#id need another 200

[grilledkatniss]

Local swiftie syndicate is officially on strike.

We were willing to go broke for the concert, we have nothing left for a movie ticket right now.

6k for a movie ticket is fucking absurd. 15k if you want the eras tour popcorn bucket with the seat.

[murdoc]

before taking my road test i did genuinely think everyone who said some of them will try to trip you up or be overly harsh were just sorta stretching the truth, but after how stupid my test was i understand.

i ended up autofailing bcz it was a two lane (same direction) parking lot where there were signs and cones saying one side was for the road test & one was for regular vechicles EXCEPT FOR ONE VERY SMALL AREA ONLY AT THE BEGINNING. but then she proceeded to make me continue on and do a parallel park, making me assume i didnt do anything wrong, and then have me circle back to the beginning and THEN fail me.

not only that, but she.. lied? about me not using my blinker when either going in or leaving the park????? which i straight up did do????? 🥲

[akihikosanada]

maxed all affinities, requests and social links, defeated margaret (don't ask how many times that took.), and got the true ending of persona 4 including that sexy timeskip where you meet all the besties again 💆‍♀️ loooove that for me

[uqb]

i have not played this much cookie run kingdom in one day ☠️🛌💀

[toastsnaffler]

what if i just killed myself

[schizononagesimus]

[covered in blood] i did it. Only two major plot points left. And then i can be free.

[squipdop]

referencing my favorite ace attorney video i cant find anymore-

id under the cut

[ID: a comic drawn on four images in a sketchy chibi style in gray scale.

image one consists of 3 panels. panel 1: YJH with his arms crossed, eyes closed, saying "i love women and having sex with women only. never had sex with a man. never will and i do not want to. i would not lie about this.” panel 2: HSY with her arms crossed, a questioning look, saying: “? you literally had sex with the other guy in this story you idiot. kim dickja or whatever.” panel 3: YJH with a look of indignation: “...”

image two consists of 3 panels. panel 1: YJH indignated, shouting (in all caps): “wh- literally who told you that. thats blatantly (underlined) untrue. i dont have sex with men, especially not him (underlined)” panel 2: HSY with her hands raised, angrily: “(in caps) you say this every time. (end caps) you have had sex with men before literally an undeniable fact. what is wrong (caps) with you. you are gay (caps) and flaming (caps)” panel 3: YJH, angrily, one finger raised: “name one (underlined) time (underlined) i had gay sex with another man. ill wait.”

image three consists of 5 panels. panel 1: HSY, one hand raised, eyes closed and a smug grin: “please. i (underlined) dont need to. hey dickja or whatever your name is i dont care. when is the last time you had sex with jooncock?” panel 2: KDJ, desinterested, looking at his phone: “uh last week i think?” an arrow is pointing at him, labeled “only half listening” panel 3: HSY, expression a mix of surprise and disgust: “...” panel 4: KDJ looking desinterested at his phone, loading throbber next to him. panel 5: KDJ with eyes wide in shock, throbber bursting next to him

image four consists of one panel. three big spiky speech bubbles, reading in all caps: “kim dokja get back here” “no i think biyoo called i-” “kim dokja!” HSY in the lower right hand corner is laughing with tears in her eyes, the “laughing crying” cursed emoji overlayed next to her. the background of the panel is filled with starstream messages along the lines of [the demon-like judge of fire is crying tears of joy] [200 coins have been sponsored.] [the queen of the dark-] the messages are cut off by the edges of the canvas and mostly covered by the large speech bubbles.

end ID]

[jinkicake]

Hand Gestures

Random smutty (fingering) drabbles 

Kaeya, Diluc, Xiao, Ayato, Itto, Pierro x Reader [seperate]

A/N: Here are some random smut drabbles, literal word vomit... just for warmup practice to help me with my lucifer smut LOL ummm,, ik i said id never write smut again but then i saw kaeya and pierro so... here i am i haven’t felt so rabid abt someone since dabi

Also it is reader w a pussy lol 

TW // poorly written smut ,, also very mean pierro 

WC - a little over 1K (200 words each)

~~~

Kaeya fucks you up against a wall, always pinning your body to his chest while his hands explore your thighs. He’s the teasing type and makes sure to make you watch as he takes you in front of a mirror. If you look away or close your eyes then he stops. He’s determined to make you watch his pretty, slim fingers disappear in your cunt. His strokes are slow and he grunts at the feeling of you squeezing around him so tightly. Kaeya will purposely slap your clit with his palm after each harsh thrust, he slowly pulls out but then fucks your deep and hard. It’s a steady rhythm he has created, one that builds your pleasure until you’re at your peak. 

This is always Kaeya’s favorite part. 

He watches with greedy eyes as your head falls back against his shoulder while he continues to pump his fingers inside of you. He just can’t get enough and will become consumed with the greed of seeing you in such a blissful state. 

Kaeya loves to overstimulate you so you better get used to it. 

~

Diluc keeps you between his legs, encaptured between his strong and muscular thighs that twitch beneath your touch. He does everything for your pleasure, always focusing on how you feel rather than how he feels himself. It’s why he locks your legs underneath his own, keeping you spread out for him to worship. His thick muscular middle finger runs up and down your slit, teasing you while you squirm against him. Diluc will gently bite down on your neck in warning as he keeps his eyes trained on his fingers. 

Only when he feels that you have both had enough teasing, he’ll slowly push his finger in until the knuckle. It creates an overwhelming feeling that you both gasp at, harshly sucking in a breath before releasing into a quiet moan. 

Unlike his brother, Diluc isn’t much of a teaser. He gets straight to the point by pumping his finger in and out of your cunt, curling it slightly just to see how your chest arches in the air. His free hand always goes to play with one of your breasts, pulling and pinching your nipple to make you squirm even more.  

He adores making his beloved spasm underneath him, jolting because of his powerful touch. Diluc simply can’t get enough of you. 

~

“Xiao, wait-”

“I know what I’m doing.”

The adeptus is surprisingly fast at learning how to please you. Despite how he may be perceived, he knows exactly about pleasure whether it’s for a human or another immortal being. It annoys him when you think otherwise. 

It’s why he has you pinned down to the bed, wrists tied above your head while he licks between your thighs. His mouth is glued to your cunt as he sucks and moans around the swollen bud. Xiao gets off by you getting off, it’s a very easy trade. 

He also just loves eating you out and playing with your pussy. His life is always so serious, he needs a little rest. 

Well, it’s not exactly ‘a little’. 

Three of his fingers pump into your cunt, stretching you out deliciously while he licks away at the burn. He’s so fascinated by how your body reacts to him, it only eggs him on to deliver more and more pleasure. 

His hard kisses on your clit, thick licks of his tongue, and rough snaps of his wrist are all that you will ever need to be cumming in minutes. 

~

Ayato loves tension, the fear of being caught doing something lewd sparks a fire deep within his stomach. 

He adores taking you on the floor of his study and up against the door right where the maids are standing outside. His palm always stays glued to your mouth while the other plays between your thighs. Ayato’s eyes shine with something dangerous whenever he has you like this. He smirks and almost starts to drool every time he feels you shake underneath his touch.

The commissioner has never been the best at holding back when it comes to you. 

He wants you so bad, he fingers you with purpose. A means to an end just so he can see you cum and cum again and again. The way you suck him in so earnestly, how you twitch when his thumb brushes against your clit just show how sensitive you are for him. 

Ayato loves it. 

He purposely snaps his wrists so hard that your body lurches against the door, nearly being driven up by the force. He laughs lowly whenever he hears the quiet gasps of the maids and their concerned calls to make sure everything is going alright inside.

Oh, if only they knew. 

~

Itto lives for the thrill that comes with pleasuring you. He just adores how you whimper and squirm against his touch because it’s too overwhelming for you to handle.

He’s as cruel as he is big.

Itto treasures having you laid out across his lap, laying on his muscular thighs with your ass high in the air and his thick fingers pumping in and out of your cunt at a harsh pace. Each harsh snap of his wrist has his palm meeting your ass in a spank. He laughs at the thick tears that pool in your eyes and fall down your cheeks, he gushes over his cute little crybaby. Itto treats you like no other, as his most prized possession but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to rough you up a bit. 

He’ll finger you anywhere just because he can. If you have somewhere to be he’ll let you free after you meet him by a lone rock, or if you’re ready to leave for a mission you better stop by before you leave! Itto always makes sure to leave you wanting for more. 

It’s how he’s promised you’ll come back to him. 

~

Pierro uses fingering to punish you. He’s an old man, okay, he has the experience and knows exactly how to use his fingers much better than any other character. 

With one hand wrapped around your waist to pin your back to his chest, he keeps you still between his thighs. His movements are brutal, he’ll never simply play with your cunt. He lives to make you cum from the pain of his hurtful strokes. Pierro will slap your clit and pinch it beneath his thick fingertips to make you squirm and whimper as you turn into mush under his touch. 

Like this, you’ll never finish. 

He purposely gets you right to the edge by toying with your clit and then will rip his hand away to instead bring two fingers to your entrance. Pierro knows the telltale signs of when you’re going to cum and he always pulls away right before you get the chance to even think of release. 

It’s incredibly cruel and a rough play of affection but, it encapsulates him perfectly. 

He’s cruel and has a rule that you’ll only ever get cum by his cock. 

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Okay here's one. I really dont think I'm the asshole but my ex sure does.

AITA for refusing to buy my partner a jar of pickles?

So this story has like, a little background and some confounding factors i think but i really could go both ways on whether i was the asshole.

Ill start with both my ex (21nb) and i (23f) had severe mental health issues and were working on treatment when we were together. Theyd been in and out of inpatient stays throughout our three year relationship. Towards the Day of Pickles, i had my first inpatient stay where i got help i desperately needed to keep myself safe. This happened to be about a week after my 23rd birthday, but about two and a half weeks before their 21st birthday.

Anyway, at that time i had just gotten out of the hospital and started a new job at Joanns Fabrics (i outlived that retail fucker and im proud of it). I had been unemployed for the previous year and a half because of the pandemic and so the retail job was really my saving grace to have some sort of income to buy gas and groceries. My parents let me live rent free with them in their basement but i spent a LOT of time essentially squatting at my ex's dorm because my situation with my parents was not great.

Now my ex was also being financially abused by their mom so they had a monthly "allowance" of 200$ (of their own money they made at their on campus job) and no access to their bank statements. So i spent a lot of my own money on gas and groceries for both of us, and anything we wanted to do for fun, like visit the city. Without an income, this was SUPER stressful for me and i spiraled pretty hard with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. Supporting two people, even minimal living expenses, on an income of exactly 0$ is the WORST.

Anyway, i got out of the hospital and pretty much immediately went back to picking up as many shifts as i could at work because id been on staff for all of two weeks before hospitalization. Knowing retail, i was probably on the precipice of losing hours or being fired altogether.

My ex wanted me to take time off to celebrate their 21st birthday (they didnt celebrate my birthday that year) and travel to see their family and drink etc. I got scheduled for an inconvenient time. I would have to miss their birthday if i didnt find someone to cover. I managed to switch shifts with another coworker who was nice enough to let me have her morning shift, so i was able to at least travel separately and be a little late to dinner.

The night of their birthday my ex wanted to get drunk and so we went to the liquor store. Now im generally pretty picky about alcohol but if i get anything special i always get enough to share. Mysteriously, no one ever offers to share the expense or pay me back. So with all of 150$ in my account, i purchased enough alcohol for myself and the rest of the party, and a bottle of (cheap af) liquor for myself. I was broke af until my next paycheck and was pretty much planning on giving up meals and staying at home because the commute to work was shorter and meant less gas.

My ex picked out a jar of boozy pickles and asked if i would get it for them for their birthday. I should note that with all the stress i was under i had found a birthday present for them but hadnt actually placed the order (was waiting to get paid). I also didnt lie to them about this and had told them that i hadnt gotten their birthday present yet. They were upset by this and told me they felt like i didnt care about them, to which i snapped and raised my voice a little.

I gave them a bit of a reality check. I told them in no uncertain terms that i was under a lot of stress, from nearly killing myself to being flat broke with little to no help from my family other than a conditional roof over my head, ordering their birthday present wasnt super high on my list of things to do and that i knew what i was going to get them and that i intended to order it as soon as i had the money to do so. After years of the sole attention being focused on keeping them alive, i needed some support and acting like i didnt care completely ignored EVERYTHING i did to keep us both afloat.They cried and played the victim as they tended to do and i was too stressed to do anything but be angry.

So when they asked for the pickles i told them no. I have NOTHING left in my bank account, and anything that was in my account was already allocated for something else.

They told me i was being selfish for buying myself alcohol on THEIR birthday, not even getting them a present, yelling at them, and then refusing to buy the one thing they asked for, especially after i refused to take off work the day before to hang out with them and their family. In front of our friends.

I told them that i was purchasing the alcohol for the whole party, that the present had slipped my mind, and that they were accusing me of not caring about them when i snapped. Then i walked out.

My bff went outside to help me cool down and i told him what was going on and how stressed i was and he said that he agreed with me, it was childish to expect me to pay for everything with no help from anyone and then act like im unreasonable for having to put limits on what i can purchase.

My ex ended up getting so pissed by all of this they broke up with me two days later, saying that their birthday was the final straw for them after I'd been so codependent and relying on them too much to survive.

I think its all ridiculous given all of the stress factors i was dealing with at the time. I feel like we're all entitled to the occasional emotional outburst/bouts of forgetfulness when we're stressed. But my ex seems to think im a selfish asshole. We've been no contact for the last two years so this isnt like a pressing concern or anything but it does make me roll my eyes occasionally.

So tumblr, aita?

(Btw im also much more financially stable now that I'm fully and properly medicated and away from them.)

[trans-axolotl]

ID: a laptop screen that is pixelated with many vertical and horizontal lines. A closed laptop with the screen entirely broken, where a piece of the outer metal screen has fallen off and the wires and cables are visible.

so my laptop is entirely broken and because of where I am right now and risk of being barricaded in without ability to leave, I can’t leave to go use library computers. I need to replace my laptop ASAP, as I have four essays left to write before I graduate and have a lot of things I need to do for my work (data analysis, etc etc etc) that can only be done on a laptop.

I don’t have enough to buy another laptop right now. The laptop I’m planning on buying to replace it that can handle the software and storage I need for my other work is $350. I have $200 of that right now, but need to fundraise the other $150.

after recently becoming a wheelchair user and getting let go from one of my jobs because of Palestinian liberation activism, money is really rough right now. any help is so so appreciated, but please prioritize other survival fundraisers, especially fundraisers from Gaza right now.

Thank you so so much.

links:

pypal

Vnmo: @transaxolotl67

$0/150

[dailypersonamodding]

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

[ Sorry for the prolonged absence! Life got complicated for both of the admins and for the time being you'll need to deal with me! ]

ANYWAY, Goro Akechi Time

So, as is considered nearly common knowledge by now, data present in P5 and P5R points to the existence of a scrapped Akechi Palace for our ✨lovely pancake boy✨, but how much is known about it *really?* Here's a data breakdown of the scraps left over!

Every field in Persona 5 has a Major and Minor Field ID, and the game is programmed to assume Major ID's between 150 and 200 are Palaces. The final game uses IDs 150 to 162 for each Palace like so:

f150 - Prologue [ Casino Duplicate ]

f151 - Castle Pt.1

f152 - Castle Pt.2

f153 - Museum

f154 - Bank

f155 - Pyramid

f156 - Moon Base

f157 - Casino

f159 - Cruiseship

f160 - Holy Grail Path

f161 - Mementos Depths

f162 - Labratory

As you can see, there are missing Fields between 157 and 159, but how can we prove this is Akechi? We look at the dialogue for negotiating with Shadows!

When knocked down, Shadows occasionally mention whatever Palace Ruler is currently active. This data is stored in BATTLE\TALK in various .BF ( Binary Flowscript ) files that are run based on the enemy type.

Inside the BMD ( Binary Message Data ) chunk of these files, there's some unused dialogue:

Flee while you still can! Ahahaha! It is futile to oppose Lord Akechi! You would do well to tread carefully. Lord Akechi is a man possessed of immense desire. Hmph… I wonder if your power would even pose a threat to Lord Akechi… I give up… *sob* Lord Akechiii…

There are 27 lines in total from Shadows referencing "Lord Akechi", all of them localized! Normally, this is where most investigation ends. There was a planned Akechi Palace between Sae and Shido, but all data was scrapped and any attempts to load into the Palace by force fail due to an intense scrub of all related data.

( Generally this is a sign things are not going well )

This, however is not the end of things just yet—Atlus was not entirely diligent in the data wipe. One of the things left behind is a single .ENV ( Environment ) file. These files—among many other things—specify properties like texture color, color grading, light effects and so on for every field.

ENV\ENV0158_001_000.ENV is found in this folder, corresponding to the missing 158 Palace ID. However, since there's no meshes left over, we can only see ENV 158's effects by placing it on another field. Here is the front hall of the Bank Palace as seen in-game normally:

Here is what Akechi's Palace would have looked like, at least the ambiance, had development continued:

( I'm sure someone can make some kind of argument about how this represents Akechi thematically, lord knows I can. )

One other aspect still remaining is found in FIELD\FTD\FLDDNGPACK.FTD, a list that specifies what encounters can be found in any Palace, along with loot in Chests and Search Objects. Akechi's DNGPACK List is not entirely empty!

We can see by parsing this file that Akechi's Palace would have had around 21 different Fields, about the standard for every Palace in P5R, though this excludes Safe Rooms. While the Encounter Entries sadly lead only to default Kamoshida Castle battles, his list references a unique Random Loot Table 7! At the time of writing, it appears no other part of the game references Random Loot Table 7. While it lacks unique items found in other Palaces, the data is indicative of what could've been found inside Akechi's Palace Search Objects.

Jades and Garnets are placed at surprisingly high priority, along with the Marble Chessboard. Of note are the items such as the Marble Chessboard and Brass Pocket Watch, those specific Item IDs cannot be found in any other location in the ENTIRE Random Loot Table .FTD file.

Until more info about how Palaces function is uncovered, it seems like our Detective Prince will continue to elude us in his heavily fog-covered ways, this subject clearly needs more research to find any more remnants!

That’s all for now, see you soon!

[destroymeinherz]

The Party

A little while back someone posted about a fantasy of being passed around a stethoscope party, with different people listening to their heart. I don’t remember who did so if it was you, I hope you like this. It sparked creativity,

I could continue if anyone wants another part. But I wanted to do the basic idea.

The Party

I’d just signed with a modeling agency. It wasn’t the most exclusive, sometimes the jobs weren’t exactly what I hoped but college was expensive, so I took what I could. How bad could it be? It’s not like I planned to run for office or something.

My agent called me after classes one afternoon asking if I’d be interested in a gig that was more unconventional. After a few basic questions for my safety, nothing seemed too offensive even if it was secretive, and a rep from the agency would be there in case of trouble, I decided to take it.

Friday night I arrived at a big mansion just outside the city. From the looks of it this was old money, probably descendants of oil barons and railway tycoons. Which meant the paycheck would be huge. They’d promised a large payout for anyone who stayed til midnight.

I was let into a large foyer and usher back to a small hallway to a butlers parlor. A woman checked my ID, checked my name off a list and then looked me over.

“You will be required to wear one of two outfits tonight,” She instructed, pulling two hangers off a rack of clothes. “Black is standard, you are willing to do anything that would be clothes on. Call it PG-13.”

She held up a black Herve Luger bandage dress for emphasis. Then in her other hand, she held up a red one nearly identical to the former.

“Red,” She continued. “You are open to sexual behavior, and by wearing red you are giving consent to sexual advance,”

Well, I was single and I was never a prude, so I took the red. Might as well have a bit of fun. Once I accepted my color choice, she handed me an iPad with a waiver basically stating that I would take proper precautions, assert myself and under no circumstances attempt to contact anyone I met here after the event. I would ask for aid if I felt unsafe and leave without a scene. If I did not make it to midnight, I’d be compensated $200 per hour worked.

I shrugged and signed. She then held back a curtain for me to change in a small closet. I slipped inside, squeezed into the dress and as I was ushered to a door she fit me with a bracelet.

“If you need out, press the red button. Security will extract you.” She informed. “Are you ready?”

I blinked. Extracted? My heart started to pound, suddenly feeling crushed by the tight dress. What did I get myself into. But… the money was clouding my judgement. So I nodded, and the door opened. Once I cleared the threshold, it closed behind me.

Just walk around. Be eye candy. That was my only instruction. So that is what I did.

The room was a parlor, antique and dimly lit. It was full of golds and deep rich red textiles, dark wood and gold finishes. Old leather bound editions of classic literature adorned the bookshelves. I felt like I’d gone back in time. Or I was in a vampire’s house. My heart thudded at the thought.

The room was also full of people, in fine clothes, expensive tuxes and dresses. All of them wore masks like a masquerade. As I started to work through the crowd they watched me, with hungry eyes. Maybe I was in a vampire’s den. I was about to be dinner. There were a few other girls dressed in the red or black, varying heights and hair colors and skin tones.

I swallowed and tried to will my poor heart to stop trying to escape my chest. Until finally, a man approached me.

“Well, aren’t you lovely,” He said, holding out his hand.

I took his hand, and he brought it to his lips. He then moved his fingers down my wrist, stopping to feel my pulse. He offered him a soft smile. Then, he nodded before he motioned a waiter over.

The waiter came with a silver cloche, removing the dome top and extending the tray to the man. But there wasn’t food. It was a line of various stethoscopes. His fingers danced along them as he made his selection, a red tube that matched my dress.

He waved the man off, then examined it before placing the buds in his ears.

“Now, deep breath for me. Like a doctor’s office.” He said as he placed the diaphragm on my chest,

I was surprised, but I did as he asked, breathing in deeply and feeling my heart kick in my chest. Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

He must have enjoyed the sound of my heart because he moved the diaphragm around my chest, smiling to himself and eventually he stopped. He listened for a long time, and even behind a mask I could see his eyes were closed.

I blushed. Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump

Finally, he opened his eyes and moved the diaphragm away. He took the ear pieces out and looked around. Then he must have seen who he needed, because he waved to someone.

“You have a perfect heart, my dear.” He said.

“Uh, thanks…” I replied.

Another man approached, he also had a stethoscope. He looked to the first man oblivious to me and waited for why he’d been called over.

“I think she’s the one. Take a listen.”

The new man finally looked at me. I smiled at him but he simply leaned in with his own stethoscope and listened to my heart. I took a deep breath like I had before.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump

“I think you’re right,” He replied. “Take her in, I’ll grab the others.”

The others? I blinked in surprise. Is this all it was? A bunch of cosplayers listening to my heart for a few hours? That didn’t seem so bad. Even if they wanted to listen to it during sex or something. That was actually, kinda hot.

“Come with me,” The first man said.

I nodded as he took my hand again. This time he lead me down another hallway to a different room. He opened the door and brought me in, then closed it behind me. It was more of a sitting room with a beautiful chaise in the center, raised up on a platform.

I recognized some medical equipment from various movies or doctors visits. Nothing seemed too concerning.

“Now, lay down on the chaise,” He instructed. “You may stay clothed for now. But do remove your shoes as to not damage the upholstery.”

I did as he asked. Once I was settled, he returned to my side. He brought the steth out again and gently placed it on my chest. He let out a content sigh as he listened to my heart pound.

As he listened, others started to fill the room. They lined up behind him. I had never expected anything like this. Just lay here and let them hear my heart beat.

“Before we continue, could I get you anything? Water, soda, wine?”

I smiled. “What would you like me to have?”

“Oh you are cheeky.” He grinned. “Perhaps a little caffeine, to stimulate you. What does everyone think?”

There was a nod of agreement from the group and some muttering of approval. The first man smiled and had one of the caterers being me a soda can on a platter with a straw beside it.

“Go ahead and open it, then use the straw to limit your movement to drink.” He instructed.

I did as he asked. Once the can was open and the straw was in, in leaned over to the table where it sat and drank a few gulps. As I did, the man placed the diaphragm on my chest again.

He closed his eyes, listening and seemingly very content with the sound. Finally he opened them, took my hand and kissed the back of it. He stepped aside and the next person in line stepped up.

There was no clock in the room but it felt like time slowed in this room. Each person took their turn stepping up to my seat and just listening to my heartbeat. Some had me drink the soda, some had me lay down, some had me sit and stand quickly. I’d stand there and pant through running in place and jumping jacks in a too tight dress, as they listened to my heart’s reaction and then recovery.

Ba-dumpba-dumpba-dumpba-dump ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump

I had to admit, this was fun.

The last person was a woman, she couldn’t have been much older than me. She seemed more keen then the men had. Her eyes were bright behind her mask. She took a deep breath as her gold and white stethoscope settled on my chest.

“My… your heart… it’s by far one of the loveliest I’ve heard.” She said to me, her voice was lustful. “May I rest my head on your chest? Hear it directly with my ear?”

“Sure. I don’t see why not.” I replied.

“Would you like to hear your heart while I do?” She removed the stethoscope and offered it.

The people in the room all watched, eager to see how I would respond. Well, why not? If it made them happy it was my job tonight. I don’t think I’d ever heard my heartbeat before, not like this anyway.

“Okay. Sure” I replied with a smile.

That was the right answer as she grinned with excitement and placed the ear pieces in my ears. Then she placed the diaphragm down on my skin and rested her ear next to it.

I inhaled as I had before and my head filled with the rhythmic thumping they’d all been indulging in for the last few hours.

Ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump

I closed my own eyes and lost myself in the sound. Maybe I should come to these parties more often. Hearing the steady beat, knowing it was mine… that was intoxicating.

“Do you like it?” She asked.

“Yeah. I think I get the vibe.” I responded.

“Are you ready to try something a little more interesting?” The first man asked, approaching me slowly. “You can refuse any of the requests, we won’t take offense or change your compensation. These would be granting special requests.”

The stethoscope was removed from my ears and I almost whined about it. I liked hearing my heart, understanding what they were hearing. What they enjoyed that brought me here.

“Sure,” I said. “What do you have in mind?”

End?

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: giant tube worms

You voted that I would talk about a worm and so I shall discuss the mighty giant tube worms. But first, we need to define what a tube worm is. This is another "no such thing as a fish" situation because there are actually a lot of different things we call tube worms. Turns out the "noodle in a tube" body plan is a pretty successful one. The worms I'm discussing today are members of Siboglinidae, a family of annelids (segmented worms) that was formerly classified as two different phyla until genetic evidence came in. I will primarily be talking about two species: Riftia pachyptila and Lamellibrachia luymesi, who have both adapted to distinct extreme environments in similar ways.

(Image ID: multiple patches of Riftia pachyptila growing from rock at a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. The worms are housed in long, white tubes, some stained yellow. Emerging from the tubes are respiratory organs covered in what appears to be red fur. End ID)

All members of Siboglinidae share a basic body plan consisting of a worm body inside of a mineral tube (side not, I think I will be including an orc or ogre named Sibog in my D&D campaign). The tube is composed of chitin and minerals and is secreted through glands along the body of the worm as it grows from larva to adult. The tube provides the worm within with protection from predators and environmental hazards while also providing support, allowing the worm to lift itself up into the water rather than remain on the substrate. The tube either connects to a solid object or is rooted in the sediment with extensions called roots. The roots are composed of the same material as the tube and can be considerably longer than the rest of the worm, though they are so fragile it is hard to study them. Since the worms often live in large congregations, their roots can twist together is massive mats called ropes. The inside of the tube is where you get into the squishy worm parts. The body of the worm is divided into four regions. The first of these regions I found many alternate names for while researching including cephalic lobe and branchial plume. I'm going to simplify and call it the plume because this segment is composed of one to 200 tentacles that are covered with feathery filaments that can make it look like the plume of a quill pen. The feathery portions of the plume are usually red because they are highly vascularized and filled with blood, similar to a fish's gils. The plume is used for respiration, taking in dissolved oxygen and (depending on the species) other dissolved gasses from the water. In most species, the plume is the only part of the body that extends from the tube. When in the presence of threats, the plume can withdraw into the tube, which can then be close with a structure called the obtraculum, similarly to the operculum found in many other invertebrates like snails. The second body region is the vestimentum. It has a winged shape and is composed of multiple bands of muscle. The vestimentum also contains the heart, a simple brain, and genital pores that release gametes. The third body region, which makes up most of the body, is the trunk. The trunk is the wormiest part of the worm and contains the gonads, the coelom (main body cavity), and the trophosome, which I will come back to later. The last body region is the opistosome, which connects the animal to the tube and is used to store and (maybe) excrete waste.

(Image ID: the tubeworm Lamellicrachia satsuma removed from its tube to show its anatomy. It has a plume made up of multiple feathery white tentacles, the vestimentum is a thick white section with flared tips, the trunk is long, brown, and wormlike, and ends with the yellowish opistosome. The body regions are labeled as "op" for opistosome, "tr" for trunk, "ves" for vestimentum, and "ten" for the plume. End ID. Source)

You'll notice that I didn't mention a digestive tract above. That's because these worms don't have one. Instead of a digestive tract, they have a trophosome, an organ composed of highly spongy tissue vascularized by two main blood vessels. Housed within the trophosome is a colony of bacteria that exists in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with the worm. The worm provides the bacteria with a place to live and protection from predators while the bacteria provide the worm with all of its nutrition. The bacteria are all chemoautotrophs, gaining all their nutrition from chemical reactions using chemicals in their environment without needing to intake nutrients. In particular, they use oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide provided to them by the worm. The worm also provides other elements including nitrogen and phosphorus that the bacteria need. I'm going to be honest with you, I tried to comprehend the chemical reactions involved but it's been a long time since I took chemistry and I was never that good anyway so it's over my head. The short version is that the bacteria produces nutrients and chemicals (primarily carbohydrates and ATP) that it shares with the worm. Waste products are also sent into the worm's bloodstream and are sequestered at the opistosome.

(Image ID: a scientific diagram of the internal anatomy of Riftia pachyptila. Of note is the section showing the trophosome, illustrating it as several yellow, spongy cells filled with bacteria and fed by a capillary. End ID. Source)

The most famous of the tube worms is Riftia pachyptila, which you will recognize if you have ever seen a documentary about the deep sea. They're the ones that look like giant tubes of lipstick. These are the most studied of the Siboglinids and live around hydrothermal vents in the deep pacific ocean. Hydrothermal vents are places on the seafloor where water underground is heated by geothermal activity in the Earth's mantle and then released into the water column, often carrying with it chemicals from deeper in the planet. These vents are hotspots of biodiversity in the deep sea and are hypothesized to play a major role in the origin of life. These ecosystems are among the only ones on the planet where the primary source of energy is not sunlight via photosynthesizing organisms. Instead, chemosynthetic bacteria forms the base of the trophic web, generating energy from the heat and chemicals released by the vents. Riftia requires vents which release sulfur into the water and blanket vents with the right conditions all throughout the Pacific. The lifestyle clearly works for them as they have the fastest grown rate of any marine animal. They can go from a larva to a sexually mature adult of 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) long in 2 years. These worms can reach 3 meters in length (9.75 ft) long, but only get to about 4 cm (1.5 in) in diameter within the tube. When reproducing, males will release blobs of stuck-together sperm called spermatozeugmata that collectively swim towards female worms, entering the tube and seeking out the female's oviduct. The female then releases fertilized larvae into the water. These larvae usually spend a few days in the water column before settling down on the substrate and beginning growth into an adult. However, the larvae have been known to reach newly-formed hot vents up to 200 kilometers away from their parent's vents. We don't know how the larvae find new sites to colonize or how long they can remain in the initial, motile state before succumbing to starvation as the larvae do not have digestive tracts and do not develop their internal bacterial colony until they settle down on the substrate. Once the larva does settle down, it develops its internal colony by intaking bacteria from the water using the plume. Riftia are some of the first organisms to colonize a new vent and play a major role in building that vent's ecosystem. Genetic tests show low genetic diversity amongst and between all colonies, which may be a result of how fast they colonize new vents and the fact that if a vent goes dormant or dies, all of the local worms will die with it.

(Image ID: a cluster of Rifita tubeworms, most of whom have their red, feathery plumes exposed. Some tubes do not have exposed plumes, indicating that either the worm has retracted into the tube or the worm has died. Several crabs are crawling on the tubes. End ID)

The other giant tube worm species I'm spotlighting is Lamellibrachia luymesi. These aren't as flamboyant as Riftia, but can get nearly as large (up to 3 meters) and also play a very important role in their ecosystems, though they are less studied. While Riftia likes it hot, Lamellibrachia is more chill. They live at cold seeps, places in the ocean where hydrogen sulfide and hydrocarbons like methane and oil seep out of the sea floor. Like Riftia, these worms depend entirely on an internal bacterial colony for their nutrition. Oxygen is intaken through the plume, but these worms can't get hydrogen sulfide the same way due to the different conditions. Instead, they absorb the sulfide through their roots. While the hot and cold worms absorb their hydrogen sulfide differently, they both have an adaptation to deal with it: specialized hemoglobin. Most forms of hemoglobin can't carry oxygen in the presence of hydrogen sulfide, which is a problem because that's the whole point of hemoglobin. The tube worms, who need to transport hydrogen sulfide, have specialized hemoglobin that seems to use zinc ions to allow for oxygen to bind to it anyway. The cold seep tube worms also excrete their waste products through the roots, returning it to the sediment. The intake of hydrogen sulfide and sequestering of the wast product in the roots and sediment lets the tube worms play an important role in the cold seep ecosystem. Them intaking the sulfide protects organisms who can't handle it as well and sequestering waste products also keeps it away from organisms who could be harmed by the chemicals in it. Hot vents are inherently unstable places. They are formed primarily in places where two tectonic plates are moving away from each other, exposing the planet's mantle. This exposed spot will eventually cool down and the hot vent will die off. Because of this, hot vent ecosystems grow fast and die young. Cold seeps by contrast are extremely stable and long-lasting. Lamellibrachia luymesi grow very slowly and can live for over 250 years. There's no need to hurry when your food comes out of the ground and won't be going anywhere for a very, very long time.

(Image ID: a colony of Lamellibrachia luymesi. Their tubes are more visibly segmented than those of Rifita, with the top of each segment being noticably wider than the base of the next. The tubes are a pale blue, but switch to white at 2 - 9 segments below the top. Many tubes have brown algae growing on them. The exposed plumes are short, red, and feathery. End ID)

[aces-and-angels]

title: do not fall apart before they do. tiktok originally made by umnia_ video transcript below the cut

[ID: With the magnitude of what has been happening in Gaza in the last 8-9 months, I really hope you guys deeped it when people of color were trying to tell you to pace yourselves- because now is around the time a lot of you are going to start *clicks tongue, slashes hand over forehead* Like, there's going to be yet another tragic massacre right in front of you on your screen- and you're just not gonna react because you're burnt out. and that's when they get you. This is- this is an endurance test.

Colonialism *laughs* and- and death and destruction. Necropolitics is an endurance test. How many people can we kill before you tap out on even seeing them as people? Until you- until you don't get it. Until you just- it no longer registers. How many people does it need to be? 300,000? 400? It- they will just keep going.

They don't see them as people. So what- what avenue do they have to stop? What avenue do they have to go, "oh, my god!" Like- they don't have one. They don't see these- they see them as- they don't even see them as numbers on a sheet. They don't think of these massacres by the numbers. Everyone else has to do the numbers. They don't even see the numbers. They're thinking in terms of the spreadsheet that has the bombs and the money on it. They're not thinking about the people, ever.

200 people? Okay *muttered speech* They have this double tap thing (which is a violation). It's a war crime where they go, "We'll do a little small explosion here. Everyone will run to try and try to save everybody- and we'll do another one." That would've horrified you in October, and now you're just like, "Yeah, cause it's Israel." That's how they get you. That's how they get you! That's how they get you.

(speaker mimicking others' most common comments) Well, what are we supposed to do? They say it's a civil war in Sudan. Wha- how am I meant to boycott gold like that? How does that even work? Like- I'm being asked to boycott so many things.

This- this is- this is when people of color have told you all of the different pitfalls. It was for the moment here- this moment- where Meta keeps switching off the political content even when you switch it back on again. It's for the "I haven't seen anything about Palestine in like, four days." It's for the "they- they bombed the school and they burned all the kids inside- all the kids." And you go, "Yeah- I mean, god, Israel- just- is there no low they won't stoop to?" It's for that moment. It's for that moment. That's when they get you. That is when they get you. That is when they get you.

And it's now no time for half measures. You've gotta be "October heated" about every single moment. And some of that means that you don't tap in until like 2 PM each day. Or you have- you cannot be guilty about the one or two things you do a day that are for you. You don't have to feel guilty about the week where you are just silent reposting and getting your mental back because at least you're doing something.

Like- that is how you maintain your humanity as they keep going. Because they can't- they don't- they won't stop. And if you can keep up with them, they run out of money, and that's when you can get them. And there's no recourse for them anymore. They need someone at every single speech going, "You're funding a genocide." They need everyone turning up to vote against them.

They- there's so many different avenues that mean you don't have to sacrifice your daily coffee and your nice little bubble bath to ruin their lives when they do this- when they kill this amount of people. You can really disrupt stuff. Even if it just means that your one action for the whole week is explaining to all your co-workers why that person who shouted at Jimmy Kimmel is an icon. That's the- that's the one.

Because finally- one day they run out of money- they run out of goodwill. They are worn down by the fact that you won't let this go, and they stop. You've disrupted their balls- you've disrupted their interviews- you've disrupted their money. Boycott, boycott, boycott. And eventually *speaker makes explosion sound* it all shuts down.

We're watching it shut down right now. That's why they're getting vicious. One might argue this entire assault is the final flamethrow of a dying empire. Do not let them guilt you into using everything you have in your power to maintain your humanity and stay in the fight. And that does not mean you have to be burning yourself out every day. It means sometimes that your only daily action is those instagram posts- those instagram stories. But you're still not stopping. No one's gonna shut you up.

Go as slow as you need to as long as you want. Do not stop. Because this is the moment. This is the moment that they're waiting for you to cave. They're waiting for you to burn out and to not- and to not see those kids as kids-- and to not see that granddad-- and to go, "What?! Another atrocity? What- another thing they're doing in the prison? What? Another thing? Ah, look at the dog! The dog they sent on the poor grandma."

You can't just be like *clicks tongue, slashes hand over forehead* and you can't just go like, "Why does no one care?!" You just have to beat them at the endurance test.

The- if you ever- if you ever-- I mean all people of color can do this for you, but if you ever need an example of an endurance test, pay attention to Palestinians. Follow Palestinians. They have been in this for a time- a length of time you cannot fathom. There are people who have been born into this who were born of people who were born into this, okay? They know endurance. Follow their lead. They're still graduating. They're still having their coffees. They're still doing their makeup, and--

And you just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going. Just keep going. Because the thing is, you can- you can maintain your sanity. They cannot maintain this. This cannot go on forever. This will end up falling apart, but only if you don't fall apart first. END ID]

[saturn-scribbles]

i want to be able to eat @nopanamaman's music but alas i can only draw edgy fanart

id under the cut

[id: five digital drawings of characters from the vocaloid song series parties are for losers.

the first is of of katya/KT. she is visible from the waist up, and is smiling peacefully at the camera. she has white skin and chin-length straight brown hair, and is wearing a blue and red jacket. on the top and bottom of the image are black bars with white text reading "some things are simply meant to be contained," which is a lyric from the song KT's official guide to coolness. the background is red with a black sillhouette of splattered, stylized gore. there are numbers in the background counting up from 200.

the second is of anya. it is a full body drawing. anya appears scared or shocked, and looks like she is falling backward with one arm reaching forward. she has pale skin, long straight reddish hair, and is wearing a hoodie. behind her are yellow circles in a target pattern, where lyrics from the song "punch it, punk" are written in a circle. specifically, the lyrics "i may not know anything at all / and something tells me this is out of my control." on top of the drawing are crisscrossing black lines with lyrics from the song "convergence" written on them. specifically, the lyrics "and it's all because i was simply too naive to run on the edge of the knife."

the third is of yura. the main image is a close-up of his face. he has pale skin and short reddish hair and is smoking a cigarette. there are black bars crisscrossing the drawing, with lyrics from the song occam's razor on them. specifically, the lyrics "this particular troubled youth on the diagram / found his footing in saying, i need, therefore i am." in the middle of the quadrilateral formed by the crisscrossing lines is a second image that covers up yura's eye. it is another drawing of yura who appears to be falling through a void.

the fourth is of sanya. the camera is looking down at her and she is reaching one hand up. there is a chain link fence in front of her. she has spiky grey hair, red eyes, and white skin. there is text in the background that is lyrics from the song false disposition.

the fifth is of dmitri/dima. he has white skin and short spiky black hair and blue eyes. the top left and bottom right corners of the image are filled with black gears over a bright red background in the shape of triangles that look like shattered glass. written behind dmitri is the final verse of the song comfort zone. /end id]

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

you should take your estrogen with your food (or the gender politics of the video game industry at large)

[id: four identical bottles of Estrogen Bio-Identical Cream, 200 mg infused with Ginseng, Green Team, Black Cohosh and Red Clover /end id]

Hello, this is the secretary with another essay.

Anyways, so this entire essay is written from the perspective of a passing trans woman. People within the 'real' world aren't aware I'm a trans woman in a material manner (doctor asks me when the last time I had my periods, etc) so I am not speaking from the lens of a visibly trans person within that aspect. Do gotta say I love my bricks and my clocky girls though. We need bricks to build homes and clocky girls to tell the time, yes ma'am.

When you work within the field video games either as trans or cis woman (or whichever you pass at), you are always seen as lesser than your cis male counterpart. It's a rather straight forward experience that your opinions will never be seen with as much value, or your skills will never be seen with the same strength. But where does that lay within the Interaction Fiction community, and especially the indie scene?

The xife and I haven't been part of it for long enough for me to really pinpoint it, but here are some observations and questions I can make:

Majority of the writers are women.

At least on Tumblr, that's what I've noticed. It's hard to know on forums what are their gender identities and what they self-identify as, but on Tumblr and from the games I've played (and most importantly: want to play) I've noticed they are all mostly women. è

2. The most successful writer are men.

Not that surprising. Again with 1. it's hard to pinpoint with gender identity on forums, but if you go on COG, you'll see the vast majority of people who post there are guys (I did polls!) and the majority of writers who are successful to any degree are guys. But... the writers I see are principally women... so what does that mean?

3. Is this a case of that pay disparity?

I mean, maybe? Again, wage gap is a very complicated (and controversial!) concept, especially within the art field. There's this conception that the better the art, the more lucrative it is, but that's absolutely false. Human biases ignore how 'good' someone art piece is. I mean, I've seen comments on various platforms about how people talk about women-led projects vs men-led projects, and none of it has to do with the strength of the writing. A lot of it is like 'women make this type of games because they wish they could fuck this type of men' vs 'oh this is a wuxia game yay' when its kinda the same game, just the latter one is made by a guy. The attitudes toward men-led project will always favor them vs women-led project

4. Have we faced any of it?

Sorta kinda. Not gonna go into details :)

5. What can you do at home with that information?

Probably examine your own biases when interacting with any sort of art. I mean, the name of our game is Drink Your Villain Juice which a lot of people assume it to be some sort of joke title, and you're still reading it knowing it's not a jokey IF, so you did examine your bias (consciously or not) so you're already half the way there!