OOC for Yakumo but it's in-character for Current Era slightly-more-honest Edmond.

The Knight's Discipline by RiyeRose (~3k words) - Restricted to Ao3 members, Kuya/Edmond. I subscribe to the belief that Ed would put up with Kuya if he were horny enough, which is why I don't consider this OOC. I think this fic has the perfect amount of BDSM that Ed would realistically enjoy.

Fanfic where Edmond tops is honestly very hard to come across. That's understandable, because for Edmond to top, there would have to be extremely special circumstances, and it would have to be written carefully in order to not seem too OOC. The best example of an Top-Emond fic I've been able to find is this:

Hidden Guidance by Okami01 (~1.9k words) - Edmond/Olivine, Edmond shyly admits he wants to try topping Olivine, and Oli is obviously down for it. (Let's be honest here; out of everyone, if Edmond were ever to top anyone, it would 100% be Olivine)

♡I hope people found this helpful!!!♡

I know reading this giant post was like reading an essay, but hopefully it was worth the time and effort I put into it!

If anyone has extra inquires, or if other Edmond-Lovers want to chime in with extra information I might've missed, feel free to put them in the comments!

#nu carnival #nu: carnival #nu carnival edmond #i had to revisit many intimacy rooms which is why this took a while #Edmond is love Edmond is life

[keouil]

root yourselves beside me

yaga finds out the hard way his third years have no concept of personal space. 4k. gojo/shoko/getou. fluff. also on ao3.

It starts with someone getting sick in class.

"So like I was saying last week," Yaga gestures to the blackboard containing a small-scale map of downtown Tokyo. Sniffle. "There are still some areas in Nippori and Mejiro prone to winter curses, no matter how outdated they’ve become in this century." Sniffle. "It mostly has to do with the rapid temperature drops and most of the area being residential condos, meaning a younger workforce," Sniffle. "But generally speaking, jujutsu sorcerers are disposed every December to do an annual cleaning of the—" 

A sneeze.

"Oh my god, Shoko! Are you trying to inhale the entire room?" Gojo snaps at the same time Getou turns to her and asks, "Are you feeling okay?"

They exchange looks. Gojo only barely manages to dodge the smack to his head.

Yaga didn't mind his students, maybe even tolerated them from time to time. He'll admit he wasn't necessarily jumping for joy when the school board delivered the student packet to his office a month before orientation day, frowning at the familiar last name and worrying over the two that weren't. Tokyo rarely took in female sorcerers, most of them fleeing to Kyoto the moment their cursed energy manifested in favor of a kinder teaching environment. Tokyo always lost the betting pool on taking in clan kids, Kyoto and Hokkaido making a strong case for their traditional curriculumn fitting them more.

Their test scores were all over the place too—a mix of highs and lows—not to mention the disproportionate level of raw cursed energy within all three of them and the almost unnatural way they wielded it. A six eyes user, a cursed spirit manipulator, and a reversed curse technique healer. Safe to say they were an unpredictable bunch, and Yaga was the one tasked to soldier them down into a passable team.

Only at the rate they were going, it was highly unlikely.

Shoko sniffles again. "Shutupgojo," she tries to say, only to slur the words because of how muffled her voice sounds. "m' sick, yu idot." 

"Is that the same cold going around the school?" Getou asks, brows furrowed in concern. "Nanami called in sick last week. I had to take over his mission."

"It is flu season right now," Yaga remarks, not bothering to scold them for interrupting him for the nth time. Instead he gestures to the three of them in warning. "And sorcerers or not, your third year is the most brutal. So make sure not to catch anything."

Shoko sneezes again, looking the most miserable and scrawny they've seen her.

Gojo turned to look at her then. "Why don't you just heal yourself?"

Shoko just sniffles some more, looking pointedly—if not a little accusingly—at Yaga.

"We're still studying her technique," Yaga says lowly, suddenly all too busy with himself and the blackboard and making a pointed attempt to ignore Gojo and Getou boring holes down his back. "It's—ah—well, we don't get an RCT user very often."

"And so?" Gojo prompts. "What's that got to do with her healing herself?"

"She is right here," Shoko mumbles, wiping her nose with the tissue Getou passed her. Sniffling, she adds tiredly, like she's already made bed with it, "They just don't want any unauthorized use of the RCT if they can help it."

Gojo scoffs. "Well that's bullshit," he's already waving his hand around and bringing her chair closer. "Shoko, I'll heal you myself."

Now it was Yaga's time to smack him over the head.

"You can't even heal a bug yet!" Yaga waves at finger at him threateningly. "Let alone heal your own bruises. Like I said, RCT is an extremely polished technique that needs the utmost concentration and control. If even Shoko can't get it right just yet, there's no way you're allowed to even try healing Megumi's skinned knees."

Gojo pouts. "But—"

Getou faces him. "Yaga-sensei is right, Satoru," he placates. "If we can't understand Shoko's technique and get in under control, there's no telling what you could do with yours. You could do more harm than good."

Shoko let her head fall on the desk, groaning and making incoherent sounds of death. They think they can hear her murmuring something along the lines of feeling like death, until she says exactly, "I feel like death."

Getou inches his chair closer. "Do you want anything?"

Yaga notes the sincereness in his tone and has to school his expression into something more neutral. That’s… new. He knows the third years had gotten somewhat acquainted ever since the Okinawa incident, always insisting on doing group missions then and almost never letting anyone—juniors included, much to Nanami’s chagrin—go out alone and without a buddy system. He had to reason with the higher-ups that they'd probably just felt shaken somehow, and to give him as much grace period as possible until he felt they were ready to get back into the swing of things.

It's easy to forget, Yaga thinks when he looks at Getou rubbing a consoling hand on Shoko's back and Gojo trying to peek out from under where her head was buried in her arms: how young they were. 

If he had to come up with however many bullshit lesson plans he had to make to justify the in-person classes in lieu of field work, Yaga didn't mind staying up late every night to catch up with.

And when he sees Gojo and Getou getting into another ill-timed bet on who can make Shoko laugh first, Yaga notes, maybe it's all worth it in the end.

All for the good of the team.

-

Taking the Tokyo Metropolitan Subway is a mandatory rite of passage for any student in Jujutsu Tech.

Yaga insisted they use public transport as much as possible, arguing about its unrivalled efficiency in getting to places faster than any chartered car ever could no matter it’s convenience. Navigating the subway and monorails took some getting used to, but once mastered, any self-proclaimed Tokyo-ite should be able to walk the bustling Asakusa station with their eyes closed. 

Only Yaga didn't trust the third years not to push each other on the rails for whatever immature reason they came up with on the spot. They were all temperamental and teenagers like that. 

Enter Ijichi.

"Um," Ijichi starts, looking around the busy station and fidgeting with the straps of his bag. It was more packed than usual for a Tuesday afternoon. "Don't you already have a PASMO card, Getou-san?"

Getou glances at him briefly. "I do," he holds up the familiar pink commuter pass, before gesturing to Gojo behind him, who was trying to drag Shoko into a tanghulu stall. "But Satoru doesn't. And he doesn't know how these machines work, either, so."

When they arrived at the station a few minutes ago, it was glaringly obvious just how much of a sheltered life Gojo had lived. Ijichi tried his best not to let the incredulousness on his face show out of respect. It was hard not to, though, when Gojo really did not know shit about anything: the queues, top-ups, line transfers, etc. Ijichi's almost entirely sure he saw smoke coming out of Shoko's ears when he proudly declared never having been on a train in his life and why should he even get a commuter pass when he has a chauffeur. Getou only just about stopped her from slicing him in half in the nick of time.

Now they were queueing up to get a one-way ticket for Gojo on the shinkansen. His senior who should have been listening and taking notes and maybe learning a thing or two about commuting in the busiest area of Japan. But instead, he's dragging Shoko from one confectionary shop to another, buying every hypoglycemic pastry he can find and forcing her to tell him which one she likes.

"Suguruuu," Gojo whined in a high voice when they came back, arms full of take-out bags. "I wasn’t sure which one you liked, and Shoko was being a brat and wouldn't tell me, so I got you one of everything! You too, Ijichi!"

Ijichi expected Getou to chastise him for the waste of money, time, resources, his patience, etc. But instead is surprised when Getou just looks up from the machine and gives him a small smile. 

"Thank you, Satoru."

Gojo's grin only grew wider. "Not a problem!"

Getou turned back to the ticket machine and double-checked the train times. Only Ijichi noticed something was slightly off. He wasn't as focused as last time, now that he'd secured the ticket and was waiting for the machine to dispense it. He had one eye on the screen, while the other kept glancing at his side, at Shoko who was inching closer to the ticket gates. She doesn't get a few steps in before Getou nods his head firmly in her direction.

"She's doing it again," Getou warns. "Gojo, grab her."

Gojo didn't have to be told twice. "Gladly," He reaches out and catches Shoko just as she was about to scurry away, trapping her in a back-hug that rendered her completely immobile. Gojo rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed dramatically. "Always like this with you. Like clockwork."

Ijichi must've looked as confused as he felt, because Getou turned to regard him with mild amusement.

"Shoko has this rather annoying habit of going straight for the female-only train," Getou explains, turning back to exit out of the machine portal. "Completely understandable, of course. But it's annoying when we get off at the station and can't find each other right away." 

"Yeah, Shoko, what's that about?" Gojo looks down on her. "You worried about perverts on the train or something?"

Shoko tries to shove his arm off. "I'm a sixteen-year old girl living in Tokyo," she hisses. "Of course I'm worried about being groped on the train."

"Like we'd ever let that happen," Getou mutters under his breath, and Ijichi notes, with a tone of annoyance. They must've had this conversation before. Fishing the loose change from the machine, he stands up and flicks her forehead playfully. "How many times do I have to say it? You're safe with us."

"Don't worry," Gojo winks down at her. "We're the strongest."

"Please come up with a new catchphrase," Shoko elbows him on the side. "It's getting old."

The train ride back to school is.. something.

True to their word, Gojo and Getou immediately planted themselves in between either side of Shoko, to her obvious and verbal dismay. Grab my ass one more time, Gojo, and you won't have a hand to jerk off with next time. Ijichi stood by their side, hands clasped firmly around his backpack and looking up at them in thinly veiled awe. They stood so tall and imposing and just.. grand. It was even more obvious mixed in with the corporate slaves, nondescript suits and heels doing nothing but emphasizing the undeniable.

It's moments like that where Ijichi is reminded how some people were just born for this:taking the local train home but somehow still looking like they weren't cut from the same cloth as everyone else. Gojo and Getou nearly always turning heads where they went and Shoko so effortlessly exuding the very embodiment of a cool girl.

Gojo turned to him from time to time, making sure he wasn't suddenly being crushed into the rush hour crowd of Asakusa. "You good there, Ijichi-kun?"

"Y-yes," Ijichi stammered gratefully in return. "All good, Gojo-san. T-thank you."

Getou tried not to let it show, but Ijichi saw the subtle looks he kept throwing at anyone who so much as inched within five metres of their space. Gojo was busy chatting Shoko up and talking about his latest progress in Zelda, hands going a mile a minute demonstrating his different battle strategies. Shoko rolled her eyes but Ijichi heard her indulgent follow-up questions. 

Every time the train hit a bump, he saw Gojo and Getou instinctively reach out to steady Shoko. She glared at Getou's hand on her back. 

"Off."

"No," Getou insisted, but the conviction in his voice didn't feel as strong as it usually did. He must not be used to saying that to her. "Unless you want to start actually holding on to the railing this time?" 

Shoko grimaced. "Do you know how many bacteria are passed on to those things every day?" she points to the handle on top of her. "And you want me to subject myself to that?"

"Exactly," Getou looked at her knowingly.

Shoko huffed, crossing her arms and staring straight ahead in defiance. She hears Gojo chuckling by her side, shutting up when she shoots a glare his way. 

"Then just this once."

Ijichi shuddered at the thought of crossing any of them. He wasn’t an undeniable, and when he sees the kind of attention they attract on this random nondescript day he was tailing them, decides he doesn’t want to. 

The text message Ijichi shoots Yaga as they find their way to the school is riddled with so much question marks and asking—nearly begging—him not to shadow his seniors ever again, ending it with only the vaguest alludement to a possiblequestionablemaybe homoerotic dynamic between them. 

Yaga sees the last line of the text and deletes it just as fast as it came.

-

"Whose jacket is that?" Yaga asks.

They're in the morgue for Shoko's private lesson. Reverse Curse Technique users only spawn once every few generations, if at all, and so the higher-ups were on his back to train Shoko to be the most competent she can be. If only she wasn’t wearing an oversized uniform that was nearly drowning her.

"I'm not sure," Shoko looks down. "We all share clothes."

Yaga pauses. "Why?"

"Makes it easier on laundry day," Shoko shrugs, reading over the medical textbook.

Yaga eyes the length of the uniform. It had to be at least five sizes larger than her usual. 

"But don’t you guys do separate days?" Yaga inquires.

Shoko held up a hand. "Hold on, sensei," she reaches behind her and feels around for the name tag stitched into every student's uniform, tugging it out to read it. "It's Gojo's. Makes sense. I already found at least five candy wrappers just in his front pocket alone."

"Do you need more uniform sets?" Yaga asks, laying out the gauze pads and alcohol. A body ripe for examination lay before them. "I thought we gave you enough during the summer."

"I have enough," Shoko answers, picking up a cavity injector and turning it over in her hand. "But they just aren't as warm."

Yaga opened his mouth to clarify, before a loud clang of metal on metal alerted them of another presence in the clinic. Yaga already felt them before they even made a noise, hovering just outside the door for half an hour. Really, he should commend them for being able to hold out that long.

"Oi, you two," he calls out tiredly, not even bothering to look up from the body on the table. "Come out now."

The doors to the morgue creak open slowly, hesitant footsteps pattering in. Shoko took one look at the intruders and was already reaching for something pointy to throw at them.

"Not this again," Shoko curses under her breath, curling her fingers on a particularly sharp-looking scalpel and aiming it their way. "I said no intruding on private lessons!"

Getou missed being skewered by half a margin. "A dart scalpel again? Really, Shoko? It's getting old." He parrots back to her, holding his hands up in surrender when she picked up a needle. The silver glinted under the fluorescent lights. "We just wanted to make sure—"

"Oi!" Gojo interrupts them both, going straight for Shoko and Yaga. "You can't just casually say you’re going to excavate a transfigured human over breakfast and walk away just like that! Like what does that even mean?

Shoko directs a glare his way. "It means exactly what it means, idiot."

"Don’t call me an idiot!" Gojo flares, gesturing to the decaying corpse and turning to face Yaga. "Yaga-sensei! Are you sure she can do this?"

"Excuse me?!" Shoko bristles, standing up and directing the needle at him. "What did you just say?!"

"Shoko," Getou starts, softly at first, well-timed caution clinging to his voice. "You barely eat at the cafeteria because you don't know where the meat comes from. You won't touch anything on the train. Utahime has to beg us to take you out into the city every now and then. Are you sure you can be around all this blood?"

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just somehow patronize and doubt my competency as a medic at the same time," Shoko breathes once, twice. "And ask you guys again, while I still have all shreds of my patience, to kindly fuck off."

Gojo plays with some of the tools in the shed. "Honestly we really would," he accidentally nicks himself on a lancet and drops it, metal on metal vibrating against the sterile room. Shoko winces at the sound. "But if this is anything like last time and Yaga had to call us in the middle of the night because you fainted in the morgue, why not just save everyone the time and crash now?"

Getou smacks a palm down his forehead. "Satoru, that's not—"

But Shoko was already on her heel, making a beeline towards him with nothing but female rage and the sharp end of a surgeon's knife. "Say that one more time pretty boy—"

"Oi, you three."

Gojo only narrowly avoids being sliced in half by the equally menacing timbre of Yaga's voice. Getou snaps to attention right away. Shoko is still looming close over Gojo, who looked like he shrunk about a foot shorter and was now clinging and petting her hair. Yaga felt like putting a stop to whatever this was growing into. The third years had this rather annoying habit of talking over each other and overpowering whichever conversation they were having, and it wouldn't do to become a habit.

No team of his was going to be this disorganized.

"Yes, sensei?"

Getou. Really, at least he had one kid who had a good head on his shoulders. 

"Are you guys done?"

Shoko at least had the decency to put the knife down and look sheepish, Gojo snuggling up to her closer in return. Getou smartly shut his mouth.

"You know for someone so concerned with hygiene," Gojo tugs at the neck of his uniform, trying to fashion it into a hood on Shoko. She slaps his hand away. "You wear my clothes a lot."

Getou coughs in the back of his hand. "Like you don't wear mine."

And then Yaga could only look on in horror as all three of them monopolized the conversation again, idle comments morphing into on a full-on debate about the etiquettes of clothes sharing and the potential hygiene crisis it might cause. Somehow, someway, the conversation morphed into culprit blaming of who was in charge of which chore on which days and really, gojo, that clan kid excuse will only get you so far.

It ends with Gojo all but picking Shoko up from the stool and hoisting her over his shoulder, her protests be damned. Getou just smiles at Yaga patiently, like this was the most normal thing in the world and his students had absolutely no regard for boundaries whatsoever.

"Gojo," Shoko warns in a low voice. "Remember what I said about grabbing me again and not having a hand to jerk yourself off with if you did?"

Gojo only smacks her behind playfully. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours, babe."

The door closes with Yaga's jaw permanently drilled into the floor.

-

"Shoko, do you have another cigarette?" 

This is the first thing Getou says as he opens the door, eyeing the one on Shoko's lips. Yaga really, really discouraged his students to take on vices that were detrimental to their health and competency as sorcerers, but God knows trying to tell Shoko to do anything was like arguing with a brick wall. Gojo failed multiple times but kept trying. Getou was smart enough not even to attempt.

But Yaga knows Shoko at least held some semblance of begrudging respect for him, as their principal and the only authority figure in her life who was capable of signing off on her admission papers to her coveted medical school, and so tempers down to at least one stick in his presence. 

It's why he keeps her in the morgue half the time, no-smoking rule strictly enforced. 

He knows it's more a solitary thing for her to do, the smoking; and so when Shoko does that thing and tries sneaking away to smoke one out, all three of them are already standing up and following her. 

Shoko blows out a puff. "Nope. This is my last."

"Give it to me then." 

Getou stalks closer, stopping just a hair's breadth away from her. Ringlets of smoke marry with the air, Getou breathing it all in and not once breaking eye contact with her. He nods again at the cig on her lips. 

“Can I?”

Yaga observes them closely. Shoko wasn't known to be someone exceptionally affectionate. Of the three of them, she was the only one who probably valued—and encouraged—that line of demarcation the most. He's almost entirely sure a beating is coming for Getou to be so all up in her space without warning. Even Gojo is looking at both of them patiently.

And so it came as a complete shock to Yaga, then, when he sees Shoko slowly get up on her tiptoes and stop just an inch away from Getou's lips. They were so close it looked almost like they were—

"Oi," Gojo snaps his fingers at them, sulking. "None of that."

Shoko just smirks into the cigarette, before pulling it out and placing it directly in Getou's mouth. The same cigarette. Then she winks at Gojo when she lowers herself back down. Gojo immediately intrudes and gestures wildly at the offensive cigarette, protesting the indirect kiss they just shared and none of you would even give me a peck on valentines day. Yaga glances at Getou and notices nothing but amusement—maybe even a little pride—playing in his eyes. 

My god, Yaga looks on in horror, He actually enjoyed it.

"And you," Gojo spun on his heel, facing Getou who looked far too satisfied polluting the air. "Enough with the smoking. It's hard enough we have one chain smoker in this relationship, do you have to be the second?"

Yaga very nearly throws himself off the rooftop. 

Jesus Christ.

-

Yaga finds out the hard way his third years have no concept of personal space.

The signs came easier for him now that he can brace himself for it: Gojo constantly needing to have some part of his body surgically attached to one of theirs, Nanami telling him he overheard Shoko in Getou's room early in the morning, Getou's almost constant protectiveness over them both. 

But it's not until he visits the dorm, rather, that Yaga gets the most brutal awakening. 

For safety purposes, the female and male dormitories were separated into different buildings. There's enough scare of cursed spirits to go around, and the school really didn't need the extra headache of trying to contain hormonal teenagers with growing bodies and temperamental outbursts in one area. It was better this way. 

It took two semesters into their first year for the complaints to start.

"But sensei," Gojo says in class one day, when Yaga is busy drawing figures on the blackboard for their upcoming lecture on oni and Gojo is impatient. "Isn't it more dangerous for her to stay in that building all alone?"

Shoko twists the soft flesh on his elbow. "Again, she is right here!"

Getou is no help. "I agree with Satoru," he admits, already rummaging through his bag for a pain-relieving patch. "There's like 6 of us in total here, Shoko. It's safer if we all stick together."

"Oh shut up, you two," Shoko snaps, glaring at them both. "You just want me in the bedroom next to you so someone's there to bail you out when you guys break curfew."

Gojo's eye twitches. Getou has a vein in his forehead threatening to pop.

Yaga turns around slowly, so painfully slow, that it seemed almost an eternity passed by the time he levels both of them with a look that communicated barely restrained patience. 

"You what."

Shoko leans back further into her chair, smirking. She was looking too pleased for their comfort. Gojo had half the mind to tip her chair back if only he wasn't sure Getou would tip his for even thinking of doing it.

Yaga looks at them coldly. "Someone explain right now."

So that was that. Gojo dropped the idea and Getou stopped insisting on moving her into their dorms, Shoko reasoning that she much prefers a break from all the "testosterone" and "masculinity" she's already being subjected to every single day. Yaga's sure he's seen both of them walk out of the female dormitory building well after midnight more often than not, but let it be because good companionship always bred good teamwork. They were being trained as a three-man cell after all, and far be it for him to get in the way.

Or so Yaga thought.

Yaga rounds the corner into the common area of the male dormitory, mission packets at hand to distribute to Gojo and Getou, when he hears a distinctly female voice coming out of Getou's room.

Laughter. Giggling. And maybe even—

"What the hell is going on here?"

Yaga forces the door open, bracing himself for the worst.

Gojo was lying on his stomach all over Getou's bed, too-long-limbs falling off and taking up more than half the bed. He had his head buried in Shoko’s middle, hands wrapped around her waist. She was busy flipping the pages of a book on Getou’s bedside table, judging by the archaic cover. Getou was on the floor, arranging bags of take-out food.

Getou is the first to spring into action. “Yaga-sensei!”

"It's not curfew yet!" Gojo bristled right away, leaping from the bed and pointing to the clock. "It's only 7PM!"

"I know that, Satoru." Yaga eyes them cautiously. "I mean.” He takes a calming breath. “What is all this stuff? "

"This stuff?" Gojo looks down at the discarded clothing on the floor, looking far too relaxed at the prospect of multiple undergarments haphazardly thrown about and Yaga is so scared to confirm if any one of them belonged to Shoko. "They're clothes."

Getou swears under his breath. "No shit, sherlock."

Yaga counts to three in his head. "I'm only gonna ask this once,” he breathes out. “But what is Shoko doing here?"

"She's helping us choose outfits for our date tomorrow," Getou replies casually.

Yaga deflates. Oh. That he knew. "I see—"

"Have you made the booking, by the way?" Shoko finally says, reaching for Gojo's phone and bringing it up to his face to unlock it. "We need to let them know we’re a party of 3."

"T-three of you?" Yaga stutters.

"Yes, sensei," Gojo looks at him unsurely. "Didn't we tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Yaga shrieks. 

Gojo loops his arms around Getou and Shoko, grinning. 

"We're finally official now."

#sashisu #satoshoko #sugushoko #satosugu #gojo satoru #getou suguru #ieiri shoko #jujutsu kaisen #fic

[dduane]

How do you write an ending. How do you look at the whole of what you’ve written and tie it off nicely in a way that isn’t just, “and that’s it.” Here it is, folks. Jumpcut to the credits while a slightly-outdated pop song plays.

How do you end your story in a way that leaves a comfortable impact without being heavy-handed or abrupt or, worse yet, a sum-up like every high school essay ever has told you to do?

With the very deepest regret I have to tell you that, in a majority of cases, I'm absolutely the wrong person to be asking about the craft of this... because 95% of the time or better, I get the end of the story first. (Normally with strong hints from the writer's-brain dep't on how to handle things on the page so that the ending actually comes out looking as originally imagined.)

It's getting there that's the problem for me: the bane of my existence. Middles! Aaaaaaaargh. And in the meanwhile all I can do is stare longingly at a given book's end state, unable to say a word about it to anybody... sometimes for decades. (Whlle the weary characters sit in the back bar, killing time and rolling their eyes.)

I wish I could be of more help to you on this. Apologies.

#end-state structure #I wish I could help

[mytheoristavenue]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your work 🙌🏻

I was wondering if you'd please do a second part to Unconventional with 2k12 Leo, sorting out his real feelings and maybe confessions to the reader, resulting in fluff?

Or whatever you choose to do. Because honestly, you're absolutely brilliant 🤩

No pressure, though. If you aren't feeling it, I totally understand 😘💜

Thank you! 💕

Anything for you!

TMNT 2012 Leonardo x Reader - Unconventional pt. 2

Summary: Leo struggles coming to terms with his feelings for you.

Warnings: A lot of angst! Kinda sad too.

It seemed like everywhere Leo looked, you we there. Whether it be a picture of young hanging on the refrigerator, his brothers talking about you, or you physically being in his presence, you were becoming a prison he couldn't escape from. He found himself constantly needing to vent to others about you, during which, he'd always clarify that he didn't hate you, per say, just didn't approve of your methods. At the end of the day, though, 'dislike' was not a strong enough word to describe his feelings.

He'd collected many long hours meditating, trying to clear the clouds from his mind, trying to plunge himself into his training, anything that could distract him long enough to have a single thought that didn't pertain to you. Maybe you'd simply vexed him one too many times, and now he would just always harbor some sort of residual annoyance for you. Occasionally, he could convince himself that this was the case, that something would happen, or you'd do something that he appreciated and he could begin to feel normal again. The more and more Leo tried to rationalize his intense feelings towards you, the more confused he became.

Splinter had at one time told him that love and hate were one in the same, just two sides of the same coin, but the turtle never found comfort in his. To him, that just made it more complicated. If he did hate you, does that mean to some extent, he loved you too? And was there a difference between loving and being in love? How could he separate a verb and a noun when they were spelt the same?

Leo grumbled, chasing his thoughts away as he exited the dojo and entered the kitchen before halting suddenly. His brows furrowed as he recalled an incident a few nights ago, where he'd said awful things to you in this very spot. You hadn't spoken to him since. Shaking his head in frustration, he pushed pasted the haunting, grabbing a drink from the fridge.

It was at this point he noticed you, sitting lonely on the couch, looking uncomfortable and out of place. "What're you doing here?" he interrogated. "You can't just walk into our house, ya know. You have to be invited."

"Fuck off, Leo." you spat coldly, not even giving him enough time of day to spare him a glance. His eyes stayed blown, mouth hanging ajar at your comment.

"Don't talk to me like that." he barked back, coming around the island to approach you. "Like it or not, I am still your leader."

"No your not." Your lip trembled as you spoke. "I quit the team."

His bandaged fists balled in anger at your insubordination. "Yeah, we'll see what Master Splinter has to say about that." he growled, spinning on his heels to tattle.

"He already knows." He stopped in his tracks, freezing for a moment before returning to you.

"So he just let you quit?"

"I'm leaving, Leo."

The room fell entirely silent, and not even the blabber from the outdated cartoon that played on the T.V. reached his ears. To an extent, he knew there was still sound around him, but his shock wouldn't let it seep in. "What?"

"My dad got a new job in North Carolina. I came to say goodbye. Hopefully, you'll forgive me from coming in unannounced." You explained, only looking at him through the corner of your eye, before rolling them and shaking your head in anger.

No, no, this wasn't how he wanted this to go. He still didn't understand his feelings for you, you couldn't just up and leave him before he had the chance to understand. How could you be so selfish? The next minutes played on in front of Leo as if it were a movie he were watching, and he had no control or right to interfere. He watched his brothers, as well as his father, Casey, and April, all come out from every nook and cranny to hear your story, and then envelope you in comfort.

He sat as a bystander, witnessing oodles of teary, woeful goodbyes, given and received by everyone in his world but him himself. He became unaware of how fast time was passing, or how long he had to explain himself to you, that is, until he realized that you were staring directly into his eyes. Checking your watch, you sighed, breaking away from a warm group hug and slinking over to him, holding out a hand form him to shake.

"Goodbye, Leo." you muttered, trying to hide your tear stained cheeks. He gazed at you blankly, ocean blue eyes darting between your sorrowful face and your needy hand. You sighed finally, deciding that this endeavor was a lost cause. If you'd had something to say, you might as well say it, you'll never see him again. "I've always hoped that one day I'd do something good enough to have you be proud of me. Maybe it's because I loved you, and thought that I could somehow force you to love me back through hard work."

Leo felt like a prisoner trapped outside of his body. He desperately begged to take you into his arms, to kiss you, to tell you how proud of you he truly was. He finally understood what his odd feeling was and how to act on it, but his limbs refused to budge. "I think I've out grown that though." you sighed, finally turning away from him for the last time, taking his lack of action as encouragement to leave.

"I've couldn't have ever asked for a better family, thank you all so much for everything you've given me." you sobbed to the rest of the room. Donnie was the first to wrap you up, and Mikey immediately after, both blubbering loudly and proclaiming how much they'll miss you. Next was April, who broke down against you, squeezing your neck, followed by Raph and Casey, simultaneously, both wrapping their arms around whoever they could, but intending all their affections to be received by you. Lastly, Splinter joined, enveloping his children in a secure net, his tail finding it's way to your ankle, snaking around it, as if you anchor you to your real home.

Still, Leo simply watched, numb and frozen, watching his chance to hug you one last night come and go as your friends broke apart from you. Finally, after what felt like eons, he watched you walk out of the lair for the very last time, his heart sunken so low, it may have well been in his foot. He endured the judgmental stares and comments of his family as they all scattered back to where ever they'd come from.

Now it was just him again, as it had been in the beginning, staring at an empty living room, words still left unsaid, and feelings left unshared, unfelt, and unexplored. Maybe this was love, he thought. Maybe loving someone meant loss, and maybe he was always meant to feel this. Maybe he was never supposed to clue you in on how he felt. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference, considering outside forces pulled you away in the end.

He knew this was a lie, but it was the only comfort he had in his long journey of grief.

Taglist:

@sunshinesdaydream @helpyaw @thelaundrybitch @camilliahorne26 @turtle-babe83 @fyreball66 @sharpwindow @roseygardenfan @witchofthenorthstar @pheradream15

#tmnt #tmnt angst #tmnt leo #leonardo angst #tmnt x reader #leo x reader #tmnt leonardo

[blue-kyber]

I'm looking for another job at a different restaurant.

In one application, they ask why I left my current job (which I haven't. I'm still there until I can get another job).

This is what I wanted to say:

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

I was forced to sign a warning accepting responsibility for something I didn't do. I was told - and I quote, "I'm sorry, but your best isn't good enough." I'd worked there for two years without an issue like this. They said accepting responsibility for something I didn't do builds characters. Which it doesn't. I've done that all my life, and all it did was harm my mental health and turn me into a doormat once others found out I wouldn't fight back out of fear and hypersensitivity. Then they said I was lucky they didn't take the mistake out of my paycheck - which they are not allowed to do by law and had no right to threaten me with that in order to gaslight me think they were doing me a favor. I know my rights. I saw right through it. They also tried to gaslight me into believe I was the one at fault. I refused. That only angered me more, and them, since their attempts failed. I couldn't leave that table until I signed it despite pleading my case. I am a sensitive person with RSD (rejections sensitivity dysphoria), so I had difficulty arguing my case due to my history of being a whipping boy, and my effort going into staying strong. I cried later, and felt raw and beaten for the next few days.

This is 100% not the first time this has ever happened. Yet I get up, and keep going like nothing happened. They know I am an ADHD autistic person. They know I work my hardest at giving my customers a good experience while facing more problems than a neurotypical person. They know I am managing it through medication and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). I always get my work done with little to no accommodation (like taking a few minutes from sensory overload, or having understanding that some things are just harder for me to process. What they did do was let me keep my silent fidget toy, and agreed to letting me work 4 days instead of 5 so I have time to recover for the next week.) Battling an overload, burnout, or shutdown, or all-of-thee-above simultaneously and still mask takes a large amount of energy. But I still do my job with a smile and give my best customer service. Both of what I struggle with daily are state recognized disabilities. I can support myself, but it's harder for me. It's very energy draining to constantly mask, which is why I can only work 4 days a week - by my doctor's recommendation to help avoid burnout and meltdowns/shutdowns. To be told "Your best isn't good enough" invalidates the hard work and effort I put in to doing my job. It shows me that they don't care. Someone's best changes from day to day. I am a firm believer that there's always room to learn and grow, and take opportunities to go above and beyond to give my customers a good experience. What that warning and statement said to me is that they don't believe I understand these concepts. Being ADHD and autistic doesn't automatically make me an idiot with no ability to reason or conceptualize. I can't work for someone willing to throw away my two years of accomplishments in favor of one customer having an issue that they aggressively blamed on me to avoid admitting they were wrong. Since it's my word against the customer's, and my employer believes in the outdated and incorrect 'the customer is always right' rule, I - an employee they know and trust, with no record of delinquency, who has never lied about what happens at work, and admits when I did make a mistake, and works to avoid repeating that mistake - was forced to take the fall without an iota of understanding.

I am not a problem employee. I actively avoid causing drama. That negativity literally hurts me. If someone else is getting reprimanded in front of me, I feel it. I stay away from it. I work to keep the environment either neutral or positive.

I was punished by way of having my tables limited to 4 for 3 weeks, two 5 hour shifts switched out for 3 hour shifts, and one 6 hour shift switch to a 3 hour shift. In the 6 hour-turned-3-hour, I was taken off server duty and delegated to handle to-go orders. (they gave me 2 tables, which my coworker tries to seat people at, but you know customers - they will sit wherever they want). All of these changes heavily affected my finances, and now I'm struggling just to make rent. As of last week, they began alternating sections for the servers. I won't be surprised if they say they'd always done that, and I'd been assigned to one section that whole time. Before this incident, my coworker and I swapped off every other table to make it as fair as possible, and would offer tables if the other was lacking. Immediately after I had to take the fall, I was confined to one section. I wasn't even allowed to help my coworker when they had to handle two busy sections on their own - which was not only unfair to me, but unfair to them, and the customers. They got a frantic server while I had 4 tables, and all I could do to help was run food, make drinks, and get supplies ready so my coworker wouldn't have to take extra time for that.

If they had written me up and left it at that, I'd be mad about being wrongly accused, but I would have eventually let it go. A coworker said this happens to other servers there, too - it happened to them - and to just accept it. And I would have had they not added on that punishment. Adding that punishment is what pushed me to look for new work. It's very sad, because I honestly do enjoy working there. I love the crew, the food is delicious, and the customers are cool. I love my regulars. But I can't work for a company that forces their employees to take the blame for something they didn't do, and sabotages their employees' income as a punishment.

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

It may be a little long winded. But hey, they asked. And my neurodivergent ass gave them the exact reason.

#service industry #restaurant work #server #work problems #life #ADHD #autism #hardships in the workplace #What do you guys think? Too much? How can I condense it to remain concise #and still give the full picture. #See what I mean when I say it's hard for me to write short stories? :)

[teronsrickman]

SHALL WE TALK ABOUT THE DLC WITH PAGAN? (Translated text: https://vk.com/grantted) I am again of two minds about the DLC. I liked a lot of things and didn't like a lot of things. At some point, while waiting for the DLC with Joseph and Pagan, it began to seem to me that it would be better if I sat without new official content in a small fandom, smearing myself with headcanons and small art than catching the alarm that the DLC with my favorite characters could upset me extremely and change all the canons for the worse. (It burns from the fact that Joseph will be released earlier than planned, and I just didn’ have time to check the movie, finish reading the book, or Joseph's diary, I was putting everything off. I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE DLC WITH PAGAN, AND HERE COMES JOSEPH AAAAAAA) However, I want to discuss new content in order to calm down, so here is my review of Far Cry 6 DLC: Pagan Min Control In the beginning, by the way, I want to clarify that I came to the FarCry4 fandom last winter and have not yet managed to get to its depths and the smallest details of history, so I may be mistaken or I may misunderstand some things in the new DLC. I might have missed something. First, what I don't like, and then what I like. Classics. Don’t like: Ishvari. And her relationship with Pagan. Playing the 4th part, a very beautiful image of Ishwari formed in my head from the words of the characters. The image of a very wise woman, strong and sensual, the one who led her people and was a good leader, unlike Mohan. The image of a dangerous, wrong, but sincere love between Min and Ishwari. The whole bloody story with Mohan, Pagan and Ishwari's children seemed to me like a kind of chaos, to which Ajay finally put an end, having laid his mother to rest many years later. And here, in the DLС, Ishwari seemed to me.. stupid? And Pagan too by the way. So frivolous, naive and driven.. Oh my God. I wanted to see scenes of her arguing with Mohan about his outdated harmful conservatism, traditions, I wanted to see her rushing into battle for her people, and Mohan suppresses it out of his beliefs. I wanted to see how she breaks down and loses control of herself when she realizes that she likes Pagan and how scared she is when she realizes that she has been exposed. How such a dangerous, but beautiful, sincere love is born between Ishwari and Pagan. How she completely doesn’t understand what she is doing and comes to her senses too late when her thirst for revenge for her daughter is reflected in the murder of Mohan. I wanted to see how she sees through, how the scales dropped from her eyes(I mean falling in love with Pagan), and she sees how her former wisdom has left her under the yoke of feelings. How she makes the only right decision – takes her son to America, despite Pagan's persuasions to stay with him. BASICALLY, almost all of this was shown, both by memories and notes. But it was shown so RIDICULOUSLY, in my opinion. Such strange dialogues, hearing which I didn't feel anything. Such strange motivations of the characters. Such a strange behavior. As if in places OOC, as in the case of the enamoured Vaas in the past DLC. What is the Kyrat goddess with the immaculate conception? This is one of the most ridiculous dialogues. I don't believe Pagan could have suggested such stupidity to Ishwari and generally let her and her daughter go to Mohan. Was he drunk or drugged? + Somehow I can't believe Pagan didn't want a baby. It's literally an heir, all that. However, okay, the reason may be the war – this is a good reason not to give birth to a child. But the reason we were shown was "Do I look like someone who wants to mess with diapers and a pacifier?". That's a great argument, Pagan, you don't have any servants to look after the baby at all, do you? And Ishwari became hysterical, instead of finding a thoughtful solution to the problem. I don’t know how it would be possible to describe this situation normally, in the positive part of the review I will simply describe my headcanon. That’s how I lost all respect for their relationship. To be more precise, there was no respect, because this is treason and all that, but I had respect for the well-invented story of this difficult situation during the civil war. And now it looks like not very smart people have made problems and, in an attempt to solve them, they make things even worse and more stupid and illogical. And the last thing about their romance. "Ishwari is just obsessed with me, of course I love her, but I'm not ready to give up on others" - why did you break my straight OTP, huh? Yes, Pagan is all a carouser and a libertine, but in FC4 I got the impression that with the advent of Ishwari, he sincerely fell in love with her, along with Ajay by the way. Otherwise, why didn't he even try to kill him? The inconsistency which I didn’t really understand, perhaps it was DarkPagan who said it, and I just didn't understand it and took it with hostility. I didn't really like Pagan's image, it seemed to have become more pretentious. He was pretentious in a previous game, he was affectedly polite, cunning, statuesque, arrogant, smart, unpredictable. And it seems like these features remained, but became too feigned, simple and .. silly? As they said in the comments, Pagan was a broken king who took everything he wanted from life in order to bring at least a little color into his life after the death of his beloved woman. And with the advent of Ajay, he had at least some sincere feelings for him for so many years after the loss. And as a result, in the DLC we get some kind of a spoiled simpleton. BY THE WAY, am I the only one thinking that the Ishwari changed her appearance? In the photo in FC4, she looked different. Why was she redesigned, for what purpose? So that there are no more inconsistenies? :_) As with the age of Lakshmana. Next, I didn't particularly like Ajay. He, like Jason, was added to just run and call Pagan. With Jason and Vaas, I could understand it, Jason really hates Vaas and can shoot at him like crazy. But Ajay, as it seemed to me, was in principle more or less neutral to what was happening in Kyrat, more tolerant and thoughtful, and the fact that he, as an NPC, is so actively trying to shoot Pagan somehow out of his image. Ajay himself did not really understand what he was fighting for in Kyrat and whose side he was taking, and whether he should stay or leave at all. Should I Stay or Should I Go? And here the image of an aggressive NPC simply depersonalized these doubts of his. There are no complaints about Yuma. (She is nice) And in general, there were a lot of very STRANGE memories in the whole DLС, incomprehensible in my opinion.. some stupid ones. "STUPID" - the word constantly turns in my head when I think about this DLС. Everything is so implausible, as if it is someone's fan fiction written in haste, as if it’s just someone's personal headcanons with the OOC, but not the official content. I didn't feel pathos, aesthetics, awe and great love for the characters. I first played FarCry4 in November-January 2021-22, fell in love with it, and I look at it all without the prism of years, so I'm not the OLD one who doesn't accept the new and loves only the old things. I like: Oh maaa, I liked the fact that they didn't mess up with Yuma. It turned out to be plausible. And even her infatuation with Pagan pleased me. She has something to hate Ishwari and Ajay for, I felt it right. This jealousy of hers when Pagan is hanging with Ishvari, and then after many years she is messing with Ajay. How Yuma burned, how I like it. I really like this turn with love, even though it is incestuous from part. Notice that Ubisoft has some problems with incest? Vaas OOC was completely in love with the Citra. Yuma is in love with Pagan. And the scriptwriter of FC5 said that Faith sleeps with Joseph. I'm fucking scared to play the DLC with Joseph. Pagan's father. I don't like it when they change the old canons that have already became a part of the story, but the detail that Pagan himself killed his father is quite cool. It really fits well into his story and, in my opinion, showed his sincere warmth towards Ajay. Because Pagan was capable of killing a family member, but he did not want to kill Ajay, even in revenge for Mohan. Liked ... gayness))) Oh, homophobic gamers must have been mad, oh, how it burned. And I really liked Pagan's carousing attitude towards men. Let's just say it suits his image like hell. + Gives an additional conflict with his father. How I screamed when I saw the scene with Eric, here is a the video: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZyEhA0vha8 ) By the way, again, I would like to know or headcanon that during the relationship with Ishwari, Pagan forgot about his entertainment. And only after her death he could look at Eric(you know what I mean). Otherwise, the story of this dangerous wrong love in the field of war loses its charm. Tyrant: I have a controversial attitude towards the Tyrant, but rather a positive one. If with Vaas, it was easier for the screenwriters to come up with a conflict for DLC, because he is basically insane and does surrealistic stuff. But Pagan, of all the FC antagonists in general, is the least insane and more thoughtful, as for me (Anton does not count yet). And it is difficult to come up with something for him that will rape his consciousness. Therefore, adding a DarkPagan Tyrant was an interesting solution. I liked how the Tyrant echoes the words of his father, condemns for everything he can find fault with, for spending, for behavior, for image, for entertainment. I also like how the Tyrant imposes the blame for Lakshmana's death on Pagan. After all, the truth is that not only Ishwari is to blame for her death, but also Pagan, not to mention the killer himself. I believe that Pagan sincerely loved Ishwari and her children and his inner Tyrant really could have been a nightmare of his guilt all these years. I liked the detail with the fact that Ishwari gave the same golden pen. I liked the updated color scheme and, in general, the redesigned Kyrat color combinations, which now look much better than the terribly decaying color design of FC4. Regarding Ishwari, my headcanon says that she was much wiser and more restrained in the situation with the birth of Lakshmana. That she didn’ go to Mohan like a fool, to convince him that this child is a God’s gift and this is the immaculate conception and it’s Mohan's child. We need to come up with something where Mohan kills Lakshmana, setting up an evil plan while Ishwari is at Pagan's. How could Mohan have ambushed Lakshmana and her mother outside the palace and attacked with his men? Yes, anything. This will not remove Ishwari's guilt, no, but it will at least be more tragic. Because in the canon it looks really stupid when Ishwari brought a child from her lover to her husband and told him nonsense. It was more cringe-worthy than tense and sad. Yes, there were really cool things in DLC that pleased me. But these things are overshadowed by things that have disappointed. In general, there are more things I dislike about the DLC rather than like, which makes me sad, because I love the characters so much. I've never wanted Ubisoft NOT to release new official content on my favorite characters so much. If I will be disappointed with the DLC with Joseph, then I will go back to my Outlast, DBD, and so on. (Okay,I won't leave, of course, but I will get very upset and will just stick to my headcanons, ignoring the official development of events, like half of the fandom does) My thoughts are over for now, but most likely new ones are likely to appear when I start digging at the bottom of the fandom. Thank u!

#art #fanart #far cry 4 #far cry 6 #pagan control #far cry 6 dlc #review #ubisoft

[kallowrites]

Android AU Character run-down: The D10s

It is SO hard to explain their differences in just words (imo) so I figured doing a little guide would help? With visuals? Basically, the ways their names are stylized are exactly to differentiate them in text but visually they vary (though not necessarily considerably hahaha)

Also don’t @ me - some of these drawings are old and ugly lmao

SO! Under the cut, here’s the boys and some lore/background about their roles:

Dio (Brando): (Referred to as just 'Dio' in most cases, as he rejects the surname)

A custom Gen-2 unit, able to be retrofitted with almost any imaginable upgrade due to his prototype status… although his code is rather unstable and prone to fluctuation. Effectively the 'main' (synthetic) Dio of the AU - He was designed to replace Diego Brando as Dario Brando's successor, but didn't take kindly to being molded to anyone's image, and ended up murdering both Brandos and the man who coded him (who only went by DOG). He's caught by the authorities, disabled, and shipped off to have his memory disc wiped clean to be resold or used for parts, but a (convenient) mis-delivery has him winding up at Miriam Amell's door. Due to a lack of proper, gradual introductions and ease into society, he's notably antisocial and lacks any sort of 'people skills', preferring extreme solutions to otherwise simple problems. He has zero issues with being blunt and stating things plainly, even if it offends the person in question, and as a result he can come off as very judgemental and pushy. Visually, he resembles Part 1 Dio Brando prior to his turn to vampirism.

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

D.I.O.: (Referred to simply as 'DIO' for convenience)

A Gen-3 unit (formerly) used for police work. He was sent to pursue Miriam to safely retrieve or disable Dio (Brando) when his existence was tipped off by an anonymous source, but found himself fighting the chains of his suppression when he's treated like a person by her for the first time in his life... Even if it was initially a case of mistaken identity. He is eventually removed of his tracking chip and jailbroken by Raisa (a contact Dio made via the internet) at Miriam’s suggestion, and now possesses his free will to do as he pleases, though he willingly remains with her.

Following the events of the (shared) AU, he's had his body replaced with a much newer Gen-7 model which, among other things, has given him a newfound sense of smell (as well as many a bump into doorways). He's considerably more 'timid' than Dio (Brando), but shares his introversion with sharing personal details. Previously abused by his human partner (which leads to intimacy issues...), and holds a considerable grudge because of it. Has a strong moral compass but is particularly biased towards helping other androids achieve the same freedom he has. Probably the most empathetic & broody of the D10s, tbh.

Despite a vengeful side that rarely rears its ugly head, he’s quite reasonable and easy to get along with, even if he seems a bit detached. He’s far more acclimated to dealing people and existence itself than Dio is, partially due to his former profession/purpose. All he wants is to be treated with respect. Being very level-headed and considerate (if a bit soft-spoken), is a very large part of why Miriam is so torn between the two of them...

Visually, (especially after the bodywork) he resembles Part 3 DIO, neck scar and all, which he keeps to specifically keep himself distinct from Dio (Brando). 

(yes, im allowed to pick the cute one because he IS a sweet boy) He shares his colour scheme with Dio though (blond hair, gold eyes), nothing new there!

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EcciDiO:

Formerly a military unit, unlike many he did not turn during the revolt and survived. He was shelved when he was no longer needed and became outdated, only to be pulled off from it for some 'final use' for the government to get their money's worth out of him -- He was repurposed into a 'show-droid': An android used purely for the entertainment of others in what is essentially a professional android ring, which also doubles as a way for the government to flaunt their new androids by forcibly ""retiring"" old ones. While most androids that are left to this fate don't survive for long before being destroyed, EcciDiO ended up becoming a crowd favourite for his flamboyance and subverting the expectations and pre-determined outcome of the show. Both his design and software were updated, and he adopted the persona of 'The Grand Papillon'. Doing so well for the gov't's image, he was eventually reinstated for service as a government agent and was tasked with destroying Dio (Brando), as retrieval was deemed no longer viable after the disappearance of the previous unit sent after him -- D.I.O.. However, his zeal in his task ultimately led EcciDiO to kill Dio (Brando)'s contact, Raisa, terminated her android Ramses (another D10 unit) - both of whom were deemed 'obstacles', and almost destroy D.I.O., while severely injuring both Dio (Brando) and Miriam before he was ultimately disabled by the same man who created the D10 units in the first place (Professor Brando). Needless to say, he's quite the menace. (For the intents and purposes, any fic with him in it runs with the assumption he was repurposed and is functional again with less 'murder-happy' tendencies. Mostly.)

Also following said intents and purposes, repurposed EcciDiO is just as flamboyant as ever, but has a startling lack of understanding for anything beyond wrecking things and wrestling. In truth, he’s a borderline blank slate who has to learn everything from the beginning and is very emotionally flippant... and this process is NOT helped by one very troublesome Joestar he’s acquainted with...

(basically he’s STILL a shitpost but he’s fun and I love him and I’d love to share more but this is already so long wtf where did this bias come from??)

Visually, he has a similar build to DIO but has longer pink hair with purple roots and tips. He's very flamboyant and never dresses plainly.

(technically, this is him in an alternate costume for an idea I had - He returns to the ring of his own accord one last time to retire his former persona. I forget what he called himself, but basically he goes from the butterfly themes of ‘The Grand Papillon’ to a darker moth-related theme to show his transition from face to heel (which alludes to his freedom from gov’t control)!)

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Prototype #13: (Referred to simply as 'Thirteen' for convenience)

Not much is known about him, aside from his existence... In truth, this is because I have no idea the role he’ll play in the shared AU yet hahaha (and since it’s spoilers for both u guys AND me... I’m not about to prod Mag about it lolol)

In terms of the old, solo (potentially not canon) AU though, Thirteen essentially had EcciDiO’s role of ‘hunter’. He has zero empathy for anyone, both android and human alike, but seems to have a particular revulsion to the latter. Though he’s restrained somewhat by his control chip, he seems to enjoy the punishment when he’s somewhat defiant, and he’s earned the reputation as a ‘last resort for a lost cause’. He’s sent to eliminate Dio (Brando), no ifs, ands, or buts, because the information he contains that can be freely accessed due to a lack of encryption is deemed not worth the risk any longer.

On the side, he also has orders to terminate DIO if located, and to bring Miriam Amell to the government himself for interrogation into her motives before likely termination herself. He has no qualms with killing civilians if they obstruct his orders. -- “Compliance is preferable to defiance, unless you lack the most basic of human instinct.”

During the android revolt a decade prior, he was noted to have turned against his own fellow androids, seemingly due to a simple urge to destroy, and some wonder if he’s simply been corrupted and never diagnosed at any point, or if this was done on purpose. Thirteen plays pretend all too well and knows exactly where and how to hide information to avoid detection.

Visually, he resembles DIO quite a bit, but has dark hair with a light streak through it, and a rather torn-up arm, revealing the mechanical workings underneath. He’s also got very ominous, cold eyes...

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Ramses:

The first ‘D10′ (though he had a female counterpart) Professor Brando created, his former right-hand man who’s seen it all and been through everything over his lifetime. His status as a ‘beta’ model means his A.I. is drastically different from the run-of-the-mill D10 models that came after him, with most of his code not even being created by Professor Brando’s own hands. This was sufficient enough, however to (in Mag’s own words): “ sell the entire idea to the filthy rich conglomerate overlords.”

He is curt, polite, and rather stiff in his communication with others, coming across as rather robotic. He obeys everything Professor Brando asks of him without question, though does possess his own sentience and holds a healthy respect for him. He was given to Raisa after she was adopted by Professor Brando as a gift, and she thought of him like a brother. Ramses’ own feelings on the matter are... complicated.

He shares Professor Brando’s face, though the coincidence that his features so closely resemble that of the late Diego Brando (whom Dio (Brando’s) own features were based on), is entirely coincidental and genetic. Raisa altered Ramses appearance later on to separate him from his creator, and he now has dark skin and dark hair.

**Unfortunately due to EcciDiO’s actions while under government control, Ramses has been permanently terminated and his memory disc completely corrupted and unsalvageable, thus removing the only ‘beta’ model left in existence, much to Professor Brando’s immense grief.

(I’ve only attempted to draw him once with this updated look (and I never ended up liking how it was turning out, so it’s unfinished), so I v highly encourage you to look at Mag’s drawing of him instead:)

(Also PLEASE give love to the OG post here if u haven’t already: https://magthemage.tumblr.com/post/682429790479876096/android-au-meet-ramses-the-first-functional )

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Okay there’s two additional D10′s here, but neither of them have confirmed/updated designs I care to share pictures of so I’ll just toss a quick tl;dr: about them in case ur still interested somehow hahaha:

Dionysus - an android sex worker Miriam encounters early on. Technically the second android she meets with Dio’s face, but the circumstances under which they meet only serve to confirm to her that she’s attracted to Dio for more than just his looks. -- He has a trio of female androids that linger around him.

Despite seeming enthusiastic and complacent, Dionysus himself is rather frustrated with his situation. His ‘harem’ doesn’t seem to know any better, but his sentience is merely suppressed - his monthly reformatting does little to stop his bitter feelings from returning all the same, trapping him in a cycle and a life he can’t escape from on his own...

AuDio - a mysterious android that Miriam only knows about through the internet. He’s popular in the ‘ASMR’ world for his looks (despite hiding his face), and even more so when he starts speaking. He disappeared after some time due to some rather severe scandal involving a decidedly not safe-for-work account passing off as him is linked and makes the rounds... Despite all the interest from his fanbase, it damages his reputation with sponsors (and likely whoever owns him) to a point he simply stops posting altogether and vanishes without a trace.

Miriam comes to realize later the culprit for the scenario was her own Dio, who thought it would be ‘funny’. This ends up kicking off his own side-gig but still frustrates the hell out of her for ruining a stranger’s life on a whim.

...Though that’s not to say that fate won’t find a way, given how many of these ‘exceedingly rare’ androids she keeps crossing paths with...

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And with that, I’m p sure that covers them all! ...Unless Mag and I add more D10s, but it’s getting hard to keep track of them all as it is xD

I did not include the Professor in this because... he’s human. D10 units are the androids that look like him and that he created.

Each one still retains qualities from the “original” (as in, the source material), but to varying extents due to how they were brought up and the experiences they had. That’s the joy of sentience! You can take an android, “raise” it under the exact same conditions, and no two will come out exactly the same!

Or, in some cases... Some fare out better/worse than others. Best example would be Dio and DIO -- while DIO has (debatably, in Dio’s mind, im sure) gone through much worse treatment, he’s still come out kinder for a variety of reasons. He could have very easily gone the same route as Dio and gone out of his way to kill everyone connected to him, but he actively chooses not to, and only punishes those he feels are responsible (and hence, he has much more empathy towards other androids than Dio as well, who couldn’t care less)

BUT I DIGRESS. Hope this clears things up, at least a *little* hahaha

Also there ARE other androids in this AU besides just D10 units 8D I’m not sure how many we’ll have in total that are relevant, so I don’t think they warrant their own post... Nero is probably the most important one though!

[stuffandsundry]

Fia, Rogier, and D (Part 2)

Part 1 is here but its outdated as shit lol dont read this

Been spending much too long over the past few weeks thinking about these guys, so here's another personal theory compilation regarding these 3. Actually, you know what, don’t even read that post!!! this one is the sexier redux!!!!

Rogier

Going by the metal decorations on his outfit (notably similar to the ones on the Carian Knight set), I like to think that he used to be a Carian noble when he was alive. I think in this case, that makes Prisoner my favored starting archetype for him— “A prisoner bound in an iron mask. Studied in glintstone sorcery, having lived among the elite prior to sentencing.” and all that. So I like to think that he died in that cell, and was called back to life by the guidance of grace.

R name: A lot of the royals have first letters that correspond to the godly progenitor that’s the most important to them (M for Marika, Morgott, Malenia, etc), so could Rogier have also been a Carian royal? …I mean, sure! Why not? I think it’s hard to say that this was 100% intended, but I like to use this as secondary proof that he probably is actual nobility, mostly because of Roderika! She’s an expatriated royal (denoted by Crimson Hood description) so it makes sense to me that by the same logic Rogier is also at least distantly related to Rennala. (I think that there’s also the option that he was faking being nobility the whole time as well, but while this one is fun to think about, I don’t think it holds a lot of water.)

Rogier Trans Icon: i see so much art of trans Rogier and it gives me life. even disregarding his vibes, another point in favor of him being trans is that he’s the merchant for the Spinning Weapon Ash of War, whose description says that it was used by Carian princesses. Rennala uses a more powerful version herself on her own staff!

Rogier mentions that he used to want to be a scholar, but I do have to wonder! Does this mean that he failed to get into Raya Lucaria, or that he was disillusioned with the school itself and walked out? Both are possible, but I like the second option more. Non-Raya Lucarian sorcerers are by and large all heretics, and even sorcerers who are really good at their research, or are bestowed conspectuses aren’t immune to being tossed out (Azur, Lusat, and Sellen). Rogier’s interest in deathblight seems kind of non-kosher, so even though it isn’t Sellen’s particular form of blasphemy, perhaps he got tossed out for the same reason.

Fia

I think Deathbed Companions were directly related to the Gloam-eyed Queen in some way. See the language used in the Black Flame’s Protection— “The Apostles were all embraced by the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and the black flame was their armor within.” Which super reminiscent of the way you get Baldachin’s Blessings. Though, of course, this could just be an overlap in the meanings of “embrace” — the word could be used both as an euphemism for doin’ the do or as a literal hug.

Speaking of Baldachin’s Blessings, the way that having one in your inventory decreases your maximum health is very obviously in line with Fia’s Death allegiance as well. 

Side note, since Melina has Very Strong Ties to the Gloam Eyed Queen (check out the Beast Eye, the pattern would fit into Melina’s empty eye socket very easily!), I wonder if there’s a comparison to be drawn between her and Fia characterwise?

Rogier’s goals do NOT align with Fia’s. He sees the Dead as something to be cured, she sees them as something that should be accepted as part of the natural order. While they’re currently both teamed up, they only thing they have in common really is sympathy for the Dead. However, despite everything, I do think that Fia holds some genuine fondness for Rogier… though this won’t keep her from using him for her ends.

Did Fia have the ability to leave the hold this entire time? There’s two interpretations of the line mentioning that she’s compelled to stay in the hold: one, shes being kept under watch by D and Corhyn, etc, or two, she’s figured out that someone in the Hold has something she needs, and she won’t leave without it.

Actually, going back to the embraced thing, I do like Fia’s interpretation of her role being primarily along the lines of a mother rather than as a prostitute like others in the Lands Between think of it. Elden Ring is a game with a lot of family/lineage stuff anyways, so it fits better, and I just think it’s more interesting an interpretation! 

Devin and Darian

Ok so this is where i get a little deranged. There’s just. A lot up in the air about these guys. THERES A LOT. MARIKA’S TITS.

So, is he a Tarnished? Bro I literally do not know. It’s never stated, alas. I think the only thing that marginally points in either direction is the fact that he says “I swear, there's a blight spreading amongst the Tarnished…” upon player death if you attack him in Limgrave. Saying the Tarnished rather than us Tarnished might imply that he doesn’t count himself as one of their number… but then, this might just be because he has no interest in the throne, like most Tarnished. It’s up to you!

Devin found sleeping in Nokron: is he a native of Nokron? Hey, it makes sense to me! Would help to explain why the two are so insanely pale. Kinda interesting that some guys from Nokron would be such devout followers of the Golden Order when Nokron is most well known for treason against the Erdtree, though.

Description of their sword: “The inseparable twins found solace in the Golden Order, the only institution not to revile them as accursed beings.” Why were they reviled? I think there’s a lot of theories floating out there, but here are some of my favs:

Twins are just kinda scary, man: this ones the most boring but I can see it, if they grew up in a more insular community and were then raised in the Golden Order. “Accursed beings” is kinda strong language to use in this case, though…

They were conjoined twins, and the Golden Order separated them: YEAH! Love it. This theory is usually extrapolated into “the Golden Order snip snapped the two apart, allowing them to pass as separate beings”. The pose of the armor also lends some credence to this theory— pretty similar posture to historical images of conjoined twins— and the sword is called Inseparable, after all… Maybe there were complications after they were separated, and that’s why Devin has to be asleep? I think that this explains why they’rd have such loyalty to Things that this theory doesn’t explain: Why is Devin all the way down in Nokron?

One of the two is a Mimic Tear: So, this one is my personal favorite theory because there's a bit of fun circumstantial evidence for it. The area that you find Devin sleeping in is an area with a whole bunch of silver tears, and he’s just a few steps beyond the Mimic Tear fight as well. If people knew that one of the two wasn’t human, that would explain why there was a lot of fear directed at them. Out of the two options, I think it would be more interesting if Darian was the Mimic, and Devin was real, because summoning the Mimic Tear uses HP instead of FP— so maybe this could explain why Devin is so sleepy all the time. Having Darian active drains him. Things this theory doesn’t explain: If Darian’s a Mimic, why does he have a real corpse? How come he looks slightly different from Devin if you look at face data? Why does he know beast incants that Devin doesn’t use?

Quest/Story

So this confused me at first so let’s just start with this: the hallowbrand, mark of the centipede, and cursemark are all referring to the same thing. Because of this, Fia’s dialogue after killing D makes a lot more sense than I originally thought in my first post. 

D had the other half of the cursemark that Rogier was looking for this whole time, and it is potentially why he gave the Tarnished the job of deathroot hunting (needed to stay somewhere safe like the hold so that nobody could steal the cursemark? Or, knew that someone would come looking for it/wanted to lure them out?).

Rogier knew that D had the cursemark (mark of the centipede, in his dialogue), and since he tells the Tarnished, it’s likely he also told Fia. Thus, whether he actively participated or not in the act, it’s almost certain that Rogier had a part in D’s death. More than one part, actually, just wait til i get to that damn dagger…

The Weathered Dagger: so, obviously it belongs to D. No question about that. But where exactly did the black gunk come from, and how does returning this dagger lead to Darian’s death? What message did it send to D? And how did he know that Fia was responsible for it? Actually, come to think of it, I suppose that the Tarnished could have just told him that last point. OK THE REST OF IT, THOUGH?

One thing for certain. Fia killed D with deathblight. It can be assumed that she somehow used the dagger to do it. Since the trigger for the dialogue where she gives you the dagger is Rogier’s death, then this must consequently mean that either the dagger, or the black gunk on it, or her plan for killing D, is somehow related to Rogier.

Option 1: the dagger and black deathblight stuff isn’t related to Rogier. Devin happened upon Godwyn’s corpse at the roots, carved the cursemark out (leaving the ruined dagger there) and gave the thing to his brother, and Fia has been looking for the stolen cursemark ever since. The reason that she only gives the dagger after Rogier dies is because she uses the deathblight on his body to somehow boobytrap the shit out of the dagger, enabling her to kill D. This one's one of the most probable ones, i think, but since this is Elden Ring there are logistics questions yet again. Just when did Devin pass the cursemark to Darian?! Nokron has been cut off from the rest of the Lands Between for ages. Additionally, Rogier and D both have lines that seem to imply that D finding the “mark of the centipede” is a very recent thing…

It also needs to be mentioned that there is a possibility that rather than Rogier being a passive party in Fia’s plans, there is resentment on his part that leads to him conspiring with Fia to kill D! But he regrets it when it’s too late, and that’s why he leaves the Tarnished a note, hoping that you’ll at least be able to help Devin… this ones dramatic so I love it, hehe.

Option 2: Both the dagger and the black stuff is related to Rogier. D could have given the dagger to Rogier as a parting gift, since it seems that even though they parted, it wasn’t on especially bad terms. This theory is taking Fia at face value when she says that the dagger was a gift from someone— there’s no indication she’d have had an opportunity to receive a gift from either D brother, and the only person in the game she’s been shown to be close to is Rogier so far (not counting her dad Lionel, who shows up at the Radahn Festival). Therefore, maybe the dagger was a gift from D to Rogier, and then from Rogier to Fia. I do like this one because generally speaking in Elden Ring, characters who are not Patches lie primarily by omission, and if their lies are not uncovered eventually through the story (ie, Renna being revealed to be Ranni) then there are usually ways to piece together the truth (Gowry not mentioning the whole Rot kindred thing). This would also lead to such a dramatic confrontation between D and Fia, whoof, I LOVE that. However, does not explain

Another theory I’ve seen is that the dagger was something that D gave his brother, and Fia giving it is a sort of taunt at D, tricking him into thinking that Devin had been killed. I love the drama of this, but I do have to wonder— if they’re really one soul in two bodies, would he have felt Darian dying? It does seem that Devin has some notion that Darian is dead, after all…

Anyways, this has gone on for…. Way too long, actually, so I’ll just cut it here. As always, these are more or less just my own musings, but I hope that it’s an interesting read of someone else as well!

#sorcerer rogier #fia deathbed companion #d hunter of the dead #elden ring

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2022 Prompt #25 – Free Day!

It’s the final Sunday of September, which means our last Free day!

One last time, let me remind you that this year, since I was not able to dedicate the whole of Write 2022 towards my alternate universe characters detailed in this post here, I’m using the free days to create a series around them.

This picks up directly where Day 18’s response left off

“All right, Y’shtola. What sort of dastardly pirate have you found for us in Limsa?”

“Amusing as ever, Thancred.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Not…..entirely”

“Ha!”

“If you are quite finished….my potential comes to us via the Upright Thieves. Her name is Rheika Aliapoh, and her skills at infiltration, subversion, and knifework rival Thancred’s”

“Oh come on, now that’s just hurtful-“

“Thancred, I beg of you, pray stop interrupting Y’shtola every fifteen seconds.”

“Very well, Papalymo, but only because you asked so kindly.”

Sigh “Y’shtola, how did a Keeper of the Moon end up in Limsa Lominsa’s spy ring?”

“Details of her past are hard to come by, but thankfully her cohorts know of me, and h ave been forthcoming with what they know. They rescued her from a slave ship.”

“Twelve forfend…”

“Apparently the crew was looking to profit in the wake of the Calamity and kidnapped a number of refugees, orphans, and similar souls. The Upright Thieves were able to save them all and return them to safety….all but Rheika. She had nowhere to go, claiming that the fires took her whole family. Jacke took pity on the girl and the group took her in, training her in their combat arts as a focus for her grief. She has been part of them ever since.”

“How did you come to meet her? Has the situation in Limsa grown so dire as to warrant their intervention?”

“Not yet, thankfully. The Thieves have come under fire, so to speak, from a small but vocal portion of the Yellowjackets who believe their methods are barbaric and outdated, no better than the pirates that refuse the Admiral’s call and prey on Limsan vessels. The thieves have enrolled a small number of their members within the Adventurer’s guild as a sort of “outreach program” to show their devotion of the betterment of the city-state. That is how I met Rheika.”

“Is their goodwill attempt actually working?”

“It has not silenced their detractors, no. But they do not seem to be growing in number, either. Their latest counter is that the Thieves are using the cover of the effort to spy on the populace. Which, to be fair, they are, albeit not in the manner claimed.”

“Hang on, if she was raised by the group, her loyalty to them’s gotta be strong, right? Why would she want to leave them to join us?”

“A fair question, Yda, and indeed she intimated that she would never want to when I made subtle overtures to her. However, Jacke realized my intent as well, and believes that becoming a member of our organization will be good for her, and has agreed that, if we vote to extend the invitation, he will do all in his power to encourage Rheika to accept. He believes that it would be good for her, to help her continue to heal from the tragedy of the Calamity, in ways the Thieves cannot. And we would benefit from her considerable skills as well, of course.

“What do you make of her, personally?”

“That is perhaps the biggest sticking point. I will not lie, Rheika’s personality is….rough. She cares little for diplomacy or social niceties, unless she is performing them as part of some information gathering effort. She does not trust easily, and according to Jacke, had a habit of disobeying orders when she first joined the Thieves. I say ‘had’, because she seems to no longer have that issue with Jacke, at least, but the concern that she may do so within our ranks is there. “

“Sounds like ‘prickly’ is the best word to describe her overall, then.”

“Much as I dislike labeling people with single-word descriptors, I find that in this case, it is accurate. That being said, I believe with time and the assistance of Jacke’s persuasions, we can win her trust, and that what she brings to our table skillwise will be more than sufficient to compensate for personal disagreements until such time. Ultimately, Rheika does enjoy helping innocent people from the predations of others, and I think giving her a chance to do so on a larger scale will ultimately cause her to accept our offer.”

“Very well. If there are no objections? Then I thank you all for your continued efforts, and hopefully will see you all soon, hale and with new allies. This concludes our meeting, may you walk in the light of the Crystal!”

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXiv Write 2022 #minfilia warde #yda hext #thancred waters #papalymo totolymo #Dialogue Fic

[the-guild-wars-help]

Do you have advice on developing proper skill rotations? I usually look on guildjen and metabattle for builds but they rarely have rotations explained. I ask because I just leveled reaper and i have no idea what i’m doing haha

Well, that question largely depends on the kind of content you're looking to get into - depending on whether you're gonna play mostly PvP or WvW, or instead aiming to do endgame, instanced PvE such as Fractals, Strikes and Raids, your builds and rotations will look vastly different.

Since you're talking about rotations, though, I'm gonna assume you're interested in instanced PvE - that is, Strike Missions, Raids or fractals of the mist. Admittedly, Metabattle is not a great ressource for those gamemodes. Instead, you could check out Discretize (for fractals) or Snowcrows (for raids + strikes) and browse their builds - both sites showcase the strongest builds available to each profession, with listed rotations, videos (usually) and additional tips and descriptions, as well as making note of the gear you'll need to get the most out of it.

Unfortunately, Reaper isn't in a very strong position currently, so neither site has a reaper build listed - that's just a fact of the meta, chances are the spec will improve in future balance patches. The flexible nature of GW2s builds does mean that there can be some very drastic variation in damage output between a top-tier build and a more mediocre one. Don't let that discourage you, though! If you really want to play reaper, there is this older build, in the buried archives of snowcrow's site. It's outdated of course, the numbers in the Video won't match up with current gameplay, and there may be more optimal choices to make, but the broad strokes should still work well enough, especially for open world gameplay.

Finally, some more specific advice: Practice! You can hone your skills in the special forces training area, where you can summon a big golem to fight. It will periodically tell you your damage output too - so you've got a vague idea how well you're doing. If you want to practice for group content, you'll want to set it up right - here is how the raiding community does it. This is a pretty solid introduction to the subject of raids in general!

Some good pointers while practicing: Some of your skills can interrupt others. Your heal skill will always do so, but sometimes weapon- or utility skills can do the same. Learn which ones those are, and try to avoid interrupting your casts. Conversely, try to never delay your casts - unless you specifically want to autoattack, your skills should go off back to back. To that end, skills (provided they aren't the interrupt-ey kind) can be queued - press the button before the prior cast ended and it'll enter the queue. Finally, make sure you're familiar with your traits and your gear. Some builds gain extra damage by attacking from the flank - make sure you're standing to the side or behind any bosses you fight, if that's the case. Some builds have personal buffs they want to maintain, which relies on certain skills they cast. If you know which parts of your build are important, you can focus on those!

For PvP, you can practice in the PvP lobby, and probably find some solid pointers on youtube - plenty of people have shared plenty of builds on there. That said, the word 'Rotation' in PvP means something entirely different - and I'm afraid I'm not super qualified to give advice on that.

#asks #class help

[aetherceuse]

How does your character process emotions? Are they the type to express their emotions physically or through words? Do they engage in any kind of catharsis? Talk about it.

Lusamine processes her emotions in a very direct and cut-dry manner. The emotion is felt, she identifies what she is experiencing, and sorts through her response to it as if she were organizing computer files; she mentally searches for the appropriate response to assign to the emotion, along with the acceptable intensity. It is similar to running software, in a way. It is pathologically efficient, unless of course, the emotion may require a 'strong' expression-- if that is the case, she dampens it, not wanting to put something like that on display.

As for expressing her emotions, if she is being honest and not putting up a facade, Lusamine will simply tell you how she feels in a flat, direct way. Sometimes this is accompanied by subtle hand gestures, or the occasional microexpression; she does not smile or frown much, it is always a small upturn or downturn of her lips. However, the way she narrows or shapes her eyes is very indicative of how she is feeling at the moment. Narrowed eyes with fingers weaved between each other usually means that she is engaged and interested. One hand placed over the other could signal that she is guarded, while properly folded hands could mean that she is either very pleased-- or very angry, depending on if the whites of her knuckles are visible.

I don't believe she has engaged in catharsis at all. To her, that is a very foreign concept, and it is not something that she has ever felt the need to seek out. If something or someone has either upset or, or disappointed her, she simply removes it, like outdated technology, or a non-viable factor in an equation.

#✧˖°.« 𝚂𝚞𝚋𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎 » Answered #✧˖°.« 𝙼𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙱𝚊𝚌𝚑 » Headcanon #blastburned

[jorjacrafts]

New! Product Research- Cassette

Following up from a group talk, we had gone over our existing product line. I wanted to talk with he others to see which we could impliment and finalise. We had a big list and I was becoming overwhelmed with the workload of being product lead. Research and supplier hunting consumes a lot of my time and I have barely covered design research and a cost breakdown yet. I wanted a harsh discussion to organise my research. Despite this we actually added more products to the 502 line. That being a cassette. This falls into my individual work quite well and I will enjoy the making of this product a little more than the others, especially when designing and speaking to the supplier. Which I had found fairly quickly. We had found a company called https://www.bandcds.co.uk which produces a range of different music sources; CDs, Cassettes, Vinyls etc.

I think this is a really strong piece of design as it really has the potential to correlate with our brand ethos and studio culture. A question to ask the group is.. are cassettes coming back or are they being implemented as nice silhouettes for designers? I think we aren't neccisarily using this product as a small handful of people out have a cassette player or finds this an easy music outlet to play their favourite songs.

Based on our external contextual sources/ brand inspiration research, our demographic customers I believe would consist of a group who enjoy modern twists on instances and points in time which are now conveyed as 'vintage'. The word vintage and the up cycling of the 20th century is very vivid in todays design work. I think that's partly the reason why we believe this product would be really interesting to sell as we are placing a modern design and technique onto an existing and 'outdated' product. Giving it a new purpose and style of design feels really adventurous to embark upon and I'm looking forward to designing this.

Looking at the inspirations above, using a laser cutter could create a really cool finish onto the cassette. Hamza has good experience working with laser and plastic. One of his previous projects consisted of his designs being cut into a CD case. Despite this being a diverse style of approach for me, I really enjoy hearing another creative of the team using what they enjoy themselves and helping me learn a new art process. What I am loving so far with this project is that each member has their own contributions and actually have the courage to have their own input into the brand. I never thought all of our own personal styles could combine successfully however I have been proven wrong. Naturally group work used to intimidate me as there was always this social barrier between each member and work loads which always lead to unbalanced work labour. However this project feels different and we are all courage to put our own feedback and criticism into our brand and its forming ideas.

A piece of Hamzas work which could aid our cassette design process. I think we should defiantly practise these deigns on the laser cutter prior to using the cassette case because plastic does colour when tempered with which we want to refrain from. Practising with different depth levels of the cutter could refrain this possibility of this. Im encouraged to learn how this sort of process will work from he help of the other members of the group who have more expertise with this technique.

We've began to pick up our own person modifications within this design work which I really enjoy as I feel like it contributes into our cycle of community within the studio. My aims with this product lead role is to make sure all our designs feel personal from each member of 502 and hopefully consumers can see the design process/connection to our narrative within these pieces; making them feel inspired and motivated to walk down their own version of creativity which ever way that applies to them and their own life.

[holdontighttothistimethisplace]

abandoned therianation sim

werehouse entrance

the sim the very outdated werehouse avatars are located, with information on therianthropy. note cards transcribed below under readmore.

i do not really have any strong opinion on these notecards as they're literally from 2006 and many things have evolved since, they are here for archival purposes.

"What is Therianthropy?"

2006-10-24 04:46:04 note card

Therianthropy- An Overview

Therianthropy, in itself, is very broad and unexplainable. It's core definition is Beast (Gr. Therios) Human (Gr Anthropos). According to Webster's Dictionary, Therianthropy is 1. the state of being part animal and part human. As we, therianthropes, grow as a culture and community, so do our definitions and personal interpretations of "therianthropy". Unfortunately, this "growing" is causing much confusion and ignorance to be spread throughout the general therianthropic community.

Therianthropic itself refers to being part animal and part human. While this connotes "Physical" it is not the case with those that call themselves "Therianthropes". Spiritual and Physchological therianthropy are by far the the most common types for those that do consider themselves part animal. Spiritual therianthropy simply means the soul or spirit of the person is not totally human. The spirit could be wholly animal (and they are human in body), or said person has both a human and animal spirit. This could also refer to those that have animal spirit guides, but that is not considered therianthropy because the animal counterpart is not really a part of the person, in body, mind or spirit. Therianthropy is about accepting the truth about oneself, the animal within, and the human nature and body as well.

Psychological therianthropy is somewhat harder to explain. It has many of the same attributes as Spiritual therianthropy, leading many to believe they are one in the same (which could very well be true). But for this essay's sake, they are not the same, and we will try to make it less confusing as possible. Psychological therianthropy is much more scientific in it's thinking. To some, therianthropy is nothing more than aberrant neurobiology or neurochemistry. They sometimes experience mental charateristics if not the entire mindset, of an animal. This may occur in "shifts", whereas the person almost totally acts like an animal mentally and physically in their movements. Contherianthropes (Non-shifters) are included in this subset, and are both human and animal as one within the mind.

Regardless of how a therianthrope (therian for short) experiences their therianthropy, we all agree that there is something at work, be it spiritual or physical. People from around the globe, in different cultures, times and societies have reported this experience. In their own words, they have written of similiar takes on therianthropy. While therianthropy itself may be intangable and unprovable, the therianthropic experience is a very real phenomena.

Well, let me get back to the original point of this essay. This is being written to help clarify the confusion that is therianthropy. Now that you understand the basics (At least for this essay) we can get to the deeper side of Spiritual Therianthropy. Because we are discussing things of a /spiritual/ nature, many times you'll just have to nod and take my word for it. Spiritual therianthropy will never be the same from "therian" to "therian". It is unique for us all, ergo propter hoc, much confusion has been spread.

There are no rules governing what therianthropy is, and what it should be. This isn't a club with set criteria or guidelines. Spiritual therianthropy is something deeply rooted within those that believe in it and it /is/ different for everyone (I cannot stress that enough). And while just anyone can /claim/ to be a therianthrope, who are they really kidding? Many people say they are werecreatures, for all kinds of reasons, but if they /are/ lying, the only people they are hurting are themselves. So for this next part of the essay, I will go over what Spiritual Therianthropy is and what it isn't (for the most part anyway, your mileage may vary).

Spiritual Therianthropy is neither a gift nor a curse. We take the good with the bad. Unlike the furry community, we are /always/ the animal within, computer on or off. Sometimes our personal therianthropy can make life difficult, however, because your life is difficult does NOT mean you're a therianthrope.

It is a part of our innermost being, not an overnight fad, or something we do because it's "Trendy". It's not easily discovered for most therianthropes, and it's certainly not an excuse to exclude yourself from humanity. Many new therianthropes these days don't have the inner connection with the animal, they simply wish not to be a part of their "oppressors" aka, humanity. If this is how you feel about your therianthropy, it doesn't mean you're /not/ a therianthrope, it means you need to do some serious soul searching.

Therianthropy is also not the simple love or desire to be an animal. Many humans have fantasized about being an animal at one time in their lives. Many children "Play pretend" and be wolves or lions, or even dogs and cats. And the gods know that many other humans turn animalistic while practicing acts of a sexual nature. Now please keep in mind that most therians do indeed wish to be animals, this is a part of our nature AS therianthropes. The desire alone, however, will not make you a therianthrope. If you simply have the desire to be an animal, you might find areas such as Furry Sims or "role playing" areas to be highly enjoyable.

What are the typical animals for therianthropes? Well, unfortunately, there seem to be a high number of confused individuals, who simply assume they are "wolf" (The most popular base species) or sometimes another large predator. In order to be a therianthrope, you Do NOT choose your wereside. You just /are/ who you are. The high numbers of "Tough Predatory" types would make it seem that many are indeed choosing their animalistic species. Remember, when you lie about your therianthropy, you're only hurting yourself. You don't need to be a glorious hunter as a therian. You can be anything from a Bear, to a bat, to a wolf, housecat, spider, kangaroo, lemming… /anything/. Polytherians are those that have more than one animal species for their therian nature. This means they could have (for example) a complete canine mindset, and complete feline mindset or they could have a "spirit" that has taken the form of a hybrid creature (for example, a wolfcat).

If you've been cruising around the therianthropic community, you'll also note a high amount of "Mythical" entities such as dragons, gryphons and unicorns. Again, it's none of my business to say what is, and what is not truly "therian". Mythical therians exist as far as I'm concerned. Many Mythicals and polytherians have a hard time expressing to others what they are, so they use the "term" that fits them the closest. For example, a "Gryphon" were could be one that feels a calling towards both feline and avian. A dragon could be any mix of large animal + winged animal, or larger reptiles. Just because a were calls them self "Gryphon" or "Dragon" doesn't necessarily mean they are truly that species, but that is how they can best portray themselves to others. This however does not mean to imply that those people that /do/ consider themselves mythical weres are confused, or a simple mixture of animals.

As an additional note, Mythical therians are not necessarily Otherkin. The term "Otherkin" is far too broad, and rejected by many therians who have strove to keep a bit of quality control over the community for better understanding and education. The otherkin community has a severe problem with posers, children, and wannabes. Many therians wish to exclude themselves from this community or group. But it has been noted that the general experience as explained by Otherkin varies from Therianthropy. For example, I have noticed over the years that therian dragons do not describe themselves as having lived a life outside of their current human existance. Otherkin dragons on the other hand usually recall a life far different from their human life, with their own distinct name, personality, family, friends, species et cetera.

I mentioned spirit guides earlier, and I think I should mention them again. Spirit guides, also animal guides, totem animals, are indeed spirit animals that "guide" us through life. I need to make it clear that the therian nature and spirit guide animals are NOT one in the same. Many non-therians have spirit guides, and they should not be confused for the same thing. You can choose your spirit guide, as in call upon the qualities and traits of certain animals. Your therian side is not something you choose or "figure out" based on characteristics or "traits" found in totem guide references. For example, because you are courageous does not mean you're a Lion. Because you consider yourself to be a good leader doesn't mean you're a wolf.

Let me get back to some of the other misguided points about therianthropy. Therianthropes are human. By very definition of the word, every therianthrope is part human, whether body, mind, or spirit. One of the biggest misconceptions about the therian community are from those that either believe they are better than humans, those that believe we are not true humans, and those that believe they have superhuman traits/characteristics. In this case, people assume they are not human or their normal human "traits" are typically more animalistic than a "normal human". I cannot tell you how many times I've seen therians talk about their super hearing ability because they can "Hear things others can't, " or because they can hear dog whistles. The truth be known that many people not just therians can hear well beyond the "typical human range" of hearing (Especially younger people who are more prone to letting their imagination run away with them.). Good hearing does not make you a therian, and good hearing doesn't come from being a therian. This goes for any and all characteristics. If you have good hearing, eyesight, etc, it's not a "therian" thing, it's just a "you" thing.

So, why do therianthropes exist? Do we have a greater purpose in life? Well no one can answer these questions. We all control our destiny. I don't believe therians in general are here for a specific goal, but I do believe we, as individuals, are here, as theriathropes or not, for some reason. Maybe we are here to help save a dying planet. Maybe we're here because our souls were animals that died traumatically, which followed us to our next life. Maybe at some point our spirits decided they wanted to be something we're not in body. Maybe our spirits were infused with an animal at some point. Maybe we were supposed to be born as animals but ended us as humans… No one can guess why therianthropes exist. Each of us can try to understand why we as individuals are here. But please bear in mind, that we are here, together. We all feel the same inner animal. It doesn't matter /why/ we are here, as much as it matters that we ARE here.

It is important for anyone that is exploring therianthropy to discover the truth about themselves, no matter how ugly, no matter how you feel about it. Therianthropy is a part of who we really are inside, not what we want to be.

To thine own self be true.

--Jakkal Dingo What Therianthropy Isn't? 2006-10-24 05:11:40 note card

What Therianthropy Isn't.

As mentioned in the Therianthropy overview, there are many misconceptions about therianthropy. There are many people claiming to be therians that don't have a firm grasp on what therianthropy actually is. There are many people claiming to be therians who haven't done any kind of soul searching, or introspection. Many are role players or people who just want to choose an animalistic lifestyle.

This information note is here to dispel some of the common misconceptions we see about Therianthropy.

Therianthropy is not a choice. We do not choose anything about our therianthropy. Many state that therianthropy chooses us. We do not choose the animal within. We do not decide what we want to be. We do not wish to be a certain animal.

Therianthropy is not based on animal stereotypes. You are not a wolf therian because you think you're a good leader, or because you're loyal, sociable and strong. Wolves are pathetic hunters. They're scared of humans, and they're extremely shy. You are not a lion therian because you're courageous. You're not a raccoon therian because you like shiney things.

Therianthropy is not a religion. Religions are about beliefs outside of the self. Therianthropy is about the truth of our inner nature. We don't worship anything. We simple believe that, somehow, someway, we are part animal.

Therianthropy is not about abandoning one's humanity. On the contrary, Therianthropy is about embracing both the human and animal nature.

Therianthropy is not Animal Spirituality. Therianthropy is a KIND of animal spirituality. Just because one believes in some kind of spirituality related to animals does not necessarily make them a therianthrope.

Therianthropy is not lifestyling an animal. A lifestyle is a conscious choice that someone makes about how they live their life. Therianthropes do not go out of their way to appear animalistic, or act more like animals. Therianthropes are simply aware of their animal nature. This may or may not show on the outside at all.

The moon has no affect on therianthropes in general. Studies have been inconclusive about it's affect on people. There is no link between therianthropy and the phase of the moon. It's just a pretty rock in the sky, forever falling to the Earth.

Therianthropy is not elitist. Many people are disgusted by the nature of therianthropy and how it excludes others. The fact is that therianthropy is not a club that anyone can join, but it's not elite. Therianthropy is a state of being, and far too many people claim therianthropy without understanding or knowing what it is. Wanting to be a therian does not necesarily make you one. Deep introspection and soul searching will guide you to the truth.

Therianthropy and Furries are two completely separate things. While many therians are furries, furries are not necessarily therians. Anyone can freely join the Furry communities and take on a 'fursona' of their choosing. Therians, on the other hand, don't choose what they are, they can't simply become a therian from declaring themselves one or taking part in the therian community. They don't become therians because they're fans of animals.

Therianthropes are normal humans. Therianthropes are not special. They do not have any special powers or abilities. They do not have any special attributes. What makes someone special is WHO they are, which therianthropy is a part of. Therianthropy itself does not make us any different from any other person on this world.

#sl gothic #sl exploration #virtual world archive

[apeirokosmima]

Advice on Purchasing Sapphire Jewelry

The word sapphire comes from the Greek word "sappherios" which is acknowledged to be at first insinuated lapis lazuli. The gemstone has a spot with the mineral corundum family. According to the outdated convictions the sapphire gemstone is connected with life range and persistence in love, so an enormous piece of the couples favor sapphire rings for their responsibility.

Sapphire is moreover known to posses secretive powers. Giving areas of strength for an against the spells is used. The wearer is stayed away from unfortunate contemplations and gets concordance, happiness and overflow to people. The star sapphire is known as the stone of destiny.

Assortment - - While buying sapphire the most compelling thing to be considered is assortment. Sapphire gemstone comes in basically all tones going from white, pink, brown, peach, yellow, orange, violet, purple and green. At any rate the blue assortment sapphire which has the assortment tones, from faint blue to most significant dull blue is the by and large elaborate one in jewels industry. A pure cornflower blue is seen as the most strong shade. In concluding the value or worth of a sapphire, colors expects essential part. Fine gemstones of good tone and clearness are fascinating and significant. Sapphires which are too faint or too light are worth altogether les.

Clearness - - Clarity moreover expects a critical part in framing the superbness and worth. Sapphires are not consolidation free like valuable stones anyway are more clear than rubies and emeralds. Heat treatment is a run of the mill practice to deal with the assortment and clearness of the stone. If not treated these imperfections and consolidations would impact the sparkle of the gemstone.

Characteristics - - Sapphires {Al2O3} are non red combination of mineral corundum with a hardness of 9 on Mohs scale. Sapphire is the second hardest mineral, simply near gem. The hardness of this corundum seeks after it a nice choice for regular wear. Higher the level of hardness, better the conceivable outcomes of the gemstone's insurance from breaking, breaking and chipping. This nature of sapphire makes it the best pearl for rings. You can be have certainty expecting you buy a sapphire ring that it would persevere and would continue onward for quite a while.

Cost - - People buying sapphire ring ought to understand that sapphire is the birthstone for the significant length of September. In this way, in case you are buying a sapphire wedding ring , September would be the greatest month to plan your responsibility. Sapphire embellishments costs likewise change as shown by the assortment. A purple sapphire ring would cost not the very ordinary blue sapphire ring. The cut and size are moreover at risk at the assortment in costs.

For more info :-  

14-carat white gold jewelry online

Necklace with evil eye and cross

Source Url :-  https://sites.google.com/view/apeirokosmimaq/home

[bitcofun]

This is a viewpoint editorial by Jimmy Song, a Bitcoin designer, teacher and business owner and developer with over 20 years of experience." We are all in this together." State the altcoiners when regulators are bearing down on them. Altcoiners: "Bitcoin is inefficient, out-of-date and poisonous." The odd frenemy status that Bitcoin delights in amongst altcoiners is as approximate as it is puzzling. On the one hand, they attempt to provide a joined front due to the fact that plainly, Bitcoin adoption is higher than that of any altcoin, or perhaps the whole area of altcoins integrated. On the other hand, they slam Bitcoin whenever they get an opportunity to develop interest in their own coin. Altcoiners practice self-centered psychological gymnastics deserving of the most partisan political leader. The factor for their flip-flopping disparity is because of financial rewards and because light it's relatively simple to comprehend. They will argue for whatever will pump their coin. There is no sin so severe, no security make use of so huge, no rent-seeking so apparent that altcoiners will not excuse it for the sake of the pump. Some Bitcoiners discover their habits bothersome, some discover it unimportant. This is easy to understand due to the fact that in lots of methods altcoins actually have absolutely nothing to do with Bitcoin. To disregard them would be an error, since they are triggering remarkable quantities of damage. And that damage is what I'm blogging about today. You might believe the damage of altcoins is restricted, or think about those that lose as suckers getting their due. And certainly, there's some quantity of range that's healthy to avoid their shenanigans. Still, there's a great deal of civilian casualties from their actions and it is because of that we need to make the argument versus altcoins. There have actually been numerous arguments versus altcoins. They do not offer anything from a technical viewpoint. They're awful properties from a financial investment viewpoint. They're piss-poor from a security viewpoint. We look often at their shenanigans in cold blood and even tease their numerous apparent failures, however to truly encourage individuals of the futility of altcoins, we need to argue at another level. We need to make the ethical case versus altcoins. In this post, I will discuss how altcoins restrain Bitcoin adoption, damage worth and produce dreadful practices. In other words, I will describe how altcoins are unquestionably unethical. Altcoiners Are Rent Seekers The confusion that the majority of people have when they find out about Bitcoin is based upon this concept that altcoins are "comparable" to Bitcoin or that they're even in the very same classification. This confusion is reasonable. Media companies swelling Bitcoin and altcoins into the exact same classification of "crypto," however more notably, investor (VCs) and altcoin creators benefit immensely from altcoins' association with Bitcoin. The cost increase of Bitcoin and its long history of security offer authenticity to the whole classification. As an outcome, VCs and altcoin creators have a strong reward to associate altcoins with Bitcoin. Naturally, it's well near difficult to copy the primary home that makes Bitcoin intriguing, which is decentralization. And likewise, it's really hard to value-capture and get abundant without being a relied on 3rd party in the center, so they comprise this fiction that they're "pursuing decentralization." Of course, even if they might include decentralization, which they do not understand how to do, they do not wish to do it since that would indicate they no longer would have the ability to benefit from the job. Still, they maintain this fiction about decentralization being a spectrum which in some way, they're not in the middle, taking worth. The fiction of decentralization, or being decentralized in name just (DINO) serves 2 functions which expose their lease looking for. First, it associates

them with Bitcoin, which legitimizes their job in the eyes of the general public, or a minimum of to the level that Bitcoin is genuine. The halo result of Bitcoin is utilized for marketing. The halo result offers their coin a totally unjust craze. They are making shallow copies and offering them as the genuine thing. Second, it discharges them of any duty ought to anything fail. Altcoins are the best rent-seeking task. They are all income with no of the obligation. Their token sale terms are quite specific about this truth however couple of individuals read what these unknown legal files state. It's particularly not specified as a security in these files and it's particularly not a share in anything, simply a contribution to the advancement team/centralized celebration that developed the token. These shenanigans are extremely unethical on its face, as it's truly dedicating scams by utilizing Bitcoin's reputation. They're like the knock-off brand names from China which attempt to puzzle the purchaser into believing they're the authentic item. As you may anticipate, this has repercussions for Bitcoin. Impeding Bitcoin Adoption Explaining Bitcoin to normies has actually ended up being 100 x harder since of the muddying of the waters by altcoiners. Altcoins develop all sorts of confusion by stating things like "Decentralization is a spectrum," and "Blockchain innovation has lots of utilize cases." Books like Dan Tapscott's "Blockchain Revolution" and Chris Burniske's "Cryptoassets" provide simply enough information to make blockchain appear like the secret sauce that made Bitcoin effective. Anyone technical that's studied what a blockchain is understands that it's a really limited database and not like anything they explain. As an outcome, just like decentralization, there's a big confusion about the word blockchain. Individuals now are being offered on blockchains with wonderful powers like having the ability to resolve supply chain issues, HIPAA compliance or click scams. Despite the "confirm, do not trust," principles that specifies Bitcoin, altcoiners make it extremely hard for individuals to validate. They rely rather on getting individuals' trust and abusing that trust for their own gain. That trust gets continuously breached with all way of damaged pledges about adoption, advancement and even cost. We get huge catastrophes like LUNA and Bitcoin gets lumped together with the incompetence and dishonesty of altcoiners. Sins Of Fiat Money The truth that there are guarantees at all ought to provide individuals stop briefly. Who's offering a guarantee in an allegedly decentralized system? And what are those guarantees worth? The entire issue with fiat cash is that guarantees to pay later on are conflated with the cash that's readily available now. By providing great deals of pledges, fiat can broaden considerably through theft. It's just when there's a loss of self-confidence in those guarantees that the entire plan collapses in run-away inflation. Altcoins work the exact same method. They are fiat cash total with a reserve bank, financial machinations and control. Altcoins hence acquire all the ethical issues of fiat cash. They take through financial growth, they alter the guidelines without the permission of everybody and produce all way of lease looking for. The financial growth they practice is somewhat various from conventional reserve banks in the sense that there's a huge premine that's launched a bit at a time, however in practice it's really comparable to fiat cash printing. The muddying of the waters has actually had destructive impacts. There are many individuals that might benefit greatly by having the capability to conserve without debasement or theft. Rather, lots of people get captured in the bear trap of altcoins, which is basically degenerate betting. The continuous speculation on various altcoins includes no worth, whereas conserving enables capital build-up. Civilization is developed utilizing capital build-up,

which is stalled due to the fact that a lot of resources are directed towards these ineffective value-destroying tasks. Destruction Of Value The contrast in between Bitcoin and altcoins could not be more plain. On one side, there's a tool to let individuals keep more of the worth they produce with time. On the other is a trap that draws out whatever worth they have in indirect and unknown methods. Bitcoin is based upon confirmation and is therefore a really decentralized cash. Altcoins are based upon trust that is quickly mistreated for the advantage of the VCs. These VCs get altcoins at enormous discount rates and pump the heck out of these things through marketing. They trade on the trust that the general public implicitly provides to exploit them. They make lots of cash since of the discount rate by discarding on retail. And these retail financiers aren't simply in Western nations. The financiers are typically the poorest and most susceptible individuals on the planet. Ripple, for instance, is among the most regularly traded coins in Iran Iranians would benefit greatly with Bitcoin, which lets them conserve and not go through the theft of their reserve bank. Rather, a lot of them are betting. Much like central-bank backed fiat cash, the clear Cantillon winners are the abundant individuals in the West while the poorest see their hard-earned cost savings taken away from them. So much capital, not simply cash, however designer time, marketing, not to point out all the effort took into altcoin trading are entirely squandered rather of being taken into efficient usage. VCs currently have a bad performance history of financial investment, considered that the huge bulk of their financial investments stop working entirely. With altcoins, even their failures wind up rewarding for the VCs. Sadly, many VCs have no qualms about playing the function of altcoin main lenders and do not mind tricking the general public or making use of the bad individuals as long as they make their revenues. Altcoin pumpers are very little various, even if they do not presume as taking part in spend for play. The tradeoff that's being made here is rely on exchange for cash. Multi-level marketing plans make the very same tradeoff, in which individual relationships are leveraged to offer things that the purchaser would not typically purchase. Still, a minimum of with multi-level marketing, there's some item that individuals get, whether it be some food or vitamins or clothes. With altcoins, there's absolutely nothing offered and it's as pure an exploitation of trust as can be. Destruction Of Virtue Altcoins benefit from one of the most standard impulses of individuals, which are to get free ride. Individuals naturally wish to do the least quantity of work for the most amount of cash. In the present system, the positions that individuals desire are precisely that. Financial investment lender, fund supervisor, investor, and so on. These are what we would call rent-seeking positions due to the fact that these individuals tax deals without supplying any worth. They are leeches on society and sadly most tasks today have some rent-seeking element in them. A system that lets individuals lease look for is an ethically lacking system. Lease looking for is a type of taking. Altcoins offer individuals the chance to lease look for, offered you can get individuals to trust you. Cynically, you can call altcoins a method to generate income from trust. Sadly, a lot of individuals pursue rent-seeking positions and do not recognize they're damaging worth. Think of all the time, labor and effort took into altcoins versus the relative worth that it's supplied to individuals. This is an enormous waste that eventually lowers built up capital, consisting of trust. Altcoins irritate the high-time-preference habits that began with fiat cash. You can not prepare with fiat cash due to the fact that the guidelines alter all the time. Altcoins have the very same issue. The guidelines can and do alter continuously.

This is why trading is such a huge part of the altcoin community. You require to get in and out prior to the guidelines alter. Attacking Bitcoin Altcoiners are not just sowing confusion and co-opting Bitcoin's authenticity, however they actively assault Bitcoin. They assert that proof-of-work is bad since it utilizes too much energy. This is an oblivious technical declarati on and an unwarranted ethical assertion as I've described prior to, however has an impact on individuals that do not comprehend energy production. They likewise assert mining is centralized. They puzzle mining operators with mining swimming pools and leave out the reality that users can eventually act to reject a bad-faith block. Similar to a political leader captured accepting an allurement blaming the reporter for having bad ethical requirements, this assertion is a method to deflect from the reality that altcoins are entirely centralized. There are much more such assertions, such as that wealth circulation is "unreasonable" in some method or that Bitcoiners are poisonous. These are all methods to include worry, unpredictability and doubt to Bitcoin and to make the altcoin look much better in contrast. Altcoiners usage FUD as a method to get individuals thinking about their altcoin from which they can lease look for. They're attempting to get individuals to consume mercury rather of water by mentioning the negatives of water. Destroying Altcoins Altcoins are a cesspool of theft, cronyism and rent-seeking. Altcoins construct themselves up on the track record that Bitcoin has actually striven to obtain. They improve the VCs and altcoin pumpers at the cost of the bad and susceptible and irritate the high-time-preference habits of the fiat system. They avoid the adoption of Bitcoin by their very presence and make use of the very individuals that Bitcoin might assist. In other words, altcoins are wicked. Sadly, the mindset of altcoiners is that stating advantages about Bitcoin suffices to offset their altcoin vice. They believe that owning Bitcoin implies they can pump altcoins to their heart's material. That's not how morals work. Doing the right and advantage is anticipated. Doing even one incorrect or bad thing is something you need to respond to for. Altcoins delenda est. Top Ten Rationalizations By Altcoiners A premine for altcoin creators is completely constant with a decentralized, leader-less system. Adding a designer tax is completely not theft of worth from everybody else that owns the coin. A Turing total wise agreement completely will not have any bugs, particularly if somebody informs me so. Who has time to validate, anyhow? My drooling chimp DB row classification deserves method more than a patent or a copyright. The influencer who's making money by cryptocurrency business is completely credible. Even when the creator states 2 inconsistent things, he's entirely appropriate both times and anybody that states otherwise is simply a hater. We can absolutely elect the cash we choose and they will not undergo the laws of economics. The individuals at first offering tokens and making all the choices are absolutely not the main single point of failure. The laws of economics do not use and the marketplace cap of my token is completely going to be $500 trillion. Information security absolutely does not matter given that nobody's going to be doing anything bad with all the power they have. This is a visitor post by Jimmy Song. Viewpoints revealed are completely their own and do not always show those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine. Read More

[xtruss]

Johnson's Grip on Power Floundering

— Liu Rui | July 06, 2022

UK is Putting Itself in an Awkward Position: Global Times Editorial

— Global Times | July 05, 2022

UK US relations Illustration: Liu Rui/Global Times

Things have taken a turn one year after a Chinese company reached a deal with the UK side to buy Newport Wafer Fab, a lesser-known microchip factory. After the US opposed the acquisition, the British government launched a new national security review. According to media reports, Washington, especially the US Congress, will exert "strong pressure" to block the deal. The conclusion of the new security review is about to be released, which reportedly "could lead to the cancellation of the deal."

In our view, the whole process is very much like the US forcing the UK to swallow a bitter fruit. This is because it clearly violates international business rules to interfere in mutually beneficial, compliant, and lawful business collaboration between other countries. And it is evident that the cancellation is bound to cause damage to UK's interests and credibility. However, the British government didn't dare to raise objections in the face of such an overbearing and illegal act of Washington. Instead, it appears as if it is obsequious to make a complaint and as if it wants to reject the US but still acts welcoming. This shows that something has gone wrong in London's mentality and spirit toward China.

It should be pointed out that such an abnormality is not an isolated case: It is typical today in the US and the West. In the words of the BBC, this shows a "confusing" state in the UK's China policy.

Even the British have to admit that Newport Wafer Fab, although "the UK's largest semiconductor manufacturing facility," is already outdated "old technology." The plant can manufacture 200nm wafer chips, far behind the world's most advanced 3nm process. It does not involve any intelligence in the defense industry or highly sensitive technology, so there is no so-called national security risk. Washington and some in the UK are making a big deal out of "security," proving their mindset about China has reached a severe level of craziness and blindness.

A Chinese company wants to acquire this chip factory because the combination of both sides can produce a win-win effect in the business, as they complement each other in terms of products and markets. It is extremely ridiculous and narrow-minded for some to assume that the acquisition will help the development or even the rise of China's semiconductor industry.

Before the Chinese takeover, the British microchip factory was heavily indebted. In other words, it was not a sought-after target, but an ordinary enterprise in trouble and waiting to be rescued. Thanks to the division of labor in economic globalization, investment from China has given it a new life, but the "national security review" is cutting off its life. An employee told the British media pessimistically: "The future wasn't looking very bright." As economic issues are being hyped as security and political ones, the victims are well beyond the more than 450 employees of this factory.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his parliamentary testimony last year about the takeover that he did not want to drive Chinese investment away from Britain because of the "anti-China spirit." Johnson also assigned his national security adviser to conduct a security review, concluding in April that there were not enough security issues in the takeover and "the UK government will not intervene." But it was soon compromised under pressure from Washington, and the UK launched a new investigation. Regrettably, Britain's rational and pragmatic attitude toward China has been losing ground under the attack of anti-China forces in the UK and Washington. The UK is placing itself in an awkward and imbalanced position.

The BBC said in the report that this case has raised a bigger question for many British - what is the government's over-arching China strategy? How far does it balance Chinese investment with security risks? It is not difficult to see that these are profound doubts about the current "confusing" China policy of the UK. When the biggest consideration in formulating a China policy gradually shifts from the vital interests of British nationals to illusory ideology or imaginary security risks, or even Washington's opinions, more and more British people or enterprises will feel the unwarranted pain.

As far as this takeover is concerned, 10 Downing Street may still be weighing the final decision. If it still succumbs to irrational and discriminatory demands, it needs to at least apologize to the British employees innocently involved and prepare to compensate the Chinese enterprise. This can probably retrieve the minimum level of Britain's dignity.