#at the beginning of the year I tested positive at the end of the event

[dcmksecretsanta]

Just a little psa that I tested positive for covid once again and might be a little less online/reply to messages more slowly. I’m gonna try my best to get all the mails out by tomorrow anyways and get this event started on time! But I thought I would post this anyways, just in case that things might be a little slower than normally. 

[lil-shiro]

Highlights from a recent New York Times article on Aston Martin

Don't know why, but the New York Times published a whole article about AM's season, here are some key points.

Words from Fernando about his season:

“It has been a historical season for Aston Martin, and for myself, eight finishes on the podium, more than 200 points, nearly 300 for the team."

“Twelve months ago, this was unthinkable. An incredible year to remember.”

“For me, 2012 and this season are the best in my career,” he said, referring to his third season with Ferrari, when he missed out on a third title by 4 points. This year resulted in “a position I couldn’t have imagined at the beginning of the year with the car performance we had,” he said.

Dan Fallows about the development of the car in the second half of the season:

The reason for Aston Martin’s slide was “a very aggressive development philosophy in-season,” Fallows said. “We decided to try to be quite brave, quite risky, in some instances, in terms of the speed of delivery of these parts.”

Looking back, Fallows said, the team would probably choose not to make some of the decisions it did, but it valued the learning experience.

“Towards the end of the season, we used some races essentially as glorified test sessions in many ways,” he said, adding, “We felt that was necessary to understand the car and to understand what we want to do for next year.”

Mention of the new factory:

There was disruption along the way as Aston Martin moved into a new $250 million factory in May. It was the first phase of a three-part project that includes the team building its own wind tunnel and simulator, going online in the third quarter of 2024. The team currently uses the Mercedes facility.

“We moved into a new technology campus, which is only a third complete,” Fallows said. “We have had several upheavals during the year, with that being one of them."

“But we don’t have the level of facilities, the stability of structure, that some of our main competitors enjoy, and yet we’ve still been able to compete at that level.”

Lawrence Stroll addressing the minor share he sold:

Last month, he sold a minority share in the team to Arctos Partners, a private equity firm in Dallas.

“You don’t go spending hundreds of millions of pounds, building the greatest new Formula 1 campus and hiring 400 of the greatest employees if you’re about to leave the business,” Stroll said.

He added: “It could not be any further from the truth that I have any interest in ever not being the majority shareholder of this team for a very long time, and it is the same with the road car company. I’m not going anywhere. I plan to run these businesses for many years. I’m at the beginning of the journey on both.”

Quote from Lance about his season:

“It was a really strong start to the season, a really difficult middle and then strong again at the end,” Lance Stroll said. “There is some stuff I can chip away at for next year. Overall, it’s been a season full of emotion.”

Tom McCullough (Aston Martin performance director) shares praise to Lance for overcoming a difficult period:

“Lance, as far as how he works, is in and out of the factory between every event,” McCullough said. “He’s simulator running, he’s sitting with his engineers.”

He added: “He works so hard, and he’s so motivated to learn from one of the best drivers this sport has ever seen. And that’s what Fernando is.”

-

Overall Aston Martin are happy with the steps forward they took as a whole this year, and will work towards developing the car for next season and avoid making any repeated mistakes.

[semisgroupie]

slutty little girl

professor!getou suguru x bimbo!fem. reader

wc: 2.1k (this was supposed to be a drabble I have no clue what happened)

warnings: degradation, name calling (just a lot of slut’s thrown around in various forms), age gap (suguru is in his early 30s and reader is 21), creampie, unprotected sex, rough sex (suguru has his limits), office sex (this is my thing now), dubcon, spit, spanking, light choking, suguru is just a little unhinged, dacryphilia

a/n: this was requested by a lovely anon for my what happens after class event! this is my first time writing a bimbo reader so I hope I hit the mark!

He should’ve known that you were going to be a major distraction from the beginning.

He should’ve known that one day your ditzy charm would be too much for him. How could he possibly ignore you when you looked and dressed the way you did? How your skirts got shorter and shorter with each passing day? How your shirts were cut even lower and were tighter each time you showed up to class?

You were a temptress and no matter how hard he tried to ignore you and move on with his day, he still ended up in the same position every single night. Fucking his fist to the thought of you bent over his desk for him, watching how you struggled to take his fat cock inside your tight cunt, listening to your mindless babbles while he fucked you even dumber than you already were.

But soon only fucking his fist wasn’t enough, he needed more, he needed you. Not once throughout his 10 year career had he wanted to fuck one of his students as much as he wanted to fuck you. He’s had girls throw themselves at him for a multitude of reasons, wanting a better grade, just wanting to fuck a man older than them, wanting to check something off their sex bucket list or just watched too many movies and thought they could seduce him.

But with you, you were completely different. The clothes you wore weren’t to seduce him or to try to distract him, he figured it out by the second class that you just wore things like that just because you liked to wear it. The way you bent over his desk to flash your lacy pink bra while asking him a question was always an innocent accident then when you noticed what you were doing, an apology was always covered by your giggles. It all drove him insane.

So insane that he needed to make a plan on how he could have your tight cunt wrapped around his cock. Fuck, even if it were just your glossy lips wrapped around him his desires would be satiated.

He didn’t know how he was going to plan it out, you never requested office hours with him and you always had things to do after class. It was more than irritating but he finally found his beacon in the form of the most recent exam which was worth 20% of your grade. You received a D- on the exam, he was honestly surprised that you even got that grade with how poor your answers were. But now he could finally put his plan into action, he could finally get his hands on you and all over you.

When class started he held up the stack of papers and set them down on the table, the action alone making your heart race. You knew you should’ve studied more but it was just so boring. He called each student’s name one by one and when he got to your name you moved slowly. Once you finally got your desk you leaned in flashing him with your pretty baby pink lace bra. He handed you your test and a pout grew on your glossy lips. “I’m going to need you to go with me to my office after class so we can discuss further actions to salvage your grade.”

You nodded without another word and took your bottom lip between your teeth as you made your way back to your seat. As he continued on with the class he noticed how you were deep in thought. What the reason was, he had no clue and he didn’t really care. He was finally going to make a move and finally ravage you the way he so desperately desired.

The class went by unusually quickly for you but the minutes ticked by too slowly for him. Once the hour was up he dismissed everyone and you stood behind. He quickly packed his things and you packed your laptop away and walked over to him. “Ready to go up?”

You nodded and followed him into the elevator, standing close to him and making it even more difficult for him to not touch you. You were in the perfect position, he could just slip his hand up your already short skirt and grab a handful of your ass. But he used the last ounce of self control he had to hold himself back until you two were in his office. He let you enter first and he stepped in behind you, locking his door securely and closing all the blinds which was a sign to anyone passing by to not disturb him.

You sat down in the chair across from his desk and started playing with the hem of your skirt, flashing him even more of your soft skin. Soft skin that he wanted to dig his fingers into until there were bruises and indentations left. He sucked in a breath to calm himself and moved to sit across from you. “Now you know why I called you here, this exam is a very big chunk of your grade and comparing it to your last exam it wasn’t any better. I’m very concerned about your grades in his class and I really want my students to achieve their best.”

You nodded and looked up at him, a pretty pout on your face. “I’m really sorry Professor Getou, I really tried my best to study but I just got so bored and I couldn’t do it anymore. I just get so bored when I study and I’ve even tried the ways you recommended.” It wasn’t the truth, whenever you open up your notes your mind wanders to anything else, the newest bubblegum and cherry lip gloss you could get your hands on, what cute designs you could get on your nails next, the next shopping spree you could go on, just anything but your academics.

He nods and sits back in his chair as he pretends to think. “Well I do know of another technique you can use but it’ll be more of a hands on demonstration.” He knew his next words might end up freaking you out but from what he’s seen so far he knew you wouldn’t bat an eye. “I’m going to need you to come here and sit on my lap. I’m going to take out the practice exam I gave you two weeks ago and we’re going to go over it page by page.” You nodded and got up from your seat without asking a question, just like he expected. You moved around the desk and sat down on one of his thighs, “like this sir?” He lifted you and adjusted you so your ass was pressed right against his bulge.

“This is much better. Now, remember when we discussed the topic of forbidden love specifically with Romeo and Juliet?” You nodded and looked down at the practice test in front of him. He gave it to you so you could hold it and he moved his hands along your thighs, soft just like he expected. When he heard your breath hitch he chuckled and leaned in close to your ear, massaging your thighs as he slowly moved up. “If you get these questions right, I’ll give you a reward. You want a reward don’t you?”

“Yes sir, I want a reward.” He chuckled and helped you lean forward on his desk while you answered the questions on the practice exam. Hell, even if you got them all wrong he wasn’t gonna let this opportunity slip from his fingers. As you answered the questions his hands moved up your thighs and flipped your skirt up so he could get a better view of your ass, his large hands massaged and squeezed the flesh while you let out little whimpers and whines.

Once you answered the last question you handed it back to him and he skimmed over it. Out of the five questions on the page you only got two of them right. “There we go, good girl.” He lifted you off him and pressed you against his desk. His cock was begging to be freed from his pants and from the wet spot forming on your pretty panties, you needed this as much as he did. “Now your reward.” He pulled his cock out of his pants and pulled your panties to the side and pushed his cock inside your wet entrance.

“Sir! You can’t! Too big!” He chuckled at your words, couldn’t even form a proper sentence and his cock was just halfway inside you. He gripped your hips and slammed the rest of his cock inside you groaning your name. His eyes immediately widening as he watched you shake underneath him, signaling to him that you already orgasmed. “Fuck, such a tight cunt for a little slutty girl like you.” He gripped your hips tightly as he slammed his hips into yours over and over again, his heavy balls slapping your clit with each thrust.

“I bet a dirty little slut like you let’s all her professors fuck this tight cunt. Just walking around flashing those pretty tits and this perfect ass” he swats his hand down on your ass causing a loud slap to reverberate throughout the room. “Or are you just a little slut for me? Hm? Have you fingered this messy pussy thinking of me?”

Your mind was numb with pleasure and all you could do was nod. But a simple nod wasn’t enough for him, he needed to hear the words come from your lips. He wrapped one of his hands around your throat and pulled you up so your back was pressed to his chest and he looked at your face. You were already such a mess, tears staining your face with drool slipping from the corner of your agape mouth. “Now I asked you a question, I expect an answer.” He moved his free hand down and spanked you roughly again making a yelp leave your mouth.

Your eyes were glossy and wide as you made eye contact with him and just by your reaction he already knew what happened. “What is it? Did the brainless slut already forget my questions?” You nodded again, how could you answer him properly when his cock hit all the right spots? “What I asked you was, are you a little slut for me? Do you finger this slutty cunt when you think of me? I expect a verbal answer.”

His hips never stopped moving, he continued thrusting his cock into you over and over, filling you with more and more pleasure. “Say it.” His grip tightened around your throat and you felt his tongue drag across your cheek as he licked a tear away, making you clench around his cock tighter. You shut your eyes and cried out for him. “Yes! I’m your little slut sir! I-I touch myself thinking of you!” He loosened his grip around your neck and tilted your head so you could face him before he smashed his lips against yours.

The kiss was rough just like the pace of his hips. More drool slipped from the corners of your mouth and he could taste the sweet cherry flavor of your lipgloss. One of your hands came up to grip his wrist in a feeble attempt to alert him of your impending orgasm but he already knew how close you were. He knew from the way your legs shook, how loud you were moaning against his lips, and how tight you squeezed his cock. “Let go for me” his words were mumbled against your lips but just as they left his mouth and hit your ears your body reacted. His name left your lips in a chant as you rode out the waves of your orgasm.

His hips never stopped as he chased his orgasm and with a few thrusts his hips were pressed firmly against yours as spurts of his cum filled you, painting your insides white. He dropped his forehead on your shoulder, strands of his raven hair that weren’t plastered to his forehead tickled your skin. You both took a few silent seconds to catch your breath. He broke the silence first as he slowly lifted his head. “Now, you’ll need to come to my office after class today and every single day after that for tutoring lessons. You can only do this tutoring method with me, understand?”

His hands moved back to your hips as he pulled out and he pulled your panties back in place to cover your pussy and hold in his cum. “Yes sir, only with you.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss you softly. “Good girl, a good little slut for your professor.”

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Okay, so I've been surfing tumblr and seeing all these headcanons and various other little things about the Sullies as children and it got my brain going so thanks a lot to every last person who has aided in giving me Avatar brainrot. Anyways, I've built this whole thing up in my head that goes from the time Neytiri & Ronal get pregnant to who the fuck knows, so starting with the eldest lets begin (just the Sullys as babies, if you enjoy putting your own thoughts in this one then I'll get to Ronal and Tonowari's kids and more lol).

Neteyam

He was a total and complete accident 100%

Jake and Neytiri were a very quick-burn romantically and got married a little over a year after they officially began dating, they were only married for like 12 seconds when surprise! Positive pregnancy test, babe.

Jake spends a good thirty minutes fully committed to the idea that Neytiri is just fucking with him. She is not.

He spends another thirty minutes wrapping his head around the fact that he's going to be a dad.

He wants so badly to talk to Tommy about it but god damnit he can't.

He's for sure the more cautious one during the pregnancy, of that I have no doubt. Neytiri will want to do some random shit like go horseback riding with Tsu'tey (this man will always live on in my heart okay let me be happy) and Jake will practically faint at the thought alone.

Eventually Neytiri will start pretending to want to do #risky shit solely for the amusement Jake's reactions bring her with zero intentions of actually following through. Nobody is sure if Jake ever ended up catching on or not.

I'm 100% convinced that Neytiri would be into all of the traditional pregnancy milestones/events and fucking live for each and every one of them regardless of Jake's thoughts because it's their baby, Jake, and don't you want to see if a necklace will actually predict the gender of him/her? (It very much did not, Neteyam wound up being a boy. Stupid necklace.)

Grandma Mo'at is your trademark superstitious/nature-inclined grandparent and I have zero doubts that Neytiri has inherited some of that. I feel like it would flare up during her first pregnancy but only, like, low-key. Do with this information what you will.

Jake has no idea what to do or buy or anything but boy does he try. (When he fails he fails hard but when he gets it right he gets it right *that cute little dinosaur mobile is just so adorable!*)

Neteyam is by far Neytiri's easiest pregnancy. She doesn't really get any morning sickness and feels pretty fine in general throughout the whole thing.

She does wind up craving a ton of different fruits though (blueberries and honeydew melon mainly, but also strawberries, watermelon, blackberries, and pretty much any other melon under the sun. Oh, there was also that one time she refused to eat anything but pomegranates for like one solid afternoon).

Neteyam is a summer baby and nobody can convince me otherwise. August, to be exact.

I imagine that, while her pregnancy was breezy, Neteyam's actual birth sucked ass.

Jake almost passes out but luckily war prepared him for the horrors he witnessed in that delivery room.

Neteyam was actually pretty quiet after his birth. Once they got him all wrapped up he was chill.

Jake was the first one to hold him since Neytiri was exhausted beyond understanding, but Jake sat really close to her and she pretty much demanded to hold their son after like 5 minutes and the nurses were all like: ma'am, you're about to pass out???

As long as one of six songs is playing everything is chill: Edith Whisker's Home, Stephan Sanchez's See the Light, Sea Wolf's The Violet Hour, The Family Crest's She Knows My Name, Mills' Born N' Raised, or Black Match's Nowhere. If one of these songs is playing, Neteyam is an angel. The moment the music stops, though? I'd hate to be anyone within a ten mile radius because that baby's got pipes.

I feel like Neteyam is actually a big daddy's boy during this time period. He's all giggly and happy around everyone, but it becomes clear around three months in that dad is indeed the favorite. And it makes sense. Jake is who he's around the majority of his day (I'm fully committed to stay-at-home dad Jake Sully). Neytiri likes to tease him, saying if she was at home more it would be no contest. Secretly, though, she's happy he's bonding so much with their baby. He needs some light in his life.

Jake is completely restless inside but at the same time has no idea what he can and cannot do with a baby (plus there's the whole "music needs to be playing" thing) so he resorts to long car rides regularly with Neteyam's coveted songs playing on repeat.

Neteyam isn't a picky eater per se, but he is very particular---oh who the fuck am I kidding this kid refuses to eat anything but banana baby food voluntarily good luck with that Jake. Eventually Jake manages to weasel in plum baby food too (sticking to the fruit theme I see) but that is it. (I just picture this man in tears trying to get Neteyam to try some peas or a chocolate bar or "something, Neteyam, anything".)

Spider

Spider enters the scene a little before Kiri is born, I like to think. He's already around a year and a half when he's plopped into Norm's lap as a temporary placement while they scramble to find him a more permanent home.

It starts out with Jake agreeing to watch the little guy while Norm does science-y stuff, but quickly Jake finds himself getting attached. Spider is just such a sweet, lively baby who's curious about everything around him, especially Neteyam.

Like seriously, baby Spider is full-on fascinated with his siblings, starting of course with Neteyam. Whenever he sees the boy, he'll squeal excitedly and make hand gestures as if to say "bring him closer!" and it's just the most adorable thing Jake has ever seen.

Wherever Neteyam is set down, Spider will make his way to him no matter what is in the way. He can't walk on his own completely yet, but he is very good at walking by holding on to furniture and other such things. As long has he can pull himself up, this dude is getting places.

Jake learns very quickly to either 1) watch Spider like a hawk at all times or 2) but Neteyam close by and let his charming baby work his magic in getting Spider's full attention.

Spider isn't picky (something that relieves Jake greatly) and will eat pretty much whatever Jake hands him, though Jake quickly learns that yogurt is his favorite.

Spider has a strange fascination with fairy lights, too. He gets a kick out of when they change color and it provides hours of entertainment as long as Neteyam is near as well, allowing Jake to get various things done with little concern. Spider especially likes it when the lights turn red and he always turns to babble nonsense at Jake when they do, most notably being "no no no!" but in, like, a happy way? Jake isn't sure if Spider understands the true meaning of the word yet, which actually concerns him for a little until Spider makes it very clear one day that he is not fond of baths with many no no no's.

Eventually Neytiri can't help but become fond of Spider as well. It starts when Norm needs someone to watch him on a Sunday but Jake can't because Sunday is the day he and Neytiri decided would be his break day, a time away from the kids and house to just relax, so he's at the beach. She reluctantly agrees to take Spider as a favor to Norm, seeing how desperate the man is and also not wanting to interrupt Jake's relaxing day out.

It doesn't get off to a great start. Spider seems perplexed when he realizes that Jake isn't at the house due to the fact that at this point he's been spending Monday through Friday with Jake and Neteyam (along with some Saturdays), and this is followed swiftly by agitation. He isn't a loud crier like Neteyam, but he might just be worse anyways because Jesus does that kid squirm. He spends the first hour whining and squirming and pushing at Neytiri as if to try and get her to put him down. Neteyam calms him considerably, but he's still fussy and babbling "no!" over and over again, along with the occasional break in pattern to sprinkle in some variety.

Neytiri cracks and texts Jake asking what to do, and when Jake asks if she's tried the fairy lights she realizes she hasn't and gives it a try. Spider's whining ceases instantly, replaced by giggles.

After that it's easier, and Neytiri puts on Cars and makes sure that they're both situated safely before going to the kitchen to grab a smoothie and then comes to sit on the couch. When a little hand comes to rest on her knee she looks down and sees Spider looking up at her curiously.

He then proceeds to reach out and ask "eat?" and how did Neytiri not notice how cute he is with his sunshine curls and cornflower eyes and chubby little cheeks and okay maybe she's beginning to understand why her husband is fond of this child.

(She lets Spider try the smoothie, btw.)

The day Norm has to take Spider to his more permanent foster placement, Jake and Neytiri come with and Jake has like a whole list of dos and don'ts and has brought all of the things Spider likes and is all like "and remember, he's super easy to give a bath to so long as you sing him the tiny turtle song while you put him in the tub. Oh, also he loves yogurt but especially the key-lime pie yogurt. And lemon, too! You know what, he likes citrus in general. Don't forget that his favorite color is red! I packed a pair of red pjs in there, they're his favorite, we got them for him when we went to the mall that one time. Also, so long as you feed him a good time before you put him to bed he should go down just fine, just make sure you don't---" and Neytiri's all like "ma Jake I think they get it," only then she begins her own lecture on how he likes it if you put ice in his apple juice and to never give him chocolate because it makes him hyper and don't bother with baby gates because that shit doesn't work and soon enough they realize that, hey, this might be our baby now.

Kiri

She's born a little before Lo'ak. Definitely a spring baby.

The quietest baby you will ever fucking know. When she was born she was so quiet that the doctors were genuinely worried for a moment that she'd been stillborn.

Spider loves her immediately, to absolutely nobody's surprise. A good portion of Kiri's early days are spent being babbled to by Spider endlessly.

Unlike Neteyam, Kiri is a total mama's girl and gets all grumpy when Neytiri leaves the room unless she's sleeping when Neytiri leaves, then for some reason it's all good like? Jake will never understand. Eventually, however, this becomes a Mo'at thing. Very quickly Mo'at and her become one another's favorites and Mo'at will often find the most absurd reason to come see her.

Neytiri sings to her and takes her out to the backyard to lay on the grass and I swear this baby loves grass more than she loves the warmth of her own home.

Kiri loves carrot and pea baby food, much to Jake's surprise. Sure, Spider isn't a picky eater, but the kid was by no means a lover of vegetables. He'd eat them, but never pick them. And Neteyam? Hell, getting that baby to eat something more than plums and bananas was something he considered a win. So a child who actively eats veggies? Fucking finally.

Very interested in all of the plants around their house. Nothing else to be said. She just sort of looks at them in that weird way that only babies can look at something.

She has this purple blanket that Neytiri made for her herself and she will. not. sleep without it. Ever. She won't cry or anything like that if she doesn't have it, but you best bet that she will not be doing much of anything else either.

Whenever she has it she's asleep like 90% of the time. Jake's kind of confused actually because neither Neteyam nor Spider slept as much as she does.

Over all, Kiri is probably the chillest of the Sullys as a baby. Not very demanding, not very easy to upset, and doesn't make things difficult most days.

Lo'ak

Neytiri's hardest pregnancy for sure. She was puking, sick, huge, and could hardly keep anything down at all. The only two things Neytiri managed to keep down throughout her whole pregnancy without puking it up at least once was orange juice (extra pulpy) and Domino's barbeque pizza, and you best bet that got old quick.

Thankfully, the birth went smoothly. He was for sure born in early, early summer---like the time when it's still cooler and sort of rainy but also sunny at the same time.

I don't want to go so far as to say that Lo'ak was a demon-baby, but this child definitely gave Jake a run for his money. One minute he likes something and wants it, the next minute how dare you even so much as think about trying to feed that poison to him. One minute he loves being held, the next minute he's screaming and tears are falling and he hates you. With Jake he was like this all of the time. With Neytiri he was better, but still fussy.

I'm convinced that him and Neteyam were, like, so close when they were little and the only person that Lo'ak was an absolute angel to was in fact little one-year-old Neteyam. Whenever Neteyam was around he would smile and giggle and try to get closer. I swear, even as a baby Neteyam's charm was unparalleled.

Lo'ak has this binky that he had with him almost 24/7. Without it he was even more. . . er, challenging, than usual. And teething hit him hard as well. The amount of teething toys and biscuits this poor family had to go through, I swear.

Lo'ak, unlike the others, did not take to solids very well at first. The struggle to get this child to eat something, anything, that wasn't breast milk was so real you don't even know. Jake just let Neytiri take care of this one, it was clear he wasn't going to get anywhere. How she managed to get him to eat, Jake will never know (it was cinnamon applesauce, she coerced him with cinnamon applesauce).

Lo'ak had this particularly fun phase where he liked pulling on pretty much anything within reach and this led to him almost getting himself killed multiple times.

Whenever Neteyam cried, Lo'ak cried. Whenever Neteyam laughed, Lo'ak laughed. Sometimes when he was particularly exhausted Jake would do his best to get Neteyam in a good mood because if Neteyam was in a good mood, so was Lo'ak.

Despite how difficult Lo'ak could be,  there were these times when he would just cry and cry until Jake picked him up, and then he would just fall asleep while Jake held him. As much as Jake hated to admit it, it felt nice to walk around the house with a sleeping Lo'ak tucked to his chest.

Neytiri would often cook with Lo'ak strapped to her. He was her "little taste-tester".

I'm sorry this got so long my brain knows no bounds I swear I go so overboard sometimes 😭 Tuk isn't in this one because in my head I'm going chronologically btw.

I don't even think there is anything to add, anon. Just know I am crying?? Thank you so much for this genuine gift you have given me.

I LOVEEEE stay at home wheelchair dad Jake Sully he means the entire world to me. Jake being convinced Neytiri was joking about being pregnant??? Obsessed. WANTING TO TALK TO TOMMY?? Dead. FOSTER DAD NORM?? You can't convince me Jake and Norm didn't become friends through the foster system they were both in okay okay. And Norm and Tommy connected over their science shit and Jake was always trying to keep them from getting bullied too hard lol. Norm is a foster parent because he believes in fixing the system through it, Jake is more disillusioned. He was all skeptical of the idea at first, but boy did he get attached to Spider quickly. Neytiri and Jake's Spider speech kills me I'll die real tears. They're like oh shit actually... you can't have him. And the days before they can petition the court about it? So sad. Neteyam is a mess without his buddy. Kiri's vibes are simply flawless, and I love Mo'at making shit up to be there lol. DEMON BABY LO'AK, iconic, please. He tries to die so often. They have to baby proof the baby proofing on the house.

Please anon, this made my week, definitely send more.

[feather314]

I was thinking about how in the first game, GLaDOS says ‘we’ a lot up until the endgame, and she really doesn’t do that in the second. We can assume that this wording is referring to Aperture as a whole and their ‘public image’. In the first game, GLaDOS still has a professional attitude and is focused on running things how they’re ‘supposed’ to be run and keeping up with what Cave Johnson started. In short, using ’we’ could symbolize her loyalty to the business and to Cave. If this is the case, it reveals some interesting truths about how she is built in the second game:

Firstly, it shows that she is thinking much less of the company aspect of Aperture, which I think does show through in her actions and words. She has none of the previously mentioned ‘professionalism’ and doesn’t seem to care at all about keeping up the legacy left behind by Old Aperture. She becomes childish, throws insults around, doesn’t even pretend that she’s not being especially mean to Chell or otherwise not treating her like she would any other normal subject. This is very significant because it shows just how much her motives and values have shifted between the two games. Even after she forgives Chell, even in the co-op campaign, she still seems to have no respect left for Aperture as an organization. She gets a lot more selfish and lax with the rules and just kind of does whatever she wants (including testing robots instead of people as the original scientific mission entailed). It is up to us to wonder whether that was all just the morality and/or anger and/or curiosity cores, or whether some other event triggered this change.

Additionally, it draws an interesting parallel between her and Chell and how they each change between games. I believe it was in the developer commentary that someone talked about a certain, seemingly small detail: the fact that Chell has tied the sleeves of her jumpsuit around her waist instead of wearing it properly. Basically, it said that it symbolizes her ‘shedding’ the logo in an act of defiance and indifference to her prison, and also that she’s ‘rolling up her sleeves’ and preparing to fight dirty this time if that’s what it takes. That seems quite similar to what happened with GLaDOS. They both are cutting themselves off from the company of Aperture, and they’re both acting in what could be interpreted as defiance toward the establishment that’s keeping them both there. Even in the beginning of the game when they are clearly painted as enemies, they are in quite similar positions. Whether they realize it or not, it’s the company’s fault that they even ended up pitted against each other in the first place, and they’re only against each other to start because they’re both so stubborn that they refuse to cooperate until it’s absolutely necessary.

This could also have something to do with GLaDOS slowly realizing (or remembering, I guess) what happened with Caroline and the non-consensual computerization that happened to her all those years ago. Now that the numbing, stupefying, pacifying presence of the morality core is gone, she can see herself and her situation for what they are and can feel something wrong. Once that starts to dawn on her, perhaps she doesn’t really want to be the head of such a company anymore. She may also be doing it to defy Cave since she now knows that he’s the one who did this to her. (It’s unclear how she feels about Cave once she remembers what happened. She seems to still like him, since she hypes him up when he talks, but we can’t know for sure since she doesn’t give us much. Perhaps she’s more focused on her old self, and maybe she only starts defying Aperture to do what she thinks her old self would have wanted. But that creates an interesting contrast between her deleting Caroline and her doing what we can assume Caroline would have wanted. Maybe she realizes this, maybe not, maybe she realizes that she’s trying to heal her old wounds by deviating from the set system and she doesn’t like this and deletes Caroline to try and stop it, there’s sooo much I could talk about here. Anyway!) Similarly, Chell realizes that this place managed to drag her back down into its jaws, and is willing to do whatever it takes, to break as many rules as she needs to (again, and it will be even harder this time, and she probably knows this), in order to get out. For Chell, it’s not nearly as much of a change since she obviously never liked what was going on, but she’s now in an outright war instead of quietly trying to slip out the back door. (This brings up a possible argument as to whether or not Chell was planning to kill GLaDOS in the first game all along or whether she just went through whatever door was open and ended up in her chamber, but that’s a different post.) Maybe they’re both distancing themselves from the company facade that Aperture’s made and trying to do whatever they can to defy and escape the prison that they certainly now know that it is, whether they realize, like, or admit it or not.

Or I could be looking too far into it and it could simply be because GLaDOS finally accepted the fact that there is no more public on the surface to maintain an image for and just plain enjoys tormenting Chell with no restrictions , but that’s no fun.

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Hi! If the Valentine Event is still open can I ask for something nsfw with Mikey? Maybe with them being good friends who decide to spend the valentine's together so that they have a excuse to turn other insistent suitors down (after all it's not like they've been pinning for each other for years and are just to thick to have noticed that.)

OMG I LOVE THIS

Finish Last: Manjiro Sano x Fem!Reader

wc: 1.3k

tw: smut

Valentine's Day Event Masterlist

Main TR Masterlist

Zzz, zzz, zzz.

Mikey looks up at his phone as he lays on the couch, his head resting neatly in your lap.

"Another text." His mutter goes practically unnoticed as you sip your soda, eyes on the game in front of you.

"Just tell her to fuck off. You're hanging out with friends."

"Yeah," Mikey mumbles, hitting the power button on his phone before tossing it aside. "I don't get it. I've literally told this girl I'm not interested seven thousand times."

"Some people are just dense," you reply mindlessly. "Like 'Omi. He's denser than a can of dark matter." Mikey snorts, closing his eyes and clutching at his stomach.

"He's still hitting you up?"

"Like a club promoter." Mikey shakes his black-haired head in surprise.

"When will he get the hint?"

"Maybe when your girl gets the hint." You both sober up slowly, wiping tears of laughter from your eyes as the game continues. You lean back and adjust your controller, praying that Mikey wouldn't move his head from its comfortable position. It's silent - save the occasional sound effect from the TV - but you're fine just like this.

It's always been you and Mikey hanging out on Valentine's Day, ignoring others in favor of platonically spending time together. Well, not so platonic on your end, but it was for him. And you weren't in the business of ruining that.

"What'd you think we should do next year?" Mikey wonders, sitting up suddenly. "We could go to the movies or amusement parks."

"Or we could just hang out like always." You pause the game, looking over at him quizzically. "You tired of staying in or..."

Mikey shakes his head quickly. "I'm just trying to make sure you're not bored. We can have fun during this escape, you know?"

"What, and be caught with a literal celebrity out and about? What will the tabloids say?"

"Who cares?" Mikey chuckles, standing and placing his hands in his pockets. "It's not like I can't pay them off." He walks around the couch toward the kitchen, and your eyes follow his every move. "You want some more soda?" Mikey wonders, pulling open the fridge.

"I'm good." Mikey returns moments later with his own soda and a bowl of ice cream, setting it down on the coffee table before sitting next to you. "Hey, you didn't say you were getting ice cream!"

"I thought we'd share," Mikey offers, cracking open the soda can and pouring it into the bowl. "It's like a rootbeer float." He offers you one spoon and takes his own, and both of you begin to taste-test the dessert.

"This is good." Mikey hums, holding the bowl in one hand while you scoop out another bite. "Really good."

"I usually do this when I'm lazy, but I thought I'd share the sauce. Just this once."

"You're oh-so-kind, Manjiro." He laughs at your use of his full name, leaning ever so close to you. You try to keep from blushing as he eats the coke float.

"I have been told I'm a 'nice guy.'"

"But you don't lose your races," you retort, holding your spoon aloft.

"What's that have to do with anything?"

"Don't nice guys finish last?"

Mikey's eyes light up at the joke you've made, and he leans forward even more, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Now, you tell me. Do nice guys finish last?"

"I don't know..." You smirk. "I'd have to test the theory out myself." Mikey sets the ice cream aside as you both lean into a kiss, your hands finding his short hair and his hands cradling your waist.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Mikey hisses, brows furrowed as he pulls away. "Y/n, I..."

"Shh," you urge him, placing a finger on his lips. "Just kiss me again." Mikey obliges unflinchingly, pressing his lips to yours and climbing on top of you on the couch. His lips move from your lips to your neck and down to your chest, where he harshly sucks your skin a few times to leave love marks.

He returns to kissing you once more, threading his fingers around your hips and back, grabbing your flesh with eager hands. "I want you," he breathes into your ear, but you hesitate, placing your hands on his chest.

"Should we do this?" Your question snaps Mikey back into the present, and while his hands don't relax around your waist, they do twitch a little.

"Only if you want to." You're unsure how to answer, praying you wouldn't ruin a perfect friendship with your desires. "We can always go back to being friends if you want. We can pretend like this never happened."

"I don't want that," you murmur and kiss him once more.

Mikey doesn't waste time with formalities, and neither do you. He's not your first, but as he undoes his belt and shucks his pants off, you pray he'll be your last.

"We should get off this couch," he whispers in your ear, getting off of you and holding a hand out. "I think we'd both be comfier on the bed."

You take his hand and walk with him to the bedroom, part of you nervous but the other part excited. How long had you dreamt of something like this? Something so perfect and natural and right?

Mikey lays you across the mattress and spreads your legs apart after taking off your sweatpants. He takes his sweet time sliding your underwear off, then probes your cunt with two fingers.

"You're so fucking wet..."

"Only for you," you admit, and Mikey shudders, letting his fingers sink into your cunt fully. You grip the sheets as you surrender to his touch, letting him guide you toward endless pleasure. As you moan, your hips roll up and down to meet your needs, and his fingers glide against your g-spot with ease.

"Feels good, baby girl?"

"Feels so good," you groan, reaching down to rub at your clit. Mikey hisses at the sight, his cock twitching in his boxers.

"I might cum just watching you..." With a free hand, Mikey reaches into his underwear and fishes out his cock, fisting it methodically. You pant eagerly, praying he will take his fingers out and press against your weeping hole with his veiny dick. But Mikey takes his time preparing you and keeping himself on the brink of oblivion.

"Let me know when you're ready," he urges you, and you nod rapidly, whispering,

"Please, fuck me, Manjiro, please."

"Little boys fuck," he states simply. "Grown men make love." Mikey peels off his underwear and puts your legs on his shoulders, pressing his weight down as his cock sinks into you.

"Mikey, Mikey, Mikey," you whine, grabbing at his t-shirt.

"Say my name like that," Mikey grumbles. "Say my name again."

"Mikey, Mikey, Mikey..." His eyes roll into the back of his head, and something in him breaks. His face goes from lovesick to untamed in the blink of an eye, and your hips bounce off of the mattress to follow his deep thrusts.

He folds you into a deep mating press, his senses telling him to mark you as his for the rest of time. And you feel the purpose in his lovemaking, each stroke knocking the breath out of you as he leans down to litter kisses on your face, your calves, your ankles.

"I'm gonna cum, babe; I'm gonna cum so hard," you warn, but Mikey doesn't seem to mind. He watches your face contort into one of deep pleasure, your mouth open and delivering soft curses as you reach your climax.

"Good girl, good girl..." You're not sure where you end or where Mikey begins, but as he cums, he's holding you against him and huffing softly. You both wait a little before he speaks, his hands still attached to your skin.

"See, nice guys do finish last," he murmurs, and you both laugh heartily.

[killa-trav]

Meet Lando Norris, the woke, feminist face of Formula One

The 23-year-old McLaren driver is equally happy driving at more than 200mph or talking about his feelings. Sathnam Sanghera meets the new poster boy for petrolheads

Let’s face it, in the Eighties and Nineties, when I was getting into the sport, a certain kind of man was attracted to driving Formula One cars. Habitually egotistical, frequently misogynistic, oblivious to the environmental consequences of driving a high-powered car in circles for the sake of it, this unreconstructed male would also, with some 52 drivers losing their lives over the years, have something of a death wish. No one demonstrates how much things have changed than the McLaren F1 team’s current lead driver, 23-year-old Lando Norris.

Having recently broken up with the model Luisinha Oliveira, the Brit is a red-blooded young man who tells me with a certain amount of excitement that he’s the driver with the highest rating among female F1 fans, but when asked about the absence of women F1 drivers, he doesn’t, as Jenson Button once did, say that mechanics wouldn’t be able to concentrate near the presence of “boobs”. Instead, he launches into an earnest explanation of how things can and should change. Followed by a list of the ways he and McLaren try to make up for the environmentally unfriendly nature of racing cars.

When it comes to the death wish, Norris admits that his Belgian mother “hates” watching him race because of the risks involved, but safety has improved so much that survival is only an occasional anxiety for him. And as for the hard living, there’s a plastic tub on the table between us informing me that the only thing that has passed his lips this morning is porridge.

“Everything looks easy from the outside,” he says, launching into an explanation of the self-discipline and athleticism required to pilot modern F1 cars. “People don’t realise how physical it is, the G-force side of it. You’re not far off what they do in jet fighters. You then have two-hour races, racing in, you know, Singapore, where it’s 35C, extremely humid, you’re in a cockpit where you don’t get a lot of air flow, so it gets up to 50C inside the car and you can easily lose three, four kilos in some races. It’s one of the most physical sports you can do. And then there’s the mental side of it: if you’re racing in Monaco, one mistake and you’re out pretty much straight away.”

Sitting in a private box at the London Stadium, the site of a Major League Baseball game this weekend and a collaboration event between the baseball players and McLaren today, he tells me about the endurance, cardio and heat-chamber training involved; the difficulty of strengthening neck muscles, essential to withstanding extreme G-forces. Frankly, I can’t imagine him undergoing any of it. It’s partly that he’s just so wilfully unmacho — the single gentlest sportsperson I’ve ever met. It’s also that, at 10st 7lb and 5ft 9in, and looking even younger than his 23 years, he resembles a boy-band member rather than an automotive gladiator. Which probably explains the female fan base.

Make no mistake, though, that Norris is ferocious on the track, frequently out-racing people who almost have more years of F1 experience than he has experience of existence. His once mighty team, McLaren, 60-years old this year, has not delivered the best car this season, but recent upgrades allowed him to attain fifth position, and widespread praise, at this month’s Austrian Grand Prix. And he has been recognised for consistently getting the best out of his cars from his earliest days, beginning racing at the age of just 7 and winning several junior titles before being named McLaren’s test and reserve driver at the age of 17.

He was quickly promoted, his performances eventually making his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo look average, with McLaren replacing him with fellow Australian Oscar Piastri at the end of the 2022 season. Meanwhile, two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen has claimed that Norris is “on the same level” as reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen.

As a reflection of the esteem in which he is held, Norris recently agreed a contract extension with McLaren, which, according to one motorsport magazine, makes him the fourth best-paid driver in F1. When I cite the reported annual salary of about £19.4 million, he concedes it’s “in that ballpark”. An extraordinary amount of money — if you were not already the son of one of the richest men in Britain, of course. Norris got into motor racing with the backing of his 51-year-old father, Adam, whose wealth is estimated in excess of £200 million, mainly from his involvement in the investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown. As a result, asking how money has changed his life is not a particularly fruitful line of questioning. What does he spend it on? On experiences with his friends, “creating memories”. Has he splashed out? He can’t think of anything, but then his company car is a McLaren supercar and he travels the planet in luxury for work anyway.

Nevertheless, his rise raises a perennial anxiety for the sport. Can you make it in F1 without being born into money? Norris, who attended Millfield School in Somerset but didn’t do his GCSEs due to already intense motorsport commitments, is characteristically unprickly on the theme. “It’s 100 per cent very, very clear for anyone”, he says, to see that his dad financed his entry into F1. But he insists, “You have to have talent to make it. You’ll never get to Formula One now if you’re a bad driver. I was lucky I didn’t have to find too many sponsors and my dad could support me all the way to F1, but I couldn’t deal with being a pay driver in F1. I think it’s the wrong thing to do, completely.”

By “pay driver”, Norris is referring to the rich young men who occasionally buy a seat in the sport, usually in the form of sponsorship, Russia’s Nikita Mazepin being a recent example at Haas. “There’s no other sport in the world where you can pay just to be in it. It shouldn’t happen in Formula One. But it’s also one of the most expensive sports to get into — you can’t just pick up a go-kart like you can pick up a football or a racket or baseball bat.”

I ask how he thinks his generation of drivers differs from the old guard, and he cites a bunch of factors I’ve not considered. Not least that his generation has grown up practising on the high-tech simulators now used by all F1 teams, and playing computer games for fun. Such games were one of the things that brought Norris to prominence in 2020, when his internet broadcasting of game-playing became popular with motorsport fans deprived of racing. He has since founded his own esports firm, Quadrant. But does playing car games on consoles actually help develop real-life skills? “I don’t think it hurts. But they’re not even games; they’re simulators.” They’re that good? “Yes, certain ones. You’re racing actual people around the world who are very talented, racing other F1 drivers. You’re learning all sorts of race craft, the set-up, handling, car control.”

Growing up with social media is another difference that he cites. It brings up the mental-health struggles Norris has talked about suffering since entering F1, where the pressure can be extreme. But it sounds as if it’s something he has, for now, worked out how to navigate. He has removed Twitter from his phone, but more to stop himself wasting time than because of abuse. “Every person, every sport, people love you and people hate you. Of course, I’d prefer if people loved me. But I just laugh at it more than anything [now]. It affected me a lot more back in, like, 2019, 2020, because I took it all more personally.”

Why was that? “I was just starting out and wanted everyone to like me more.”

This more relaxed attitude is also in evidence in his approach to Netflix’s blockbuster show Drive to Survive, which he has criticised in the past for faking tension with his former team-mate Carlos Sainz, but which he now accepts as entertainment. “Some things get twisted a little bit, but at the same time I realise it’s a show.”

Norris stretches in a way that indicates tiredness, and it’s entirely understandable. I’m knackered from my journey from north to east London, but he finds himself in the capital after three days of travel that have taken in Canada, Cannes and McLaren HQ’s in Surrey. F1 is an exhausting line of work. And the circus is often surreal. Through a window behind him, a McLaren car can be seen being wheeled onto the pitch for the photoshoot: a slice of F1 in West Ham’s football stadium, which has been converted to a baseball diamond for the weekend (and hosted the athletics at the 2012 Olympics). I ask if he’s a football fan. “I used to be.” I know the feeling, I say, wanting to disown Wolverhampton Wanderers when they disappoint. His team? “England.”

It takes a moment to realise this is a sardonic reference to another instance of unwanted attention, in the form of the mugging he suffered in July 2021. As widely reported, an unidentified man held Norris in a headlock while another yanked a £144,000 Richard Mille watch off his wrist. The timepiece was one of just five in existence. It happened at Wembley Stadium as he made his way to his sports car following England’s loss to Italy in the final of Euro 2020. In a remark that some might consider strange given Norris sometimes drives at walls at nearly 200mph, he says, “I didn’t realise how quickly things can go completely… scary.”

Did it change the way he feels about going out and about?

“I don’t wear watches any more.”

He means socially: today he is wearing, for sponsorship reasons, another example of the same watch. “It has changed my perspective. There are still times when I get a bit nervous about things, when I’m with my friends.”

The admission of vulnerability is yet another refreshing thing about Norris, but not altogether surprising if you’ve ever heard him talking to his team over the radio during races. He is intensely self-critical. What is he like with failure? Does he let it overwhelm him? “I would say I do, quite often, but it’s really the biggest drive.”

Lots of athletes use failure to motivate themselves, but it can become destructive.

“It’s the main thing I use. I’ve learnt to beat myself up less, but I’m definitely my biggest critic — I mean, I’m the one who knows what I can do and what I can’t do.”

When it comes to the possibilities of achievement, during a season where McLaren has disappointed, currently standing at sixth out of ten teams, below the middle-ranking Alpine, Norris is optimistic. He believes in the team’s aggressive development plan, which has seen it bring car upgrades to recent races. “I probably have the most faith I’ve had in a while.”

Nevertheless, disappointment is a running theme in our conversation. When I ask about the key to surviving success, he responds with, “I’ve not had much success.” I remind him he has had a disproportionate amount of success for his age. “True. But then again, it’s relative to what I’m actually trying to achieve. Success is winning races, winning championships, and I’ve not got anywhere close to doing that.”

When I ask if he feels like he’s following in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, given Hamilton also started off at McLaren, he dismisses the comparison as grandiose. “Life’s not fair in Formula One, because things can go up and down completely out of your control as a driver. So it doesn’t matter if you’re the best driver in the world, if you’re in the wrong team, you’re not going to win. You’re not even going to look good.”

Before departing, I ask Norris how he feels about certain descriptions that are frequently applied to him in press coverage.

“Handsome”? “[That comes from] the female audience,” he blushes.

A “fair loser”? “I admit when I’ve done things wrong. I’m the last guy you’ll ever see blame someone else over myself when something happens.”

“Nice”? There are some drivers who would hate the description, being keen to cultivate a fearsome air both on and off the track. “I’m happy with it. As much as I do care about what people think of me, I want to be seen in a good way rather than not. But just because I’m nice in person doesn’t mean it’s the same on the track.”

Finally, “shy”. It’s shyness that has been apparent throughout our meeting, not least when I ask him to give me a demonstration of his Flemish and he can’t bring himself to do it, even though I’d have no idea if it was good or bad. “I’m just an introvert.”

When did he realise he was an introvert?

“When I was, like, six. I’m not great with crowds and all that kind of thing.”

So how does he handle the intense attention from crowds of fans at races?

“You kind of get used to it. I’m not the biggest fan when they grab you, you know?”

How does he cope with the long days of being on camera?

“Alone time — when it’s just me playing games or going for a walk, listening to music.”

Not for the first time, I want to give Norris an avuncular hug. The feeling intensifies after I inquire what advice he would give to his teenage self. When I normally ask people this question they have to think back decades, but Norris only has to recall life before the pandemic. “Be yourself as much as possible: don’t try to pretend to be a Formula One driver.”

Was there a time when he tried to fit himself into those expectations?

“You feel like there’s a persona, of looking like a superstar, and that just doesn’t need to happen. I can have my laughs and my giggles and, you know, sometimes I just drive a car. Simple as that.”

BY SATHNAM SANGHERA FOR THE TIMES

[ummick]

"Keep an eye on Formula 1"

Alpine newcomer Mick Schumacher will be competing in the WEC Sports Car World Championship for the first time at the beginning of March. In the interview he talks about getting used to the LMDh racer A424 and explains why the long distance increases his chances of getting into Formula 1.

Interviewer: "How many test kilometers have you already been able to collect in the Alpine A424?" Mick: "I would estimate the total distance at 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers." Interviewer: "What's the first thing a Formula 1 driver notices when he switches to a prototype?" Mick: "You suddenly have a disc in front of you. [laughs] As a driver, you naturally notice the higher weight, which cannot be compensated for by the aerodynamics. That will always be part of the car and therefore also the driving experience. This is a big point for me. The vehicle feels very sluggish and very heavy. Compared to the other cars in the field, it is of course just as heavy. It's only when you switch directly from a Formula 1 vehicle that you think to yourself: What's going on here? Only after you get used to it does it feel relatively good." Interviewer: "At the same time, you are a simulator and test driver for Mercedes. How quickly can you make the change?" Mick: "That's no problem at all. As a professional racing driver you have to be able to change. Habit and muscle memory help." Interviewer: "Do your experienced colleagues also help?" Mick: "Absolutely. I'm learning a lot of new things and I'm looking forward to starting in Qatar soon. There I will drive more GT3 cars and hypercars on the track. That will be a big difference. It certainly helps that I know Qatar. This gives me the advantage of feeling comfortable a little quicker."

Interviewer: "Will getting through traffic quickly be the biggest challenge?" Mick: "Yes, you have to make the right decisions. Sometimes it's better to let the slower cars get ahead first and then overtake them when it's safer. Many of the other drivers have an amateur background-simply the surgeon or dentist next door-and need more time for themselves than the professionals." Interviewer: "It is also important to be considerate within the team. How do you adapt to your colleagues?" Mick: "I don't think it's as difficult as you might imagine. In the end you have to perform and look after yourself. I want to do the best possible job for myself. Outside the car we need to communicate and help each other more. This is a completely new approach for me, but one that I find relatively positive because you learn a lot of new tricks and can try them out." Interviewer: "How different are the tires?" Mick: "We don't have electric blankets in the WEC. That means we drive out onto the track with ice-cold tires. The big factor this year will be getting the tires to work. For me it's a positive experience because then, when I hopefully return to Formula 1, I will be used to driving without electric blankets. Interviewer: "Are the energy management systems of the two hybrid car concepts comparable in any way?" Mick: "There are different approaches. In hypercars, state-of-charge is not such a big issue. We get a certain total amount of energy that we can use. The more we hold back, the longer we can drag out the stint. This reduces pit stops. We put a lot of effort into the distribution, especially for Le Mans." Interviewer: "Your debut at Le Mans is scheduled for mid-June. What do you expect from the highlight of the season?" Mick: "I'm just happy! I've never been there before and only watched it once on my cell phone. Basically, Formula 1 has always been the only goal for me. But now I have the chance to experience it myself as a driver, and after my teammates told me how great the event is, I'm approaching the weekend with an open mindset." Interviewer: "Do you see any parallels to your father's Le Mans program, which paved the way to Formula 1? Or could the long-haul also become a perspective?" Mick: "I missed racing and the WEC was the best possible option for it. Of course, I keep one eye on Formula 1 and could imagine that one or two doors will open in the current chaos. Nothing will change about the big dream." Interviewer: "What does the double program mean for your travel planning?" Mick: "That's a few more race weekends than I'm used to. There is also a fairly large test program with the hypercar. I hope I can get the best out of it despite the six overlapping dates. I'm looking forward to the challenge. It will definitely be one."

[horizon-verizon]

TWOIAF says that Rhaenyra gave birth to Daeron “In the last days of 120 AC” so 31st of december. would take make him a “bastard”? were daemon and rhaenyra already married in march of that year?

I wrote about Aegon III's birth (who I think you meant) and the timeline HERE. And the following was the calendar-"chart" I made for people to track the critical events around Aegon's birth:

Answer to the question:

Anon, you are wonderful! Before, I forgot abt AWoIaF, but your input has made dating Rhaenyra and Daemon's "affair"-to-conception-of-Aegon III easier. As in my chart-calendar above, all I had were approximations because in F&B they do not actually give exact month/day dates for anything but Laena's death. Aegon could have been born anywhere in the last 2-3 according to F&B, but now we know that yes he'd be born around whatever counts as "December" in Westeros. F& B says: "And thus that dreadful year 120 AC ended as it begun, with a woman laboring in childbirth." which I took as it being a "late November" to "late December". But AWoIaF's "the last days of 120 AC" is much clearer. Or maybe this was the case of a different translation of word senses between me and others?

So again, update!!!:

Aegon was born in the very last few days of 120 A.C., so "December". ("In the last days of 120 AC, she even delivered to him his first son, whom she named Aegon")

Laena dies in the first few days of 120 A.C. ("January")

A healthy, safe pregnancy takes 8-9 months of gestation. Aegon came with no complications or worry--so far that is told in either book.

9 months from "December" is "March"; 8 months is "April".

Daemyra married 4-6 months after both their lovers/spouses died. ("Neither Daemon’s wife nor Rhaenyra’s husband had been dead even half a year [6 months]; to wed again so soon was an insult to their memories, His Grace declared angrily."). It's still approximate.

Laenor must have died **EDIT, after looking in comments -- at most** 4-6 months after Laena.

So Daemyra had to have started sleeping with each other at most 3 months after Laena died or at least 2 months after she died--if not immediately after (perhaps they were even sleeping w/each other while she was alive and that comes with a host of theories of how that would have looked)--and Harwin nor Laenor were dead yet.

THIS IS YOUR ANSWER, ANON. They would HAVE to have been married in the 4th or 5th or 6th months ("April", "May", "June"). They were NOT married in "March"--the use of TWoIaF lets me know the tea!

However...

There is both the difference b/t a conception versus a birth. Births are when children are pushed out the womb and become what we know as the "infant", who will grow into an adult, yada yada. Conception is when we got a fertilized egg/zygote about to develop into a fetus.

Pre-modern medicine knew little to nothing about zygotes nor how to detect them. They have known for millennia, though, that at some point a child begins to grow from the "hidden" womb/woman's body and it is that pregnancy is a vulnerable time for both mother and fetus/child, a delicate process. Medievalesque people like those living in Planetos without the tools or knowledge to detect embryos cannot prove who the father of a child already born is when that question comes up, they are going to be even less able to detect who their dad is before they are born. This is why they place so much importance on girls but especially noble girls and women staying "pure" or "chaste" so they can feel assured and feel that whatever child they carry and birth to will be their husband's, who has a two-fold stake in. It's not a positive test, but a negative one: it's not about detection so much as about removing/whittling down the possible sperm donors to no one but the husband.

This means that any and all fetuses conceived before their parents marry--and if their parents do get married before well before the woman becomes that noticeable or anyone important sees her the birth--will largely be NOT be counted as bastards.

This is another way bastardry reveals itself as nonreal. As a "natural" concept of identity. As a construction based on the happenstance of human behavior, decision, and manipulation, rather than nature.

Of course, the Westerosi would believe that an embryo (if they knew what that was or could trace the moment of conception way before the mom started to show) of an unmarried union would be a bastard. But let's ask ourselves how many people might have sex before marriage, conceive, and then decide to marry bc: one of them wishes to preserve their reputation (usually the woman); they wish to reap whatever benefits come from such a marriage; and/or because they do not want to bring a more apparent "bastard" into the world for them to suffer. I mean, how many peasant births would follow such a pattern versus the opposite? And for bastardry to be a true, natural thing of itself, we absolutely need to count peasant sex-marriage-birth-conception patterns, too, not just the nobles, bc "naturalness" explicitly & implicitly signifies "outside of large-human control", or something that occurs without human direction, intervention, manipulation AND nonetheless affecting them simultaneously. Like how plants using chloroform in their method of producing energy, that level of "naturalness".

Marriage then works as a tool to prevent both of these things. Whether or not the people loved each other. In real life, the Church wanted and proliferated the idea that people should marry through the idea of uno caro, or "one heart", where worshippers/those of the Catholic community (which is all worshippers) join themselves to each other in marriages to essentially give respect to God. Thus marriage is characterized as a sacred institution. And it was believed that sex was not only existed for reproduction alone, the accompanying pleasure was indicative of sex's "wrongness". Bc as one of God's worshippers you're not supposed to focus so much on bodily, earthly, carnal things or think them so "good" that it "distracts" you from God and "high", spiritual matters. Or prostrating yourself to God's will.

Therefore, anon, it really doesn't matter whether Aegon was conceived before or after the wedding ceremony. Since he's birthed after they marry & no one in-world found out about Daemyra's sexual pre-marital activities nor has publicized it, it doesn't matter! It doesn't matter at all if he was or isn't a "true" bastard when such a thing doesn't exist as natural.

[bucky-h0e]

The Many Lives of Bucky and Alpine | Main Masterlist

This is a multi-series fic. Based around Bucky and Human! Alpine and the different lives they lead. The main story is Serendipity - this follows the 'canon' timeline, however the other variants will have their own canon events and timelines as well. Bare in mind that Serendipity will most likely get the most updates because of this.

This is a long-term, on going project - if you would like to request something, please do! Just be a little patient with me :)

Each timeline is separate from one another and has their own 'plot' and attributes, you don't have to read them all! Sometimes I will update with an Alternate Narrative - this will be marked clearly and is not vital to the timeline - just a bit of fun!

Remember, these are NOT shipping fics!

○○○○

Serendipity

Neighbour!Alpine and Bucky. This follows The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's events; post, pre and during.

Bucky Barnes now faces a difficult task indeed, navigating the 21st Century whilst making amends for his actions as the Winter Soldier. Left alone to his own devices, he fears he may continue the life of solitude, pushing away all who try to help. But what happens when a stubborn 106 year old meets a similarly stubborn (and downright bizarre) 21 year old? And for God's sake, what is her real name?

Read Here

○○○○

You Feel Like Home

Half-Romanian! Alpine and Bucky. This starts just after Captain America: The Winter Soldier and through Captain America: Civil War; post, pre and during.

On the run from both HYDRA and SHIELD, James Bucky Barnes finds shelter in Bucharest and creates 6 rules for himself to ensure his survival.

One: Make no noise.

Two: Stay out of sight.

Three: Use only cash. Spend only when absolutely necessary.

Four: Follow the news reports. Any mention of his name, MOVE.

Five: Do not get attached to his neighbour's neglected, sick daughter.

Six: Stop breaking rule number 5.

Read Here

○○○○

The Winter Soldier and his Angel

Avenger! Alpine and Bucky. Follows the Captain America Sequels, with Alpine as an Avenger and Steve's ex-handler.

Alpine Doe. Codename: Angel. Bought from the Red Room by a man who wanted his own version of Charlie's Angels. Hired by SHIELD under Natasha Romanoff's insistence after assisting them in bringing the scumbag in. Placed as Steve Rogers' handler and guides (drags) him into to the 21st Century. Now she fights alongside the Avengers, mainly Steve, and feels like she owes everything to them. She when Steve's once thought dead best friend shows up to kill them, she'll stop at nothing to reunite the two. She just wished he'd stop trying to stab her.

Read Here

○○○○

Bucky Barnes: ex-Winter Soldier, now DILF.

Biological Child! Alpine and Bucky. Loosely follows The Falcon and The Winter Soldier with some minor (major) changes.

James Buchanan Barnes is no longer the Winter Soldier. Steve Rogers is considering retirement. Tony Stark retired and is expecting a second child. Natasha Romanoff is on a well deserved holiday. The World has not ended. Finally, Bucky can begin the journey to find himself once more. The same self that used to be quite the ladies man, not that he was complaining. Of course, that is until an mildly annoyed woman knocks on his door with a positive pregnancy test makes him realise just how much the super-soldier serum had affected his body and DNA.

Read Here

○○○○

Pimp My ... Buzz Wagon?

Medic! Alpine and Bucky. Follows Captain America: The First Avenger.

The Howling Commandos are a very special breed indeed. Not only are they almost singlehandedly helping tilt the war effort to favour the allies, they are also somehow managing to get home safely despite the wounds that come with the territory. Annoyed at their lack of concern because Steve Rogers "...can heal a lot faster now!", Agent Carter recruits a medic to join the group. Whilst the less super-soldiery of the group have no real big complaints, Bucky Barnes can't help but argue with the fact that their new medic is an underaged girl.

Read here

○○○○

For You, I'll Set This Place Ablaze

HYDRA Prisoner! Alpine and Winter Soldier! Bucky. This one roughly follows the plot of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

HYDRA is irritated. Wiping the Asset's mind is becoming tedious. They need a killing machine, with some level of cognitive function, not a mindless fool incapable of executing simple missions. Slowly but surely, the Asset's memories come back - each time quicker than the last. They are desperate. Perhaps, there is another way to make him behave. Their plan? Give him what he desires. A family. A support system. Make him believe the child is his. She knows no better. Give him something to cherish and to protect. Then rip it away when he fails. Soon, he will learn. HYDRA will always prevail. HAIL HYDRA.

Read Here

[whumpsday]

Whump of March 2023!

i decided i'm going to experimentally make a post at the end of each month going over my favorite whump that was new & prominent that month. as a general rule i'll mostly only include series that have had at least 2 updates in the month and started fairly recently.

so, here's some AMAZING series to check out! and yes it's mostly vampires because it's my rec list and i love vampires. 🧛

-

Several new series by @zillastar13, all of which are included at the same link. Personal favorites are Our Man Flint, where a vampyr hunter grapples with being turned into a vampyr himself; Eden, a pet whump story where the whumpee goes stockholm fast; and Blood Sacrifices (18+), about a vampyr who poses as a god and very much abuses that position.

Things End | People Change by @whumpcloud, about a vampire whumper who's been tortured by hunters finally at the mercy of his former victim. (my favorite trope obviously)

An Earthly Cosmological Redshift by @quietly-by-myself, about a vampire mafia underboss and his lover find themselves in a dismal situation.

Poisoned Ivy by @whumpshaped, academia whump! As if whump couldn't get any more harrowing, now it involves being forced to do schoolwork. (Under the Bell Jar, about a tiny whumpee waking up trapped and alone, was also just completed!) This is one of the only two non-vampire entries on this list.

Blood Bag AU by @emmettnet, a fresh vampiric twist with a widely-beloved (now bloodbag) whumpee and his vampiric carewhumper. He's also put out some amazing art this month!

A New Beginning by @a-crumb-of-whump, about a vampire pet whumpee recovering with the now-grown child of his whumpers, isn't really new (though it's also had some great updates this month). But its poll-based spinoff Carlos & Bailey: An Interactive Story is! Now you get 2 vampire pet whumpees.

Magnanimous Moonrise & Savage Sunset (18+) by @not-a-space-alien, about a vampire being experimented on for weapons testing and the hunters who take pity on him, is in a similar boat. It's had some great updates this month along with a brand-new interactive adventure, Savage Sunset CYOA!

Pick Your Poison by @thebluejayswhump, about someone who gets lost in the woods and increasingly strange things occurring while an uncanny sense of dread rises, is another interactive adventure! The second of two non-vampire things on here.

Some quick picks from ongoing series that have made appearances this month:

Emil's Story by @obsessedwithegos (and animatic!)

The Scry by @deluxewhump

The Enclave by @lumpofwhump

Born to Live by @whitehairandblood (also a whump artist!)

General Kieran by @whumpycries

i've put out some stuff this month too!

And whump some artists not previously mentioned who have put out some amazing work this month! Check them out for whump art!

@befuddled-calico-whump (art tag)

@terriblywhumpy (art tag)

@dontworrycomics (art tag)

@whump-blog (art tag)

I also want to thank @amonthofwhump for hosting the March Trope-A-Thon! It was a wonderful writing event that livened up the last days of winter and I can't wait to participate again next year!

Happy reading! :)

[skydaemon]

Science Says People (Specifically Kids) Are Good, Actually

okay i just rediscovered the link to one of my favourite studies ever and i wanted to share it with the class.

Koomen, R., Grueneisen, S., & Herrmann, E. (2020). Children Delay Gratification for Cooperative Ends. Psychological Science, 31(2), 139–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619894205

(it's behind a paywall, but if you can't access and you're interested i have the pdf)

This study modified the marshmallow test, where kids are asked to hold off on eating one marshmallow in order to get another one later. The study used children from Germany and Kenya, with localised treats that were familiar to the kids. 70 of the children were paired up interdependently - each pair would only get the second treat if they both held off eating the first. 69 (nice) were paired up dependently - they each thought that they were the only one of the two who had to avoid eating the treat, and 68 were doing the test as normal.

The interdependent kids were significantly better at the test than those doing the test normally - cooperation (the idea that they were doing this for AND with a friend) had a significant positive effect on their willpower ! The dependent kids were also better at the test than the solo ones - showing that children can delay gratification better when they're doing it for a friend - but not as much as the interdependent ones. Even though they knew that they were the only ones who had to hold out, the fact that they weren't doing it with a friend meant they didn't have that amazing boost of willpower. (there are small cultural differences here between the Kenyan and German children, but the overall interdependence effect holds.)

From the discussion: "Delaying gratification is often critical for cooperation to succeed. Here, 5- to 6-year-olds from two highly distinct cultures were more likely to delay gratification when their outcomes were interdependently linked than when they performed the same task alone, even though the interdependent context entailed additional risks. These findings support the notion that human cooperative relations, particularly social interdependence, critically shape cognitive performance from an early age."

i just find this study so heartening, because it's truly applicable throughout life. if you've ever done something for a friend that you couldn't do for yourself, that's this effect! our reliance on others (and their reliance on us) is hugely beneficial for ourselves and for society - how nice is that?

Similar studies:

this one again shows increased willpower in kids for the good of others !

this one shows how kids begin to give more to people that need it

this one found that kids as young as three show altruistic behaviour when it comes to the present, and by five they've developed altruism for future events !

this study found that by the age of 8, children will reject unfairness EVEN WHEN IT BENEFITS THEM !!

in summary i love people and i love children and we are all built kind it is our duty to make sure as many people as possible stay that way

[nichiperi]

MWAHAHAHAHAHA I DID IT!! Look at my terrible fail-children! (⁠✷⁠‿⁠✷⁠)

An aggregious amount of MORE information about them under the cut lol.

Here's everyone's basic timelines. But keep in mind, I'm still reworking them so they could change.

BEK

• Grows up in the smeetery at the same time as Chara and former Tallest Spork. All three of them end up getting a lot of special privileges upon leaving because they're tall.

• Bek has a super brief stint being an Irken Elite soldier with Chara for some basic training.

• Takes the test to become re-encoded as Invader class and passes with flying colors.

• Meets Teira when getting a custom weapons system for his ship. The two enjoy talking about horrendously destructive weapons and cool explosions together.

• Is responsible for the take-over and/or destruction of several planets. These accomplishments combined with his height make him a prominent figure in Irken high society. He frequently meets with Tallest Miyuki directly, and is always invited to socials, which he always invites Chara and Teira to as his plus ones.

• Miyuki grants Bek the gift of a vacation. He takes the opportunity to discover a new world on the fringes of Irken-observed space: Earth.

• He arrives on Earth in the year 1989. After a having a horrible time and traumatizing a single horrible human, he returns home and reports Earth as being a garbage planet with garbage lifeforms. Upon his return, he discovers that Miyuki is dead, and Spork is now the tallest.

• Spork and Bek proceed to hate each other fervently, but are still forced to interact because the whole of Irken society expects it. It's awkward.

• Bek discovers a planet that reveals some amazing truths about ancient Irken society. Spork blows it up on orders from the Control Brains. Bek is pissed.

• Bek and a mysterious vortian botanist form an unlikely alliance, and begin holding meetings for a secret society that aims to take down Tallest Spork. However, just as their murderous plans come to a head, Spork just happens to die a horrible death due to some energy blob thing I dunno. Weird.

• New Tallests Red and Purple promote Bek to becoming an Irken Special Enforcer (Basically like a 'Secret Police' type of position, but only really tall Irkens can get it. Of course they also have to not suck at their current job.).

• Bek keeps in contact with the anti-Sporkers. They wanna know who killed him. Because of this, Bek gets involved in the trial of Zim by being one of the people to wrangle him back to Irk for the event.

• After watching that shit-show go down, Bek decides he's just sick of the Empire in general and decides to go off on his own. He invites Chara and Teira, but they refuse.

CHARA

• Raised in the smeetery with Bek and Spork. She gets along with both of them equally, and often breaks up their fights. Usually by being a violent turd and knocking them both out.

• What was supposed to be brief stint as an Irken Elite soldier turns into a decades long career when she fails the Invader-class test. She ends up really enjoying her work as a soldier, however.

• She tends to meet up with Bek a lot after he's conquered another planet for the Empire, as her squad of soldiers is often sent to do "clean-up duty" and law enforcement after a planet's been taken over.

• Chara is promoted to being a Fleet Commander.

• She meets Teira through Bek, and while she is not impressed by Teira's height, she does enjoy getting intel on the latest weapons. The two begin a lifelong, flimsy fake semblance of a friendship.

• When Bek leaves on his vacation, Chara is given a chance to re-take the Invader-class test, and passes. Teira follows suit. Chara almost begins to respect her. But not quite.

• Chara gets sent to planets which need to be subdued by force and taken over.

• After Miyuki is killed, Spork becomes the Tallest. He gives Chara everything she asks for, so of course she thinks he's a fantastic leader.

• Chara becomes enraged when Spork is killed, vowing to kill whoever was responsible.

• She is present at Zim' trial, and nearly leaps down from her seat to maim him after hearing that his blob killed Tallest Spork. Teira and Bek keep her in check.

• Chara hopes to grow taller and become a Tallest like Spork someday, but she's stopped growing decades ago. She never lets go of her anger over his death.

TEIRA

• Raised in the smeetery about 10 years after Bek and Chara, Teira is small and keeps to herself. She's extremely intelligent, and immediately becomes a scientist upon leaving.

• Teira chooses to work in weapons development because she adores the sight of explosions. It's the only thing that brings her a genuine sense of joy.

• Bek and Chara are the first Irkens that Teira almost enjoys spending time with, though she would likely rather expire than admit that.

• Teira is probably the least species-ist of the trio at this point, as she frequently worked with Vortians and other capable scientists during her time as a weapons developer.

• When Bek leaves for his vacation, Teira is inspired to try to pass the Invader-class test after Chara brags about it. She very easily passes. As an Invader, Teira is usually sent to planets that don't have much in the way of sentient life in order to blow everything up and create a clean slate.

• When Spork becomes the Tallest, Chara begins hanging around him more often, leaving Teira and their rivalry/almost friendship begins to deteriorate somewhat. When Bek returns, the two spend more time together without Chara for a while.

• After the death of Spork, the trio begins to hang out frequently again, though the dynamic is significantly different. Both Bek and Chara have drastically changed as a result of Spork's time as Tallest for vastly different reasons. Teira is the only one to notice this, but does nothing.

• Teira opts to stay with Chara out of the hope that they'll one day rekindle the horrible fake friendship they once had....but the excuse she ACTUALLY gives is that she'd prefer the stay on Irk for the time being as flying around didn't suit her well.

[paradiserottttt]

— INTRODUCING , 𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐘𝐔 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐍 .

*     ◟    :    〔   ni ni  ,      cis-woman    +   she/her    〕      DAIYU CHEN ,      some say you’re a  THIRTY-FIVE YEAR OLD         lost soul among the neon lights.      known for being both  SHREWD  and  VINDICTIVE ,  one can’t help but think of  THE FAMILY JEWELS   by   MARINA  when you walk by.    are you still a  CONSIGLIERE  at    DEAD HAND  /  OWNER    at   THE OLIVE BRANCH MARTINI BAR ,     even with your reputation as the THE FIREBRAND ?     i think we’ll be seeing more of you and  NAILS AS RED AS THE SPILLED BLOOD OF YOUR ENEMIES ,  AN ALL CONSUMING PRIMORDIAL RAGE  , A TONGUE AS SHARP AS IT IS PERSUASIVE ,  although we can’t help but think of AMY ELLIOT DUNNE (GONE GIRL) , MAGNETO (X-MEN) , PATTY HEWES (DAMAGES)  whenever we see you down these rainy streets. 

— STATS . FULL NAME . daiyu chen NICKNAMES . dai (call her that and you might really die though) BIRTHDAY . october 31st AGE . thirty-five GENDER . cis-woman PRONOUNS . she/her ORIENTATION . bisexual biromantic FAMILY . none liena chen (mother) OCCUPATION . consigliere for dead hand / owner of olive branch martini bar MARKINGS/TATTOOS . none PIERCINGS . single ear lobe piercing HEIGHT . 5’7

— PERSONALITY . POSITIVE TRAITS . ambitious, poised, charismatic, meticulous, patient, persuasive NEGATIVE TRAITS . calculating, controlling, manipulative, unforgiving, vengeful, demanding, aloof LANGUAGES . chinese, japanese, english, spanish, russian, french EDUCATION . m.a. in business administration MBTI . infj ENNEAGRAM . type 3 (the achiever) MORAL ALIGNMENT . lawful neutral.  DEADLY SIN . wrath  HEAVENLY VIRTUE . patience ZODIAC . scorpio sun, capricorn moon

— BIOGRAPHY . THE WEALTHY CIRCLES OF SHANGHAI HAVE A PARTICULAR WAY OF DEEMING YOU A MISTAKE WITHOUT OUTRIGHT SAYING SO. The only daughter of one of the wealthiest business couples in the country, the path of LIENA CHEN was paved long before she was born. Diverting from this path meant being subjected to the utmost criticism and scrutiny— an experience your mother is subjected to tenfold. (your sympathy for her begins with this knowledge and ends with your abandonment— she is undeserving of the cards she was dealt, but so are you.) 

Your mother relinquishes all responsibility of you the moment you’re handed over to the elite NYC boarding schools you’d attend for the remainder of your youth. There, you are prepped alongside other kids of the elite, molding yourselves in the image of your varying responsibilities. At first, you pursue perfection in hopes of garnering your mother’s attention. Not a mark is missed— every classes is attended on time. Invitations to events go unanswered (or even more humiliatingly, an assistant is sent in her place.)

Other methods are tested out in hopes of garnering her attention. You attempt the reverse method, A.K.A. failing horrifically, but this only results in in newfound scrutiny from your instructors, fellow students, and headmasters. A drop in performance is wholly unlike you. You are restored to your former glory— deciding that attempting to attract your mother’s attention is a futile effort. (and don’t even get you started about that glorified sperm donor called a father— to you, he is nothing— vying for his attention would be beneath you.)

You chose instead to shape yourself into a weapon. You focus on expanding your arsenal of languages, diversifying your studies to become as worldly as possible, and eventually graduating at the top of your class. It’s around this time that you discover what your mother’s true job is. You learn that she’s essentially tossed you to the wayside in favor of some of the most unsavory characters to walk the streets of New York. Beyond that, your mother’s reshaped herself in light of the empire she now possesses— and with little intention of sharing the newfound glory she’s obtained. The pair of you could’ve been unstoppable. A mother and her heir. Instead, she leaves you in the dark, perhaps out of some false belief that she can protect you from the mob.

Never mind that, though. The moment she  accepts the position of JADE TRIBE BOSS, the mafia becomes your legacy. If she would deny you your birthright, you’d reclaim it as your own. You pursue a degree in business administration, earning a Masters from Dartmouth in Business Administration. When you’re able to obtain possession of the family business, OLIVE BRANCH MARTINI BAR, it transforms into a front for information brokering for various parties across the city— the sort of information that could get you killed— or worse. The front still remains functionally a bar, but if you’re well connected enough, you’re able to access behind the scenes privileges. Expensive drinks alongside priceless information. 

It is during one of these moments that DEAD HAND is put on your radar. After gaining a position as an associate, you have an idea to turn it into something more. Years of hard work and you eventually work your way up to CONSIGLIERE. You advise the boss on important matters concerning the mob— and allow DEAD HAND unfettered access to your channels of information. You would do everything in your power to build them up, for when the time came— you would need every ounce of power in order to send your mother’s empire toppling down. No more pretending as if you’re merely a blight on her existence— you would make your presence known and felt more than ever. 

— FUN FACTS .

Takes her coffee black, occasionally with a splash of whiskey. Looks down upon people who use milk and sugar— she assumes them to be weak-willed.

Prioritizes revenge-seeking above all else... usually. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't occasionally distracted by work or personal dalliances.

— ; TLDR

ambitious, mommy-issued, revenge-seeking consigliere with a no-bullshit attitude

[legofanguy]

Miphlink: The day of vows

This is a entry for @miphlinkweek event Miphlinkweek2023 day 2: Proposal/wedding. This fanfiction is set in a Federal Japan AU with the Zoras as Hylians with their usual kimono colors is the colors of their main universe counterparts skins, and the wedding has a mix of Shinto wedding and western Cristian weddings. This story is also a test for the Shino wedding I planned to do on my entry for Inkag fluff week 2023.

Link walk left and right wearing his black robe, finding himself in his toughest challenge yet, which is making sure his wedding ceremony go off with any problems. For years, Link has been a freelance swordman, offering his services of protection to villages and clans during this age of war in Japan. Link never believed he would find happiness until he visit the Zora Domain, which he visited in his youth, and meet his childhood friend Mipha when he offer his services to the damiyo Dorephan. Mipha, whose is said to be a skilled healer and warrior in combat with the naginata, has grown to be a fine beautiful young woman since the years of their childhood, wearing a bring red and blue kimono with fish patterns. Soon, as time move on, the two friends become lovers, and Dorephan, Mipha's father, see evidence of this that he decided to have the two married. It is a nice idea that the both of them agreed, as well put Link in the position of being a samurai in service to Zora Domain.

However, marriage to a powerful family would lead to dealing with politics and that something that troubled Link. As he think, Link pause when he open a door open and watch as Mipha come out of her room, wearing a beautiful white kimono with a hood to hide her face from all others until the end of the wedding ceremony. Mipha's maidens has certainlly worked overtime to make their lady beauty for the ceremony as Link immediately said upon seeing Mipha, "You look beautiful." which Mipha smile. She hold her arm out and Link take it to lead the both of them to the room in the castle when the wedding ceremony is hold.

Link and Mipha enter the room where the wedding ceremony is hold and Mipha's family, her father and her younger but taller brother Sidon, were all sitting with some servants and a priest is at the center of the room, standing before a altar. Arm to arm, the two then walk to the altar and come before the priest, whose begins with some words, "Benevolent spirits of the ancestors, thank you for gathering us here today and for bringing these two in reunion. It is thank to you that Link and Mipha are blessed with each other and has come as one."

Three cups of different sizes are place in the altar and holy water are pour into them as the priest said, "Now, let the would-be married couple drink the holy water to represent their future as a happy father, a happy mother, and a child that would be born into their blessed life." Link the first cup, which was the smallest cup, and hand it to Mipha, whose drink from it. Next, Miha then drink from the second cup and hand it to Link to drink it. The order of the ones to drink from the third is a repeat of the drinking order of the first cup, with Link and then Mipha. Once the three cups are put away, the priest put evergreen on the altar and said, "Spirits of the ancestors, we place this evergreen to reflect our gratitude of you spirits for blessing their union. It is with your powers and the blessings of the goddess Hylia that they come together as one." The priest then said, "Now, I call for the ring bearer to bring forward the ring." A child put two silver rings on a pillow onto the altar next to the evergreen.

As the silver rings are lay on the altar, the priest said, "You may exchange the rings and make your wedding vows." Link put the wedding ring on Mipha's finger as he said, "I, Link, take thee, Mipha, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to Hylia's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith." Soon, it was Mipha's turn to make her vows as she put the wedding ring on Link's finger, "I, Mipha, take thee, Link, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to Hylia's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."

Once the vows are done, the priest then said, "In the name of the goddess Hylia, they are, till dead do them part, now husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Link and Mipha happily kiss each other as the priest request, and everyone clap to signal the end of the ceremony. Breaking off from their kiss, Mipha cry happily at her and Link's special day as they head down the hall to the dining room for the fest.

[dollarbin]

Shakey Sundays #22:

Covid Edition

Well, I've got the bug again Dollar Binners: a bit more than two years after getting Covid for the first time at my first real public event of that surreal era, a Valerie June concert that I fruitlessly masked up for, I felt off yesterday, then saw the dreaded double bars on a test I hauled from deep in the medicine drawer this morning.

It's Covid 2.0 for yours truly. Woo-wee.

I'm determined to be less sick this time around. My first bout set in while on holybobs with my buddy Greg and our families. I coped with the first day of feeling under the weather, unaware of the positive tests that would follow, by drinking about 10 Miller High Lifes; I figured the Champagne of Beers was just what Dr. Fauci ordered.

Greg matched me drink for drink and we had a blast, as always. Then came the most delirious night of my life: I was midway through an immense Beatles biography at the time and I became feverishly convinced that Ringo was there with me, processing his fraught childhood. I provided Ringo with some really good support; it felt like we were on a magic carpet in high turbulence.

And then I never really got better; yeah, I am one of those long-Covid people, dealing with periodic pain and setbacks that are happily surface level and not nearly as bad as some folks out there. Friends will tell you that I was kinda nuts beforehand so we can't blame Covid for whatever nonsense I've spewed at you these past 9 months (this is our 92nd post together!).

So this time around I'm taking the opposite approach: I'm chugging water and vitamins instead of High Lifes and I'm spending the day in isolation, visiting with all of you instead of Greg or Ringo. Hopefully neither of them show up: I'm a sucker for Greg and Ringo alike.

But let's set all that aside and talk about the first six months of Covid and how Shakey got us through it. Maybe you remember: Neil responded to the shutdown by moving to a mountaintop somewhere in Colorado and by cancelling all fees on his forever BETA level website. I don't know about your house, but at mine it was therefore Neil Young Time all the time.

To begin, we suddenly had access to all of Shakey's movies, most of which were just about mythical for hopeless internet cheapskates like me. I saw everything from the really pretty magnificent Mountaintop, which I'll write about in a future post, to Solo Trans, a scripted Vocoder/Shocking Pinks Neil vehicle directed by Hal Ashby, the guy who made Harold and Maude.

I doubt you have, and kinda hope you don't have, an hour to dedicate to this film so I'll summarize it for you here: imagine an invented from the ground up 80's newscast from Dayton, Ohio, complete with cheapo graphics and synthetic, asinine theme music dedicated entirely to covering a Neil Young show with paid, freaking out, extras filling the front row.

The whole thing starts with Harvest heavy dullness, then gets momentarily lovely for Helpless. Young then does a standard take of Ohio and attempts to make his amazing biography dull through Don't Be Denied before we get into the almost-but-not-quite-weird-enough Trans era stuff, including a preview performance of Landing on Water's I've Got a Problem.

Trans is great. But Solo Trans? Unless Neil is soloing on Mr Soul it's pretty underwhelming...

But The Shocking Pinks show up at the end, at which point the film tastes great, like soapy nuts. Neil sweats buckets and even goes ahead and invents yet another band while he's at it, turning the Shocking Pinks into The Bluenotes for Don't Take Your Love Away from Me.

Graham Nash is in 1 second of the film and Stephen Stills only shows up in archival footage - which is fitting for musicians of their stature - and Neil's even-more-beleaguered-than-my-own wife, Peggy, plays a catfighting groupie.

Ashby must have spent the entire shoot either drunk or cashing his paycheck. Probably both. Meanwhile, Neil had a vision for the film: The Wall meets Loony Tunes. And he nailed it.

Neil offered us more than just his bonkers films during Covid. We also had The Fireside Sessions: periodic footage of Neil in isolation. We got to see him wash his hands, talk earnestly to his dogs and play obscure and obvious tracks alike, all of it recorded in the most amateurish manner possible on his wife's iPad.

It was pure Shakey; shambolic, earnest and awesome.

Okay, that's all I've got. Ringo's calling and he wants my support. Thanks for visiting me in isolation everyone!