#export import live classes

[hobiologist]

busan blues | jjk

summary: south korea's most notorious drug king pin lived life as a ghost; never seen, yet never to be crossed. never in your face, but never too far away. never in the room, but always listening.

by day, he lived life as a shadow with a reputation -- ruthless, unforgiving, impatient.

at night? well, he was something just a little bit softer.

pairing: jeon jungkook x (f) reader; jeon jungkook x (f) oc.

word count: 5.2k

warnings: drugdealer!jungkook, drug references, violence, unprotected sex, rough sex, oral sex (f. & m. receiving), guns, pregnancy.

available on ao3

It was rare that there was anything Jeon Jungkook couldn’t obtain. Money, drugs, women, upper class luxuries. Ever since he had been introduced to the world that put the term ‘sin’ to shame, it had bowed down at the mention of his name. Never his actual name, of course. To the world of guilty pleasures and intoxicated misfortunes, he was simply known as The Ghost. Never seen, never heard; yet somehow possessing the ability to make moves no one saw coming from miles away. Tilt the world on its axis without leaving a trace.

He had acquired the business from his uncle who had been in his late 50s and looking to retire; put aside the life of living in the shadows and enjoy what he had left of it. Jungkook had been 22 and searching for his path in life — the timing was perfect, the moment inevitable.

He was now 27 and had mastered the business like an art form — at least mostly. He oversaw nearly every drug import and export that occurred in South Korea, with his base being in the heart of Busan. The city wasn’t nearly as busy as Seoul; less potential eyes on him and his operation. But he was close enough where he could catch an hour plane ride to the capital if he needed to.

“He knows the shipment is supposed to arrive an hour after the confirmation time. This is his last job, he was already on thin fucking ice.”

The words he muttered to himself had been nearly the first spoken by Jungkook in the past hour. Rarely ever out of his office, he now stood underneath the familiar pier, looking out into the clear sea before him. The night sky made it nearly impossible to see, illuminated only by the slivers of light from the moon. 

The businessman was accompanied by two muscular guards about 8 inches his stature, both sporting black hair with fitted black t-shirts and slacks. They stood silently and watchful, more silent than the gentle waves around them. Each sported simple pistols near their waist, unafraid to use them if necessary.

When the sun rose, Jungkook owned a security company. It was how he had become acquainted with the guards who followed him around most of the day. They were quiet and loyal men — had been since Jungkook started the business. 

Truthfully, his security business mostly ran itself. He had an old friend, Park Jimin, who had gone to college for accounting. He ran the books and formed schedules; he mostly worked remotely but he’d visit the office a couple days out of the week. It was fairly simple — clients who needed security paid in cash, Jungkook would supply the workers and Jimin handled anything inbetween. He was compensated well for it. 

Jungkook did his best to make sure the finances for both his endeavors never clashed. The last thing he desired was to put his classmate, who knew nothing of his second life, in harms way. His personal guards were on payroll like everyone else the company hired — however, any overtime they received was directly from Jungkook, off the books. He paid them handsomely for their silence and loyalty. 

Contemplating, Jungkook began to pace back and forth in the thinning sand, hands shoved deeply in the pockets of his dark grey, Giorgio Armani suit. His black tie was rather unruly—loosened thirty minutes prior when his patience had started to run dry. 

In his line of business, structure was vital — deadlines, organization, punctuality. All of which were currently being violated.

Twenty minutes passed before the sound of rougher waves drew his attention. An hour later than expected, the small boat could be seen off in the distance, closing in on the drop off location. They never traveled large or in anything flashy; never wanting to stick out, operating in the shadows. Fairly content now that he laid his eyes on the boat in the distance, Jungkook turned his feet in the sand, looking at the body guard that stood to his right. 

“When he drops off the load, please make sure all $50,000 is there and the inventory matches the order. Lock it all in the safe, then you’re free to go. I’ll handle distribution in the morning.”

The day had been much longer than expected. 

On average, Jungkook was home around 9pm. However, he was beginning to encounter the issue of delayed shipments and logistical errors he had to fix. He wasn’t a fan of having to come out of the shadows — it put everything he worked hard for at risk.

One of his oldest workers, Jihun, was a friend of his uncle’s who had originally stayed on to make sure Jungkook easily acclimated himself to the business. He was a major part of the operation — performing background checks to make sure sellers were credible, scheduling meetings to perform trades and drop offs . What was suppose to be a couple years turned into five years and he was finally ready to retire. Jungkook couldn’t help but oblige. However, finding a replacement for him proved to be difficult. Jungkook had been attempting to do it remotely with the help of a few workers who had only ever communicated with him over email and had never seen his face. It was sloppy, but he was working every day to tighten it up.

The hum of gentle music on the radio settled him in for the 45 minute drive home. He relaxed in the seat of his black Mercedes truck, reaching for his personal cellphone he rarely ever used unless the sun had set. A warm smile spread across his lips as he looked down at the phone, clicking on the message thread titled ‘babygirl 💗’.

jungkook:

missing you, thinking about you. home soon, baby. 00:13 

babygirl 💗:

missing you too, baby. 00:14

The message came with a photo attachment Jungkook immediately opened, halfway keeping his eyes on the highway as he drove through the night.

The attachment displayed a picture of a woman in a pink silk nightgown that hugged her curves, black lace v-line exposing the plump of her breasts just enough to leave something for the imagination. He muttered curses under his breath, quickly typing back a response while keeping his eyes ahead. He felt the zipper on his pants struggle to expand as he attempted (failed) to keep his wild thoughts at bay. 

jungkook:

you’re fucking beautiful. be at the door when i get there. 00:16

The 45 minute drive home was a breeze, city lights flashing in the distance, loafer clad shoe pressed hard to the gas. His eyes played over the photo what felt like a million times, desire running through his veins like a river. 

She had the garage door open for him when he arrived, liked clockwork. She made everything function and flow behind closed doors for him; where as he was in charge and structured in his daily life, she kept their home life in order. She always had a meal cooked, his clothes pressed, the house clean, their appointments in order, the groceries stocked. He cherished her; more than anything else in his life — in his world that was black and white during the day, she filled it with her radiant colors at night. 

He parked his car, fingers slipping into the glove compartment to grab the golden band that waited for him. A soft smile on his lips, he slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand. Unlocking the door of his home, Jungkook took in the smell of washing powder, accompanied by her sweet scent of vanilla and spring that filled the air, garage door closing behind him. His eyes immediately glared towards the dimly lit entry way, seeing the woman standing in the same pink silk nightgown she wore in the sultry picture.

A low groan emitted from his lips, dark brown eyes pooling with shades of lust that the woman found all too familiar. She gave him a teasing smile, softly curled hair pooling over her shoulders in a way that made her look angelic. He removed his suit jacket, laying it over the couch next to them.

“Strip.”

Keeping eye contact with Jungkook, the woman slowly began to shred her gown as she had been told. She was always a good listener when he spoke. 

His daze followed her fingers as she removed the straps of her nightgown one by one. The fabric slipped easily from her fingers, catching ever so slightly as it slipped past the plump of her breasts. Jungkook’s breath hitched, causing him to loosen his tie, followed by the belt. He stepped closer to her with calculated steps, almost as if he was scared to touch her — scared to ruin the perfect image that stood before him.

The cold air sent shivers down her spine as she gently teased her hair, watching him stare at her in amazement.

“….You’re a work of art. You know that?”

Stepping closer towards her, Jungkook gently cupped her face, thumbs rubbing her warm cheeks. She smelled of vanilla body wash and ecstasy, drawing every inch of sanity he had left to the brink. She shivered as she felt his clothed body press against her skin, the bulge in his pants growing larger as he held her.

Catching the glow of her eyes in the dim light, he smiled at her briefly before meeting her perfect lips with his own. Their lips danced in a familiar, yet electrifying rhythm that sent sparks through his body. In 5 years they had kissed what felt like a million times but kisses like this never got old. She nearly melted into his touch, feeling her knees begin to weaken. He was so warm, so handsome, so hers. He smelled of amber and sandalwood, skin of his hands as soft as it had been when he left that morning. Good, she thought. He was unharmed.

Her fingers entwined in his pristinely cut hair, four carat diamond ring never catching on the gentle strands. It had been three years since they had gotten married. As with most things in Jungkook’s world, the proposal had been in the dead of night.  He woke her up from her sleep, chanting about a surprise that couldn’t wait. With tired eyes she held out her arms as he slipped on her robe and carried her to his truck. She fell asleep nearly instantly in the Mercedes, the soft human of jazz music luring her to sleep once he hit the highway. When she woke up, Jungkook was kissing her cheek, luring her out of the vehicle and into a park that had the perfect view of the stars in the sky. He had walked her around the park for a little while, going over memories from their past and professing his love in a way only Jungkook could — calculated, perfect and with beautiful imagery. Once they had reached the end of the park, there was a picnic table next to the river in their sight. The table was covered in glowing candles, a small meal he prepared and 24 bouquets of the deepest red roses combined to make one large bouquet. One for every month they had been together. 

He got down on one knee in a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, asking her to be his forever. And she couldn’t have said yes faster. It was the proposal she had asked him for, back when their one year anniversary came around and he asked her if she ever considered forever with him. She told him ‘of course’, thinking he couldn’t have asked a sillier question. But she requested that her proposal not be anything flashy; just simple, meaningful and when she least expected it. And he had delivered in every aspect.  

“So perfect like this. Look at you, baby.”

The wide palm of Jungkook’s hands groped the plush of her ass, kneading it ever so slightly as her eyes locked on his — sultry innocence and uncharted passion; he lived for it, breathed it even.

Locking in on her eyes, Jungkook slowly dropped to his knees, hands pressing into her hips and caressing her pelvic bone. She wore a small lace thong that kept nearly nothing to the imagination with its slit in the middle. He pressed a gentle kiss to her stomach, then to her clit. The moan she swore was gentle echoed through the walls of the mansion. It was way too big for just the two of them and their dog, Bam, asleep upstairs — but they called it home. 

“You’re so sensitive. Been waiting for me to come eat you all day, haven’t you?”

She moaned a hasty ‘yes’, fingers gripping his hair as his tongue began to gently lick her wet folds, slit in her thong providing him perfect access. The familiar taste of her arousal earned a moan of appreciation from him. He had thought it was insane to say she tasted like home but he knew no word greater to describe the taste of her on his lips. She tighten her grip in his hair as she held back her gentle cries, lost in the way his eyes lazily met hers as he took his time devouring her.

In this space, time stood still. In this home, they were in their own world. 

The cool touch of his wedding band against her pelvis made her smile, head dipping back in ecstasy as his lips began to softly suck her sensitive clit. As her orgasm neared, the touch of his ring brought back a distance memory. 

“I’m not a good person.”

It was their second month together, his eighth month in the business. They stood in the middle of a crowded club, neither of their style but they made an amusing commitment to start trying new things together. They had both been dancing, smiles on their faces as the music ran through their veins. The freedom he had felt as they danced, the way his heart pulled at him like he knew what this was becoming — or what it already was. He found himself no longer being able to looking into her eyes and promise her a world with no faults. As she stared back at him her eyes sparked of something Jungkook couldn’t quite place. She gave him a gentle smile, tightening her grip on his hand that rested in hers.

It wasn’t the smartest conversation to have in a room full of people, Jungkook knew better than that. He was a ghost in his work life and he never allowed himself to be seen out in public during working hours. 

“Good is subjective, Kook. Do you hurt people?”

There was a small furrow of his eyebrows that he prayed she didn’t see. He stared down at her eyes, looking back at him as if he controlled the stars. He’d never get over that, the way she looked at him. He was convinced he wanted to see that look for the rest of his life. Hold that trust close to his heart like a prayer.  

“Sometimes. Not unless I have to.” He firmly spoke, fingers never letting go of hers. By now the song had changed but the people around them continued to dance, paying them no mind.

“Do you actually own a security company?”

“I do.”

“Is that where you go when you tell me you’re going to work?” 

“That’s usually where my day starts.”

“If I ever ask you what you mean — all this saying you’re not a good person. Will you be honest with me?” 

Jungkook answered without hesitation, taking himself partly by surprise.

“I will. You have my word.”

“Then stop talking and keep dancing with me.” 

She gripped the couch behind her, feeble feeling arms being the only thing holding her up.  

“You’re so wet for me, baby. Been waiting all day to taste you.”

“God, Jungkook.” Whimpers escaped her lips as her fingers tightened in his hair in an effort to brace herself. He used one hand to hold her hip while the other began unbuttoning his dress shirt that had become far too hot. 

In the rush of feverish kisses and passionate touches, they found themselves moving from the living room to the california king with her cheek pressed to the mattress, his hips driving her to the brink of insanity and pleasure. He kissed the arch of her back as he thrusted his hips, the recoil of her ass making him feel dizzy. 

“Who do you belong to, baby.” His growled his words like less of a question, more of statement. Tears of pleasure welled in her eyes and she melted into his steady pace, lips parting as she struggled to breathe out an answer. She felt so full, so complete — mind so empty, bliss unmeasured.

“You, Kook. I belong to you.”

“And this pussy?” He kept a hand on her waist as the other wrapped her curly strands around his palm, pulling her hair ever so lightly to the rhythm of his thrusts.

“Yours, Kook. God, harder.” She gripped the sheets, fingertips shaking with impending arousal. He always did this. Fucked her to the point where she felt insatiable and nearly incoherent; craving him so much it made her entire soul shake. Like an addict breaking sobriety. 

“You’re going to cum again for me? So fucking greedy. Go ahead, cum.”

Her orgasm arrived shortly after, her fingers clutching the sheets as she cried out his name. The pump of his hips stilled abruptly as he pressed his head against her back, hands gripping her breasts as he released inside of her. He moaned in a way that rung in the woman’s ears, sex heavy in his tone and her name breathless on his tongue, heightening her climax beneath him. The ragged sounds of their breathing clung to walls of the bedroom. Jungkook pressed gentle kisses down the woman’s spine, savoring the feeling of being inside of her for just a little longer — safe, peaceful, perfect.

“Rough day at work?” She spoke after they had finished cleaning themselves briefly, lying in their afterglow and catching their breath. Her head rested on his chest, tracing his abs with gentle and familiar intrigue. 

“Frustrating to say the least.” 

“I could tell. You fucked a little harder than usual tonight.”

With her head against his chest, she listened as his heartbeat sped up. “Harder? Was I too rough today, baby?”

“No, never, Kook. I don’t think you could be rough with me if you tried.”

His finger pressed against her chin, tilting it just enough so that her lips met his in a warm kiss. It was lazy, thankful, still a little hungry — he always did a great job of that; expressing what he didn’t say with kisses. She relished at the taste of herself still left on his lips.

His fingers gentle brushed hair from her face, stroking the plump of her cheeks as he pulled her closer. 

The sound of the central air slowly pulled them towards sleep, dinner long forgotten at the table in exchange for serotonin and coitus. 

“I’ll be leaving early in the morning, around 6.” Jungkook lazily mumbled, arms around the woman’s body pulling her impossibly closer. She hummed in response, eyes heavy with sleep and satisfaction.

“If I’m not up, wake me when you get up?”

“I promise, beautiful.”

When the sun set, Jungkook was a husband.

She had been his secret. In the life full of drugs, money and evil he lead, he had somehow managed to keep her hidden away. It started off when they met 5 years ago during a charity event. Ironic, probably. She was an advocate for the development of cancer research and therapy for patients and families affected by the disease. Jungkook was an anonymous donor. He sat in the crowd but donated virtually under a pseudo name, assuring that he was always one of the highest donors. 

They first locked eyes when she gave a speech at the end of the event. She had been wearing a light pink dress with bows that fell on her shoulders. She wore soft white heels and a smile that showed how passionate she was about the cause. Her eyes scanned the crowd as she spoke, clearly having obtained training in engaging an audience. He sat in nearly the furthest row but their eyes still met. Immediately, there was something curious yet familiar that hung in the air between them — something they couldn’t quite place their hands on. Her eyes hovered over him a few seconds too long before finishing her speech, engaging the crowd and thanking everyone for their volunteer efforts.

He was a man of stealth but he was a man of opportunity.

So he waited until the crowd dwindled and the donors said their farewell before walking up to her, watching her begin to clear her speech material from the podium. He had suavely introduced himself — confident, with a sweet smile and eyes that hoped she’d give him a few minutes of her time. She shook his extended hand, introducing herself with a playful glimmer in her gaze that he longed to know more about. 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jeon. Have we met before?”

Jungkook woke up around 5:30 am. The smell of eggs and toast was the first thing to fill his nostrils. She had gotten up before him after all. She always did. As he came to, he felt the gentle presence of warm lips pressed against his neck, smooth hands sliding across his bare chest in a way that made his soul smile. 

“Good morning to you too, baby.”

She echoed a hum of appreciation at his words as she continued to kiss his neck, hands sliding down until they reached the bulge in his boxers, caressing it softly.

“You drive me insane, do you know that?” Jungkook continued to keep his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of her touch all over his body. She kissed her way down to the hem of his boxers, toying with the fabric. She pulled them down ever so slowly, cock springing out to brush against the plump of her cheeks. She hummed in desire, beginning to pressing soft kisses to the head.

“If we had more time, I’d ride you.”

He twitched in her mouth, a groan for what could have been leaving his lips. A sleepy laugh slipped from both of their mouths. She gripped the girth in her hands as she began to alternate between slowly tracing her tongue over the head and taking what length she could into her mouth, eyes hypnotized in pleasure as she savored the weight of him on her tongue.

The guttural moan he released sounded throughout the bedroom, precum sucked from his head as soon as it appeared. 

“Tonight, then. For right now, keep sucking baby.”

When they finished, the couple showered together and both indulged in the breakfast she had prepared. She helped him get dressed in another dark suit that occupied his closet, pressed to perfection just the way he liked it. She prepared an iced coffee for him and a protein drink for the drive. 

She had mastered the art of Jeon Jungkook to a science. She knew his routine like the back of her hand; knew what he would say sometimes before he said it.

Soulmates.

Before she knew it, she was watching Jungkook seat himself in the drivers side seat, practically pulling her in the car as he covered her face with gentle kisses. If his crew could see him now — tucked into the shadows of his own home, bathed in the glow of the woman who made his heart sing — they’d never believe he was the same person they knew.

“Don’t worry your mind too much today, okay? I’m feeling a little tension in your shoulders.” Jungkook playfully massaged the woman’s shoulders, getting a lazy but fond smile from her in return. 

“Can I make a request for the masseuse to do a home visit for you? Or would you rather go in person?”

“A home appointment sounds great, Kook. Thank you for thinking of me.” She traced random lines on his chest as he held her close, eyes scanning her face in search of what she wasn’t saying.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She loved that about him; his ability to know something bothered her without the need to pry. 

“Nothing’s bothering me, I just haven’t been sleeping well lately.” She hated to lie to him. He always knew, without fail. But he never pressed. It wasn’t in his nature — with her, at least.

“I’ll make the call but if this massage doesn’t work, we’re seeing a doctor.” 

She loved the way he spoke. So sure, so steady. He never left room for confusion or uncertainty, but he always took her into consideration.

He wanted to tell her that when she was ready to really tell him what was plaguing her mind, he’d be there. But he let her have it for now, not wanting to push her before she was ready.

“That sounds fine baby.” She gave him a soft grin, kissing his lips and stroking his cheek. She took a few seconds to admire him — the rosy tone of his cheeks that spread just a little as she stared at him — his big brown eyes that she never regretted getting lost in. He was everything she ever needed, she had been thoroughly convinced a million and one times. 

“Be safe. Eyes on the road and head on a swivel.”

“I promise, my love.”

Soon she was waving goodbye to Jungkook as he pulled away from the home and onto the road. She waited until he was far in the distance to close the garage door. Once he did, she double checked that the doors in the house were locked and that the security system was armed. She closed all the curtains and headed to the kitchen, opening a bottom drawer she knew Jungkook would never check. Inside the drawer laid two pistols she quickly checked to make sure were still fully loaded with bullets. Seeing that they were, she closed the drawer contently, heading to her office. 

Her office was her personal sanctuary. Having one at his place of work, Jungkook understood how important it was to have your own space to relax and work on your ideas, so he never entered without her permission. That’s why she had been able to leave the positive pregnancy tests on her desk for the past few days without him finding out. 

She was only about a few weeks along, nowhere near close to showing. She figured she had a couple of months before she had to break the news. This had never exactly been in their plan. It was somewhat an unspoken assumption that they’d never have children — with the lifestyle that Jungkook lived and how busy he always was, it never seemed in the cards. They had used the family planning method for years without difficulty. She had recently recovered from being under the weather and she suspected that threw the cycle of things off somewhere along the lines. 

For now, she tucked the four tests in her top draw, lying next to yet another black pistol. Tears welled in her eyes and she held her cellphone in her hands, contemplating if she should just call him and tell him. 

Her excuse ended up being that he was likely driving and she didn’t want to distract him. 

When she thought it about later, her excuse was that he must be busy at work and she wanted him to focus.

Her excuse when he came home that night, earlier than expected and in a much better mood than the previous day, was that he deserved to relax and she didn’t want to ruin his good day with news she was sure would devastate him.

It hadn’t been something they talked about, even when they got married. He never brought it up, so neither did she. She just loved him almost blindly, a blessing and a curse she was aware of. 

As she held him that night, listening to his soft snores and stroking his hair as he slept, her mind raced and she contemplated what life could look like for them if she confessed and continued the pregnancy. Would he have to give up what made him Jungkook? Would she be stuck at home to care for the child while he continued to place himself in whatever situations he dealt with on a day-to-day basis? She couldn’t fathom that. 

Staring at his sleeping face, she sighed and put her thoughts to rest, enjoying the weight of his body in her arms and eventually drifting off to sleep. 

She wasn’t completely oblivious to everything.

She had long known that Jungkook only wore his wedding band at home. Through some snooping, she found out that he always kept it in the truck, safely tucked away as the only thing in his glove compartment. He thought she didn’t know that he took it off the second he got in the truck to leave for work. Or that he put it back on as soon as he parked in the garage every night. She found out after they had been married for about 3 months, noticing the lack of lines on his finger whenever he washed dishes.

She didn’t think he was throwing himself at women when she wasn’t around. But she did worry that they’d throw themselves at him. She did believe he portrayed himself as single once he left their home. What she didn’t believe was that he was doing it for some adulterous reason. At least that was her prayer. 

She knew more about him than he thought. But she’d never ask him about it.

In 5 years together she hadn’t figured out exactly what he did outside of his security job.

She knew it likely wasn’t legal and that his daily life was surely more dangerous than he let on. She held his promise close to her heart every day; the promise he made to tell her his true occupation — the one that paid for the house, the cars, the suits, the lifestyle — if she ever asked. Truth was, she found herself a little too scared to ask. It’s better to be unaware, she convinced herself. She somehow told herself that it was better to sit at home and be unaware of if her husband would come every night than deal with the fact that the man she loved could be the devil himself.

Ultimatums, definites — two widely different sides of the spectrum.

His love was all consuming like that; thoughtful, selfless, inciting, promising. She had never feared him, not for a single second. But what scared her the most was that she knew she could find out he was the reincarnation of sin himself and she’d still never turn away. He treated her too good, loved her too hard, fucked her too perfect, knew her too well. She’d make any excuse in the world for him and sometimes that terrified her.

So she let him keep his secrets for now. She had hers too. 

authors note: i haven’t written anything in years so any form of feedback is appreciated. thank you for reading! :)

[pejite]

1850s english manor - historically accurate

Hi! Here's the build I've been working on for the past two weeks. I've made plenty of homes for working-class and somewhat well-off folks, but I hadn't shared a mansion yet, so I was really excited to get this one done. It took me a lot of effort, and I had to cut back on the CC usage and simplify the interiors so Tray Importer wouldn’t crash when exporting the CC.

Anyway! This grand house features a beautiful garden, an entrance hall worthy of a mansion, and a library-living room that leads to the drawing room and dining room.

There are two full floors of bedrooms and bathrooms. The master bedroom is on the top floor and is split into two with a small hallway in between, so the lords of the house can sleep in their respective beds as tradition demands.

There’s also a nursery and a room for toddlers. The mansion boasts a large greenhouse and a full floor dedicated to the staff, where you'll find the kitchens and the servants’ quarters.

Lot details

64x64

§1.228,338 💀

CC included in the download folder.

the interior:

master bedroom(s);

nursery and toddler's room;

floorplans;

download (FREE on Google Drive)

[phoenixyfriend]

I think that one of the things I find most frustrating about the tariffs conversation (and I find a lot of it frustrating) is... well, okay, it's two things, which are related:

ONE: MAGA are stealing leftist talking points

TWO: That's not how protectionist tariffs work. (This is probably the more important one.)

So.

ONE: The rhetoric of 'temporary hardship to reach eventual greater collective stability' is something that the left generally says with a little more sincerity, oftentimes with things like taxes for public infrastructure or welfare.

It also generally means that everyone experiences a touch of hardship, but the wealth is reinvested into the economy to boost the collective good; the sincerity is low with centrists, but higher with the far left.

The hardship is also more likely to not be moving money to the wealthy, something that is very much happening here. There are some massive shortfalls in tax income these past few years, some of which have been going on for decades, like the subsidization of the fossil fuel industry or unusually high investment in the military, but a big one recently has been the 2017 tax cuts that Trump introduced for the wealthy in his first term. They are, from articles I've seen, responsible for trillions in lost revenue per year sine their introduction, and while they expire in 2025, Trump and this Republican Congress have made it clear that they intend to extend those tax cuts as long as they can. The tariffs are to cover that gap in the budget, meaning that everyone is paying more in taxes, on goods that are disproportionately consumed by the lower and middle classes, in order to cover the tax breaks that billionaires got.

Very much stealing from the poor to give to the rich! That's what the tariffs are about!

e.g. yes you're paying a few extra dollars in taxes this year, but it's being invested in developing a free and reduced school lunch program; while you won't see any immediate benefits, and you'll be a little strapped for cash for month or two if you're living paycheck to paycheck, but you'll see a huge load off your mind come September. Could also be a few extra dollars for an infrastructure project, which takes ten years to build... but once it's built, your commute is cut in half because of the new bridge, or the electricity is subsidized by some new wind farms, or the landfill has been assessed and built over to be a safe, clean park. This second example about infrastructure is Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which fed money into infrastructure work and other major projects across the country; in many cases, state Senators, congresspeople, and governors who had voted or campaigned against the IRA would then take credit for the benefits their constituents saw.

TWO: You can't use protectionist tariffs to revive local industry without investing in it. High tariffs can minimize damage to the economy if the industry hasn't already left.

If the factories are still around, and the employees are still there and knowledgeable, and the resources haven't been left to diminish on their own, then you protect them with tariffs in the immediate aftermath of a shift in the status quo. You prevent the 'theft of business' with the tariffs, and since it all just seems to be business as usual domestically, it's a blip in the radar for consumers. A bit more complicated if the domestic market has also been exporting the product, as markets abroad will shift to the cheaper product you are protecting against, but you now have a bit more time to innovate a reason to keep market share.

If the industry has been allowed to diminish, or never really existed in the first place (we can't grow coffee or bananas or avocado or mangos at an industry scale, we do not have the weather for it), then a sudden implementation of protectionist tariffs will pass costs along to the consumer until the industry is up and running again.

You know how you fix that? Subsidize the industry you're trying to revive.

In 1910, there were 144,607 people employed in clothing factories in the US (1910 census, employment). This doesn't include people working in shoe factories (181,010), tanneries (33,553), dressmakers and seamstresses (449,342; presumably separated from the first statistic by not being in a factory), dyers (14,050), sewers and sewing machine operatives (291,209), shoemakers and cobblers not in factories (69,570), and the hundreds of thousands of people in the textiles alone (I'm not doing the math, but it's over a million). So we're looking at several million people in the garment industry in the US, in 1910.

In 2020, the combined category of Textile, Apparel, and Furnishing employment contained a total of 16,510 people.

You cannot bring an industry like that back to the US without heavily, heavily subsidizing it to

A. Keep the costs down to where the public can still buy clothing without making it so the people suddenly in this industry are paid pennies on the hour.

B. Train this new generation of people in an industry that barely exists anymore.

C. Build the infrastructure to support the industry, from cotton gins to sewing factories.

You can't bring back an industry that was in the millions in 1910 when there are less than 20,000 people doing it now, in a population that has more than tripled (92mill in 1910, 331mill in 2020).

I just. You have to feed those tariffs into rebuilding the industry. You can't feed them into tax breaks for the wealthy if your stated goal is to rebuild industry. I know that feeding money to his rich friends is the goal for Trump, but I'm so incredibly frustrated that people don't seem to get the basic functions of protectionist tariff application.

Almost forgot to advertize myself since this was just me venting about current events, inspired by a LegalEagle video, but:

Prompt me on ko-fi! I’m trying to move out of my parents’ house.

[weirdrtvscomments]

in case anyone is struggling with deciding who they want to vote for in the RTVStan/RTVS Nation/RTVSia/RTVS Topia/RTVS Topia-Ville presidential election, i have compiled a list:

Log

Representing the Ethernet Party: “A people with 5 ping to the main server is a people that prospers.”

Will change the name to RTVS Nation

Comic books are a part of the platform

Everybody gets a free moat

Eyes that are twice as big for everyone that wants them

Offload cost to Wifi users

Working on a battery charged snack

Hypnotist is a protected class

Robloxia war veteran

Defenses are proven

Will take your ants and import more

Endorsed by: Soulja Boy, Ken Masters, Stitch 

Signature move when President: Snake Trick (no weaknesses)

Punishment for other candidates: Follow him out & about like an RPG party

Mike

Representing the Sweets & Treats Party: “I was just outside eating a sandwich.”

Orange creamsicles will be available in every store

Free Steam Deck for every American citizen

Will lower tariffs and imports on all types of sweets and treats from Canada, while raising tariffs on everything else

Most important snack is Wasabi Peas

Not very good against zoners

Why are ants so bad?

Endorsed by: 2 (anonymous), Trap Snax

Signature gimmick when President: Whenever he eats a yummy piece of candy he gets an install, which gets its own theme

Special move when President: A cool punch like Marissa from Street Fighter 6

Punishment for other candidates: Have to reach into a bin of Bean Boozled that's 90% gross ones and eat it in public in front of cameras and the press. After, push into the alligator moat. Also, Mira’s idea

Mira

Representing the Drinks & Eats party: “I was rooting around in a dumpster out back.”

Will change the name to RTVSia

One of every food and drink, free of charge

Will develop a chemical compound called “Ketracel White,” will genetically engineer ants to be dependent on it 

Endorsed by: IceFrog, Yoshi, Yoshi (from Mario), baby Yoshi (might be one and the same), Chun Lee

Signature move(s) when President: Level up system (up to 3), if she gets knocked down she loses a charge of it, gets it when she does some power up move (or something), negative edge inputs (landmine, fireball, that one thing Bison does in Street Fighter 5), install where she gets a command grab, 8-way air dash, guard impact, levels reset between rounds, invincible super (can do it on wakeup)

Punishment for other candidates: Detractors rounded up and taken into woods where they are given a knife, camera, and laptop to make a Youtube channel of them living in the woods (Ethernet in the trees)

Trog

Representing the People’s Choice Freedom Integrity Liberty Justice Prosperity Sovereign Citizen’s Ethical Governance Democratic Renewal Global Sustainability Citizens for Unity (may be part of the Lego Star Wars Party): “We’re all part of God’s nation in my eyes.”

All breakfast restaurants have to be open for lunch & dinner in addition to breakfast

THEY HAVE TO GIVE YOU A LARGE WATER WHEN YOU ASK FOR IT

Desegregate PornHub and GayTube

Everybody gets a free castle

Immediately cease all snack exports 

Will start war with Canada

Will mail a bomb if you want him to

Will double your ants and give them to the next guy OR will turn them all into 1 big ant

New category on PornHub for ants

Will build death robots and a spaceship

Will be inventing gorgons, griffins, vampires, Frankenstiens, zombies, mummies, insects, gorgon ants (small)

Endorsed by: The Sims, Captain Video, Half Life 2: Lost Coast (demo), Tobuscus

Super move when President: 1 Sphinx on every tile surrounding, +1 food, +1 culture (if next to a river, +2 food, +2 culture instead)

Theme song: Steppin’ Out by Joe Jackson

Punishment for other candidates: All other candidates have to do an embarrassing pose and gaze into Medusa’s eyes, which will turn them into stone. The statues will be put in front of the White House, where during a nation-wide celebration they will be knocked down with a wrecking ball/individually destroyed with dirty bombs

Wayneradiotv/Wayne John 

Representing the California Milk Processors Board: “Enjoy DOGh.”

Every gallon of milk will have $2,000 in it

Free PornHub premium

Any dairy product you want whenever you want it

Will attract more ants

Will rename it to Milk Nation

Pig milk Iron Fist

Endorsed by: Britney Spears, Beyonce, Rhianna, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Shaquille O’Neal, Harrison Ford (all branded with Permanent Milk Mustache & committed their eternal lives), Batman, Mario, Spongebob

Signature move when President: Cow army that walks on their hind legs and shoot milk as projectiles

Punishment for other candidates: Mulched into feed for his cows

Things you need to rememer for the ONLY ELECTION THAT MATTERS!!!!

[iguanodont]

Introducing a new birg culture, and the reason the Twowi go to such lengths to cross the icy equator with their cargoes of rare metal and pungent gall-spice. The Ss’wassoum are a wealthy empire based on the far southern coast, where the sea-ice melts more quickly in the spring and its people first built their wealth on the sea-harvest. Their language is heavy on harmonized syllables, which lends their speech a distinctive musical quality. Family units are smaller than the fiercely clannish Twowi, and the gender divide is less rigid, though still distinctly matriarchal. Some of their most lucrative raw exports are refined tree-plastics and sea-silk, which is valued for fine textiles.

While the Twowi run on highly specialized industrial clan-towns, the Ss’wassoum exist in more diverse cities, though the class divide is impossible to ignore. The nobility are loud of dress and voice, with their ornate refined plastic head-dresses, vividly patterned veils, and resonators worn over the rear spiracles to enhance their voices. But despite all the attention they draw to themselves, their faces are always covered; to be perceived as gray-furred mortals akin to any commoner is inconceivable. They walk the streets as living demigods. Just below the nobility are the merchant class, which may approach their influence in wealth and education but are legally barred from the elaborate headwear and home exteriors of their superiors. Instead they adorn the insides of their homes with the latest in art and technology, particularly elaborate electric light fixtures crafted from imported Twowi metal. Commoners wear little at all in the sunny months, save for the occasional beaded sash and brass mandible-cuffs. Sailors and other hard laborers frequently adorn their bodies with scarified and dyed patterns to mark themselves for the goodwill of protective gods.

The Ss’wassoum government does implement a standardized education system of sorts, though only those of the upper class can test or pay their way into the finest schools, where they can master the high dialect and the art of Opinion. Historically, etiquette laws forbade the discussion of controversial topics in public spaces; these were reserved for halls of judgement. The rule is more of a social taboo these days, but an ancient loophole ruled that written forms of debate could be presented anywhere, and with the subsequent invention of movable type, a colorful written debate culture flourished. Wherever there is a public bulletin, a cafe wall, a blank space where people gather, you fill find posted essays on anything from the hypocrisy of the noble class to a long winded treatise on the merits of toe-biter clams. It is not uncommon for a debate topic to outlive the original essayists, as hills are chosen to literally die on are then proudly upheld by the writer’s descendants. So ingrained into Ss’wassoum society is this debate culture, that committed debate rivals may be legally recognized as a marriage-like partnership. Though the Ss’wassoum carry no expectations of monogamy to a reproductive partner, the correlation between rivalry and mating season partners does not go unnoticed. As a general rule, a worldly and strongly opinionated individual is more attractive.

Big thanks to @primalmuckygoop for pitching so many great ideas for these guys, including most of the lore on their debate culture, and the very name of this civilization!

—————

If you’d like to see more stuff in the works for birgworld, check out my Patreon!

Or you can support me through Kofi and Inprnt

[blackstarlineage]

The Kingdom of Mapungubwe: An In-Depth Analysis of Southern Africa’s First Great Civilization

Introduction: Mapungubwe – The Forgotten African Power

The Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–1300 CE) was one of the earliest known states in Southern Africa, preceding Great Zimbabwe and laying the foundation for later powerful African empires. Located in modern-day South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, Mapungubwe was a centre of trade, wealth, governance, and advanced social organization.

Despite its historical significance, Eurocentric narratives often ignore or downplay Mapungubwe’s role in African civilization, falsely portraying Africa as “uncivilized” before European contact. From a Garveyite perspective, studying Mapungubwe is essential because it represents:

Black economic success – Mapungubwe controlled Southern Africa’s early gold trade.

Black architectural and governance excellence – It had organized cities and a structured ruling system.

Black global influence – Mapungubwe’s trade networks extended to the Middle East, India, and China.

By understanding the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Black people today can reclaim their lost history, reject colonial distortions, and recognize Africa’s early global impact.

1. The Origins and Rise of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe

A. Geographic and Strategic Importance

Mapungubwe was located at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers, making it a key trade hub in Southern Africa.

The region had fertile land for agriculture, abundant cattle, and access to gold, making it economically prosperous.

The kingdom’s rulers established a socially stratified society, separating elite rulers from commoners—a system that later influenced Great Zimbabwe.

Example: The Mapungubwe Hill, a sacred royal centre, symbolized the kingdom’s centralized leadership and class-based society.

Key Takeaway: African civilizations were highly structured, organized, and rich in resources long before European contact.

2. The Economic and Trade Power of Mapungubwe

A. Gold, Ivory, and the Rise of African Trade

Mapungubwe was one of the earliest African states to exploit gold mining, exporting gold to Swahili coastal cities, the Middle East, and Asia.

The kingdom also traded in ivory, copper, animal hides, and ceramics, making it a key supplier in the early African economy.

Gold from Mapungubwe was transported to Kilwa, Sofala, and other major Swahili trading cities, where it was exchanged for glass beads, Chinese porcelain, and luxury goods.

Example: Archaeological excavations have uncovered Chinese porcelain, Indian glass beads, and Arabian goods, proving that Mapungubwe was linked to the global economy centuries before European exploration.

Key Takeaway: Africa was not isolated—Mapungubwe’s wealth fueled a sophisticated global trade network before European colonization.

B. Agricultural and Cattle Economy

Mapungubwe’s people were also skilled agriculturalists, growing crops such as sorghum, millet, and beans to sustain their population.

The kingdom raised large herds of cattle, which were not only a source of food but also a symbol of wealth and social status.

The economy was so advanced that wealthy families lived in stone homes, while commoners lived in well-structured settlements.

Example: Cattle and grain were taxed, and surpluses were stored in granaries, showing that Mapungubwe had a regulated economy and a taxation system.

Key Takeaway: Africa’s economic systems were sophisticated, with taxation, surplus storage, and wealth redistribution.

3. The Political and Social Organization of Mapungubwe

A. A Centralized Monarchy and Class System

The king ruled from Mapungubwe Hill, separating himself from the common people, showing a class-based hierarchy.

The ruling class controlled trade, wealth, and religious ceremonies, reinforcing their power.

Unlike previous African societies that were more egalitarian, Mapungubwe introduced a system where royalty and the elite were separate from the working class.

Example: This system of social separation was later adopted by Great Zimbabwe and other successor states in Southern Africa.

Key Takeaway: Africa had complex governance systems with structured leadership, taxation, and social classes.

B. Religious and Cultural Practices

The kingdom’s religion was deeply rooted in ancestor worship and spiritual connections to the land.

Rulers were seen as divine or semi-divine figures, reinforcing their authority through spiritual beliefs.

The elite class performed ceremonial rituals on Mapungubwe Hill, which was considered sacred.

Example: The Golden Rhino of Mapungubwe, one of Africa’s most famous artifacts, symbolizes the royalty and religious significance of the king.

Key Takeaway: African civilizations had spiritual and political institutions that reinforced governance and stability.

4. The Decline of Mapungubwe and the Rise of Great Zimbabwe

A. Environmental and Economic Factors

Around 1300 CE, Mapungubwe declined due to climate change, specifically a severe drought that affected food production and trade.

The gold trade shifted further north, leading to the rise of Great Zimbabwe, which became the new center of power in Southern Africa.

Internal conflicts and population movements also contributed to the kingdom’s decline.

Example: Great Zimbabwe (1300–1450 CE) inherited many of Mapungubwe’s political and economic traditions, proving that African civilizations evolved and adapted.

Key Takeaway: African civilizations didn’t simply “disappear” as colonial historians claim—they transformed into new political entities.

5. The European Suppression of Mapungubwe’s History

A. Colonial Erasure and Historical Racism

When European archaeologists discovered Mapungubwe in the 1930s, they attempted to suppress its significance to maintain the colonial myth that Africans had no history.

The Golden Rhino and other artifacts were hidden for decades, because they proved that Africans had advanced civilizations before colonialism.

South Africa’s apartheid government censored Mapungubwe’s history, fearing it would empower Black South Africans by proving their rich heritage.

Example: The Golden Rhino was kept hidden until the 1990s, when post-apartheid South Africa finally acknowledged the greatness of Mapungubwe.

Key Takeaway: Colonial powers deliberately erased African history to justify oppression—our job is to restore the truth.

6. The Garveyite Vision: Reclaiming the Legacy of Mapungubwe

Africa must reclaim its economic independence, just as Mapungubwe controlled its own gold trade.

Black people must rebuild strong governance systems, inspired by Mapungubwe’s centralized leadership.

Pan-African unity is necessary—African nations must work together, just as Mapungubwe influenced later African states.

African history must be decolonized, ensuring that the legacy of Mapungubwe is properly taught worldwide.

Final Thought: Will We Reclaim Mapungubwe’s Legacy?

Marcus Garvey said:

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”

Will Black people allow our history to remain hidden, or demand its full recognition?

Will we continue to depend on foreign economies, or reclaim Africa’s economic power?

Will we build new African empires, or allow our civilization’s achievements to be forgotten?

The Choice is Ours. The Time is Now.

[writers-potion]

I'm writing a sci-fi story about a space freight hauler with a heavy focus on the economy. Any tips for writing a complex fictional economy and all of it's intricacies and inner-workings?

Constructing a Fictional Economy

The economy is all about: How is the limited financial/natural/human resources distributed between various parties?

So, the most important question you should be able to answer are:

Who are the "have"s and "have-not"s?

What's "expensive" and what's "commonplace"?

What are the rules(laws, taxes, trade) of this game?

Building Blocks of the Economic System

Type of economic system. Even if your fictional economy is made up, it will need to be based on the existing systems: capitalism, socialism, mixed economies, feudalism, barter, etc.

Currency and monetary systems: the currency can be in various forms like gols, silver, digital, fiat, other commodity, etc. Estalish a central bank (or equivalent) responsible for monetary policy

Exchange rates

Inflation

Domestic and International trade: Trade policies and treaties. Transportation, communication infrastructure

Labour and employment: labor force trends, employment opportunities, workers rights. Consider the role of education, training and skill development in the labour market

The government's role: Fiscal policy(tax rate?), market regulation, social welfare, pension plans, etc.

Impact of Technology: Examine the role of tech in productivity, automation and job displacement. How does the digital economy and e-commerce shape the world?

Economic history: what are some historical events (like The Great Depresion and the 2008 Housing Crisis) that left lasting impacts on the psychologial workings of your economy?

For a comprehensive economic system, you'll need to consider ideally all of the above. However, depending on the characteristics of your country, you will need to concentrate on some more than others. i.e. a country heavily dependent on exports will care a lot more about the exchange rate and how to keep it stable.

For Fantasy Economies:

Social status: The haves and have-nots in fantasy world will be much more clear-cut, often with little room for movement up and down the socioeconoic ladder.

Scaricity. What is a resource that is hard to come by?

Geographical Characteristics: The setting will play a huge role in deciding what your country has and doesn't. Mountains and seas will determine time and cost of trade. Climatic conditions will determine shelf life of food items.

Impact of Magic: Magic can determine the cost of obtaining certain commodities. How does teleportation magic impact trade?

For Sci-Fi Economies Related to Space Exploration

Thankfully, space exploitation is slowly becoming a reality, we can now identify the factors we'll need to consider:

Economics of space waste: How large is the space waste problem? Is it recycled or resold? Any regulations about disposing of space wste?

New Energy: Is there any new clean energy? Is energy scarce?

Investors: Who/which country are the giants of space travel?

Ownership: Who "owns" space? How do you draw the borders between territories in space?

New class of workers: How are people working in space treated? Skilled or unskilled?

Relationship between space and Earth: Are resources mined in space and brought back to Earth, or is there a plan to live in space permanently?

What are some new professional niches?

What's the military implication of space exploitation? What new weapons, networks and spying techniques?

Also, consider:

Impact of space travel on food security, gender equality, racial equality

Impact of space travel on education.

Impact of space travel on the entertainment industry. Perhaps shooting monters in space isn't just a virtual thing anymore?

What are some indsutries that decline due to space travel?

I suggest reading up the Economic Impact Report from NASA, and futuristic reports from business consultants like McKinsey.

If space exploitation is a relatiely new technology that not everyone has access to, the workings of the economy will be skewed to benefit large investors and tech giants. As more regulations appear and prices go down, it will be further be integrated into the various industries, eventually becoming a new style of living.

[inspired-lesson-plans]

Math, grade 7, Ratios and Proportional Relationships 7.RP.A.3: Use proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent problems. Examples: simple interest, tax, markups and markdowns, gratuities and commissions, fees, percent increase and decrease, percent error.

Essential Question: How can basic calculations of percent change influence major world events?

Do Now: Calculate the percent increase or decrease in each of the following equations. x = (28 - 17.9)/28 x = (41.5 - 57.7)/57.7

Class Discussion: Remind students about how to perform basic calculations of increase/decrease factors. Ask them whether this calculation would be more complicated if the quantities were dollars instead of just numbers (answer: no). Ask them whether this calculation would be more complicated if the quantities were billions of dollars instead of just dollars (answer: no). Show students that they just performed the exact same calculations that Donald Trump did in order to decide what tariffs should be put upon Indonesia and Thailand, respectively.

Finally, ask students whether important global trade decisions should be calculated with 7th grade math skills, or if perhaps this is insufficient given the severe consequences that could arise from such a dunning-kruger error.

Direct Instruction: Explain what a Dunning-Kruger error is, if for no other reason than to communicate how absolutely maddening has it is for legitimate experts who have dedicated their lives to nudging fiscal policy in the right direction and then watch as their president makes the worst decision possible on purpose.

Take a moment to explain the difference between an import and an export, so that students understand what these billions of dollars actually mean in the real world. Feel free to call out anyone who has ever questioned whether or not they would ever use this kind of math in the real world. Show them that it's happening right now, and make sure they understand how terrifying that is.

Acknowledge the variables: x: total exports from US to country i m: total imports to US from country i tau (τ): calculated % tariff on all imports to US from country i epsilon (ε): elasticity phi (φ): passthrough

Ask students what they think elasticity and passthrough mean, then show students this passage from ustr.gov:

Parameter Selection To calculate reciprocal tariffs, import and export data from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2024. Parameter values for ε and φ were selected. The price elasticity of import demand, ε, was set at 4. Recent evidence suggests the elasticity is near 2 in the long run (Boehm et al., 2023), but estimates of the elasticity vary. To be conservative, studies that find higher elasticities near 3-4 (e.g., Broda and Weinstein 2006; Simonovska and Waugh 2014; Soderbery 2018) were drawn on. The elasticity of import prices with respect to tariffs, φ, is 0.25. The recent experience with U.S. tariffs on China has demonstrated that tariff passthrough to retail prices was low (Cavallo et al, 2021).

Ask students if this clarified anything about what elasticity and passthrough mean. Most will say "no", but if anyone points out that multiplying 4 by 0.25 cancels them both out, reward them. That student is correct, because elasticity and passthrough have been arbitrarily assigned so as to make this calculation so simple that even Donald Trump can understand it.

Modeled Learning: Show how to apply these tariffs to popular imports such as raw coffee beans. For example, the USDA report of coffee imports from 2024 (page 6) shows that the vast majority of raw coffee is imported from Brazil.

A simple search with Perplexity.ai tells us that in 2024, imports (m) = $42.3 billion and exports (x) = $49.7 billion, so the reciprocal tariff would be (x-m)/m = (49.7-42.3)/42.3 = 17.5%.

Thus, all coffee imports from Brazil will automatically be 17.5% more expensive.

Be sure to highlight that this is happening to every country in the world, even those with total populations less than 1000.

Higher Order Learning:

Students should consider the following facts:

There is very little territory within the United States that can grow coffee.

Almost all coffee in the world is grown within what is called "The Global South", where the climate is warm and the labor is cheap.

The US exports significantly more (sometimes vastly more) to countries in the Global South than we import from them.

Students should then answer the following questions:

What will this universal tariff calculation do to the price of coffee?

Is there any way that US coffee companies can import the same amount of coffee as before without passing on the cost to consumers? Why or why not?

Do you think this tariff program will equalize imports and exports between the US and other countries? What other impacts could it have, good or bad, across the world?

[ink-flavored]

🏰Fantasy Worldbuilding Ask Game🐉

Do you have a fantasy world? Do you want to talk about swords, sorcery, and everything in between? Look no further, for you have stumbled across 100 questions that will let you ramble as long as you want! Remember to send an ask to the person you reblog it from to make sure everyone gets to play!

📚What “type” of fantasy is your WIP? High, low, urban, historical etc.?

🌍Does it take place on a fantasy planet, or somewhere on Earth (hidden or not-so-hidden)?

💭If your WIP doesn’t take place on Earth, where did you draw inspiration from to create your new fantasy world?

📍If your WIP does take place on Earth, where did you choose to set it? Why?

🧍Do humans exist in your WIP? Are they any different from humans in our real world?

🧝Do other fantasy species exist in your WIP? Describe them!

🤝Are the different fantasy species all living together, or does everybody keep to themselves?

☮️What are the different fantasy species’ customs and cultures? How well do they get along with each other, if at all?

⏳Are there any dramatic lifespan differences between your fantasy species and humans? How does that influence their societies and relationships with each other?

👑What’s the political configuration of your WIP? Kingdoms, nations, something else?

⚠️What’s the political climate of your WIP? Are nations on the brink of conflict, or enjoying many years of peace?

✊What’s the social climate of your WIP? Are people struggling against inequality or war?

🏰Are there royals and/or nobility in your WIP? How do they treat the common people? What do the common people think of them?

💎What are the hallmarks of a higher-class person in your WIP? What marks someone as lower-class?

🙇Are the common people expected to serve the higher class in some way, explicitly or implicitly? Are some kinds of service more respectable than others?

🪖How are wars fought in your WIP? Swords and spells, firearms, war machines?

🏢What kind of unique or magical architecture exists in your WIP?

💰How does trade function in your WIP? Merchant caravans, local markets, dragon drop-shipping?

📦Are there any specialized or magical imports/exports that your fantasy societies rely on? Why are they so important?

💵What kinds of currency exist in your WIP? Do people use gold coins, barter and trade, or something else?

👚What kinds of clothes do people wear in your WIP? What accommodations are made for any fantasy body parts?

🎉What are some unique cultural holidays people celebrate in your WIP? What goes into celebrating them?

🐈‍⬛What are some unique superstitions or cultural taboos in your WIP? How common are they?

📰How do people get news or information in your WIP? Town criers, travelling bards, magic bulletin boards?

🏙️Are there any especially famous cities or nations in your WIP? What are they known for?

🚩Are there any especially infamous cities or nations in your WIP? What earned them the sour reputation?

🥪What kind of unique and/or popular foods exist in your WIP? Magical foods?

🚗How do people travel over land in your WIP? Are there any magical machines that help?

⛵How do people sail over oceans and seas in your WIP? Are there any magical machines that help?

✈️Is air travel possible in your WIP? Through magic, technology, or a mix of both?

🚇Do people regularly travel underground in your WIP? Are there any magical machines that help?

🪄Is there magic in your WIP? Where does it come from?

🎆How does magic work in your WIP? How can it do all those fantastic things?

🚫What CAN’T magic do in your WIP? Where does the mystical power fall short?

🤕What are the drawbacks to using magic in your WIP? Do they improve or get worse depending on how powerful you are?

🔮Who can wield magic in your WIP? Everyone, a select group, or basically nobody?

💪How do people wield magic in your WIP? Are magic users able to bend it to their will, or merely guide it?

🔨Is magic considered useful or dangerous in your WIP? Do different cultures or species view magic differently?

⚖️Are certain fantasy species more likely to be magic users than others? Which ones? Why?

🤷Is there a way someone could lose their ability to use magic? Has it ever happened before?

🤐Is magic a secret in your WIP? What happens if it’s revealed to the outside world?

⚙️How has magic influenced the level and complexity of technology in your WIP?

⚔️Are there any special magical objects in your WIP? What do they do? Who owns them?

🧪How does magic interact with scientific advancements in your WIP? Are they considered the same?

🧐Do people research magic in your WIP? What’s the most popular or prestigious topic of study? The least popular?

🧙‍♂️Does your WIP differentiate between witches, wizards, sorcerers, etc.? Is there no distinction at all?

⚕️How has magic changed the landscape of medicine and healing in your WIP?

😷Are there magic illnesses in your WIP? How do you catch them? How are they treated?

🏈Has magic brought about the existence of magical games or sports? What are they?

📺Has magic changed or improved any pre-existing mundane forms of entertainment? How?

🎨Are there any kind of unique magical forms of entertainment? What are they?

🏬What kind of magical professions can a magic-user pursue in your WIP? Is it considered especially prestigious, normal, or below respect?

🎭Has magic brought about social good in your WIP? Social ills?

🙅Are there any kinds of forbidden magic? What kinds, and why?

🤔Are there any kinds of “forgotten” or ancient magic that nobody remembers anymore? How was the knowledge lost?

🫥Are there any kinds of magic that are intentionally hidden from the general population? Who’s hiding this knowledge, and why?

⛪What are the popular religions in your WIP? Where is each belief more prominent?

📢Are there any particularly influential religious institutions in your WIP?

🕯️Do folk religions exist? Where are they practiced?

🙏Is devotion to a particular religion expected of people? What happens to non-believers?

🫵Can the deities in your WIP grant people special powers? When do they choose to do so?

🗣️Can anyone commune with the deities in your WIP, or do they only answer to special devotees?

🦑Are there otherworldly entities in your WIP? Where did they come from?

🎃Can otherworldly entities grant people special powers? When do they choose to do so?

👽Can anyone commune with otherworldly entities in your WIP, or do they only communicate at their leisure?

📞Is it rare to be contacted by higher beings, or does it happen all the time?

🧩Are there prophecies in your WIP? Do people believe in them?

🌟Have any prophecies ever come true in your WIP’s history? How important are they to your WIP in the present?

👂Can anyone hear prophecies in your WIP, or do they only appear to certain people, like oracles?

🤐Are prophecies kept secret, or told to everyone who wants to hear? Why?

🦄What kinds of magical creatures exist in your WIP? Dragons, unicorns, griffons, etc.?

🐕Are any magical creatures kept as pets? Which ones?

🐄Have any magical creatures been domesticated? Which ones?

🦁Have any non-magical creatures been domesticated in your WIP that aren’t domesticated in the real world? Which ones?

🐎Are any domesticated creatures (magical or mudane) used as beasts of burden? For farm labor? For warfare?

🐉Do any magical creatures form special bonds with people? What does this bond mean for the pair?

🤓Are there any intelligent magical creatures, ones that can communicate with language? How do they interact with wider society?

👹Are there monsters or other dangerous beasts in your WIP? How are they differentiated from standard wild animals, or other magical creatures?

🧟Are there monsters that can infect places or people in some way, like werewolves or zombies?

🗡️Is killing monsters or magical creatures a viable profession in your WIP? Is it lauded work or scorned?

😢Are monsters legitimately dangerous, or are they simply misunderstood?

💀Can people commune with spirits of the dead in your WIP? How?

😱Is it considered normal or taboo to speak with the dead in your WIP? Does it vary from culture to culture?

👻Do spirits wander freely in your WIP? Why? Is there a way to help them pass on?

⚰️Is it possible to completely resurrect someone in your WIP? How? If not, has anybody ever tried?

🗺️Is your WIP a globe-trotting adventure, or is all the adventure contained in one place?

🧚Is adventuring common in your WIP, or something only for fairytales?

🪙When people go on adventures in your WIP, what are they looking for? Fame, fortune, power?

🦸Are there any legendary heroes or adventurers in your WIP’s history? What are they famous for?

🦹Are there any infamous villains in your WIP? How were they defeated?

🌄How much has the landscape and environment of your WIP been shaped by magic? Have entire mountains been wiped off the map, or is everything the same as if magic didn’t exist?

🪷Are there any plants that are inherently magical in your WIP? Do people use or cultivate them?

🌅Are there any landforms or locations that are inherently magical in your WIP? Do people visit them often?

🌥️Are there any magical places in your WIP that are kept hidden from outsiders? Why?

☀️Is there anything magical about the weather or seasons in your WIP? How do people cope?

🌪️Are there any “supernatural disasters” caused by magic in your WIP? Why do they happen? How do people cope?

📆How do the different cultures in your world track the year?

🌕Does your fantasy world have any unique celestial features, like multiple moons or planetary rings? Are they culturally important?

🌃What are some unique constellations in your fantasy world? Are they culturally important?

🃏Wild card! Mention anything else about your WIP that you want!

[zarvasace]

Okay okay that shatterproof modern au is so much fun I'm gonna mark down what everyone does here because I didn't want to let the authors notes get too long and I couldn't include every detail in the fic itself—

Time and Malon run Lon Lon Ranch, which is mostly a cattle ranch with some horses. They're working on getting everything set up to do some fostering (for humans, to be clear) in the future. The ranch is a successful business and exports mostly milk products to local stores, though they also have an orchard and do apples and pumpkins in the fall! Lullaby is a local politician, think state-level congress.

Hyrule lives on the ranch while going to school to become a physician. He's not related to them, but he is related to Malon's cousin's friend or something like that. He isn't allowed to help with the dishes due to Incidents in the past. He likes taking walks around the ranch and talking to the cows while he studies. He spends a lot of time with Legend, whose family is actually sponsoring Hyrule in school. Dawn is in a lot of his classes, and Aurora is her sister in a business program. The three or four of them hang out at the university a lot.

Wild also lives on the ranch, not currently going to school. He works there, and also does a lot of volunteering at the local food bank. He's learned to cook a lot of authentic food from all around the world from rubbing shoulders with people there. He doesn't talk a lot about his past, but Time and Malon know that Wild's parents sucked and that he's pretty much no-contact with them. He's rebuilding his savings after draining it all (plus more) on medical bills for his heart condition. He's pretty happy where he is, and looks forward to the day when Time and Malon get a foster kid or two. Flora's a childhood friend, doing a second PhD of her own right now.

Twilight works at the ranch with the animals, and takes a shift at a vet office every so often. He helps Hyrule study, since he finished out his degree in veterinary science a while ago. He's torn between getting a more serious veterinary job, going into medical research, and staying at the ranch full-time. He's accidentally made some really good connections in Midna and Dusk, who are both in high society (though Midna doesn't always act like it!)

Four is Twilight's younger brother (Twi was adopted as a young kid, so he remembers Four being a baby), and the two of them rent out a wheelchair-accessible apartment. Their hometown is a few hours away, but they always find time to go for important holidays. Four works at a garage in town and ends up servicing a lot of heavy machinery. He wants to get into doing some more craftsman-type work, but is having a hard time finding a place to experiment with it. He's working on saving up for some art/sculpture classes at a university, but has been really distracted with his job recently. He met Dot and Shadow through a trauma survivor's group, and right now they all go out for lunch every so often.

Warriors actually has a hard time with jobs and such. His steadiest gig right now is helping out at a large local martial arts studio, where he helps to train and spar against the advanced students. He wouldn't mind helping out the kids, but the fact that most of them don't know sign language is a barrier. He's drifted around several office jobs, but he's really just not one to sit down and do one thing all day. He keeps advancing at the summer camp they all go to, however, and that takes up more and more of his time, so he's not really all that worried about getting a more "normal" job. Impa runs the martial arts studio and Artemis is one of the head instructors, and he's good friends with both of them.

Wind is Warriors's younger brother, and the two of them live in the same apartment building as Twilight and Four. He's doing the college thing, at the same location as Hyrule, but Wind prefers online classes. He's part of the swim team, though, and likes going out to the lake when he can. (Tetra is another member of the swim team!) Wind has changed his major like six times, and works part-time at a smoothie shop. He likes playing video games.

Legend has also done a ridiculous variety of things, but right now he works at a very fancy restaurant doing mixed drinks, and actually managed to find a competition for it that he won some awards for. In conversation, he'll often reference other jobs or roles he's had but nobody knows the whole list. (He's referenced delivery driving, movie sets, an engineering firm, an insurance broker, a high-end jewelry store, a cruise ship, and several other things.) He comes from a rather wealthy family but his parents passed and he doesn't have a lot of contact with extended family. He writes out money to a lot of people under the guise of various organizations his family technically owns, and that includes helping Hyrule through medical school. Fable is his sister and way more involved in high society stuff, but she forces him to come to some of it sometimes.

Sky lives with his girlfriend in an apartment in the city. He spends most of his time doing translation work for the government, things like driver's license forms and ballot instructions (he works well with several different written languages). He does interpreting too when he needs to, and has another small job on the side at a natural history museum leading sign language tours.

And all of them go to camp! Sky and Warriors are both assistant directors, Time drives the supply truck, Wind does the sailing and swimming instruction, Hyrule the first aid guy, and most of the rest of them are part-time or full-time counselors during the summer. It's fun. :)

[jjsanguine]

Increasingly curious about the linguistic situation of Emmaly. We don't know how big the country is so I don't know if it's weird that everyone speaks the same dialect, but more important: why do they sing in English sometimes.

Emmaly was colonised for a while for there to be so much European influence on all their aesthetics and have spaghetti be their national dish, which you'd think would have left a fuckton of less recent loanwords in Emmalian but nope. They just speak central Thai but to the left. I mean, not even everyone in Thailand does that so that is weird.

They speak Emmalian in all social situations but sing in English at the royal ball which indicates English is an aristocrat thing. Cool whatever, that's true to life in much of the world right now. But they also sang in English at the protest which indicates that the impoverished protestors understand all those lyrics.

So like is Emmaly English-Emmalian bilingual from top to bottom? Why? What incentive do lower class people have to learn English? They didn't even go to phonics classes to speak emmalian with the same accent as the aristocracy, but they learn a whole other extremely foreign language? What??

Unless it's the other way round. Here's my theory:

English (or an English creole let's be real) became the lingua franca in this formerly heavily heavily colonised by Europeans country that's like 200 years old max, but has governmental shakeups all the time (so there's internal displacement which breaks native language transmission.)

The aristocracy started speaking a dialect of Central Thai. People living in what would become Emmaly probably already spoke a Tai language, but after years of wars and loanwords it was the Tai branch equivalent of Guernsey French, which the Royalty felt mega insecure about. So instead of bothering with self love or language revitalisation they pinched the speech of the never conquered country next door, and changed some verb endings or something.

Even though the kingdoms are constantly vying for power internally, they have to present Emmaly as a united front to the outside world before one of their neighbours decides annexation is easier than diplomacy for getting a cut of those Emmalian exports.

One of the easiest ways to be like we are a real country actually is linguistic unity. So the crown imposes a language in the lower classes, again. This unity campaign would've only started like 1½ generations ago because Emmaly truly can't have been around that long, but the hold the crown has on the people is extreme so I think it's feasible.

So in the present day they sprinkle in English at royal Balls like "we know this foreign (!!1!) language because we're cultured and not because our national identity basically had to be created wholesale after kingdoms whose rulers hate each other formed a Voltron for sovereignty 🫶"

And the povvos sing in English because life hasn't really changed for them under rulers that are ethically related and not foreign colonisers. So paradoxically English is closer to being *their* language (since those that brought it are long gone and Johnny average doesn't have a cultural connection to them) and Emmalian is the language of an oppressor even if it is the language they actually use every day.

[whirligig-girl]

Welcome to the City South Derail Valley Railway Museum. I'm Luna, an engineer with Derail Valley Railworks & Transportation Co. for my day job, and I'll be giving you a tour and I'll explain some of the history of the Museum and its exhibits.

The Museum was originally built in 1970, where it included various historical artifacts of the history of railroading in the Valley, such as a S110-200 Planet-type, the first steam locomotive to work the valley, and the S462-630 Pacific passenger steam loco, and the F060-310 fireless shunter that once worked at the power plant.

In 1973, the Derail Valley Railway donated the Demonstrators to the Railway Museum. These were locomotives sent by the manufacturer for testing on the railway, and when the first batches were sent, the railway kept the good demonstrators and sent away the rest.

Unfortunately during the late days of the Soviet Union, the museum had to be closed, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Demonstrators were sold off to the various company-owned industrial railroads that sprung up on DVRW trackage.

In 2008 the various industrial railroads were conglomerated into the state-owned Derail Valley Railworks & Transportation Company, and the Demonstrators fell into DVRT ownership, but by then many of them had been worked to the bone and abandoned in nearly scrap condition.

Now in 2025, the Derail Valley Railway Museum has been reopened and almost all of the Demonstrators have been restored. Let's take a look at each locomotive in order of its rediscovery.

DH4-670 No.35 Diesel-Hydraulic Road Switcher

The DH4 was the first to be found, as it was discovered on the first meeting of the Museum board of directors as soon as the museum was re-formed--it was directly outside the passenger station in City South, apparently having been set up as a static display when the museum was closed. After moving the DH4 back onto the rails, it was shunted onto the turntable by a battery electric microshunter. Unfortunately the Museum lived up to its name--the turntable was aligned incorrectly.

The DH4-670 wasn't the first DH4 to be trialed by the railway. The west german company MaK designed a similar class for use on Deutsche Bahn, the V90.

The by-then 10 year old locomotives were trialed in the Valley, but found to be slightly too long for some of the tight curves, so the railway ordered a custom snub-nose variant with shorter hoods and wheelbase, and with a slightly smaller cab. The first of these units to be delivered performed slightly better, so Derail Valley Railway ordered a batch of the locomotives in 1972.

The DH4 Demonstrator was our first restoration project, and served as a testbed and learning experience for many of our volunteers. The DH4 has a day job working for the railway too--we're able to provide entry for free by taking contracts to do deliveries for DVRT using our restored locomotives.

S060-440 No.22 Tank Engine

After the closure of the museum, the S060 demonstrator was sold to the Derail Forest Logging Company, and converted to wood burning, before being abandoned on a siding at the Sawmill.

During World War II, the United States Army Transportation Corps developed several classes of steam locomotives to be exported to assist with the allied war effort, including the S100 class tank engine. After the war, many of these ended up in eastern european countries, such as Yugoslavia and Derail Valley.

Derail Valley classified these as S060-440, while Yugoslavian Railways classified theirs as Class 62. These locomotives became workhorses in shunting yards, and both railways built 'clones' to a very similar design and specification.

The Yugoslavian Class 62s were built from 1952-1961 and can be distinguished by their higher pitched boilers and angled branch pipes connecting to the cylinders.

Popular consensus among the women and men who work on DVRT's steam engines is that the S060-440s are imported Yugoslav Class 62s, but this is a misconception. Derail Valley Railway built their own S100 clones to different specifications.

Note that the side tanks are shorter and more sloped, and the cab windows are much larger, in order to increase visibility and safety.

Though the S060-440 class contains original American S100s, the second batch of Derail native S060s was larger. Thus, the S060 demonstrator has the dubious honor of being younger than some of the other locomotives of its own class which serve in the valley.

The livery the S060 demonstrator was restored into was not that which it was originally built in (it would have been delivered in the same green and black livery as the other S060s), but is instead a passenger livery applied to it by the Derail Valley Railway Museum in 1971 for running excursions to the Harbor and back. Since it became more famous in this livery than the original one, we restored it to this condition as well.

S282-730 No. 83 Mikado Steam Locomotive

The S282 Demonstrator was found on a static display near the disused passenger station in City West in dire condition.

The S282 was originally designated SH282-630, and delivered in the same black livery with red frames that DVRT operates them with to this day. It is a popular misconception that the S282 are USATC S200-class mikados, but these locos are only superficially similar, and at any rate, the S282s were originally built between 1938 and 1945, predating the USATC S200 by 3 years. They were built by the railway's own mechanical department, to an original design, although with some U.S. influences like the cowcatcher-style pilot.

These locomotives served alongside liberated german class 52s (classified as S2X0-740) in the Valley through the 1960s, when many of them were becoming worn out. As diesels (DM3s and DE6s) began to phase out steam in the valley, the railway's chief mechanical officer was unconvinced that dieselization was worth it, given the valley's ample reserves of high-grade coal. (This was before the oil wells were built, so at the time the valley had to import all oil).

In 1978, the CMO brought on steam engineering experts to determine how to uprate the SH282, increasing tonnage and decreasing maintenance costs. The result was the S282-730, which was differentiated from the rest of the fleet by its bright and modern blue livery.

The S282-730 incorporated a larger steam chest, reworked suspension, a superheater, a more advanced exhaust ejector, a larger sand dome, and removed the snifters to reduce steam leaks. (prevention of backdraught was done by leaving the reverser in mid-gear while drifting). A gas producer combustion system firebox was also trialed, which allowed for more complete coal combustion and a much higher steam generation rate in the S282's narrow fireboxes.

The result was a steam locomotive that could rival the DE6 in raw power output, although it had a tendency to wheelslip. The S282s were and still are primarily used on coal trains to the steel mill and power plant, but they often find use on other mixed goods trains when a DE6 is unavailable or uneconomical.

The locomotive was not immediately popular with crews, but the railway management was impressed, and ordered the entire S282 fleet to be converted to the 730 class. The Class 52s were offloaded to other soviet socialist republics and some were scrapped.

No.83 here is the very first of the rebuilt S282s, the experimental one. Though it was eventually repainted in DVRT Black and Red, when it was donated to the museum in 1982 it was restored to its iconic Blue livery.

No.83 double heads a long and heavy freight train alongside a DVRT S282 and DH4 Demonstrator No.35 as a diesel helper. In the future we hope to use the paired blue locomotives on excursion passenger trains, when or if DVRT resumes passenger operations as planned.

Museum locomotives contain several modern amenities to make operations go as smoothly and safely as possible. The throttle and sander is electromechanically controlled by an anti-wheelslip detector like those found in some advanced diesel locomotives, and the engineer side shelf is decked out with electronic amenities such as a roadrunner, clinometer, and switch setter. There's also a digital speedometer on the cab wall and the tender, and LED lights (since the S282s were never built with electric cab lights).

Some of our volunteers think we keep the cab a little too clean, between you and me, but if the rest of the locomotive looks spotless, why not the inside?

DE2-480 No.85 Diesel-Electric Shunter

The DE2 Demonstrator's whereabouts were difficult to track down, until one of our volunteers located it during the routine runs to the Machine Factory & Town to deliver replacement parts for another demonstrator. While servicing the Utility Railbus, the driver noticed it hiding in a pile of scrap next to the Machine Factory's roundhouse. Apparently it had been used as as yard shunter for local industries in the 1990s, before it fell into disrepair and was reallocated as a shop switcher. One day its engine stopped turning over, so it was moved beside the shop and used for spare parts.

The DE2 is one of Derail Valley's original designs, though using imported diesel prime movers, they were built locally in the Machine Factory & Town from 1986 all the way through the fall of the Soviet Union until 1996, to fill the gaps left behind by the aging DM3 and S060 fleet.

By 1996 the economy had tanked enough that exporting locomotives became impossible. Nevertheless, the popularity of the DE2-440 abroad has earned it practically mascot status for Derail Valley, being perhaps the most instantly recognizable locomotive to run on DV metals.

Several DE2s ended up on Czech Railways, which inspired the 708 Series of Diesel Electrics built between 2002 and 2006, which were slightly uprated clones of the Derail-built DE2s. Many of these ended up on Serbian Railways.

This DE2 Demonstrator has the amusing subversion in that it was not a demonstrator sent to the valley, but rather sent by Derail Valley to other countries, hence its incorporation of the iconic orange and blue color scheme found on the DE6. This demonstrator was sent to the United Kingdom, but it was ultimately returned as the UK already had the very successful Class 08 shunters, and then it was given to the Museum, as it was the only locomotive the museum was missing.

DE6-860 No.20 Diesel Electric Road Locomotive

The DE6 Demonstrator was found buried in the bushes in the Goods Factory passenger station, having been used for some of the last passenger trains to run in the valley before it was left on its own and vandalized.

Although it was recovered into museum custody a while ago, it was only recently that the Museum could afford to have it restored, as it is a very expensive and complicated locomotive.

The first DE6 to arrive in the valley was an Electro-Motive Division G16, an export from the U.S.A., built in 1958-1972, similar to those used in other eastern european countries.

The first unit arrived in 1958, and crews found them comfortable and efficient compared to steam engines, although a derailment on the old trackage near City West a few months into its trial led to disappointment--it was just too long. The G16 demonstrator was sent back to EMD, and the Derail Valley Railway ordered a custom-built prototype for a shortened G16 from EMD, using shorter frames but the same diesel prime mover, and the cut-nose short-hood design employed on Australian G16s.

The prototype DE6-860 arrived in 1960, and was even better enjoyed than the G16. Several batches were ordered between 1960 and 1975. Another batch was planned in 1980, but was cancelled due to the success of the S282-730 refit class.

Although in the long run the DE6s ended up being less economical to use than the S282s for most operations due to their much cheaper fuel costs, the DE6 still very much has a place as it can be strung together with other DE6s to form a multiple unit, capable of pulling some of DVRT's longest mixed trains.

The DE6 is the most recent Demonstrator to be restored, the restoration actually having been finished just yesterday. It has yet to be christened with an actual run-in. The Demonstrator, number 20, was the prototype of the DE2-860 class, the very first ever built. It has a few mechanical oddities as a result, but over the years it has been put in-line with the rest of the class. When number 20 was built, it had the high-hood of the original G16, but this was modified by Derail Valley Railway in 1965.

DM3-540 No. 56 Diesel-Mechanical Shunter

Can you spot No.56 in this photograph of the steel mill?

The DM3 Demonstrator has proved to be the most difficult to track down. There was no documentation we could find as to its whereabouts, so the Museum sent out volunteers to all of the stations and industries served by the railway to seek it out, or at least find information about if it had been scrapped or sold.

The research done by our volunteers led to the DM3's resting spot being narrowed down to a few specific possible locations, which were checked individually.

The expedition to the steel mill nearly packed up and left, before someone noticed something red in the bushes.

The DM3 was rerailed and towed away by the Utility Railbus just yesterday, while the finishing touches were being made on the DE6.

We learned from the management that the DM3 demonstrator had been used since 1997 as a yard switcher for the steel mill, occasionally taking trains on the road when no other engine was available. It had actually been in use by the Steel Mill as late as 2014, when it finally died, and since by then DVRT had moved in to handle operations in the steel mill, it was never repaired.

The DM3 was built in East Germany and shares some similarities with the British Railways Class 04 diesels.

This design similarity may be intentional or simply a coincidence, but the actual mechanics of the locomotive are very different, with a prime mover almost twice as large as the Class 04. Sorry Mavis. From uh. Thomas the Tank Engine.

The DM3 was the first successful diesel engine class to work in Derail Valley, having arrived in 1949, with more batches purchased through to 1962. The DM3 has a reputation among railway crews for being able to move a mountain if given enough sand, due to its manual transmission and very low gear ratio. Indeed, despite being smaller, it can often outshunt a DH4, although it is limited to very low speeds and even with a small train they can only go about 60 kph before the engine takes damage.

The DM3 is the most thermally efficient locomotive operated by DVRT, since a diesel engine is one of the most efficient heat engines and a diesel mechanical applies the power of a diesel engine with minimal heat losses. In addition, its relatively simple engine makes it the easiest locomotive to repair and service. We expect the DM3 Demonstrator's restoration to be relatively smooth, and it was in better condition than some of the other demonstrators.

Thank you for visiting the museum, and feel free to look at the Demonstrators and let me or another volunteer know if you have any questions.

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

What about a yandere king x reader (make or female) and reader is basically a spy, making the king fall in love with them to get information etc, and reader basically tries to kill the king in his sleep but he lives cause he's a warrior at heart 💪(bbg energy lol) and basically what the king would do in that situation

An extremely cliche scenerio

Yandere! Male! King x Gn! Spy! Reader

Ugh Uni just started last week, and it was not... Fun.

One of our classes start at 7:30, and my Uni is like 30minutes-1hour far from my house so AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Anyways, there's no classes today so I got to actually write.

I got quickly uncomfortable writing this HAHAHAH damn. So, if noncon is not your tea, or you're looking for a fluffy fic, I suggest you don't read this one. I'm serious. This is not romantic in any way.

Yandere! King name: Soma

TW: NonCon

At Saphiri, there's a lot of Kingdoms and Sultanates, and a handful of Empires. One of the Kingdoms is called the Caelum Kingdom.

It's a newly established Kingdom, and was once a sizable city without a nation. Built from the foundations of a trading center.

It's a Kingdom formed on an archipelago separated by streams of salt water and fresh water in between their islands. A tight knit community, they thrive in tourism, trading, and textile export. They were honestly on a breakthrough to become an Empire, and it was just a matter of time.

Caelum has been led by the Elara family for generations upon generations. They were the first to discover the island, to establish itself as a city, and a kingdom as they led and oversaw the whole archipelago.

And currently, it's led by Soma Elara, the 3rd born crown prince and now the King of Caelum.

Soma, being the 3rd born, didn't really have that much chance on the throne. That, and his siblings, especially the first born, were smart and all had a chance at taking the throne.

He hated it dearly.

His mother, the second Queen after the previous died, is a greedy woman.

She sees Soma as a tool, and wanted him to succeed the throne.

If not... Let's just say the back of his legs will have more scars decorated on them.

Soma suffered abuse at the hand of his mother who wanted him to catch the attention of the King. And him, conditioned by his abusive upbringing, caught the want for power from his mother.

Ego and Pride. Those two prospects were pummeled into Soma's mind. Nobody can become the King. Only he is worthy of the throne.

So, he became the perfect prince. Nevermind that he orchestrated events in which it would humiliate his siblings. That's irrelevant. What's important is him.

The perfect gentleman with the wits of a genius, he became the crown prince when the selection came.

And, to solidify his place...

His older siblings were pronounced dead due to "freak accidents". One was devoured by sea monsters, the other was torn apart by demons. The younger ones were lucky, they only got to be a bit disabled due to "their own faults at being clumsy".

To not raise suspicion, of course Soma got hurt. Dead almost, but he miraculously recovered! How delightful!

The poor scapegoat is the youngest. And, as she got executed, Soma had a cold look of arrogance on his face.

The Queen?

She's afraid of the monster she created. She wanted a King, not a tyrant.

And, as she trembles when her friends tell her how good of a King her son is, Soma glares at her coldly from the balcony, daring her to speak ill of him.

Years passed, and Soma is now of marriageable age at 25.

His advisers told him to find a Queen, but he refuses to do so.

He's thinks having a Queen would make him look weak in the eyes of people.

So, why get a Queen when he can be an absolute Patriarch?

His Pride cannot allow for a potential weakness.

Not until a certain new person entered the palace as a stableperson...

Soma is welcoming foreign envoys to his palace, in which they would have a inter-country peace talks about a certain Emperor who is wreaking havoc amongst other kingdoms in search of a knight. They said that she was the supposed to be Empress, but fled the Empire.

Even one of the Dukes there, Duke Eros, is here to talk about the man.

As Soma guides the envoys to the palace grand meeting room, a certain servant caught his eyes.

They were frolicking with his horse, who was known to be too stubborn for its own good. Heck, this horse needs coaxing from Soma even just to let him ride on it.

But this stableperson was just... Hugging and petting his horse without any kind of violent reaction.

Honestly, Soma's ego was bruised.

His eyebrows furrowed as he led the envoys to the meeting hall once more.

He needs to know who this person is.

After quite the gruelling three hours of a collective disbelief over the actions of the Emperor Callisto, Soma got out of the meeting room and bid a good day to the envoys. Without any more distractions, he marched to the stables to find the person.

There, he saw you. Brushing the coat of his horse ever so gently and with a hum.

Oh he's annoyed.

Again, how can this pride filled horse just... Let's you be?

"State your name."

Your head, that was hidden due to being on the other side of the horse, popped out of the frame and he lets out a confused look.

You look so... Cute and innocent with those sparkling eyes that held so much affection for the horse in front of you.

"Oh! Your majesty!" You bowed. Even your voice sounds so sweet. "My name is Y/N. I'm not unworthy to meet you but..."

You looked up at him, eyes sparkling once more but now, with affection for him.

Oh?

"But I am so glad to meet you, your majesty."

Your voice held so much affection and love for him.

He cleared his throat, a bit awkward.

Sure, people admired him, but these people always held reverence and respect first. But here you are, projecting your affection like this.

His ego was fed immensly.

"You're bold." Soma smirked, "I like that."

He didn't miss the way your eyes widened subtly. Your face glowed with radiance of happiness that he was so sure he got blinded.

"Oh! Oh my..." You held your blushing cheeks, shy. "Thank you, your majesty... Um Oh..."

You bowed and ran away, fully embarrassed.

Soma, surprised, let his guard down a bit as he laughed gently at your antics.

You were like a deer that was curious, then runs away when get caught.

He liked that.

Immensly.

Yet, what he doesn't know, is that you were smirking as you ran away.

You knew that a prideful man like him wouldn't like a strong independent person.

That would just clash with his personality.

But, what if that person was cute, innocent, shy, friendly... Someone who is easily protect-able. Someone who loves them immensely and is shy about it?

It would inflate his ego wildly seeing this naive person love them without a care.

You're a spy sent by the Emperor Callisto in order to find his darling knight here. And, if you can't find her, you just need to send the Emperor information, so that he can infiltrate the Kingdom and wreck havoc just to lure out the knight.

Honestly, the Emperor scares you. Who's crazy enough to wage countless wars just to find his woman?

Or does he delight in bloodshed and finding his darling is just an excuse?

Who knows, but you knew you have to kill Soma after you extracted enough information from him to start the war inside the Kingdom.

Starting with capturing the heart of the Prideful King.

"Soma!"

You ran to Soma and hugged him tightly. A happy smile on your face with a blush well orchestrated that you know he loves.

Soma smiles and kisses the top of your head before continuing to talk to his Prime Minister.

In those two months that you were here, you painstakingly captured Soma in your hands. Continuing to act as the naive person who doesn't know noble etiquette, you were a breath of fresh air in the uptight palace.

The servants love you, the other nobles look longingly your way, wanting to act as carefree as you.

And Soma? He's head over heels for you.

Yet, in his mind, you were the one in love. Not him. He loves having you by his arms, with you just loving him affectionately and being there to relieve his stress.

You were promoted to consort immediately once you confessed to him fully, and was now a precious being inside the Kingdom.

After all, this King who doesn't want marriage, with ego so high people swore it was through the heavens, suddenly had a consort on their way to become his royal partner.

Soma gave you everything. He loves giving you gifts, asserting dominance as he spoils you greatly.

And, as his reward, you would pour your affection to him while asking about information that he willingly gave.

After all, the foolish king still thinks you won't betray him.

You were only a stableperson, who in their right mind would betray him? Someone who's such a catch?

Sure, he's really handsome. People were lining left and right for his hand in marriage after all. And he spoils you greatly. You won't betray him. He knows it.

But, why are you straddling his lap now, in the middle of the knight, with a knife raised up high?

You were staring at him so coldly, he swore you are a different person.

Anguish, that's what Soma felt first.

He wanted to ask you why, but anger immediately filled him as you swung the knife down.

You're fast, but not fast enough.

He grabbed your hand and gripped it hard, making you seethe and drop the knife hilt down on the bed.

"WHY?!" He screamed, trying to clutch your body to submission. "HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME!"

You gritted your teeth and tried to thrash away from his hold, not saying anything.

When he got you pinned down on the bed, he grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him.

"Who sent you." He chillingly said that you gulped and shakily answered.

"Emperor Callisto."

Soma stopped, eyes darkened to a degree.

Yet, the words that came out of his mouth was surprising for you.

"So, you're doing this for a man other than me?"

He threw his head back, laughing wildly as his pride got pummeled fully.

First, you made him dance on your palm. Make him spill information and secrets. Let him spoil you greatly. Let you love him freely! And this is how you pay him? A betrayal for another man?

You're such a greedy fucker.

"Oh, cuz he's an Emperor, isn't he?" He spat out, eyes wide with extreme jealousy and unbridled rage. His squeeze on your waist was hurting you immensely. "And i'm not? Is this it? Do you spread your legs to men of higher status huh?"

Your heart dropped when you saw him take off his dress shirt, displaying his carved out muscles that once brought you lust, but now it brought you fear.

Soma gripped your shirt, eyes dead with no light. His mouth a thin light as he captured your lips in a frenzied kiss.

He's no one with pride now. His ego gone.

The betrayal made him crazy as you made him crazy for you.

Placing a palm on your abdomen, he smirks. An evil intent on his eye.

"I'm gonna fuck/breed you into submission." He growls out, grinding his hips against yours. "I'm gonna make you forget the Emperor. I only want you to only live for me, sing and dance for me, I want you to only love me."

And as he relishes in the fear in your eyes, he smirks.

You're his.

And he will break you into being his if you try to get out of his clutches at all.

Remember that.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

When it comes to benefits from economic imperialism, is puerto rico also included among those who receive these economic benefits? Genuinely curious, I don't know much about the economic situation in Puerto Rico compared to the rest of América Latina

Have in mind that not being from there and I'm not like EXTENSIVELY well-read about US-Puerto Rico relations, but from what I've read the short answer is no.

I do think Puerto Ricans have a small privilege over other Latin Americans by virtue of being granted US citizenship (considering that just being a US citizen confers a non-trivial amount of passport privilege); but in the economic sense Puerto Rico is subject to the same kind of exploitative economic relationship that other Latin American countries have with the US, where the conditions enable American businesses to extract a staggering amount of wealth from the territory by operating there (either through labor outsourcing or exploitation of natural resources) in a way that benefits American investors and not the local economy, except this relationship is exacerbated by Puerto Rico's all but explicitly colonial status as an unincorporated US territory which allows American interests to create and maintain these conditions, and the fact that Puerto Rico is subject to the decisions of the US federal government while being denied any say in US politics.

I think a very straightforward example is the issue of how laws such as the Jones Act benefit certain sections of the US working class while having extremely negative consequences for Puerto Rican people. Puerto Rico, being a small island nation, is heavily reliant on importing goods and resources that can't be produced locally. The Jones act, among other things, requires all ships transporting goods between US ports (including those in territories like Puerto Rico) to be american-owned, operated, and built. Due to protecting the US maritime transport industry from foreign competition (and also due to codifying seamen's rights to compensation in the case of injury working on a US-flagged ship) it enjoys the support of US maritime worker unions, but it also increases the cost of imported goods in Puerto Rico by an estimate of 30%, which massively increases the cost of living for Puerto Ricans. (Which you know. I support labor unions, and the law does benefit maritime workers in the US, but it's an example of the way the influence that the American government wields over Puerto Rico is used to create conditions that benefit certain sectors of the US economy at the cost of the quality of life of people in Puerto Rico)

Another example is how Puerto Rico has become a tax haven for American companies and wealthy individuals under the guise of attracting investment. On top of already low property taxes, currently under Act 60 certain export industries are allowed to operate in Puerto Rico at a 4% corporate tax rate, and entitled to a 75% exemption from property taxes, 100% from passive income taxes, and 50% from municipal taxes, while US citizens who become new Puerto Rico residents as "individual investors" can apply for a 100% exemption from most income taxes.

Also there is the whole deal of disaster capitalism and American companies benefitting from natural disasters in Puerto Rico, such as firms like Whitefish Energy securing extremely profitable contracts to rebuild Puerto Rico's electrical grid after Hurricane María, or private equity firms like Blackstone swooping in to buy the affected hostels, homes, and farmland at extremely cheap prices.

Ultimately, I think the simple fact that US economic projects have turned Puerto Rico into what is considered a "high-income economy" while the poverty rate in the territory is currently 43% (more than double the poverty rate of the poorest US state) should be a pretty good indicator that Puerto Rico, despite nominally being part of the US, is on the receiving end of US economic imperialism and wealth extraction.

[sskybooks]

A world-building list. Enjoy! :)

1. Geography & Environment

What is the physical geography of the world: (continents, oceans, mountains)?

Are there any unusual natural phenomena or landmarks (e.g., floating islands, glowing forests)?

What is the climate like, and does it vary across regions?

How does the environment affect the lives and behaviors of the inhabitants?

Are there specific resources the world is known for?

What's the weather like?

2. Culture & Society

What are the main cultures or civilizations in the world?

How do people express their cultural identity (e.g., clothing, festivals, music)?

What are the major languages or dialects, and how do they influence communication?

What are the social hierarchies or class systems?

What role do gender roles, traditions, or taboos play?

3. Politics & Government

What are the dominant forms of governance (monarchies, democracies, councils)?

Who holds power, and how do they maintain it?

How are laws created and enforced?

Are there any significant political conflicts or alliances?

What role do religion or philosophy play in politics?

4. Religion & Beliefs

What are the dominant religions or belief systems?

How do they explain the creation of the world or existence?

Are there gods, spirits, or other supernatural entities worshipped?

What religious practices or rituals are common?

How do belief systems shape daily life, morality, and culture?

5. Economy & Trade

What is the primary currency or barter system?

What industries or trades dominate the economy?

How do people make a living?

What goods are exported or imported between regions?

Are there economic disparities or poverty?

6. Technology & Innovation

What level of technology does the world possess (medieval, steampunk, futuristic)?

Are there any unique inventions or discoveries?

How has technology shaped warfare, communication, or travel?

Is there a reliance on magic, science, or a mix of both?

Are there limitations or dangers associated with technology?

7. Magic & Mysticism

Does magic exist, and how is it accessed or controlled?

What are the rules or limitations of magic?

Are there magical creatures, artifacts, or phenomena?

Who can use magic, and is it regulated or feared?

How does magic influence politics, economy, or daily life?

8. History & Mythology

What are the major historical events or turning points?

Are there legendary heroes, villains, or mythical stories passed down?

How do different cultures interpret history or myth?

Are there ruins or relics of past civilizations?

What lessons or warnings do people derive from their history?

9. Inhabitants

What species or races inhabit the world?

How do different groups interact or coexist?

Are there unique traits, abilities, or traditions among species?

What challenges do they face in their environment?

How do they adapt or evolve over time?

10. Conflict & Change

What are the major sources of conflict (political, religious, resource-based)?

Are there ongoing wars or rebellions?

How do natural disasters, diseases, or other calamities shape the world?

What changes or innovations threaten the status quo?

How do ordinary people perceive these conflicts?

11. Transportation & Communication

How do people travel (roads, ships, airships, portals)?

What is the fastest or most efficient way to get around?

How is information shared across regions?

Are there any special navigational challenges (storms, voids, magical barriers)?

Do certain regions remain isolated due to transportation limitations?

12. Food & Daily Life

What is the staple diet of various regions?

How do people prepare and share food?

What is a typical day like for different social classes or species?

What sports, games, or hobbies are popular?

How is leisure time spent, if at all?

13. Art & Literature

What forms of art are celebrated (painting, music, dance, poetry)?

Are there famous artists, authors, or performers in history?

How do different cultures view or value art?

Are there shared myths, epics, or tales that unite people?

How is history or knowledge recorded (books, oral tradition, carvings)?

14. Science & Medicine

What is the state of medical knowledge or healthcare?

Are there known cures for diseases, or do plagues persist?

How do people approach science—curiosity, fear, or reverence?

Are there ethical debates surrounding scientific progress?

How do medicine and science interact with magic, if at all?

15. Relationships & Identity

How do people define family or community?

Are marriages, partnerships, or unions celebrated?

How is identity expressed (names, clothing, tattoos)?

Are there rites of passage marking maturity or status?

How do people honor their dead or remember ancestors?

[seriousbrat]

what do you think the wizarding world economy is? I don’t think they’re capitalist, they’re obviously not communists, but I’m not sure beyond them. sometimes I think it must be a state run restricted market but maybe it’s just a bunch of cottage industries? they don’t seem involved in agriculture.

I kind of see the WW as a culture of the upper classes only, like the majority of magical folk occupied a higher classes status than serfs (like those in a religious order, maybe, and aristocracy) which further complicates this question

omg I'll be honest, I'm not super well versed in economics to be able to give a very educated or definitive answer to this haha, but it's an interesting topic! Also there's not that much specific information in canon, because I don't think jkr gave this any thought whatsoever lmao. Which to be fair is not really necessary to do in a kid's fantasy.

The government does regulate the market-- such as with Percy's cauldron bottoms haha. Percy mentions that this crucial world-changing bit of legislation is specifically meant to address imported cauldrons, indicating there is trade with other nations, and trade agreements. The Ministry also regulates import/export, which we also see with Ali Bashir and his carpets. Given Crouch and Percy's attitudes towards both Ali Bashir and the foreign cauldron bottoms, I think it's very possible that the Ministry's policy towards international trade is generally protectionist rather than free-trade. Tariffs for everyone! 😬

It seems as though goods are generally produced through craftsmanship rather than large-scale industrial processes. As far as I can remember there's never any mention of any factories or true industrialisation of any sort, rather goods such as broomsticks, snitches, wands, robes are produced by hand, on an individual basis by dedicated craftsmen.

So you could be right about cottage industries being prevalent in terms of internal trade; it's honestly probably some sort of mixed economy with maybe lingering elements of mercantilism (which would make sense given they're 'behind' the Muggle world in many respects.) but I'm not certain what, if anything, Britain would export. Possibilities are potions ingredients, broomsticks, robes (this would be a good parallel to Britain's history with the textile industry) or, perhaps, floo powder.

Floo powder is maybe an interesting product to look at. According to this pottermore entry on Floo Powder, manufacture of Floo powder is strictly controlled, and "no shortage of Floo powder has ever been reported, nor does anybody know anyone who makes it. Its price has remained constant for one hundred years: two Sickles a scoop." So that does seem to indicate a high level of intervention in trade by the Ministry. Also i have no idea what the fact that the price hasn't changed for a century says about either inflation or currency rates lol.

Anyway, tbh I think they must engage in agriculture in some fashion, because a girl's gotta eat and we know that food cannot be magically produced. I guess it's possible that they somehow exchange with Muggles (or other wizarding states. this seems more likely. maybe spain lol, since a lot of produce sold in the UK is grown here.) But I tend to think they're mostly self-sustaining.

Agriculture can be made much more efficient through the use of magic, basically eliminating a lot of the manual labour involved. You'd also need much less space (and it's already a reduced population) and could potentially speed up the time it takes to grow crops. The Weasleys have a vegetable patch and pigs and chickens-- many magical families seem to live in rural areas so I can imagine there might be a system where families who grow crops and/or keep livestock can trade in surplus produce for refined goods such as flour, oil, etc or 'luxury' goods like chocolate. Some sort of state-organised smallholding situation makes more sense to me as opposed to large-scale agricultural production.

As far as I can recall, we have no canon examples of anyone going shopping for food. But there must be something in place. The Hogwarts kitchens must go through an incredible amount of supplies (and yes food can be magically multiplied, but even so) and it has to come from somewhere. It's likely that the Hogwarts house-elves deal with procurement themselves.

Speaking of which, there's also the factor of slavery forming a part of this society and therefore the economy. We know of the existence of 'elf-made wine,' although this is treated in canon as a luxury good. It's likely that most wine is made through magic. There's a spell that produces a 'fountain of wine' and it's unclear whether beverages are beholden to the food exception to gamp's law. Either way it's almost certainly possible to transfigure grapes directly into wine, and therefore wine produced artisanally (by elves) is given more value. Basically I don't think they have elves engaged in industrial-scale labour, but they still form a part of the economy in some way.

And the other thing to consider (and that we don't know) is to what extent the goblins are involved in the wizarding economy and in what way. They control the only bank and also control the production of currency. I developed some Goblin lore a while ago, which you can find here, but something I theorised is that Goblins don't actually value wizarding currency internally within their own society (rather precious metals themselves) and basically use it as a means to exert some influence over wizarding society, to keep themselves afloat so that wizards don't completely subjugate them the way they have the house-elves. Technically the Goblins (as I envision them) would be Bullionist I believe. But the wizarding economy and the goblin economy would be closely intertwined, basically interdependent.

So... I'm just not sure how all this would be defined lmao. This got very long because I was just vomiting every possible thought about the wizarding economy lol so sorry. Perhaps someone who knows more about economics than me (art degree lol) would be able to give a better answer haha.

like the majority of magical folk occupied a higher classes status than serfs

Regarding this-- we have a few examples from Beedle, which is really our only source of information about how magical people lived pre-Statute of Secrecy. Babbity Rabbity is a washerwoman for a King who hates magic, for instance. Of course, this is fiction in-universe, but I think it still gives some indication of what life was like for witches and wizards at the time. Similarly the wizards in 'Hopping Pot' live in a cottage in a small village, but on the other hand the Warlock in 'Hairy Heart' is wealthy and lives in a castle. From this, I would hazard that witches and wizards were most likely present in all levels of society pre-Statute. (and this also follows since a child born to Muggles can have magical ability, they wouldn't suddenly be relegated to a different social class) We know some, like the Malfoys, had close ties to the nobility, but likely not all.