#Quota Sampling

[sambodhi]

Quota Sampling: A Comprehensive Guide for Researchers

Quota sampling offers a way to ensure representation in research. Learn how it works, its key benefits, and why it's crucial for reliable studies.

[zaptap]

so far in eggstra work ive gotten 219 which is... ok i guess. could be a lot better

only wave 2 (the rush one) has ever gone well though. several in the 60s, record of 68. there are still an annoying amount of freelancers who wallcling and/or refuse to leave the spire no matter how many times i spam this way at them (and ive gotten about 60 with this happening before which tells me it can go a lot better)

[marketxcel]

Cluster Sampling: Types, Advantages, Limitations, and Examples

Explore the various types, advantages, limitations, and real-world examples of cluster sampling in our informative blog. Learn how this sampling method can help researchers gather data efficiently and effectively for insightful analysis.

[differenteagletragedy]

Simon has been in some truly miserable conditions. He's been under fire while the hot desert sun beat down on him, he's been pushed, bloody and broken, through boot camp. But, in this moment, he can't think of anything more soul-crushing than the mall on a Sunday afternoon.

But he needs new jeans. So here he is.

It's just a quick mission, he tells himself as he slips through the doors of a department store. In and out. He could always order them online, but then he'd have to put his name and address on some little internet form, and he doesn't trust it. This, torturous though it is, feels safer.

It's too bright, too crowded, too loud. But he knows where he's going, so he keeps his head down and pushes through.

"Excuse me, sir!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, there you are, stepping away from your spot near the cosmetics section and directly into his path.

He stares down at you, studying you quickly. He sees your eyes, wide and bright, and a nametag pinned to your blouse. You look a little sheepish at approaching him so directly, but you don't back down.

"I was wondering if I could interest you in purchasing a new fragrance?"

To Simon, it's a bizarre question -- he doesn't wear "a fragrance," he wears deodorant and aftershave at best. He's already not having a good time, so he scoffs a little and says, "Don't need one."

"Are you sure? I could show you some of the trendiest colognes for men, or if you have a wife or a girlfriend, perhaps a nice new perfume for her?"

He glances around the area, seeing a number of counters, some with makeup, others with skincare, then yours with all the fancy glass bottles of perfume. When he looks back at you, you're still gazing up at him, wearing a smile that doesn't fully reach your eyes.

"They forcing you to sell this shit?" he asks.

"What? No? This is my job," you tell him, a bit of your smile fading.

"Yeah, well, you look like you're doing it at gunpoint."

You hesitate, do a quick glance around, then lower your voice to say, "I've got to meet my quota is all."

He smirks, and asks, "That so?"

"Yeah. I haven't been meeting my sales goals, and I need the commission, you know? I'm not trying to be pushy, I just ... I've got the quota."

He's not sure exactly what possesses him to continue the conversation. All he wanted to do was buy a few pairs of jeans and go back home, but now here you are, looking all hopeful, and something in him tells him that he shouldn't just walk away.

"What do you wear then?" he asks.

He doesn't know where the question comes from, but you're already smiling again, more genuinely this time, and you move to the counter. You pull out a sample bottle, plain glass with a simple white label, and slide it over to him.

"For your wife?"

He doesn't answer, instead watching as you spray the perfume on a strip of paper and hand it out to him. When he takes it and lifts it to his nose, it's almost overwhelming -- he'd noticed the scent on you when you stepped in front of him, something warm and sweet, but smelling it like this ... it's like you, concentrated.

"I'll take it."

You let out a sigh of relief, getting a new box of the perfume out and packaging it up for him before ringing him up. When you give him back his change, he lets his fingers ghost over your palm as he picks it up -- not enough for you to notice, but enough that he certainly does.

Back home, he takes the perfume out of its box and sets it on his dresser. He doesn't know what to do with it, and he doesn't have anyone to give it to. And when he sprays just a little bit on his pillow, he tells himself that it's only because he doesn't want it to go to waste.

[sserpente]

Paid Pleasure (Kinktober #4)

Excerpt: Sylus huffed. His crimson eyes locked with yours for a moment before darting back to Yuze. “Make me a better offer.”

“Forty percent. You slap your name on the paperwork and I have your back if you need me. You’ll have free access to all of my facilities and…” – he pointed at you – “…all of my girls. In return, I have your financial support to keep this baby running. Perhaps…you’d like to sample what this partnership could offer you?”

There was more to this. More to him offering you to Sylus for free now. As disgusted as you were, that was beside the point. You were very well aware that the infamous leader of Onychinus owned armouries all over the world. Supporting this brothel was only scratching at the very tip of the iceberg.

Forcing yourself to a flirty smile, you leaned in to whisper in his ear. “What do you say, Mr. Sylus? Would you like to join me upstairs?”

A/N: Oh, I love these pleasure slave scenarios so much… *sigh* I’m going to hell, who’s with me?

Words: 4160 Warnings: smut, prostitute!reader, super slight dub-con

The N109 zone was one of the most dangerous places on Earth. You knew that better than anyone. To live simply meant to survive—only a few people had the luxury of enjoying their time and spending their money on useless things like designer watches or caviar, and you were most certainly not one of them.

When Yuze, the owner of the ‘humble’ establishment you now worked at found you, you’d had two options. Either go with him and submit to his greed and cruelty or die at the hands of vicious Wanderers eager to rip your throat out.

Back then, the choice was easy. Today, however,…today, you were second-guessing yourself. Yuze had provided you with a bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and yet, you had never felt dirtier than you did now. The dancing was bearable enough. Losing yourself in the waves of the music, your worries and sorrows ebbing away as you drifted off and simply moved, was easy enough.

But almost no night ended without you leading one of Yuze’s customers upstairs after they shoved a bundle of credits into his hands only to spread your legs for them in your bed.

The profession of a prostitute was a respectable one—but only if it was done voluntarily. You on the other hand wanted to scream and run and vomit and rip your own hair out every evening the brothel opened and the nightmare began anew.

Yuze had no mercy. In fact, he was crude and abusive. He did not hesitate to use physical punishment if the nightly quota wasn’t met, and did not shy away from withholding meals from you, especially not when the next lucrative deal was just around the corner.

Like tonight.

You had heard of him, of course. Sylus, leader of Onychinus and the most dangerous man known across Linkon City. He would visit tonight to discuss a potential partnership with Yuze. You didn’t know the details and you didn’t need to.

Your job was to make Sylus receptive and docile. To charm him and eventually, of course, to pull some extra credits out of his pocket for a night with you.

To say you’re nervous would have been an understatement. You’d never seen Sylus in action but if rumours were to be believed, his Evol was one of a kind. The man was invincible and invulnerable. You were scared. Even more so because if you failed, you did not want to face the consequences Yuze had in store for you.

The evening started innocently enough. You danced, ignored the lustful looks of your potential clients for the night, and prayed that your shift would be over fast.

Sylus arrived at midnight. He was accompanied by two men in masks, and he strutted in as if he owned the place. He soon would, partially, if the deal went well. You swallowed thickly, keeping an eye on Yuze as he ushered him to the VIP area and had a drink prepared for him, silently waiting for your cue as you kept on dancing around the pole.

The subtle movement of Yuze’s hand would have been unnoticeable to anyone else. You picked up on it quickly and hurried over to them both. At this time of the night, you had already lost your top. Your breasts were on full display as you offered Sylus a coy smile, ignoring the pounding of your heart as you straddled his lap and began to dance.

The leader of Onychinus did not say a word, though there appeared to be some sort of amusement washing over his chiselled face. God, he was handsome. Younger than you’d imagined him, mysterious, brooding, and…dangerous. It would be easier to try and seduce him compared to those disgusting old men who didn’t know that you were supposed to wash your ass crack under the shower.

“As I was saying, Mr. Sylus… sixty percent is…hefty. You must understand that in doing so you would legally own my establishment.”

He chuckled. You kept on dancing, attempting your best to distract him and draw his attention to you. Sylus, however, seemed almost completely unbothered by your antics. You bit your lower lip and rocked your hips, grinding against him.

“That is the plan, Yuze. You would still run it, of course. But on paper, this place will belong to me. I don’t accept deals where I don’t come out on the winning side. Something you should have known.”

“I cannot do that!”

“You were the one who approached me about a partnership. This is my offer. If you won’t accept my terms, I see no reason for us to continue this conversation.”

His voice was calm and smooth, like silk. Sylus took a sip of his whiskey and then placed the glass on the window sill behind him. Shit. This wasn’t going according to plan, was it? Sylus was supposed to accept Yuze’s deal, not dismiss him and leave early. Shit, shit, shit.

A mere glance from the corner of your eye was enough to see that your boss was fuming. His jaw was clenched and you could practically feel that he was ready to blame you for how this evening was about to end.

You had to up your game fast if you wanted to avoid bruises tonight.

Boldly, you snatched Sylus’ hand as he moved it back and brought it to your left breast, pressing his palm against your mount. You were still dancing, doing your best to mesmerise him enough for him to be interested in sharing the bed with you.

Sylus huffed. His crimson eyes locked with yours for a moment before darting back to Yuze. “Make me a better offer.”

Phew.

“Forty percent. You slap your name on the paperwork and I have your back if you need me. You’ll have free access to all of my facilities and…” – he pointed at you – “…all of my girls. In return, I have your financial support to keep this baby running. Perhaps…you’d like to sample what this partnership could offer you?”

There was more to this. More to him offering you to Sylus for free now. As disgusted as you were, that was beside the point. You were very well aware that the infamous leader of Onychinus owned armouries all over the world. Supporting this brothel was only scratching at the very tip of the iceberg.

Forcing yourself to a flirty smile, you leaned in to whisper in his ear. “What do you say, Mr. Sylus? Would you like to join me upstairs?”

He smiled. It was a cold and calculated smile—one that indicated that he saw right through your strategy. “I’m not the type to pay for pleasure.”

“Consider it a gift, a sign of good faith into this partnership. Hmm, Mr. Sylus?” Yuze said, tilting his head.

“You seem tense…being the head of Onychinus must be so exhausting… I give very good massages,” you mumbled against his cheek. “And I make sure to pamper…every…single…body part…” With every word, your free hand travelled lower and lower and lower until…

Sylus snatched your wrist before you could cup him. “I’d rather have a Wanderer trample on my back, sweetie.”

Your lips parted. Ouch. Why…why did that hurt? He was just another guy. They all thought with their dicks one way or another. You should be relieved he didn’t want you. Instead…his rejection stung. It was a strange emotion even stronger than the fear of what would happen to you as soon as Sylus walked out that door.

“D-Don’t be like that. I could be yours. You can do to me whatever you like,” you choked out. Saying these things...every fibre of your being was resisting the words. It wasn’t the first time you resorted to this and it certainly also wasn’t the first time you acted on it. You could only hope that Sylus was not an evil sadist who would leave you in bed half-dead after he was done with you.

But Sylus…frowned. He frowned as if he was displeased with what you’d just said. With a start, he grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him. His voice was so quiet only you could hear him. “Is he forcing you to say things like that, sweetie?”

“W-What?” Your eyes widened. Fuck. You were so dead. “N-no! Of course not. This is my job,” you lied, “I just want to make you feel good. Will you let me?”

You didn’t dare look at Yuze. Instead, you kept your eyes locked on Sylus, hoping that he would let you convince him. He stared at you for a long moment. Long enough for you to grow dizzy. It was almost like…his right eye began to…glow and draw you in and…

Your lips parted. You have to succeed, you heard your own voice whisper in your head. You have to seduce him. You need to survive. You have to! You can’t go without food again. Yuze will punish you if you don’t charm him. You have to make Sylus like you, he has to accept the deal…it will be your fault if he doesn’t. Seduce him…seduce him…seduce him!

Sylus blinked and you snapped yourself out of it, wondering what the hell had just happened. You were breathing heavily and had stopped dancing.

“Very well. Then how about you show me upstairs…kitten?”

Phew. You nodded—perhaps a bit too enthusiastically than intended—and climbed off of him to lead the way. You made a point to sway your hips as you walked in front of him. Anything to rile him up. It was, after all, in your best interest to do so.

Sylus was the one who locked the door once you’d shown him to your bedroom and scanned his surroundings as if to check for any imminent dangers. That was probably normal for him. In the meantime, you hooked your index finger under the hem of your knickers to pull them off. No time to waste. Let’s get this over with. He looks good, remember? It won’t be as bad as it was with the others.

“Don’t. Keep them on. And get dressed. It’s cold in here,” he said all of a sudden.

“Oh. Hmm, yeah… Yuze doesn’t like wasting too much money on heating. Sorry about that. I’ll make sure you get warm in no time. Don’t worry about me, I’m used to it.” Although you were curious as to why he even cared…

Sylus’ eyebrows furrowed—once again as if he was displeased by your answer. He moved over to the lush armchair next to your wardrobe, sat down and manspread as if he owned the place. Knowing him, he probably soon would.

You bit your lower lip as you approached him, heat flushing your veins while you pictured him as your new boss. You wouldn’t mind giving him freebies every now and then… God, what was wrong with you?

Sylus snatched your wrists before you could place your palms on his chest as you straddled him yet again. “Is he treating you well? You and the other girls?”

“W-what?”

“Yuze. How much does he pay you for your…services?”

“Uh…a-are…are you interrogating me? I…I don’t think I should be talking about these things, I don’t want to get in trouble.”

Sylus’ expression remained unreadable. His grip around your wrists tightened. “How much?”

Fuck. “T-this room. Warm meals,” you choked out.

“He’s not paying you?”

You shook your head. “He’s paying none of the girls. Yuze took me in when I was on the brink of death. A Wanderer was about to tear my head off…that was about three years ago.”

His nostrils flared. “He wanted you to make me docile, didn’t he? To seduce me so I will agree to his pathetic whims?”

“I…I didn’t have a say in the matter,” you admitted. “But…yes. That was his plan. I’m…I’m sorry.”

Sylus chuckled. “It almost worked. Two of my people, Luke and Kieran, are raiding the place as we speak.” As if on cue, commotion grew louder downstairs. People were screaming and shouting, gunshots were fired. You gasped for air.

“What…what is happening?”

“Don’t worry. The girls will be safe. I had little reason to agree to a deal with Yuze. Hardly anyone is to be trusted in the N109 zone but there was something slimy about him in particular. You changed my mind about this place, kitten. You are all the proof that I needed to take him down. Thank you.”

“But…but I thought you…”

“What?” He smirked. “That I am a merciless and evil criminal who couldn’t care less about what happens to Yuze’s ‘employees’ once I have my cut? You wound me, sweetie.”

“I…I didn’t know. Everyone’s afraid of you here. You’re…you’re a legend.”

His smirk grew a little wider. “Yeah. I am quite the legend, aren’t I?” he teased.

You swallowed thickly.

“Now put on some clothes and don’t come downstairs until I say so. This shouldn’t take long.”

Sylus never asked to sleep with you before he left. You could only imagine the horrors he’d inflicted on Yuze and his friends and allies. Dead bodies, blood…and some of his men had simply…disappeared.

Half an hour had felt like half an eternity before you were allowed back downstairs, clad in one of the few pullovers you owned. Either Luke or Kieran—you couldn’t keep them apart—shoved a hot mug of cocoa into your hands and led you to the other girls sitting in the corner, all of them as shaken and terrified as you.

Next thing you knew, Sylus appeared from behind the counter of the bar wiping his hands clean with a kitchen towel, staining it red. Fuck…

“Things are going to change around here. This establishment is now mine. I will have someone new installed as manager. Anyone who doesn’t wish to continue working as a prostitute is free to leave or will be offered either a different position along with a salary bonus equal to the years you have worked here.”

Your eyes widened. Excitement rippled through the small crowd, along with incredulous whispers. But…what did that mean for you? With all the money Sylus offered, you could start a new life somewhere else. You could…leave the N109 zone. But then what?

One by one, the girls got up and stepped forward. Most of them wanted to leave. Two asked to work here as waiters instead, one wanted to work in the kitchen and learn how to bake the desserts served in the brothel.

Eventually, there was no one left but you. Sylus’ crimson eyes locked with yours. “What about you, kitten?”

You took a deep breath. “I…I’m going to stay. I have nowhere else to go. Plus, I don’t have any talents to be working as anything else anyway.” You hated talking about yourself like that. But all those years living under Yuze’s roof had ruined your confidence. It was a fact you didn’t have any qualifications. Even waiters were doing incredible work and the other two girls had gained experience with that before they came here. You’d probably drop all your drinks on the first night and end up with an expensive cleaning bill for a customer’s shirt.

“Are you sure, kitten? What if I told you that I know that that’s not what you truly desire?” He paused. “How about you come and work for me instead?”

He stepped closer, leaned down, and ruffled your hair a bit. You blinked.

“F-For you? I…of course. I’d…rather have just one client instead of—”

“No. That is not what I meant,” he interrupted. “You say there is nothing else you know how to do but I think that’s not true. We’ll just have to find your talents, sweetie. I will hire you as a maid. You can help clean around the house and be of assistance when I need you. How does that sound?”

You should be relieved. Happy. Grateful. And you were, in a way. So why was the first thought coursing through your mind… Am I really that undesirable that he doesn’t want to sleep with me?

“I…y-yes.” You nodded. “Thank you.”

A new start. A new life. With…with the leader of Onychinus himself. God, that all sounded like a dream. Not like a nightmare…but a dream. If Sylus was truly as kind as he was today…then there was nothing to be worried about…right?

Sylus’ car was impressive. Buttery leather seats, enough space to do a workout inside, and…it was so damn clean. The drive back to his home did not take long. Perhaps that was also because of how vehemently he ignored the speed limits.

His house was…massive. Scratch that, it was a mansion. No wonder he wanted help with cleaning it. You were Luke’s and Kieran’s responsibility for now, and let them lead you to your new room. Sylus had insisted you were equipped with a new wardrobe and promised to send someone to buy you piles of clothes as soon as possible.

Your new room was practically a suite. Vast, neatly decorated, expensive. You liked his taste. It was dark, mysterious. And yet…too much had happened for you to fall asleep. You tossed and turned in your new king-size bed underneath silken sheets until you couldn’t take it anymore and threw back the covers to find Sylus.

Luckily, Luke and Kieran were still awake too.

“C-Can you tell me where Sylus is?”

“In his office. Third door on the right,” Luke said.

“He doesn’t like being disturbed so be extra nice,” Kieran added.

You almost chuckled. “I will.”

Following their instructions, you soon found yourself knocking on his door.

“Come in.”

Sylus looked up from his desk when you entered, a hint of surprise washing over his chiselled face. “Is everything alright, kitten?”

“Yeah, I just…I can’t sleep. I’m sorry to disturb you.”

He put down his pen and stood, walking around his massive mahogany desk before leaning against the edge.

“Earlier tonight…something strange happened,” you began.

Sylus raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“When…when you were looking at me…it…it seemed like one of your eyes just started…to glow. And…and when it did I suddenly heard a voice. My voice. It was like it was whispering to me. Whispering...what I would have never dared say out loud. You…you heard it too, didn’t you? That’s why you said you knew that staying in that brothel wasn’t what I really wanted. How…how did you do that?”

“That, kitten, is complicated. It has something to do with the Aethercore I carry inside of me.”

“You…carry an Aethercore inside of you?”

Sylus nodded. “But that is a story for another time. Was there anything else? It’s getting late. You should go back to bed.”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” you ask, nodding at his desk. The table lamp was switched on, illuminating the pile of paperwork waiting to be sorted through.

“I don’t sleep during the night.”

You frowned. “I see…”

Sylus tilted his head. It was almost irksome how well he could read you. He knew exactly that there was something else on your mind.

“I also… I just… I wanted to say thank you. I was terrified when I learned you’d be visiting and that I was supposed to…well.” You took a step closer to him. Both determination and arousal rippled through you when his scent hit you. Metal, some expensive perfume, and…something else you could not place.

You hooked your fingers into his belt. “L-Let me thank you properly.”

“Properly?” He crossed his arms before his chest, his red eyes darting down to your busy fingers.

“Yes. I mean, if…if you even find me attractive,” you murmured. “I…I want to make you feel good. I wasn’t lying about that when…you know. And this…this is the only thing I can offer in return. P-please…”

You tugged at the hem of his trousers. Sylus sighed, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“Are you sure you can handle that, kitten?”

Your pussy clenched at his nickname for you. Shit, what was going on with you? You’d never been attracted to any of your clients! But…but then again, Sylus wasn’t just a regular client anymore, now was he? He’d somehow saved your life. Saved it from the horror it had become all because you hadn’t wanted to be torn apart alive by a group of Wanderers. For the first time since you had unwillingly become a prostitute…you wanted to pleasure someone. You wanted to pleasure him. There was no denying that you were attracted to him and that felt…strange. You could hardly believe that after all the disgust you were still capable of such attraction. But here you were now.

“Is this truly what you want?”

You nodded. “Let me do this for you.”

He uncrossed his arms by way of letting you undo the buttons of his trousers. He sucked in a deep breath when you knelt down before him to pull them down along with his underwear.

Your jaw almost dropped. He was…bigger than the men you’d been with. Not crazy porn star big, of course…but his length was impressive even in its semi-hard state.

“What…on Earth…made you think I do not find you attractive, kitten?”

“I…I just…you seemed almost disgusted while I was dancing. So I figured…”

“You should not define your worth over whether a man thinks you’re beautiful or not. You…” He paused and hissed when you brushed your fingertips over his velvety shaft, making him twitch.

“For so long that was all I had. Making customers want me ensured that I had something to eat and a roof over my head…” you trailed off and leaned forward, closing your lips around his tip.

Sylus suppressed a moan. You took him deeper into your mouth, covering what you couldn’t with your throat with your hand. You sucked him gently, enjoying him like a popsicle. He tasted so clean and the saltiness of his precum against the roof of your mouth made you wetter than you would have expected. Shit…was that normal?

You felt Sylus grow harder and larger in your mouth. Bopping your head back and forth, you began to pleasure him as if your life depended on it. Fuck…never before had you enjoyed yourself while doing this. When he reached out and grabbed a fistful of your hair, you did not feel fear of being choked…you felt excitement.

You could tell he was holding back, trying to restrain himself. And somehow…somehow that was so fucking hot you became a little too eager. Taking him in even deeper, you gagged.

Sylus pulled you away immediately. “Easy, kitten. Breathe. Do you wanna keep going?”

A frantic nod was all you managed. A barely visible thread of saliva still connected your lips to his cock.

“Fuck…I…shouldn’t be…allowing this…” He was panting, his crimson eyes glued on you as you licked over his length, savouring the taste. You tapped the tip of his dick against your stretched-out tongue a few times before closing your mouth around him yet again, determined to finish him off and make him feel good as you’d promised.

“Kitten…” It was a warning. One to pull away now if you didn’t want to swallow. God, you weren’t even thinking about it. You wanted to taste him.

Locking your eyes with him, you pressed one of your hands against his thigh, with the other you cupped his balls to massage him to push him over the edge.

Sylus let out a carnal groan and threw his head back, his cock pulsing and twitching against the roof of your mouth. He rocked his hips forward to thrust, his warm seed shooting down your throat. You moaned, swallowing every last drop hungrily as if your life depended on it.

Once he was spent and breathing heavily, his steel grip in your hair loosening, you released him with a soft plopping noise and smiled up at him. You knew how to read men during those moments, even Sylus. His red eyes were full of desire and lust for more, and his cheeks were flushed.

“Did…you like that?” you asked—quite redundantly so.

Sylus huffed a laugh. “I am tempted to ask you to do this every night, kitten,” he purred.

“I don’t mind.”

“No. This isn’t why I had you brought here.”

“Then why? Do you really want me to be your maid?”

“I want you to figure out what you want. And…maybe I do have a soft spot for you. I don’t accept deals where I don’t come out on the winning side, remember?”

Your smile grew a little wider. “What if this is what I want?”

You got up from your knees, watching him tuck himself back in. Sylus studied you for a moment, contemplating. “Then I suggest we get you a pretty dress to wear and I take you out tomorrow night. Properly.”

Oh my god. “O-Okay.”

“Now go back to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night…Sylus.”

“Good night…kitten.”

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Vaggie: "I'll go to the next Heaven meeting only if I get to be your un-filter."

Charlie: "My un-filter?"

Vaggie: "Your anger concentrate."

Charlie: "I'm not angry!"

Vaggie: "Sweetie."

Charlie: "Well SAYING I'm angry won't make anything better SO-"

Vaggie: "It'd make me feel better."

Charlie: ".... you won't threaten to kill anyone."

Vaggie: "Literally? No."

Charlie: "You won't bring your spear?"

Vaggie: "Words will be my only weapon I promise."

Charlie: "And you'll sit right next to me and we'll pull our chairs close enough so we're touching and you'll hold my hand whenever I'm not making a dramatic gesture or holding up a sample drawing so I don't get up and strangle anyone?"

Vaggie: "I'll be glued to your side."

Charlie: "Okay, then-"

Vaggie: "Like one of Niffty's petrified bug victims who slowly starved to death on a adhesive strip just out of reach of food and water-"

Charlie: "UM."

Vaggie: "-sorry, still mentally scarred from that."

Vaggie: "I'll be glue to you like, uh, frosting on a... cupcake?"

Charlie: "Or you can just sit next to me as Vaggie, my partner." (hugs gf) "I like you best like that~"

Vaggie: "Well that's me always. My favorite place and thing to be, too."

Charlie: "Then this next meeting is going to go AMAZINGLY."

-the meeting-

Charlie: "-now! Seraphim Sera, regarding your choice to start the exterminations in the first place-"

Sera: "I-"

Vaggie: "This is all your fault, dumbass, and everyone knows it."

Charlie: "-despite you delegating the ACTUAL, um, fulfillment of your Hell population reduction quotas to Adam and his Exorcists, and your hands off approach to overseeing the management of said Exorcists, he WAS still acting under YOUR authority-"

Sera: "You-"

Vaggie: "There's blood on your heavenly hands, even if you're too much of a coward to ever see it there."

Charlie: "-considering the physical and emotional damage and SCARS that said actions left on at least ONE former Exorcist, introducing Vaggie as exhibit A-"

Sera: "This is hardly relevant to-"

Vaggie: "Talk about heaven being a lie huh? Not even an angel gets a trial before damnation."

Charlie: "-I, and my father, we would be strongly in favor of you PERSONALLY taking over direct leadership of the surviving Exorcists, rather than leaving them in the hands of Lute, who- while I'm sure she's very capable- WAS Adam's lieutenant, and often took initiative in his way of managing things."

Sera: "I have more than enough to do without adding-"

Vaggie: "Suck it up and take responsibility for shit for once instead of talking about how sad being in charge makes you. And maybe don't get more of your own people killed. Or mutilated. By Lute."

Charlie: "If you WERE to adopt this proactive shift in management style, Hell would be MUCH more comfortable negotiating with Heaven on the exact amount of damages and compensation owed to both sinners and winners for the emotional harm caused by your long term wrongful killing of countless potential citizens of Heaven, including their friends and loved ones!"

Sera: "Excuse me? Compensation-?"

Vaggie: "You fucked up. Heaven and Hell both hate you. We can give you some good PR, though, if you actually earn it."

Charlie: "Right now this is the only offer we can put on the table, all things considered, and especially when we're SO busy rebuilding and mourning our dead friends, so I really hope you take the time to consider it!!!"

Sera: "You cannot possibly be serious-"

Vaggie: "Try us, bitch."

Sera: "..."

Charlie: (turns to gf) "I love you."

Vaggie: (smiles) (lifts and smooches their entwined hands)

Sera: "........"

Emily: (applauds)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Ms Raven! I have a question about the research you're doing on the type of people and the relationship of their interest with the twst OB. Is there a quota of answerees that you try to meet or do you have a deadline for when you plan to close the survey? I'm just curious if there's a specific time frame we can count on in receiving the results of your study.

[Referencing this survey!]

As of my reply to this ask, we’ve already collected over 800 responses!! 🥳 It’s been less than a week since the survey form went public, so it’s been really exciting seeing this level of engagement and interest.

The survey form will still be accepting responses until July 15th. Ideally, we’d like to hit at least 1000 responses (which I think we’re well on our way towards). Even if we do meet our goal, we’ll happily accept as many responses as we can get before the deadline. BIG NUMBER GO BRRRRRRRRRR and also a larger sample size makes our data stronger 💪

Between now and July 15, we’re throwing together a template and model that will crunch the numbers for us when the data is prepared. This is because the final report will NOT be just pie charts and bar graphs showing the OB boy rankings; we will actually be using various statistical tests to compare the variables while accounting for potential confounding factors.

Once the form closes, we’ll move into the next phase, which will involve doing a sweep to “clean up” the data (ie throw out invalid responses, translate open-ended questions that have been written in languages other than English, standardize short responses so they all read the same (ie America/U.S./USA/United States of America -> USA), etc.). The cleaned data is what will be plugged in for analysis.

When the analysis is done, we’ll be in the writing phase. The average Joe will not be able to understand what these numbers, percentages, graphs, and tests mean. The hope is to produce a final report that is divusee up into sections like a research paper but is also fun + easy to read and understand. We plan to include an introduction, our methodology (why did we choose this test and these questions, how did we clean the data, etc.), results, discussion, conclusions, contributor credits, and even what we could theoretically do better next time.

Altogether, this process could take at least a few weeks (and that’s not counting time for editing and rewrites). If all goes well and there aren’t any unexpected bumps in the road, we can anticipate the full report being out in late August, maybe September. No promises though!! There’s various people involved, a lot of moving parts to account for, and, of course, a lot of data to play around with. At the end of the day, we want to make sure we know what we’re talking about before we pass that information along to the rest of the fandom!

[cybersodas]

Intererest Check…

Hiya RGU fandom!!! So after the post for my revolutionary girl chuchutena art blew up, I wanted to check in and see how you guys might feel if I made this into a sticker sheet 👀

It’s not really something I can order samples on, since it has a pretty big minimum order quota, so the options are I order a bunch of them and out them up for sale, or I open up preorders and fund production with the sales profits like usual!! Would anybody be interested in buying if I did either of these things? I would probably price them at $10.00… Please vote below!!

Your feedback is super appreciated, and as always, thanks for stopping by the Cyberpop Shop! ✨

(Reblogs heavily appreciated 🙏)

[dol-dogboy]

The bunny propaganda has not been lost on me I HAVE been thinking about my guys in the mandatorily drafted bnnuy bar

Percy looks like a wet cat that just got soaked in a river. Hates revealing clothes and tight fitting clothes the most of all clothing types so they are NOT having a fun time!! Scaring the customers because it’s So obvious he wants to hurt them, he’s like a clearly aggressive dog being held back by a chain. Only being soothed by the fact that they’re gonna get to hurt someone after clocking out

Bowie’s in a cute frilly lil outfit and he likes it but. The embarrassment. The shame. He’s going to be in front of people??? Wearing something so revealing????? Wahhhhhhhh!!! Trips in the heels constantly so he’s doing anime ass fan service poses all of the time…… fits some customers niches so he’s still popular despite all the spillages

Damon’s the most comfortable in a skimpy lil latex outfit in front of a bunch of people but also probably would Not be a very good waiter. Keeps on flirting more than working, keeps sampling from customers drinks, gets distracted goofing off with coworkers. At least he’s sexy and has a big bulge showing through his bunny suit

Celes bartends :) initially tries to get away with just opening a few buttons on her regular outfit to fit the sexy quota but that’s NOT GOOD ENOUGH !! Reverse bunny suit for her. Horrified at the thought of showing off her chest like that but manages to settle for it if she could wear some pasties……. puts up with it because she gets to see cute girls in revealing outfits

[internetskiff]

A tidbit of Half-Life lore that always fascinated me is that the machine that causes the Resonance Cascade and basically kicks off the events of the entire series is called the "Anti-mass SPECTROMETER" - spectrometers usually doing.. exactly what it says on the tin, measuring the spectrum of something (light spectra for example). So basically, instead of the entire incident being kicked off by a deliberate teleportation experiment gone wrong like in a cliche science fiction horror story (which iirc that was what they originally went with in early development), the whole incident was kicked off by a "relatively" mundane measuring device (by Black Mesa standards, at least). It's such a good subversion of tropes methinks, especially for a videogame from 1998. The teleportation experiments still happened, of course. They've been happening for a while. They've been dissecting fauna from the other world, studying it, setting up outposts - they were pretty close to finding their footing in Xen, and in any other videogame at the time the Lambda Labs would be the root cause of the problem, and their teleporter device would be what causes a tear between realities. But nope! It's merely the precursor. Shit only hits the fan because of an otherwise normal sample measurement gone wrong.

It adds a degree of believability to it, methinks. A device being pushed to it's limits by staff racing to meet a quota - it almost sounds like I'm describing the lead up to a real life nuclear accident, doesn't it? Hundreds of lives cut short by a rushed sample measurement? The G-Man planted a particularly pure sample, but I really do wonder how much it's purity actually played into the whole disaster. It seems like it was IMPERATIVE that the Spectrometer was also pushed to it's limits analyzing it. I mean, even one of the scientists says that boosting it to 105% is a "bit of a gamble" so they knew it was a risky move to stress the system like that. The Lambda Core Teleporter operated swimmingly - meanwhile a mere spectrometer was the weak link the G-Man targeted. Half Life 1's lore is a lot more sophisticated than people give it credit for imo.

[nine-blessed-hero]

WIP Whenever

Thanks for the tag @hannah-heartstrings

Tagging back (FYI this is a fandom side-blog of DruidX): @aalinaaaaaa @ieppiq @wispstalk @rhikasa @eli-writes-sometimes @hannah-heartstrings @artdecosupernova-writing @mythrilpencil @aquadestinyswriting @reneesbooks @oh-no-another-idea @winglesswriter @pheita

Rules: Share a line or paragraph (or screenshot for non-writing art) from something you recently worked on. If it's on Wednesday - great! If no, no worries :)

I started working on Talis Wants Some 'Shrooms again, so here's a recent snip from that:

As we explored the area around the Ayleid ruin, we found two more clusters of Clouded Funnel Cap. I showed her how to check the cap was good and then watched as she hesitantly sliced it's cap off. "Good work. We'll make an alchemist of you yet," I smiled. Cygwen's face pinched, doubt in her voice as she said, "Yes, Master." I gestured for us to continue, climbing over a boulder in order to reach a higher section of what was now becoming a rabbit trail. "Trust me, even if all you have is wortcraft, it might save your life or the life of a friend in battle. For example, these mushrooms we just picked, if properly prepared, can aid in learning or alleviate the effects of some curses. And there's a reason why mothers make their children drink bergamot tea - doing so really can help stave off an illness." It didn't take us long to fill the quota for Clouded Funnel Cap, prolific as it was in the area. The Tinder Polypore was a bit more tricky, requiring some climbing and gymnastics to get good samples. As we wandered, I pointed out some other plants – Milk Thistle and the odd, struggling, Lavender plant. "I realise it may go against your religion to pick these plants, but it still may be useful for you to know these things. In a pinch, crushed Milk Thistle seeds give off a small glow, and Lavender flowers can help certain 'uglification' curses." "I understand, Master. While it would be against my observances to consume these plants myself, there is nothing which states I could not do so for the benefit of others, such as saving a life."

Now for some complaining/ rubber ducking.

I started writing this in Oct 2020. Normally when I start a story, I have some idea, however nebulous, of how it's going to end. Unfortunately I don't often leave myself notes... So because this is so old, I'm not really sure where I was going with the story, and it's become very obvious now I've come back to it that I'm kind of waffling and I don't know what the point I was trying make with it was.

I should probably mark it as 'Abandoned' and move on, but at 4000, it's a solid chunk of wordage that also introduces Cygwen and Talis' Master, Ysbeth Embertame, so I'd like to post it. But also it feels odd posting without a solid ending. Maybe I should just skip ahead to when Talis has his 'shrooms and they're sampling his mushroom bread at the end...

[mirlvshft]

s/o guided meditation! .𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚

hey guysss!! o( ˶^▾^˶ )o it’s been a while! i haven’t actually posted since valentines so it feels like forever. i am back with an update on this genius thought i had a while ago ᕙ(‾̀◡‾́)ᕗ i finally got around making it! and man.. when i tell you guys, it took for fucking ever… but i love it!! it turned out perfect!!

in addition to sharing a small audio clip, i’m also going to give a rundown of the process in case you guys want to try or even just play around with elevenlabs.

i made the guided meditation very much catered to myself, of course. among the usual of these meditations, i have him (my s/o) describe my wr and what not— plus personal bits. i mixed the guided meditation with the ‘already there’ method (in a way) so it helps with the overall visualization as well. i also have a subliminal in the bg that i absolutely loveee. it’s perfect since there’s rain over the affirmations. (wr introduction coming soon!! perhaps)

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆audio⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆rundown of the process⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

ᯓ★ to start off, i typed up what i wanted to be said in the guided meditation in my notes app.

ᯓ★ elevenlabs! i sample clips from a few different scenes in the show where he has just the perfect tone of voice i want. i remove the bg noise through a site and bring that over to elevenlabs— i create the voice in voicelab and boom, i have his voice ready to go. (to create voices, you have to pay :/ first month $1, after that $5)

ᯓ★ i start adding in the text of what i have him say— a long part of the process because of experimentation. i have to be very careful with this process so i don’t waste my quota (30k characters) +pro tip, if you decide to mess with elevenlabs, please PLEASE don’t add so much text at once. you have to break it up into little bits, maybe like 4 or 5 lines, maybe 7? max. this is because while the voice sounds good at first, it will start to skew into a drastically different voice. in my case, it’s starts to speed up and the whole voice changes into a british man??? i’m not entirely sure if that’s for everyone but definitely just be aware and mess around to see so you don’t waste your quota so fast (30k really isn’t a lot).

ᯓ★ i break up the text and generate multiple samples, i keep the ones i like and i continue until i am done. i’m then left with multiple samples to download.

ᯓ★ next utilize some kind of program to pull this all together. my hp laptop has its own program (microsoft clipchamp) that pulled up automatically and it was perfect. upload all of your samples as well as anything additional you might want to add.

ᯓ★ edit everything how you like. chop the clips up, space them out, etc etc,. after you’re done, export it and there you go!! from here you can upload to wherever you want. what i did is upload it to spotify through local files, i then downloaded it so i can play it on my phone and that’s it!!

this process for me was very long especially since i made mistakes. however, i loveee how it turned out. i definitely recommend doing this if you want, i think it’s a cute little project to do. i found it motivational and just fun ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

please let me know if you guys have any questions if you’re going to try this out or just mess with elevenlabs!! dm’s always open if anything!! ( ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ )

[whimsicallywiddershins]

My pitch for a Subnautica 2/3 plot.

It takes place in a different planet. I know we love Planet 4546B, but if we want new things, it can't be on the same planet.

So, the game takes place on an ocean planet, filled with fascinating alien life and underwater alien ruins that have been long abandoned. Its also very large, which was a big problem with Below Zero.

The playable character is a young new scientist that is part of a team of Alterra scientists that are exploring the planet. The game starts with you collecting samples and receiving a message from your PDA that you have fulfilled your quota and need to return to the main base. Once you have returned to base, you immediately see that the base door is torn open and there is obvious damage. You explore the falling apart, about to collapse base for a short period, just enough to confirm that all of your colleagues are gone. Exploring with your scanner and reading abandoned pdas tell the player that the communication tower is broken, this is a 10 year science trip, and there is no help coming. The base is ruined and covered in massive gouges. There is no sign of the other scientists.

Your PDA tells you the base is compromised and you need to leave. It gives you the coordinate for a small research base that is in a safe area nearby. This will be your "lifepod" starting base, in a safe, shallow area.

Your PDA tells you that to properly explore the now destroyed main base, you will need better equipment. You get a coordinate for a different base, deeper and in a more dangerous place, that might have some prawn blueprints. And it tells you one of the bases has a unfinished communication tower you can probably rig to ask for help, which becomes your immediate goal.

You go through the story, following the coordinate breadcrumbs (like how we did the Degasi) to deeper and more dangerous research bases, all torn apart and abandoned. Through your searching, the player discovered that they are a new scientist who was not authorized to work in some sort of deep, top secret base. You find chilling references to a "subject" and some creepy pda messages about experiments.

At the same time, your radio picks up strange inhuman messages, like clicking and screeching, but definitely words of some sort, coming from deeper in the ocean. Its also pickes up a voice of one of the missing scientists saying over and over "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." And it leads you to explore the alien ruins, finding some smaller research posts with translations of alien writing that references an old civilization and how they fell due to environmental destruction and greed, ect. It also references some sort of god or mythical figure that protects the planet.

As you continue you go deeper and deeper, and you have a few terrifying encounters with some sort of leviathan that you never get to really see, and unleashes phsycic screams into your head that damages your health.

Eventually you find the top secret base located in a massive underwater alien city. It still has working systems, and you discover underwater greenhouses, gardens, libraries, basically an entire city. You access the base and discover that the other Alterra scientists captured this ancient leviathan the aliens revered as a god, and experimented on it. Eventually, it broke out and tracked the scents of the scientists to the other research bases until it ended up at the main base. You were spared only because you were out collecting samples, and it didn't know your scent. The experiment notes are chilling and horrifying, referencing the subject's intelligence.

You leave the base and come face to face with the Experiment. Its up to artists to figure out how it looks, but something nice and eldritch. It speaks to you mind to mind, apologizing for the psychic screams but it needed to establish a link to your mind. It tells you it has seen your mind, and knows you are not cruel and aren't part of the scientists that hurt it. The Experiment tells you it needs your help. There is another base it can't reach, under an island you already explored. The entrance and controls of the base are above land, out of reach. Inside the base is the Experiment's mate and child and it needs you to rescue them. You discover that it didn't kill the other scientists immediately, it took them to try and make them rescue it's mate and children, but the psychic link fried their brains and accidently killed them.

You agree to help, find the last base and discover the communication tower you needed and also free the other leviathans. Now you have a decision to either fix the communication tower and call for help, or go and live with the Experiment and it's family in the underwater city. The game has different ending scenes based on what you decide. The end.

The key is to have many broad open mysteries and no clear goal. Below Zero didn't have the same impact as Subnautica for several reasons, but the main one is that the plot wasn't that interesting and lacked the deep mystery of the first game.

In Subnautica, the first goal is to survive and rescue the other life pod members. Then you discover the mysterious alien stuff, the Quarentine Zone, realize you are infected. Your goal changes to getting cured and de-activating the QEP. Then there is the mystery of the Degasi, and then the Warpers and their mysterious radio message. Then you start getting psychic messages from the Sea Emperor Leviathan. You discover the Alien Research Base and a lot of things come together. In the end, all of the mysteries are related and it's excellent storytelling. The ancients released the disease because they messed with the Sea Dragon eggs, and activated the QEP, which shot down the Degasi. Then the Aurora was near the planet to search for the Degasi, and was shot down. It's all linked.

Below Zero had an obvious goal from the start that remained the same goal the entire game. There was Al-An and his goal, but it was super obvious and laid out for you. It felt more like a side quest and wasn't relevant to the main story of Sam. The only brief mystery was Margureit and how she was involved but it was short and easily discovered. I figured out what happened from the first couple pdas found. A boring game with a small, cramped map and the ending wasn't nearly as amazing as Subnautica.

Also, what a new game needs is zero dialogue from the player character. It ruins the immersion.

[passerkirbius]

If you want, please tell us more about the ranking voting system in Australia

Have a good day :)

*cracks knuckles*

The exact workings of our voting system changes somewhat from state to state, but let's talk about the Federal Australian voting system first.

So, we have different voting systems for our two houses of parliament. We'll start with the Lower House since it's the simplest:

Lower House Voting

So, let's start with the House of Representatives (aka the Lower House). This part of our vote is a mandatory preferential vote - You must number every preference on your ballot, 1 to X, for it to be valid, where 1 is your highest preference. Here's a sample Lower house ballots all filled out:

When the ballots get counted, we use a system called "Instant Runoff", which basically means that all the votes get allocated according to first preference, then we eliminate the candidate with the least votes, and their vote gets redistributed according to the next valid preference, and this continues until one candidate gets the majority of votes.

It's important to stress here that this doesn't mean we distribute preferences until we're down to two candidates and then choose the winner, we knock candidates out until one party has more than 50% of the vote, even if distributing them further might change the allocation.

Upper House Voting

So, what about the Senate, AKA the Upper House? We also use preferential voting for Senate Voting, but it's significantly more complicated, because we're actually voting or multiple candidates (in a standard election 6 for each state and 12 in a "double-dissolution" election, for territories, it's always 2). Here's the basics of how it works:

Senate ballots are huge, and are divided into "above the line" (ATL) and "below the line" (BTL), and you get to pick one or the other. ATL is for parties, BTL is for candidates. You must number at least 6 boxes above the line, or at least 12 boxes below the line, and you can only choose one or the other (no jumping across the line!). Here's a sample ballot, the first filled above the line, the second below the line:

You'll note that there's an "Ungrouped" section that doesn't get a box above the line, and that's because the Senate voting system is almost entirely built around parties, not single Independents, so if you don't have a registered party, you're at a strong disadvantage in the Senate.

Before counting starts, ATL votes get converted to BTL votes via each Party's Group Ticket, that says how ATL votes should be translated. Your overall preferences get preserved though - a party's Group Ticket only affect party candidates.

Once the number of votes is known, the AEC establishes the "quota" of votes required to get elected (typically 1/6 of the state's total votes rounded down + 1 for half-senate elections, 1/12 for double-dissolution elections, and 1/2 for territories). Basically, any candidate that gets a number of "1" votes equal to the quota is elected.

Now, usually a candidate gets elected with *more* than a quota. Those votes aren't wasted, and they can go on to elect other candidates. But how do they know *which* votes didn't count towards the quota? How could they decide that fairly?

Well, they don't! Instead, they basically let *all* the votes through, but at a discount equal to the percentage of overflow votes over the quota. So, if I got 2 quotas worth of votes, I'm elected, and all those votes get redistributed to other candidates at 1/2 value. Then, if anyone else now *also* gets a quota, we repeat the process.

After everyone with a quota of votes is elected, the process works like the House vote, with the lowest candidates being excluded and their votes being distributed in full to the next preference. If there *isn't* a next preference on a ballot (because the voter didn't number every box ATL or BTL), it stops counting from there - it "exhausts" and has no further effect on the counting process.

Once someone else reaches quota, they're elected, and *their* overflow votes get redistributed at a discount. This keep going until either 6 candidates get elected, or the candidates remaining equal the number of seats remaining (basically they get elected by default).

How does this change from State to State?

The Federal process doesn't change state-to-state - we all vote using the same process there. But elections for State Governments aren't run federally - they're instead run by State Electoral Commissions, and each state is free to run their elections how they see fit. For the most part, states run their elections pretty similarly to the Federal Model (with each state splitting themselves into Upper House Regions, rather than there being little sub-states), with the following major exceptions:

Queensland doesn't have an Upper House, having abolished theirs in 1922.

Tasmania does things very weirdly - their Lower House voting system is very similar to the Federal Upper House system, and their Upper House voting system is much more akin to the Federal Lower House system

Victoria's Upper House system still uses the "Group Ticket" voting system, which still has an Above the Line and Below the Line distinction, but you only mark 1 box above the line, and that above-the-line vote gets converted into a full below the line vote based on what that party submits to the electoral commission. In short, voting Above the Line in Victorian State Elections means that you let that party decide your vote for you. This used to be how our Federal Elections worked too until about a decade or so ago.

How are your candidates chosen?

In Australia, each political party gets to choose how they choose their candidates. Microparties tend to choose by fiat (ie, the guy in charge decides who's on the ballot for which electorate), whereas major parties and larger minor parties tend to engage in "preselection", which is where members of the local electorate chapter of a political party vote on which candidate will represent their party for that electorate.

This might sound similar to an American Primary, but it's really important to stress that most Australians are not members of a political party, nor is there such thing as registering with a party. To put some numbers to it, in 2020 The Australian Labor Party (one of the two major parties) had 60,000 members, and the population of Australia was 25.65 million, so a very small number of people choose the candidates that Australia at large gets to vote for.

How long do your elections run for, and how often?

Federally, elections don't have a fixed date - a government can, in theory, call for an election at any time. In practice, there's some practical restrictions on election timings that tend to limit the exact window, but ultimately until an election is called, no one know for sure the date of the next Federal Election. In general, the time between the official writ to hold the election and the actual election date needs to be more than 33 days, and typically tends to be around 6-8 weeks all up.

This means that Election campaigns tend to be short and extremely concentrated - 6-8 weeks of election ads, policy announcements, controversies and meet-and-greets.

The frequency of Federal Elections tends to be roughly every three years, but as noted, that's very rough.

State Elections are completely different. I believe that with the exception of Tasmania, every State and Territory in Australia has moved to fixed election dates every four years (and Tasmania's Elections are still tightly fixed to a four-year cycle), and every State and Territory has a different fixed date.

What this means is that Federal and State (and Local!) Elections are entirely decoupled from each other - you never go to the ballot for more than one election.

Who runs our Elections?

Since 1984, our Federal elections have been run by the Australian Electoral Commission, which is a independent statutory agency. The AEC is funded by and ultimately answers to the Federal Parliament (not, it is worth noting, the Prime Minister, or any particular Government Department), but is operationally independent from the government of the day. The AEC decided Electoral Boundaries, manages electoral rolls, and is the body that managed party registration (ie the registration of political parties for inclusion on ballots). During Elections, generally an army of volunteers is engaged to do the work of manning election booths and count votes, and between Elections, the AEC mostly maintains the electoral roll and provides papers to the Parliament about ways to improve the electoral process. The AEC is really serious about this and does a lot of work advocating for accessibility in voting.

Among the various ways the AEC works to improve voting accessibility (because remember, not showing up to vote incurs a fine here) are:

Multilingual and Easy Read voting instructions so that everyone can learn for themselves how to vote.

Mobile Polling Stations that travel to remote towns and communities to ensure that even people thousands of kilometres away for the next town get a chance to vote. There are also Mobile Polling teams that go to Residential care facilities and hospitals to record the votes of those who can't get to election booths on the day.

Prison Polling teams, who go into Prisons to ensure those in Prison get a vote (and in case you were wondering: your electorate is the electorate of the place you lived in before going to prison not the electorate of your prison)

Early Voting, where people who know they won't be able to get to an booth on the day can go in and vote (some even still have sausage sizzles!)

Postal Voting, which is likely very similar to postal voting that you might have in the US

Phone Voting, a recent service introduced in 2013 originally designed to cater to blind voters. Blind voters had an issue in that all our votes are paper-based - not great if you can't see the ballot. They generally had to have someone come to the voting booth with them to help them fill out their ballot, which unfortunately breaks the secret ballot somewhat for these voters. So, a phone system was developed whereby a voter puts in a voter id and pin, then talks with an AEC assistant on the phone, who then records their vote onto a paper ballot and lodges it into a ballot box. Still not perfect, but the system ensures that blind voters can vote without anyone being able to know how they, specifically, voted. It ended up being used last election for people who'd caught COVID-19 and were under quarantine, so bonus there!

As mentioned above, each State has their own Electoral Commission, based broadly on the Federal Model, who generally run State and Local Elections within their State.

[ceylonmoon]

you (on my arm)

Pure Vanilla/Dark Cacao | G | 2.7k Words

Tags: Slow Dancing, Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pre-Canon, Developing Relationship

Summary: Where Pure Vanilla is horrible at feelings and Dark Cacao is horrible at dancing. It works out somehow.

ao3 Link if more convenient: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45067162

Fic Below 👇

The time was nearing eleven o’clock, Pure Vanilla notes idly, inching closer and closer to when it would be deemed socially acceptable for him to retire to his bedroom. Tick-tick-tick.

It isn’t that he’s not enjoying himself. Hollyberry’s parties were famed for being one of the few that actually were semi-entertaining and not filled with thinly veiled attempts at political alliances. The ballroom is full of joyous laughter and twirling skirts and a vibrant orchestra playing spirited songs that filled every inch of the room, and he’s enjoying it. Really, he is.

It’s funny though, in an ironic way— even amidst the commotion, Pure Vanilla is an apparition, a mere observer, glimpsing into the evening like a film. Detached and distant, close yet untouchable.

It’s not for a lack of effort on his part. He had attempted to get drawn into the sway of the party early into the night, giving the expected greetings and indulging conversations, but somewhere between the sloshing glasses of berry juice and inside jokes that he isn’t privy to, he fades away into the background, drifting into the corner where he has resided for the past three hours.

He admits it is a nice break in the rhythm of past galas, where he wakes up with a sore throat and legs, exhausted by the countless dances and chats. But at least then, Pure Vanilla thinks, a touch sardonic as he nurses his glass, he hadn’t felt like some vengeful spirit, futilely remaining in the ballroom for the slightest chance that someone would accompany him. For not the first time tonight, he wishes his friends were there.

Dark Cacao had not appeared early in the day when he, White Lily, and Golden Cheese had arrived, so Pure Vanilla does not have high hopes of him swooping in like some sort of noble knight to rescue him from his loneliness. Though the mental image makes him smile a bit, Dark Cacao was growing ever more reclusive these days, hardly straying outside of the citadel walls, save for their occasional gatherings with all five of them. It doesn’t stop him from holding onto that small glimmer of hope that he will show up regardless.

White Lily was never one for social niceties, so she had stayed for the first half-hour, greeting whoever was brave enough—or arrogant enough— to talk to her with a bland smile. She slipped away the second that her quota of interactions was met, and even their years of friendship and what may be construed as begging from Pure Vanilla did nothing to change her mind.

“You’ll have the others with you.”

He frowned. “It’s not the same without you though.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” her cheeks slightly flushed as she rolls her eyes. “I need to check on the progress of my samples, and you and I both know that I dislike these gatherings.”

He had heaved a great, pretend sigh, bemoaning his abandonment, and sent her off with his blessings. He should’ve joined her, honestly. It was always exciting to see what she was working on, though her mouth had stayed firmly sealed on her recent set of experiments.

Hollyberry, being the host, remained constantly moving throughout the sea of guests, ensuring the enjoyment of everyone and keeping spirits high. And wherever she went, Golden Cheese was sure to be close. The pair had made a few checkups on him as they made their rounds across the room.

“Pure Vanilla?!” Hollyberry shouted over the din of drunken cookies. “Why are you still here in this dusty corner?”

He smiles a bit helplessly. “I suppose I’m just not in the mood.” It was true to some degree; he hadn’t had the urge to go out and mingle, though it was admittedly lonesome and boring in his little corner.

Golden Cheese snorts. “You’re getting old, grandpa.”

He gasps, feigning offense, “You should have more respect for your elders, Golde-” She whisks away Hollyberry with a cackle and they get swallowed up once more into the crowd. And there he stayed until the current moment, counting down the seconds until he could leave and forget this party ever happened. Tick-tick-tick.

A gloved hand lands on his shoulder and Pure Vanilla stiffens out of instinct, his cape flaring out as he jerks around.

“Dark Cacao?” His face splits into its first genuine smile that evening, something breathlessly warm and soft settling in his chest. “It’s good to see you.”

Dark Cacao bows his head a bit, “Apologies, Pure Vanilla. I did not intend to frighten you.”

“No need, my friend!” He takes in Dark Cacao’s appearance as his heartbeat settles down from the scare, but it defiantly picks back up immediately after. Dark Cacao is out of his usual outfit, with twinkling, twilight robes swirling around his ankles, and a matching cape, dark like the moonless night save for the constellations embroidered on. He’s still wearing his typical armor on top however, with the Chocoblade strapped to his waist. Pure Vanilla should not find his stubbornness nearly this endearing. He wrenches his eyes from Dark Cacao’s clothing up to his face, which does nothing to calm his disobedient heart. There’s a new scar across his eyebrow, he notes, a bit frantic and desperate. His fists tighten on his staff.

“From Hollyberry I take it?” Pure Vanilla manages to say, “You look—” Terribly handsome like always. Like you did in my dreams. Perfect. Nothing can really encapsulate how much Dark Cacao makes him ache with yearning, something he had thought he had tamped down years ago. Perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder, he thinks wryly. “Good,” he finishes.

“You as well.” It’s a conventional, completely common response, but somehow Pure Vanilla’s cheeks grow warm anyways. What an embarrassing, miserable, selfish thing infatuation is, attempting to ruin one of his most beloved friendships for the fruitless pursuit of something completely out of reach.

“I wasn’t expecting you here tonight,” he says in an attempt to distract himself.

Dark Cacao rolls his shoulders, powerful and elegant. Pure Vanilla’s breath stutters a bit. “There was a snowstorm on the way. I thought it best to wait until the worst passed over. I am sorry if I troubled you or Hollyberry.”

“Honestly, no trouble at all for me! I can’t say for Hollyberry though,” he grins, light and teasing. Dark Cacao huffs a bit in response and stares out at the colorful sea of chiffon and silk before him. A familiar silence rests between them, to be expected between Dark Cacao, who preferred fewer words when possible, and Pure Vanilla, who always found it vastly more comforting when his conversation partner did not expect him to talk the entire time.

“I could say the same for you.”

“Hm?”

Pure Vanilla glances back at Dark Cacao, his gaze still fixed on the crowd.

“I am surprised you are not out there.”

“I wanted to try something different tonight?” he attempts. Dark Cacao blinks at him, slow and with a tinge of disbelief.

It’s Pure Vanilla’s turn now to look over at the crowd, Dark Cacao’s heavy stare boring into the side of his head.

“I’m surprised too,” he finally admits. “I’m not sure myself why I wasn’t there. Especially when,” he swallows, the confession seeming a bit too open now, but he can’t take it back. “Especially if I was so…I don’t know. Alone.” He can hear Dark Cacao step a bit closer, but he doesn’t dare to look at him.

“You cannot go join them now?”

Pure Vanilla hums, thoughtful and soft. “Oh, I suppose I could. But it’s alright, I’m not lonely anymore,” he smiles, “the company here is quite nice.”

A sharp, barely noticeable inhale of air and Dark Cacao steps even closer, the atmosphere charged with something electrifying.

“You would prefer to spend your time here instead of with the actual party?” he asks, quiet. The with me? goes unspoken, but Pure Vanilla picks it up anyhow.

“I’d prefer your company over most things on Earthbread,” he confesses, a little breathless, horribly obvious affection weaving through despite himself.

“Pure Vanilla.” There’s a soft edge to it, as close to begging as Dark Cacao would ever get.

When Pure Vanilla turns around, a gloved hand is held out to him. His gaze flickers up to Dark Cacao’s face and oh , for once, it’s open with the barest glimpse of starry, glimmering vulnerability seeping out of his cracked facade.

“Dance with me?” Dark Cacao murmurs.

Pure Vanilla’s traitorous heart jumps to his throat and he can’t reign it in before he’s responding, “I would never refuse you.”

Dark Cacao’s eyes crinkle just-so at the corners, the last dredges of a shooting star marking their final resting place there. It’s sickening and awful how it makes Pure Vanilla’s stomach twist as the chandelier lights sway above them.

He places his hand in Dark Cacao’s with a shaky breath and allows his other to rest on his shoulder. Dark Cacao’s left hand settles on his back, frigid, yet searing through the layers of fabric. The orchestra queues up another song, still bright, but with a slightly melancholy undertone. Unconventional for a waltz, but Pure Vanilla finds that he doesn’t particularly care. And slowly, Dark Cacao begins to move, Pure Vanilla following his steps.

This close, he can make out the few streaks of grey beginning to show in his midnight-dark hair, a few strands peppered near his temples, scarcely different from the milky-cream, but this close , the difference is all too obvious. Pure Vanilla had never really imagined they would be able to age, what with the Souljam, but it makes Dark Cacao look so, so handsome. It’s enough, just being in his life, however long it may be. So many wish for forever, but Pure Vanilla thinks he could be equally happy with a temporary, fleeting sort of existence, so long as he had the chance to exist with Dark Cacao.

Pure Vanilla is sorry all the same for burdening him with the unspoken, unsightly weight of his love.

They stay in the corner, hidden behind the ivy-covered pillar, and continue their little back and forth, pushing and pulling.

He gasps a bit when Dark Cacao tugs him forward without warning, almost stumbling over his own feet and knocking his head into Dark Cacao’s chestplate, which would have very likely resulted in a concussion and his subsequent crumbling out of humiliation. Pure Vanilla may be a tad idiotic and lovesick right now, but he can’t deny he has absolutely no clue what Dark Cacao is doing. His footwork is frankly, atrocious and he has no sense of rhythm. Pure Vanilla narrowly misses his foot being stepped on for the fourth time in five minutes. Honestly, he’s starting to suspect—

“Cacao, do you…do you know how to dance?”

He can feel Dark Cacao stiffen under his fingers and his right hand tightening its grip on Pure Vanilla’s hand. Whatever comes next out of Dark Cacao’s mouth will definitely be unpleasant and mortifying for the both of them.

Pure Vanilla decides to save him the trouble and embarrassment. He leans down a bit, lips almost brushing against Dark Cacao’s ear. Pure Vanilla hopes he can’t feel his thrumming pulse where their hands connect, threatening to pound out with the proximity.

“Let me lead?” he whispers.

He pulls back to a safer distance and watches a flash of something shutter over Dark Cacao’s face before he eventually responds with a stiff nod. Pure Vanilla can feel a small smile creeping across his face as they adjust their positions, his hand shifting to Dark Cacao’s back after a moment of hesitation.

“Trust me, alright? Follow my steps.”

He takes a step back and Dark Cacao follows, the two of them eventually settling into a rhythm. Dark Cacao had always been a quick learner; it came with the territory of needing to keep a vigilant eye at all times. It’s something that Pure Vanilla likes about him— so silently observant that he would forget until Dark Cacao would ask him about something he mentioned weeks ago.

The music swells into a trembling crescendo. A step back, right, a step forwards, left, and back again in a box, ebbing and flowing like the tides of the ocean and the moon’s gravitational pull. Dark Cacao would certainly make a fitting moon: celestially pretty, comfortingly constant even when out of sight, and distantly out of reach.

“...I do, by the way,” Dark Cacao says suddenly.

“Pardon?”

Dark Cacao hesitates then, the antithesis of the usual, unrelenting him in the fervor of battle. It makes him seem more real, easier to touch without the fear of cutting himself on his jagged edges. Affection swells inside Pure Vanilla, and he can’t help but feel a little sickened by the tenderness, the longing that fills him. I’m sorry for being so selfish.

“Trust you.” Dark Cacao’s mouth flattens and he glances away.

“Oh,” Pure Vanilla laughs, slipping out and incandescently, brilliantly happy. There’s a sort of weight behind his words, some sort of meaning that Pure Vanilla is sure that he’s missing, but he can’t quite piece it together, some part still eluding him. He finds that he can’t particularly find it in himself to figure it out anyhow, with how exhilarated he feels at Dark Cacao’s confession.

“‘Oh’?” Dark Cacao’s eyebrows furrow and his voice is tinged with derisiveness, but Pure Vanilla can see the amused uptick in the corners of his lips anyways. He’s so awfully, overwhelmingly pretty.

“I– Well– Thank you,” he says, stumbling over his words in a babbling, still idiotically happy rush. “I…trust you, too.”

“Are you nervous, Pure Vanilla?”

“No.” It’s true somehow. His heartbeat had long slowed, even this close to Dark Cacao. He always made it easy being around him. Perhaps that’s what drew Pure Vanilla to him in the first place— the lack of judgment or scrutiny, in spite of how terribly awkward he was— is, even when he wasn’t pathetically in love.

“Good. That— I am glad,” Dark Cacao murmurs.

The song draws to a close. Pure Vanilla sighs, mournfully etching the memory of how Dark Cacao’s hand fit into his, and begins drawing away.

“Wait.” He pauses and blinks at Dark Cacao.

“…Will you do me the honor of accompanying me for another dance?” At this, Dark Cacao actually does smile, albeit small and fleeting. Faintly, Pure Vanilla wonders if the world is ending, as it certainly feels like it is with the crystalline chandeliers casting a divine light behind them, illuminating Dark Cacao in a delicate, gentle halo. It emphasizes his devastatingly unguarded expression, blooming like a jonquil during the winter solstice. Directed towards Pure Vanilla.

Oh.

Oh.

Pure Vanilla thinks he may understand now.

“Always, Dark Cacao.”

The next song queues up. Dark Cacao takes his hand again and he brushes an ephemeral, reverent kiss to his knuckles before setting it on his shoulder.

“Allow me to lead the next song?”

Pure Vanilla smiles, soft and open— he allows his fondness, his love to wind through his words for once, dripping honey-sweet affection. “Promise not to step on me this time?”

Dark Cacao huffs, a hint of laughter and self-consciousness bleeding through.

“I would not dare. I…care for you too much for that.” Dark Cacao’s words come out in a staggering, tentative cascade. And Pure Vanilla can’t help his endearment, the seemingly indifferent statement from anyone else in that tone of voice is nothing but unadulterated trust and warmth from Dark Cacao.

Perhaps in the coming morning, Pure Vanilla will regret it all, and perhaps Dark Cacao will take his words back, and perhaps everything will be ruined— but tonight in their hidden corner from the rest of the world, with something nascent and fragile and sweet blooming between them, Pure Vanilla allows himself to indulge in Dark Cacao’s firm, steady grasp and the easy, celestial orbit of their intertwined bodies, slow and unwavering in their own isolated galaxy.

The clock chimes midnight.

[bigsnzstanacct]

Toying around with scenarios in my head for my sneezy fetishy boyfriends. Kind of thinking like… terribly allergic American studying abroad in England maybe for acting meets reserved Brit who “never” sneezes, and of course eventually we find out this is because a) his sneezes are cannon-fire-loud and b) because his own sneezes turn him on (and the combination of head-turning sneeze and sneeze-induced erection is uh… not ideal!)

Sample dialogue:

1) “The English air doesn’t agree with you, I take it?” “Oh, no air agree… agreehhhh… s-sorry gonna… eeYYYYTTTCCccchhEEWWW! Huhhh… DDZZZZSSCCcchhhOO! snf! No air agrees with me. Or not with my nose anyway.” “Bless you!” “Oh, don’t bother, I’ve got a lifetime of blessings already and you’ll use up your entire fifteen word a day quota two and a half fits in.”

2) “You know, after all this time I’ve never seen you sneeze.” “Yes, and let’s hope you never will.” “…?” “My sneezes are… rather explosive. And, thankfully, rare.”

Also just really invested in the reveal scene where they both figure out they have the fetish? Or one figured it out about the other? Either way, very exciting.

Also vaguely into the idea that the less allergic louder sneezer like… sneezes even harder when he’s turned on? So he gets in these cycles of sneezing harder and turning himself on more and like his (near-)orgasm sneeze(s) is in the “mildly unrealistic” territory. And I guess the idea is that he can be turned on without sneezing but if he turns himself on by sneezing the fit will sort of perpetuate itself? Whatever fantasies can be fantasies.