#Excel Exhibition Center.

[decolonize-the-left]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser indicated that Israel could accept a U.S. plan for a revamped Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip after the war, a sign that the Israeli leader is easing his opposition to the idea.

Israel is aware of the desire of the international community and the countries of the region to integrate the Palestinian Authority the day after Hamas, and we make it clear that the matter will require a fundamental reform of the Palestinian Authority,” Tzachi Hanegbi, who heads Israel’s National Security Council, wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday on the Arabic-language news site Elaph.

"I'll agree to stop commiting genocide but only if you guys agree to my very specific conditions for the next leadership" is practically in the CIA handbook.

'destabilize a region then exploit the power vaccum and desperation it creates' is a play we've seen over and over again.

The question is why is Israel doing it?

Because it is a puppet state. It's serves the purpose of providing the USA someone to hide behind while they destabilize the region.

A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a state that is de jure independent but de facto completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.

Puppet states have nominal sovereignty, except that a foreign power effectively exercises control through economic or military support.

By leaving a local government in existence the outside power evades all responsibility, while at the same time successfully paralyzing the local government they tolerate.

"Why would the usa be using Israel to destabilize the middle east tho?"

An excellent question!

Short answer: using their own armies to carry out the plans is a surefire way to land themselves in a world war and so using Israel is an easy cop out.

The longer answer is very long.

So what "plans" are they trying to carry out, exactly, right?

Saving the Suez from "Islamist threats" "to secure freedom of navigation." You know, just like our Secretary of Defense said.

You know who else said that though? The plans outlined in Project 2025 by the Heritage Foundation. "The one that's gonna put queer people in detention centers?" Yeah that one. In fact our official are using a lot of the Same Exact Language and working found in Project2025.

Isn't that interesting?

Let's look at page 285, together.

Well, we've certainly seen headlines of this right? "Israel has a right to defend itself" and to take what it deems appropriate measures is how the USA has been avoiding calling Netanyahu a war criminal isn't it? A Google search will show Biden also has tried to block/stop Iran's nuclear development.

Very reassuring that they see the need for that for precaution, isn't it?

And sure maybe you could say this is a conspiracy theory, except US representatives are using the same EXACT language and Islamophobia to justify what's happening. Exhibit #1 the link to secretary of state, but don't worry. We're just warming up and he's not the only one.

Let's continue, we're almost to the part where it all comes together.

Translation: the Suez Canal brings Egypt billions of dollars a year and several parties (the countries listed) would prefer that money be funneled to them instead. The problem is that the aforementioned parties have been destabilizing the region for so long that establishing an alternate trade route through those territories would be seen as an act of aggression if not war.

The heritage foundation has always intended to call anyone who resists that plan a terrorist. Its their way of manufacturing consent to kill people.

And we can see Netanyahu and Biden both following that lead. "The terrorists are just such a giant threat, how could I possibly stop supporting Israel's fight against them?"

From Dec 10, 2023

So isn't it just so crazy that the countries and regions outlined there (US, Israel, India, Egypt, and Gulf States) are ALSO the countries who presented the IMEC at the G20 summit in September, just a month before Israel started it's genocide?

Oh, you don't know what the IMEC is or why it matters?

Well remember the Suez and how much income it brings in? Yeah well it's also regulated by the state, which means it can't be bought or bribed the same way that a canal owned privately could.

Which means that Egypt is the sole benefactor and controls who else gets to benefit. This often does not include the USA.

The USA does not like that.

Enter: the IMEC.

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a rail and shipping corridor that aims to boost regional development and economic interconnectivity between India, the USA, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and the European Union. The project consists of two corridors: the eastern corridor will connect India to the Arabian Gulf, and the northern corridor will connect the Gulf to Europe.

[..]Hence, there are technical limitations that the IMEC may face, not least in the Middle East due to its vast desert regions. The construction of railway lines and subsequent transportation of goods would be a difficult task requiring everything from the standardisation of the railway track gauges to the engine configurations. What’s more, one of the main link ports of the IMEC, Haifa, is in Israel, a country which is unstable at the moment due to the Palestinian freedom struggle.

It's how they intend to circumvent the Suez Canal entirely.

Unfortunately for them, Palestine exists. And as such, this creates a huge problem for them in building the IMEC through Palestine to Haifa. Especially since the resistance fighters through the entire middle east violently oppose the west's imperialism.

So something must be done. Again, we refer back to calling Anyone who questions Israel as an antisemitic terrorist as justification for killing Palestinians en masse. And for the ones they can't justify killing? Moving them.

Meaning that yeah. They planned for that, too.

And not even in secret.

Dated October 13, 2023

From November 7, 2023

What this suggests, as more of Project2025 comes true is that not only is the USA aiding and abetting this war to happen.

But that they are intentionally instigating and provoking action in the middle east.

They WANT headlines like this ⬇️ Because it sets up further justification and manufactured consent to continue their genocide in the name of money.

project2025 ALSO outlines every single group the USA sees as terrorists in the USA and also outlines how each country who provides them shelter should be stripped of aid.

They have already found and written excuses for the USA to get away with collective punishment across the whole middle east.

And finally.

The condition that I fully expect to be announced

For it to be defunded. And for more of an idea we can look to this Netanyahu quote from TheGuardian

Netanyahu also made clear he wanted Israel to retain overall security control after any conflict “with the ability to go in whenever we want in order to kill terrorists”. “There will be no Hamas. There will be no civilian authority that educates their children to hate Israel, to kill Israelis, to destroy the state of Israel. There can’t be an authority there that pays the families of murderers. There needs to be something else there,” he said.

Another puppet government that'll agree to do whatever Israel (and the USA) says, perhaps?

[its-your-mind]

*deep breath in*

the fears 👏 have always 👏 been (in one way or another) 👏 parallel 👏 to 👏 desire 👏

let me explain.

so many of the statements given by actual avatars center around some sort of need that was met by their entity. Lots of them even had a positive relationship with the fear that drove them.

Jane Prentiss is an excellent example - the Corruption has always been about a form of toxic and possessive love, but she personally has a deep desire to be “fully consumed by what loves her,” and finds a perverse joy and relief at allowing herself to be a home

Jude Perry is another - she fucking loved watching people’s lives be utterly destroyed. The Desolation only offered her a power of destruction on a grander scale, and then gave her a more intense rush of joy as she did its work. When she tells Jon that he needs to feed the Eye before it feeds on him, it’s almost as an afterthought; she was happily feeding the Desolation long before it burned her into a new existence.

Simon Fairchild. Every time that old loose bag of bones wanders into the picture, he is having a fucking EXCELLENT time playing with the Vast. He loves showing people their own insignificance, and he loves luring them into situations where he can throw them into the void as he smiles and waves.

Peter Lukas (hell, the whole Lukas family (except Evan. RIP Evan.)) hated. people. all he wanted was for them all to go away, to leave him alone. The Lonely only fulfilled that desire.

Daisy, Trevor, and Julia, all devoted to hunting those things they deemed monstrous.

Melanie, holding tight to that bullet in her leg because on some level, she wanted it. It felt good, it felt right, it felt like it fit right alongside the anger and spite that drove her to success.

Annabelle Cane first encountered the Web when she was a child, running away from home in order to tug on her parents’ heartstrings in just the right way to have them wrapped around her little finger. Later on she volunteered to be the subject of an ESP study. Hell, she’s the one who dangled the “Is it really You that wants this?” question over Jon’s head in S4.

And that brings us to Jon, beloved Jarchivist, the Voice that Opened the Door. Ever since he was a child targeted by the Web, he was looking for answers. He joined the Magnus Institute’s Research Department looking for them, he stalked his coworkers in search for them, he broke into Gertrude’s flat and laptop out of desperation for them. And when he realized that all he had to do was Ask to get truthful answers to his questions? It was only natural for him to jump at that opportunity.

Elias told S3 Jon that he did want this, that he chose it, that at every crossroads he kept pushing onwards, and the inner turmoil that caused was one of the focal points for Jon’s character through the rest of the podcast.

There’s a certain line of thinking in many circles about the power of the Devil: he’s not able to create anything new. All he’s able to do is twist and warp that which was already present, making it something ugly and profane while still maintaining the facade of something desirable.

Jon didn’t choose the Eye. But he did wander into its realm of power, exhibiting exactly the qualities it was most capable of hijacking and warping to its own ends. Jon didn’t choose the Apocalypse. But Jonah picked at him little by little, pointing him towards each Fear individually. Jon didn’t want to release the Fears. But the Web tugged on his strings just so and laid a pretty trail for him to follow until he reached its desired conclusion.

Jon didn’t choose ultimate power, or omniscience, or even his own role as Head Archivist. But he said “yes” to the right (wrong?) orders and kept on pushing for the right (wrong?) answers. He wanted to succeed at the work he had been assigned. He wanted to protect his friends. He wanted to rescue them when they were lost. He wanted to prevent the apocalypse, to save the world. He wanted to know why he was still alive, when so many had died right in front of him.

The Great Wheel of Evil Color that is the Entities might not fit as neatly into categories in this universe - maybe there was no Robert Smirke trying to impose strict categories on emotional experiences, or maybe the ways they manifest in the world has turned on its head (goodness knows many of them have been showcased and blended in some very fun and new and horrifying ways so far) - but their fundamental foundations seem to be the same. Hell, in episode one we learned that there had been enough individual incidents to create a distinction between “dolls, watching” and “dolls, human skin.”

Smirke’s Fourteen isn’t going to be relevant as common parlance, RQ said that already, but I don’t think that means the Fears themselves (and their Dream Logic-based rules) are different - I think it means that the levels of understanding, language used, and personal connections among people “in the know” are going to be entirely unfamiliar

[love-bitesx]

hobie brown x photographer!reader

this is almost entirely self indulgent, because i’m a huge camera nerd, sorry everyone!

warnings: gets verryyy suggestive towards the end, that’s all, sorry folks :P

just thinking about hobie in love with a reader who's obsessed with cameras & photography. maybe you studied it at school/college, or freelance, or maybe just a bit of a camera nerd. bedroom shelves housing all types of cameras, cheap or expensive, film or digital, any and every type.

maybe reader isn't too confident in front of the lens, and hobie is just so goddamn photogenic, even when he doesn't mean to be. "wait, hobie, can you do that again?" whilst bringing the camera to your eye, waiting for hobie to move back into the position he'd been in on the couch, "lookin' pretty, love?" and you hum in response, "mhmm", the camera clicks.

polaroids of him in the back of your phone case, prints of you in his. he'd caught you off guard once, laying on top of him in your bed, slipping in and out of slumber as his large, calloused hand rubs circles along your spine. looking down at you through his eyelashes, a stream of light from the closed curtains fell across your face. reaching to a discarded film camera on your bedside table, he placed a kiss onto your forehead and snapped a picture. after you got it developed, he stole it from you, taping it to the front and center of his guitar, so he can see it whenever he played.

walking through the streets of london, you stopped and stared at the window of a vintage camera store with pure adoration in your eyes. "hobie! hobie, look, it's my dream camera." he stuffed his hands in his pockets and joined you, "is it, darlin'?" and you nodded, hands pressed against the glass, "well, we better get it then, huh?"

he'd constantly come home with pockets full of fresh film or new lenses that he'd nicked during the day. even if he didn't understand or share the same passion, he'd be your number one supporter, bending over backwards to help in anyway he can. swinging you to the highest buildings and nicest views to get a good shot, playing up to the camera whilst you shot him performing one evening at a local pub. he was your muse, and you his.

just the thought of him slowly nuzzling you out of your shell in front of the camera, because you couldn’t deny the photos he took of you were artistically excellent, and you had an eye for it all. you’re straddling his lap, innocently, and he’s laying with his head on your pillow. one of his hands is on your thigh, the other holding a cheap film camera to his eye.

“just pose for me, beautiful,” he’s showing his teeth as he smiles, “hobie, no—” you try and push the camera away, but he insists, “please?” and there’s a second you consider it, before refusing once again. within a second, his hand has come up to your chin, taking it between his fingers and running his thumb over your lips to shut you up. you melt to his touch instantly, and when he’s caught your eyes fluttering and smile forming, he snaps a picture. “perfect.”

he comes along to all your exhibitions. bringing his band mates, or pav, gwen, and miles, to see your photography hung up. as much as he hates money, and spending it, he always buys at least 8 copies, just to see the explosive smile on your face when you see someone’s bought your work.

his chin would sit on your shoulder, watching you work away at your laptop as you edit photos. he doesn’t understand any of it, but he loves to see you work. he kisses down your neck, shoulders, rubbing shapes into your hips and thighs as you edit away, mumbling a complaint anytime he tries distracting you, “concentrate, love, you got this,” he mutters as he begins to kiss you particularly low, in a particularly sweet spot, hands slipping below the desk, “doing so well, pretty.”

head over heels for this man

[treedaddymcpuffpuff]

Hi, I love your writing! I'm not sure if you are doing the erotic horror prompts anymore but if you are, then may I request a Prompt 9 OR 34 with John Wick?

Hi, thank you so much, Anonymous. It means the fucking world to me!!! Allow me to express my gratitude with some predator/prey:

(I know these are supposed to be horror, but I keep turning them into fluff. Please forgive me🥺❤️)

“So, the first rule of self defense is run,” John says, giving her a heavy, doubtful side eye that speaks volumes about his faith in her to do so. 

“Second?” She asks, arms crossed, foot tapping, watching him stalk circles around her like he’s going to drop her at any moment - her heart patters wildly every time she sees his step slow or his eyes move to a vulnerable part of her body, even though she knows that whatever “tells” he exhibits are actually fakeouts and dead ends. Just a way to get her nerves worked up so that she’s taking him seriously.

He stops in front of her, places a finger in the center of her chest, and she knows he could give a little push and she’d be flat on her ass.

But he doesn’t. He smiles. “Hide.”

She rolls her eyes. “The third?” 

“Fight. And -“ he moves his finger against her bare skin, drawing her eyes and attention, then flicks her lightly on the forehead as punishment for falling for it. “Don’t roll your eyes at your superior.”

She rubs the pink mark. “Ow,” she tells him, even though the trick only stung a tiny bit. 

“Now say, “yes, master.”” His eyes light with mischief. 

Every piece of her fucked, masochist body wants to fight him on that if only to earn more brutality for it. But this is supposed to be critical training, even though her trainer isn’t taking it as such.

She figures that she’ll be the determined one, for once, so she tips her head, straightens her shoulders, and says, “yes, master.”

His eyebrow raises behind untamed bangs. “Good.”

“Did you take that from a job orientation class?” She asks him.

“What?”

“At jobs, they use the ‘run, hide, fight’ for active shooters.”

He shakes his head no, but it’s so hard to tell when and if he’s fucking with her…

“Have you ever had a normal job?” She wonders aloud. 

He shrugs. “Then you already have the basics down. Excellent.” He continues circling. “Start small,” he says. “Then, work your way up.” 

She nods, although annoyed with being ignored, continue.

“So, we start with running.” 

She cringes. The mere thought of him watching her run laps is painfully embarrassing. 

Wanting to impress and not kill this before it even gets started, she keeps her mouth shut. 

“I’ll give you a minute head start.” 

Wait, what did he say?

She almost laughs. “We’re racing?”

His grin is worrying. “No, I’m chasing you.” 

In that case, she wants to ask for at least a five minute head start; eyes his thick, long legs. The taut muscle is visible shifting and tensing, even under his baggy sweatpants.  

“You’re going to catch me,” she tells him, wanting to argue about this being unfair. 

“Then you’d better start running,” he replies, flipping his wrist over to check the ticking time. 

“What - where am I allowed to go?” Cool sweat collects at the nape of her neck. 

“Anywhere.” He’s still looking at his watch, waiting patiently. 

“When are we starting?” 

His eyes flit up, glint at her, then focus back on the dwindling time. “Five seconds ago.”

Prickling anticipation drives her to argue. “How is that going to help me? Just running all day so you can keep catching me? Pretty soon I’ll get tired and will just give up and let you catch me.” 

“Oh, that’s what I forgot to mention,” John murmurs.

Anger anxiety cocktail spikes. Forgot to mention? There’s a lot of shit that he’s conveniently forgetting to mention.

“If I catch you, I tickle you.” His grin grows into a sharp-bladed tip.

“John,” she says, voice worried, which delights him. “That is not fair. You’re going to catch me and you can’t just tickle me all day when you do.” 

He’s a reasonable man. He’ll see her issue. She’s valid in her concerns, and they both know it. 

“Yes I can.” 

“Are you serious?!” 

“Uh huh.” He taps his watch face. “Thirty seconds.” 

Her shoes slip on the cushiony matts, landing her on her knees before she can start bolting.

He resists the urge to go to her. Thankfully, she’s not down for long, or else his concern would get the better of him. 

She stands and runs. Up the stairs, already panting and sweating, adrenaline an ache that builds higher the farther away she gets from him. 

Out the door of the gym, down the hallway, trying not to fall again and losing precious time because of it.

She’s in the cold before she knows what she’s doing. Her t-shirt does nothing to cover her from the frost, but fear and physical exertion help her stay warm. 

Down the left block, then ducking through an alleyway, wondering if he’s on her tail by now. 

Blessedly, there’s no snow on the ground, so she’s not leaving any footprints. Also, that means she can go faster and not have to worry about falling. 

She rushes a corner and almost takes out an older man walking his dog, so, of course, she has to stop and profusely apologize.

“It’s fine, dear,” he chuckles.

She pats his friendly Labrador on the head. “Are you sure?” She looks him over, and he seems okay. Her memory says she ran smack dab into his frail frame, but maybe it’s just her psychosis acting up again. 

“I’m alright, dear, where is your coat? Your skin is ice cold.”

“Oh, I left it at home, just going for a jog,” she replies, trying to be casual. 

His fluffy dog pushes a wet nose into her hand and nuzzles her out of more attention.

“This is Sam,” the older man introduces. “He is very friendly.”

“He’s amazing,” she says, using both hands to stroke blonde, cold fur. 

“Are you training for a marathon?” The man asks. “I hear there’s a big one by Macy’s next week.” 

“No. Just exercising.” She smiles up at him, wondering how to politely break this conversation off and save her own ass. 

Behind him, about half a block down, is her pursuer and teacher.

It would be better if he looked disappointed. So, so much better. 

Her hand stills on Sam’s head. 

That expression would be a glare if his mouth wasn’t pulled up at the seams. His eyes of brilliant brown are blown black. Like a shark. No, too intentional to be a shark - it isn’t pure hunger that drives him. 

Gotcha.

Fear is the only thing she’s capable of feeling for a couple of seconds as she forgets what, exactly, is going on while an instinctual and ancient part of her remembers what it’s like to be hunted.

She’s going to feel really bad, later, about turning away from a nice man and his dog without so much as a goodbye and sprinting the opposite direction.

That trepidation just coils tighter the more she runs. She wasn’t built for this. Her legs are too short, her body too pillowy to gain any sort of momentum, her lungs too small for the air required in running. 

It’s nothing but luck and adrenaline carrying her down crossroads and alleys. 

She spares a glance behind her, and almost feels like she’s winning when she doesn’t see John. 

It’s because he’s in front of her. 

At the end of the gravelly side street, lounging lazily on the wall. 

Michael fucking Meyers, that’s what this reminds her of. You never see him moving, but somehow he’s always catching up to you. 

She almost falls again when turning around to dash the other way, but manages to keep a shaky, vertical grip on earth.

John surpasses her, the easy stride of his legs infuriating, and plants himself in her path so that she runs smack into his chest. 

There’s no time to get away. He already has her biceps gripped tight. 

She winces, writhes, glower resembling more of a pout. 

“When you run,” he says, kissing her head with a soft mouth that contradicts his hard grip. “You zigzag. Go every direction. Never in a straight line. Never predictably. You have to not think about where you’re going, but focus wholly on your destination.”

“Helpful tips that I should have known earlier?” She tries, grinning dryly.

He chuckles. “If I just tell you, you won’t learn. Which reminds me: Let’s take you home and get you warm. I owe you some merciless tickling, don’t I?”

“I was hoping you’d forget,” she groans. “Second chance?” 

“You’ll get plenty of chances,” he assures, leading her back to where she came with a big arm wrapped around her shoulders to keep her warm.

[munsonslove]

Make It Up to You (part 2)

(18+ only) (read part 1 here)

summary: After Eddie’s van stalls when he tries to leave your party, you invite him to stay the night.

wordcount: 3.7k 

tags/warnings: fem!virgin!sub!reader (18+ and a high school graduate), softdom!Eddie, fluff, smut, friends to lovers, praise kink, dacryphilia, teasing, begging, p in v penetration, use of pet names (baby, babygirl, pretty girl, sweetheart, good girl), degradation (use of slut, Eddie calls reader desperate and pathetic... he means it in the most loving way though I swear), no use of y/n

a/n: sorry it took me like a month to post this. i’m what the kids like to call mentally ill.

“I want to make you cum, too,” you proclaim as you slide your hand down his abdomen until you reach his boxers and lightly graze his bulge.

“Don’t worry sweetheart,” he says, taking your chin in his hand and pulling you into a slow kiss. “We’re not done yet. Just letting you have a little breather.”

—

Eddie lays flat on his back with his hands behind his head as you cuddle into his side, your own head resting atop his chest. Your leg is bent with a knee thrown over his lap, thigh just underneath his still clothed and hard cock, your bare center settled snugly against the side of his pelvis and leaving a wet spot on the seam of his boxers. The minutes tick by, and despite the fact that you’re still recovering from the most Earth shattering orgasm you’ve had to date, the desire for Eddie to just use you for what he needs grows more and more with the slow passage of time. He, however, exhibits an excellent level of patience and a determined resolve to wait out your refractory period, much to your bitter annoyance. Soon, he begins to laugh softly, and confusion clouds your mind until you realize you had subconsciously began grinding into his side. 

“Getting impatient, pretty girl?” he asks with a raised brow, his fingertips slowly trailing up the arm splayed across his chest and sending a tingle of goosebumps across your heated skin.

“You need to finish too,” you insist.

“Now, don’t go thinking I didn’t enjoy myself, I’ve been wanting to hear the sweet little sounds you make with my mouth on your clit for a long time,” he assures you with half lidded eyes and a soft smile. “To be honest, if it took you any longer to finish I probably would’ve came in my boxers.”

Hearing this confession spoken so casually but with such a lustful tone erased whatever small shreds of shame persisted alongside your willpower. “Please Eds, I’m ready,” you begged, nails leaving behind small white lines on his skin as you scratched at his rib cage. “I’m ready for you.”

The bastard laughs. “I know, I know,” he says as he maneuvers you onto your back and sits up. “This pretty little pussy’s been waiting for me for a while, huh?” With his hands on your knees he pulls apart your thighs, and once they’re spread as wide apart as they comfortably can be, he starts rubbing at your clit again. This time, however, he’s careful to not lift your hood, so the pleasure remains dulled. He continues his questioning over your moaning, “Been dreaming of being filled up by me for months, hasn’t it? Craving me?”

“Try years,” you correct without thinking. Under normal circumstances you would have never confessed such an embarrassing detail, no matter how true. The haze from your previous orgasm was still lingering, and this (coupled with the return of his masterful touch to your swollen clit) turned off the filter between your brain and mouth.

This answer throws Eddie off, his hand stilling and his devious expression being replaced by one of bewilderment. The gears turning in his head are practically audible, and it’s obvious that he’s trying to decipher whether or not he heard correctly. Once he’s certain he’s understood your words properly, his eyes search yours for traces of dishonesty. You don’t even bother opposing his doubt, knowing your own expression would betray you. As much as it’s humiliating that you’ve admired him from afar for so long despite only knowing him as a friend for such a brief amount of time, it’s still undeniably true.

“Oh sweetheart,” he croons sympathetically, “why did you wait so long to say something?” He doesn’t allow any time for an answer. Instead, he climbs on top of you and kisses you fiercely. 

The passion of the kiss momentarily distracts from the stiffness poking into the soft flesh of your thigh, but when he repositions himself so that he’s hitting you directly where you ache for him most, it becomes impossible to ignore. Eddie breaks away, rolling off to stand at the side of the bed. Instinctively, your eyes follow him and are drawn directly to his hard on. The spot where the head of his cock is straining against the fabric is soaked wet, a mix of his precum and your juices from rutting up on you. Your mouth waters at the sight, your walls clenching around nothing.

“I’m gonna give you what you deserve,” he promises as he feels around your floor with his feet before finding and picking up his discarded jeans. “You deserve to feel good, after how good you’ve been for me. After how patient you’ve been for me.” The look he gives you portrays the arousal he understandably feels, but also sheer determination. He wants you to believe the words he’s saying. From the jeans’ pocket, he pulls out a small bundle of condoms, probably about three or four.

“Are you prepared all of the time?” you ask, a little self consciously. Small trickles of jealousy flood in the pit of your diaphragm, the image of Eddie in the dark with mysterious shaded forms. You try to no avail to remind yourself he’s not your boyfriend, that he’s not tied down by exclusivity, but that doesn’t extinguish the flames of envy.

“Uh, no,” he mutters, “Not all the time. Just when- well…” The powerful confidence he’s been showcasing thus far slips away, and is replaced by a meek unsureness.

“Just when…?” you egg on, the unmistakable butterflies of hope replacing the doubt in your stomach.

The sun is just beginning to rise, and though it’s still fairly dark you’re able to make out his arm raising in the dim light filtering in through the window. He rubs at his cheek, and you almost feel foolish as you wonder if the man who reduced you to tears and had you wavering all control was the same as the one blushing in front of you.

“Just when I know I’ll see you,” he finally finishes, eyes avoiding yours.

“Oh,” you breathe out, a little frailly. “So you were always pretty sure something would happen, then?”

He shrugs, still looking away. “I’d say it was less confidence something would happen, and more hopefulness that I’d get over my nerves and make a move.”

“You?” you snicker out. “You were nervous?”

“Don’t make fun of me, you just fully admitted to having a who-knows-how-many years long crush on me!” he accuses, and the reminder clamps your mouth shut for you. His gaze once again finds yours, this time with a quirked brow as you witness his mischievous attitude return. “Am I gonna have to give you a punishment?”

The question has your thighs squeezing together, an action that does not go unmissed by the half naked man standing in front of you, but you decide to shelf that curiosity for later. “Another time,” you answer, “Right now I need you.” You take the roll out of his hands, tearing one of the squares off and biting the foil open with your teeth. Crumbling up the trash and tossing it- along with the excess condoms- onto your carpet, you hold the lubricated rubber in between your thumb and index finger as you stare at him with wide eyes.

He says nothing while watching you hurriedly tearing into the packaging, but you’re pretty certain the twitch you saw inside his boxers wasn’t just your imagination. “Okay, sweetheart,” he winks at you after he leans down and gives you one last chaste peck, “Get ready to have your world rocked.”

The cockiness should have had you rolling your eyes. And it would have, but him hooking his thumbs into the elastic of his underwear mid-sentence and pushing them down had entranced you. His dick flopped up against his stomach. It was framed by the backdrop of his soft looking happy trail and lit in the faint glow of the gentle sunrise.

“Can I… return the favor? Before we…?” you trail off, not sure how to properly ask to give your high school crush a blow job before he fucks your brains out.

He smirks and takes the condom from you, pinching the tip and positions it on his head. “Another time. Right now I need you,” he says, mimicking your words from earlier. Before he can start rolling it down, you shove his hands away. You grip his shaft just above his balls, and hold it steady as you make a fist around his head. Using downward strokes, you pump him until you feel the rubber rim roll far enough to meet your other hand, then release your grasp so it can unravel the remainder of the way down. As you’re doing this, Eddie takes either side of your shoulders and holds them tight.

Once the condom is all the way in place, his grip on your shoulders leads you backwards onto the bed. Laying you down, he positions himself slightly raised above, supported on one side by knee and elbow. His other arm disappears between the two of you as he looks down to take his cock in his hand and position it between your lower lips. Some of his curly brown hair sticks to the back of his neck due to the sweat he’s worked up, but the rest of it cascades down his awestruck face. The tips of it tickle your cheeks, and your fingers brush their way into the slightly damp locks. He sighs when he feels your nails scrape his scalp. 

You expect him to get right into it, but instead he catches your attention with a quiet, “Hey,” first. Your gaze refocuses from the view in between you both back to his eyes. “If you want me to stop at any time for any reason, just let me know. I won’t be upset.”

With a slight head tilt, you feel your face contort into confusion. “But I won’t want to-“

“Sure, sure,” he cuts you off. “But it’s still your first time, so if something doesn’t feel quite right, or if I say something you’re not a hundred percent on board with, just let me know, okay?”

“But I won’t want to stop,” you insist. “I want you to fuck me, Eddie Munson.”

He chuckles at your use of his full name. “We don’t have to stop,” he reassures you. “We can slow down, or take a break-” he rubs the head of his cock through your folds, making you squirm, “- or I could make you cum with my mouth again, warm you up some more.” You nod your head while your fist tightens in his curls. “I’m gonna need a verbal response, sweetheart. Don’t you wanna be a good girl?”

“Yes!” you exclaim, an answer to both his request and his question. “I promise I’ll let you know if you do something I don’t like.”

He kisses your hairline. “I’m gonna push in now. Tell me if it’s too much,” he says. Briefly, you debate making a joke about his overconfidence, but after seeing all of him you’ve become acutely aware that it being ‘too much’ is a very real possibility. He lines up with your entrance, and the feeling of his head poking your pulsating hole has you holding a breath in anticipation. “Breathe, babygirl,” he reminds you. “It’ll make it easier if you relax.”

“Sorry,” you instantly apologize. For what you’re not sure, but you feel the need to be submissive, so it comes out without warning. It’s only when you try regulating your breathing that you realize you’ve squeezed your eyes shut, and bit down on your bottom lip hard enough to leave indents. Eddie leans down and kisses the marks gently before resting his forehead on yours. His chin tucks into his neck and he looks down, watching himself disappear as he enters into you.

He goes slow, and the moan you release sounds somehow even more obscene than the ones from your previous orgasm. After years of nothing but imagination and fantasies, you at last knew how perfect he feels buried deep inside your cunt. You’re in such euphoria that you forget to be embarrassed by how easily he’s able to slide in given your slick arousal. His balls press against your butt, his pubic hair tickling the delicate and rarely touched skin.

“I bet it feels nice after waiting so long, hm?” he says after bottoming out, the teasing humor now absent. He’s not mocking you, he’s truly asking.

“Yes,” you respond honestly. “It’s so good to have your cock inside me.”

“Tell me about it,” he demands. Before tonight, a request like that might have made you scoff. His usual sarcastic demeanor would have led you to believe he was just joking, but he’s made it more than clear by this point that when he gives an order he expects you to follow through. “Tell me what you like.”

Even though it’s getting increasingly difficult to think with every second, the urge to make him proud is too strong. The craving to obey forces you to answer. “I like how big you are, how you stretch me. I like how I can feel you so, so deep. I like how you’re touching me where no one’s ever touched me before. I like how- Oh,” suddenly, he’s even deeper, his balls pressed against you even harsher. Your gasp cut you off, but he’s staring at you expectantly, challengingly. With all your might, you attempt to reboot your brain enough to supply a coherent response. “How I can feel the ridges,” you finish your thought from earlier. And finally, “I like how you’re not trying to hurt me, but it still hurts a little bit.”

“Aw, I’m sorry, pretty girl,” he says as he kisses gently at the space between your furrowed brows. “I’ll go slow, yeah?”

“You can go f-fast,” you interject with a wavering voice, ignoring the roller coaster in your stomach at the thought. The intensity would surely be too much for you to handle, seeing as you were already a crying mess before any overstimulation. Nevertheless, you persist, “If you want to, if you n-need to. You can do whatever you want to me.”

“Believe me, I will,” he promises. “Later though. We have all the time in the world. I’m gonna be gentle for our first time.” The guarantee of this happening again, of a future, causes you to subconsciously clench around him. He groans as his eyes squeeze shut and his forehead falls onto yours. “Are you ready for me to move, babygirl?”

You nod rapidly. “Words, remember? Use your words like a good girl does,” he chastises. “Are you ready to be mine?”

You know you’re already his, both within the confines of this bed- this night- and outside. His taking charge aroused you, and even comforted you through your first-time-anxiety, but even without the domination you know you would still belong to him. You take a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m ready.”

With no hesitation, he begins his steady yet gentle pace. The foreign sliding of skin happening inside you is uncomfortable in a way that makes your mouth water- awkward in a way that makes you want more. The high pitched creaking of your old bed frame has never sounded so appealing. He pulls out of you slowly, not stopping until he’s nearly all the way unsheathed, then pushes back in while angling up. The calculated movements are allowing him to reach a spot inside you never before reached, and even before his fifth stroke your eyes are already rolling into the back of your head. An embarrassingly short amount of time passes before that familiar tightness returns to your stomach, twisting your insides in a bordering on unbearably pleasurable way. You want to hold back, play it off like you’re not about to have your second orgasm so quickly, but your mouth has a mind of its own.

“Oh my god, Eds,” you moan, “Oh, Eddie.”

“Doing so well, taking me so well. Sound so pretty saying my name like that,” he compliments between his own moans. “You say it like that when you’re touching yourself?” The question makes you blush and turn your head to the side, avoiding his eyes. He takes either side of your cheeks roughly in one hand, your lips puckering out from the pressure as he forces you to face him again. “I asked you a question,” he says expectantly.

“Y- yes,” you manage to answer weakly with his hand still gripping your face. Most of your concentration is focused on not finishing too soon.

Foolishly, you believed you were doing a good job at hiding the effect he had on you. It should come as no surprise that he saw through you like glass. “You’re going to cum already? We just started,” he mocks.

Your mouth opens, but no words come out. In their place are just more desperate groans and grunts.

“It’s okay, pretty girl. I know your brain was empty the second you first got my fat cock inside you. It’s hard to talk while stuffed full of me, huh? Can’t think of anything but how bad you need my dick.” With this, he releases his grasp on your cheeks and lowers his hand to start rubbing at your clit with no remorse. You writhe underneath him, your hips rocking in time with him to meet his every thrust. “I didn’t know you were such a desperate fucking slut. You want to? You want me to make you cum?”

“I’m going to,” you warn, “I’m gonna cum, Eddie. You’re gonna make me-“

“I don’t remember giving you permission,” he cuts you off with a taunt, his rhythm never faltering. “Good girls cum when they’re told. But maybe I’ll decide to be nice if you say please.”

“Please! Please, please, please!” you call out. It’s a good thing no one else is home, because you’ve never been this loud before while alone, not even with your favorite and filthiest fantasies of Eddie.

“Look at you, begging so pretty,” he says while chuckling. How he’s able to find amusement in the situation when you feel like your heart is about to give out is beyond you. “God, you’re squeezing me so tight. You wanna cum real bad, don’t you?”

“Please Eds,” you futilely try one more time. “I- I can’t take it!”

“Oh, but you can,” he insists with a grunt. His speed picks up slightly, both the gyrating of his hips and the circling of your clit. The sounds of wet skin slapping against skin are muffled by your hopeless sobbing. “You can and will take anything I give you, or there’ll be consequences. Oh look, you’re crying again.” Only after hearing this comment do you register the wetness pooling in your eyes and streaming down the sides of your temples. “So desperate to cum on my cock, so greedy. It’s all you need, huh? You don’t even care how pathetic it’s making you right now.”

“I’ll do anything, please. Please, Eddie!” you cry out, the overwhelming need to orgasm making you so unabashed that you’re okay with practically groveling. He’s slamming into you with quite the force now. Your arms tighten around his shoulders and your legs end up wrapped around his waist as his movements grow frantic, his own climax sneaking up on him fast.

“You’ll do anything?” he asks.

“Anything,” you confirm.

He smiles at you, almost too warmly for the vile things he’s saying and doing to your body at the moment. “Say you’re mine.”

You don’t even need to think about it. The answer would be the same whether you were on the verge of orgasm or not. “I’m yours.”

“Fuck, baby,” he groans. His voice breaks so beautifully, as if hearing you promise yourself to him was healing. Like he was dehydrated and malnourished, and your admission was water and bread. He buries his head in the crook of your neck, nose digging into your collarbone in a manner that would be uncomfortable had you not been so distracted. “You’re so perfect for me. Cum, baby. I need to feel you cum, please.” For all the big game he talked, in the end he somehow became the one begging.

The coil finally exploded causing spasms and tremors to take over your body. Electricity flows through you, rushing from your center to the top of your head and tips of your curling toes. You cling to Eddie so tightly that your arms start tingling as they go numb. “It’s so much,” you manage to whimper out, and you push his fingers away from your sensitive cunt. His hand moves underneath your back as he cradles you closer to himself.

“I know,” he hums into you, his lips tickling your skin. The thrusting has died down into slow grinding, just slightly rocking back and forth as he’s buried deep inside you. You feel his cock twitching as he releases into the condom. The noises coming from him make it clear the subtle movements are overstimulating him, but he seems dead set on helping you to ride out your high for as long as possible. “Me too,” he whispers as his head turns to kiss away the salty tears streaming down your face, “me too.”

Your mind feels too hazy for you to respond, an inescapable clouding of your senses is overtaking any brain functionality. The elbow supporting him gives out and his full weight falls on top of you, his body heat touching every inch of your skin. This effectively pins you down, ceasing your squirming and bringing your hips (that were previously meeting his every thrust) flush to the mattress. He finally stops rocking himself into you, but doesn't pull out from your warmth, his cock remains buried deep as if he has no plans of leaving soon. What he does do, is lift his head and rub his nose to yours, lips just barely brushing.

“Gimme like, twenty minutes,” he murmurs against your mouth, “We can use another one of those condoms.”

[tiarascrowns]

Peacock Ring

Maggi Simpkins' Peacock Ring

Centering an emerald-cut diamond, surrounded by custom-cut sapphires, emeralds and teal blue diamonds.

Emerald-cut diamond weighs 10.12 carats

Sapphires weighing a total of approximately 2.62 carats

Emeralds weighing a total of approximately 0.80 carat

Teal diamonds weighing a total of approximately 0.24 carat

18 karat yellow gold

Signed Maggi Simpkins

Size 7¼  

Accompanied by GIA report no. 5211466866, dated 12 February 2021, stating that the diamond is H color and VS2 clarity, excellent polish and symmetry.

- Sotheby's

This piece is part of Sotheby's Brilliant and Black: A Jewelry Renaissance, the selling exhibition dedicated to showcasing the extraordinary skill, imagination, and craftsmanship of Black jewelry designers.

[vasyandii]

Phayvanh "Nak" Sotsvahn 🐉

UPDATED INTRO!! (Old Ver.)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Status: ACTIVE

Year of Birth: 2000 (Aged 20)

Day of Birth: September 13

Place of Birth: Vientiane, Laos

Nationality: Laotian

Race: Lao

Languages Spoken: Lao, Thai, English, Russian

Occupation: Tactical Assault Operator, Close Quarters Combat Specialist (Chimera Member)

Affiliation(s):

-Golden Triangle Cartel (Formerly)

-Lao People's Armed Forces (Formerly; Dishonorably Discharged)

-Allegiance

-Chimera

Physical Appearance

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Black

Height: 5’2”/159 cm

Build: Lean Muscular

Scars: None

Tattoos/ Markings: Large tattoos on left upper and Center of back

Biography

Born in Vientiane, Laos. Living the first 15 years of her life off her uncle's fortune, partaking in the trafficking of illicit narcotics at a young age. The two were close due to them being family, not having many friends due to her uncle's line of work. Enlisted in the LPAF by her Uncle's wishes to "Carve a better path for herself". Was not liked by her peers for her cocky attitude, overly aggressive tactics, and habit of prioritizing her personal safety over the team.

After 3 years of service in the LPAF, excelling in Close Quarters Combat, dishonorably discharged due to repeated physical altercations among teammates. Spent the next 6 months back to working for Kapano Vang despite his reluctance, eventually fleeing to Urzikstan after an argument with Vang about difference in beliefs, multiple people injured; their relationship has been strained ever since. During her time her path crossed with Nikolai, in search of work she signed a long term contract with Chimera, with one year of service.

Shown to exhibit signs of social anxiety and difficulty forming close relationships around people her age. Inherited Kapano Vang's short temper in combat, though more relaxed outside of it. Developed a bond with Syd, seeing her as an older sister. Often paired up with Sebastian Krueger in order to keep them both in line.

Skills and Abilities

Fighting Style: Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Weapon(s): Whatever is heavy

Distinct Weapon: FN SCAR , Dual Push Blades

Shortcomings: Overly aggressive tactics, focus on personal safety, short temper

FAMILY

Familial Status: Adoptive Niece

Siblings: None

Mother: Adoptive sister of Kapano Vang (whereabouts unknown, records not found/withheld)

Uncle: Kapano “Naga” Vang; (Former warlord drug trafficker, formerly in Warsaw Pact)

Relationship with Family: Nak still idolizes her uncle to an extent, but the more that she's out in the world,the more she realizes that he isn't a good person. Nak’s mother wasn’t present in life. Her uncle took her in after mother wasn’t able to care for her. Naga trained her at a very young age; he thought it was best if she was strong in their lifestyle.

Pet: Cat person, never was allowed to have pets but she would throw scraps of food to strays.

PERSONALITY

Myers Briggs Type: ESTJ-T Nak is an extroverted introvert, she likes and enjoys talking to people, however it drains her energy quickly since she's not used to talking to people in such a casual manner. Things like talking business she’s more used to.

Adaptable: A quick thinker, Nak is able to carry out missions by finding creative solutions to make sure her operations are successful. Outside of the battlefield her adaptability allows her to have better communication with people, even with her social anxiety.

Pragmatic: Nak strives to make the most effective solutions so it’s easier on her in the future. Her decision making skills ensure that she’ll survive in the field and outside of it.

Responsible: Living on her own, Nak is responsible, she can’t relax unless all her work is done beforehand. As she starts forming close relationships with people, she realizes that she likes taking care of people.

Negative Traits

Stubborn: Starting out Nak isn’t a very good teamplayer. She doesn’t like others telling her what to do or how to do things so she’s stubborn in a way that she’s adamant about what she wants but adaptable with what methods are needed.

Judgemental: Her formative years with Naga didn’t allow her to trust people, because of the Golden Triangle Cartel she has a habit of being overly critical of others.

Paranoid Perfectionist: Nak is self-demanding, she doesn’t take failure lightly. This leads to her paranoia of not being properly prepared. She becomes aggressive out of frustration if her ability isn’t to her liking.

Favourites

Colour: Golden Yellow

Food: Fried eggs

Drink: Lemon iced Tea

Flower: Plumeria

Animal: Giant Anteaters

TRIVIA

Nak is a shortened version of “phayanak” the mythical water serpent in Laos, it’s also the Lao pronunciation of “Naga” which is her Uncle’s name on the field.

Her face paint draws reference to how snake teeth are shown in Phayanak statues. There are multiple snake motifs in her design. Is the design practical? No, she just likes standing out in that way.

Nak cuts her own bangs (long blunt bangs) she doesn’t trust anyone with cutting them.

Has a lot of upper body and lower body strength; she can lift things heavier than her and calisthenics skills (handstands, full planches, etc.)

Nak is significantly more patient to small children than adults because she can understand why they would do the things they do.

[rivensdefenseattorney]

Nabu Character Profile

(WIP)

Basic Information

Name: Nabu Zaman

Race: Halfling Merman

Age: 21

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Height: 6'3 (191 cm)

Unique Features

Purple engravings all over his body

Long Locs

Has Scales, Gills, and Webbed Fingers/Toes when wet

Skin glows when dark and wet

Education & Background

Education: Red Fountain Polytechnic

Year: Exchange Student

Specialty: Spellcraft & Enchantment Practical Applications

Subspecialties: Tactical Combat & Field Operations | Magical Artifact Creation & Studies

Favorite Class: History of Magical Practices

Birthplace: Kingdom of Mare, Andros

Occupation: Apprentice Wizard

Relationships

Family

Mother: Zilina (Deceased)

Father: Nazir Zaman

Step-Mother: Yazmin Zaman

Elder Half-Brother: Naveed Zaman

Friends

Timmy/Helia (Specialist Best Friends)

Stella/Tecna/Musa (Winx Best Friends)

Love Interests

Aisha

Personality Traits

Confident and Patient: Nabu exudes confidence and patience, traits honed through his solitary studies and dedicated practices.

Kind and Sincere Despite his isolation, he carries a genuine kindness and honesty, fostering genuine connections with those he meets.

Philomath: He harbors a deep love for learning, a passion driving his explorations in magic, history, artifact crafting, and academic pursuits.

Intelligent and Knowledgeable: Nabu exhibits a strong intellect, especially in wizardry and studies, which gains recognition from mentors and peers.

Reserved and Thoughtful: He appears to be introspective and contemplative, choosing his words carefully and showing consideration for others' feelings.

Supportive and Reliable: Nabu acts as a dependable friend, offering support and guidance to those close to him, like Aisha, and being there when they need him.

Dutiful and Responsible: Nabu is dedicated to his studies and responsibilities, as shown by his commitment to apprenticeship and learning from his master.

Adaptable and Open-Minded: While committed to his studies, Nabu seems open to new experiences and learning from different cultures or places, as he's willing to explore beyond his homeland.

Skills & Abilities

Prodigy Wizard

Enhanced Vision, Hearing, and Strength

Expert on Magic History and Theory

Fast Swimmer

Can Breathe Underwater

Excels in staff-centered Martial Arts

Can communicate with Sea Creatures

Hobbies & Interests

Swimming

Reading

Visiting libraries, museums, and monuments.

Collecting and creating artifacts, jewelry, and gems.

Trying new foods to document in his travel journal.

Quirks & Habits

Follows a pescetarian diet

Doesn't understand a lot of surface traditions

Ties his locs into a different style every morning

Can recognize over 1,000 spells by memory

__________________________

Winx Rewrite Master Post

[imnameimswrld]

╰┈➤ ❝ [𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐗 𝐁𝐓𝐒 || 𝗢𝗧𝟳 ꒱꒱

━━ ❪ . . . the bangtan boys meets my favourite book of all time, "fourth wing" by rebecca yarros, in which I assign them dragons I think they'd bond with, and their signets [special ability] that stem from within ; if you haven't read it already, i highly recommend if you're a fantasy bookworm who loves dragons ! ❫

━━ ❪ . . . drabble ❫

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐑𝐌 ❪ 김남준 ❫ — green club tail

type || green club tail, female ; highly intelligent and make excellent seige weapons, submission and patience are essential when approaching green dragons.

name || feighonan, ' feigh '

signet || lie detector ; namjoon has the ability to detect when someone is telling or even formulating a lie. this makes him a key man in interrogations with enemies.

× × ×

𝐉𝐈𝐍 ❪ 김석진 ❫ — brown daggter tail

type || brown daggter tail, male ; when approaching them, the cadet should now show any fear or apprehension.

name || breanainn, ' nain '

signet || weather control ; jin is most helpful in battle, as he can control the playing field to whichever benefits his comrades. when he first got his signet, and no idea how to control it, the forecast would be based solely on his emotions.

× × ×

𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀 ❪ 민윤기 ❫ — navy-blue sword tail

type || navy-blue sword tail, male ; known to be ruthless and do not adhere to the laws as understood by other dragons.

name || bromeicrir, ' brom '

signet || elementalist ; teamed with jin, the pair can create powerful storms that will demolish whomever they direct it towards, all while protecting their wing. a part of yoongi's power would be kept hidden from the wing, only the higher-ups having the knowledge of his ability to blood-bend, as it is also considered water. he's practically the avatar of the riders quadrant.

× × ×

𝐉-𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄 ❪ 정호석 ❫ — green sword tail

type || green sword tail, female ; highly intelligent and make excellent seige weapons, submission and patience are essential when approaching green dragons.

name || raevoreighn, ' rae '

signet || pathokenisis ; hobi has the ability to control the emotions of this around him, making him a great asset in both interrogations and battles. his signet is kept entirely hidden from the quadrant.

× × ×

𝐉𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍 ❪ 박지민 ❫ — red dagger tail

type || red daggter tail, female ; they have a quick temper and should only be approached from thr left or front, avoiding eye contact.

name || havneinery, ' havn '

signet || illusionist ; jimin is the greatest weapon the wing has when going into battle. a confused target is as good as dead.

× × ×

𝐕 ❪ 김태형 ❫ — black morningstar tail

type || black morningstar tail, female ; the rarest of the dragons, and so information on them is scarce as they don't tend to bond often.

name || daizaylus, ' zay '

signet || telekenisis ; the ability to control things with his mind means taehyung is often put at the back of the wing and not in the heart of the fight, giving him the angle to take enemies out with a bat of his eyelash – make no mistake however, he is far more lethal than any sword wielder.

× × ×

𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐊𝐎𝐎𝐊 ❪ 전정국 ❫ — orange scorpion tail

type || orange scorpion tail, male ; they exhibit a range of hues and are often very unpredictable.

name || cainnech, ' cainn '

signet || enhanced senses ; unlike taehyung, jungkook flies front and center of the wing as his signet allows him to see the attackers from a great distance away, giving his wing the forever upper hand in battle. he's faster, stronger, and he's never seen failure.

[cartermagazine]

What an EPIC night, Brother Jamel Shabazz received the prestigious @luciefoundation Award presented by Peter Kunhardt, Jr. Executive Director for The Gordon Parks Foundation at Carnegie Hall… So well deserved.

Jamel Shabazz is best known for his iconic photographs of New York City during the 1980s. A documentary, fashion, and street photographer, he has authored 12 monographs and contributed to over three dozen other photography related books.

His photographs have been exhibited worldwide and his work is housed within the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Fashion Institute of Technology, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Getty Museum.

Over the years, Shabazz has instructed young students at the Studio Museum in Harlem’s “Expanding the Walls” project, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture “Teen Curator’s” program, and the Bronx Museum’s “Teen Council.” He is also the 2018 recipient of the Gordon Parks award for excellence in the arts and humanitarianism and the 2022 awardee of the Gordon Parks Foundation/Steidl book prize. His goal as an artist is to contribute to the preservation of world history and culture.

It is an honor to collaborate with Brother Jamel Shabazz on the @albeesquaremall book that has been years in the making.

Another one of Brooklyn’s Finest 👑🏆🫡 @jamelshabazz

CARTER™️ Magazine

[vampirepunks]

Higgs Monaghan's MBTI + Enneagram Typology (pt. 2)

(disclaimer: this is my opinion based on deep character study, eight or so years of special interest in typology, and subjective interpretation. if you wanna argue, good luck finding my PDB. friendly debate is fine.)

MBTI: ENTP (Ne-Ti-Fe-Si)

Enneagram: 7w8

Instinctual Variant: sx/sp

Tritype: 782

(part one: mbti deep dive)

(Sam analysis)

As an ENTP, Higgs is right at home in enneagram 7. However, he's an interesting flavor of ENTP 7, due to his sexual instinctual variant, 8 wing + secondary fix, and emotional center in 2. Let's start with the basics.

Enneagram 7 Overview Basic Fear: Of being deprived and trapped in pain Basic Desire: To be happy, satisfied, to find fulfillment Fixation: Planning Trap: Idealism Passion: Gluttony

Deprived and trapped in pain, huh? Considering Higgs' backstory as an abused child locked away from the outside world, forcefully told there was no life outside the four walls of his home, denied the ability to explore and discover, punished for basic curiosity, this makes perfect sense. Higgs experienced extreme repression of his natural instincts, denial of his basic emotional and psychological needs, and had no means to escape the constant abuse he suffered. Remember, the common belief is that one's MBTI type is innate, while enneagram theory hinges on the acquisition of negative traits stemming from warped self-beliefs manifested by the impact of inevitable social oppression and possibly even trauma. The enneagram dips closer to psychology and sociology than MBTI (still pseudoscience tho, Naranjo was a hack and is very worthy of criticism) and thus is a lot more logical in its foundations. Hence, I strongly believe that any MBTI type can be any enneagram, due to the breadth of human experience, it's just a matter of conflicting cognition and instincts. Don't fight me on this one, y'all, I'm working on my sociology B.A., I can go back and forth all day about this stuff. I'm gonna get banned from PDB any day now for the arguments I get into.

It's not hard to understand why "be happy and fulfilled" became the crux of Higgs' pursuits. Enneagram 7 takes this most basic human desire, "be happy," and crafts it into an obsession. Until they overcome their fix and passion, 7 will never be satisfied. (cough cough, intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame... ahem. sorry, sorry, something stuck in my throat there. moving on.)

Enneagram 7 treats life as one grand stage, where anything can happen if you just want it badly enough. Thus, 7 is hedonistic, rebellious, undisciplined in one way or another, driven towards wish fulfillment, egotistical, persuasive, and extremely seductive, with some variants of 7 exhibiting charlatanism and fraudulence.

Sexual 7

Instinctual variants are the result of the enneagram type's passion invading an area of the social life and self, dominating its expression. There are three realms here: sexual (not always explicitly in the adult sense, this refers to one-on-one relationships, intimacy, etc), social, and self-preservation.

So, obviously sexual 7 is the result of gluttony + the sexual instinct. sx7 traits include: talkativeness, grandiosity and exaggeration, exhibitionism of personality and style, invasive tendencies, brazen audacity, obliviousness, magical thinking, relationship difficulties, self-indulgence, hypersensitivity, anti-hierarchical escapism, and intolerance for frustration.

Put simply, sx7 has their head in the clouds. Ichazo nicknamed this subtype "suggestibility." Although I really dislike Naranjo, he made an excellent point when he said, "The sexual seven is not earthly, but heavenly. He is not interested in the things of this world. It is the gluttony of the things of a higher and more advanced world. The sexual E7 is what we could call a dreamer[...] His passion is to dream, to go towards the sweetness of the imagined instead of contacting the ordinary and not so interesting reality."

Higgs is a showman. He paints everything in metaphor, in literature, in poetry, in history, in performances and masks and shadow theater. When captured in the literal view, Higgs' life is one tragedy after another, with no rhyme or reason, no grand answer to "why me," no satisfying conclusion to make an adoring audience cry for him. In the meta, fourth-wall breaking sense, the player becomes that for him. He looks us in the eye and asks, "Isn't this what you've been waiting for this whole time?" and prances around putting on a good show as we give him the attention and recognition he craves; we observe, we react, and a few of us see him. For a few moments, we live in his tragedy, we smile at his one-liners, we laugh at his bad behavior, and in those precious moments, he isn't alone. He's still at it, winking at the camera in the DS2 trailer when he quips about porters having to pull the trigger sometimes, a sly little, "I know what you did. You're not better than me. You get it."

But let's peel back that layer. Higgs is a mask. Let's talk about Peter.

Yeah, Peter, who was destroyed time and time again by his stubborn drive to believe, no matter how many times it got him hurt, nearly killed, even. Peter, who believed his way into stepping into a new world with a new sky. Peter, who believed his way into becoming a terrorist. Peter, who believed his way into Amelie's puppet master hands. Peter, who believed until the moment the carrot was snatched away and he met the stick face-first. Peter, the child whose only crime was being curious, became a grown man with his dreams shattered entire, with no innocence left to call his own, no one to save him, and no way out. So what was there to do but construct new dreams, nightmares made ideal, to build anew an image of himself as "the bridge that brings the extinction" in service of a greater power? Dreamer turned apostle, Saint Peter having the faith that he could walk on water. Except Amelie didn't pull him out when he sank. (Sam did, but that's a completely different conversation.)

Higgs built up a world of magic, because his real life was tragic, and in the end, Amelie forced him to bury the castle.

sx7 traps themselves in false hope, breezing through the world with witty speeches, talking, talking, talking, coasting by on charm and an energetic demeanor to mask their anxiety. This is right at home in the possibility-obsessed, silver-tongued ENTP, but the sensitivities of sx7 soften the ENTP personality quite a bit, amplifying their vulnerabilities and making them all too easy to manipulate. This is a personality that needs someone to protect them, and to teach them to protect themselves, which Higgs never had. Coffin tried, but fate had other ideas, and she became another loss upon his shoulders.

Self-Preservation 7 (secondary)

Now, on PDB, almost everyone has voted Higgs as sx/so, and I get why, but I believe Higgs is very social-blind and not countertype. The last instinct in a stack is a personality's blind spot, their weak point, the thing they struggle with, try to ignore, and overcompensate for. For Higgs, that's the social instinct. The self-pres and social instincts are conflated a lot in 7, due to this type’s inherent need for outward validation; their cool exterior conceals fear of inferiority and deprivation. 7 is arguably the most extroverted of the enneagram thus their self-preservation needs are heavily dependent on the presence of other people and having a clear role within a group. They often create family units and can appear similar to the so8 via their proclivity for creating a “tribe” for themselves, a group they nurture and in turn are protected by. Thus, sp7s are characterized as defenders in spite of their obvious self-interest. sx/sp 7s are often warm, charismatic people. Combined with an 8 fix, they're quite intense. In a well-read ENTP, this is a personality that could sell ice in the Arctic, and people gravitate towards their ability to sell their dream. "Together, we'll carry packages from sea to shining sea."

Many of Higgs’ deeper issues can be explained through the aforementioned developed Fe + social-blindness + a 2 fix in his emotional center. Having grown up completely isolated from the world, there’s no way he could be anything but soc-blind. His self-sacrifice is cognitive compensation for social deficiency and expression of a moral righteousness generated by his sx7-driven idealism, not an instinctual social egotism and rejection of gluttony. More on this when we get to his 2 fix. sp7 is the closest of the 7 variants to the literal definition of gluttony. They yearn for indulgence in every way.

Now, let's talk about that 8 wing and tritype secondary fix

Enneagram 8 is known for its aggression before all else, and it has a strong pull on any personality that has it in their wing or tritype. The 7w6 is flighty, much more risk-averse, and they work to satisfy their gluttony by seducing others into feeding their cravings for them, holding back to explore all possibilities, and they seek assurance that they're making the right choices, whereas 7w8 knows what they want and they'll take it if they have to. The 8 wing adds a heavy-handed, decisive edge to the 7 personality; 7w6 pushes back when the world closes in on them, 7w8 pushes forward against the world to make sure they're never restricted to begin with. Thus, the sx7 with an 8 wing displays much more sexual aggression (licking people!) and is inclined to show dominance. They're self-protective, they don't like to share their toys, and they won't let anyone take what's theirs. See: "gonna make [Sam] regret ever fucking with me and mine." This makes the 7w8 a powerful protector, a fierce enemy... and a nervous wreck prone to covering up fear with violence, anger, and provocation. This sort of aggression is a tendency in the standard 7w8, but with an 8 fix added to the tritype, it becomes a leading trait. This is particularly interesting in an ENTP, as they aren't typically aggressive by nature; they seek conflict for entertainment's sake, without malice, looking to test people and expand their own worldview through discourse. The ENTP 7w8 with an 8 tritype fix, on the other hand, takes up stronger convictions, greater stubbornness, and an impatience for people who won't bend to their whims. They often go looking to convince people they're right, getting frustrated when they aren't heard. ("You just don't get it, do you?") Further, when 8 invades the sexual instinct, secondary to a 7 fix, you get a personality that wants to possess the hearts and minds of their closest loved ones, fears abandonment, would die to protect one of their own, and knows better than to bite the hand that feeds.

Finally, the tertiary 2 fix

Enneagram 2 is a nurturer. 2 generously gives of themselves, constantly fixating on everyone else's needs. This is a personality that would give another person the shirt off their own back if they asked. Important thing to understand: their help isn't free. They might say it is, but 2 unconsciously expects to be rewarded and praised for helping others. Overall, this fits well with Higgs' secondary instinctual alignment in sp7. 7 fears being deprived, while 2 fears that no one appreciates them, and they mask this insecurity with a show of humility and an insistence that they were merely doing the right thing. They reason that if they meet everyone else's needs, their own needs will be taken care of in reciprocity. Meanwhile, they minimize those needs, making themselves as small and convenient as possible, denying they have needs at all. With an sx/sp alignment and a secondary 8 fix, this becomes a push-pull internal conflict between "I don't need anything, really" and "Give me what I need or else." I firmly believe that part of why Higgs' betrayal of Fragile was so malicious was a subconscious urge to punish her for not being... you guessed it... what he needed.

Let's go back to the point from post no. 1 about Higgs having highly developed Fe. In his youth, every time Higgs found himself in a new social situation, he responded with skepticism and instinctual aversion to social connection. It took time and persuasion for him to warm up to the idea of group politics; he’s only convinced when he realizes he’s needed and stands to have his own needs fulfilled in turn. Most people try to place Higgs' emotional center in enneagram 4 (which, when modulated by the sx-instinct and an 8 wing, can get downright nasty due to the fixation with envy and the aggression of 8) but frankly... I think that's lazy analysis.

Higgs’ initial reluctance to accept his DOOMS for what it was and subsequent secretiveness about killing to maintain it for his own survival screams 2. Higgs doesn’t self-victimize or wish to be special. Rather, he conceals his own needs and justifies his actions through a belief that he’s undertaking a selfless path. (“I’m an altruist now, I live to help other people[…] Community’s what it’s all about.”) He needs the world to need him and deteriorates when his role is threatened. In his time leading the West, people loved him and relied on him, but that wasn’t enough for him. Because he’s soc-blind and sx-dom, he only feels truly seen, fulfilled, and appreciated when he has attention and approval through a one-on-one relationship, such as with Coffin, Fragile, Amelie, etc., and he obsessively pursues the same recognition from Sam. (It’s worth acknowledging this is also indicative of disordered attachment, anxious-avoidant type.) When he fails, he falls back on the self-pres instinct, so… pizza, anyone?

Amelie initially lured him with the deceptive promise of enough power to create the better, freer, fairer world he was striving for. In his mind: save the world = save himself. Can’t save the world? Can’t save himself, time to take the whole thing down with him and call it mercy. That’s an unhealthy 2 heart center, believing he can only meet his own needs by rescuing everyone else, projecting his own turmoil onto others. He convinces himself he’s doing the right thing, giving the world what it needs. While his thirst for wide-scale justice is genuine, he exhibits an intense craving for attention, intimacy, and recognition, becoming suddenly naive and vulnerable when someone offers what he lacks. Conversely, he’s antagonistic, aloof, aggressive, and ego-defensive when his needs are denied or threatened.

Conclusion

Higgs' most basic of needs were denied from a young age, and as an ENTP, he's inherently driven to hedonism, has a need for an intellectual playmate/trustworthy equal, and craves a balance between novelty and safety, so he’s gluttonous towards intimate relationships and a sense of security. His sx7 alignment means he dreams big and loud, constructing kingdoms in his mind and a personal narrative where he's the hero in shining armor, free to explore the world as he wishes and save it while he's at it. His sp7 secondary means he thirsts for his own means of survival and the assurance of it, going out of his way to endear himself to others and become indispensable to guarantee that survival. His 8 fix means he's assertive, strong-willed, aggressively self-protective, and highly possessive of anything he views as "belonging" to him. His 2 fix means he needs others to need him, needs to feel important in his loved ones' lives, needs to have his efforts rewarded, needs a larger role to fulfill, and most of all, needs to know that he's allowed to need things. As an sx7, he's comfortable with wanting things, but that 2 fix means needs are unacceptable for him to express.

Becoming Higgs—embodying a self-righteous, pharaoh-inspired persona—was the only way he could cope with the injustice and deprivation he suffered. (Coffin: “There was such a fear in him, but beneath that a terrible anger[…] That poor boy…”)

Mature-but-unhealthy ENTP 782 at its finest. Feet on the ground, head in the clouds. In conclusion, I want to fuck him so bad it makes me look stupid. What a man.

[old-powwow-days]

The first major solo museum presentation of fourth-generation Navajo weaver Melissa Cody (b. 1983, No Water Mesa, Arizona) spans the last decade of her practice, showcasing over 30 weavings and a major new work produced for the exhibition. Using long-established weaving techniques and incorporating new digital technologies, Cody assembles and reimagines popular patterns into sophisticated geometric overlays, incorporating atypical dyes and fibers. Her tapestries carry forward the methods of Navajo Germantown weaving, which developed out of the wool and blankets that were made in Germantown, Pennsylvania and supplied by the US government to the Navajo people during the forced expulsion from their territories in the mid-1800s. During this period, the rationed blankets were taken apart and the yarn was used to make new textiles, a practice of reclamation which became the source of the movement. While acknowledging this history and working on a traditional Navajo loom, Cody’s masterful works exercise experimental palettes and patterns that animate through reinvention, reframing traditions as cycles of evolution. Melissa Cody is a Navajo/Diné textile artist and enrolled member of the Navajo/Diné nation. Cody grew up on a Navajo Reservation in Leupp, Arizona and received a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts and Museum Studies from Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe. Her work has been featured in The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia (2022); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR (2021); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (2019–2020); Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff (2019); SITE Santa Fe (2018–19); Ingham Chapman Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (2018); Navajo Nation Museum, Window Rock (2018); and the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe (2017–18). Cody’s works are in the collections of the Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; and The Autry National Center, Los Angeles. In 2020, she earned the Brandford/Elliott Award for Excellence in Fiber Art.

Webbed Skies is currently on exhibition at MoMA PS1 through September 9nth 2024

[healthcoach95]

Top Muscle-Building Foods You Should Include in Your Diet

Building muscle requires something beyond heading out to the exercise center - it requires an exhaustive methodology that incorporates a very organized gym routine daily schedule and, maybe in particular, a sustenance plan rich in muscle-building food sources. The adage, "abs are made in the kitchen," turns out as expected, underscoring the crucial job nourishment plays in accomplishing wellness objectives, particularly muscle improvement.

In this article, we dive into the universe of supplement thick food varieties that act as the structure blocks major areas of strength for, muscles. Whether you're a wellness fan, a competitor, or somebody simply setting out on an excursion to improve your constitution, understanding the significance of a reasonable eating regimen is pivotal.

The human body depends on different supplements, including proteins, nutrients, and minerals, to help muscle development, fix tissues, and work with in general prosperity. By decisively integrating explicit food sources into your day-to-day feasts, you can upgrade your sustenance to proficiently advance muscle improvement.

From lean meats like chicken and turkey to dairy items like Greek yogurt and milk, and even plant-based sources like quinoa and lentils, we investigate a different scope of choices reasonable for different dietary inclinations. Toward the finish of this article, you'll have a thorough manual for making a muscle-building diet that energizes your exercises and adds to accomplishing your wellness objectives.

Slender Meats for Muscle Improvement

Chasing muscle improvement, and integrating slender meats into your eating regimen is a key and heavenly method for guaranteeing you're furnishing your body with the fundamental supplements it needs. Lean meats are eminent for their high protein content and supplement thickness, making them major structure blocks for muscle fix and development. Here, we investigate some outstanding lean meat choices that can fuel your wellness process:

1. Chicken Bosom: The Protein Force to be reckoned with

Chicken bosom is a staple in muscle-building and eats less carbs which is as it should be. It flaunts a high protein content, giving the important amino acids vital for muscle fix and development. Moreover, the chicken bosom is low in fat, making it an ideal decision for those expecting to fabricate slender bulk without an abundance of calories.

2. Turkey: Lean Protein with Supplement Lift

Turkey is another lean meat champion, offering a vigorous portion of great protein fundamental for muscle improvement. It is plentiful in supplements like zinc and B nutrients, further supporting in general wellbeing and improving your body's capacity to recuperate from extreme exercises.

3. Fish (Salmon, Fish): Omega-3s for Added Advantages

Salmon and fish, among other greasy fish, are phenomenal wellsprings of protein as well as give omega-3 unsaturated fats. These fundamental fats add to mitigating impacts, supporting joint well-being and by and large prosperity. The blend of protein and omega-3s makes fish an important resource in advancing muscle recuperation.

Integrating these inclined meats into your eating routine gives a thorough exhibit of supplements, including excellent protein, nutrients, and minerals. Whether barbecued, heated, or remembered for plates of mixed greens and pan-sears, lean meats offer flexibility in dinner readiness, guaranteeing that you can partake in various delightful dishes while making progress toward your muscle advancement objectives. Keep in mind, that a reasonable way to deal with nourishment, combined with ordinary activity, is vital to accomplishing and keeping up with ideal muscle wellbeing.

Dairy Items for Ideal Muscle Wellbeing

Dairy items assume a vital part in advancing ideal muscle well-being, offering a rich exhibit of supplements that help muscle improvement, fix, and generally speaking prosperity. Here, we dive into the advantages of integrating dairy into your eating regimen and feature key dairy items that add to muscle wellbeing:

1. Greek Yogurt: Protein-Pressed Probiotic Pleasure

Greek yogurt stands apart as an intense wellspring of protein, pivotal for muscle fix and development. What makes it outstanding is its thick protein content and the presence of probiotics, cultivating a solid stomach climate. This blend supports productive supplement retention, upgrading the general adequacy of your muscle-building endeavors.

2. Curds: Slow-Delivery Protein for Supported Muscle Backing

Curds is a flexible dairy choice known for its sluggish processing protein, casein. This trademark guarantees a slow arrival of amino acids into the circulation system, offering supported help for muscle recuperation. Moreover, curds are plentiful in calcium, a mineral fundamental for muscle withdrawals and generally speaking bone well-being.

3. Milk: Complete Sustenance for Muscles

Milk, a work of art and healthy dairy item is a finished wellspring of protein containing a reasonable blend of fundamental supplements. It gives excellent protein as well as critical measures of calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is essential for muscle withdrawals, while vitamin D improves the ingestion of calcium, advancing solid bones and ideal muscle capability.

Integrating these dairy delights into your eating regimen offers an all-encompassing way to deal with muscle wellbeing. Whether delighted in as an independent bite, mixed into smoothies, or coordinated into different recipes, dairy items give a flavorful and helpful method for meeting your dietary requirements. Keep in mind, that a balanced eating regimen that incorporates an assortment of dairy sources contributes not exclusively to muscle improvement yet in addition by and large dietary equilibrium and imperativeness.

Plant-Based Wellsprings of Protein for Muscle Backing

For those embracing a plant-based way of life, accomplishing ideal muscle support isn't just feasible yet in addition delectable. Plant-based sources offer a different scope of supplement thick choices that give fundamental proteins and supplements essential for muscle improvement. Here, we investigate some champion plant-based wellsprings of protein to fuel your muscle-building venture:

1. Quinoa: The Total Plant Protein

Quinoa is a hotshot among plant-based proteins, being a finished protein containing all fundamental amino acids. This makes it an important expansion to your eating routine, guaranteeing your body has the structure blocks expected for muscle development. Quinoa is additionally rich in fiber, advancing stomach-related well-being and giving supported energy.

2. Lentils: Protein-Loaded Vegetables with Added Advantages

Lentils are a protein force to be reckoned with inside the plant-based domain. Loaded with protein and fiber, they contribute not exclusively to muscle improvement yet in addition support stomach-related well-being. Furthermore, lentils are an extraordinary wellspring of iron, supporting oxygen transport to muscles and advancing perseverance during proactive tasks.

3. Chickpeas: Adaptable Protein-Rich Vegetables

Chickpeas, otherwise called garbanzo beans, offer a flexible and scrumptious wellspring of plant-based protein. Whether utilized in plates of mixed greens, or curries or mixed into hummus, chickpeas contribute fundamental nutrients and minerals that help muscle capability. Their blend of protein and fiber additionally advances satiety and supported energy.

Integrating these plant-based forces to be reckoned with into your feasts guarantees a balanced admission of fundamental supplements. Whether you follow a completely plant-based diet or are hoping to differentiate your protein sources, these choices give a flavorful and nutritious starting point for muscle support. Adjusting different plant-based food varieties cultivates muscle improvement as well as adds to general well-being and prosperity. Keep in mind, that variety is key in guaranteeing you get an expansive range of supplements to help your wellness objectives.

Nuts and Seeds for Supplement Thick Nibbling

In the domain of supplement thick nibbling, nuts, and seeds arise as healthy and fulfilling decisions that offer plenty of medical advantages. These little yet powerful snacks tempt the taste buds as well as give a concentrated wellspring of supplements pivotal for general prosperity. We should investigate the healthful fortunes tracked down in almonds, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds, making them great choices for your supplement thick eating venture:

1. Almonds: Protein-Pressed Energy Supporters

Almonds are prestigious for their great supplement profile, highlighting a significant measure of protein, solid fats, and vitamin E. The protein content backs muscle fix and development, while the solid fats add to a sensation of completion, making almonds an optimal nibble for supported energy. The presence of vitamin E, a cancer prevention agent, further guides in safeguarding cells from oxidative pressure during actual work.

2. Chia Seeds: Minuscule Titans of Supplement Thickness

Chia seeds have legitimately procured their status as a superfood, offering a wealth of omega-3 unsaturated fats, protein, and fiber. These supplement-pressed seeds give calming benefits, supporting muscle recuperation. The blend of protein and fiber advances satiety and supported energy, making chia seeds a great expansion to your supplement thick eating collection.

3. Pumpkin Seeds: Supplement Rich Nibbling Joy

Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, are a healthful force to be reckoned with, bragging undeniable levels of protein, magnesium, and zinc. Magnesium plays a critical part in muscle withdrawals, while zinc upholds safe capability and muscle recuperation. The wonderful crunch and rich flavor make pumpkin seeds a helpful and scrumptious nibble choice that supports your body while fulfilling your desires.

Integrating these nuts and seeds into your nibble routine gives a helpful and tasty method for improving your day-to-day supplement consumption. Whether delighted in all alone, added to yogurt, or integrated into trail blends, nuts, and seeds offer a fantastic mix of flavors and surfaces that add to both your physical and nourishing prosperity. Make sure to appreciate them with some restraint, enjoying the wholesome advantages they bring to your supplement thick nibbling experience.

[fallingdownstars]

Intro to:

Recovery!Tale is an Underlust AU with the premise of What if the Underground was not naturally lustful, but instead artificially by the means of a drug called LUST, and would one be able to recover from LUST's effects?

⚠️CW FOR THIS AU⚠️:

Suicide (Explicit Detail)/ Suicidal ideation (mentioned) Drug use (mentioned ) / Recovery from drug use (mentioned ) Sex Work (mentioned) Extra Mentions:

Lust is Trans fem/ feminine presenting in this AU but still goes by he/him (just so y’all know and please do not change that).

Like all AUs nowadays this is Sans centered (it’s tradition!)

Background:

Recovery!Tale follows the same timeline as the original Undertale timeline until the death of Chara and Asriel Dreemurr. The Humans, outraged, thinking the monsters had dared hurt one of their own after all these years, decided to curse the monsters of the underground with infertility. This, along with Asriel's death hit the kingdom very hard. After a couple of years in this state of mourning, it was decided that something had to be done. The Royal Scientists started working with LUST, the concentration of the love needed between monsters to create a child, and how they could use it to break the infertility curse. The experiment was a failure and none of the research would be able to be used, the users would exhibit dependency after even one trial of LUST, and their mental state would later show to be altered in later interviews with the participants. The information from this experiment was sealed away, never to be used, but then a rogue scientist would continue the experiment on their own. The scientist would come to the same conclusion, but they began selling LUST to the citizens looking for something to numb their pain. This would eventually cause the suicide of W. D. Gaster and then the collapse of the Dreemurr monarchy.

Drugs in Recovery!Tale:

In this version of Underlust, the lust aspect comes from a synthesized drug simply known as LUST. This drug gives the user instant Euphoria and also activates a sort of heat for the user that can last as long as LUST is in their system.

LUST has terrible effects if not taken regularly after being taken once. Users will suffer from depression, suicidal ideation, vomiting, loss of appetite, headaches, etc.

One can also overdose on LUST. Overdose is displayed by extreme heat that can go on for days and symptoms such as; recklessness, aggression, mood swings, heart palpitations, heart attacks, and death. Many people who have been victims of SA in the underground were victimized by people who had overdosed on LUST. Punishment for such a crime will range from public ridicule to being exiled from the main area of the Underground.

How the Underground government works in Recovery!Tale:

It doesn’t….

Once LUST was introduced, it spread throughout the underground and caused havoc among society till finally King Asgore and Queen Toriel stepped down, and the Government finally crumbled and fell in the face of LUST.

The current government is a form of self-governing and is not safe. Certain areas have little to no government and can be overthrown by gangs very easily, and even in larger areas some crimes can go completely unnoticed if it's not people higher up on the social ladder.

Recovery!Tale Underground Society:

Many of the inhabitants have now been taking LUST for years, leaving most businesses and society to change in accommodation.

Most businesses are Clubs/ Strip Clubs/ Red light districts.

Casual relationships and sex are common.

Sex workers take on the role of celebrities, and will be used for commercials and entertainment. Still, many get treated poorly and can be taken advantage of by businesses that sell their services. Some sex workers have started to become self-managed but they are usually not as popular unless they have excellent marketing.

Who distributes LUST:

After booming in popularity, many people started dissecting the ingredients and made even more LUST. Then LUST became as regularly available as common cold medication. And most people have it in your average medicine bottle.

W.D. Gaster’s suicide:

⚠️CW MENTION OF SUICIDE⚠️

Gaster even in this AU has the same ambition to better society and solve the problem of getting the monsters out of the underground, but as LUST use becomes more prevalent, Gaster falls into a depression because of two reasons.

Gaster was the head scientist behind LUST’s synthesis and testing. Once he starts seeing citizens being under the influence of a new underground drug, he immediately recognized the behavior as LUST and felt intense guilt for even being behind the creation of such a drug that is now corrupting the underground citizens.

Gaster has always seen society as the pinnacle of what being alive is. The presence or lack thereof of society can represent the mental stability of a person. If there is no society, that means there is no person stable enough to bring a community together, and worse for Gaster, someone to serve and a society to better. With the underground succumbing to LUST, Gaster saw no purpose in his existence.

⚠️MASSIVE TW⚠️: EXPLICIT DESCRIPTION OF GASTER’S SUICIDE ‼️

Gaster one day travels to the CORE sits at the edge of the platform, and considers not falling, for his sons, the last few children left in the underground. Gaster Considers writing a letter to each of his colleagues, friends, and sons, but he couldn’t. And so, he takes one last deep breath, silently apologizes to everyone, looks into the ‘sky’ of the underground, and falls.

⚠️TW END⚠️

People who don’t take LUST:

Known by the derogatory nickname ‘sexless’. People who don’t take LUST are usually shamed or avoided. They are thought of as prudes or as being far too ugly for anyone to even consider having sex with them.

Many people, who don’t take LUST, try to blend in by adopting others' mannerisms and fashion, and sometimes even occasionally having sex, but not to the extreme quantities others will have it in.

Both Mettaton and Papyrus are part of this group. Papyrus does take part in society to blend in. Mettaton does not, because of his sexual assault causing trauma with dressing and acting in a sexual manner, leaving him to face a large amount of criticism as a public figure.

Sans (Lust): ⚠️CW MENTION OF DRUG USE AND SEX WORK⚠️

Sans (aka Plum by Gaster)was born before the curse of infertility was placed on the citizens of the underground. Being the first child for Gaster, he was always so protective and would keep Sans close to him at all possible times. Many of his co-workers will still be able to recall the purple baby carrier that was strapped onto the doctor for months. Many are unsure of how Gaster had acquired a child, he had never mentioned a wife or even the mention of an upcoming child. Though he was a very secretive man, it still confused and even concerned many. As the years went on the curse would be at the forefront of the kingdom's concerns. Sans was a toddler, but even with his immature mind, he could sense great despair in the air of the citizens of Snowdin. One day his dad came home, and he was cradling a red mass in his arms. Sans at first was concerned about his dad's bloody hand wrapped in a bandage until he heard it, a coo? That would be the night Sans would meet his younger brother Papyrus. Sans swore to be the best big brother for his younger counterpart. Unfortunately, Sans would be put to the test on his promise quite early. Dr. Gaster would start his experiments for Project LUST, he would spend more time away from home, and when he would return he was barely present, too tired to function. Sans would pick up after his father and become Papyrus's guardian. Teaching the young skeleton to walk, speak, and other basic functions. Their relationship would become very strong because of this. But Sans was slightly unsatisfied, his brother was his life, literally, but Sans was still growing and he still needed the attention and love from an adult himself. Sans would find himself talking and spending his free time with the older women of Snowdin, this was not on purpose, they just seem to have a strong fascination with the young skeleton. They would complement his looks (specifically how young and cute he looked) and his polite way of speaking (effects of being raised by Gaster, who would never have his son show anything but respect for his elders), but slowly something odd would start to occur during these interactions. It all began with the polishing of his bones, an odd request because the polishing of one's bones is usually done by a skeleton's parents, but Sans aimed to please the adults that gave him attention. Then buying him new clothes, then the makeup, then putting him in women's clothes. Now most others would have stopped at the makeup, but Sans craved to be cared for, even if it was in an unconventional way. I mean it's not like he minds the clothes and makeup, he felt almost more comfortable in them than in his own clothes. They would all collaborate on what look they would put him in, as they worked they would chatter and gossip but most importantly give affectionate touches and compliments to Sans. These 'dress-ups' continued till he was a teen as he naturally started to grow older and the ladies started to go to the bigger cities. Then, it happened. The Scientists came to his door and told him what Daddy Gaster had done. Gaster hadn't been home in a week, the longest time away from home yet. Sans didn't know what to do or how to deal with it, and he especially didn't know how to tell Papyrus. When he did, Papyrus was devastated. Yes, he hadn't grown up with Gaster like Sans had, but he loved him in a way nobody could deny. They were alone, and Sans found himself looking for the comfort he got from wearing feminine clothing. His brother accepted him with loving arms and for Sans, that was enough. As the years went on, Sans took the stage name Lust and even started taking LUST. He and Papyrus eventually had to separate because his lifestyle was dangerous to Papyrus and Sans couldn't risk hurting his baby brother. Lust started working more in the sex industry after Papyrus left home. He started pole dancing at Gribby's and prostitution on the side. He uses LUST as a way to shield himself from the awful situation he is in. He feels like no one can hurt him when he's on LUST, and that's enough.

Recovery:

Science! Sans had found out about Underlust through the great vine and he was intrigued. What made that version of him act the way he did? When he did find out, his next question was, "Can he recover?" This question would begin the long process of Lust's recovery from LUST. With the help of Therapist!Sans and (reluctantly) Ink!Sans Lust faces all of his problems head-on through (literal) self-love.

WOOOOOOOO WE DID IT!!! This was a month in the making! Im sorry if any of this seems rushed I really want to get this out (literally been writing this since 9:00 AM help) and I do plan to add more through art and answering any specific questions you guys have! (Inbox open ;)) If you want to make fanart for this AU please go ahead!!! Thank you for reading if you made it this far!

[transpondster]

What Garry Winogrand Saw in Color | The New Yorker

Winogrand was known for going out strapped with two cameras, one for black-and-white and one for color. But, until recently, most of what we’ve seen of his work has been strictly black-and-white. “New Documents” included a slide projector for color work, but it malfunctioned early on in the exhibition’s run and was shut down for the duration. No major review of the show mentioned color images. A number of color prints were included in an excellent exhibition, “Winogrand 1964,” that Trudy Wilner Stack organized for the International Center of Photography in 2002, with a focus on Winogrand’s cross-country travels in a single year. But, when Winogrand died, of gallbladder cancer, in 1984, at the age of fifty-six, he left a huge and largely unprocessed archive to the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography. Four hundred and twenty-five slides from that collection were included in the Brooklyn Museum’s sensational “Garry Winogrand: Color” show in 2019. A tighter edit of that work is now available in “Winogrand Color,” a Twin Palms book edited by Michael Almereyda and Susan Kismaric, who co-curated the Brooklyn show with Drew Sawyer.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Self-powered flexible multicolor electrochromic devices for information displays

In recent years, self-powered electrochromic (EC) devices have shown significant potential in various fields such as optoelectronics, sensors, and security systems. These self-powered EC systems, capable of reversible color switching without external power sources, have garnered considerable interest for next-generation electronic devices. However, this field is still in its infancy, with several unresolved challenges, including monochromatic displays, limited cycle durability, and the use of aqueous electrolytes. All these limitations have become a big bottleneck for further smart applications of self-powered EC systems. The primary challenge is to develop appropriate EC cathodic materials that can exhibit independent self-powered color switching behavior under the same working parameters. Since Prussian blue (PB) has excellent EC properties and shows great potential in the self-powered EC system, we envisage that Prussian blue analogs (PBAs), such as nickel hexacyanoferrate (KNi2+[Fe3+(CN)6], NiHCF), are promising self-powered EC cathodic materials because PBAs have the similar face-centered cubic crystal structure and redox reaction with PB.

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