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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year ago

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The CFPB is genuinely making America better, and they're going HARD

On June 20, I'm keynoting the LOCUS AWARDS in OAKLAND.

Let's take a sec here and notice something genuinely great happening in the US government: the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau's stunning, unbroken streak of major, muscular victories over the forces of corporate corruption, with the backing of the Supreme Court (yes, that Supreme Court), and which is only speeding up!

A little background. The CFPB was created in 2010. It was Elizabeth Warren's brainchild, an institution that was supposed to regulate finance from the perspective of the American public, not the American finance sector. Rather than fighting to "stabilize" the financial sector (the mission that led to Obama taking his advisor Timothy Geithner's advice to permit the foreclosure crisis to continue in order to "foam the runways" for the banks), the Bureau would fight to defend us from bankers.

The CFPB got off to a rocky start, with challenges to the unique system of long-term leadership appointments meant to depoliticize the office, as well as the sudden resignation of its inaugural boss, who broke his promise to see his term through in order to launch an unsuccessful bid for political office.

But after the 2020 election, the Bureau came into its own, when Biden poached Rohit Chopra from the FTC and put him in charge. Chopra went on a tear, taking on landlords who violated the covid eviction moratorium:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/20/euthanize-rentier-enablers/#cfpb

Then banning payday lenders' scummiest tactics:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/29/planned-obsolescence/#academic-fraud

Then striking at one of fintech's most predatory grifts, the "earned wage access" hustle:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/01/usury/#tech-exceptionalism

Then closing the loophole that let credit reporting bureaus (like Equifax, who doxed every single American in a spectacular 2019 breach) avoid regulation by creating data brokerage divisions and claiming they weren't part of the regulated activity of credit reporting:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does

Chopra went on to promise to ban data-brokers altogether:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/13/goulash/#material-misstatement

Then he banned comparison shopping sites where you go to find the best bank accounts and credit cards from accepting bribes and putting more expensive options at the top of the list. Instead, he's requiring banks to send the CFPB regular, accurate lists of all their charges, and standing up a federal operated comparison shopping site that gives only accurate and honest rankings. Finally, he's made an interoperability rule requiring banks to let you transfer to another institution with one click, just like you change phone carriers. That means you can search an honest site to find the best deal on your banking, and then, with a single click, transfer your accounts, your account history, your payees, and all your other banking data to that new bank:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/21/let-my-dollars-go/#personal-financial-data-rights

Somewhere in there, big business got scared. They cooked up a legal theory declaring the CFPB's funding mechanism to be unconstitutional and got the case fast-tracked to the Supreme Court, in a bid to put Chopra and the CFPB permanently out of business. Instead, the Supremes – these Supremes! – upheld the CFPB's funding mechanism in a 7-2 ruling:

https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/05/supreme-court-lets-cfpb-funding-stand/

That ruling was a starter pistol for Chopra and the Bureau. Maybe it seemed like they were taking big swings before, but it turns out all that was just a warmup. Last week on The American Prospect, Robert Kuttner rounded up all the stuff the Bureau is kicking off:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-06-07-window-on-corporate-deceptions/

First: regulating Buy Now, Pay Later companies (think: Klarna) as credit-card companies, with all the requirements for disclosure and interest rate caps dictated by the Truth In Lending Act:

https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2024/06/cfpb-applies-credit-card-rules

Next: creating a registry of habitual corporate criminals. This rogues gallery will make it harder for other agencies – like the DOJ – and state Attorneys General to offer bullshit "delayed prosecution agreements" to companies that compulsively rip us off:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-creates-registry-to-detect-corporate-repeat-offenders/

Then there's the rule against "fine print deception" – which is when the fine print in a contract lies to you about your rights, like when a mortgage lender forces you waive a right you can't actually waive, or car lenders that make you waive your bankruptcy rights, which, again, you can't waive:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-warns-against-deception-in-contract-fine-print/

As Kuttner writes, the common thread running through all these orders is that they ban deceptive practices – they make it illegal for companies to steal from us by lying to us. Especially in these dying days of class action suits – rapidly becoming obsolete thanks to "mandatory arbitration waivers" that make you sign away your right to join a class action – agencies like the CFPB are our only hope of punishing companies that lie to us to steal from us.

There's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world right now, and much of it – including an active genocide – is coming from the Biden White House.

But there are people in the Biden Administration who care about the American people and who are effective and committed fighters who have our back. What's more, they're winning. That doesn't make all the bad news go away, but sometimes it feels good to take a moment and take the W.

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism

#pluralistic #cfpb #consumer finance protection board #rohit chopra #scotus #bnpl #buy now pay later #repeat corporate offenders #fine print deception #whistleblowing #elizabeth warren

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kirbyoctournament · 6 months ago

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Hello again all! After the riveting finale of last year's tournament, we've spent a few months collecting a selection of fun stats into our final 2024 Tournament Review!

From which participant had the most propaganda posted, to the total number of votes cast across the event, to which canon Kirby species was most represented, we hope you'll enjoy this send-off for the 2024 tourney!!

. · ͙ * ̩̩͙˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩̥͙ ✩ * ̩̩̥͙ ˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩͙ ‧ ͙ . . · ͙ * ̩̩͙˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩̥͙ ✩ * ̩̩̥͙ ˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩͙ ‧ ͙ .

★ POLLS WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTES a selection of the highest performing polls that attracted the most public attention

Mama D vs J: 848 votes

★ Dawn vs Starry Dee: 749 votes ★ Fylass vs Clark: 741 votes ★ Astro vs Noir Fontaine vs Techie: 592 votes ★ Sir Meteor vs Life: 554 votes

★ CHARACTERS WITH THE MOST PROPAGANDA characters who had the most propaganda posts for them, either from their own creator or from other artists

Fecto Flora 155 posts

★ Valfrey 112 posts ★ Sir Uther 108 posts ★ Noir Fontaine 98 posts ★ Dotty 95 posts

After applications closed at the end of April, the tournament ran from May 10th, 2024 to October 28th, 2024, just a few days shy of six months! During this time...

★ 143 competitors joined the tournament and made friends ★ 1,813 Propaganda posts were made by the community supporting those competitors, and reblogged to the @kirbyoctournament blog ★ 202 polls were made pitting your favorites against each other ★ across those polls, 43,165 votes were cast ★ and of all these, winners starstruck dee and Rope MF received 1179 votes and 699 votes respectively over the course of the event

★ RANDOM STATS

★ 36% (52) of entered OCs were of the "orb" species, with 33 of those taking up the mantle of "knight" specifically. far and away the most represented species ★ Waddle dees were the next most common entrant, with 17 OCs. ★ Ripple Fairies were the least showcased non common-enemy/custom species type, with only a single representative! ★ Of all OC names, "S" was the most common initial at 16 OCs, a statistic we do feel is influenced by the frequency of "sir" before names. Removing those, it was the letter "A", with 13. ★ The least successful initial was the letter "J", with all but one of their 4 representatives (75%) falling in the first round.

★ PROPAGANDA WITH THE MOST CHARACTERS INCLUDED most tournament characters included in a single piece (or single series) of propaganda

★ Tournament OCs Part One and Part Two by @ivynajspyder with a total of 60 competitors

★ 55 competitors Havent You Noticed I'm A Star? by @giantchasm ★ 29 competitors and 2 non competitors (total 31 characters) Congrats To Fecto Flora! by @ceoofmetagala ★ And an honorable mention with 13 competitors and 15 non competitors (total 28 characters), Stargate Commemorative Piece, by @moonverc3x

During the tournament, creators and fans of all kinds arrived to showcase their best skills in support of their own ocs, their friends, and even brand new favorite characters they had found. While it's of course impossible to pick just one stand out piece -and we strongly recommend you check our full propaganda tag to see many more of these incredible works- here are some notable and unique highlights suggested by the Kirby OC Tourney community!

★ Propaganda Hijack; Music cover by @boa35 ★ Vote Dotty; by @cauliarty ★ Vote Flora; by @metagalacafe ★ Valfrey icon; by @gethoce ★ Friendly Talk; by @sacrificecage

★ Dont Stop Rope MF Now; Animated music video by @mint-termsandconditions ★ Just another Astral; by @aseuki ★ Tea Time; by @quanblovk ★ Nighty Knight Mod; by @windstriker427 ★ Tournament armours; by @rosiegardenlove

★ Havent You Noticed I'm A Star; Animated music video by @giantchasm ★ Motifs and Symbols; by @kirbybecomesastarwarrior ★ Surprise propaganda; by @poppybros-jr ★ Go Life!; by @shippyo ★ Not In The Lead; by @hnm-tech-support

★ Noir's Field Trip; Masterpost of art, comics and asks by @desultory-novice ★ Space battle; by @pinkestmenace ★ Only In Passing; by @what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me ★ Wolfbell's Illustrated Roleplays; by @zombiecicada ★ Not Over yet; by @a-stardusted-sky

. · ͙ * ̩̩͙˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩̥͙ ✩ * ̩̩̥͙ ˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩͙ ‧ ͙ . . · ͙ * ̩̩͙˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩̥͙ ✩ * ̩̩̥͙ ˚ ̩̥̩̥ * ̩̩͙ ‧ ͙ .

And with this, we officially conclude the 2024 Kirby OC Tournament event!

Over the next few days we will reblog a few final propaganda posts we received notifications for since October. We also have a new pinned post with an FAQ regarding the tournament and when things may be picked up next!

Thank you for coming along on the ride with us, for sharing your creativity and supporting OCs, and for helping us to make this into a wonderful and enriching community event!

See you around!

#kirby oc #kirby oc tournament #wrap up post

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gremlin-girly · 10 months ago

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Kinktober 2024 Masterlist

Hello lovelies, Grem here.

This is an 18+ blog anyway but it goes without saying that ageless blogs will be blocked and Minors DO NOT INTERACT.

18+ and mdni banners in these fics are by @/cafekitsune and dividers are by @/saradika-graphics just in case I missed them in my haste to post the fics!

As with the Flufftober 2024 Masterlist (which can be found here), I have listed the prompts by week and will try to update them regularly.

Eventually this will be on my main Masterlist and- once again - some of these elicited more than one part or more than one idea, so I do hope to share the continuations/alternates at some point!

I try to tag my work as best as I can but the warnings are non-exhaustive. I am not responsible for the content you consume!

Week 1

Day 1: Scratching

Main Kink(s): Scratching Pairing: Johnny Storm x f!Reader warnings: SMUT, dom!reader (kinda?), sub!johnny, P in V (wrap it folks!), oral (f recieving), multiple orgasm, Creampie, scratching, lovebites

distant!reader, not much aftercare on reader's part (that’s a warning), I wasn’t kidding when I said you don’t like him haha summary: You’ve met Johnny Storm a handful of times but enough to know one thing: you hate him. His smugness, his attitude, his everything. Well… almost everything word count: 3.2k

Day 2: Office Sex

Main Kink(s): office sex Pairing: IT Tech! Jake Jensen X f!PA!Reader Tags/Warnings: SMUT, office sex, sex on a desk, p-in-v, squirting, creampie, reverse cowgirl, riding, vaginal fingering (brief), sex to relax, massage, Jake being a dork, pet names (baby), sweet ending Summary: You hate your boss and hate filing work for him when he’s out gallivanting so when your IT kit breaks and you summon IT to the devil’s den that is your boss’ office you can’t help but take the opportunity you’ve been given with your office crush. Word Count: 3.5k

Day 3: Cock/Clit warming

Main Kink(s): clit/cockwarming, threesome/throuple (mmf) Pairing: 30s!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader X 30s!Steve Rogers Tags/Warnings: SMUT, threesome (mmf), established throuple, cockwarming, clit warming, oral (f recieving), praise, squirting, multiple orgasm, p in v, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it folks), creampie, pet names (doll, sweetheart) Summary: Your boyfriends know how to make you feel adored after a busy day at work - just as you know how to take care of them. Word count: 1.2k

Day 4: CNC

Title: Dark Fantasy Meets Reality Pairing: Lloyd Hansen (The Gray Man) x f!Reader Kink: CNC Tags/ Warnings: SMUT, CNC, hair pulling, rough sex, pet names (sweetheart, pretty girl, sunshine), praise (good girl), man-handling, bondage (zipties), p-in-v (wrap it before you tap it), cream pie, choking/breath play, panties and fingers in mouth, vaginal fingering, Lloyd Hansen (He is most DEFINITELY a warning) Summary: You find a place on the Web where you can spell out your sexual desires with no judgement and maybe even hire some help... Word Count: 2.1k

Day 5: Discipline/Dominance/Facefucking Main Kink(s): Discipline, dominance, face fucking, spanking Pairing: Dom!Zemo x f!Sub!Reader Tags/Warnings: SMUT, Discipline, dominance, face fucking, oral (m receiving), dubcon at the start but it's consensual overall, spanking, vaginal fingering, edging/denied orgasm, gagging/choking, drooling, cum swallowing, pet names (draga, sweets, good girl), use of titles (baron/sir), hair pulling, praise Summary: After annoying your lover all day, he takes his time to teach you a lesson you won’t forget. Word Count: 1.9k Day 6: Handjobs Kink: Handjobs Pairing: Room mate!Steve Rogers x f!Room mate! Reader Tags/ Warnings: SMUT, room mates to lovers (ig?), listening/watching of porn, JOI porn, smutty audiobook mentioned, descriptions of masturbation (m and f), praise and petnames (good boy, baby, sweetheart), handjob (m recieving), soft!dom!reader X submissive!Steve (the man just needs some taking care of)

Summary: Your roommate forgets to disconnect his Bluetooth headphones from his phone, leading to an embarrassing moment between you both that segues into something more. Word Count: 2.9k

Week 2

Day 7: Macrophilia Title: The Perfect Jotunn Bride Kink: Macrophilia Pairing: Frost Giant! Loki x f!Asgardian!Reader Tags/ Warnings: SMUT, macrophilia, temperature play (Frost Giant skin), descriptions of violence (not toward reader), arranged/forced marriage, dubcon, mean!Loki (he should just be a warning anyway), knife play (brief), corset, struggling to breathe (bc of the corset), nipple/breast play, thigh riding, teasing, biting/marking, pet names (see below author's note), squirting, vaginal fingering

Summary: Your Husband, the Frost Giant Prince Loki, has come back from battle and expects to see his bride. Word Count: 3.1k

Part 2 is day 19

Day 8: Primal/ Hunter x Prey Kink: primal / hunter x prey Pairing: Halsin x f!druid!reader Tags/warnings: SMUT, hunter/prey dynamics, ik bears don’t hunt deer but hey its for the plot, but what plot really?, being tracked/chased, no one stays as animals!!!, p in V, forest sex (just on the floor), biting(marking), doggy style, multiple orgasm, size kink if you squint

Summary: As a young druid you don’t heed the warnings of shifting to wildshape at night, believing that the animals in the wild forest would be easy to handle. But an encounter with a large brown bear sets in motion an unforgettable night under the tree canopy. Word Count: 1.7k

Day 9: Somnophilia Pairing: Bucky Barnes x f!reader Tags/Warnings: SMUT, Somnophilia, established relationship, petnames (doll, baby), p-in-v, f masterbation (brief), vaginal fingering, creampie, sex dreams (not in depth but mentioned)

Summary: You always tell Bucky to wake you up when he comes back from missions but you never specified how. Word Count: 1.6k

Day 10: Morning Sex Pairing: room mate! Steve Rogers x room mate! f!reader Tags/warnings: SMUT, p in v, creampie, morning sex, clit play, breast play, also sweet and fluffy :)

Summary: Waking up next to Steve leads to some pretty exciting morning antics, leaving you wondering what took you so long to act on your feelings sooner. Word Count: 1.6k Part 2 to Day 6

Day 11: Enemies AND lovers / Manhandling Pairing: Steve Rogers/Captain America x Villain!f!Reader warnings: SMUT, p-in-v, mahandling, a smidge of fluff, praise + pet names (good girl), mentions of rough sex, biting/marking, a little bit of a confession if you squint, creampie

summary: You and Steve have played this game before; you go about your hero/villain duties and then in the dark of the night you scratch the itch that only the other can soothe. However, this time it's a slightly different. Word Count: 2.6k

Day 12: Competence Pairing: Yelena Belova x f!reader Tags/Warnings: SMUT, competence kink, established relationship, Yelena (she’s a warning), vaginal fingering, light teasing/taunting, pet names (darling, honey), sexual frustration/orgasm denial

Summary: Your very attractive super spy girlfriend distracts you whilst you wait for your taxi. Word Count: 1.2k

Day 13: Handcuffs Pairing: Lee Bodecker x F!Reader Warnings/Tags: SMUT, masturbation (f and m descriptions), authority/power kink, dubcon (a little), alcohol consumption, semi-public sex, handcuffs, dirty talk, brattiness (a hint), pet names (sugar/good girl/sweetheart)

Summary: After stumbling out of a bar drunk, you get picked up by the local deputy and make his night a little more interesting. Word count: 1.1k

Week 3

Day 14: Spreader Bar (BDSM) Pairing: Roommate Bucky x f! Roommate Reader Tags/Warnings: SMUT, compromising situations, spreader bar, dubcon (barely), mutual pining/lusting, vaginal fingering, creampie, p-in-v (wrap it!!!), dirty talk, pet names (doll/sweetheart/dirty girl/babydoll), roomates to lovers

Summary: You get stuck in a compromising position but thankfully your very helpful roomie is able to "help". Word count: 2.6 k

Day 15: Costumes/photos (Happy Halloween!!) Alt: Honey Bunny Pairing: Jake Jensen x f!Reader Warnings: SMUT, MDNI, p-in-v (wrap it folks!), quickie sex (in costume lmao),photos and videos (consensual), cowgirl 🤠, Jake being Jake, grinding, lipstick marking, slightly dom reader? (I don't really know where it came from either to be honest), pet names (honey, honey bunny, baby)

Summary: You surprise your boyfriend with your costume at Aisha's Halloween party - a costume he's been waiting all month to see. Word count: 2.7k

Day 16: Role Play Pairing: Dean Winchester x f!Reader warnings: SMUT, roleplay (doctor and patient), fingering (f receiving), oral (f receiving), dirty talk, would 10000% be medical malpractice, improper use of a stethoscope, established relationship, 20000% cheesy, laughing during sex (not in a kinky or mean way just bc Dean almost ruins the moment haha), not beta'd

summary: You and Dean introduce roleplay to the bedroom to try out one of his fantasies. Dr Sexy is in the house Word Count:

Day 17: Blowjobs / Milf Pairing: Jake Jensen x f!reader (MILF reader) Tags/warnings: SMUT, mentions of spousal death (brief), blow jobs, oral (m receiving), cum swallowing, drooling, deep throating

Summary: Feeling confident for the first time in a long time, you manage to render the so-called "plumber" speechless in more than one way. Word Count: 2.4k

Day 18 : Shower Sex Pairing: Personal Trainer! Bucky x Curvy!female reader Tags/warnings: SMUT, semi-public sex, shower sex (slippery), self-consciousness, mentions of cellulite/stretch marks, a smidge of fluff bc I can't resist, vaginal fingering, unprotected p in v (wrap it!!), pet names (doll, baby), praise

Summary: You are a newbie to a gym and one of the regulars takes a liking to you and offers to help you on your gym journey. However, you notice that he's a lot more hands on than other trainers at the gym Word count: 2.9k

Day 19: Praise/Breeding (Jotunn Bride part 2) Frost Giant Loki x Asgardian!f!reader Tags/warnings: SMUT, macrophilia (bc he's still a giant), overstimulation, vaginal fingering, p in v, creampie, breeding kink, no beta, Loki (he's a warning), slight dub con, praise (good girl), Spitting, monster fucking (ig), monster cock, stomach bulge, multiple orgasm,

Summary: Following the night of your husband’s return, Loki finds your notes on the Jotun language and introduces you to a new way of studying. Word Count: 1.9k

Day 20: Overstimulation Pairing: Lance Tucker x f!reader Tags/warnings: SMUT, CNC (you say "no" to cumming but dont mean it), use of toys (vibe, f recieving), vaginal fingering, being tied to the bed (restraints), forced orgasm, multiple orgasm, overstimulation, squirting, crying/dacryphilia, begging, pet names (baby, princess, good girl), p-in-v, dumbification if you squint, mentions of a safe word (you have one but don't use it), BDSM (for the restraints)

Summary: Being tied down always has it's perks... Word Count: 693 words

Week 4

Day 21: Body Worship Pairing: Lloyd Hansen x f!reader (established relationship) Warnings/tags: SMUT, insecurities, talk of weight/stretch marks/body rolls (all beautiful and sexy might I add), crying (not during sex!!), use of pet names (pumpkin, sweetness, goddess, baby, princess, sugar plum - i tried catching all of them lmao), breast/nipple play, oral (f recieving), squirting, thigh fucking (brief), mentions of tit fucking, p-in-v (unprotected - wrap it before you tap it!), slight tummy bulge, creampie, hint of possessiveness (it's Lloyd), allusions to punishment :)

Summary: Feeling a little self-conscious, your boyfriend decides to show you just how much he loves your body. Word count: 2k

Day 22: Clothes Pairing: Ransom Drysdale f!reader (established relationship) Tags/Warnings: SMUT, MDNI, established relationship, vaginal sex/ p-in-v, chasing, spitting, creampie, possessiveness (barely there), mentions of female masterbation (brief), quickie

Summary: Your boyfriend comes home early from a work trip to find you've stolen his sweater... again

Word Count: 1k

Day 23: Pussy Eating Pairing: Ari Levinson x f!reader tags/warnings: SMUT, oral (f recieving), face sitting, p in v, creampie, showersex, cockwarming.

Summary: what do your and Ari's weekends look like? Word Count: 283

Day 24: Free Use Pairing: Ransom Drysdale f!reader (established relationship) Tags/warnings: SMUT, free use, groping, p-in-v (wrap it!), established relationship, vaginal fingering, pet names (baby), degradation (slut/whore), brattiness, brat taming (a little), rough sex

Summary: You and Ran have a deal; he gets to have you whenever and wherever he wants. Word count: 555

Day 25: Drunk Sex Pairing: Curtis Everett x f!reader Tags/Warnings: SMUT, MDNI, drunk sex, alcohol consumption, p-in-v, creampie, unprotected sex, rough-ish sex, pussy eating/cunnilingus/face sitting mention, oral (f recieving), quickie (sorta)

Summary: You meet a guy at a bar and take him home. Word Count: 461

Day 26: Masks Pairing: The Winter Soldier x f!reader Tags/warnings: SMUT, DARK, non-con/cnc/dub con, masks, dark!Winter Soldier/ Dark!Bucky, rough sex, p-in-v (wrap it!!!), creampie, hair pulling, fingers in mouth, big dick (bc of course), crying, pleading, zip tied hands, spit, basement wife vibes at the end This fic has DARK elements as tagged above. Please read at your own risk - I do not control the content you consume but I have warned you.

Summary: When a stranger breaks in to your apartment, you get a whole lot more than you bargain for. Word Count: 1.4k

Day 27: Sex Pollen / Threesome Pairing: Bucky x f!reader x Steve (Stucky x Reader) Tags/warnings: SMUT, threesome (mmf), sex pollen, sorta dub con, spit roasting, dirty talk, praise (good girl), a hint of voyeurism (Steve just stands there lmao - he's in shock but still enjoys the view), creampie, oral (m recieving), hair pulling (slight), sex pollen(for Bucky), p in v (wrap it!!), multiple orgasms, vaginal fingering, cum eating, facial, light choking

Summary: After getting the "flu" on a mission, Steve sends Bucky home. You being the good friend you are, stop by to offer a helping hand - only to get more than you bargain for. When Steve realises what Bucky's been exposed to, he rushes back to the apartment to find you both...

Word count: 2.8k

Day 28: Massage Pairing: masseuse!Ari Levinson x f!reader Tags/warnings: SMUT, breast/nipple play, clit play/teasing, vaginal fingering, massage, improper use of massage oil lmao (pls read labels before use), voice kink, talking you through it, fully clothed vs partially clothed, praise kink, praise (good girl), petnames (sweetheart, baby) happy ending 😉

Week 5

Day 29: Make Up Sex Pairing: Dean Winchester x f!reader (established relationship)

Day 30: Cowgirl Alt. Title: Sick Day Pairing: Steve Rogers x f!reader

Day 31: Spitting Pairing: Dom!f!Reader x Sub!Johnny Storm (sequel to day 1!)

#kinktober #kinktober 2024 #kinktober masterlist #gremlin girly writes

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steve0discusses · 4 months ago

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S5 Part 51: Name Stuff

Hello, I did not die! Though don’t get me wrong, a mix of lingering long covid that gets me the flu every other week (I think I’ve had the flu well over 30 times last year, it’s been nuts) as well as other life obligations took me away from the blog for a bit. Which, I know, is a grand sweeping understatement for how long it's been.

But, what better balm than to discuss an old anime my bro and I finished like over a year ago and I’m only remembering distantly, like fondly revisiting high school. Except I’ll be real I did not go to my high school reunions. But revisit Yugioh? Of course I will!

In my absence, my computer died, and I had to move everything. A lot of files were corrupted, but mysteriously, not Yugioh. My computer destroyed hours and hours of client work and maybe hundreds of hours of personal project work and etc that I actually needed for a deadline, but it didn’t touch my Yugioh files because it knows better. lmao.

So while my memory is shady at best, last we left off, Yami had just been slammed dunked by the Kaiju that is Bakura that also has an appendage shaped like a dragon on a phallus. It was embarrassing for everyone.

So Yugi and company appeared, having just recently dug through the tomb that has Yami’s name and the ability to stick Zorc back whence he came.

You may wonder, if it took like 12 weeks to get to that tomb, how are we just flying through the air back to the capital? And the answer is because they spent most of that 12 weeks like barely moving around the city. It was, in fact, the racist genie who flew them there. Flying is just hellllllla efficient in Egypt geography. Don't worry about it.

Zorc/Bakura threatens them with these horse guys. Which like, I have to credit the animation team, that is a lot of animated horses in one frame, I would also reuse this clip of horses running like 8 times in a season.

Unless these horses got wings, give your hands a break and don’t draw (counts them) my god, there’s 6 horses here.

This is such a season of excessive extravagance except where you actually need it. Which…is a lot of media in this era (looking at you, Kingdom Hearts) so I just have to accept these horses in plate mail that were done on company time, while the whirlwind whiplash of Yami’s ending of this season is just kinda left there hanging.

Yeah we’re gonna talk about that ending. Don’t worry this is the episode where I can finally start talking about the dead as hell and only getting deader elephant in the room. (I can’t believe he freakin died lmao what the hell, Yugioh.)

With the power of manifesting their thoughts into reality, they will play cards. Because that’s how these kids know how to communicate and solve all of their problems.

2004 Rachel would have said, if I had the power to use the last magical vestiges of the world as we know it to make whatever with a string of words, I would do something way more impressive than play a card game I can just do with physical cards.

But 2024 Rachel knows all about how, when we finally had the technology to spit images together from a prompt, we immediately used it to break copyright law and ruin the ability to thrive and compete in the art industry so Rachel had to pull a new career out of her ass. No fun allowed. No creativity allowed. Only fake promises to encourage angel investors to get scammed of all their dollars before the technology eventually bursts its own bubble and disappears from relevance when not enough people actually use it.

So really, Seto Kaiba using the power of prompts to play cards means he’s the only venture capitalist to have ever existed that has done some actual creativity using AI-like tech. Sure it's database is unethical because it is made out of the souls of an entire city, but he would have at least turned that AI into a dragon he already owns full copyright of (because hell we know all about how well he paid Pegasus for the right to that art) and he would have used it to fight Zorc, just as god(s) intended.

Wow none of that rant made sense. I’ll delete it later. (jk, I won’t, I really need to post this thing)

Fueled with the power of “I don’t want to admit to Pharaoh that I’m illiterate,” Yugi fights Zorc with all he’s got.

Relatable. I forgot how relatable this kid is.

Does Yugi ever realize he’s murdering the Bakura he's known a majority of this show? I…I don’t remember. Probably? Yugi probably knows, but is also like "there's enough doubt to ethically continue this fight"

They scoop up Yami, and today’s designated prone body carrier is:

Joey!

Good choice.

Their reaction to “Seto is here in this imaginary magical mind maze.” Is a lot of “Huh. Not even remotely surprised.”

I have a friend who has this thing about always wanting to go inside places she’s not allowed into. She even decided to take magic lessons from the Magic Castle. Why? Because she wants to go IN THERE. Seto is basically that friend. Except everything but taking magic lessons because he does not believe in magic or enjoy magic in any way (despite being a very competent wizard). We all have a friend who just appears in random places like Seto.

Faced with the ironic problem that has plagued them for over 5 seasons, They decide to use the airport cartouche that you may not remember from like 2 years ago when I wrote that episode. But once upon a time, Tea gave Yami a Girlfriend Gift, and so with the power of Vague Girlfriend, she’s gonna save his ass.

Seto realizes that despite everything, he is still here, and somehow despite all of that, Yugi is still getting his ass beaten by whatever the monster of the week is.

I’m also not 100% if Seto is aware that this monster is actually the ghost that lived in Bakura, his old classmate from that school Seto never graduated from, and his old classmate that once stabbed himself in the arm and then walked directly into his blimp to ruin his blimp party.

But Seto doesn't need to worry about whether or not this is ethical, he'd probably only try to kill him harder if he knew Bakura was ever in his class.

That’s right, his name is Atem. Which I personally found out in like Season 1 because this show is very old and people online like to use his name in the tags. But also, it’s fine, because Atem is close to that name Aten, which is in Egyptian Theology, or Puzzles and Dragons, whichever you are more familiar with. I’ll look it up later when my brain isn’t fried. Maybe.

Alright, let's discuss the first elephant. 🐘

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘+++++++ELEPHANT RANT FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS BIT+++++++🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

Pharaoh used his name once already in the past in order to stuff both Zorc and himself in their charms. That’s pretty straight forward. So…why isn’t it doing it again? As far as I can tell this is a recreation of what happened last time, so what's changed to prevent Pharaoh from getting put back in the golden tupperware?

The shadow game? Is it because this is a shadow D+D game? Was it not a type of shadow game the first time? I genuinely don't know, feel free to give your opinion about this because my bro and I discussed this in length, several times over this year, I have mulled it over, and I have no clue.

Pharaoh knows himself even less now than he did the first time he did this. Maybe the show is implying he’s more powerful this time but…this season really didn't build him up enough to seem that way.

And on that note, what does it matter if he finds his real name? Like yes there’s theological meaning there, especially in ancient cultures your real name had an actual power over your soul and so people respected it enough to even avoid using it.

But, Pharaoh hasn't been Atem in 5000 years, so Yami should have worked. Yami is connected to the puzzle and it's curse now. So is Yugi. So they never really properly gave us the significance of why this name is important. Like hell, why not just use "Yugi." He's wearing the necklace IRL, after all.

I can see the name being less of a symbolism and more of a key, since it was used to lock the puzzle the first time. But then…what are they using to lock Zorc away the second time? Still Atem?

Atem stuffed himself into a box and died. Yami lived in Japan and failed to attend high school. While there are similarities between the two, something I enjoyed about this season was seeing Yami realize he is different from Atem, with a different culture, different friends, different family, different guilt, and different responsibilities.

He’s a different person now. But for some reason the resolution to that was “actually, now Atem and I are one."

Which wasn’t enough for me. I think they could have handled this better. Yami going from a fragmented person to a full person by struggling with who he used to be was a great idea. That parallels Yugi/Yami's struggles with eachother in earlier seasons.

But Yugi just handing him some hieroglyphics was all Yugi’s doing. Yami spent his time finding his lost memories of his father and his friends. I feel like Yami never found himself in all of this. Just a name he isn't really attached to.

Not saying this season is bad or anything, cuz it's not, but some things could have been elaborated more cuz even if I didn't have long covid I think I would've been a little bit confused.

++++\🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘++++++

So, this will be a very long recap and I think that tumblr does limit pictures? Or at least they did a year ago? So part 2 of this episode will come soon, and sooner than a year, I promise. It's already in my drafts folder, it just needs some good editing.

And I truly mean that, like my bro edited this draft yesterday and today I realized I mixed up Bakura and Marik 2 times. 2 entire times. Damn. Like Both of those people are 2 people but Marik isn't even here! How did we both miss that!?

As always, you can read these posts in Chronological order, if you just got here and want to read like all 200+ episodes, by using "chrono" in the web address. Fun tumblr hack I love to use.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

#yugioh #blog update #photo recap #yugi muto #joey wheeler #tea gardner #Season 5 #Episode 50 #zorc necrophades #Bakura #Seto Kaiba

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mynametido · 2 months ago

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My Complete High School Transcript

This was for a new reality I created a bit ago that was sort of going to be "revenge", as I put it, before I finally permashift to my desired reality. But now that I'm not feral anymore, I thought it'd be best to not let the reality go completely to waste. A homage if you will. Context: I used to be a gifted child with "so much potential". Therefore, in honor of this deep-seated desire for academic validation here were going to be my unofficial overqualified high school years in a nutshell.

As @hrrtshape said it best, "I'll permashift when it stops feeling like a betrayal," but, in retrospect, shifting here would have felt more like living long enough to see myself become the villain.

[Random Acting Stuff]

>>-----☆------->

Played Jazmine Dubois from Boondocks (2007 - 2016)

Season 4 of Stranger Things is released - (I play Eleven) (2022)

Last of Us Show - (I play Ellie) (2023)

Jurassic World: Dominion - (I play young Charlotte Lockwood) (2023)

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse is released - (I play Gwen Stacy) (2024)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is released - (I play Mae) (2024)

(2021) [ Summer Before]

01. Founder of non-profit volunteering organization: with 15,000+ hours of volunteer work before highschool graduation

02. Successful etsy business (I sell crochet/sewing patterns)

03. Started 3 Youtube channels

☆ Food

☆ Comprehensive Input for English Learners

☆ Book Club

| Year 1 (2021 - 2022)

01. Founder of multimedia club (club for people with multiple interests)

02. Co-host of school podcast

03. President of Book Club

04. Monthly Fundraising Livestreams: minimum of $120,000 a year collected in total

05. Gold medal at 2021 Winter Olympics (figure skating) + world record for highest score

06. Successful online vegan meal kit service (Started)

☆ Online cookbook & vegan news blog // political art (Year 1)

☆ Vegan snack box (so people can try new vegan snacks) (Year 1)

+ Vegan meal kit (like BlueApron, HomeChef, etc.) (Year 2)

☆ An barcode scanner app (“is this vegan” type deal) (Year 2)

☆ Getting Plants Subsidized (Year 3)

☆ Vegan grocery stores (Year 4)

☆ Vegan Vending machine (Year 4)

07. Started and am the head of Youtube channel for my highschool

| Year 2 (2022 - 2023)

01. CPR & First Aid Certification

02. Ham Radio License

03. FEMA (crisis management) Cert

04.Proficient in ASL

05. Screenwriting club

06. Editor of school paper

07. Won New York Marathon

08. Co-chair of the vegan extension of the “meals on wheels” organization (I organize everything; the dates, recipes, etc, and my partner makes them happen)

09. Founder of Community Cabinet (a local organization that handles stuff like)

☆ Organizing a local cleanup or sustainability campaign.

☆ Advocating for a cause (e.g., write op-eds, attend town halls).

☆ Starting a community garden or environmental initiative.

☆ Hosting workshops or awareness events (e.g., mental health, STEM for girls).

☆ Creating care packages for underserved communities.

☆ Helping seniors with tech or digital literacy.

☆ Translating documents or volunteering with immigrant services.

☆ Joining or starting a peer mediation/conflict resolution group.

☆ Participating in civic engagement (e.g., work with local government or campaigns).

☆ Launch a global initiative with chapters in multiple schools or countries.

☆ A multilingual journal publication highlighting global teen voices (I’ve written a couple for our organization)

☆ Informational adulting course (how to file taxes, how to apostille/notarize, how to reconcile a checking account, etc.)

(and more…)

| Year 3 (2023 - 2024)

01. Perfect SAT

02. Perfect Toefl (English), Topik (Korean), Dele (Spanish), Torfl (Russian), and Delf (French) scores

03. Ted x leadership workshop for kids

04. Presidential Scholar

05. 6-week New York Times Editor Assistant Internship

06. Huge Summer Book Tour

07. NHS

08. 8-week Head of Student Research Project at Nasa

09. Won the John Locke Essay Competition

| Year 4 (2024 - 2025)

01. 4.0 gpa (not including the weighted stuff the school throws in)

02. Varsity & Team Captain of: [ in school extracurriculars ]

☆ Basketball team (4 years)

☆ Swim team (3 years)

☆ Track and Field (4 years)

|| Extra sports: [ in and out of school ecs ]

☆ Football (1 year)

☆ Golf (1 year)

☆ Figure skating (5 years)

☆ Rock Climbing (6 years)

☆ Ballet (8 years; varsity)

03. Student Council - Class President

04. Valedictorian

05. Successful publishing company: With 44 books self-published by yours truly before graduation

06. Accelerated Reader Award (450+ books read; all time most books read in my state)

07. A Wikipedia page was made of me by an established user

I was starting to get to the "single-handedly curing cancer," part, but then I realized that just putting down everything on paper was cathartic enough. I'll get my Rory Gilmore moment rest assured, it just won't be a desperate attempt to mourn the teenage dream I never had, when I do...

Though since I'm 18, college is FULLY on the table AHAJSVSSVAVHASVH. Y'all thought this was a letter of resignation or something. I'm just getting started.

#shifting #shifting realities #reality shifting #shifters #shifting blog #shifting community #shifting corner #manifestation #manifesting #master shifter #shiftblr #shifting consciousness #permashifting #shifting antis dni #shifting motivation #shifting ideas #shifting memes

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 7 months ago

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2024 tuesdaypost retrospective

it's hard not to make this all about my nearly full 365 days of unemployment. i have cut a great deal from this wrapup. thank you all for your love and support (often financial!) this year :') it has never been scarier to have no familial safety net and i really, really appreciate all of you relative strangers (i have met very few of you in person!)

jobs applied to: my best estimate is 4500 given my daily target balanced with periods of more acute despair and physical illness

interviews: 2

calls to the massachusetts unemployment agency: 73

cats spayed and/or neutered: 3 (phil, orange boy, ruby)

eclipses seen: 1

hurricanes: 1

completely fallow weeks: 5

i have GOT to be more specific about writing out loud what worked and what didn't work instead of resorting to "vibes were off". i also have to remember to be better about saying where i found things and saying the premise/genre of the film. i try to draft these on sunday nights so i can kind of mull things over for a bit, but that rarely happened this year.

highlights of the year: a tomato plant in a five gallon bucket, hotvintagepoll, the eclipse, my new zebrawood desk, throwing my own birthday party (NOT passive aggressive it was very comforting to be in full control), ren faire, the modern zelda games, genshin impact, heist films, naomi novik's temeriare series, Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard, the Popping Tins newsletter about tinned fish products, new joywave and beyonce and charli xcx and kesha albums, and an actual play podcast focused on critical worldbuilding smart characterization and fun interaction between good friends.

questions? comments? concerns? something about the structure/critique of these posts or a work i talked about really click or really not work for you? i would love to know!

listening

all the tuesdaysongs are in one spotify playlist below. if i recced a whole album (only did that this year with The Offline’s La couleur de la mer and Toshiyuke Honda's SONGS OF THE MILKY WAY ) i put the song i thought most representative of the album.

special shoutouts to the Well There's Your Problem engineering disasters podcast, the Sangfielle season of Friends at the Table, The 404 Media Podcast news/tech/culture podcast, and the Whale Hunting podcast about financial crimes.

i would like to find music through other avenues than the spotify weekly recs playlists, especially since the platform has noticeably nosedived after their last round of firing people. unforch i have yet to find a music influencer/blog/tastemaker/podcast whose tastes jive with my own.

reading

the sort of three broad categories of stuff i talk about in the reading section are articles, comics, and actual books. fairly pleased with my RSS feed, which is filling the twitter hole and also has a separate Real US News tab i can look at in a more controlled manner. people seem to have liked the article/book combo bc reading a book a week is usually kind of a heavy lift for people who are employed. as long as i do either an article or a book i feel like this category is checked off in my brain. i would like to do both more weeks and figure out how to do more concise book reports. i am pleased that people seem to like the couple weeks of giant DNF lists where i briefly state why i did not finish a specific older scifi paperback.

shoutout to @rae-being-naughty for introducing me to one of my favorite new authors, t kingfisher! what a delectable niche. those books go down SO easy. shoutouts also to the temeraire books, Trouble And Her Friends by Melissa Scott (what if neuromancer was good?), Dark Wire by Joseph Cox (nonfiction about the encrypted phone company the FBI shadow-ran) and Witch Hat Atelier.

the OPPOSITE of a shoutout to the most frustrating books i did not finish this year, a fragile enchantment by allison saft (the very weird fantasy meghan/harry fantasy au????) and jennifer dugan's the ride of her life, a cowgirl wlw romance that had some kid pop up in the second chapter and yell about how they shipped the leads and were making a tiktok about it. hello??????? huh????? i had that book on hold for SIX MONTHS. what the fuck did people see in that book???

reading and holding and interacting with a physical hard copy book is so much better for my shattered attention span, and i have giant bookcases full of physical books i desperately want to read, but i read ebooks so much faster. a dilemma that will for sure continue into the new year.

watching

logged almost 169 things on letterboxd this year so far (almost nice). the giant spike is when i watched a a dozen individually loggable betty boop shorts. tasty tasty stats.

saw one entire film (howl's moving castle) in theaters and i do not think i will be doing that again bc (while fun) it was a very anxiety inducing experience.

more tv and shorts and tv comprised entirely of shorts than i expected to watch this year!

watching highlights of the year:

youtube

playing

the gaming rig i bought in 2020 is really staring to show its age and only very light-resource pc games are feasible rn. very many thanks to both @sybilius and @pasta-pardner who both bought me games i will one day play!

spent most of the year with big open world exploration/puzzle/action games, as is traditional. barely touched a fallout this year, which is less traditional.

by hours, the ranking is probably

genshin impact

breath of the wild

tears of the kingdom

STUFF SORT on my phone

stardew valley

powerwash simulator

what are people interested in seeing in this section?

the trouble with this section is that has been a thorn in my side basically since i started this series, but games are such a part of my life it feels weird NOT talking about them? but talking about video games is difficult bc none of them are very good. i find myself Still a little burned out on them even after almost three years on from the video games job. finding something fun and free on itch or steam is very time-consuming. every time i talk about genshin i feel like i have to caveat it with one million Don't Play Gacha Games warning stickers like the ones that come on cigarettes. and i don't feel like a screenshot of whatever achievement i hunted on genshin in a specific week is very interesting to people.

maybe the solution is to cut this section for a while and have a special bonus add on section every once in a while??? i dunno. would love to know people's thoughts here on how to make talking about/telling stories about the games i play more interesting.

making

the tuesdayposts as a whole have been both very good and very bad for my mental health, bc i really needed a project to work on to break up the soul crushing monotony of writing cover letters. however writing the tuesdaypost every week was often a very anxiety inducing expereince bc i felt like i didn't do much. or did stuff very unevenly. the "point" of the tuesdayposts is to remind myself every week that absorbing a lot of different things helps me stay on a more even keel. esp in times of great unrest. unfortunately, a year of unemployment.

i saw my siblings twice, managed to actually write and post christmas cards, framed a bunch of shit, discovered a new favorite soup, and did some indifferent gardening and cross stitch.

the making section this year tended to be more lifestyle blogging/what i cleaned. a lot of weeks i did not have Anything in the tank except basic vacuuming and halfhearted wiping counters down.

however??? i managed to post three fics??? two were previously written but at least they are no longer languishing on my harddrive??

this goofy little NFT genderswap blondeyes has the craziest hits to kudos ratio on anything ive ever written.

i really do intend on finishing this cait/fahrenheit 5+1. the stars have not been aligned.

this very brief crossover has gotten some of the loveliest comments!!! when i am done directing and choreographing the big prisoner/arcade argument in my brain i am excited to actually write that.

im genuinely for real afraid to ask or expect anything of 2025, but here it comes anyway!

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem #forgot i posted three fics this year. bonkers #if the last day of the year falls on a tuesday that supercedes the normal post bc i don't want to write and schedule reblog for two differe #t posts six times each. this is i think the first time this has happened since i started doing these regularly

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thecoffeelorian · 7 months ago

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Fandom Friday, 12/27: Fanfiction!

Hello again, everyone…and welcome to another installment of Fandom Friday, the two-post series where I go off to find new and interesting fanworks that might need a bit more visibility.

Before we begin, I have to admit something real quick: I almost forgot to make this list at all, because I was first working to get through retail hell at my job, followed by regaining all of my energy (and spoons) on Christmas Day.

However, since I think I managed to gather at least seven links for you all, even if it was at the last minute, I certainly hope that this is satisfactory at such short notice.

Anyways, before I get too distracted or lost...here, now, are my picks of the week.

THE PREQUELS

The Prequels Fanfiction--By @beauiestars:

THE CLONE WARS

The Clone Wars Fanfiction--By @testingforgravity:

The Clone Wars Fanfiction--By @justaparsec94:

THE BAD BATCH

The Bad Batch Fanfiction--By @star-farer:

The Bad Batch Fanfiction--By @indigofyrebird:

THE MANDALORIAN

The Mandalorian Fanfiction--By @dindjarindiaries:

The Mandalorian Fanfiction--By @annwrites24:

SKELETON CREW

Skeleton Crew Fanfiction--By @writing-girlie:

In conclusion, as part of my mission to poke around the Star Wars fandom and highlight those writers who might otherwise go unnoticed…I hope you will check out the links I have included for yourselves and like, comment on, and reblog them, as well as also giving the writers a few more followers to their Tumblr pages.

Please also like and reblog this latest installment so that these links can be spread around to as many other fans as possible, just in case not all of them can tune in at the same time.

An additional thank you goes to @djarrex for making the divider I used earlier in this post, but still want to give credit for.

And finally, so that I do not forget…thank you to my friends, thank you to this fandom, and above all else, please stay safe out there.

No Pressure Tags: @melymigo @algo-o-nada @the-osborn-way @everybirdfellsilent @skellymom

@leos-multifandom-corner @maggie-dylan @leenathegreengirl @gun-roswell @tazmbc1

@bluedeedeedoop @its-time-to-rise-above @tlmtwelve @snoowply @apocalyp-tech-a and anybody else who might be on the lookout for new SW fanfiction.

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techavtar · 1 year ago

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As a top technology service provider, Tech Avtar specializes in AI Product Development, ensuring excellence and affordability. Our agile methodologies guarantee quick turnaround times without compromising quality. Visit our website for more details or contact us at +91-92341-29799.

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kk-ckffawards · 2 months ago

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You know what time it is; it’s the third round of nominations for the 7th Annual Cobra Kai Fanfiction Awards!

You can nominate any Karate kid or Cobra Kai stories posted or updated in 2024* on Archive of Our Own.

As usual, eligible stories must be:

*Started, updated, or finished during the period of Jan 1, 2024-February 28, 2025

Have a word count of 10k or more (this requirement is for Work In Progress only)*

Posted on the Ao3 site under the tags “Cobra Kai (Web Series)” and/or “Karate Kid (Movies)” (You do not need to have an Ao3 account to nominate a story.)

The categories included on this third nomination poll are:

Original Character

Terry Silver

Sam

Anthony

Comedy

Best Lawrusso

Best Completed longfic

Best multi chapter

NOMINATIONS POLL DAY 3

There are many awards categories this year, so the polls will be posted over several days. You can nominate up to three stories per category, but you don’t have to vote in all of them! Skip through the different sections of the poll to get to the one(s) you want. Please make sure to include both the fic title and the Ao3 username of the author, or we won’t be able to find it.

Polls will be open until May 25th at 8pm Central Time.

Once we have all the nominations, the results will be tallied, and the stories with the top noms will go through voting rounds to decide the winners of the most prestigious (and, so far, the only) fanfiction awards in the Cobra Kai fandom. The awards ceremony will take place in our Discord Server, on a date that we will announce soon!

If you do not want your fics to be included in the awards, please let us know by contacting [email protected], or send a message to this blog. You have until the nomination polls close to let us know.

Please share this post to any forum or social media to help us get the word out. There are a lot of talented writers in this fandom, and they all deserve love and encouragement!

Any questions? Concerns? Malfunctioning forms? Technical difficulties on a Johnny Lawrence level? Call up your nearest Tech Town! (Translation: Drop us a line.)

Get your nominations into the bowl, and have a blast!

#cobra kai fanfiction awards #cobra kai fanfiction #karate kid fanfiction #cobra kai #kkckffawards #the karate kid #ckffawards #fanfiction #ckffawards2025 #fandom events #ckffawards nominations 2025

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grounded-parasocial · 6 months ago

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2024 fandom review!

Thank you for the tag @phneltwrites

Fics Written

This feels a little silly to even include, but I wrote one story, which totaled 1,893 words! But I am proud of myself for pushing out of my comfort zone.

Fics Read

I feel accomplished in here! It may be surprising, but I don’t have the best system for keeping track of what I have read (I have a very good memory and a basic spreadsheet) so I would guesstimate, I have read about 550 stories this year.

I also contributed four themed rec lists- Wille’s Mental Health fic list- Simon’s Mental Health fic list- SECRETS fic list- CHEATING fic list.

Non-Fic Fandom Stuff

I went to 2 Omar concerts and I met fandom people in-real-life! 🤍 I also tried to connect with more people and I learned how to do/use-ish more tech stuff (I’m an elder so this is big haha). And I co-run a side blog!

Looking forward to 2025

Going to see Omar in Madrid!! And hopefully more shows and meeting more mutuals!

Some goals for this year -comment on more fanfic, make more lists and to get other readers to chitchat with me about stories!!

Thank you YR fandom! Happy reading and writing to everyone in 2025 💜

I don’t know who has already done this but no pressure @saynomorefic @grapehyasynth @pwdd1

#fandom review #yr fandom review #2024 #tag game

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mostlysignssomeportents · 7 months ago

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The GOP is not the party of workers

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/13/occupy-the-democrats/#manchin-synematic-universe

The GOP says it's the "party of the working class" and indeed, they have promoted numerous policies that attack select groups within the American ruling class. But just because the party of unlimited power for billionaires is attacking a few of their own, it doesn't make them friends to the working people.

The best way to understand the GOP's relationship to worker is through "boss politics" – that's where one group of elites consolidates its power by crushing rival elites. All elites are bad for working people, so any attack on any elite is, in some narrow sense, "pro-worker." What's more, all elites cheat the system, so any attack on any elite is, again, "pro-fairness."

In other words, if you want to prosecute a company for hurting workers, customers, neighbors and the environment, you have a target-rich environment. But just because you crush a corrupt enterprise that's hurting workers, it doesn't mean you did it for the workers, and – most importantly – it doesn't mean that you will take workers' side next time.

Autocrats do this all the time. Xi Jinping engaged in a massive purge of corrupt officials, who were indeed corrupt – but he only targeted the corrupt officials that made up his rivals' power-base. His own corrupt officials were unscathed:

https://web.archive.org/web/20181222163946/https://peterlorentzen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lorentzen-Lu-Crackdown-Nov-2018-Posted-Version.pdf

Putin did this, too. Russia's oligarchs are, to a one, monsters. When Putin defenestrates a rival – confiscates their fortune and sends them to prison – he acts against a genuinely corrupt criminal and brings some small measure of justice to that criminal's victims. But he only does this to the criminals who don't support him:

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2022/03/29/1088886554/how-putin-conquered-russias-oligarchy

The Trump camp – notably JD Vance and Josh Hawley – have vowed to keep up the work of the FTC under Lina Khan, the generationally brilliant FTC Chair who accomplished more in four years than her predecessors have in 40. Trump just announced that he would replace Khan with Andrew Ferguson, who sounds like an LLM's bad approximation of Khan, promising to deal with "woke Big Tech" but also to end the FTC's "war on mergers." Ferguson may well plow ahead with the giant, important tech antitrust cases that Khan brought, but he'll do so because this is good grievance politics for Trump's base, and not because Trump or Ferguson are committed to protecting the American people from corporate predation itself:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/12/the-enemy-of-your-enemy/#is-your-enemy

Writing in his newsletter today, Hamilton Nolan describes all the ways that the GOP plans to destroy workers' lives while claiming to be a workers' party, and also all the ways the Dems failed to protect workers and so allowed the GOP to outlandishly claim to be for workers:

https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/you-cant-rebrand-a-class-war

For example, if Ferguson limits his merger enforcement to "woke Big Tech" companies while ending the "war on mergers," he won't stop the next Albertson's/Kroger merger, a giant supermarket consolidation that just collapsed because Khan's FTC fought it. The Albertson's/Kroger merger had two goals: raising food prices and slashing workers' wages, primarily by eliminating union jobs. Fighting "woke Big Tech" while waving through mergers between giant companies seeking to price-gouge and screw workers does not make you the party of the little guy, even if smashing Big Tech is the right thing to do.

Trump's hatred of Big Tech is highly selective. He's not proposing to do anything about Elon Musk, of course, except to make Musk even richer. Musk's net worth has hit $447b because the market is buying stock in his companies, which stand to make billions from cozy, no-bid federal contracts. Musk is a billionaire welfare queen who hates workers and unions and has a long rap-sheet of cheating, maiming and tormenting his workforce. A pro-worker Trump administration could add labor conditions to every federal contract, disqualifying businesses that cheat workers and union-bust from getting government contracts.

Instead, Trump is getting set to blow up the NLRB, an agency that Reagan put into a coma 40 years ago, until the Sanders/Warren wing of the party forced Biden to install some genuinely excellent people, like general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, who – like Khan – did more for workers in four years than her predecessors did in 40. Abruzzo and her colleagues could have remained in office for years to come, if Democratic Senators had been able to confirm board member Lauren McFerran (or if two of those "pro-labor" Republican Senators had voted for her). Instead, Joe Manchin and Kirsten Synema rushed to the Senate chamber at the last minute in order to vote McFerran down and give Trump total control over the NLRB:

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/11/schumer-nlrb-vote-manchin-sinema

This latest installment in the Manchin Synematic Universe is a reminder that the GOP's ability to rebrand as the party of workers is largely the fault of Democrats, whose corporate wing has been at war with workers since the Clinton years (NAFTA, welfare reform, etc). Today, that same corporate wing claims that the reason Dems were wiped out in the 2024 election is that they were too left, insisting that the path to victory in the midterms and 2028 is to fuck workers even worse and suck up to big business even more.

We have to take the party back from billionaires. No Dem presidential candidate should ever again have "proxies" who campaign to fire anti-corporate watchdogs like Lina Khan. The path to a successful Democratic Party runs through worker power, and the only reliable path to worker power runs through unions.

Nolan's written frequently about how bad many union leaders are today. It's not just that union leaders are sitting on historically unprecedented piles of cash while doing less organizing than ever, at a moment when unions are more popular than they've been in a century with workers clamoring to join unions, even as union membership declines. It's also that union leaders have actually endorsed Trump – even as the rank and file get ready to strike:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yz_Z08KwKgFt3QvnV8nEETSgTXM5eZw5ujT4BmQXEWk/edit?link_id=0&can_id=9481ac35a2682a1d6047230e43d76be8&source=email-invitation-to-cover-amazon-labor-union-contract-fight-rally-cookout-on-monday-october-14-2024-2&email_referrer=email_2559107&email_subject=invitation-to-cover-jfk8-workers-authorize-amazon-labor-union-ibt-local-1-to-call-ulp-strike&tab=t.0

The GOP is going to do everything it can to help a tiny number of billionaires defeat hundreds of millions of workers in the class war. A future Democratic Party victory will come from taking a side in that class war – the workers' side. As Nolan writes:

If billionaires are destroying our country in order to serve their own self-interest, the reasonable thing to do is not to try to quibble over a 15% or a 21% corporate tax rate. The reasonable thing to do is to eradicate the existence of billionaires. If everyone knows our health care system is a broken monstrosity, the reasonable thing to do is not to tinker around the edges. The reasonable thing to do is to advocate Medicare for All. If there is a class war—and there is—and one party is being run completely by the upper class, the reasonable thing is for the other party to operate in the interests of the other, much larger, much needier class. That is quite rational and ethical and obvious in addition to being politically wise.

Nolan's remedy for the Democratic Party is simple and straightforward, if not easy:

The answer is spend every last dollar we have to organize and organize and strike and strike. Women are workers. Immigrants are workers. The poor are workers. A party that is banning abortion and violently deporting immigrants and economically assaulting the poor is not a friend to the labor movement, ever. (An opposition party that cannot rouse itself to participate on the correct side of the ongoing class war is not our friend, either—the difference is that the fascists will always try to actively destroy unions, while the Democrats will just not do enough to help us, a distinction that is important to understand.)

Cosigned.

#pluralistic #labor #populism #gop #trumpism #class war #hamilton nolan #boss antitrust #nlrb #realignment

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animatronicappreciation · 10 months ago

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Sad news about Rocky and the Railroad Ramblers

youtube

I can't remember if we've featured these guys on our blog before, but I can't help but think we probably have. They're one of the most well-known cyberamic retrofits of all time, due in no small part to the man who's been the show's tech for the past decade, Andrew.

I'm not going to go into detail about the show or its past here, but I am going to announce to those of you who don't know that Gillian's Wonderland Pier is going to be closing after their 2024 season, i.e. this October. This means that Rocky and the Railroad Ramblers will be ramblin' on to new pastures, as their home since 1992 is shutting its doors for good.

It's a real shame that Gillian's Wonderland Pier is closing. It's been on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ since 1929, which is 95 years to you and me. It's a huge part of the community there, and residents are dismayed that the park is going the way of the dodo.

As for the Ramblers, well, Andrew is allegedly trying to secure a new home for them. At least, that's the rumor that's been going around. The owner of the park is Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, so needless to say, he's got HUGE ties with the community. I think that Andrew has a fair shot of being sold the show if he's able to find a place for them to go (either in storage or somewhere to display them).

It's a bummer that the show seems to not be at its best in its final hours at the park. Hank (the dalmatian) in particular appears to be in pretty rough shape. Hopefully Andrew will have time to give them a spit shine so their final performance at Gillian's Wonderland Pier can be one to remember!

-Mod Possum

#animatronics #animatronic #cyberamic #rocky and the railroad ramblers #the man and dog show #man and dog show #gillian's wonderland pier #sallycorp #sally #sally dark rides #mod possum #Youtube

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film-in-my-soul · 6 months ago

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Dalliance | 500 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: “Arthur,” Merlin murmurs in warning. Arthur licks the pad of his thumb, deliberately slowly, looking up at him through the dappled light. Merlin’s eyes are wide and he seems caught off-guard, his expression painfully vulnerable. “You can’t. Not here…” “I’m the king, Merlin,” Arthur murmurs back, releasing Merlin’s thumb to follow the trail down to where the juice had pooled in his palm, moulding his lips to the curve of Merlin’s wrist. “One day you’ll realise that means I can do whatever I want.”

Determination | 500 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: Arthur mumbles in his sleep and turns, burying his face in his pillow to get away from the voice. It’s either very late, or very early, the soft patter of rain on the cobbles outside and the distant swish of traffic the only sounds he can hear.

Disintegration | 500 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: His wings were burning.

Crosses and Curses | 1,855 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: “Arthur,” Merlin hissed. “What are you doing?” Arthur, who was down on one knee, had the gall to roll his eyes. “I’m asking you to marry me, idiot,” he said. “I would have thought that much was obvious.”

(see more recommendations below!)

Fever | 2,091 | ella_bane

Summary: When Arthur orders Merlin to stop doing magic, the consequences are what neither expected. Canon era, hurt-comfort

half sleeping, numb with frost | 2,620 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: “Stay here tonight,” Arthur said softly, and although it was framed as an order Merlin could hear the entreaty in his voice. “I want you to stay where I can—where I can see you.” “Mmn,” Merlin said without opening his eyes. “I could be persuaded.”

Now That I'm Rich They Give Me Coffee | 4,686 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur's a rock star, Merlin doesn't live under a rock, Morgana's badass, and Will is the worst best friend ever.

Asteroidea | 4,754 | Polomonkey / @thepolomonkey

Summary: Merlin's smitten with his new boyfriend Arthur. Only Arthur seems to be holding back a little in the bedroom. When Merlin finds out why, can he help heal the hurts of the past?

Pink and Black and Blue (For You) | 7,508 | Polomonkey / @thepolomonkey

Summary: When he met his soulmate – if he met his soulmate – they were going to have some serious apologising to do. Arthur's one of the unlucky few with a rather unfortunate soulmate connection - they share bruises. And his soulmate just happens to be the clumsiest person in the world. Between that and Morgana's attempt to set him up with every bruised man she comes across, it's lucky he has friendly IT tech Wizard to keep him sane...

Trouble | 7,827 | derryere

Summary: They're roommates and Arthur's a little infatuated and a dick and stuff.

Onfindan | 15,827 | astolat / @astolat

Summary: Arthur didn't speak to him for a week after he found out.

Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) | 15,834 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault). Sometimes, life is unfairly complicated, even without your soulmate singing painfully catchy tunes in the back of your head.

The Future Soon | 30,211 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur sees a vision of himself and Merlin married and happy, but they can barely stand each other. They both start doing everything they can to avoid it happening.

london fog and technicolour strobe lights | 39,822 | demigodbeautiies / @jackwolfes

Summary: When Merlin left his village ten years ago, he really didn't think he'd end up fucking people for money. He still doesn't know what he expected to happen, exactly, but wishes he could figure it out a little bit faster. Then a run of the mill gig goes wrong and changes the course of Merlin's life - just, not in any of the ways he expected it to. That's the funny thing about a summer in London, though: it is utterly impossible to tell what the hell will happen next.

Blog Info ☆ All 2024 Reclists ☆ 2023 Reclists

#merthur #merlin/arthur #bbc merlin #merthur reclist #reclist #fanfic reclist

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nekoannie-chan · 10 months ago

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Week 39 Reblog Masterlist

Welcome to Week 39 2024 or Week 247, as always, fics will be listed in the order I read them.

I hope you enjoy it!

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

♥ You can check my reading guidelines here.

♥ You can check my masterlist here.

♥ You can check my main reblog masterlist 2024 here.

♥ You can check my September reblog masterlist 2024 here.

♥ You can check Week 38 2024 here.

♥ You can check Week 40 2024 here.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

𝙺𝚎𝚢𝚜: 💛 ᵒʳᶤᵍᶤᶰᵃˡ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ

💜 ʰᵒʳʳᵒʳ

🖤 ᵈᵃʳᵏ

❤️ ˢᵐᵘᵗ

💚 ᶠˡᵘᶠᶠ

💙 ᵃᶰᵍˢᵗ

🧡 ��ᵒᵐᵉᵈʸ

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

This is the list of the fics I read and recommend in Week 39 2024:

Unhooking a Bra 101 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @still-scribblin ❤️

‘Til The End of The Line (Bucky Barnes X Reader) by @you-have-a-metal-arm 💙

Recipe for Love- Chapter 4 (Steve Rogers X OFC) by @no-not-without-you-blog 💙

Hand-to-Hand with Hydra 2 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @marvellingdaydreams 💙

Shop around (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @purehypnotic 💚

Fic (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @ronearoundblindly 💚

Skin to Skin (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @rogersideup 💚

Hand-to-Hand with Hydra 2 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @marvellingdaydreams 💙

Birthday surprise (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @americas-ass-writing 💚

180 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @darsynia ❤️

Hideout (Interlude) (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @ronearoundblindly 💚

A Fairytale Of A Disaster Chapter 1: So Much For Prince Charming? (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @stellar-solar-flare ❤️

We're all adults here (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @rainydayathogwarts ❤️

Big Pharma (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @ronearoundblindly ❤️

Back and Forth - part 8 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @anika-ann 💚💙

No Sugar Tonight 2 (Brock Rumlow X Reader) by @darkficsyouneveraskedfor ❤️🖤

UNDER HIS COMMAND (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @brunchable ❤️

𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞(Steve Rogers X Reader) by @targaryenvampireslayer ❤️🖤

A Fairytale Of A Disaster Chapter 2: Looking For The Happy Ending (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @stellar-solar-flare ❤️

Foundations: Chapter 7 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @lokischambermaid 💙

Fic (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @darsynia 💚

Eye of the Beholder (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @navybrat817 💚

No Sugar Tonight 1 (Brock Rumlow X Reader) by @darkficsyouneveraskedfor ❤️🖤

Bucky’s Best Friend 1 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @callalillywrites 💚

Your Birthday Adventure (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @americasass81 ❤️

Tech Tuesday: Steve Rogers (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @thezombieprostitute 💚

Warmth (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @stellar-solar-flare 💚💙

Wicked Games 9 (Steve Rogers X Reader) by @darkficsyouneveraskedfor ❤️🖤

#Annie recommends #Week 39 reblog masterlist

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