#does the body-ody come with the fits?!

[ladybugsimblr]

xosage Had to sweet talk chef_aj into getting his model on with me, but you knew we were gonna show off the Tartosa fits! Everything can be found on my Trendi storefront. Also I dare you not to twerk to this mix of a BK deeeeep cut 🦋 #OOTD #TrendiPartner

Bailey Kay - Donk (Bounce Remix) 🎧

-

[lysandreslovelygirllore]

Time to info dump about my au: banbash!

This au includes characters from the fandoms listed: Undertale, bendy and the ink machine, poppy playtime, sans aus, creepypasta, MLP, baldi's basics, garten of banban, rainbow friends, Garfield, famous/well known lps videos and characters (ex; lps popular or lps addicted), and scp foundation background shinangins, along with some more animal jam background shenanigans, plus Cuphead.

yes this is serious. I am seriously making an entire au with tons of fandoms. I am seriously doing this. I am honest. I'm deadass. These fuckers will all interact. (As a noteee! Main characters are going to be from only garten of banban and rainbow friends. All the other fandoms will be in the background or will only pop up randomly, as most of them don't live chose to the sillays.)

some notes about garten of banban characters I never touch on or fandom characters!

bendy + huggy wuggy.

bendy is a recovering alcoholic. Huggy is his old friend who always tries to assure he doesn't get back into old habits. They don't live together anymore, but they used to when money was tight. This is when bendy got into rehab via huggy's request. Bendy is always in his taller, lankyer ink form. His ink sticks to his body hard, rarely does it come off, allowing him to wear clothing.

Banbalena + nabnab and nabnabalena

Banbalena is the main person who keeps banban and the spiders in check, as she lives with them. Banbalena is NOT related to or in a relationship with banban, they are an adjacent species, as banbalena is not a demon. Banbalena and banban are very very close and old friends. Nabnab is usually not that active, nabnabalena is slightly more active than him, often chatting with banbalena. The spiders are also very good friends with banban and banbalena, using their rare times of activity to cook and clean. (Nabnabalena is the better cook, as she hoards cooking books constantly.)

Baldi + principal (pretty sure that's his name, if not, I'm just gonna call him that. Nicknamed prince.)

Both are retired teachers. Long time friends who met at college. strictly background characters, they will almost never have a prominent role in the story. Sorry baldi fuckers.

(sanses) dream + nightmare

Dream and co have stopped fighting with the evil gaggle nightmare formed long, long ago. they now chill with one another in a frienemy way, often poking fun at one another. Again, side characters, but these guys will have some major roles here and there.

Garfield + odie

Garfield is now a snow leopard and odie is an artic wolf-dog. Both anthro, both pretty large. Yes, Garfield still loves lasagna and still hates odie. Odie is a classic optimistic puppy-dog type, not fitting at all with Garfield's more melancholy ways of life. They live together and have annoying roommate dynamics. Side characters.

Green + cyan

Green and cyan often train together doing gymnastics. green has scarred, foggy eyes and a short, fluffy coat of green fur. Cyan is more wyvern-like, having wings that double as arms, though their bones are too thick to fly. part of the main cast.

Stinger Flynn + red

Red used to do experiments on himself, earning him sharp claws that he hides constantly behind gloves specialty made for his odd little hands. he has fangs and a long, snake-like tongue, but his mouth is not visible, ever. He and stinger Flynn met and bonded through being nerds about scientific shit. Stinger Flynn is kept to his usual design, except for scars all round his eye. He has a humanoid form that follows the same logic as Squidward, tentacles acting as legs + hands. He has long, flowing hair in this form with one eye to boot. He is rarely in this form, though. Him and red are both retired scientists, whom do not live together. Stinger Flynn and red are the main two who decide if the respective groups go anywhere all together. red lives with all the rainbow friends, though they often leave to do their own thing, but almost always come back.

slow salene + opila bird

Slow salene is a pretty shy one, but does often see the gang when their all met up. She usually visits banbalena in her free time. opila lives with her children and husband, also coming over often to meet with banbalena.

purple + orange

Purple and orange are quite good friends, bonding over how SMALL and STUPID they are. Voices of reason for the rainbow cast right next to red. Purple resembles a hairless cat without ears, a nub tail, and clawed hands in the place of paws. They usually crawl around on all fours, slinking into vents and any other small space they can find. Orange is alligator gar based, having most of the features of a alligator, with the fishy genes of an alligator gar. They have their own pool they are most often seen in. they are the least ticklish out of the rainbow friends. Adores sunbathing.

Theirs tons more characters. Why are they not listed? Here's why: their extremely unimportant background characters, their just not all that interesting as they don't bounce off of any specific characters, they are so important to the story that mentioning them would spoil what I have planned, or I was just too lazy to write it.

Don't judge me for this I swear I'm normal.

RAAAH this took me like 2 hours to make raaaah

[avgury]

↳ picking theme songs is something that can be so personal

                                                                                        LISTEN HERE.

songs teddy relates to:

mitski - townie

there’s a party and we’re all going and we’re all growing up somebody’s driving, and he will be drinking and no one’s going back ‘cause we’ve tried hungry and we’ve tried full and nothing seems enough so tonight, tonight, the boys are gonna go for more, more, more and i want a love that falls as fast as a body from the balcony and i want a kiss like my heart is hitting the ground i’m holding my breath with a baseball bat, though i don’t know what i’m waiting for i’m not gonna be what my daddy wants me to be!

genius lyrics describes this song as “capturing the coming-of-age attitudes of anarchy against parental principles,” which, yeah, that just about sums it up. but really, i think the desperate, erratic tone of this song captures the fact that teddy is constantly trying to reform the perspective of her life to make it somehow meaningful, because she’s so certain that she’s missing something; the lyrics “we’ve tried hungry and we’ve tried full but nothing seems enough” along with the lyrics “change is gonna come but when, when, when,” really illustrate how teddy feels perpetually unsatisfied, always living in the future as she tries to picture a life that will be right, where she’s doing something that matters, like a main character. equally as important is the lyric “i’m not gonna be what my daddy wants me to be,” which is perfect for teddy, who has so violently and anxiously rejected the perfectly normal lifestyles of her family members, at least mentally. she could not picture anything worse than a life where she’s exactly what her parents want her to be: simple and quiet and married and unextraordinary.

odie leigh - crop circles

all these words of mine i’ve said before i’m running out of things to say, silence i can’t endure every time, i think i’m done but yet, another crop of memories, it springs up in my head and i, i don’t think i’ve changed no, and i’m too scared to stay the same so my carpet’s got crop circles, my carpet’s got crop circles these days

i think this song really captures a lot of teddy’s overall anxieties - she absolutely doesn’t want to stay the same, and she’s constantly consumed by the idea that she’s somehow running out of time to become the person that she wants to be. she’s felt this anxiety for so long that it’s familiar and agonizing, and she quite literally does run crop circles into her carpet. she paces around for hours on end, back and forth, back and forth, with some kind of unplaceable restlessness she doesn’t know how to cope with stirring inside of her.

a song that captures teddy’s relationship (with romy):

beach bunny - entropy

you’ll get over it in a few months see the way that i blush when our lips start to touch and i’m emotional thinking about why i had any doubts from the words pouring out i can’t exhale, but i can’t hide the letters in my bedroom, the way my heart’s in bloom ‘cause somebody’s gonna figure me out it’s what i am, it’s what i was, it’s what i wanna be come yeah, somebody’s gonna figure us out and i hope they do, ‘cause i’m falling for you

this extremely slay song is all about a secret relationship, so what could be more fitting for teddy and romy? if you go and look at the rest of the lyrics of the song, it’s pretty clear (at least to me) that the people in this song were friends before eventually becoming lovers, and i’m like pretty seriously sure that it has to be about gay people just based on all the nods to internalized homophobia. this song fits teddy and romy especially well because of the line “somebody’s gonna figure us out, and i hope they do, ‘cause i’m falling for you.” i don’t actually think either of them wanted their secret relationship to be found out - it was secret for a reason, and anyways, teddy thought it was romantic - but i do think there’s something to be said for loving someone so much you want to shout it from the rooftops. i love the lyric “i can’t hide the letters in my bedroom, the way my heart’s in bloom” firstly because teddy has absolutely written romy at least one long-winded love letter, and secondly because i really don’t think teddy has the easiest time trying to hide her feelings for romy, because she loves her so much, and it’s so hard for her to not let her face betray that. like, her heart is in bloom, guys.

group theme song:

creedence clearwater revival - bad moon rising

i see the bad moon a’rising i see trouble on the way i see earthquakes and lightning i see bad times today don’t go round tonight well, it’s bound to take your life there’s a bad moon on the rise

this one pretty much speaks for itself, i think, but i will add that in the book the shining by stephen king, when wendy is driving, she hears this song playing as some sort of omen. that seems relevant to me because i do kind of get the shining vibes from phantasm; for example, the idea of the spirits that are tethered to a certain place reaching out to someone (jack torrance, or the saboteur in phantasm) and making them do things they wouldn’t otherwise do to people that they love is very tethered.

a song that teddy has a special connection to:

lcd soundsystem - all my friends

you spend the first five years trying to get with the plan and the next five years trying to be with your friends again though we’re running out of the drugs and the conversation’s winding away i wouldn’t trade one stupid decision for another five years of life and to tell the truth, oh, this could be the last time so here we go, like a sail’s force into the night and if i made a fool, if i made a fool, if i made a fool  on the road, there’s always this and if i’m sewn into submission, i can still come home to this you forget what you meant when you read what you said and you knew you were tired, but where are your friends tonight? where are your friends tonight? if i could see all my friends tonight, if i could see all my friends tonight

this song is teddy’s hype-up song, especially during her senior year so far. the first bolded lines emphasize the way that teddy’s so caught up in planning everything and has trouble living in the present, but ultimately it’s her friends who bring her back down to earth and make everything worthwhile. the line “to tell the truth, this could be the last time” absolutely is referring to the fact that this trip is kind of their last huzzah with things being the way that they have been for the friend group. this song is so important to teddy because she honestly probably walks around late at night and has main character moments to it. i also think her dad was a big fan of lcd soundsystem, and he used to play it in the car when he drove teddy to school in the mornings. it’s kind of the only thing they have in common, so it means a lot to her and reminds her of him. if she hears it when she’s drunk she’ll start crying about how much she loves her friend.

the spooky 9 theme song:

lala lala - when you die

and if i could, i’d try again i’d predict what was ahead at the bottom of what made it stop i did such a real bad job and if i could, i’d do better save my friends from all this hurt take a picture of your brother, sorry for not leaving faster crashing cars on icy freeways keep my friend safe now and always turn the lights off, keep the bills low keep my friends safe, keep my friends close keep my friends safe night and day keep my friends safe now and always

i actually think everything about this is kind of self explanatory, even down to the title. the song as a whole is about death and trying to prevent it, and about wanting to keep your friends safe from anything bad that might come their way. since the spooky nine formed their friendship as the result of a dangerous, frightening situation, i kind of feel like to some degree, unity and safety has always been an emphasis in their group? and i’m not trying to godmod anyone’s characters and i’m also not trying to say that they’re, like, overly cautious, because i know that most of them aren’t. i just mean that i think it’s possible that looking out for each other was especially important to them, which makes this song fitting; on top of that, with the upcoming events that will no doubt put them in danger, i think a song that repeats the wishes to keep one’s friends safe makes a lot of sense. they have no way of knowing what’s coming for them this weekend, hence the lyric “i’d predict what was ahead,” but they ultimately just want everything to be okay, and for them all to stay safe. i think as her mun, i can tell you teddy especially wants this - for everyone to be happy and safe together, enjoying one another’s company.

[coryosbaby]

— ᴄʀᴜᴇʟ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ

Oliver Quick x fem! Reader

Content warning . drugging, non-con, pussy slapping, cunnilingus, multiple orgasms. MDNI

The first thing that settles over you is the heat between your legs.

Soft silk sheets rub against your bare body, and cool air seeps in between your thighs. The throbbing of your sex is borderline painful.

You whine out, your limbs heavy and relaxed. Towering over you, you see Felix’s dearest companion. Owen? Odis?

Oliver.

Yes, that’s his name— not rich like the others, but handsome and fit. A bit quiet, a lot weird. You remember catching his eye across Felix’s house party. You remember wandering in an empty corridor.

The rest is a blur.

He smiles when your lashes flutter. Your eyes widen when you process the fact that you are, in fact, nude in front of this stranger. Your arms feel like sand as you try to lift yourself up. You raise up on your elbows, and nausea rolls through you like a storm.

“No, no,” Oliver coos, pushing you back down gently. “No, sweet girl. Stay right there.”

You obey, feeling too numb to try to escape any further. You let out a tiny whimper when you feel a hand trailing up your thighs.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?”

He says it with great intrigue. As if you’re a science experiment worthy of his exploration. As if you’re an object. Your bottom lip wobbles, and you nod weakly.

“Poor thing,” he sighs out. His free hand goes up to stroke your hair. “You want it to go away, don’t you?”

You let out a tiny cry. You nod. You don’t know why, but all you can think about is Oliver’s hands on your skin. They leave trails of electricity in their wake.

“Okay,” he says softly. “I’ll make it go away. Be a good girl, open those legs for me.”

I can hardly move, you want to tell him. But he seems to notice quick, and lets out a tiny chuckle.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. ‘M so forgetful, aren’t I? Yeah? Here…”

He pulls apart your thighs, and your cunt clenches when you catch sight of the hungry look on his face. He licks his lips, watching your sticky lips peel apart as your most intimate parts are revealed to him. His thumb rubs against your inner thigh, teasing.

“‘S too bad no one’s played with this little cunny tonight,” he says. “So beautiful. And practically drenched. I can’t wait to eat you up.”

You mewl, your hips weakly moving to try and direct him closer to your heat. He shakes his head, as if to say, “no, don’t do that”. His hand comes down on your pussy, hard. You nearly yell from the stimulation, his rough fingers landing harshly on your little clit.

Seeing your reaction— all fucked out, pussy dripping even more slick if possible— Oliver slaps you again. Your legs clench up, but he pulls them back apart. He does it again. You let out a cry. He watches with focused eyes as he does this, all the while his lips turn into an unsettling smile.

“Look at you,” he teases, and slaps the rim of your clenching hole. “So fucked out from a little spanking. Maybe I should get you to cum like this first, yeah? Get this little snatch all swollen and bruised? Then I can fuck you, after that. Leave little bruises inside you, too. Mark you up, put some cum inside your little tummy.”

Usually, you would be sickened by such filthy words. But whatever Oliver had done to you is making you act in completely depraved ways. You let out a moan, a tiny “oh, please” leaving your lips. You have no idea what you’re begging for.

Oliver says nothing. Instead, his hand comes down on you again, and then another time, and another. And finally, with all the tiny sensations buzzing through you, you find yourself beginning to fall face first—or should you say, cunt first— into your orgasm. It seems Oliver knows every motion and detail of your release, smacking your clit at the perfect times to forcefully make you ride out your sweet high. You let out strangled sounds, tears falling out of your half shut eyes, your release dripping onto Oliver’s hand. He smiles as your breathing evens out and you come down. His fingers massage your pussy slowly, soothing the bruises already forming on the sensitive skin. You ease in and out of consciousness for a moment, and when you come to Oliver’s head is between your thighs.

It’s like heaven. Compared to his harsh hits, this is extremely gentle. He’s messy and sloppy, tongue scooping up your release from your hole, spitting it back down and massaging your clit. His big hands are splayed across your thighs, wrapping around them and pulling your pussy as close to him as possible. His eyes are shut, as if in ecstasy, and he moans into your cunt as he eats you.

Looking down, you can’t help but lazily move your hands up to his soft brown hair. Your head tilts back, your mouth half open. His saliva soothes the burn from his hands and drips down in between your ass cheeks. The tip of his tongue glides down to the soft skin between your ass and cunt, and he runs circles into it. He moves back up, up, up. His mouth drips with slick as he pulls away and grins.

“There she is,” he says. “Good nap, sweet girl?”

Your mind can’t bring itself to understand that he’s joking.

“Yeah,” you whisper. “Mmghh, more..”

“More?” He says, amused. “Mm, okay...”

He dives back into you. His thumbs go to either side of your pussy lips and spread you apart, giving him more access to your tight hole. He slips his tongue inside and massages your inner walls. Your back arches and you let out another desperate whine.

“Ollie,” you say, your words barely audible to yourself. He groans, his tongue flicking over your clit in the most delicious way, and your creamy spend soaks the boy’s tongue as you cum for a second time. He slurps it up like it’s his last meal, throat gulping down every single drop of your sweet nectar. When he pulls away, he wipes his chin on his wrist.

“So cute,” he says. “You already have a nickname for me.”

You bite your lip, vision hazy but you can still see the perfect picture in between your legs. Your cunt twitches for a third time, definitely not from your body’s own natural doing but still, it twitches nonetheless. You look down in between Oliver’s meaty thighs, see the thick bulge hanging heavy in his underwear. Your mouth waters, but you know right now isn’t the time to be sucking his cock. Not with how sick you felt earlier.

Oliver shoves his hand into his waistband, pulls out that drooling length that he’s been aching to touch for the past hour. He gives it a few sharp tugs as he positions it up against your entrance, making sure to get it nice and wet.

When he pushes in, it’s like a grating, irritable burn. Even drugged and fucked out with two loads lubricating you, he’s still so big. You sob, letting him go at his own pace. How could you do anything else, after all? You can’t push him off, can’t do anything but sit there and take what he gives you. Oliver grunts when his heavy balls press flush against your cheeks. He can’t wait to empty the big sacks into your gaping pussy, to breed you with his creamy seed and fuck it into you some more. He begins to pound your weepy cunt with no remorse, no mercy. His hips slap against yours loudly, shaking the bed and damn near the whole headboard. He grits his teeth, watching the way your doe eyes look up at him, your pupils heavily dilated. Oh, how beautiful you are, all drugged and pliant for him.

“Such a tight, creamy little cunt,” he groans out. “Knew you’d be perfect. Knew it’d be so easy t’just… fuck my cock right into you. You’re a dream, sweet girl. A f-fucking dream, y’know that? Yeah, it was just so easy to just slip that pill in your little red cup, wasn’t it? Best idea I’ve ever had in m’fuckin’ life..”

You don’t care about his words. Not right now. His cock is moving in you, awakening something primal deep in your guts, as his cockhead kisses your plush cervix, as his gooey precum connects to your plush lips and his cock in white, creamy strings when he moves in and out, in and out. You don’t care at all.

Even when he spills inside you with a loud, animalistic yell, you don’t care. He sits against you, rubs lazy circles against your clit, and makes you cum for a third time.

You pass out on the sheets without a second thought, and wait ‘till morning.

[99ves]

THE NSFW ALPHABET, haitani ran.

fem!reader x haitani ran. bonten timeline.impact play. panty stealing. body worship. exhibitionism. bondage. brat taming. throat fucking. mention of phone sex. fingering. edging. orgasm denial. (1) clit slap. creampie. petnames. praising. crack if you squint. dirty talk.

+ REI SAYS headcanons + drabbles.

(A)FTERCARE !

ଓ — what he’s like after sex?

ran is gentle, considerate even. exclusively for his s/o, he spends the coming down period placing chaste kisses over your entire body and rubbing any sore parts, focusing mostly on your thighs and ankles while praising you on how good you took him with that teasing grin of his. may indulge in pillow talk if he’s feeling up to it and almost always runs a warm bath for the both of you.

(B)ODY PART !

ଓ — fav body part on themselves and his s/o?

his s/o: ଓ legs !

lives for every single part of you; however, he has to admit to having a special weakness for your legs. tall or short or somewhere in between, it really doesn’t matter — ran loves feeling up on them– public or not, biting your calves, or even holding them up, placing soft kisses on your ankles as the angle from him standing upright causes him to thrust deeper into you than normal, hitting that spot that makes your legs shake uncontrollably.

himself: ଓ hands !

ran is attractive and he knows it, he takes pride in his charisma, but the one trait he is rather proud of, is most definitely his hands. they’re flexible with long, slender fingers that can fit in and around all the right places, eliciting the best reactions out of you. especially loves seeing them wrapped around your throat.

himself: ଓ arms !

similar to his hands, the strength and size of his arms are another favourite aspect of himself. it’s the same arms that hold you close while he’s scissoring his fingers through your pussy on his lap or that can wind around your back while he’s thrusting up into your plush, inviting walls.

(C)UM !

ଓ — anything to do with cum, basically.

ran’s a tease, so naturally, he cums on the place so close yet so far away from where you both want it. your thighs. might just get hard again from looking at your cum-soaked skin. albeit, when he’s feeling particularly mean, your mouth is his best friend.

━━

lips curved into a perfect o shape, ran jerks himself over your face.

“open your mouth.” pumping along his shaft a few more times, he releases a silky stream of hot, salty cum into your mouth, an animalistic grunt of pleasure floating from his lips.

utters a “don’t even think about swallowing it.” before patting your cheek.

━━

(D)IRTY SECRET !

ଓ — a dirty secret of his?

ଓ panty stealing !

not a secret because he never bothers hiding it, but ran loves stealing your panties. whether it’s right after a quickie or for fun, he stuffs them deep into his pockets like their some sort of keepsake. ran is damn near addicted to the smell of you and there’s nothing you can do to change that.

ଓ being dommed !

ran has also had multiple fantasies revolving around you edging him until he’s crying and can’t take it anymore. would find the contrast between your angelic face and dominant personality in bed incredibly attractive and very much so thinks he’d cum in his pants instantly upon you forcing him on his knees and telling him to suck his own baton.

━━

“you’re really going to make me beg for it?”

“fuck, sweetheart, please. i need you. now.”

━━

(E)XPERIENCE !

ଓ — how experienced is he? does he know what he’s doing?

not that much of a shocker, ran has probably only been in one serious relationship his entire life— if you’re not his first, but is no stranger to causal hook-ups. that being said, he’s probably more experienced than you are, and is good at understanding your feelings and desires. doesn’t take him long to memorize your sweet spots and definitely uses them to his advantage.

━━

“feels good, doesn’t it?”

━━

(F)AVORITE POSITION !

ଓ — this goes without saying.

ଓ missionary !

the older haiani enjoys deliberately trying out new sex positions in order to keep things interesting in the bedroom; albeit, ran is a missionary man, face to face! although, it gives him access to your lips and neck, he loves the intimacy and eye contact it allows him, as he gets to see your wet, clumpy lashes and your watery eyes staring up at him. like this, you’re beautiful— you are more than beautiful. and when you cum? well, that’s his favorite part. you almost always try to cover your face, too overwhelmed by it all to face him and those piercing violet eyes of his; and in turn, he almost always wrangles your wrists in one hand so he can watch you, watch your face contort as those beautiful fucking tears finally start to spill down your cheeks as he fucks you with even more force and precision, each stroke calculated to the t!

chuckles when he sees you mewl as you peer down. his cum is already leaking out of you, only for him to stuff it back in and watch the growing creaminess spreading all over the two of you with amusement.

especially loves the view of your bouncing tits and how easily accessible they are; easy to grab, squeeze, and play with just the way he likes. + kissing you in this position is sloppy and messy and more teeth than anything else.

ଓ standing up !

ran is strong and wants you to know it — feel it when he holds you up to pound into you.

likes hearing you whimper when his cock bobs and glides between your lips with every step he takes. every motion, rubbed against you and caught on your entrance with just enough pressure to feel, but not enough to actually get off to. pins you against the wall with his weight but doesn’t give you time to rest, his pace unrelenting, yet slow; the sheer intensity of his thrusts slamming into you overwhelming your senses. when your orgasm comes without warning, your body shudders and spasms in rans grip, and wet heat splatters against your inner thighs as you practically scream his name, clutching onto his broad shoulders for dear life.

ran, however, barely misses a beat, riding through every second of your orgasm with enthusiasm. his breath hitches before his fingers dig even deeper into the flesh of your ass, spreading your cheeks, and you can hear his breathy laughter in your ear as the waves of pleasure continue to run through you.

ଓ bonus !

enjoys laying down behind you, your back pressed flat against his chest as he penetrates your pussy from that angle that you both love because it allows him the space and control needed to thrust into you just right, glistening cock sliding in and out of your messy pussy.

(G)OOFY !

ଓ — is he more serious in the moment? is he humorous?

always has that sarcastic, teasing humor that doesn’t seem to go away in bed. serious when he wants to be and understands when not to ruin the mood. tends to get very passionate, specifically when he’s had a bad day at work.

(H)AIR !

ଓ — how well-groomed is he?

pretty well groomed and keeps them the natural colour they are. as far as the cut goes, ran keeps it trimmed and short, even if no one will see it. he might even shave it completely if he’s going to be too busy to see to it properly for a while. he doesn’t have alot of body hair in general, though, his pubes lead up into a thin, very light happy trail.

(I)NTIMACY !

ଓ — how is he during the moment? the romantic aspect.

ran is very intimate in the moment. considers sex itself to be an intimate and romantic activity. even if he’s acting rough and dominating, he can’t help but let a bit of softness and love seep into his words and actions, whispering sweet nothings into your ear. probably one of the only times where he can voice his emotions easily without his pride getting in the way.

(J)ACK OFF !

ଓ — masturbation headcanon.

hm, ran rarely takes the time to take care of his needs, mostly because he usually puts it off in favor of working until he suddenly realizes just how long it’s been and how needy he feels; leaves him feeling so pent up and tense, not to mention unbearably sensitive, but getting himself off just doesn’t leave him feeling satisfied enough to be worth the time. would much rather prefer your plump lips wrapped around his cock, the feeling of his tip resting on your tongue eliciting a groan from him before he pushes in. 

━━

“fuck— that’s it, baby.” 

tears squeeze past your lashes and stream down your cheeks as nothing but the sound of ran’s deep moaning and your gags fill the room. he brushes a single thumb over your cheek, signaling you to look up at him. “always s’pretty with my cock down your throat.”

━━

(K)INK !

ଓ — one or more of his kinks.

ଓ phone sex !

ଓ exhibitionism !

whether it be in his office or during a dinner date on top of a high balcony as you overlook the city, what ran wants, ran gets.

enjoys the flustered look on your face as well as the excitement coursing through his body as he fingers you in a shared booth while on a double date with rindou. “you make a sound and it’s game over, baby.” 

“you think you deserve another finger? deserve to be stretched out before i use you, right here, right where anyone can see us?” he purrs in your ear, your walls clenching around him as you sink your nails into his bicep. “i think i wanna feel you stretch ‘round my cock, sweetheart. bathroom in ten.”

it’s safe to say, rindou knew exactly what was about to go down once you left the booth just five minutes apart from each other. 

ଓ vouyerism !

this man is an absolute sucker for watching you pleasure yourself; something about it makes the tip of his dick leak with pre-cum and twitch in excitement. 

“go on, show me how you like to be touched.” he’s sitting back, arms spread out on the back the couch; a glass of whiskey in hand.

you move your hands to your body, slowly cupping at your breasts and rolling your nipples between your fingers, a quiet sigh escaping your lips at the sensation. you bring them to hardened peaks before trailing your hands down your body, spreading your pussy lips with two fingers for ran to really get a look at you — just the way he likes. you can feel the dampness already oozing from within you, the thought of him watching you fuck yourself more than hot enough. you fingertips delved in, collecting your juices before coming up to circle your clit. you let out a soft moan, your head falling back among the pillows, your eyes fluttering shut. you’d been riled up since the previous night, and with ran busy at work, having not gotten yourself off, you were more than pent up. a small whimper escapes your lips and your hand slides down, plunging two fingers into your pussy with ease, a steady pace of thrusting and curling.

“atta girl.”

ଓ bondage/impact play !

a surprise to no one, ran loves bondage. having you tied up, watching as you wiggle helplessly, unable to escape his touch, never fails to turn him on. he especially likes using his tie, pulling at it so that it loosens around his neck, the knot resting in the middle of his chest, before he’s tying your wrist together and bending you over his knee.

specifically enjoys this on days where you’ve a brat. 

“do your worst, love.”

…is the last coherent sentence to slip past your lips. that was ten minutes ago, your pussy contracting around nothing as ran continues tracing circles — applying just the right amount of pressure onto the ache between your thighs, your breathing growing faster. increasing the pressure, your body jolts uncontrollably. 

you feel a burning sensation at your aching core, your legs twitching more aggressively. your back ever so slightly arches as you’re about to release, but the pressure on your clit disappears. you were in a cold sweat, chest heaving from panting too much and trying to keep your breath moderate, squirming against his legs as you moaned his name, sexually frustrated that you were deprived from your orgasm.

“what’s wrong?” he asks, sarcasm laced in his tone. “don’t you like being edged?”

you whine, of course, shaking your head, resisting the urge to press your thighs together. the hand holding your restrained ones remains still as his free hand slides down to pull your thighs further apart. he bends over some, his hot breath fanning against your ear as he opens his mouth to speak. 

“you should’ve thought about that before embarrassing me infront of my colleagues,” he chides, before slapping the soft flesh of your ass, eliciting from you a loud cry as you inhale sharply at the pain. “you like being a fucking brat, huh? love when all the attention is on you?” his fingers slide closer to your aching pussy, your hips bucking, desperately needing to be touched. a mistake on your part, his fingers meeting your cunt with a harsh slap right before cupping it, threatening to push his finger in. your hips jolt  in the air, the touch of his fingers making your body react suddenly and dramatically. “answer me.” 

"yes! god— yes ran. ‘m sorry, please..” you cry, turning your head to meet his violet eyes, peeping the smug grin on his lips. his lips were wet, hair tousled. he bared his signature toothy grin, before saying, “poor thing. always needing something— my attention, my fingers, my dick.” his grin grows wider when you shiver at the mention of his cock, pressing a gentle kiss to your temple.

“actions have consequences, baby.”  

on occasion, ran likes to be the one getting tied up. 

(L)OCATION !

ଓ — favorite places to do the do?

HIS. OFFICE.

mid fuck: 

you: “oh fuck— god, wait wait wait, ran do you think they can hear us through the walls?”

the executives:  “yes, we can!”

(M)OTIVATION !

ଓ — what turns him on, gets him going?

ଓ taking charge !

seeing you act bold or taking charge never fails to excite ran. it makes his mind wander and he can’t help but imagine you acting that way towards him, disregarding his power and taking control of him. huge plus if you’re angry. sends blood rushing straight to his dick.  

ଓ pulling him by his belt !

ଓ seeing you in a white button up !

ଓ back tattoo’s !

ଓ praising him !

ଓ when you get possessive !

saying things like “mine.” or “you’re no one else’s, okay?” will always elicit the response of “say that again.” 

(N)O !

ଓ — something he wouldn’t do, turn-offs?

not fond of anyone having the chance to see you in a disheveled state. your body and reactions are for his eyes only.

(O)RAL !

ଓ — preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.

ran’s favorite place to reside is by far in between your legs, sucking on your puffy clit, watching you writhe with his tongue buried deep between your folds; but, he’s definitely not opposed to receiving head every now and then.

seeing you on your knees, pink tongue lolling out of your mouth is an eye-watering sight for him; your legs rocking back and forth to try and dull the ache between your legs. his sensitive, throbbing head being teased by the swirling motions of your tongue, your dainty fingers twisting around the base of his cock. loves the way you kitten lick the underside of his cock and trace the thick vein with your tongue. it drives him crazy when his seed spills down the tunnel of your throat and you look up to him with innocent, glassy eyes. 

(P)ACE !

ଓ — is he fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.

hard and fast, slow and sweet — either way he makes sure to satisfy you completely. ran, of course, prefers slow and sweet, granting him the ability to completely worship your body, kissing and massaging every inch of skin, driving himself deep into your velvet walls, leaving no nerve ending untouched. albeit, that’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy hard and fast. he thinks there’s nothing quite like the high of a gang confrontation victory while being driven into your sloping pussy, his balls slapping the curve of your ass as he has you bent over the kitchen counter.

(Q)UICKIE !

ଓ — his opinions on quickies, how often, etc.

ran is a man who likes spending time praising each and very part of your body. doesn’t think you deserve anything half done which is why he takes his time. he’s not exactly opposed to a quick fuck, but chooses to only do so when you’re desperate and clinging to him. even teases you as recompense for taking up his time. 

“let’s see how quickly you can cum, hm?” 

(R)ISK !

ଓ — is he game to experiment? does he take risks?

man’s is a sucker for you. bring up a fantasy that you find hot, and he’d be more than willing to help it turn to reality. his pleasure comes from yours; loves to see your euphoric expressions when he’s fucking you oh-so-god against the balcony railings. 

(S)TAMINA !

ଓ — how many rounds can he go for? how long does he last?

he can and will go all night. 

stamina is off the charts and lasts fairly long during rounds. ran can usually go for 3-4 rounds before needing to tap out, for your sake. 

━━

ran’s head tilts at the side to gaze at your panting frame, your chest rising and falling after you’d just rolled off of his lap.

“oh yeah, so done. four orgasms, ran, really? feel like m’clits about to drop off,” you joke. 

a deep grumbling laugh rumbles from his throat, his strong arms leaning to pick your body up over back onto him, placing a soft kiss against your temple, thighs shifting to pick you up. “we’re finishing what you started in the bath, yeah?”

your whines, profanities, and fits of laughter can be heard through the penthouse as ran guides the both of you towards the bathroom.

━━

(T)OYS !

ଓ — does he own toys? does he use them? on a partner or himself?

prefers using toys on you rather then on himself.  

(U)NFAIR !

ଓ — how much does he like to tease?

isn’t even a question. he loves teasing and feeling you squirm and clench around his cock, his fingers, his mouth, whatever he’s teasing you with at the moment. he also loves the noises you make and the way they change when he stops teasing you and starts bringing you to an orgasm. 

finds it amusement in your failed attempt to tease him the next time around. “darling, you know, you really shouldn’t tease me.”

(V)OLUME !

ଓ — how loud is he? what sounds does he make, etc.

ran is not that loud, but that doesn’t mean that he’s quiet. grunts and groans a lot, especially just before he cums or when he’s praising you on how good you make him feel. other than that, he mainly only talks, and fuck is he good at dirty talk. deep, breathy sighs escape his lips when his sensitive head is suckled on and if you’re lucky, a strangled whine when you grab his balls.

(W)ILD CARD !

ଓ — a random headcanon for the character.

ran is a dom-leaning switch, so he loves when you take charge and ride out your orgasm using his cock. he’d say something around the lines of “you like that? like being in control?” as you’re riding him to no end. 

(X)-RAY !

ଓ — let’s see what’s going on under those pants.

ran’s dick is an impressive sight, but isn’t too intimidating. has a lot of length, more than the average person, and just enough girth to provide a stretch without requiring extensive foreplay. still, it’s a stretch that you can never become fully accustomed to — stretching your silky walls in such a sensational way, that you’d never grow tired of feeling the pleasure from the initial thrust.

(Y)EARNING !

ଓ — how high is his sex drive?

his sex drive isn’t as high as most people would think. ran works a lot, and is tired after a very long, stressful day of dealing with things like meetings, examining drug cargoes, ect. tries his best not to leave you unsatisfied, so if you want to fuck everyday, then hey, he can keep up. 

(Z)ZZ !

ଓ — how quickly does he fall asleep afterwards?

if it’s a quickie in his office or something, then obviously he just goes about his day like normal, but if you’re in bed at the end of the day, as stated before in aftercare, he may indulge in a bit of pillow talk, waiting for you to go to sleep first before falling asleep himself.

© 99VES 2021 — please do not copy, repost or translate any of my work without my permission. feedback and reblogs are appreciated!

[ptergwen]

Yk that one scene from the kissing booth where Elle doesn’t have any school pants that fit so she has to wear her old really short skirt to school with Finn, her best friend, how about y/n has to do the same with HER best friend Peter Parker

got your back

w/c: 1.3k

warnings: swearing, suggestiveness, and flash needs to get smacked

a/n: i got ur message about the name thing lmfhjsksj and thank you for sending this in!! i changed it up a little but i hope that’s alright cuz i love how it turned out :) pls enjoy <3

-

“oh my god, this is terrible. literally everyone’s worst nightmare come true,” you mumble to peter, gripping the subway pole tight in both hands. he’s standing on the other side of it so you’re facing each other. he looks you up and down with a crooked smile. “relax, y/n. it’s not that bad!”

peter’s gaze fixes on your bare legs. you’d woken up late this morning, so you threw on whatever you could find first in your closet. one article of clothing happened to be a mini skirt from freshman year that your senior body has seriously outgrown.

you were already out the door when you realized, peter gawking at you as you met him outside your building.

it was a good kind of gawking, for the record. he’s definitely into the skimpy style you’re unintentionally rocking, but he’ll never admit it. that would be creepy.

plus, friends don’t drool over each other in broad daylight. he’s certain he’d be breaking some sort of bestie code.

peter gives you a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “trust me, you’re not the only kid in the history of midtown who’s had a wardrobe malfunction.” your eyes widen at his understatement. “wardrobe malfunction? peter, my whole ass is out!”

“jesus, y/n/n. don’t announce that,” he chuckles, wrapping a protective arm around your middle. pouting, you bury your face in peter’s sweater clad chest. you feel safe here. peter squeezes you closer, the subway jittering to a stop.

you hoped you’d never have to get off.

“let’s hit it, promiscuous girl,” peter teases and receives a groan from you. your words are muffled. “shut up. i’m not going in there, and you can’t make me.” he presses his lips together, resting his forehead against your scalp. “listen… no one’s gonna care, okay? if they do, i’ll handle them.”

you back away from peter’s chest at last. he slowly lifts his head, teeth sinking into his bottom lip as his doe eyes lock with yours. the subway doors finally fly open.

“okay, okay. i’m going,” you sigh.

peter knowingly offers you a hand, which you gladly take. he threads his fingers through yours, his sleeve covering your intertwined hands. the two of you then trek onto the platform and down the stairs to school.

“girls get dress-coded just for showing their shoulders. i wonder what my sentence is gonna be,” you snort, following beside peter to the main entrance of midtown. “misogyny starts young,” peter agrees. “principal morita is usually chill, though. i actually heard he-“

the story is cut off by someone whistling at you. it’s none other than flash thompson and his posse, who shamelessly check you out as you walk by. peter’s blood instantly boils.

“y/l/n’s got body-ody-ody. who knew?” flash shouts out, his equally annoying friends cackling along. “sheesh, perfect way to kick off the day. i love breakfast and a view.”

his catcalling draws the attention of the other students around you. you’re soon being pointed at and whispered about from all four corners. you completely freeze, unable to process the words of reassurance peter whispers in your ear.

what happened to no one caring?

flash has the audacity to strut right up to you. everybody watches the exchange. “hey, save me a slice of that cake for later,” he mocks.

you’d normally fight back, put him in his place, but you’re so humiliated that you don’t have it in you to engage. luckily, peter is more than capable enough for the both of you. he’ll handle it, as promised.

“shut the fuck up, flash. she’s not interested. no one is,” peter spits, his jaw clenched. those are words you hadn’t expected to leave his mouth. “take the loss and get out of here,” he concludes. flash rolls his eyes. “she could speak for herself, last time i checked.”

beyond fed up, peter drops your hand and steps toward flash. he gets in his face and lowers his voice.

“i could knock you out with just a punch, last time i checked,” peter threatens. he never resorts to physical violence, but he’s willing to make an exception for you. “unless you’d like to earn another dislocated jaw… i’d walk away, buddy.”

flash gulps, vividly remembering his and peter’s incident on the bus ride to prague. that time was an accident. this time wouldn’t be.

“shit, fine. just… back up, man,” he weakly gets out. peter obliges with a sugary sweet smile. flash scrambles back over to his entourage, shooting you a glare on the way. your mouth fallen agape, you rejoin peter and grab his arm.

the entire courtyard has their eyes on you two.

“uh, nothing to see here! carry on, folks!” you awkwardly laugh. peter is still fuming, steam practically coming out of his ears.

people gradually return to their own conversations, although they’re now about you and your outfit choice.

you drag peter away from the scene and begin heading into school. “what the hell, peter? are you trying to get both of us expelled?” you scold. peter exhales hot air from his nose, you leading him inside. “no, of course not. i…”

he pauses, taking your trembling hands in his. you’re a bit freaked out from flash’s crude remarks, and understandably so.

“i couldn’t let him talk to you like that, y/n. i’m sorry if i made things any worse,” peter apologizes, sincerely. “i just want you to know i got your back, alright? always.” he frowns when he feels you start to shake. “woah, you okay?”

you plaster on a grin, brushing his concern off. “better than ever. um, we should get to class,” you change the subject. “maybe we’ll be early for once.”

peter doesn’t buy the act for a second. he’s not pressing, though. today is going to be rough, and your experience so far proves it. he won’t add to your stress.

“yeah, good call” peter affirms. “after you.” he gestures in the direction of your first period class. “and they say chivalry is dead,” you tut, peter wiggling his eyebrows.

you make one last effort to tug down your skirt as much as possible, the fear of being written up very prominent in your mind. peter gets an idea he wishes he’d thought of earlier.

“wait, i want you to have this,” he prefaces, checking the area before slipping his arms out of his sweater. you quickly move to cover him. “pete, what are you doing?”

as if he isn’t stripping in the middle of the hallway, he casually pulls the light blue material over his head. you’re relieved that he ends up to be wearing a flannel underneath.

peter stays behind you and wraps his sweater around your waist. “it’s not much, but it should help a little bit. keep you warm, at the very least,” he explains while tying it so that your whole ass isn’t out, as you’d gracefully put it.

“you’re a lifesaver, pete. thank you so much,” you giggle, a genuine giggle as you admire his handiwork. “thanks for standing up to flash for me, too. that was wild. dude nearly pissed himself on the spot.” peter playfully clicks his tongue. “he did not. i wasn’t that scary, was i?”

you turn to look at him for emphasis. “uh, you totally were! by the way, was that the first time you’ve ever cussed?” color painting his cheeks, peter scratches the back of his neck. “i guess so. never had a reason to until then.”

he’s suddenly tackled into a hug from you, your arms slung around his neck as you lay a big kiss on his cheek. he hugs you back by your waist with an eye-crinkling grin, careful not to mess up the sweater. a smile overtaking your features, you place your hands on either of peter’s cheeks. he kisses your palm softly.

“you’re a real one, peter parker.”

[daddyiluvhim]

my official ranking of Love and Lies:

1. Control - this song is just pure sex. the melody is so fun and the lyrics are spicy. gets better every time you listen to it.

2. I Can't Get By - I think this is definitely his best style of music. his voice is heavenly and that second verse hits so damn hard.

3. Nobody Else - I just love how cute this one is. the chorus is so fun and catchy and the romance of the whole song is just wonderful. this is the song you blast in the car with your girlies.

4. Pray For Me - my friend and I did a full listen of the album together and we both strongly agree that they should have put this on the regular album and that it has extremely strong radio potential. the genre is pretty mainstream but it is high quality music. the melody is super catchy and the beat is amazing. the lyrics fit the song very well. I wish he put this on the regular album because it doesn't deserve to be reduced to target lol.

5. Satisfy You - ugh I love everything about this. there's a sprinkling of spicyness but it's so inherently sweet and I love it so much. great melody and soooo catchy. the piano at the end is such a great touch. also it's wonderful to know that Jas is getting it every day and she deserves it. rich woman kink is A++++.

6. Lose My Mind - BANGER. the late late show performance really solidified it. vocals are superior. serious party music. it will forever be Naked song to me.

7. In The Night - I can't get over the first verse. he sounds SO DAMN GOOD!!! it's mainstream pop but it's a good quality bop.

8. Right Now - crying in the club never felt so good. the pre-chorus and bridge are bangers by themselves honestly.

9. Love and Lies - this was my friend's first time listening to the album and she was mesmerized from the intro all the way to the last beat. this is so catchy and he sounds amazing (without the autotune tho).

10. Blessings - this is some serious party music. I really have nothing else to say besides this is so much fun and I can't wait to dance to this with my friends. if your ass is still, fix that immediately.

11. Échale - he makes quality bops. he also makes stellar second verses. the pre-chorus is absolutely fantastic and the whole vibe of this song is freaky and crazy and just so much fun.

12. Foreign - the chorus is catchy and the melody is fun. it's good to know that Ant and I agree that Jas got that body-ody-ody but I would also love to be able to hear the lyrics to this one. it's super drowned out which is my biggest issue with mainstream/radio pop - I have to be able to understand the lyrics and with this one I only heard maybe one line per verse. I really have nothing else to say. this was definitely not a wow moment for me lol.

13. Masterpiece - I'm so sorry to say that this one just did not hit for me. the autotune is disappointing but the intentions were good and the bridge is wonderful. I will forgive him if he does an acoustic version.

14. Say Less - I gave her many chances. she did not live up to expectations. especially as the lead single. but late at night in the car driving alone is the mood you want because it will hit hard. I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet but I'm imagining how good it will feel.

Overall, this entire album is so damn incredible. This man never misses and he deserves all the hype he gets. I would suggest he avoid autotune because a) he doesn't need it and b) he can't use it right lol. Get this on the charts. Recommend it to friends and family and coworkers and classmates and any random person you come into contact with. The fact that I had to rank Blessings so low says a lot about the quality of this album. I feel lucky to be alive when I listen to this.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Help.”

Based on a discussion I saw between some readers last night. It gave e some ideas, and I thought I would take it and run with it :) Hope you guys enjoy!

He pulled a crate behind him. It rattled over the tarmac of the launch field as his boots pounded against the concrete. Cargo trucks and fuel tanks passed him on either side, their occupants waving in recognition as they passed him. He raised his hands to them in greeting, wincing slightly as his arm dropped back to his side. 

He glanced back at the crate, nondescript. If Krill found out what was inside…. Well he’d throw a fit, he would have called it a bitch fit, but for some reason that title seemed way too funny for what Krill would probably do to him when he figured it out. He sighed and stretched his aching back. Despite the heat out, he was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. He knew it probably looked suspicious, but the longer it took the others to figure it out, the better.

The Harbinger loomed overhead, all black lines and cold metal. He paused at the base of the ramp closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Even the smells were comforting.

He dropped his hand back to the handle of his cart and began rolling it up the ramp, a task which turned out to be a little more difficult than he had foreseen, and he struggled with both hands to drag his cargo up the incline. Suddenly his load lightened, and he turned to find Ramirez pulling with him.

“Morning, commander, what the hell do you have in here, bricks.”

“Actually I have your mother.” he grunted, pulling harder.

Ramirez snorted, “Dare you to say that to my mother’s face, she’ beat you about the head with her sandal.”

He laughed, “Why doesn’t that surprise me.”

Together they made it to the top of the ramp panting, “Seriously though, where have you been. You’ve been gone for like a week. Krill and sunny have been freaking out.”

He smiled slightly, “They would, and don’t worry. I’ve been requisitioning some stuff for the ship.”

“More jetpacks I hope.” Ramirez muttered.

The commander smiled, “Don’t I wish, but no, all the important boring stuff.”

“Where-have-you-been.” His smile grew stiff, and he sighed turning around to find doctor Krill marching up the deck towards him.

He stepped in front of the crate, “Participating in all kinds of heinous debauchery I assure you, you know like, gentlemen’s clubs, and drug houses, smoking shrooms and whatever the kids are doing these days.”

A hand patted his shoulder, and he looked over to see Ramirez smiling, “You eat shrooms commander, you don’t smoke them.”

“Hmm well shit, that’s why they weren’t working.”

The doctor stormed up, “You always think you're funny, and I never do. So where were you!”

“Like I was telling Ramirez. I had to step out to requisition some parts. I should have left the Lt. in charge, so I don’t see why everyone is so hot and bothered about it.”

Krill stepped forward, looking suspicious, “Why are you wearing that…. In the middle of summer?”

“Pure laziness Dr.” he said waving a hand, “Besides, I was overnight in the car, and just woke up as we were getting here, still trying to wake up. Now if you don’t mind.” He pulled the crate after him and down the hall greeted by other members of the crew as he passed. The spiderlings rushed to say hi, but were on their way almost as soon as they had said hi heading down the hall and out to make mischief. Following behind them, conn floated with extra interest, his eyes seeming to bore into the commander.

“You won't say anything? Will you?”

“I don’t give up internal secrets, but you need help.”

“Yeah and you need to stop being creepy as fuck, but we all have our little problems.” The two passed each other continuing forward. HE had almost made it to his quarters when a new figure stepped up before him. He sighed sufferingly and pulled to a stop as Sunny stepped up in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest, “Where have you been.”

He threw his hands in the air, “Does anyone realize these days that I am a grown ass man who is allowed to go leave and do things without telling everyone about them.”

She looked at him suspiciously. Perhaps a little confused.”

He kicked himself, he never usually talked to her like that.

He let his voice soften, “Don’t worry, I had to requisition some equipment, had a long night.” He motioned to his door, “Don’t mind if I slip in to catch a few winks.”

She eyed him, and he frowned; he did not see why everyone seemed to concerned, but she stepped aside and let him through holding the door open for him as he pulled the crate inside.

The door hissed shut behind him, and he locked it closed with a snap.

He sighed dropping the handle to the crate and walking over to the floor’length mirror along one wall.

He pulled back the hood and stared at his face for a long moment. He looked tired, bags under his eyes and sunken cheeks, but nothing too bad beyond that, maybe just a little pale around the eyes.

He grunted in pain again as he reached up tugging at the zipper of his sweatshirt pulling it down to show he wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

He pulled it off and dropped it to the floor giving himself a closer look.

This is what he couldn’t let krill see.

“Well shit. He muttered to himself turning this way and that to examine the hundreds of small red patches over his chest and abdomen. He reached a hand down to touch them, small red and slightly scaly in nature. He hadn’t had hives since he was in elementary school, but he supposed physical manifestations of stress were better than the mental alternative, besides while Krill wouldn’t have liked to see him covered in hives, he definitely wouldn’t have  liked what was above that.

Tiny disks of clear polycarbonate under a tiny metal rivet. 

From here the little pieces were visible on his chest, biceps, forearms, back of his hands, hips and stomach.

He turned around where to see where a line of them went down his spine from the base of his skull to the upper part of his tailbone, which he couldn’t see 

He took a deep breath and stepped towards the mirror, “Come on, do better.” He muttered to himself. Time to grow up and do what needed to be done.

No one trusted him to make these decisions, which is why he hadn’t told anyone. If he trusted them o trust him he would have asked krill to preform the procedure, but he knew the doctor would never have agreed.

He turned back to the crate and knelt to flick the lid open. The lid popped with a hiss, and he paused with a deep breath before pushing back the lid. He paused to look down at the contents breathing hitching and speeding up. His body went cold and then warm and then cold again.

He had to shake himself as he reached down and ran his fingers over the metal.

Now to test it out.

He took another deep breath. 

No one understood just how much he would do for the UNSC, for Earth. No one could understand what he was willing to do. All of them would just assume he was insane or…. What? Broken? Desperate? Confused?

He wasn’t any of those things.

He Tugged off the rest of the clothing and, Like the scientists had directed, he sat on the edge of the crate and slid backwards positioning himself just right before lying back. He closed his eyes listening to the sharp snap as the first rivet fell into place at the base of his skull. 

More sharp snapping noises came, and he expected agony to come with it, but when nothing did he cracked an eye and looked about. He was fine, no pain at all, though maybe a little pressure.

He sat up using his hands to secure to the rivets around front, locking them around his feet and then his hands.

He stood, the cold metal of the ship hard under his bare feet. Hydraulics hissed and clicked with him as he walked slowly back to the mirror. He paused before it’s reflective surface.

Project Iron eye, the progressive follow up to steel eye (though their choice of name was questionable.

A painless, drug less evolution of the first model, but that required permanent implants into the body to work.

He had made the decision upon learning about the project.

He had consulted no one, spoken to no one and visited with no one.

This was his choice, this is what he needed to do. Whether people liked to admit it or not, he was one of the few people standing between the entire GA and a universe full of threats. He needed to be prepared for anything, he needed to be stronger faster and more prepared than anyone else to make ready for the things he might be asked to do in the future.

The scientists had been hesitant to allow him to participate. They had no idea what a project like this would do to someone with trauma related to Steel-eye. He was, in essence stepping back towards his trauma and forcing himself to wear it like a rope around his neck. Where therapists and psychologist would have suggested moving on from his trauma, he had done the exact opposite.

He looked away from the mirror.

It was alright, as long as he didn’t look at himself he would be fine. His ody clicked and hissed as he moved around the room. Memories battered at the edges of his mind, but he stood firm forcing them back.

Not this time.

Not this time.

He-would-NOT-break. He was done with that. He was done being a loose cannon, he was done relying on other people to help him through his own personal issues. He was done being a child.

He was a man and needed to start acting like it.

He turned back and walked over to the mirror forcing himself to look, forcing himself to stare at the steel that encases his limbs and hands, forced himself to stare at his augmented body covered in that parasitic leaching thing that had destroyed his life so many years ago.

He would look until it stopped bothering him.

Even if he had to sit here all day 

He nearly leaped out of his skin as a knock came to the door. He yelped pushed violently back and nearly went flying across the room as the IE suit responded. He staggered fell over metal clattering against metal with a horrendous crash.

“Adam! Adam are you ok! “

He cursed violently and got to his feet, “yeah! Fine ! You just startled me. What do you need.”

“You sure you’re ok, that sounded like a pretty big crash.”

“Fine, knocked the table over.”

“Can I come in.”

“No I’m naked.” he announced hurrying back over to the crate, sitting on the edge and swinging his feet up, allowing the mechanism to pull from his body and hiss into place inside the crate.”

“You serious?”

“Yes I’m serious.” The rivets clicked open with sharp hisses.

“What is that noise?”

“Are you going to keep interrogating e, or do I get to change in peace?”

He was growing frustrated with constant questions. The last piece clicked into place, and he opened it up crawling form the locks and allowing it to click shut. Then he pushed the crate under he bed and hurried to the closet to grab his uniform quickly pulling on the pants, undershirt and jacket adjusting the cap on his head hoping that none of the rivets would be visible.

He walked over to the door and unlocked it.

“Now you can come in.”

Sunny poked her head into the room, “I thought you were supposed to be sleeping.”

“Just remembered I have a meeting.”

He saw her eyes flick down towards his hands, and he quickly turned away from her to secure his jacket into place discreetly pulling on the gloves before she could see.

“Maybe you should cancel. You need your rest.”

He stepped up to the mirror straightening out the last pieces of his uniform, ‘I can sleep when I’m dead.” He turned on his heel and walked past her patting her on the shoulder. Her eyes were still narrowed as she looked around the room.

He hurried past her out the door adjusting his cap.

***

He suppressed a yawn as he sat in one of the USNC conference rooms surrounded on all sides by brass both higher and lower in rank than he.

Someone raised a hand quieting the voices.

“Our first order of business, Commander.”

All eyes turned to look at him, and he straightened up hands clasped on the table before him.

“We’ve discussed our most recent missions, and I don’t know if I speak for everyone , but I am worried about you, and your crew. That is…. A lot to take on in such a short amount of time.”

He nodded his head doing his best to channel his father, calm and collected, “Yes Ma’am which is why I have requisitioned R&R for my men as well as full pscyh and physical evaluations to be run before our next deployment.”

“And you, commander?”

He felt his face tingle with nerves, “I have a lot to do for our next deployment, but I am sure I can fit something in.”

“Something you might want to consider doing sooner rather than later.”

He turned to look at the man who had spoken, “I’m sorry, Major, but perhaps I don’t entirely understand your implication.”

“I am saying that you are a loose cannon commander.” He sat back in his seat glancing around at the others who shifted nervously clearly agreeing with the man but unwilling to say it.

“I have a near perfect mission record, if not perfect.” He said calmly.

“But your methods are extreme.” Another voice protested.

“I would prefer extreme methods to dead men.” He forced his voice to stay calm.

“Have you been counting the amount of times you have almost died. The amount of missions that should have been suicide. Commander, I am beginning to think you are determined to martyr yourself to the cause. Some of our consultants have suggested suicidal tendencies.”

He sat back in his seat unable to contain his surprise this time around, “Suicidal tendencies.” he repeated, “I think you misunderstand. I have no desire to die, in fact dying scares me, as it does most people. That is why my  missions are successful, because I will do everything in my power to avoid dying.”

“Commander, the only reason we haven’t already grounded you is due to your popularity with the GA, and your integration into their command structure.”

“Grounded!” He took another deep breath. No he had to stay calm, they would take any outburst even understandable as a sign he was off his rocker, “On what grounds?”

“On Every ground commander. First we should ground you simply on principle of what you have gone through these past few months, war, imprisonment, returning to the steel eye project, The incident with the jetpack. You have been showing erratic behavior both physically and emotionally. You are not well enough to be making decisions for a military vessel much less the entire universe.”

HE took a couple of deep breaths, “Grounding me would be a mistake.”

“Why is that.”

He tilted his head, “Simply sir, space is where I am most comfortable. To ground me here on earth would only cause added stress to what I already have. It would be counter-productive.”

“That simple admission just demonstrates why you can’t be rusted.”

“No. if you took someone who loved the forest more than anything and put them in an urban environment it would cause them stress. That is a normal human reaction to being put in places one does not want to be.”

This is not your decision to make commander….”

“No, but maybe I should remind you of a few things.” he stood slowly, “Perhaps you intend to release me from my duties,or move me into a job where I can do no harm, but there is a simple reality you have not considered.” He rested his hands on the table, “I am the most valuable man in the universe right now and this is not simple narcissism on my part, it is a logical fact that I have been forced to accept. I speak three alien languages to near fluency Drev, Vrul, and Tesraki, I am sentinel of a Drev clan, and part of a second. After the debacle with the hybids, I am the only person the adaptid queen will speak with. If I am grounded the entire Tvek homeworld will dissolve into chaos.  I am familiar with and well-informed as to the Rundi command structure and the proper way of addressing, interacting, and making suggestions to the council. I am the only person who can communicate with the starborn. Lord Celzex will treat with me only. I have thousands of valuable contacts who owe me favors, who gather information, and who trust me with their lives. I am, unfortunately, one of the most popular and well followed men on earth. If I am grounded it would cause a media and civilian uproar. Recruiting would drop marginally.” he paused. He could have continued but it was getting almost excessive.

“You seem to think highly of yourself commander.”   

He shook his head, “Not that, I am simply giving you facts. If I were to speak while thinking highly of myself, I would simply remind you that I am the most accomplished pilot in the galaxy, I have more flight hours, more simulation time, and am the only person who can out-fly a burg frigate in open combat with an overheated warp core.” 

The room sat silent before him.

“As this goes on I will only get more experienced and by the time I am a proper age with the proper maturity you all wish for, I will be the single most valuable man in the entire universe.”” 

More silence.

The commander took a seat, “One last addition to my list.” he said quietly.

They all stared.

“I have the lowest mortality rate of any UNSC vessel despite being the longest operating. My ship has the highest ratings of moral and ob satisfaction. My men are loyal to me, and I am loyal to them.” He looked up at the surrounding table, “I would do anything for the UNSC, and anything for my men. You have seen what I will do,s o ask yourself if it is worth loosing what I can bring.”

***

He sort of just wanted to throw up.

The hives were beginning to itch, which wasn’t a good sign, but he had kept himself together during the meeting, and, as of yet, he had not been grounded.

He walked up the ramp and back onto the ship smiling weakly at those he passed.

He needed a nap, so he made his way straight to his room.

He was already thinking about his nice soft pillow as he threw the door open simply intending to pull off his jacket and hat and sleep in his uniform pants, but when he stepped in, he froze.

Eleven pairs of accusing eyes stared at him from the interior, and flicking his eyes around he saw the crate lying open on the floor.

Shit

Shit 

Shit 

Shit!

Ramirez stood up and approached to where he was standing in the door. The commander tried to crack a smile, “This some kind of intervention.”

Ramirexz didn’t crack a smile, instead grabbing him by the arm and pulling of his glove tossing it to the ground.

The little metal disks glittering in the iridescent light above.

The eyes around the room grew even more accusatory, but he didn’t bother to hide it. This was going to happen sooner or later, he had just hoped it would be later rather than sooner.

When he looked up, he saw that Ramirez’s face was twisted into an expression of pain, rather than the anger he had been expecting.

“Ramirez?” He asked in confusion, but the other man  cut hi off placing his hands on his shoulders to look him in the face. It seemed as if he was trying to say something, but gave up and suddenly hugged him, tight.

Adam went with surprise into the crushing hug feeling the man’s desperation as he whispered, “Commander, please, you need help.”

He tried to find words, but it was harder than it should have been.

“Please, you need help.”

[chappedandfadedvds]

Jan 18th, Monday 12:22

Jens sat at the table next to Robbe. Aaron and Moyo across of them talking about some hot girl that moved next to Moyo. He wasn’t really following along. His mind kept trailing off or blanking out at random moments throughout their conversation. Currently he daydreamed while he picked at the carrots on his plate.

Lies had left very late last night and he had woken to an empty bed and his father had called him to confirm the time tomorrow again. Then there was still the ongoing silence from Lucas.

It wasn’t bad day per se, it wasn’t a good one either. It was all pretty meh.

A meh day.

That fit it best.

Robbe’s elbow suddenly poked his arm in an attempt for attention.

„What?“ Jens called, after the third time the pointy bone had dug into his side, a little annoyed at his best friend. Who knew well enough, that Jens didn’t felt like talking today.

„Your phone.“ Robbe only replied unbothered by the tone in Jens’s voice. And secretly Jens was relieved, he hadn’t meant to snap at Robbe.

„Oh.“ And indeed his phone’s screen had lit up from where it laid next to the tray on the table. „Thank you.“

„Anytime.“ His best friend said, but it wouldn’t be him, if he wouldn’t lean over to throw a glance at the notification. Jens had taken the phone and had tried to keep the message to himself, it just hadn’t worked.

Lucas 11:48: follow me

„Mysterious.“

Robbe’s reaction was ignored by Jens’s head darting up and around to search for the young boy inside the cafeteria. It wasn’t even as packed, as class times were off and some courses held online given the everchanging regulations.

So he spotted Lucas fairly quick. 

Jens saw him standing next to the entrance, his gaze steady and it was hard to tell, if it would be something good or bad, as Lucas watched him rather indifferent.

„Go. And tell me later!“ Robbe decidedly commanded him, as he began to push up his best friend from the chair and Jens was inclined to sit back down, just to spite him. Instead he quickly grabbed his jacket and backpack to make his way over.

Lucas waited for him until he was just a couple steps away and then the younger boy turned around and lead them through emptied hallways. They reached the one that they usually had met up inbetween classes over the last weeks of school.

The two boys stood by the window and let their stuff fall to the floor.

Lucas looked out, while Jens’s eyes were strictly on him.

„I think, I’m done thinking.“ The younger boy declared. Suddenly his gaze on Jens, who was startled by his fear of what the conclusion would be.

His breath was short and his blood rushing through his body. 

Please, Jens silently begged, let us be okay.

Without another word or warning, Lucas took Jens’s hand. The tips of his fingers fitted perfectly into his own palm, Jens thought, as he watched them holding onto each other.

„So does that mean we are not over?“ Jens asked soft-spoken while he looked back up.

„I’m afraid I’m incapable of breaking up with you Jens.“  Lucas replied, a smile tugged to his lips that made Jens’s heart jump, before he grinned himself. „Yes, you idiot, it means we are doing this.“

„Alright.“ Jens said, his grin growing brighter under the new light of the situation.

„But!“

And then it faltered again.

„But?“ Jens repeated in question, the uneasy feeling in his stomach back and more present than ever. But, wasn’t good, Jens decided. Lucas tilted his head with a sigh, as he squeezed Jens’s hand.

„Let’s maybe think about how we can figure out to talk to each other better.“

„Yes, yes of course.“ Jens immediately concured as he regained his poise. Anything. Jens would have been fine with anything and this wasn’t unachievable. They could manage that. Jens was pretty convinced of it.

„Alright.“ Lucas nodded, both indulging in the familiarity of their shared space. „And if we are doing this, then I want to say something.“

„Go for it.“

„So yesterday you have talked a lot about how scared you are to steal me of all the hook-ups and relationships and opportunities I could have, if I wouldn’t be with you. You made it pretty clear, that you were afraid I would start to resent you and though I can’t see into the future I want you to believe me when I say that that isn’t going to happen, okay? But obviously you are as stubborn as one gets and thus I was thinking and.“ Lucas’s free hand fished a neatly folded piece of paper and a pen out of his pocket, that he passed onto Jens. „Here.“

Jens’s eyes darted back and forth between the paper in his hand and the worried look on the younger boy’s face.

„What is this?“ 

„Sign it and give it back.“ Lucas only said, as he untangled his fingers from Jens’s The older boy confused by what was going on.

„What?“ Jens therefore provided quite dumbfounded.

„Just do it.“

„Okay.“

He placed the pen on the window sill next to them, and then proceeded to open the folded piece of paper. It didn’t say much, anything really. But there was a date and Lucas’s name and space for his. A single sentence above: Get out of jail free.

„This is my get-out-of-Jens’s-jail card, I get to pull it if I ever should feel trapped, like you say I will be some day. Hope it will make you feel better, now that I can just throw this at you.“

„You are ridiculous.“

Jens huffed a laugh, while he went to take the pen and put his signature down. He shook his head amused by the silly things Lucas apparently could come up with, as he handed the stuff back over towards the younger boy. Both of them smirking at each other.

„I know.“ Lucas simply proclaimed, looking rather pleased with himself.

„You are going to be a great lawyer.“ Jens said. And meant it.

„Oh about that.“ The younger boy suddenly seemed to be reminded of something. „Robbe and me have looked into universities to apply to and I’m actually thinking about applying to the one here in Antwerp.“

„What? Why? There are clearly better options for you, right? You are smart, you should go to the best one or something.“ 

Jens really didn’t wanted to see the younger boy’s potention to go to waste. Lucas should try to get the best education and chances out there.

„I’m not saying I won’t apply to others as well. Definitely including Leiden, but I actually like it here and I know that at least Kes will try to move to Amsterdam, so it isn’t that I’d go back to Utrecht anyway.“ Lucas explained, while his hand was back in Jens’s. „And you are here, of course.“

„I’m beginning to like your idea with the card you made. Because I’m really doubting you to make the right desicion here.“

It was dumb to stay for Jens. Not that the older boy wasn’t hoping to keep Lucas with him, also after this school year would be over. However, with Lotte, it was pretty clear that Jens wouldn’t move away anytime soon. 

It also brought up a train of thoughts, that Jens wasn’t sure had seriously occured to him before. He had somewhat expected for Lucas to have to move back to Utrecht once his mom’s study ended. But that would definitely imply a long-distance relationship that Jens wouldn’t wanted to agree to. 

So it would actually be nice, if Lucas would just stay. They wouldn’t have to break up.

But it also really wouldn’t be wise to accept a lesser renowned university, if Lucas could as well study in Leiden or in the Uk or somewhere else. Anywhere, where a name would open him doors in the future. And only to be with Jens, who wasn’t even sure what to do with himself after graduation.

„Jens, stop overthinking it right now. Please, just let me decide for myself, okay?“

Perhaps he had shown the conflict in his expression. Perhaps Lucas just really came to know Jens better than himself. And that was what Lucas had wanted after all. For Jens to no longer assume to know better.

„Okay.“ Jens agreed, trying to stop his mind from making a list, why that decision wasn’t a good one.

„Okay.“ Lucas said, while he leaned over to poke  Jens’s nose with his. „Now. Kiss me, before we head back.“

Jens laughed, assured that he wouldn’t be able to say no, and followed the playful order that the younger boy had whispered against his lips.

__ __ __ tagged: @odi-et-amo85, @tayspots

[brilliantpride]

Yako stares at the clinic ceiling, still too sore to lift her head too much or, as she’d prefer to be doing, cause a nuisance for the clinic staff. After sleeping for hours (days, maybe? it feels like time is passing too slowly), she’s awake, for better or worse. Her body feels like the time she got knocked across a field with a broadsword. Breathing or shifting too much in her bed makes her muscles strain uncomfortably, and a sharp pins-and-needles feeling comes back. 

...Phew, it feels like she’s been through it. Most of it’s a muddled mess in her mind. She remembers... the labyrinth, walking endlessly, being alone. She thinks she had a visitor, no, a few, a bunch? since she got back home, but she was half-asleep, so it’s a little hard to recall. Did Cu and Connla pop their heads in, maybe? Did Mash? Ritsu?

...It’s quiet in here. It must be late. Or early...

“Ody?” she asks, quietly, but no voice answers her. ... “Ody,” she says, more insistently. Nothing. Yako sits up, searches for a terminal to tap on, despite the numbness in her arms. Her comms are gone... she must’ve left them in the labyrinth. Her jacket... where is it? She’s not wearing it. 

...

Yako rolls off the edge of the bed. She stumbles, bare feet on tile floor, feeling like she’s walking on knives. Even if someone drags her back, as long as she can be sure that everything’s fine...

-

Alone. It’s cold. It hurts. She’s alone. It’s so cold. It hurts so, so bad. Burned to a crisp and then exposed to the freezing cold of the outside. There’s no one here. The hallway goes on forever. She was supposed to have reached the elevator by now. 

There’s windows. ...It’s supposed to be snowy. Chaldea was snowy. Yako stares out the giant windows, the ones that run from floor to ceiling the size of a cathedral, so big it makes her feel like Fou; the world outside is... 

...space.

Twinkling, vast, the stars paint the universe, glittering and surrounding. Her breath catches and she presses her face to the glass; but she falls through, no glass to catch her, and finds herself tumbling out into the depths beyond. ...With no air to yell, she uselessly tries to swim backwards, but there’s nothing to push herself against. She floats, drifting away, even colder and more alone than before. The chill stings her scars, feels like the white-hot inferno she’s been bathed in before. 

...

...How long is she like this? Staring out at the billions of stars she can’t reach, so beautiful but too far away to grasp. 

I am Ananga. I am Atanu. I am Manmath and Kusumashar... 

Yako turns her head, trying to find the source of the voice. It feels like it’s coming from everywhere at once... 

Born from the mind. Lacking a body. No, my body was burned away. All because I did what that nagging goddess asked me to do, and interrupt her husband’s meditation just so she could get it on with him. Talk about throwing a tantrum. Why was I punished for doing something I was supposed to do? 

...Hey, just why are you here? Do you want to steal a peek at me that badly? I’m not in the mood, so get the hell out.

She’s back on solid ground again. This is... her high school?

White-painted brick walls covered with posters. A chalkboard that just had a smart-board installed in the last year. Metal desks and tile floor, and herself, a weighty backpack over her shoulders. She shrugs it off and drops it on the floor, and sinks into a desk chair, even though there’s no one here. She stares out a window, at a clear-blue sky with a ring in it...

...

She hasn’t thought about this place in a while. It wasn’t a very great place for her. Of course she threw all she had into it, but it was like things went in one ear and out the other, no matter how many times she tried reading textbooks or taking useless notes---the things she focused on were never the things on the tests, or she knew an answer but forgot it as soon as she stared at a quiz... All she really had to look forward to was chatting with her friends at lunchtime, though it felt like they were better friends with each other than with her. After school she would sit with a book, wishing the world, and her monotonous everyday with it, would just disappear, and she’d exist like that right up until the time she was supposed to be applying for colleges, suddenly remembering she was expected to fit herself into a world that wasn’t made for her, find something to ‘do’ and stick her identity to for the rest of her life, make something of herself so she didn’t disappoint her parents (though she’s sure that ship has sailed already)---but just what are you supposed to do when you’re not good at anything? 

It was, in a word---

---so lonely. 

Someone sits next to her. She doesn’t try to talk to them. Who is that, anyway? Where’s the teacher? The rest of the class? It’s too quiet... Did she come here on a weekend by accident? (Then how did she get inside?) 

...Oh, right. She’s not in school anymore. She graduated, things happened, and then she thought she’d gotten her first job, when...

...

“It’s not much to look at,” Yako pipes up, resting her chin in her hand. “I have more interesting memories.” She doesn’t look away from the window. It doesn’t matter who it is. “Unless you’re trying to find something that makes me insecure? ...Yeah, then I guess you found it.”

She sinks down in her seat, folds her arms on top of the desk, leans her head down. “Being trapped. Being stuck. Being forced to play a role that I just can’t. ...I can’t even think of what I thought I was gonna do. I think I thought I’d take a gap year that would turn into being a high-school grad with no future hopping between part-time jobs because it felt better than trying to... do something with myself. And then... here I am. Saving the world. Giving up a normal life altogether just because I haven’t figured my shit out by eighteen. Makes me kinda feel like an ungrateful asshole... My parents just wanted to make a good life for me, and that’s how I repaid them.”

She waves a hand dismissively. “Maybe it’s the atmosphere that makes me want to talk. I don’t really care.”

There’s silence. No... maybe she just can’t hear? Outside the window, it’s turned to night, the stars glittering beautifully. The lamps in the schoolyard parking lot look kind of like little suns.

“Not like any of this is gonna help you. I don’t have any doubts about what I’m doing. I know it’s the right thing, and I’ll keep going, no matter what. ...But I have regrets, yeah. I wish I’d tried harder. I wish I hadn’t given up like that, or become such... a shell. If you showed me a picture of who I looked like when I graduated, I’d ask you why her eyes look so dead.”

...It was only natural for me to become like this.

“I got here. I learned magic existed. I learned I could do magic. I learned I was chosen because I could do magic. I thought I found an adventure made just for me. And then--- I... ran away. I knew it would disqualify me. I’d be sent home. I was afraid I’d screw it up. I hid in a bathroom, and I think... that’s the only reason I’m still alive...” (Is she crying...?) “I remember prying open the door and the metal burning my hands, but I just kept going, because I was desperate, I didn’t want to die here. I remembered I was supposed to be able to do magic, so I used a reinforcement spell, even if I didn’t know what that was, and I pulled open the door and got myself out. I should’ve run away. Instead, I ran towards the core... the Rayshift room. I tried to get people out. Everyone in there was dead already. I wanted to save someone... just one person...

“...but the smoke was bad, and there wasn’t enough air... and I realized I would die in there if I stayed, but I wanted to help someone... and then a hole opened up and I heard screaming and there was the Director and she--- ...and then I...”

The feeling of dizziness and suffocating as smoke clogs your mouth. Flames licking at your skin. If you don’t want to die, form a contract with me. 

"All this place does is remind me of how useless I used to be. ...And still am, in a lot of ways. No matter how many times I tell myself I’m stronger now, I can take care of myself, I still find ways to cause problems for everyone. I keep having to get saved. I told myself I’d practice, I’d learn, I’d put more effort into this than I have anything else in my entire life, but I’m still lagging behind.” 

And maybe she always will be. Maybe she’ll never be enough.  Those thoughts will always stick with her, even after all the progress she’s made.

"...But the funny thing is... Yeah, I’m frustrated, but it just makes me want to try harder. Like if I just stretch out a little more, maybe I can grab those stars outside. It’s weird, right? I feel kinda like I should want to give up... but I just can’t. I want to keep going. I want to get stronger. It’s not even in an ‘I’m gonna prove myself wrong’ way, it’s just... natural. It feels good. If nothing’s a challenge anymore, then what’s the point of living? I’ll just go back to being bored all the time.”

She sits up again and turns her head, meeting a face she doesn’t quite recognize. She smiles, then she laughs, feeling a bit vulnerable.

“So even if you want to tell me it’s useless and I should give up, all I can say is... sorry, I’m too dumb to know when to count myself out. I’ll just keep going, getting stronger, getting knocked down, and getting back up again. See, the thing is, the more times you peel yourself off the pavement, the faster you get at it---and the less it hurts.”

-

Yako stretches and yawns, the pain in her body lessened somewhat. It’s probably the medicine, sure. She doesn’t feel as feverish, but she still feels like her muscles are made out of marbles... Man, it’ll suck if she needs to build up her strength again before she can head out in the next Lostbelt. 

“Ody?” she calls, absentminded. From a terminal by her bedside, a sound chimes.

[ Good to see you again, Yako. ]

“Ody! I was worried about you. What happened?”

[ The computer systems had been compromised, so I isolated my program from the kernel. ]

“Well, I’m sure glad to hear from you again! Just you wait, once I’m out of the clinic I’m coming for the sim! For some reason, I’m feeling really motivated!”

[ I’ll be sure to take your physicians’ recommendations into account. ]

Aww, seems like she’ll have to take it easy for a while. Ah, well. She’ll just have to find her momentum again! “Hehe. Sounds great. Let’s do our best together, okay?”

[dixitanurag400]

EXCLUSIVE: Ipl latest news Prithvi Shaw decided to form a press release After Failing in Australia – Ramesh Powar

Who played his cricket tough for Mumbai in many an Ranji Trophy title win, coached Mumbai to comprehensive wins in Vijay Hazare Trophy, maintaining an all-win record within the elite D, winning all five league matches, then the three knock-outs on the way to the title.

Ipl latest news

Mumbai cricket has gone from the low of finishing at rock bottom of the Elite E table within the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament in January to the high of winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy in New Delhi on Sunday. From losing four out of 5 matches within the T20 tournament that resulted within the coach Amit Pagnis resigning, Mumbai were helped to the title win within the 50-overs format by former India off-spinner and Mumbai stalwart Ramesh Powar. sunrisers hyderabad players

Ipl latest news

Test discard opening batsman Prithvi Shaw smashed the Vijay Hazare Trophy record by amassing 827 runs during a single tournament at 165.40 with four centuries including 227 not out, 185 not out and 165. Powar says that Shaw will fight his way back to the Indian team together with his roaring form.

Powar, who played his cricket tough for Mumbai in many an Ranji Trophy title win, coached Mumbai to comprehensive wins in Vijay Hazare Trophy, maintaining an all-win record within the elite D, winning all five league matches, then the three knock-outs on the way to the title. sunrisers hyderabad players

The 42-year-old Powar played in two Tests and 31 ODIs, and 148 first-class matches altogether , learning 470 wickets besides scoring in more than 4,200 runs including seven centuries and 17 fifties.

A former chief coach of the Indian women’s cricket team, Powar spoke with Cricketnext exclusively from Bengaluru, where he reached directly from Delhi on Monday evening for his BCCI Level 2 coaching course. Excerpts: sunrisers hyderabad team

Prithvi Shaw was sensational during the tournament. What clicked for him that didn’t within the Adelaide Test earlier this year in Australia? cricdaddy ipl live score

After three of our main players went from Jaipur to the Indian team (Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur) for the T20I series against England, Prithvi Shaw took over as captain. He was very hands-on, he was very helpful to the kids and took up the leadership role. He knew what it meant to be there for a player because he has been through tons of bad patches. He was there batting within the nets. And if not batting within the nets, he was ensuring everyone got the eye . He did tons of throw-downs to the kids . I even have seen him do 90 minutes of throw-downs non-stop. i used to be amazed at what proportion energy he put in mentally and physically for this team. cricdaddy ipl live score

What was Shaw browsing and the way did he cause that transformation in his game?

In whatever I saw him from on the primary day of practice in Mumbai, he looked a touch scratchy. I wondered the way to address this. once we reached Jaipur, we started talking a touch on what he was trying to try to to . But he knew what he was doing, the type of corrections he wanted to try to to . i used to be only monitoring and giving him feedback. it had been more associated with game situations. His runs were due to the responsibility he had towards the team. cricdaddy todays match prediction

He wanted to form a press release after the Australia failure (0 and 4 in Adelaide before being dropped from Test 11). He accepts that whatever on and off the sector he was browsing , he was trying to rectify it. He was doing tons of drills in his room. He told me he wasn’t stepping into the ready-position at the proper time. We worked thereon and he started getting a touch ready within the batting position. That helped. He was playing on the brink of his body. He was defending well. quite his attacking shots, I liked his defence within the whole tournament. That’s why he scored heavily. cricdaddy todays match prediction

He is the type of a man once he’s on a roll, he can play do whatever he wants to. He can play two-three shots for one ball. the main difference was that he had accepted he made an error . He has worked on his fitness also. He said his dad played an enormous role in his batting technique. He said he was keeping his hands on the brink of the body during the bat downswing. He handled the new ball, the swinging and incoming deliveries, very well. cricdaddy todays match prediction

Does captaincy bring the simplest out of Shaw?

He has been leading for quite a while . He was India Under-19 World Cup-winning captain (2018). He has led India ‘A’. He has been captain right from his Mumbai school days.

sunrisers hyderabad team He knows the way to handle pressure during a sport . He was made vice-captain of this Mumbai team and was ready for leadership. When the Indian guys went, he took up the role, he wanted to win the tournament. He wanted to contribute not only by scoring runs but also in planning, strategy, chatting with the young players, keeping it together when things weren’t going well for the side. It’s more to try to to with the mind-set. He knew what was wrong together with his technique and he addressed that. On and off the sector , he took responsibility for his behaviour. The manager gave him an area on the brink of mine within the team hotel. He was very disciplined. We were very happy about him. I hope he stays like that. He has leadership qualities and that i hope he carries it moving forward. He will come . there’s tons of cricket. India plays tons of cricket. If not during this series, he will catch on within the next series. https://cricdaddy.com/tournament-cup/ipl/sunrisers-hyderabad/

[mysticmcu]

A to Z, smut edition | sw

fandom: supernatural

character: sam winchester

request: yes | no

warnings: smut, duh. some kinks, too. dirty talk. you understood, right?

Aftercare − what they’re like after sex

Sam is definitly the cuddly type. He loves to spoon you after sex and make small talk. The subject could differ from time to time, you could talk about future together and the next one about the new enemy.

Body part − their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s

When you asks him, he always answer your face, but you perfecty know it’s your ass. Being an hunter always put you in a lot of atlethic situations and because of that you always have to be fit. 

Cum − anything to do with cum

He usally comes on your belly or in your mouth. He doesn’t want to have kids yet, so he tries not to come in you. But sometimes he get carried away by how much tight you are and forgot to pull before, even if he always wears a condom.

Dirty secret − a dirty secret of theirs

He loves to see you masturbate. When he’s the one to make you cum, he can only see you up close, only your face. Don’t get me wrong, he loves making you cum, but seeing you twitch on your own fingers, thinking it’s his, wake in him something that can only be classified as primal instinct.

Experience − how much are they experienced

Sam already have been with a lot of girls, that is know. Since the first time he touched you, you felt he knew what he was doing. With time he learnt every little spot that could turn you on faster.

Favourite position − goes without saying

Sam is a dom, you are a sub, so he’s always in charge. He’s favourite position is your feet over his shoulder, he in total control on every movement you do. In this way he can also push deeper inside you, two for one.

Goofy − if they are serious in the moment or not

Always serious in the actual act, maybe he can be goofy in the foreplay or aftercare. Infact he doesn’t talk at all, and when he does he just talk dirty.

Hair − how well groomed are they

He always tries to be well trimmed down there, but between hunts or the devil trying to possess him, he could forget.

Intimacy − every aspect of the moment

He will never hurt you for any reason in the world. You are the best thing that ever happend to him, and he is yours. He enjoy holding hands with you in public and soft kisses. Many times you two just sit in your bed reading books, you between his legs and his arm around your weist.

Jack off − masturbation

He doesn’t masturbate that much respectively then some years ago. This is probably because he know he has you now, but still, you cought him various times, usually during your period, in the bathroom a hand around his cock.

Kink − one or more of their kink

He likes BDSM, specifically biting, spanking and light choking. But more then anything he loves when in the heat of the moment you tug his hairs and arch your back.

Location − favourite places to do it

He doesn’t care. It could be a bed, kitchen counter, the wall or a table. He loves to do it in places, and times too, where anyone could find you. So sometimes you just go to the library to fuck. 

Motivation − what turn them on

Turning on Sam is easier than what you thought. You could lightly stroke your hand on his croach and you could have him eating out of the palm of your hand.

No − what they wouldn’t do to you

He would never do something that could make you unconfortable. Before doing something new he always asks your consent, or the safety word.

Oral − giving or reciving

Eating you out is his masterpiece. The sync with which he moves his fingers inside you and he’s tongue on your clit, makes you cum in less then two minutes. He’s not the only one who’s great at oral. Everytime you give him a blowjob, he cums in your mouth fast as a shark.

Pace − fast or slow, rough or sensual

He’s rought and fast for most of the time. But sometime, for example when you need to flirt with someone for a case, he teases you for hours before making you cum. 

Quickie − how often

You usually use quickies to apologize to him. This is one of the few times that you actually deep throat him. But you used it a couple times to make him shut up about a fight and make him say you were right. Apparently touch starvation on a man is really affective.

Risk − do they like to experiment

Experimentation is the usual for you. When he introduced bondage in your sexual life everything changed in better.

Stamina − how long do they last

Sam last longer at night than in the morning. Morning sex with him is sweeter and more loving than night sex. The last one - night sex - is your fevourite time, it’s rough but slow. And at the same time you feel more loved than ever.

Toy − sex toys, yes or no

Occasionaly, yes. You have the luck to have a perfect capable boyfriend but sometimes you like to explore beyond the borders of ‘usual’. Many, many time you find yourself with a vibrator between your thighs.

Unfair − how much they like to tease

Not that much, but enought to make you beg for something more. The tease in the couple is you, and he loves it. You tease is low key, small acts or words that you know could drive him wild.

Volume − if they are loud or not

Sam is not loud, and nether are you. That’s is probably dictated by the fact that you live with twenty hunter, right now. Maybe one day you two will have your cozy cabin where you can scream all you want, and the only people who can complain about it are deers and squirrels.

Wild card − random

Sometimes, when you two are on a case, you could find some cute boy or girl and invite them to your room. Yes, you and Sam occasional have threesomes. But just with people that you know you will never see again.

Xray − what’s in their pants

Not to get dirty, but he bought a new pair of saxx underwear last week. And we all know that saxx underwear is for big dicks.

Yearning − how high is their sex drive

It exist, that for sure. He’s not one of those man who sees a boob and gets visibly horny. He has his control over his dick and to be honest, you find it pretty hot. 

Zzz − how quick they fall asleep after

He never fall asleep before you. He always wait your breathe to go regolar, and then he close his eyes. He usually helps you relax by stroking your thigh with his hand. Sometime falling asleep turn into round two, but that’s another story.

[gritsandbrits]

Ninjago Odie Profile

Name: Odie Birdwell

Species: Human

Age: Teens (possibly same age as Lloyd)

Affiliation: The Ninja

Alignment: Good

Gender: Female

Physical Traits

Hair color: Chestnut brown (hairpiece and human)

Eye color: Grey (human)

Skin color: Yellow (LEGO); olive skin tone (human)

Hair length: Down to the middle of her back in waves, parted at the middle

Height: 5'9 (human), 4 cm (Lego Minifigure), no canon height on the show

Outfit

- Pale mauve short sleeved shirt (outfit)

- Dark gray capris

- Purple shirt

- Red jeans

- Dark violet sweater

- Gray satchel

- Teal Heart shaped sea glass necklace

Ninja Attire

- Pink training gi

- Official gi

- Kimono

- Her ninja outfits are currently WIP as of 5/6

Personality

- Untrusting to strangers

- Aloof

- Coquettish

- Easily exasperated

- Caring

- Down to earth

- Respectful to adults

- Determined

- Becomes more expressive

- Blunt when being honest

- Streetwise

- Clever

- Not interested in romance (see below)

- Diligent

Powers

- Supernatural Empathy

- Amorkinesis

- Convert spiritual energy into light

- Induce Love

- Spinjitsu

- Incorporates graceful dance movements in physical combat

- Archery

- Sense a person's true love, whether it's another person, an object, or an idea

- Fan combat

- Energy arrow

- Force field

Arsenal

- Bow of Hearts (not a Golden Weapon)

- War Fans

Hobbies and Interests

- Collecting sea glass

- Jewelery making

- Birds, especially owls

- Swimming

- Parkour

- Studying mythology

- Jewels and gemstones

- The colors purple, orange, and red

- Spicy food and candy

- Red bean paste

- Traditional fan dancing

Dislikes

- Her elemental power sometimes

- Being separated from her family

- People assuming she's dumb or uncouth

- Bland food

- Sour foods

- Spiders

- Training

- People coming to her for romantic advice

- People forcing her to pursue a romance just because of her element

- Not into makeup or body modifications

- When people assume she hates romance but in reality she's not interested in it

- When people assume she's cold and mean just because she's not as hammy or outwardly sociable as other characters

Family

- Aikamoré (ancestor)

- Titus (father, deceased)

- Rhea (mother)

- Rachel (younger sister)

- Richard (younger brother and Rachel's twin)

- Conor (youngest brother)

- Vanesa (youngest sister)

Friends

- Jetta (Skylor's cousin)

- Runner (messenger)

- The Ninja

- Skylor (her boss)

Enemies

- Tsuki-Onna

- Ice Samurai

- Pyro Snakes

Misc

Occupation: Part time employee at Chen's Noodles

Sexual orientation: TBD (either aro/ace or straight)

Love Interest: None (trust me Ninjago doesn't need anymore female characters whose only purpose is being arm candy for the males)

Voice actress: Shares Lapis Lazuli's voice actress

Symbol: Two swans forming a heart

Season debut: 11 onwards

Fanmade Seasons: Bad Moon Rising & Heart of Glass (both TBD)

• Odie got her powers from her ancestor Aikamoré. She is the first person in generations to have the elemental power, through her father's background.

• Odie grew an interest in making jewelry after being presented with a simple necklace from her late father. She believes that a simple piece of jewelry can make a better statement than make up.

• Ironically pink is her least favorite color so she rarely wears it unless it's one of her GI or an accent color

• I'm toying with the idea of her being aro/ace because I already have two Ninjago OCs who are and I have another who has an ambiguous gender love interest.

• Odie is the only person on the team to have long hair. She does put it in braids to keep it out of her face.

• Odie has arachnophobia.

• Odie's animal motif are birds, particularly swans and owls.

• She doesn't like her real name and prefers her nickname.

• I didn't give out her real name because I want people to guess her name.

• I wasn't going to give her a bow and arrow but I realized that the Ninja needed another person who uses a long range weapon besides Zane, and the bow and arrow was a obvious fit for Odie. The weapon she uses is a Japanese long bow.

• If Odie wasn't a ninja she would be still working odd jobs or a secretary/bookkeeper

• Odie learned her cooking skills through watching other people and picking up leftovers from street markets.

• Odie's powers are based on the four types of love: family, friendship, unconditional, and self love. These aspects are key to her character arc.

• I wanted to give her red hair but she looked too similar to Skylor so I changed it to brown.

• I intend for Odie to serve as foil for Harumi; a seemingly unlikable character who turns out to be a good, if not heroic character

• I'm working on a movie version of her.

• Odie's ninja outfits are actually inversions of Nya. So if Nya wears mostly black and light-blue outfits then Odie would wear white and pink.

• Odie's elemental symbol is a pair of swans joining their heads together to form a heart with their wings spread out almost like a lotus flower.

• Odie has two civilian friends: her coworker Jetta and a messenger girl named Runner.

• There's a short story arc where Odie is sent to her ancestor's temple to study martial arts. This is where she will meet another friend, Runner, her mentor Lady Lei, and her elemental dragon.

• Her dragon is named Corazon

• Tsuki-Onna (a villian OC) will be Odie's major enemy. Her backstory was that long ago one of Odie's ancestor trapped her for committing a very heinous crime.

• If Odie was human she would be Japanese, Danish, and Spanish. Seeing that Lego is from Denmark it would be fitting for a character to have some Danish ancestry. Odie's father was Japanese (or at least if as a human), and Odie's mother has Danish and Spanish in her family. I mean they're all Legos so...

Ninjago is a property of LEGO. Odie, her family, OC friends and Tsuki-Onna belong to me

Update 5/20/19: I might change her real life ethnicity to Pacific Islander, Danish and Japanese. The Spanish ancestry will be used for another character.

[lordnegan]

A very, very long muse info meme thing

Tagged by: No one!

Tagging: @twiicetheheart @boltxnbastard @ancientandforevcr @safetydoesntexist @YOU! Do this and say I tagged you!

( all of these answers are based off of my twd verse )

BODY AND APPEARANCE

1. DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER’S HEIGHT AND BUILD. IS HE HEAVYSET, THIN, SHORT, RANGY? —-Negan is 6′1″ / has a pretty average build and is thin/slender. 2. HOW OLD IS HE? —-48. 3. DESCRIBE HIS POSTURE. DOES HE CARRY HIMSELF WELL OR DOES HE SLOUCH? —-Carries himself strongly and with squared shoulders. 4. HOW IS HIS HEALTH? IS HE FIT OR OUT OF SHAPE? ANY ILLNESSES OR CONDITIONS? ANY PHYSICAL DISABILITIES? —-Other than issues with not being fertile, Negan is in top physical health with no physical disabilities. He is quite physically fit as well. 5. HOW DOES HE MOVE? IS HE CLUMSY, GRACEFUL, TENSE, FLUID? —-Moves with an air of confidence and certainty, a cocky swagger with a walk that tells everyone around him that he owns every bit of ground he walks on. Very “alpha male”. 6. HOW ATTRACTIVE IS THIS CHARACTER PHYSICALLY? HOW DOES HE PERCEIVE HIMSELF IN THE MIRROR? —-VERY physically attractive and he knows this fact well.

7. DESCRIBE HIS COMPLEXION. DARK, LIGHT, CLEAR, SCARRED? —-Light and fair complexion. 8. DESCRIBE HIS HAIR: COLOR, TEXTURE, STYLE. —-Black with flecks of greying at the scalp; his beard is more salt than pepper at this point. 9. WHAT COLOR ARE HIS EYES? —-A dark and intense hazel. 10. DOES THE CHARACTER HAVE ANY OTHER NOTEWORTHY FEATURES? —-Negan has a scar on the right side of his face, between his temple and his cheek. Also has a few tattoos on his arms. 11. WHAT ARE HIS CHIEF TENSION CENTERS? —-In his hands and shoulders. 12. WHAT IS THE CHARACTER’S WARDROBE LIKE? CASUAL, DRESSY, UTILITARIAN? BRIGHT COLORS, PASTELS, NEUTRALS? IS IT VARIED, OR DOES HE HAVE SIX OF THE SAME SUIT? —-Leather boots; always some form of darker jeans with a plain t-shirt; t-shirt is usually a lighter color but he does wear greys and even blacks from time to time. Over top of it, his well known and weathered leather jacket. Rarely, if ever, deviates from this style. 13. DO HIS CLOTHES FIT WELL? DOES HE SEEM COMFORTABLE IN THEM? —-His clothes fit well enough, though not entirely form fitting; a little loose without losing his shape in them. 14. DOES HE DRESS THE SAME ON THE JOB AS HE DOES IN HIS FREE TIME? IF NOT, WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES? —-Incredibly rare to ever see him without his leather jacket, but can be known to go without his jacket for short bits of time. 15. YOU KNEW IT WAS COMING: BOXERS, BRIEFS OR COMMANDO? —-Boxer shorts.

SPEECH

1. WHAT DOES THIS CHARACTER’S VOICE SOUND LIKE? HIGH-PITCHED, DEEP, HOARSE? —-Deep and bassy and hoarse. 2. HOW DOES HE NORMALLY SPEAK? LOUD, SOFT, FAST, EVENLY? DOES HE TALK EASILY, OR DOES HE HESITATE? —-Depends upon who he’s addressing, but usually he takes his time speaking and speaks through a hoarse and quiet tone. Words come to Negan very easily and he never hesitates or stutters on anything he says. 3. DOES THE CHARACTER HAVE A DISTINCT ACCENT OR DIALECT? ANY INDIVIDUAL QUIRKS OF PRONUNCIATION? ANY, LIKE, YOU KNOW, VERBAL TICS? —-Negan’s accent is vaguely southern and he doesn’t tend to have any kind of verbal tiks or quirks (other than cursing a lot). 4. WHAT LANGUAGE/S DOES HE SPEAK, AND WITH HOW MUCH FLUENCY? —-Really only knows English but has probably picked up a little on Spanish from school, but nothing substantial in the least. 5. DOES HE SWITCH LANGUAGES OR DIALECTS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS? —-Nope, sticks to what he knows. 6. IS HE A GOOD IMPROMPTU SPEAKER, OR DOES HE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HIS WORDS? —-VERY good at being well spoken on the spot and seems to always know exactly the thing to say in any situation right away. 7. IS HE ELOQUENT OR INARTICULATE? UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT THIS CHANGE? —-He’s eloquent in his own vile sort of cursing way. Even in dangerous, life threatening situations, he retains his eloquent and well spoken nature.

MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL

1. HOW INTELLIGENT IS THIS CHARACTER? IS HE BOOK-SMART OR STREET-SMART? —-Negan is blessed to have both book and street smarts. Both are exactly what brought him to being a strong leader and keeps him on top. 2. DOES HE THINK ON HIS FEET, OR DOES HE NEED TIME TO DELIBERATE? —-Is very capable of doing both, but he tends to succeed more when he has time to deliberate and form a plan that he can enact in a coordinated way. 3. DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER’S THOUGHT PROCESS. IS HE MORE LOGICAL, OR MORE INTUITIVE? IDEALISTIC OR PRACTICAL? —-Negan meets all these criteria as it largely depends upon the situation. He’s a very adaptable thinker, taking in all the angles he sees for consideration and going from there. However, he tends to go for a more practical approach with a mix of logic and intuition (though it is HIS logic and intuition he relies on, which can be seen as backwards and cruel). 4. WHAT KIND OF EDUCATION HAS THE CHARACTER HAD? —-A bachelors degree in physical education. 5. WHAT ARE HIS AREAS OF EXPERTISE? WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS HE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT? —-Due to his extensive schooling in physical education, he knows how to train bodies to be physically fit, knows the endurance of the human body, and everything in between. He also thinks certain scientific things are pretty interesting, though doesn’t have the time nor enough interest to pursue learning more about these things. 6. IS HE AN INTROVERT OR AN EXTROVERT? —-Very, VERY big extrovert. 7. DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER’S TEMPERAMENT. IS HE EVEN-TEMPERED OR DOES HE HAVE MOOD SWINGS? CHEERFUL OR MELANCHOLY? LAID-BACK OR DRIVEN? —-Generally, Negan tends to be even-tempered, having a level head that keeps him calm. However, he can be prone to certain outbursts of anger when he’s pushed too far and can act out verbally and physically. Even through these bursts of anger, he’s able to pull himself back and reassert his collected demeanor. Most times his anger is quiet and holds a sense of forebode. 8. HOW DOES HE RESPOND TO NEW PEOPLE OR SITUATIONS? IS HE SUSPICIOUS, RELAXED, TIMID, ENTHUSIASTIC? —-When it comes to new people and new things, he’s pretty eager to jump at the chance to learn about the place/people/thing. He also appears wholly comfortable in any new situation. 9. IS HE MORE LIKELY TO ACT, OR TO REACT? —-Definitely act but that won’t stop him from reacting (and quite boldly at that). 10. WHICH IS HIS DEFAULT: FIGHT OR FLIGHT? —-Fight but if there is an option to run away from a situation that looks grim, he will absolutely do so to save his own hide. 11. DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER’S SENSE OF HUMOR. DOES HE APPRECIATE JOKES? PUNS? GALLOWS HUMOR? BATHROOM HUMOR? PRANKS? —-Negan loves, loves, LOVES making terrible jokes, usually at the expense of others. In fact, he finds they’re better if they are at the expense of others, if only to get them to lighten up or to even unnerve them with his sense of humor. Which his humor tends to be grim and poking at harsh truths around him.  12. DOES THE CHARACTER HAVE ANY DIAGNOSABLE MENTAL DISORDERS? IF YES, HOW DOES HE DEAL WITH THEM? —-Negan has a lot of behaviors of having an antisocial personality disorder and comes close to checking off a lot of symptoms of being psychopathic, but not completely for both. Clearly has some repressed emotions and unaddressed grief regarding his late wife Lucille, whom he couldn’t put down and holds a lot of guilt over. From that, he probably still has some lingering PTSD and is projecting some of that onto his bat, Lucille, by having the weapon somehow fill that void of his wife. 13. WHAT MOMENTS IN THIS CHARACTER’S LIFE HAVE DEFINED HIM AS A PERSON? —-Losing his parents, being diagnosed as infertile, losing his wife Lucille to cancer, and rising through the ranks to become the leader of the Saviors. 14. WHAT DOES HE FEAR? —-Loneliness. Being completely and utterly alone with no one. 15. WHAT ARE HIS HOPES OR ASPIRATIONS? —-To lead his people into a prosperous future where he’ll continue to lead them, protecting and providing for his people, and aspiring to rebuild civilization with his own set of rules and ideals. 16. WHAT IS SOMETHING HE DOESN’T WANT ANYONE TO FIND OUT ABOUT HIM? —-That he does fear being entirely alone and that he worries about losing control. Also that, without his bat Lucille, he feels incomplete.

RELATIONSHIPS

1. DESCRIBE THIS CHARACTER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS PARENTS. —-His relationship with his mother was a good and loving one, whereas his father was slightly abusive and neglectful. Both are deceased, however. 2. DOES THE CHARACTER HAVE ANY SIBLINGS? WHAT IS/WAS THEIR RELATIONSHIP LIKE? —-No siblings, he was an only child. 3. ARE THERE OTHER BLOOD RELATIVES TO WHOM HE IS CLOSE? ARE THERE ONES HE CAN’T STAND? —-None that he was close to as he grew up with a slightly estranged uncle after his parents died. 4. ARE THERE OTHER, UNRELATED PEOPLE WHOM HE CONSIDERS PART OF HIS FAMILY? WHAT ARE HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM? —-None at this point. 5. WHO IS/WAS THE CHARACTER’S BEST FRIEND? HOW DID THEY MEET? —-His best friend was Lucille, growing incredibly close to her even before they married. However, nowadays, he doesn’t consider anyone a true best friend. Those around him he trusts he simply sees as those working for him, though he would tease them about being his best friend in jest. 7. DOES HE MAKE FRIENDS EASILY, OR DOES HE HAVE TROUBLE GETTING ALONG WITH PEOPLE? —-He can be a very agreeable man with people, really preferring things to be fair, though his habit of making sure others know he’s on top can bring tension into the equation. 8. WHICH DOES HE CONSIDER MORE IMPORTANT: FAMILY OR FRIENDS? —-Neither, really, as he doesn’t exactly see himself as truly having either. 9. IS THE CHARACTER SINGLE, MARRIED, DIVORCED, WIDOWED? HAS HE BEEN MARRIED MORE THAN ONCE? —-Legitimately widowed and only truly married once. Currently has about 7 “wives”. 10. IS HE CURRENTLY IN A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE OTHER THAN A SPOUSE? —-The relationship with his “wives” tends to be more physical than romantic and he hasn’t been romantic with anyone since he lost his wife, Lucille. 11. WHO WAS HIS FIRST CRUSH? WHO IS HIS LATEST? —-His first crush was on a classmate when he was in elementary school. His latest is @twiicetheheart (though it’s more of an infatuation than a crush). 12. WHAT DOES HE LOOK FOR IN A ROMANTIC PARTNER? —-It would take a lot of trust and understanding and moving past all the layers he’s emotionally built up around himself to get to the point he’d be looking for any kind of romantic partner. He has a lot of baggage and uncertainty when it comes to opening himself up like that. 13. DOES THE CHARACTER HAVE CHILDREN? GRANDCHILDREN? IF YES, HOW DOES HE RELATE TO THEM? IF NO, DOES HE WANT ANY? —-He’s wanted children for as long as he can remember but the news of his infertility began to drive him away from Lucille and drove a rift between their marriage. Because of his infertility, he has no children though he wishes he had them. 14. DOES HE HAVE ANY RIVALS OR ENEMIES? —-Oh yes. Yes he does. 15. WHAT IS THE CHARACTER’S SEXUAL ORIENTATION? WHERE DOES HE FALL ON THE KINSEY SCALE? —-Negan considers himself bisexual with a heavy preference for women. On the Kinsey Scale, he falls under “heterosexual, more than incidental homosexual tendencies. 16. HOW DOES HE FEEL ABOUT SEX? HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HIM? —-He really, really enjoys sex and finds it a good release for his tensions but is only into it if his partner wants it as well. 17. WHAT ARE HIS TURN-ONS? TURN-OFFS? WEIRD BEDROOM HABITS? —-He loves being in control in the bedroom, though he can find when a partner is a little more controlling/feisty, that gets him going as well. Hates the feeling of condoms so very rarely, if ever, uses them.

BELIEFS

1. DO YOU KNOW YOUR CHARACTER’S ASTROLOGICAL (ZODIAC OF CHOICE) SIGN? HOW WELL DOES HE FIT TYPE? —-Negan is an Aries and fits the type very well. 2. IS THIS CHARACTER RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, BOTH, OR NEITHER? HOW IMPORTANT ARE THESE ELEMENTS IN HIS LIFE? —-He was vaguely raised Christian, but finds that he’s more an atheist. He believes more in the material world than anything else. 3. DOES THIS CHARACTER HAVE A PERSONAL CODE OF MORALS OR ETHICS? IF SO, HOW DID THAT BEGIN? WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO COMPROMISE IT? —-Negan believes that the strong should lead and always look after and protect those weaker than them, though some of his behaviors are contradictory to this ideal he holds. He is also vehemently against rape, believing it to be a very savage act and warranting immediate death. He’s always held these beliefs, even before the world began to fall, but those beliefs came out much stronger than before once societal rules were no longer in place. 4. HOW DOES HE REGARD BELIEFS THAT DIFFER FROM HIS? IS HE TOLERANT, INTOLERANT, CURIOUS, INDIFFERENT? —-There’s a strange sort of curiosity in those that have different beliefs than him, almost like he tries to understand why they believe the way they do, but when it comes down to his hard and clear cut rules, he is wholly intolerant of them. For example, if someone follows a specific religion, he’s surprisingly tolerant and genuinely curious. But if someone believes blatant and senseless murder is fine, he is entirely and vehemently intolerant. 5. WHAT PREJUDICES DOES HE HOLD? ARE THEY IRRATIONAL OR DOES HE HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR THEM? —-Only prejudices he holds are those against people who have wrong him in ways he perceives to be wrong.

DAILY LIFE

1. WHAT IS THE CHARACTER’S FINANCIAL SITUATION? IS HE RICH, POOR, COMFORTABLE, IN DEBT? —-Being the leader of the Saviors, he has barely any need or want for anything as he can get whatever he’d like in a moment’s notice.

2. WHAT IS HIS SOCIAL STATUS? HAS THIS CHANGED OVER TIME, AND IF SO, HOW HAS THE CHANGE AFFECTED HIM? —-Again, he is at the top of the social ladder, his whims and desires being what guides him.

3. WHERE DOES HE LIVE? HOUSE, APARTMENT, TRAILER? IS HIS HOME HIS CASTLE OR JUST A PLACE TO CRASH? WHAT CONDITION IS IT IN? DOES HE SHARE IT WITH OTHERS? —-Lives in a cozy, nicely furnished, and comfortable room within an old, abandoned warehouse called the Sanctuary.

4. BESIDES THE BASIC NECESSITIES, WHAT DOES HE SPEND HIS MONEY ON? —-Negan has no need for money but has an abundance of supplies that he uses for himself, first and foremost, but also allows a lot of it to go to his people.

5. WHAT DOES HE DO FOR A LIVING? IS HE GOOD AT IT? DOES HE ENJOY IT, OR WOULD HE RATHER BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE? —-He loves leading his people and being in charge, being able to tell people what is or isn’t okay or allowed and wouldn’t have it any other way.

6. WHAT ARE HIS INTERESTS OR HOBBIES? HOW DOES HE SPEND HIS FREE TIME? —-Negan actually really enjoys reading to pass his downtime or spending some time with his wives.

7. WHAT ARE HIS EATING HABITS? DOES HE SKIP MEALS, EAT OUT, DRINK ALCOHOL, AVOID CERTAIN FOODS? —-He eats at least a couple meals a day, only the best foods out of which has been grown/found. He likes casually drinking alcohol, though tends to avoid growing drunk off of the substance as it reminds him of his father too much.

ASSOCIATIONS

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU ASSOCIATE WITH THE CHARACTER, OR WHICH IS HIS FAVORITE:

1. COLOR? —-Red. 2. SMELL? —-Leather/cologne musk 3. TIME OF DAY? —-Night. 4. SEASON? —-Fall. 5. BOOK? —-Lord of the Flies. 6. MUSIC? —-80′s rock/alternative. 7. PLACE? —-The Sanctuary.  8. SUBSTANCE? —-Whiskey. 9. ANIMAL? —-Panther.

(x)

[scouthearted]

spaces in your togetherness - a streetcrows fic

Six.

The world did not exist, and neither did Odette Rowel.

Everything, including her body and soul, was in a state of dreamlike horror, a state she was intrinsically familiar with. She never did remember any of her dreams but the nightmares, and those played out so normally except for the little twists in the world around her, little details that made the last vestiges of her personality cringe. The photographs that sat in their frames around the parlor were ones that she or Ethan never would have picked, for one; the two of them in tutus as they danced through part of Swan Lake as children, Ethan fake smiling during a family vacation as their father’s hand clutched his shoulder too tightly, and that horrible picture of their first day of college… the very picture that convinced Ethan to shave his long hair off. He never let it grow back. It looked better short, anyway.

Around her, people mumbled condolences. Odette decided not to respond. No, decided was wrong. She couldn’t have responded if she wanted to. She only had one sentence anymore, it seemed, and that sentence had been silenced by the only person she thought would understand.

Four.

“He’s not dead! I am going to find him. Don’t act like he’s dead!”

Oliver Rowel ignored her, continuing his phone conversation. “Roses. Twenty dozen of them. Black.”

“Father! He’s not dead!”

“Yes. I understand.” Odette momentarily softened until she realized this was to the person on the other end of the line. Her eyes, usually focused and steady, seemed to dart around. She was looking for… for Ethan. She could always count on Ethan to mock their father behind his back, until Odette had to try not to laugh, until she felt better.

But he wasn’t here.

Two.

“It’s not here,” Ethan laughed as he watched Odette overturn every little corner of his little apartment. “What do I need with a comb?”

“If this is one of your tricks, I swear to Grimen...” she said, half-snapping at him.

“Have you asked Mallory?”

“What would she do with it? She has combs of her own. I think, and her hair is so different than mine that it wouldn’t do her any good.”

Ethan adjusted, sitting cross-legged on his bed. Odette recognized it as his “sibling talk” position, honed between them after years of secret sharing in their shared bedrooms and dormitories. “Maybe it’s a girlfriend thing.”

“Or maybe you took it because you want to do your eyebrows.”

“With a comb?”

Odette shrugged. “I don’t know how you manage to keep them so perfect.”

“Actor vanity.”

“My comb.”

“Tweezers.”

Odette had to laugh at that, just a little. “Fine. I suppose I’ll believe you.” The grudging tone of her voice was her own little act… she never would choose theatre for a living, but she always had been able to give convincing performances anyway. “Well, then, I have business to attend to. I’ll be off.”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Odie,” Ethan said with an eye roll and a smile.

She didn’t say it back. It would ruin the moment.

It would, later, break her heart.

Three.

“Breaking news, another disappearance in a streak that police and media alike are calling the Aberration Spree Killings. Twenty year old theatre student Ethan Rowel, son of the Dean of Students at…”

Quieter.

Her Gift responded to her will, and the newscaster seemed to fade away. It was wrong. This wasn’t something to keep quiet. Everyone should know this. Everyone should feel how awful she felt. Like a switch, the realization made the volume reduction reverse, until the voice was normal volume, then loud, then terrible, then ear shattering, then-

the television exploded. As glass flew towards her, Odette sat, unflinching. The crescendo was always her favorite part of her gift.

Ethan had been the opposite. He had always preferred the softer decrescendos, when the volume was low and the world and the heavens were just the two of them.

Seven.

Odette fell onto her childhood bed feeling worse than she had at the reception, the viewing, the not-funeral. Whatever her father had chosen to brand it as when he decided Ethan was never coming home.

The room was pleasant like a room in a dollhouse, or a picture book. A child might dream of living in it, with its candy floss pink walls and curled iron bed frames. The carpet was plush and white, stains masked by Gifted housekeepers over the years. They must have never stopped cleaning the nursery, as there was no expected layer of dust. Odette’s three story dollhouse in one corner was pristine. Ethan’s little wooden stage with the tiny red velvet curtains looked as though it had been recently waxed. It felt as though any moment, two tiny and tired identical twins would enter, throwing their ballet duffle bags on the floor (they’d be yelled at for it the next morning) and collapsing to the beds. If only. Odette would scoop little Ethan up and never let him go.

She looked up. In the center of the room, as though straddling the invisible line that divided Odette’s half from Ethan’s half, was a plaque with a quote.

“You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore but let there be spaces in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.”

Their mother had picked it out before she died. Ethan and Odette had always liked that quote. They liked the dancing imagery, when they took ballet together as children, and the rest when they got older and learned what the quote really talked about.

Had they ever known? A space in their togetherness, once upon a time, had meant going on study abroad trips in different semesters. Not this. Not this.

Don’t dance through the heavens yet. You aren’t dead.

Five.

“Listen to me, Father, he’s not dead.”

Oliver Rowel never listened.

One.

Ethan picked his name with the gusto of a five year old. He played with Danger, with Rowan, and with the names of a hundred stars. He toyed with Siegfried and Benno and even Tchaikovsky, to match Odette’s name.

It took a while before he had the final idea. “Ethan Oliver.”

“Ethan Oliver?”

Ethan grinned. “Yeah, it’s Dad’s name, but flipped. Oliver Ethan Rowel… Ethan Oliver Rowel.”

“I never would guess you would want to be connected to Father.”

“Well…” Ethan shrugged. “We don’t always get along, sure.” An understatement if Odette had ever heard one. “But he’s still my dad. Maybe this will make him happy.”

“But does it make you happy?”

“Yeah, I think so. Ethan’s a good name. I think it fits me.”

Odette looked at her brother, a once-identical face, now so different than hers, like she was looking into a what might have been. She looked at his piercings, his clear eyes that were stuck between contacts instead of glasses, and his ever present smirk.

She thought about her initials, OER, Odette Elizabeth Rowel. They were once his initials too. Ethan Oliver Rowel, EOR, was close, but not the same. It was a space between them, two separate people who remained linked.

“I think it fits too,” she said.

Eight.

Ethan kept clothes at Oliver Rowel’s house, same as Odette did. Oliver, however, never liked Ethan’s clothes. Ethan’s wardrobe was thirty three percent leather jackets and metal band shirts, thirty three percent athletic wear for his active classes, and thirty three percent hoodies and comfy jeans. Casual, not befitting someone of their social standing, so Oliver liked to say. So while Odette had a dresser in their childhood bedroom, full of nice blouses and skirts for emergency stayovers, Ethan hid his clothes in the attic, among their mother’s things.

The cardboard box labeled Tonya Rowel smelled like attic musk and lavender and leather. It sat opened… Ethan stopped taping it back up when he realized Oliver never looked up there. Odette rarely did either, barely enough for it to be familiar to her.

Inside was a mixture of photographs of their mother, a lovely woman who seemed to bring her own light to wherever she was, and soft hoodies. They smelled like Ethan’s detergent. Odette tried, and failed, to blink back tears. For a moment, she crouched on the attic floor, her nose buried in her brother’s clothing, her heart recognizing him even as her mind knew he wasn’t there.

It was so confusing, something had to give.

And give it did. Dazed, dreaming, dissociating, she put on his hoodie and went to see Mallory.

Nine.

“Don’t worry. I’m not really crying. It’s just sort of happening right now.”

Whatever was left of Odette Rowel tried to make Mallory feel better. Hard when her own cheeks were streaked with tears that poured down her face, when her glasses were salt-stained and dirty. Mallory, still, looked more distraught than Odette felt. Odette had to comfort her girlfriend. That’s what girlfriends did, and anyway...

Mallory is all you have left.

Mallory, beautiful Mallory, brilliant Mallory, bold Mallory… she looked at a loss. A part of Odette wanted to laugh, but it came out a choke.

For once, she’s not together. She doesn’t know what to do. Isn’t that funny?

Her green eyes seemed to flash, and there it was. Mallory the wonderful was back, and somehow, Odette resented it down in the bare vestiges of personality she held. “Do you want to talk about him?” she asked, as if talking about him would bring him back.

“Let’s not… Mallory, let’s just go home for today, okay?”

She stared, then nodded.

When they got home, Odette locked herself in the bathroom with a pair of scissors. She didn’t come out until her hair was short. It was messy. Any other day, she would hate it, but Ethan would have loved it. She looked in the mirror and smiled.

Ten.

“You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore but let there be spaces in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.”

“This is a space in our togetherness.”

“Ethan Rowel is not dead.”

“I will find him.”

“I will do anything to find him.”

“I will do anything to find him, even if it costs me everything.”

“I will do anything to find him, and I have nothing else to lose.”

Eleven.

As she slumped into Raccoon’s arms, bleeding, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in Raccoon’s goggles. Short hair, a hoodie on, a genuine smile on her face for once. She looked like Ethan, as much as she could while still being herself. They always… they said twins… were like this… even as different as we are… we’re identical, Ethan, aren’t we?

“Bluejay! Blue...jay…?”

She laughed. “Looks like I overdid it a little bit…”

It was with the strength of an actor that she pulled herself up. She patted Raccoon, idly said some things (she wasn’t sure what. Focus hadn’t gotten easier, and dissociation was her normal), and walked away.

Ethan, I look like you. I don’t act like you, but I look like you. Would you be proud? No, I know the answer. Just trust your older sister, okay? This is a space in our togetherness.

Together we shall be forevermore.

[warninggraphiccontent]

29 November 2019

Manifesto destiny

What do this year's manifestos have to say about data, digital, open government and technology?

While we wouldn't expect them to get into the finer points of digital government and better uses of data in government - not in themselves the most doorstep-friendly of issues - there's a fair amount in there. Online harms, cybersecurity, citizens' digital rights, using data to better understand barriers to diversity (very Race Disparity Audit) and general references to technology across various sectors all make an appearance. There's not that much on open data or open government (beyond an eye-catching Lib Dem promise on a citizens' assembly on algorithms), or much detail on the Conservative promise to improve the use of data, data science and evidence in government (#classicdom). We've got a summary here, the Ada Lovelace Institute have one here, and Peter Wells has a thread on each here.

It's interesting to compare with the 2017 versions. The Conservatives apparently promised some new bodies on the use and ethics of data, and geospatial data - whatever happened to those? - while Labour promised to keep the Land Registry and all its data under public control (repeated this time around) and extend freedom of information to private providers of public services (ditto). No mention of Freedom of Information in the Lib Dem manifesto for the first time in a while.

There'll be some more on manifestos on this week's Inside Briefing podcast. We looked at, or rather listened to, prime ministerial tenure last week.

And in brief:

It was a real pleasure to chair Will from Full Fact, Liz from Digital Action, my old boss Martin from King's and the chair of the Electoral Commission, Sir John Holmes, on whether we can trust our electoral system in an age of rapidly evolving technology. All killer, no filler, as the kids say - well worth a watch or listen.

And if you liked that, you may like some of our other #IFGElection2019 events, including one next week on other aspects of our electoral system.

Another important event: on starting a career in public policy. Thinking about a career in public policy? Never thought about a career in public policy? Want to get started in thinktanks, or still wondering what a thinktank is? Come and have your questions answered on Monday 9 December.

To the Argentine Embassy for the launch of the Bennett Institute's new report on digital government in Argentina since 2015. Excellent discussion, excellent report, excellent empanadas.

No Data Bites next week - we're hoping to get started again in February. But as well as watching all the previous ones back, you can join us for some drinks on Wednesday - get in touch via Twitter if you'd like to join.

RIP Clive James.

It's easy to forget in the midst of the election campaign but it is nearly Christmas. Come and celebrate with my choir, the New Tottenham Singers, on Saturday 14 December.

Have a great weekend

Gavin

Today's links:

Graphic content

Let's talk about MRP

The key findings from our MRP (YouGov)

Election Centre (YouGov)

MRP election poll: Boris Johnson heads for big majority* (The Times)

Poll forecasts Commons majority for Boris Johnson* (FT)

How do pollsters predict UK general election results? (FT)

Manifestos

Where does the climate emergency first get mention in the party manifestos? (Tortoise)

A chart based analysis of the text in the Conservative and Labour manifestos (Daniel Tomlinson)

Manifesto word count (me for IfG)

#GE2019, etc

Top target seats in the 2019 general election – interactive (The Guardian)

Meet Parliament’s class of 2019* (The Economist, via Tom)

What happens if a prime minister loses their seat in a general election? (IfG)

A New Class Of Angry Partisan Facebook Pages Are Dominating The Online War In The British General Election (BuzzFeed)

Trust in civil servants/politicians (me for IfG)

Veracity Index (Ipsos MORI)

We're now three weeks without a Secretary of State for Wales (me for IfG)

Long term trend shows decreasing concern over economy, unemployment, rise of Brexit (Ipsos MORI)

Women in parliament (Alice for IfG)

Tax and spend

This is how marginal taxes work (Mona Chalabi)

Explaining progressive income tax (Matthew Armstrong)

Divided and connected: Regional inequalities in the North, the UK and the developed world – State of the North 2019 (IPPR)

Elections elsewhere

Hong Kong election results mapped* (New York Times)

A Staggering Number of Candidates Are Running for U.S. President* (Bloomberg)

Who is ahead in the Democratic primary race?* (The Economist)

Everything else

How Do You Find Good NFL Defenders? By Measuring What’s Not There. (FiveThirtyEight)

A kaleidoscope of river pollution (The ENDS Report)

Die letzten Mieter (Zeit Online)

Pope Francis, globe-trotting at an age when other popes have eased up, is trying to transform the church through his travels* (Washington Post)

Data and #dataviz

Survey of public sector information management 2018/19 (data.gov.nz)

Make your own UK General Election maps (Flourish)

Lowering the bar (Full Fact)

Reddit's Bar Chart Race moratorium is a good thing for #dataviz. Here's why. (Andy Cotgreave)

Meta data

Poll position

How YouGov's 2019 General Election model works (YouGov)

FAQs about YouGov's 2019 general election MRP model (YouGov)

MRP Estimates and the 2019 General Election (Anthony B. Masters)

Why you should take YouGov's MRP with a pinch of salt; Six thoughts on YouGov's MRP model of the 2019 election* (New Statesman)

Brexit didn’t cause all our divisions (UnHerd - although...)

Forensic polling analysis shows how Boris Johnson is on course to win—and how he can be stopped* (Prospect)

What to make of the polls? (Will Jennings)

The hidden predictor? Council control (Ian Warren)

Four Problems With 2016 Trump Polling That Could Play Out Again in 2020* (New York Times)

Election 2019: Can we trust our electoral system? (Institute for Government)

Manifestos

General Election 2019: manifesto tracker (Institute for Government)

Manifestos still matter even though their promises aren't being delivered (Institute for Government)

Tech/data in the 2019 manifestos (Peter Wells)

How will data and AI work for people and society after the UK General Election 2019? (Ada Lovelace Institute)

2019 Manifesto - 'Towards a Better Future' (techUK)

The Startup Manifesto (The Entrepreneurs Network/Coadec)

Future of the web

Contract for the Web (World Wide Web Foundation)

Tim Berners-Lee unveils global plan to save the web (The Guardian)

Read Sacha Baron Cohen's scathing attack on Facebook in full: 'greatest propaganda machine in history' (The Guardian)

Platforms don't exist (Ben Tarnoff)

Internet Harms: We need a Regulator, not a Censor (Martin Stanley for the Bennett Institute)

Internet world despairs as non-profit .org sold for $$$$ to private equity firm, price caps axed (The Register)

Oil, data, data, oil

Oil is the New Data (Logic)

The Next Big Cheap: Calling data “the new oil” takes its exploitation for granted (Real Life)

Data, transparency, openness

Unlocking the value of London’s public sector data (Eddie Copeland)

What does transparency mean? (Understanding Patient Data)

Open government must be more than a commitment on paper* (Apolitical)

11 thoughts on Donald Trump, Transparency and Records (Ben Worthy)

Cabinet Office ignores court order to release secret fracking report (The Guardian)

Open Banking: Consumer consent frameworks around the globe (ODI/Equifax)

Thierry Breton to be in charge of leading new ‘EU data strategy’* (Politico)

Everything else

Better than ethics (Rachel Coldicutt, Doteveryone)

Help TheyWorkForYou make sense of Parliament (Crowdfunder)

Taiwan is making democracy work again. It's time we paid attention* (Wired)

Facebook’s only fact-checking service in the Netherlands just quit (The Verge)

OPSI Primer on AI for the Public Sector (OECD, via Marcus)

Opportunities

AWARD: 2020 Statistical Excellence in Journalism awards launched (Royal Statistical Society)

JOB: RESEARCHER/POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR, AI ON THE GROUND INITIATIVE (Data & Society)

JOB: Director of Standards & Interoperability (NHS England)

JOB: Senior Researcher: Court Monitoring and Open Justice (Spotlight on Corruption)

JOBS: 2020 US Election (FT)

JOBS (Luminate)

And finally...

Thanksgiving

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Dinner Menu (FiveThirtyEight)

9 charts to be thankful for this Thanksgiving (Vox)

Practice makes perfect: Carve this virtual turkey* (Washington Post)

Politics

How the UK are predicted to vote is... (@notstelfc, via Haydon)

Winning here. Hang on... (via Alasdair)

Medieval Catholicism nudged Europe towards democracy and development* (The Economist)

Irish parliament red-faced over printer too big to fit through doors (The Guardian, via Alice)

Fibonacci Day

Fibonacci Anonymous meetings this afternoon... (Moose Allain)

A poem (Brian Bilston)

Everything else

How Emojis Have Invaded the Courtroom (Slate)

The Big Data of Big Hair (The Pudding)

Same. (@kamal_hothi)

Day in the life of a data journalist. (David Ottewell, via Graham)

Warning: Reading the Wikipedia entry for the guy who invented the bar chart will give you multiple cases of serious whiplash (Tom Wilson, via Tim)

Hi, I'm Bill gates and today I will teach you how to count to ten (@OneDevloperArmy)