#Extensive Link Building

[shansmithac]

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[gaylactic-fire]

I swear BOTW/TOTK Zelda is the most triforce of courage coded Zelda and BOTW/TOTK Link is the most triforce of wisdom coded Link.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

The S1 Bentley is For Sale! 👀

link

from the description :):

Mary is a 1934 Derby Bentley Thrupp & Maberley bodied Coupe. BLE 430 – B 96 BN. Two were made but the other one has not been seen since WW11, so she is unique. She is also the only Bentley in the world to have been blown up twice on screen. She was owned by Speed King Donald Campbell in the early fifties.

I acquired her in 2009, to go with my 1947 Mark VI. Since then the engine has been completely re-built, including a new head and block, with a new clutch put in at the same time. She has also been re-wired, new kingpins, total brake overhaul, new radiator and fuel pump with suspension and one shot lubrication system overhauled. Also had the speedometer and rev.counter serviced in 2018. She runs superbly and has just had her annual service at AB Classics, who specialise in pre-war Bentleys & Rolls Royces. (He also looks after my 1936 25/30 RR ).

She is currently insured for £295,000 and I will be looking for an offer around £265,000.

History

Ordered for Jack Odling in September 1934. One of two 3 ½ lt Coupes made by Thrupp & Maberley. The other one has not been seen for several decades and presumed lost during World War 2. Not much early history but owned by Speed King Donald Campbell in the early 1950’s. We have a photograph of the car at that time being offered for sale, with silver wheel discs. His ownership is acknowledged by all the relevant history available in various publications and agreed with both Bentley Drivers Club & Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club records. She went through three owners from October 1954 to October 1961. Next piece of history is she was acquired by a Mr Silk of Romford in 1973 and underwent extensive professional restoration up to 1994, with a mechanical overhaul in 1994. She was back on the road in 1998. She was then purchased from P & A Wood by Andrew Smith in August 2001. He kept her until early 2008 when he sold her to Brian Classic as he did not wish to re- wire her. I bought her from Brian Classic in April 2009 with money left to me by my late Mother, Mary. We only just made the 100 miles home with many electrical problems. I am glad to say that Brian Classic eventually made a substantial contribution to the re-wiring by Jeremy Padgett. The following year going into the RREC Concours the heating nearly went into the red so back to Jeremy Padgett to sort out. Result was a complete engine re-build by Ristes, also replaced the radiator core and new clutch plate. Finally back on the road in May 2012. Very expensive period. However, she is now in superb condition, being regularly serviced by AB Classics. More recently the carburettors have been re-built. Following an accident on set in 2017 she was sent to Steve Penny at Penny Vintage to restore the damaged door. Sadly this was one of his last jobs before retiring. What a superb craftsman he is, he made a fabulous job of restoring her. Needless to say she still looks superb. I have owned and enjoyed classic cars since 1969 and Mary must be my ultimate car.

TV & Film work

...

when the call came. Jeremy, I am looking for a 1926 Derby Bentley, preferably black. Can you find me one please. I explained that they were not invented until 1933 and that mine was made in 1934 and is grey and black and has not changed since Endeavour three years earlier. Half an hour later phone goes again, can you bring your car down for production to have a look at in Ealing early next week. Production were delighted with Mary, especially after a bit of a run round Ealing. At this point no-one would tell me what it was all about, apart from the fact that this was “The Big One”. Two days later phone goes again, she is going to be Crowley’s Bentley in “Good Omens” by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. My wife quickly ordered the book and read it. The Bentley was mentioned almost 80 times. Can I please take her to a specialist body maker for her cab to be replicated for studio scenes. Can I find an interior etc. I phoned Hew at The Real Car Company, who was a tremend ous help. A complete set of instruments and a steering wheel duly arrived. Next, I was asked if I could take the car to Wokingham to be copied. Absolutely staggered to discover they wanted the car at Rushton’s Farm, where I lived from 1957 to 1963. Father’s chicken sheds had been converted into industrial units. A half hour drop off turned into four hours, as I took an old photograph album to show the current owners. The farmhouse had been separated from the rest of the farm by this time. A real trip down memory lane for me. Looking for a Derby body, seats etc, Hew recommended talking to Bob Petersen. He was stripping down a Thrupp & Maberley saloon to make one of his famous specials, so that was purchased complete with dash, seats etc so Mary could be well and truly replicated. Even changed the indicator switch so that both were identical. By this time the cast list had leaked out on the Internet. David Tennant and Michael Sheene are the main stars with others being added on a daily basis. I met many people but mainly worked with these two, especially David. He is one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet. Very hardworking but happily chats to everyone. I got Mary back from the farm in September, ready to start filming. The first scene was near Marlow for a two day shoot where I started to meet the cast and crew. 

Trying to teach David how to drive Mary was a bit of a struggle. Most people in their forties haven’t a clue about cars without syncromesh on all gears, and David normally drives an automatic! However, Rob, the stunt driver did know how to drive Mary and quickly picked up the fact that the clutch cannot be depressed for any length of time. The main problem with David and Rob changing over was about six inches in height. Don’t think the seat had been moved so much for years, with a gentle application of oil on the runners and avoidance of catching the carpet. During this period Mary used the registration NIATRUC, Curtain spelt backwards (the subject is the end of the world ). The Morris Minor had SID RAT , TARDIS spelt backwards. David was an earlier Dr Who! Being the grandad on set meant that I was well looked after by everyone, who made sure I had Mary in the right place and usually a radio as well. There is a lot of hanging about on set then a burst of activity. Some shots are repeated over a dozen times to get differing angles and eventually sort out which take will be used. Within a few days I was getting the hang of it, meeting the directors, the camera guys, the sound technicians, moving from location to location, usually in or around the M 25 then in central London. Naturally you can watch Good Omens on BBC iplayer and see how much Mary appeared. There are a few pictures of what it is like on set. 

[letsgoletsgetit08]

two is better than one

summary: Yunho walks in on you and your boyfriend, Mingi. Where things go next is beyond your wildest dreams.

warnings/tags: MDNI!, 18+, explicit, smut, free use, head pushing, creampie, unprotected sex (it's safe here, but please use protection!), threesome, spanking, light dom/sub, au non-famous, mingi is a pussy king

pairing: dom!song mingi x sub!fem!reader x dom!jeong yunho

author's note: Yungi is living in my brain rent free lately. I want two boyfriends and I want my boyfriends to be boyfriends and

ao3 link: two is better than one

word count: 4.2k

two is better than one

It wasn't the first time Mingi had picked you up and caged you in on the kitchen countertop. Situating himself between your open thighs, tongue quickly finding its way inside your parted lips, sparring with your own, breath coming in heavy. Soup on the stove turned to low, forgotten momentarily - the two of you had become very suddenly hungry for something else entirely during your dance party in the kitchen as dinner was cooking. A slow song had come on and your need had become palpable. A small gasp as he hoisted you up. You're tall, soft curves but athletic and he made you feel light as air.

His mouth moved to your neck as his hand found its way down the front of your satin pajama shorts, fingers swiping up your already wet folds, beginning their familiar dance with your throbbing clit.

You were both so absorbed in the moment that you hadn't heard the front door unlock, and therefore didn't stop when Mingi’s roommate, his best friend, Yunho, started to walk past the kitchen. You gasped when you saw him, his cheeks going red, but his gaze was unmistakable as he watched Mingi’s fingers begin to plunge inside of you, eyelids going heavy, the subconscious flick of his tongue across his bottom lip.

"Oh, sorry-" Yunho said after too long of a pause to be innocent.

Mingi didn't pull his fingers out, but slowed his hand, turning his head ever so slightly so he could see Yunho from behind him, pausing as he assessed the new tension in the room. Yunho turned to go, and a soft whimper escaped your mouth.

"Yunho." Mingi's voice was low, laced with a dark lust, "I don't think she wants you to go." His fingers resumed their ministrations as you watched Yunho's ears turn red, his right hand flexing by his side before he turned around to face you.

"Oh?" He said, still a little shy, but his demeanor was quickly changing in front of you as he began to approach, "And that's okay with you, Mingi?"

"Whatever my girl wants." Mingi growled, his thumb finding your clit as he beckoned his fingers inside of you. "Is that what you want, baby?" Mingi asked, lips ghosting over the tender skin of your neck.

You swallowed, "Is that... okay?"

Mingi laughed, his voice husky, "Angel, if I had been bothered by how I've seen Yunho look at you since we started dating, I would have said something by now." He pulled back, his expression going softer as he checked in with you, "Hey, you can say no, it's okay. If it were anyone else I wouldn't be down, but I trust Yunho." He said it so softly, just for the two of you to hear, that your anxiety quickly eased. He caught on quickly, "But if you want this," His hand started moving slowly again, "I think it would be very hot."

Yunho was devouring you with his eyes as this conversation happened. You would be lying if you said it hadn't crossed your mind. Mingi and Yunho were practically extensions of one another at this point. Nearly twins in height and build. Your hips bucked involuntarily at the thought of it, "Yes," You gasped as Mingi reacted immediately, his fingers resuming their original pace. "Fuck, yes. I want this."

Yunho was there in three long strides, sidling up beside Mingi, your hand coming to his waist in greeting as his hand came up to carress your face.

"Hi there." He breathed, his thumb tracing gently across your bottom lip, "God, you're even more stunning up close."

You tried to respond, the words, "Thank y-" falling into a moan as Mingi added another finger, no longer just trying to get you off for fun in the kitchen, you realized, but prepping you to take him. Or Yunho. Or both.

"Mmh, is Mingi making you feel so good, honey?" Yunho's other hand found its way underneath your shirt, knuckles grazing your nipples through your lace bralette.

You gasped at the sensation, but couldn't quite answer. Mingi pulled off of your neck, "Don't be rude, baby. Answer Yunho like a good girl."

"Y-yes-" You inhaled sharply as Yunho rolled your nipple between his long, deft fingers - fingers attached to beautiful hands you had admired on more than one occasion, clocking them to be the same size as Mingi’s.

"What a good girl." Yunho growled into your ear, "Can I kiss those pretty lips now?"

"God, yes, Yunho, please." You all but begged, barely getting the words out before his lips were on yours. It was a different sensation than you were accustomed to with Mingi, more gentle, taking his time to explore before they became more urgent, is tongue licking across the seam of your lips, moaning in satisfaction as you allowed him inside. You pulled back to warn Mingi, "I'm so close-"

He kissed your cheek, "You can come when Yunho tells you to, cutie."

A look you had never seen before - possessive and domineering - passed over Yunho's face as he smiled, "You think you can be good and do that for me, sweetheart?"

"Yes, sir." You tried the formal title, just testing it out. Mingi didn't care for it, preferring hearing his own name, but based on how Yunho moaned quietly at your words, you surmised it was the right move.

"Such good manners, y/n." Yunho whispered, lips grazing across your jawline as both hands occupied your breasts, kneading them softly as you fucked Mingi’s hand, "You've trained her well, Mingi."

Mingi hummed, "Mmh, barely had to, she has always been so sweet for me." His free hand found the back of your neck, providing stability as you were becoming weak to their touch.

Yunho tweaked your nipples, making you gasp. He was loving this so much, "Well, then I think she deserves a reward, don't you?" He nipped your earlobe lightly with his teeth.

Mingi added more pressure right where you needed it, "Yes, definitely. I wanna see my baby's pretty face when you tell her to come on my hand."

"Please, Yunho." You begged, sweat beading on your forehead, so close to the edge, walls quivering as you threatened to fall apart.

"Very well," Yunho pinched your nipples once more, "Go ahead and come for me, darling."

His words were all you needed, not knowing whose name to say as you clenched around Mingi's fingers, settling on a near-delirious cry of pleasure instead.

"That's my good girl." Mingi praised as he worked you through it before removing his fingers.

"So responsive," Yunho took Mingi’s hand - the one that had just been inside you - into his own, guiding it up to his lips, "Can't wait to hear it again when you're coming on my cock." He didn't let you respond before he was sucking Mingi’s fingers into his mouth, licking them clean of your essence. Mingi moaned at the sensation and heat curled in your abdomen as you watched them. "Mmh," Yunho pulled off, "I don't know how you ever keep your hands off her, Mingi."

"I don't." Mingi laughed. You smiled at how true it was. You found it impossible to keep from touching one another, and most days ended with Mingi’s head between your legs at minimum. He was a bit of a fiend. But you liked it. You had given him free access to you months ago, making your IUD work overtime with his insatiable appetite and propensity for finishing inside. 

“I'm lucky.” You preened. 

Mingi and Yunho corrected you at the same time, "I'm lucky.” “He's lucky.” 

The three of you couldn't help but laugh and you felt yourself feeling extremely fond of your boyfriend and his best friend. 

Yunho's eyes turned darker once again as his hands found your waist, looking at Mingi to ask, “Bedroom?” 

Mingi nodded, his gaze taking in every inch of you, “Let's go.”

You were about to hop down off the counter but before you could even move an inch, Yunho was tossing you over his shoulder like a sack of flour, arms wrapped around the backs of your thighs, pinning them to his chest. 

“Mmh,” Mingi grabbed a handful of your partially exposed ass cheek as it was now eye level up by Yunho's head, “I could get used to this sight.” 

Yunho placed you gently onto the middle of Mingi’s bed. The two of them looked at each other, standing close by the side of the bed, then turning to look at you, Mingi speaking first, “Do you think we should give her a little show?”

Yunho smiled, reaching for the hem of Mingi’s shirt, highlighting what the man had meant, “Whatever your princess wants.” 

“Yes, please.” You simpered from your spot on the bed. 

You wondered briefly if they had done this before, and judging by the way Yunho grazed his fingers over Mingi’s hip bones, looking like he knew exactly the reaction it would elicit, you assumed they had. Yunho pulled Mingi’s shirt over his head, kissing down his neck as Mingi reached for his shirt in turn. Pants were next, then they finally gave you what you wanted, the thing causing you to soak through your already wet underwear, closing the distance as their mouths fell on one another's. It was almost lewd how they licked at one another, messy and so fucking hot. You whimpered pathetically, wanting to touch yourself so badly at the sight of them making out in only their underwear, which were tented with matching massive erections. You had assumed Yunho was packing but the confirmation had your hands twitching towards your inner thigh instinctively. Mingi caught you from the corner of his eye, pulling back from Yunho's embrace, “Aw, my poor baby.” He removed his boxers and crawled into bed behind you, “Come here, Yunho, our sweet little y/n needs some attention.” 

Our. The word made your breath hitch. The implication that this could turn into something more permanent drove you wild with desire. Both of them. Mingi was more than enough, better than you had ever dreamed, all on his own. But if Yunho was interested and Mingi was open… you had to push the thought from your mind as Yunho finally revealed his beautiful flushed cock - maybe slightly longer than Mingi’s, but it was splitting hairs - and crawled into bed, situating himself between your thighs, finally removing your shorts and underwear as Mingi released you of your shirt, laying down beside you so he could kiss you and tend to your pert nipples with his mouth as Yunho's head plunged down between your bent knees, no fanfare needed as he started making out with your slick folds, his tongue lavishing your dripping hole before moving up to suck on your pounding clit. He came up for air, “Fuck, you taste incredible, honey.” 

His face was glistening with your arousal and you felt your hips buck absentmindedly at the sight of it, “Thank you, Yuyu.” You smiled coyly, feeling yourself blush at the compliment. His eyelids fluttered at the nickname.

Mingi's mouth popped off of your breast, “Show her what your fingers feel like, Yunho.” 

“My pleasure.” He kept his eyes on yours as his graceful fingers began toying with your aching clit before slipping down and diving into your eager cunt. 

“Fuck, Yunho-yah!” You cried. 

He was already working your clit with his tongue again, humming in amusement to your reaction. 

Mingi watched your eyebrows knit together in pleasure, fingers skimming your face to remove the sweaty strands that had fallen onto it, clearly entertained at the knowledge that you weren't far from releasing. “Yunho, I know she tastes amazing, but I think she wants the real thing, don't you, jagi?” 

“Yes, god, yes, please Yungi.” You had combined their names on accident in your altered state. 

“‘Yungi'” Mingi chuckled, quoting you, fond as ever, “That's cute.” He reached backwards, grabbing the lube (the edible kind, of course) out of his bedside table drawer, “You just got tested, right, Yunho? My baby likes to take it raw.”

“I did, I'm clean. I can pull it up on my phone if you want-” Yunho offered but you cut him off.

“No, I trust you, please just fuck me, Yunho-yah. I need you inside so bad.” You were begging but it didn’t cross your mind at all to feel embarrassed about it, especially given how hungry Yunho looked when he heard you whine his name. 

He applied the lube Mingi handed him. Not that you really needed it, but he was quite large, so you wouldn't say no to a little extra help. 

“Gonna fuck you so full, sweetie.” He stroked his leaking cock as he positioned it at your entrance, “Can't wait to see it leak out of you.” He started pushing inside, the stretch felt almost overwhelming but you let yourself relax into it. 

“Then I'm gonna fuck it right back into you.” Mingi added, lips skimming your jawline, laughing softly as he saw your eyes roll back at the sensation, “Look at you, peach. Taking him so well.” 

Yunho finally seated himself fully, buried to the hilt, unable to resist rocking his hips immediately, “Fucking hell, honey. You feel amazing. So goddamn tight.” He glanced up at Mingi, “How do you not cum immediately every time? Jesus Christ.” 

Mingi chuckled, “Lots of practice.” His fingers traced down your flank and over to your clit, “Just wait until you feel her come on your cock. You'll never want anyone else again.” 

Your back arched off the bed as Yunho's movements gained momentum, gasping as he damn near hit your cervix. “Mmh, what was that, kitten? Does someone like it rough?” 

Mingi’s fingers matched Yunho's pace, “I could answer that for you but I think y/n should tell you.” He gave you a look that you read easily as him asking if you were still okay. You answered them both at the same time, “Yes, you can be a little rough with me. Please, Yunho.” Your hips bucked, matching his motion, “Put me in my place. Spank me if you want. Use me.” 

Yunho's pace picked up some more, “Fucking hell. Safe word?”

“Rosemary.” You and Mingi answered at the same time. 

And without any further ado, Yunho pulled out, flipped you to your stomach, hitched your hips up so you were on your knees, and took you from behind all in one go. Mingi had to readjust slightly, kneeling in front of you instead, so your head wasn’t bumping into his. He pet your hair lovingly, “So lovely like this, baby.”

“Why don’t you say thank you for the compliment by letting Mingi fuck that pretty pout of yours, darling?” Yunho’s cock was filling you so perfectly, dragging along your walls everywhere you needed him. You couldn’t manage anything more than a whimper in response. 

Yunho tsked, “I asked you a question, y/n.” His palm came down sharp, leaving a slight sting on your ass cheek. Your ass was nothing to scoff at, one of your best features, especially if you asked Mingi (and he was one to talk), but you couldn’t help but notice just how many square inches of skin were stinging from Yunho’s large hand. 

“I’m sorry,” You whined, lost in the sensation, “I’m sorry, sir.” You glanced down at your boyfriend’s delectable cock, a shiny pearl of precum sitting at the tip, begging to be licked up, “Yes, please let me taste you, Mingi.” 

Yunho leaned forward, grabbing your hair into his fist and guiding your head down, “Open wide, princess.” 

You were glad for all of the throat training Mingi had been doing with you as you began to swallow him down, licking all his sensitive spots as you went. “Mmh, god, your mouth was made for me, wasn’t it, baby?”

You hummed in acknowledgement, gagging slightly as you felt him hit your soft palate. 

Another sharp spank, “Sorry, I wasn’t spanking you for gagging, I just couldn’t resist. I don’t think you realize how hot it is when your ass jiggles like that.”

You almost laughed at his words, it was funny, with him having been so calm, collected, and dominant just a minute ago, you were reminded that at the end of the day, he's still just a horny 20-something year old man. 

Mingi’s hips bucked, bringing you back into the moment, “Look at you, baby. Taking both of us so well.” 

Yunho began fucking you genuinely then, his hand helping guide your head up and down Mingi’s length as the two of them did their best to match each other’s rhythm. 

Yunho’s other hand found its way around your front, toying deliberately with your clit. You whined at the sensation and it sent them both reeling. 

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum. Let go of Mingi so I can hear you scream my name, jagi. He needs to finish inside this pretty pussy anyways.” 

Mingi pulled out and Yunho let go of your hair, moving his hand to your throat instead, his fingers loose but still possessive.

“Yunho, I’m so close-” You managed. 

“Come with me,” His fingers picked up in speed, matching the pistoning of his hips, “Fuck, y/n-”

His hips stilled, cock quivering inside you as he pumped you so full that the excess spilled out around him. The sensation drove you over the edge, too, your walls clenching around him, milking him absolutely dry, calling out, “Yunho-yah!” Just as promised.

“Oh, that’s my good girl.” Mingi praised you as he watched, halfheartedly stroking himself. 

Yunho steeled himself after he worked you through your orgasm, pulling out and falling to the bed beside you rather than collapsing on your back, which you were grateful for as you laid back down, muscles spent from being in that position. 

“Holy hell.” Yunho panted, “I might be an addict.” 

Mingi chuckled as he moved from behind you, laying on your other side, “Join the club,” He kissed your temple, “You got one more in you, baby? You know I hate to stop before three.” He turned your head towards his face, kissing you sweetly on the mouth, mumbling on your lips, “Wanna clean up Yunho’s mess and then fuck it right back into you, sweetheart.”

You were nearly spent, but you craved your boyfriend so bad you thought you might cry, “Yes, please, Mingi. I want you.” 

Mingi maneuvered himself so he was bracing on top of you, kissing down your neck, “Plus, Yunho didn’t get to see your face when you came and he’s really missing out.”

Yunho kissed your cheek, “Can’t wait to see how good Mingi makes you feel.” 

Mingi kissed his way down your torso before you finally felt his tongue begin to lap up Yunho’s cum from your drenched core. “Mmh, you taste amazing even mixed with him.” Mingi praised before resuming the task at hand. His tongue was slow, almost lazy. Not focused on bringing you an orgasm so much as it was just exploring you, despite the fact that you knew he had you mapped out very well. Your hips started to rock slowly as his tongue fucked your tight hole, his nose providing the perfect amount of pressure on your clit. 

He pulled off and sat up, reaching down to apply lube to his achingly hard cock. You knew he wouldn’t last long, not after practically being edged earlier, but you were glad for the lube anyhow, especially given how hard Yunho had fucked you with his massive dick. 

Yunho’s hands traced lazy patterns over your expanse of skin, kissing you anywhere he could reach, almost absentmindedly, clearly just enjoying taking in the view. 

Mingi pressed in slowly, not having to do much as your cunt sucked him in with practiced ease. He let out a low moan, “Fuck, yes. There’s my girl. You were made for me. Take me so well.” 

“Feel so good, Mingi.” You sighed, your hips matching his pace perfectly, a dance you had danced together many times. He pressed your knees towards your chest, folding you in half to get the exact angle he knew you needed and so he could kiss you while he fucked into your sweet spot. 

Yunho’s fingers found your clit once more, helping you along as you and Mingi careened towards your releases. The sound your bodies made due to how wet you were was downright pornographic. 

“Mingi,” You moaned, “Gonna come, baby.” 

You knew he was close, too, knowing well the look on his face as he watched himself spear you over and over again. He looked up to meet your eyes, “Go ahead, baby. Let me have it.” 

This orgasm rolled over you slowly. Warm waves of pleasure rocking through your body. Incomprehensible pleasure, full head-to-toe shivers, your hands grabbing on to whatever they could reach, one on Mingi’s waist, the other on Yunho’s thigh. 

“Goddamn.” Yunho was mesmerized as he watched you, “You’re otherworldly.”

“She’s perfect.” Mingi grunted, hips bucking a few more times to ensure you had enough stimulation to give you a nice prolonged peak, finally letting himself go as he felt your aftershocks slow. “Fuck, y/n, baby-”

“Mmh, Mingi-” You loved how he felt when he came inside you. Filling you with warmth as he spilled his seed deep inside. The twitch of his cock against your walls at his release. It was heaven. 

“Feel better now that you’ve been bred by both of us, honey?”

You knew you couldn’t get pregnant, but the thought of it - being claimed by both of them in that way, was so goddamn hot to you. “Yes, sir. Thank you. S’ good.” You could barely make words come out of your mouth. Completely spent. 

Mingi pulled out, falling back to his spot beside you on the bed, caressing your face with his hand, “That’s our good girl.” 

“Mmh,” You hummed happily, “‘Our’ girl.”

Yunho chuckled, “I think she likes that.”

Mingi kissed your cheek, “She can have whatever she wants as long as she’s mine. I wouldn’t share her with anyone else, though.” 

“No, only Yuyu.” You sighed, reaching blindly for contact with him. 

“Only Yungi for our girl.” Mingi recalled the name you had coined accidentally earlier. 

Yunho kissed your temple, “Our girl.” 

After lots of cuddling and sweet talking to one another, you remembered the soup from earlier and given that you were all spent and starved, you dressed and filed into the kitchen to eat it. 

Somewhat out of the blue, Mingi looked at you and said what was on his mind, “Y/n. Move in with us.” 

Yunho perked up, “I love that idea.” 

“That wouldn’t be… too much?” Your cheeks flushed, embarrassed by how excited the thought made you. 

“No, baby, it would be perfect. Your lease is up next month anyway, right?” Mingi knew he was right. 

“It is.” You nodded. 

“We’d love to have you. And not just for the sex.” Yunho smiled, “I, for one, really like you as a person. And obviously Mingi does, too.” 

“I love my baby as a person.” Mingi corrected him. 

“Plus, you practically live here already.” Yunho laughed. 

You didn’t have to think about it. Really, you had been hoping Mingi would offer soon as your lease end date approached. “Okay, yeah. If you’re sure, I’d love to.” 

“Will we be including Yunho in our… arrangements?” Mingi quirked an eyebrow at you, smile tugging at the corner of his pretty plush lips, “You can think about it, of course.”

“What arrangements?” Yunho looked between the two of you.

You felt your cheeks go red, “Um, we have a free use agreement.”

“Free use?” Yunho wasn’t quite understanding. 

Mingi cleared his throat, “There’s finer details we’ve worked out, but basically I’m allowed to take, use, fuck - whatever verbiage you want to use - y/n any time I want her without needing to ask. She of course can stop me any time, it’s not like a rape kink or anything.”

“It’s just kinda hot knowing it could happen any time and it takes the anxiety out of it for me, weirdly enough.” You hid your face in your hands, feeling bashful all of the sudden. 

Yunho’s hand reached over and stroked your wrist, “Hey, no, don’t be embarrassed, cutie. I get it. It sounds hot as fuck. We can discuss it after you move in-”

“No.” You looked up at him, knowing already what your answer would be. You found it too hot to be at their mercy as it was, “I want it. If you’re both comfortable.” You swallowed at how aroused you were getting at the mere thought of it, “I want you both to be able to use me any time you want.” 

Mingi looked at you with stars in his eyes, “How the hell did I get so lucky.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.” Yunho gaped at you, practically salivating. 

The three of you shared Mingi’s bed that night, not wanting to be away from one another quite yet. You awoke the next morning to Yunho’s face between your legs, pajama shorts pulled down your thighs, already having worked you halfway to an orgasm. Mingi stroking your chest lazily from beside you. 

Two boyfriends were definitely better than one.

[crushmeeren]

♡ Todoroki/Fem Reader

♡ Master List Link

⇢ Everyone involved in this fic is aged up/18+.

⇢ Warnings; cursing, making out, dirty talk, Shouto is a champ at eating pussy/ass, fingering, vaginal sex, Shouto is a little subby in this

♡ Authors Note; I had to complete the headcannons for my favorite three MHA boys sooner rather than later. I love Shouto, he deserves all the good things and a lot of hugs.

Shouto who comes off as cold, uninterested, a giant dick — but who is so sweet and so loving it makes your teeth ache. Who is the kind of person that writes down facts about you so he doesn’t forget — you accidentally stumbled upon the list in his notes app and promptly cried.

Shouto who never ceases to buy extra of what he’s eating so you can have some too, even if you weren’t hungry in the first place.

Shouto who doesn’t understand social cues very well. Who tilts his head adorably when he’s confused. Who wears a blank, spaced out expression on his face often when he’s unsure of what’s going on.

Shouto who lets you teach him how to read the room a bit easier, to understand body language and tone. Whose pretty smile could melt icy glaciers with its tender warmth. Who is so comfortable with you he makes all sorts of facial expression, which you take as a triumphant win.

Shouto who you met in high school but didn’t date until after graduation. Who you crossed paths with while battling a villain and you caught mid air as he was nose diving from the top of a building. Who was probably a bit delirious because he swears he saw you with a halo, because he “fell in love with an Angel that day.”

Shouto who loves to drink strawberry milk. Who has so many cartons cluttering the fridge in your home it drives you nuts. Who compulsively brings you a glass when he’s drinking some because he’s learned he can show you he loves you by sharing what enjoys. It’s so cute when you get a glass out of nowhere.

Shouto who decides to be a bit “rebellious” after he gets out of high school. Who decides to cut his hair shaggy and short. Who gets a nose ring, pierces his ears and acquires a tongue ring. Who is with you when you get your own body modifications, and often wears jewelry that reminds him of you.

Shouto who claims his absolute favorite thing in the world is to snuggle up with you on the couch. Especially when it’s raining and the two of you are wrapped up in a fluffy blanket burrito, watching movies and napping. If it turns X rated, well who can blame you?

Shouto who is a dry texter. We’re talking Sahara Desert dry. Who does still take the time to send you pictures of things you love while he’s out on patrol, especially of dogs that he encounters. Who gets so happy when you respond in kind, forming your own language with one another.

Shouto who tends to wear a streetwear style when he’s not working. Who likes to wear matching clothes with you. Who even bought you both a pair of matching underwear with your faces on them. You’re unable to resist, you’re technically sitting on his face all day… right??

Shouto who is terrible at almost every video game, but who can annihilate anyone at Mario Kart. You’re definitely not bitter about that. Funnily enough, the best part of game night when everyone is over is watching Bakugou lose his mind when Sho decimates repeatedly.

Shouto who has remained tight knit with Midoriya. Who considers the man as his brother by extension, and who you’ve grown close to as well. Who goes to the #1 hero for help planning you a surprise party by sending Midoriya a series of increasingly concerning emojis until he agrees.

Shouto who loves to eat peach gummy rings. Who you have, on more than one occasion, woken up to eating the candy at 2:00 am. Who offers you one, which you casually eat and go back to bed. Who memorizes your favorite candy and leaves it for you to find everywhere.

Shouto who has told you the story of how he got his burn scar. About his father, his brother and all the horrors of his past. Who opened up to you, willingly sharing a side of himself others don’t get the privilege to see.

Shouto who has taken you to meet his family, to meet his mother. Who added you to the group chat with all his siblings, which is unbelievably entertaining. Who tries to fit his face with more than one expression when he meets your parents, but you make sure he knows he’s perfect for you just the way he is.

Shouto who loves you unconditionally. Who is your soul mate, your best friend. Whose love for you has grown bigger than a California Redwood tree. Who becomes your husband, who you love more than life itself. You’d start a goddamn war for this man.

Shouto who enjoys kissing. Who loves to lazily make out with you. Whose cock starts twitching in his briefs when the kiss turns messy. Whose lips get slick and puffy as they press together consistently with yours. Who eagerly slips his tongue into your mouth, sucking on it and sinking his teeth into your bottom lip so roughly it stings.

Shouto who likes to spread you out on your back in bed, stripping you until your only in one of his large T-shirts. Who leers at you when he pushes it up your belly, gently letting it catch on your tits until he can watch them fall and bounce. Who makes you keep the shirt up around your collarbone when he sucks on your nipples.

Shouto who bites the skin on your sternum, plush lips tickling your belly as he makes his way to your pussy. Who grips the bottoms of your thighs and presses them backwards to your chest. Who stares at you with heavy lidded eyes as he licks from your pussy to your clit, making sure to swirl the cold metal of his tongue ring around it.

Shouto whose eyes flutter closed while he eats you out. Who makes you cry out when he sucks your clit, tongue ring passing over it with each methodical swipe of his tongue. Who praises you murmuring “your pussy is amazing angel, will you let me eat your ass? pretty please?”

Shouto who strips you both. Whose flushed cock stands full and heavy when you see it. Who flips you, yanking your ass in the air and shoving your face into the sheets. Who spanks you unforgivingly and grips the thick flesh of your ass to spread you open. Who chills his tongue ring even more and kitten licks at your rim until you want to scream.

Shouto who shoves two fingers in your pussy without warning. Who curls and thrusts them as he sucks on your rim until you cum so hard you see stars. Who pulls away from you, stroking himself for relief and speaks with a wrecked voice pleading “I want to put my cock in you so badly, can I please princess?”

Shouto who is aware you’re a pillow princess, but has hearts in his eyes, cheeks flushing bubblegum pink when you tell him you’ll ride him for a bit. Who props his back up against the headboard with a couple pillows, allowing you to flip around so your back faces him. Who holds your wrists behind your back as you ride him, letting out delicate and whiny moans while you make his toes curl.

Shouto who spreads you with his free hand, eyes glued as his cock disappears into your pussy while you bounce in his lap. Whose dick throbs, breathing hitching when you throw your head back and you moan “fuck Shouto, your cock is so good, you’re gonna make me cum!”

Shouto who reaches his limit, pushing you off his cock and onto your back whispering filthy praise in your ear. Who grips his shaft, teasing your clit with the tip before slipping his dick all the way back inside with one fluid roll of his hips.

Shouto who bends you in half, hooking your knees over his shoulders and folding you into a mating press. Who fucks you roughly, hips curling up with the intention to bully your g-spot. Who makes sure you feel each drag of his cock, coaxing you into cumming with a handful of strokes. Who gets you to cum over and over, little water balloons of warm pleasure popping and coursing through you.

Shouto who produces low moans when your pussy squeezes his cock. Who desperately pleads with you to cum one more time because he can’t hold on for much longer.

Shouto who makes you feel dizzy as you chase your pleasure once more while folded as a pretzel. Who cums instantly when your sweet cries hit his ears, praising and encouraging him all at once. Who pushes into the hilt, grinding against you as he bursts at the seams, panting to catch his breath.

Shouto who giggles with you as he untangles your limbs. Who flops down beside you, lacing your fingers together as you enjoy the leftover bliss.

Shouto who eventually gets up to clean you both. Who finds the shirt you were previously wearing and some clean panties for you to wear. Who pulls you into a hug, murmuring how much he loves you, planting kisses all over your face. Shouto who then goes to the kitchen and brings you a glass of strawberry milk.

[sugaredrhubarb]

A QUICK GUIDE TO AO3 CUSTOMIZATION FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT CODING

ft adding pink to everything and my secret to writing long comments

note: I originally posted this to twt but if that place burns in a fiery pit I spent too long on this for it to disappear, so I'm putting it here too :)

so many people know way more about this than I do, but this is a step-by-step walkthrough of the changes *I've* made, and hopefully it works as an introduction people can build from for whatever they'd like to do

There are a lot of images in this post! (click to enlarge)

to start, AO3 skins

site skins change how the AO3 website appears when logged in (even on mobile), mine is pink and blue!

I'll have my skin turned off throughout the post so the guides appear as they will for you

to create, edit, and view skins, go to the "skins" tab from the left-hand menu. you can also view public site skins from there or from the button in the preferences.

public site skins are made by other users. i would really encourage previewing and exploring them to become familiar with the possibilities (maybe you just want to use one of them and now you're done!)

to create your own skin

on the skins page, click "create site skin"

if you don't know CSS (same), use the wizard! clicking on the "?" will give more information about each option

I only use the colours section you'll see a link right there for hex codes I use pink as a header colour and bue for accent but lots of people change the background colour and that looks really cool!

submit

The next step (optional!!!) is to add CSS from a public skin to your own. I use "ByLine" by Branch. this separates the tag categories and adds spacing to make them easier to read.

here is a before and after using the fic "Landslide" by @roosterbruiser as an example

to see the CSS of a skin, click the title

copy all the text below the CSS heading

in the skin creator/editor press the custom CSS option and paste all the text into the CSS box

you can have both wizard and custom CSS settings, in mine you can see the header and accent colours as well as the CSS

level up: USERSCRIPTS

userscripts are small pieces of code that modify a website. for AO3, this may involve adding shortcuts and buttons or even advanced tagging functions (computer people, I'm so sorry if this is wrong, I'm trying). I use Greasy Fork and Tampermonkey.

This is how I write long and formatted comments!

Greasy Fork is an archive of userscripts and Tampermonkey is a browser extension and userscript manager. You don't need to use these two in particular. please use your common sense when downloading anything or adding permissions to your browser.

Greasy Fork guide on installing scripts

Install Tampermonkey on Chrome

there are TONS of user scripts for AO3. This is another good opportunity to explore all the possibilities. there are lots of more complicated options I haven't explored.

scripts for AO3

i use this floaty review box

and this comment formatting

EDIT: if you use chrome you might need to turn on developer mode in your chrome extension manager - you can google "tampermonkey developer mode" and it should explain that :)

to install (once you have Tampermonkey installed):

open the script you want in Greasy Fork and press install

Tampermonkey will open, press install again

clicking the Tampermonkey extension will let you toggle scripts on and off, and opening the dashboard will let you view, edit, and delete scripts

i find i can only have a few turned on at a time before they cancel each other out, but that depends on which ones you're using and someone more savvy might be able to fix that

how to use the floaty review box - write more comments!

there will now be a "floaty review box" button at the top of the work, it will open a floating text box you can move anywhere on the page. highlighting any text and pressing the insert button will paste the text with italics into the box

anything you type in the review box will appear in your comment at the bottom of the page!

if you have also installed the comment formatting script, you'll be able to highlight any text in your comment and use the new buttons above the comment box to format it

thats all ive got! Hopefully this is a good starting point to get familiar with some of the terms and basics for skins and scripts <3

if you want some inspo for how to comment on fics i made a whole fic rec list on twitter based on comments I've left, it's here. i have a masterlist of recs there mostly for darklina/reylo and similar ships.

the tag #reading with ru has cod recs and me talking about books

:)

[eulolita]

Hi everybody!

Today I came to update you with an object that I brought almost three years ago. At that time, I had found a really cool extension for the sofa. Now I have discovered an even better extension and decided to update the texture with base colors that will match any decor. I am in love with the pieces in the set that allow us to build sofas in different ways and that suit the most diverse rooms very well.

And for those who don't know the first version of this sofa that I posted, I'll leave the link too if you're interested.

DOWNLOAD

http://www.simfileshare.net/download/5444433/

ADDON

https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims2-sets-objects/title/ektorp-modular-add-ons/id/845867/

FIRST VERSION

https://eulolita.tumblr.com/post/687958914433744896/hi-everybody-today-i-came-to-bring-you-another

** Maxis Match object. **

I hope like it like I did.

[mi55delulu]

5:38 a.m.

pairing: team lead!jungkook x hr lead!fem reader — read prequel here.

wc: ~4.5k

synopsis: in which you and jungkook have a night in.

genre: coworkers au, romcom, established relationship, fluff, smut

cw: some office lingo, cute banter, they’re both huge simps, kisses, 18+ ONLY - MINORS DNI 🔞, fingering, oral (f receiving), jk is a munch

a/n: heh, sorry … march slipped away and i’ve been dealing with some stuff, so i didn’t really have the inspo to write. nonetheless, here is my april offering! i know i said timestamp drabbles won’t go anywhere but i’m a liar 😎

—

Date nights happened every Friday.

Jungkook liked planning them. Basketball games, live bands at the local park, pub crawling — you name it. They’re special because he gets to do them with someone he likes. What better way to end the work week and start the weekend than with you?

It’s finally Friday or in corporate terms: TGIF. Making it to Friday always came in the form of relief only for him to repeat the work cycle after a short lived break. He didn’t mind. Jungkook got to see you for five days in a row. Now? Fridays were his finish lines because you came as an extension.

Today is Friday — date night … er, was, until you confessed you were too tired to go out tonight. He supposes he can just use this time to start on his laundry or build that Lego set he got from his friend, Jimin, a couple months ago. Sometimes space from your partner is good. He knows it is. He adores your company all too much now that you’ve both began seeing each other for the past two months. Sure, he’s had years with you at the company — befriended you, watched you grow, and unknowingly pined for you until it finally clicked that he’d like to get to know you more outside of work. Still, dating your coworker posed risks. He’s witnessed many of his own peers and employees go through awkward dating phases.

As far as he was concerned, he made sure to follow his golden rule: never date your coworker.

Thank god he wasn’t a stickler to rules. At least, for you.

Jungkook closes your car trunk after you load your bags. You scan the parking lot to make sure there was no one around before you linked your hand in his.

“I’m sorry, my brain can’t handle being around people at the moment,” you confess. You’ve been under a lot of pressure in your area with the mass hiring event the company is hosting next week. It’s understandable why you’d want some alone time.

“Don’t apologize, I get it.” He presses a reassuring kiss on your forehead, noticing how your body naturally leans towards him, “you deserve a quiet night to yourself.”

He’s usually good at saying the right things, but the frown on your face has him second guessing. Totally wasn’t his intention to make you upset especially on a Friday where people celebrate their long awaited freedom.

“I didn’t say I wanted to be alone.”

Oh.

“I also said people, not you.” You clarify.

He smiles. Likes how straightforward you are with him. There’s no beating around the bush. Even before dating, you’re honest and assertive with what you want. It’s one of the many qualities he appreciates about you.

Tilts his head, “yeah? What do you have in mind?”

“Come over to my place,” you pause to think, “we can cook and eat dinner together if you like. I’ve been meaning to start on the Iron Man movies you recommended.”

Jungkook chuckles, pleased with your suggestion. It’ll be his first time over at your place. He wonders how your home looks like.

“Aren’t we going to the farmers market tomorrow morning? Iron Man might be too long of a watch. We can watch something shorter.” That way, you’ll both have time to unwind and sleep earlier for the farmers market.

Efficient. He’d figure you’d like that too.

Yet, it earns another frown from you.

“I don’t mind the duration …” your hand sways in his, “just want to spend time with you.”

It’s these moments where Jungkook is glad he broke his rule and decided to pursue you despite your initial ignorance to his attempts. Granted, he has a lot to learn from you in terms of being more upfront.

“But if you’re wanting efficiency,” you start, “did you want to stay the night? Drop off your stuff at home and pack some clothes for the night.”

“If you want,” you add.

Having worked with you for many years, Jungkook witnessed many instances of you making the impossible possible. Truly admirable how you understand and know company policies like the backside of your hand, so you’re prone to finding a way.

Just like now and how he wonders if you know his heart like the backside of your hand.

Yes, staying over was the most efficient suggestion.

But also, you’re going to be the death of him.

“I’d love that,” he smiles, “I’ll be over in an hour.”

—

When Jungkook appears at your door 45 minutes later, a tinge of regret sets at the pit of your stomach. He’s showered. Hair down and slightly damp. You’ve seen him in regular clothing outside of work, but him in sweats and a crewneck with the bottom of his oversized shirt poking out from underneath? Deadly combo for your heart.

Among other parts of your body.

He’s been making you feel … a lot these days. The subtle glances he’d throw at your direction if he was headed to a meeting on your floor. Not to mention his borderline suggestive Teams messages … which, you’ll have to give him a talk about eventually because you know IT is watching. Nothing too inappropriate … just says things like how he’s sorry for your slightly smeared lipstick (after sneaking a kiss in one of the conference rooms) or that he was thinking of you.

It leaves you hot.

Makes you feel like a pubescent teenager with their first boyfriend. Except, Jungkook wasn’t your first and technically hasn’t asked you to be his girlfriend. You’re not concerned. He hasn’t said or done anything to make you feel like he wasn’t dating you with genuine intentions.

“Come in.” You open your door wider to let him pass the threshold of your foyer. He sets his duffle bag down next to your couch and studies your living room.

You tidied up the best you could after you got home. Not much you needed to do being that you kept your living space relatively clean, but it was Jungkook’s first time over. You wanted him to feel comfortable in your home.

“I’ve always thought you were a white and beige decor type of person,” he marvels at the different paintings on the wall and little trinkets on your bookshelf.

“Is that supposed to be a bad thing?” You step closely behind him.

He straightens himself and shakes his head, “no, just full of surprises.”

You’ll take it as a compliment.

“Let me guess …” you hold your chin, pretending to be in deep thought, “black leather couch? Super hero figures?”

His jaw drops, “how’d you know?”

“I’ve seen your cubicle.” You link your pinky finger with his and lead him into your kitchen.

“Touché,” he waits closely behind you for his turn at the sink, “doesn’t explain your cubicle though. It’s empty.”

“It’s not empty,” you defend, moving to the side to let him wash his hands, “just … minimal.” You liked keeping your desk space clean. Often, people decorated their cubicles with photos of their loved ones or whatever current fixation they may have. You preferred an optimal space. Work is work. Plus, it tickled you when people wrongly perceive you.

“I’ve been thoroughly deceived,” Jungkook wipes his hand on the kitchen towel and turns to face you, “so what are we cooking up tonight, Miss Minimalist-Who-Isn’t-Really-One?”

You warm.

The evening is spent preparing dinner with Jungkook. His cooking skills lacked finesse, but he has a knack for throwing in seasonings that pair perfectly. He bumps the side of his hips to yours, reaches for the spices in your cabinet so you wouldn’t have to use your stool, and washes your pans after usage. This all feels so … domestic.

The crazy thing is? You wouldn’t mind having this every night with Jungkook.

You’re both seated on the floor of your living room, back against your couch with your food on the coffee table. Even with the movie playing in the background, you’re more invested in how Jungkook’s knees brush against yours and the sounds he makes when he’s eating something good.

It’s over the top and unnecessary, really. In the past, you’ve shuddered at chewing sounds. Hell, your friends would do it on purpose to annoy you. Those same friends would lose their marbles at the idea of you finding Jungkook’s eating habits endearing.

Crazy how liking someone can change you.

“Is the food not good?” He asks.

You look down at your plate.

“You’ve hardly touched your food,” he juts his chin at your plate.

“Slow eater,” you shrug.

“Liar. I’ve seen you eat at work.”

“Because we only have 30 minutes. Here,” you scoot your plate and begin transferring over some of your food to his plate, “help me.”

Just as he’s seen you eat, you’ve seen him too. You know his appetite and you also know he was being generous when splitting up the portions. You don’t mind sharing — there’s something fulfilling seeing him enjoy food, especially for a meal made together.

“Promise it’s good though. I think I’m still full from our potluck today.” You pat your stomach.

Jungkook eats with no reserve, “ah, for Rin’s goodbye party?”

“Mhm.” Rin, one of the senior leaders, was transferring to another company. It’s tradition to do goodbye potlucks as a result of the company’s policy to not delve into the party funds for these type of gatherings. Cheapos, but oh well. Rin brings her signature chocolate cupcakes all the time and this was everyone’s last chance to have it before she leaves. Unfortunately, Jungkook is located in another program area so it’d be awkward if he just stopped by for the food.

“Ugh, still upset you didn’t save me a cupcake.”

“You know those go out the first 10 minutes. Can’t blame me.” You know he’s feigning sadness. Finds it cute when he sulks — knows it’s an absolute privilege to see other sides of him outside of work. You’ll never take that for granted. It’s how you learned he has a full tattoo sleeve and a motorcycle license. If he thinks you’re full of surprises, he’s just the same.

Perhaps that’s why the both of you work so well together.

Bellies full and dishes washed, you and Jungkook are seated on your couch for the last half of the movie. His arm rests comfortably on the couch’s frame, hand just an inch away from the back of your neck.

“You’re so far away. C’mere,” Jungkook’s fingers caresses your cheeks, sending a rush of butterflies to your stomach. You scoot closer, head naturally falling on his chest as he places his hand on your waist. The movie plays in the background but you’re not even sure what’s happening anymore. All your attention is directed at the faint scent of his detergent and the thumb mindlessly rubbing your side. Such a small and innocent act, but it has your mind going to other places.

“I like this.” His voice interrupts your not so pure thoughts.

“Huh?” You straighten yourself up.

“Friday nights,” he keeps you close, “just like being with you in general. Do you?”

“I do,” you answer without hesitation, “I like being with you too.”

“Good.” Jungkook tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear and presses a kiss on your cheek. It’s small, fleeting, and delicate. Makes you want more. You never shy away from affection and Jungkook will always meet you halfway. He’s already there, head turned waiting for you.

Your lips meet his. Again, it’s small, fleeting, and delicate. Makes you need more. You frown when he pulls away. He’s not far though, forehead still connected to yours. You get lost in his hooded eyes.

“Did I upset you?” He tilts his head, “you’re always frowning around me.”

“Didn’t want you to stop,” you press another kiss on his lips, hand clutching onto his crewneck.

“Cute,” Jungkook’s breath fans over your skin as he chuckles into your lips, “you’re gonna be the death of me, you know that?”

He doesn’t let you answer. Simply kisses you more earnestly, drinking in your sighs and soft mewls. The prior hectic work week now long forgotten as you melt under his touch and company.

“Can’t die on me,” you shudder as he trails wet kisses down the column of your neck. You gasp when he sucks on a particularly sensitive spot.

He warms at your reaction and soothes the area with gentler kisses, “yeah, you’re right. Like you too much to leave you all alone in the shuttle.”

You nod, heart full from the revelation: he likes you. A no brainer, but it makes you happy hearing it come directly from him. People say it takes 30 days to form a habit. You like them — habits turned routines. You’ve had years with Jungkook and yet, you don’t think of Jungkook as a routine. Just a way of life — someone you seek out during the day and the next.

He pulls away with a serious look.

“I’ve been thinking …” his voice trails off, “about taking things a step further, as long as you’re okay with it.”

“As in?” You know what he’s implying, but you want to hear him say it.

“As in I want us to be together. Officially.”

You’ve been asked out before in the past: love letters, text messages, mid-sex — yeah, that was an odd one. But there’s something so sweet and mundane about how he’s asking you in the comforts of your home. Jeon Jungkook was always a source of familiarity — a constant at work. He’s still that even now.

Misjudging your silence for rejection, Jungkook repeats your name with a panic-strickened expression.

“Sorry, this is probably too soon, forget I said anything. I know we just started seeing each other and the whole dating your coworker dynamic might be weird, so …“

“Jungkook,” you laugh, “you think I’m going to say no?”

“Uh, yes?” He swallows.

“When have I ever said no to you?” You lean forward.

“Plenty of times,” he recounts with a playful grin, seemingly more calm now that you’re talking again, “Soobin’s salary increase, not wanting to try my caprese salad, and you still haven’t let me preview the interview questions.”

“First off, Soobin is capped off at his level. If we give him a raise, we’d need to reevaluate the entire company too. Before you say anything, we’re at a budget freeze. Also, I hate tomatoes, you know this. And previewing is—“

“Off the tables. I know, I know. I was just kidding,” Jungkook interrupts and takes your hand in his, “you’re right though. You rarely say no to me. But in this case or anytime ever, you can.”

You never had an issue with saying no until Jeon Jungkook came along. Damn those eyes and honey-laced voice he has no control over. You’ve questioned whether he’s aware of his effects; though, what does it matter when you’re willing to find alternatives to his requests?

“Huh. Wish I had that option for all your past personnel requests,” you tease. Jungkook rolls his eyes and snorts. He’s always been persistent at work, but in these circumstances, Jungkook was more than willing to wait on your terms.

You know this.

You shake your head, “can’t say no to you purely because I don’t want to,” you soak in his expectant expression, “and … I want to be with you too.”

People tell you that falling for a coworker was a recipe for disaster. You’ve seen it in your profession. Conflict of interests, gossip, and tension at the workplace if things go sour. Though, dating Jungkook never felt like a risk or a gamble. With every surface you scratch at, you feel even more immersed in Jungkook.

“Really?” He blooms, dimples making your heart stutter in your chest.

“Yeah,” you nod, “I like you a lot … always have.”

The confession shouldn’t surprise anyone. And yet Jungkook looks at you as if he won the lottery.

Struck gold.

Peppers kisses all over your face, follows after your body as you lay down, calls you cute, and revels in your giggles. Sure, he makes your job … challenging at times, but being with this Jungkook? Affection and intimacy comes easy. Simple. Natural.

“You like me too, yeah?” You husk into his lips, feeling his nose graze your cheeks as he nods.

“Course, I do,” he murmurs, “more than you’ll ever know.”

“Will you show me?”

You really will be the death of him.

Just like how you can’t say no to him, Jungkook can’t either.

Feels right when your hand wraps around his wrist and guides it right above the waistband of your loungewear, “please?”

Jungkook is a simple man.

Loves that one yellow floral dress you wear when the weather gets a little warmer — an indication that Spring is here. To new beginnings. Doesn’t realize you’ve purposefully worn that dress in the past because you enjoy the way he lights up every time he sees you. Recently, his new thing is whenever you fix the collar of his dress shirt at work. Yes, he’s a simple man. And just like right now how it doesn’t take much for him to get worked up when you look up with pleading eyes reserved only for him.

Jungkook leans in, thumb pads over the plush of your lips. It’s only natural for you to kiss them. Only natural for him to replace his thumb with his lips. Greedy. Weak. Feeble. His resolve further crumbles when your fingers grasp at his crewneck, pulling his body closer. Gets a little messy in his kisses and licks the seams of your lips. Permission? Granted, always.

“Oh!” You gasp. Music to his ears. Jungkook pulls away only to watch your expression change as he trails his hand past the waistband of your pants. Could feel your heat and slick gather at your panties.

“This okay?” His middle finger applies more pressure down your slit.

“Yeah,” you nod, “keep going.”

Call it stress or your recent dry spell, but when Jungkook’s fingers part your panties to the side and begin rubbing at a pace that has you falling apart, you come undone in under a minute. Couldn’t help it even if you tried.

“I-“ you moan into the crook of Jungkook’s neck with your eyes shut tight, unable to formulate a proper sentence let alone warn him of your orgasm. He knows though, doesn’t have to see your face to know that you’re cumming. Wishes he could. Instead, he’s met with the sudden wetness coating his fingertips, the twitch of your clit, and your muffled cries.

“It’s okay, cum for me,” he reassures while planting kisses on your shoulder, “that’s it, baby. Let go.” His fingers never ceasing in movement.

It’s never happened this fast before, not with other partners nor on your own. But you lay there, breathless and slightly embarrassed. Clarity seeps through your veins: You are dating Jungkook. Jungkook just made you cum on your couch. You like Jungkook. A lot.

A shy laugh bubbles out of Jungkook. You’re not sure if it’s your own sweat or the condensation from Jungkook’s warm breath on your skin.

“That was quick.” He teases. You swallow, squirming underneath him to push at his chest. He doesn’t move. Stays. Fingers are still moving up and down your wet sex. It’s comforting as much as it’s getting you worked up again.

“Embarrassing,” you correct, “mmf, Jungkook,” you bite back a moan at the feel of his middle finger push at your entrance. He doesn’t do more than that. Just applies the right amount of pressure to have you sigh in wanton.

Your hand runs down his torso, also wanting to return the favor, but Jungkook shakes his head.

“Work’s been so tough on you,” he removes his hand out of your pants and sits up on his knees, “let me take care of you, you deserve this.”

Not reciprocating isn’t your style, especially if you really like someone. Feels wrong to not make them feel good too. It isn’t out of obligation, it’s because his pleasure makes you feel good too. Judging by Jungkook’s tented sweats and flushed skin, you know he’s enjoying this. And so when you nod for him to continue, you swore you caught a glimpse of his cock twitch.

Before you know it, your pants and underwear are somewhere on the floor. Jungkook takes off his crewneck and and jokes it’s in solidarity, but immediately folds at the sight of your pout. His t-shirt eventually joins the rest of your clothing on the floor.

You gulp, mesmerized by his lean physique. You always knew there was something more underneath his typical business attire and oversized clothing. Just never realized where his tattoos began and ended … whether there’s more you’ve yet to discover. The freckles. Sunspots. Scars and stretch marks. All of it.

“You’re so pretty.” He says while kissing down your exposed stomach. His hands push the back of your thighs up towards your torso, parting your legs at the same time.

“Oh god,” you screw your eyes shut again as Jungkook places a delicate kiss on your sex, just a hair away from your clit.

You tremble, mouth agape from Jungkook’s tongue trailing up and down your pussy. Slow. Purposeful. Wet. So fucking wet. Maps all the areas that get you breathless and whiny. Saves those landmarks for future visits. Jungkook doesn’t tease — not this time at least. Because the moment you cry out from the small flick of his tongue in your clit, he’s all in. Lips suctioning around your clit, Jungkook finds home between your legs. You whimper, back lifting off your couch and toes curling.

He eases away and places a small kiss on your thigh to get your attention.

“Want you to watch. Will you do that for me?”

You can’t say no to Jeon Jungkook. Not when his nose is flushed, lips and chin dewy from eating you out. Not when his usually well-kept hair is slightly tussled, but he still looks so effortlessly good. Not when he asks you so nicely with those glassy eyes.

Simply because you don’t want to say no.

When you wordlessly prop yourself up with your elbows and tilt your head to the side, Jungkook chuckles and dips back down to your clit, “gonna make this so good for you, ‘kay?”

His eyes are unwavering. Locks eyes with yours for a second to make sure they stay open for him and only closes it to refocus on the task at hand. His moans vibrate into your cunt, brows furrowing deeper upon your breathy moans. Works harder to draw out louder ones.

Jungkook thinks there’s nothing better than having you like this. Performs even better when you spur him on with words of encouragement. ‘There,’ ‘Yeah,’ ‘Uh-huh,’ ‘You’re so good,’ ‘Mhmm,’ ‘Faster.’

He knows you’re close when you start rutting your pussy against his face at a steady rhythm. Easily glides two fingers inside and thrusts at an even pace. You lurch forward, shoulders hunched over at the sudden intrusion.

“Jungkook,” you pant, “y-you’re gonna make me cum.”

“Want you to come,” he encourages with a moan, “go ahead, show me how good you feel.”

It’s right there. Another lick followed by the curl of his fingers has you gushing around him for the second time tonight. White splotches bloom behind your eyelids. Jungkook keeps his promises. Makes it good for you by sucking on your clit to draw out your orgasm.

Your body plops back down on your couch, shaking from both the aftermath of your orgasm and how Jungkook continues to lap at your sex.

A few seconds pass and Jungkook finally makes his way back up to you, forehead knocking against yours clumsily. You smile into his kisses, taking in the taste of you on his tongue.

“Needed that, didn’t you?” He exhales against your lips, grins cheekily when you concur, but also realizes how tired you must be with the lack of comebacks.

Jungkook stares at the clock on your wall after you yawn, “let’s get ready for bed, hm?”

“But you,” you stare down between you and eye his hard length poking at your thigh.

“Will live,” he chuckles, “next time, okay? ” Jungkook seals the promise with a kiss.

—

You startle awake in the early morning. Half of it thanks to Jungkook’s movements and the other due to forgetting you had a guest. The dark blue morning hues don’t cast enough light for you to recognize the other person in bed with you. You recognize his scent though. Body naturally gravitates toward his warmth.

“Jungkook?” Your voice croaks, eyes fighting to stay open.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” You feel your mattress dip from his movements.

You chuckle, “a little. You were moving around quite a bit. Not used to another bed?”

“No, no, bed is fine. Great even, might need to get the same one at my place” he clears his throat, “ah well anyways, I was just …”

“Hm?”

“Just thinking.”

“About?”

He sighs, shifts his arm underneath your head to eliminate the distance between. The brief pause has you anxious and yet you wait patiently for what he has to say.

“We’re, like, together-together, right?”

“Yes, why?” You answer without hesitation.

He exhales, “so we’d have to sign some sort of nepotism form?”

Having processed multiple nepotism forms, you know couples typically avoid doing this in the event there’s an eventual breakup. No one likes being talked about if there was a split, but also no one likes being caught breaking company policy. You’re a stickler to rules. Except, it feels a little different now that it involves your own personal life.

Was Jungkook afraid of people knowing? Did he have fears that the relationship wasn’t going to last?

“That’s what’s keeping you up?”

“Why wouldn’t it?” You can sense a pout even in the darkness of your room, “I love working with you. Bugging you is the best part of my day.”

Ah.

“So you do do it on purpose,” you gasp jokingly knowing full well of his intentions.

“You’re ignoring the part where I said I love working with you,” he hugs you tighter, face smushed against his bare chest, “who else is going to help me with my wacky requests? Or entertain my Teams messages?”

“Speaking of your messages …”

“You just love giving me bad news, huh?”

“You know IT can see all our messages. We could get in trouble.”

“I’m not worried. I know a guy …”

“And this is why we need to fill out that nepotism and disclosure form.”

You grin into his warm chest, “also, you’ll probably have to work with Sora on your future requests.”

“You’re joking,” he deadpans, “now I’m really not going to be able to sleep. She takes a minimum of five business days to reply to my emails.”

“That’s cause you knocked over her yogurt in the fridge,” you laugh.

“That was two years ago!”

You place a small reassuring kiss on his chest, “I’ll find a way. You know I always do.”

—

a/n: in lieu of missing my march entry, i shall give you three random life updates: 1. i am following eagletok despite being afraid of birds (shadow and jackie otp) 2. back on dating apps aka hell! had a lowkey idol x fan moment when one of our city radio hosts liked me on there. so, god if you’re listening … i would like this yn moment with any of the bts members pls, thx!!! 💞 3. cried almost every ep of WLGY🍊

next update will be a namjoon fic that me and my bestie been plotting since 2022. don’t ask how much i’ve written … you will be sorely disappointed. but it has potential!!! till next time. ♡

[rikkahonyaku]

Japan Housing Websites (part one)

Want to move to Japan? Me too! Lately I’ve seen a lot of Instagram pages dedicated to showing off cheap homes in Japan. These pages usually just link back to a Japanese real estate website, so I’d like to list some handy vocabulary to help you navigate the sites and find some houses on your own!

Note: This post was made with intermediate level Japanese learners in mind. It's meant to be a vocabulary list with visual examples, not an all-inclusive house buying guide. A complete list of vocab words can be found at the end of the post. For general website navigation, I’d recommend the RikaiChan / RikaiKun extensions which will display a translation of each word you mouse over.

What Websites?

I really like SUUMO, so that will be the site I use for the example pictures. But any website will have more or less the same words!

Navigating the Website

[ 1 ]　Creating an Account会員（かいいん）登録（とうろく）：Member Registration

[ 2 ]　Search探す（さがす）：Search / Find This word will come up a lot! The search function may also appear as... 検索（けんさく）：Search 物件（ぶっけん）検索：Property Search

Suumo has a nifty map on the front page. If you know the region you'd like to search in, you can choose it here.

[ 3 ]　Renting 借りる（かりる）：Rent (Borrow) 賃貸（ちんたい）：Lease / Rent

[ 4 ]　Purchasing買う（かう）：Buy

[ 5 ]　House Terminology If you've taken a Japanese class, you may have learned that the Japanese word for house is 家 or いえ. Unfortunately, this short and simple word isn't used much on real estate websites. The following terms are typically used instead.

一戸建て（いっこだて）：Detached Building A standalone house, as opposed to an apartment or condo.

新築（しんちく）一戸建て：New Buildings

中古（ちゅうこ）一戸建て：Old Buildings 中古 can mean "old", "used", or “secondhand”, none of which sound ideal, but all it means is that the house that has been lived in previously. This is where you find the cheap ones!

Finding Houses

Once you have the region and building type selected, you’ll see a new map you can use to select the prefecture. I'll highlight a few key search methods on this screen.

[ 1 ]　Search by Area（エリア）

Click on a prefecture to bring up a checklist of cities and districts. At the bottom of the list, you'll see two options: refining the search further or proceeding with the checked options.

「チェックした市区郡の町名を絞り込む」 "Narrow by town names of checked cities/wards/districts"

市区郡（しくぐん）："City Ward District" 町名（ちょうめい）：Town Name 絞り込む（しぼりこむ）：Narrow / Refine

「この条件で検索する」 "Search with these conditions"

条件（じょうけん）：Condition / Term

The orange number shows how many total properties were found with the checked selections. Click the blue search button if you want to jump straight to the houses without refining the search.

[ 2 ]　Search by Railway（沿線）or Station（駅）

Click on a prefecture to bring up a checklist of railways. At the bottom of the list, you'll see two options: refining the search further or proceeding with the checked options.

「チェックした沿線の駅を絞り込む」 "Narrow by stations of checked railways"

沿線（えんせん）：Railway / Track 駅（えき）：Station 絞り込む（しぼりこむ）：Narrow / Refine

「この条件で検索する」 "Search with these conditions"

条件（じょうけん）：Condition / Term

Once again, the orange number shows how many total properties were found with the checked selections. Click the blue search button if you want to jump straight to the houses without refining the search.

[ 3 ]　Search by Map（地図、ちず） Clicking here will open up a much more detailed map that you can scroll through! Definitely the easiest option, which is why I put it last. :)

The End.

Here's the complete vocab list for ease of viewing:

会員（かいいん）：Member 登録（とうろく）：Registration 探す（さがす）：Search / Find 検索（けんさく）：Search 物件（ぶっけん）検索：Property Search 借りる（かりる）：Rent (Borrow) 賃貸（ちんたい）：Lease / Rent 買う（かう）：Buy 一戸建て（いっこだて）：Detached Building 新築（しんちく）一戸建て：New Buildings 中古（ちゅうこ）一戸建て：Old Buildings 市区郡（しくぐん）："City Ward District" 町名（ちょうめい）：Town Name 沿線（えんせん）：Railway / Track 駅（えき）：Station 絞り込む（しぼりこむ）：Narrow / Refine 条件（じょうけん）：Condition / Term

[jingyichickenwings]

This is less of a Deep Cut and more of a case of schadenfreude, but I love when various members of a creative team are messy in public about their high budget group project. Reality TV for nerds. It speaks to a profound lack of media training or fucks given. You guys realize that future employers can Google you, right? Unintentionally hilarious.

Linke and Yee were told in no uncertain terms that their season 1 storyboard was shit, so they hired Overton, who hired half a dozen actual writers, and they did basically a full overhaul. The script was objectively much better. But this was Linke's baby, and several years later you still see signs that he is Big Mad that he didn't get his way, and that he doesn't know or care about what actually became season 1 canon. I'm sorry that your Jewish stereotype villain didn't get to be a pedophile, I guess? Idk. Yes, yes, I am sure your version of Svengali is really innovative. Maybe someday, buddy.

Meanwhile they start writing season 2 in early 2020, while the season 1 air date isn't until November of 2021. So, they don't have public feedback on the script yet, just, yanno, actual writing professionals. Anyway, according to Overton, they needed to fire the non-management part of the writing team because of the pandemic?! Lmao babygirl you do your best and I respect commitment to the official PR excuse but nobody sensible believes this. Netflix writers average 110k/year, and you needed six or so from season 1. That is not a big part of the overall budget. Also, y'all could have saved money with Zoom meetings.

So the very thing that saved the season 1 script got line-itemed "because of the pandemic". That sounds like an extremely convenient excuse for Linke to be like, no, fuck you all, we are going back to Plan A, the rough draft of season 2 based on his shitty version of season 1. Honey. That ship has sailed. You already lost this argument.

So presumably some combination of Linke/Yee/Riot/Netflix was like, it's important that we have at least one actual grown adult writer on staff. So Overton gets to keep her job.

Now, I want to preface this by saying that season 2 would have been even worse without Overton. That being said, there is a reason they needed a deeper bench of writing staff. Overton and Linke over-connect with the characters Caitlyn and Jayce respectively, to a degree that they frequently forgot to evaluate how other characters would likely behave in certain situations. It led to contrivances, plot holes, etc. There is a lot I could add here but tbh go read any of the meta already out there.

In addition to the Mary Sue type behavior, Overton thought it would be Neat to make the writing more like Avengers, like multiverse time travel fuckery is a shiny beach pebble and not narrative napalm. What in the ADHD was she thinking? Even if they had the run time to world build enough for this, there was nothing in season 1 to even suggest this as an option. And let's be fucking honest, multiverse a lot of why Marvel is on a downward spiral. If Viktor can go to Build-A-Bear Workshop and 3-D print a million Jayces, why should I give a shit about his kill count? He can just be kind, rewind, and try again. Actions are decoupled from consequences.

Anyway, moving back to the topic at hand of the Arcane team. Apparently, Overton, Linke and Yee only half-wrote season 2?! Linke said something about how they "extensively collaborated with Fortiche on the story"? Which, it's not inherently a bad idea to get creative feedback from your art team, but ummm, maybe the writers and Fortiche should have worked to a point of agreement on basic story beats. Based on a lot of what Fortiche has said, the art for season 2 passive aggressively advances what they wanted the writing to be against Linke's wishes. They literally have just been straight up disagreeing with Linke and getting paid for it. Which, to be fair, I respect the sheer pettiness! Linke can't write his own damn show but wants to slow down the very expensive art team? When the actual writers that got fired "because of the pandemic" would have caught a lot of the season 2 issues?

So post airing of season 2, Overton is all about that girlboss copaganda, Linke is having multiple public meltdowns and getting fired by Riot(?), and multiple voice actors and artists at Fortiche are being like "yeah, we actually wanted something else so there are now multiple competing narratives for season 2". Which is hilarious. The way in which the show is messy is the same way in which the creators are messy. These bitches are a cautionary tale about hubris and the need to engage in team-building.

(EDIT MARCH 11: the fired rumors seem to be old/inaccurate, see comments for details)

[rottenpumpkin13]

Hi i really liked your genesis headcanons can you do relationship headcanons for seph and ang, thanks btw

Not sure if you came from that post, but I made one for Genesis a while ago in case you want to read it! Here's the link.

Dating Sephiroth

• Completely inexperienced in relationships and romantic feelings in general, initially suppresses his own emotions out of habit, but eventually caves for his person. He treats dating like research at first, reading extensively and trying to understand the "proper protocols" for courting someone (he's so sweet)

• Takes time to open up due to his isolated upbringing, but when he does, he forms an intense, almost obsessive attachment to his partner (i n t e n s e)

• Struggles to express emotions verbally but shows his love through unwavering loyalty and dedication. Will move mountains for his partner if needed. His partner is sick? There goes Sephiroth concocting medicine from scratch bc he doesn't trust Shinra. Partner is hungry? Sephiroth in the kitchen trying his best to make them their favorite food before giving up and ordering out. Partner is cold? There goes Sephiroth's coat and his partner's personal space because now they're bundled in his leather while being squished by a giant kitty.

• Very touch-starved but doesn't know how to initiate physical affection in the beginning. Melts completely when his partner casually touches him or plays with his hair. When he and his partner grow comfortable with each other, Sephiroth absolutely will drape himself over them like a cat, ask for cuddles, and use them as a human plushie.

• Protective to an extreme degree. Has to consciously work on not shadowing his partner everywhere or eliminating perceived threats before they even manifest….like the mailman. Experiences jealousy intensely but internalizes it rather than acting out. Needs frequent reassurance that his partner won't abandon him ;-;

• During fights, he tends to shut down emotionally, not knowing how to handle conflict in relationships. He needs a patient partner willing to help him work through his feelings and to be there to hug and tell him he's still loved.

• Cherishes quiet domestic moments he never had before; simple things like sharing meals or reading together mean the world to him.

• Extremely observant of his partner's needs and preferences. Will remember every little detail about them and use that knowledge to make them happy. That candy their partner mentioned liking in passing? There's now boxes of it in their pantry and Sephiroth bought a monthly subscription to it.

Dating Angeal

• Takes relationships seriously, okay? The man dates for marriage and a life partner, not for a casual fling. And he believes in building a foundation of trust, respect, and understanding before pursuing anything romantic.

• Very traditional in his approach to courting and is a complete gentleman. Will absolutely ask for permission to court his partner properly and plans thoughtful, wholesome dates like picnics, hiking, or cooking together.

• Shows his love through acts of service and protection. Will make sure his partner is well-fed, safe, and cared for. Grows herbs and vegetables specifically for cooking their favorite meals and/or making healthy versions of their favorite junk food. Food is his love language, and there's nothing that makes him happier than cooking for his partner.

• Tender and gentle in private, to an extreme degree. Babies the hell out of his partner and loves quiet moments where he can hold them, talk to them, and care for them.

• Gets adorably flustered by open displays of affection but secretly loves when his partner is demonstrative with their love. Will turn bright red if they so much as hold his hand in public. Yet he casually wraps his arms around their waist when they're out to send a message to the world lol.

• Very protective but not possessive. He trusts his partner completely and respects their independence. His protectiveness comes from a place of genuine care rather than jealousy. But that's not to say Angeal won't break someone's teeth in for trying to get with his partner.

• He's the voice of reason during arguments who tries to resolve things calmly through communication.

[scotianostra]

On February 21st 1842 ­Scotland’s first inter-city railway, the Edinburgh-Glasgow mainline, opened to ­regular traffic.

The building of a railway between the two cities was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1838 following several years of public discussion.

Construction work on the 46-mile line took almost four years. It was no easy task. To ensure a level route, numerous cuttings were dug, four viaducts were built and three tunnels were driven through hills and solid rock. Members of the public were invited to walk through the Queen Street tunnel on New Year’s Day 1842 to satisfy growing interest in the project. The line opened to regular services on 21st February that year, following a ceremonial opening of the station three days earlier, as I posted on Sunday.

The railway put an end to the slow and cumbersome stagecoaches that had linked Glasgow and Edinburgh for more than a century, and would eventually drive business away from the canal network as well.

The project’s engineers had wanted to build a bridge over the Forth and Clyde canal – but the canal’s owners refused. A tunnel under the waterway had to be constructed instead.

The Scotsman reported in February 1842 that “it rarely happens that a railway can be brought into the centre of a great city”, as it announced the opening of Queen Street station in Glasgow. But the original Edinburgh terminus at Haymarket was greeted with rather less enthusiasm. It was hoped that eventually the train line would stretch further into Edinburgh.

An extension to North Bridge was duly completed in 1846, and work on building the present Waverley station began in 1868.

The line was popular with passengers from the beginning. Initially, four services travelled in each direction from Monday to Saturday. Controversially, two services also ran on Sundays – provoking strong opposition from Sabbatarians. The number of trains throughout the week quickly increased.

Passengers could choose to alight at many more intermediate stations than today – with stops at Gogar, Ratho, Winchburgh, Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk, Castlecary, Croy, Kirkintilloch (later Lenzie) and Bishopbriggs. The Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway Company which built the line was absorbed by the North British Railway (NBR) in 1865. The NBR would in turn be absorbed by the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923.

There have been several high-profile train crashes on the route over the years. The most recent occurred on 30th July, 1984, when a rush hour commuter service out of Waverley struck a cow that had wandered on to the tracks near Polmont from a nearby field. The collision caused all six carriages to derail, killing 13 people and injuring 61 others.

The worst accident, in terms of loss of life, took place on 10th December, 1937, at Castlecary. During a snowstorm, the 5.30pm Waverley to Queen Street express collided with a late running local train from Dundee to Glasgow. The locomotive hit the rear of the standing local service at the now-closed Castlecary station at an estimated 70mph. Four carriages were completely destroyed by the collision, killing 35 passengers and injuring 179 more.

The £742m Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) is the biggest project on the route since it was built 174 years ago. It will eventually see all-electric trains operating on the line, with faster journey times and more seats for passengers. The average journey time by train between Glasgow and Edinburgh (Waverley) is now 1 hour and 14 minutes, with around 191 trains per day.

A new passenger hall at Haymarket station opened in 2014, while Queen Street was recently comprehensively rebuilt.

[cocodotgreen]

Simynthos - (almost) cc-free

With all testing done I am happy to share with you the (almost) cc-free version of Simynthos today! I was actually surprised by how quickly it could be transformed, and I have to say I'm very happy with how it turned out!

For this version I removed all decorative cc. The only cc you now need for full functionality are the rabbit hole rugs. The lots are so small, there wouldn't have been nearly enough room for the in game rabbit holes. The rabbit hole rugs can be downloaded here.

I still recommend using the performance mods from the original post here, just to make things a little more smooth and enjoyable during gameplay. But they are not strictly necessary. You could also go completely vanilla (more on that below).

There are a couple of things to note:

Some of the double beds are placed against a wall and therefore only one sim can sleep in them now. You can replace them with the one sided beds for two sims, the ones I used in the original version, if you like. The mattresses by sketchbook pixels can be found here, and some nice custom bed frames from @aroundthesims can be found here.

I did make use of @omedapixel's S3DT (Sims 3 Decorator Tool) in two or three places, just to place decorative items on surfaces where they cannot be placed in a vanilla game. You do NOT need the mod for these items to stay in place, as long as you don't move them when redecorating. Then they may slip back into normal mode and you will only be able to place them back with the mod. But it's only in a couple of places, so even if that happens, it will not have a significant impact on your game.

Replacing some of the cc did result in some interactive items not being usable at first, but I hope I caught all of those cases during the (quite extensively 😉) play-testing. So now all interactive items should be usable. If you find any place where an item can't be reached by the sims, please notify me and I will update the world.

How does it run?

I have tested this version of Simynthos in two scenarios: With the routing optimization mods I recommended for the original version (that's the save all the screenshots are from 😉), but also in a completely vanilla game, playing just a small family with one child, and it actually ran pretty well on my gaming laptop, even without any routing improvement mods (my game is optimized though)! If you're going completely vanilla, it may get a bit annoying in some places though, with sims not being able to pass each other, and toddlers not being able to be put down on the ground due to lack of space. But if you do not want to use any mods at all, it would probably still be playable with a small household that doesn't host huge parties 😉

Thanks again to the creators who have made this world possible:

Thanks to @nilxis, the creator of „Sa Pineda“, for the beautiful base to this world. The island on which Simynthos was build is entirely their creation. I did not change the island itself or the terrain painting outside the lots (except for some places where I placed the walkways/paths). All credit for that goes to them! You can find the original version here. Also make sure to check out their other worlds, while you‘ re at it. They are some of my favorite worlds!

Thanks to @nornities for their extremely helpful CAW guide here. Unfortunately I only found this guide when Simynthos was almost finished. I could have avoided some of the mistakes I made, had I found it sooner!

Some of you may know, that I am not the first to make a Greek version of Sa Pineda. Back in 2016 Vendela created Simtorini. This super cute world has the typical blue and white houses another Greek island, Santorini, is famous for. Go check it out here.

Download Simynthos (almost) cc-free (SimFileShare)

Alternative Download (Dropbox)

Link to original post for Simynthos (version with cc)

[fairuzfan]

[ID: A screenshot of a tweet by Kandakat_alhaqq from June 15 2024, reading, "Columbia SJP has asked (at) Macklemore to cancel his concert in Dubai in solidarity with the Sudanese people."

Below this is a preview of several images, which are then shared in full below the tweet:

The first image shows a photo of protestors holding a banner that reads in red, "Hind's Hall", with versions of of Handala, a cartoon of a ten year old Palestinian child, standing with back to the camera, on either side.

Below this the three images have black and red text reading, in full:

The leaders of Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, alongside all occupiers of Hind's Hall, are calling on Macklemore to cancel his perfomance of his new single "Hind's Hall" in the U.A.E. due to the country's direct engagement in the ongoing genocide in Sudan.

We affirm our gratitude for the solidarity Macklemore has shown thus far by naming a song after the Columbia University building that we reclaimed in honor of Hind Rajab.

We have faith that you will extend this solidarity to struggles that are directly linked to Palestinian liberation, namely the Darfur Genocide currently perpetuated by the U.A.E.-backed RSF (Rapid Support Forces) who are responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Sudanese civilians, particularly Black non-Arab ethnic groups.

Due to the U.A.E.'s active investments in agricultural land acquisitions and the extensive gold resources in Sudan, the R.S.F. is able to fund their genocidal campaign by smuggling gold from Sudan to the U.A.E. in return for arms. The people of Sudan have asked for a boycott of tourism to the U.A.E., and we hope that you will heed their demand.

Important facts:

The U.A.E. has been acquiring land in Sudan since the early 200s.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Defense (of the internet) (from billionaires) in depth

Picks and Shovels is a new, standalone technothriller starring Marty Hench, my two-fisted, hard-fighting, tech-scam-busting forensic accountant. You can pre-order it on my latest Kickstarter, which features a brilliant audiobook read by Wil Wheaton.

The only way to truly billionaire-proof the internet is to a) abolish billionaires and b) abolish the system that allows people to become billionaires. Short of that, any levees we build will need constant tending, reinforcement, and re-evaluation.

That's normal. No security measure (including billionaire-proofing the internet) is a "set and forget" affair. Any time you want something and someone else wants the opposite, you are stuck in an endless game of attack and defense. The measures that block your adversary today will only work until your adversary changes tactics to circumvent your defenses.

For example, mining all the links on the internet to find non-spam sites worked brilliantly for Google, because until Pagerank, there were zero reasons for spammers to get links to point to their sites. Once Google became the dominant way of finding things on the internet, spammers invented the linkfarm. This principle can be summed up as "Show me a ten-foot wall and I'll show you an eleven-foot ladder."

Security designers address this with something called "defense in depth": that's a series of overlapping defenses that are meant to correct for one another's weaknesses. Your bank might use a password, a 2FA code, and – for extremely high-stakes transactions – a series of biographical questions posed by a human customer service over a telephone line.

I've written extensively about defending a new, good internet from billionaire enshittifiers. For example, in this post, I described how Bluesky could be made enshittification-resistant with the use of "Ulysses Pacts" – self-imposed, binding restrictions on enshittification:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/02/ulysses-pact/#tie-yourself-to-a-federated-mast

A classic example of a Ulysses Pact is "throwing away the Oreos when you go on a diet." Now, it doesn't take a lot of work to devise a countermeasure your future, Oreo-craving self can take to defeat this measure: just drive to the grocery store and buy more Oreos. This even works at 2AM, provided you live within driving distance of an all-night grocer.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't throw away those Oreos. Depending on how strong your Oreo craving is, even a little friction can help you resist the temptation to ruin your diet. We often do bad things because of momentary impulses that fade quickly, and simply airgapping the connection between thought and deed works surprisingly well in many instances.

This is why places with fewer guns have fewer suicides of all kinds: there are plenty of ways to kill yourself, but none are quite so quick and reliable as a gun. People in the grips of a suicidal impulse who don't have guns have more chances to let the impulse pass (this is also why gun control leads to fewer all-cause homicides). So just because a measure is imperfect, that doesn't make it worthless.

If you're trying to give up drinking, you throw away all your booze, but you also go to meetings, and you get a sponsor who can help you out with a 2AM phone call. You might even put a breathalyzer on your car's ignition system. None of these are impossible to defeat (you can get an Uber to the liquor store, after all), but they all create friction between the thing you want, and the thing your adversary (your addiction) is trying to get. They strengthen the hand of you as defender of the sober status quo, against the attacker who wants you to relapse.

Critically, all these defensive measures also buy you space and time that you can use to organize and deploy more defenses. Maybe the long Uber ride to the liquor store gives you enough time to think about your actions so you call your sponsor from the parking lot. Defense is useful even when it only slows your adversary, rather than stopping your adversary in their tracks.

Scaling up from personal defense to societal-scale security considerations, it's useful to think of this as a battle with four fronts: code (what is technically im/possible?), law (what is il/legal?), norms (what is socially un/acceptable?) and markets (what is un/profitable?). This framework was first raised a quarter-century ago, in Larry Lessig's Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Code_And_Other_Laws_of_Cyberspace_Version_2_0.pdf

Lessig laid out these four forces as four angles of attack that challengers to the status quo should plan their strategy around. If you want to liberalize copyright, you can try norms (the "Free Mickey" campaign), laws (the Eldred v. Ashcroft Supreme Court case), code (machine-readable Creative Commons licenses) and markets (open access/free software businesses). Each one of these helps the other – for example, if lots of people believe in copyright reform (norms), more of them will back a Humble Bundle for open access materials (markets), and more lawmakers will be interested in changing copyright statutes (law), and more hackers will see reason to do cool things with CC licenses, like search engines (code).

But the four forces aren't just for attackers seeking to disrupt the status quo – they're just as important for defenders looking to create and sustain a new status quo. Figuring out how to "lock a system open" is very different from figuring out how to "force a system open." But they're both campaigns waged with code, law, norms and markets.

We're living through a key moment in enshittification history. Millions of people have become dissatisfied with legacy social media companies run by despicable, fascism-friendly billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg and are ready to leave, despite the costs (losing contact with friends who stay behind). While many of them are moving to group chats and private Discord servers,tens of millions have moved to new social media platforms that advertise (though they don't necessarily deliver) decentralization: Mastodon (and the fediverse) and Bluesky (and the atmosphere).

Decentralization is itself a defensive countermeasure (code). When a service has diffuse power, it's harder for any one person to take it over. Federation adds another defensive layer, because users who don't like the way one server is run can move to another server, with varying degrees of data- and identity-portability. That makes it harder for server owners to squeeze users to make money (markets), and gives them an out if server owners try it anyway.

Federation with decentralization is my favorite anti-enshittification defense. It's powerful as hell. It's the main reason I endorse Free Our Feeds, an effort to (among other things) build more Bluesky servers to decrease the centralization and give users dissatisfied with Bluesky management an alternative:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/20/capitalist-unrealism/#praxis

That said, decentralization and federation are not perfect, set-and-forget defenses. Take email – the oldest, most successful federated system of them all. Email is nominally decentralized, but most email traffic goes through a handful of extremely large servers run by a cartel of companies (Google, Apple, Microsoft, and a few ISPs). These companies collude (or, more charitably, coordinate) to block email from non-cartel companies, in the name of fighting spam. This makes running your own mail server so hard that it is nearly impossible (that is, if you care about people actually receiving the email you send them):

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/10/dead-letters/

What's interesting about enshittified email is that it didn't start with corporate takeover: it started with volunteer-maintained blocklists of untrustworthy servers that most email operators subscribed to, defederating from any server that appeared on the list. These blocklists of bad servers were opaque (often, their maintainers would operate anonymously, citing the threat of retaliation from criminal scammers whose servers appeared on the list). They had little or no appeal process, and few or no objective criteria for inclusion (you could be blocklisted for how your email server was configured, even if no one was using it to send spam). All of this set up the conditions to favor large email servers, and also had the effect of immunizing these large servers from appearing on blocklists. I mean, once three quarters of the internet is on Gmail, no one is going to block email from Gmail, even if a ton of spam is sent using its servers.

The lesson of email doesn't mean email is bad, nor does it mean decentralization and federation are useless. It doesn't even mean that blocklists of bad servers are evil. It just means that federation and decentralization are imperfect and insufficient defenses against enshittification, and that blocklists are useful, but very dangerous. It means that we should strive to keep our systems federated and decentralized, and watch our blocklists very carefully, and not rely on any of this as the only defense against enshittification.

Likewise, both Mastodon and Bluesky are built on free/open code and standards. That means that anyone can fork them, fix them or mod them. What's more, the licenses involved are irrevocable, making them very effective Ulysses Pacts. No one – not a CEO, not a VC investor, not a court or a blackmailer – can order someone to make their GPL code proprietary. The license is perpetual and irrevocable, and that's that.

Free/open licenses are excellent Ulysses Pacts and great code-related defenses against enshittification, but they, too, are imperfect and insufficient. Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have all figured out how to enshittify services that are built on free/open code:

https://mako.cc/copyrighteous/libreplanet-2018-keynote

And then there are all the companies that use free/open code and defeat the freedom and openness by simply violating the license, on the grounds that a decentralized, federated development community can't figure out who has standing to sue, and also can't afford to pay for the lawyers to do so:

https://sfconservancy.org/news/2022/may/16/vizio-remand-win/

That's not to say that code-based antienshittification measures are pointless – only to say that they need other measures to backstop them, as defense in depth. Let's talk about law, then. Both Mastodon and Bluesky are governed by legal entities that are, nominally, organized by charters that oblige them to eschew enshittification and be responsive to their users (Bluesky is a B-corp, Mastodon's code is overseen by a US nonprofit).

These structures are very important. I've been a volunteer board member for several co-ops and nonprofits (I was even once a volunteer for a nonprofit co-op!) and I'm familiar with the role that good governance can play in defending a project from internal and external pressures to betray its mission. That means I'm also familiar with the limits of these governance measures.

Take nonprofits: nominally, nonprofits are legally bound to serve their charitable purpose, and technically, stakeholders have legal recourse if they stray from this. But you don't have to look far to find nonprofits that have violated their charter and gotten away with it. Take the Nature Conservancy, which has become a key player in the market for fake "carbon offsets" that are used to justify everything from fossil fuel extraction to SUV manufacture:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/12/fairy-use-tale/#greenwashing

Or think of ISOC, who get tens of millions of dollars in free money every year from their stewardship of the .ORG registry, but who decided to hand over control of the nonprofits' TLD of choice to a shadowy cabal of hedge-fund billionaires:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/how-we-saved-org-2020-review

Co-ops, too, are powerful but wildly imperfect. REI is a member co-op that does lots of great things…and also busts unions:

https://prismreports.org/2024/07/17/rei-workers-unionizing-fighting-for-agreemment/

But REI is a paragon of social virtue compared to its Canadian equivalent, Mountain Equipment Coop, whose board was taken over by corrupt assholes who then sold the whole thing to a US private equity fund and change the name to "MEC":

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/16/spike-lee-joint/#casse-le-mec

B-corps are far from perfect, too: while they are nominally required to serve a positive social purpose, in practice, they can violate that purpose with impunity, whether that through greenwashing:

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20240202-has-b-corp-certification-turned-into-corporate-greenwashing

Or Kickstarter insiders taking a $100m bribe to help Andreesen-Horowitz do a crypto pump-and-dump:

https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/03/11/kickstarter-blockchain-a16z-crypto-secret-investment-chris-dixon/

None of this is to claim that B-corps, co-ops, and nonprofits are useless. Maybe we should just give up on organization altogether and have some kind of adhocracy? If you're thinking this will help, then you need to read Jo Freeman's "The Tyranny of Structurelessness" and learn how a "leaderless" group is actually led by its least scrupulous, most Machiavellian schemers:

https://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm

At this point, you might be mentally designing a new corporate structure, one that's designed to correct for both the tyranny of structurelessness and the brittleness of co-ops, nonprofits and B-corps. Please don't do this. Rolling your own corporate structure is like rolling your own cryptography or your own free software license. It always ends in tears:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/openai-remove-non-profit-control-give-sam-altman-equity-sources-say-2024-09-25/

I like co-ops, nonprofits and B-corps. They're powerful – but insufficient – weapons against enshittification. They need to be backstopped by other measures, like norms. Normative measures are very powerful! Of course, mass revolts of angry users don't always keep companies from enshittifying:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/dec/30/reddit-moderator-protest-communities-social-media

But sometimes they do. The C-suite of Unity was shown the door after enshittifying their flagship product:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/10/23911338/unity-ceo-steps-down-developers-react

As was the enshittifying CEO of Sonos:

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/13/24342179/sonos-ceo-patrick-spence-resignation-reason-app

And of course, these defensive measures reinforce one another. The public outcry against the .ORG selloff (norms) led to California's Attorney General stepping in (law), and after that, we more-or-less romped to victory:

https://www.theregister.com/2020/04/17/icann_california_org_sale_delay/

Markets are the final antienshittificatory force. If a social network is designed to be surveillance-resistant, it will be (very) hard to implement behavioral surveillance advertising. If a network is designed to support a many clients, it will be easy to implement an ad-blocker. Both factors make advertising-based businesses very unattractive to individual server operators, spammers, and VCs who back companies that operate elements of a federated server.

Same goes for systems that allow users to control the recommendations and other algorithmic aspects of their feeds (including switching these off altogether). The fact that Tiktok's users overwhelmingly use an algorithmic feed that they have no way to control or even understand is an anti-Ulysses Pact, an irresistible temptation for Tiktok to enshittify itself:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

By contrast, it's much harder to pull those shenanigans with services that technologically devolve control over recommendations (code), making it less profitable to even try to attempt this (markets). And of course, if users refuse to tolerate this kind of thing (norms) and can hop to other servers (code), then any system that pulls that nonsense will lose lots of users and go broke (markets).

This defense-in-depth approach to decentralized social media pushes us to analyze both Mastodon and Bluesky through a tactical lens – to identify the weak parts in the defenses of each and shore them up.

Take Free Our Feeds and its attempt to stand up more Bluesky servers. This addresses one of the serious technical deficiencies in Bluesky (the lack of federation), and if lots of Bluesky users try it out, it will normalize the idea that Bluesky is a constellation of independently managed servers (norms). It also creates Bluesky alternatives with radically different commercial imperatives (markets), because the main Bluesky server is backed by venture capitalists, who are notorious for their enshittifying impulses.

But security isn't static – a tactic that works today won't work tomorrow if your adversary can figure out a way around it. Bluesky is a B-corp with an excellent board with some names I have profound trust for, but B-corps can abandon their public benefit purpose, and boards can be fired (and also even people you trust can talk themselves into doing stupid and wicked things, see .ORG).

If millions of Bluesky users flock to a rival service, one run by a nonprofit (markets), Bluesky's investors might be tempted to sever the link between Bluesky and that new server (code). That's what Facebook and Apple did to XMPP, an interoperable, federated messaging system that used to connect Apple users, Facebook users, and users of many other servers. They did this for commercial reasons (markets), to trap and lock in their users (code), and they got away with it because not enough users were outraged by this (norms) that they could get away with it.

When Bluesky's VCs fire the CEO, kick people like Mike Masnick off its board, and then defederate from Free Our Feeds' server, how do we make that more like Sonos or Unity (where the corporation capitulated to its users), and not like Reddit (where the user revolt was crushed)?

With social media, it's a numbers game. Social media grows by network effects: the more users there are in a system, the more valuable it is. It's not merely imperative to create alternative Bluesky servers, it's imperative to make them populous enough that cutting them off from the first Bluesky server will inflict more pain on the company than it inflicts on those other users. That's not a guarantee that Bluesky's future, enshittification-bent management won't go ahead and do it anyway, but it does increase the chances that if they press on, their users will take the hit to defect to free/open servers.

Bluesky has other problems besides its centralization, of course. The reason Bluesky is so centralized is that it's really expensive to run an alternative Bluesky server that provides a home for users who have left the main server (a "relay" in Bluesky-ese). Partly this is down to tooling: because no one has done it, Free Our Feeds will have to invent a lot of stuff to get that server up and running, but people who come later will benefit from whatever Free Our Feeds develops along the way.

But mostly, this isn't a tooling problem – it's an architecture problem. The way that Bluesky is structured demands a lot more of relays than Mastodon demands of "instances" (a loose Fediverse analog to relays):

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/01/21/the-technological-poison-pill-how-atprotocol-encourages-competition-resists-evil-billionaires-lock-in-enshittification/#comment-4253477

This is a code problem, and it's a hard one, but it's not insurmountable. The history of networked tools is the history of developers figuring out how to break apart large, monolithic, expensive services in cheaper, smaller, easier to develop. In other words, our defense in depth of Bluesky militates for more than one project – not just a "Free Our Feeds" but also a software development project to make it easier for anyone to free those feeds.

Which raises some important questions, the biggest being "Why bother?" After all, there's already a perfectly good Fediverse that could sure use the money and effort that Free Our Feeds is proposing to put into Bluesky. My main answer here is that the point of disenshittification is an enshittification-free internet, not a better Mastodon:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/20/capitalist-unrealism/#praxis

We want to set Bluesky users free because the problem with Bluesky isn't its users, it's the fact that there's no fire-exits those users can avail themselves of if Bluesky's VCs set it on fire:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/14/fire-exits/#graceful-failure-modes

But there's another good reason to do this, one that involves people who have no interest in using Bluesky: even if you don't want to use a better Bluesky, you likely have very good reasons to reach Bluesky users. Maybe you want them to help you organize against enshittification! Or maybe you just want to operate a real-world venue where people can gather and have a great time and support performers, and right now you're stuck advertising on Facebook and Instagram, and you don't want to end up being forced to use an enshittified, fire-exit-free Bluesky in the future:

https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2025/01/13.html

Of course, there's plenty of reasons to want to make Mastodon better. Many of Mastodon's features are absurdly primitive – the lack of threading support and quote-boosting sucks, and the supposedly opt-in system-wide search doesn't work, even if you opt in. Masto could sure use some of the money that Free Our Feeds is asking for to spruce up Bluesky.

This is true, but also irrelevant. Mastodon is stuck at around a million active users, while Bluesky has twenty times that amount. Crowdfunding a couple dollars per user to pursue software development is a reasonable goal, but raising twenty times that much is a lot harder:

https://mastodon-analytics.com/

The money being raised for Free Our Feeds isn't money that had been earmarked for Mastodon development, nor will abandoning Free Our Feeds redirect those funds to Mastodon development.

Which isn't to say that we shouldn't chip in to fund Mastodon development. I donated to the Kickstarter for Pixelfed, a Fediverse Insta replacement that has Meta so scared that they'll suspend your account if you even mention it:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pixelfed/pixelfed-foundation-2024-real-ethical-social-networks

Adding Insta-like features to Mastodon is great. Fixing search, quoting, and threading would be great, too. We probably need some kind of governance efforts to keep volunteer-run, good faith defederation blocklists from exhibiting the same dynamics that email went through during the spam wars. There's some Bluesky features I'd love to see on Mastodon, like composable moderation and user-controlled, user-tunable recommendations. We also probably need some kind of adversarial press that closely monitors the governance structure for the Mastodon codebase and reports on process in standardization (I cannot overstate how much fuckery can take place within standards bodies, under cover of a nigh-impermeable shield of boringness).

Breaking Bluesky open is a priority. Keeping Mastodon open is a priority. But neither of these are goals unto themselves. The point is to set people free, not set technology free. Willie Sutton robbed banks because "that's where the money is." Right now, I'm interested in anti-enshittification measures for Bluesky because "that's where the people are."

Check out my Kickstarter to pre-order copies of my next novel, Picks and Shovels!

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

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/23/defense-in-depth/#self-marginalization

Image: Mike Baird (modified) https://flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/2354116406

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[newbiespud]

Okay, I lied. One last set of Warframe 1999 spoiler thoughts to get them out of my system:

Bookending the story with Transference into Arthur (once very rudely without permission to start off on the wrong foot, once begrudgingly with permission to bring them home) is just great theming structure. Building thematic parallels into your story isn't hard, it's just so much better when the characters' and their growth reinforce their meaning.

On the surface, the Drifter's "help" to the Hex looks like a mere cheerleading pep talk, but that's not how I took it. Who knows more about fully matured Warframe powers than the Tenno? How can they lend that expertise to the Hex in their desperate moments? Eleanor can wrangle the Infestation within with a little willpower boost; Tenno do it all the time, or else their Warframes would be out of control. "Quincy, remember, your frame has the Seek power and it's busted." Aoi especially just needed a bit of support from someone who's used a fully kitted-out Mag before and mastered her magnetic powers. "Amir, here's something you would have never found out on your own: Your Warframe body has a Parazon, which doubles as a hidden blade AND a data-link!" And, of course, Arthur - if your body can't move, then I can move it for you. It's all the Tenno being an experienced Tenno to help the Hex.

I was definitely in the camp of "wait, I thought Albrecht shot Amir- OH THANK GOODNESS WE STOPPED THAT."

It's so incredibly great that the instant-messenger stuff allows us to discuss and digest a lot of Warframe's weirder lore in an in-character way, on top of all the other ways it's great. Love me a game system that accomplishes multiple goals at once for different player interests.

My absolute favorite thing overall? Thematically, this is a mirror-image of The Sacrifice. Somehow, through sheer empathy if nothing else, the Tenno have the power to share their inner strength with troubled, broken, hopeless beings, take away their pain, and unlock their full potential. The Operator did it with Umbra (and by extension every other fully converted Warframe), and now the Drifter's done something arguably even more impressive - using that power on partially still-living humans, with understanding, consent, and mercy.

Look, I'm arguably a writer by trade. I love analyzing story structure, and I especially love seeing action genres take a stab at being emotional, vulnerable, and empathetic while still being kickass action. That's a delicate balance, but oh boy does it make for a delicious dish for my particular palette.