#its that my volunteer shift is then 1-4

[oflgtfol]

i fucking. haaaaaate fridays

[yesimwriting]

Of Angels

Part 2 of Of Angels (part 1)  

A/n we're back! also this is a friendly reminder that this isn't supposed to be exactly like the movie/book, some things will be a little different bc of practicality, my ability to remember things, or just for fun/for me bc i have more fun writing when i can change things up

Summary: After the very public slight of being assigned to mentor a female tribute from a lower district, all Snow can think about is the uphill battle that winning the Plinth prize will now be. Until, he realizes, that he's been given the first ever district volunteer who seems to have a quality that makes people care about her.

----

The potential consequences of Coriolanus's mistake don't fully manage to force their way to the front of his mind until the door clicks shut.

He's thrown himself, locked himself, in a contained space with the most savage and aggravated group of people in the Capitol. Just in an attempt to get you to trust him.

Coriolanus turns around as casually as he can manage, "Hello."

Unwashed faces blink up at him. Their expressions start off as blank, slowly but surely hardening as they take in his clothing and presence. Someone from the Capitol that isn't a peacekeeper.

One of the larger tributes begins to walk forward. The others glare at him, watching him with a silent rage that makes the space feel like it's shrinking.

The largest of them gets so close that Coriolanus has to push his body towards the vehicle's door. "Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you."

"Do you have any family back home?" The voice isn't strong, but it's so steady despite its smallness that one could mistake it for certainty. Despite the threat that stands in front of him, Coriolanus's attention instinctually shifts towards you. "Or any friends? Maybe a puppy you're fond of?" Your fingers are curled around the edge of the bench you're sitting on. "They'll kill them."

Your tone is too neutral for you to be speaking from personal experience, and yet, you sound so sure. Coriolanus wonders if there's something there worth digging into. Maybe it's just a byproduct of where you're from, a district that's prone to rebellion is often warned about what disobedience can lead to.

The tribute cornering him doesn't move away, but he stills, stiff and uncertain. You look between them innocently. "Besides, he's my mentor." Your hands loosen their grip on the edge of the bench, you push yourself to stand. "I might need him."

"Men-tle?" Another voice chimes in.

"Mentor."

"How come you get a mentor?" The tribute questioning Coriolanus's presence in association to you twists their neck to glare at you.

"You all get one," he forces the sentence out quickly. The last thing he needs to do is make you a target. Getting you to live is going to be enough of an uphill battle as is.

The tribute closest to him takes another intimidating step forward. "He's lying."

"She's the girl that volunteered," the red-headed girl from four--Coral, if he's remembering correctly--sneers, angling her head to glare at you, "Of course they need to keep an eye on her." She then dips her chin downwards, staring you down with mockingly soft eyes, "Is it everything you thought it'd be, princess?"

Volunteering did mark you. He wonders how many remarks you had to put up with on the way here and whether or not they've affected your mental state. The short exchange the two of you shared made you seem together. You weren't overly emotionally or even aggressively closed off.

The determined pout of your lips draws his attention more than it should. You then tilt your head with no warning, matching her condescending expression, "Better, actually."

You draw out the sentence, not once shrinking under District 4's cold stare. Coriolanus's expression instinctively shifts to hint at a smile. Your sarcasm isn't off putting or brash, it's refreshing. It's a flash of fight, of sharp teeth ready to be barred that he hadn't thought you capable of.

The display of potential aggression also doesn't affect your charm at all. Being able to strike back while still holding onto the appearance of kindness is a skill in itself. Coriolanus has to take everything on the cheek publicly to avoid coming off like a starving dog finally snapping.

Those kinds of remarks won't do you any favors in the arena unless you're the kind of person that has the physical strength or skill to back it up. You don't. It's more than just your stature, it's in the way you carry yourself. But still, maybe you'll be entertaining enough under this new structure to score him some points towards the Plinth prize. That is, if he can get you to trust him, if he can convince you to talk about your relationship with your cousin and maybe flash that smile you gave him when you first met for the cameras.

Coral's glare intensifies. She pushes herself to stand, as if to intimidate you, but before she can fully straighten, the world shifts.

Coriolanus doesn't have time to think. He's sliding--falling--back before he knows what's happening. A few of the tributes yelp, one of the younger ones squeaks. Something warm latches itself onto his wrist.

He blinks, his body finally reattaching itself to his mind. The vehicle opened and started dumping out its contents with no warning. In the panic, you had grabbed him.

The vehicle settles, anyone managing to hold onto the metal door looses their hold. Everyone tumbles down a small slope, a mess of bodies bumping into each other when they're not busy hitting the edge of rocks until they land in a heap on the ground.

Coriolanus sits up as soon as his back hits something solid. His head snaps around, taking in his surroundings. The space is made up of jagged, tan rocks coated in dirt. Bars line the perimeter--a cage. This is a cage. Of course following the animals leads to ending up in a cage.

Self disgust and panic knot oddly in his stomach. He stands before he can think of what comes next.

"And here we have them, the tributes for the 10th annual Hunger Games."

His eyes find the people already flocking the bars, the most notable one of them someone he's familiar with. Lucky Flickerman, a usual Capitol programming personality. This, his public humilation, is being streamed on television.

"Oh, and look--" Lucky turns towards him, the cameraman instinctually moving to get him into frame. Lucky turns back to the camera, addressing his audience, "I don't think he's supposed to be in there." He laughs then, the sound jabbing at Coriolanus's side.

An aggravated heat begins to burn through is chest. There's nowhere to duck, no excuse to remedy what he's done to the Snow family name.

"Hey." He blinks, surprised he didn't immediately jump out of his skin. How you stood up so silently is beyond him.

Coriolanus can't think of a way to respond. Here he is, in a cage on display with you, like he's one of the district born, and you're the one attempting to ease him. Confidence, assurance. That's what he should be providing you so that you feel the need to--

You place your hand over his. The contact runs just as hot as the humiliation searing through him, only, this is a different kind of warmth. A much steadier, much more agonizing sort of warmth.

His eyes finally find yours. You look more tousled than before, one of your hair ribbons missing and dirt smeared against the apple of your cheek. "Own it."

You whisper the instruction so confidently it almost feels like this is natural to you. Owning it does feel better than being consumed by his embarrassment and accepting the destruction of his family name, but part of the steadiness comes from you. The realization that you're capable of that claws at him.

He nods, eyes instinctually dropping to avoid your expectant stare. The white rose is still safely held between your fingers. He stretches a hand forward, taking the flower by its stem. Your eyebrows draw together, but you let him. Coriolanus breaks off the end of the stem and carefully tucks the flower behind your ear.

You hold still, even as he takes the time to smooth your hair into place.

"Well, that's not something you see every day." Lucky's voice snaps him out of it.

Coriolanus takes you by the arm, walking you up to the camera's. He keeps his expression as casually bright as possible. "I'm Coriolanus Snow."

"And who is she?"

He expects to have to answer that, but you give him your full name without missing a beat, your voice smooth and sweet like honey. "And who are you?"

The cameraman lets out a small laugh at your confusion. "Be nice," Lucky mumbles, "Not everyone has a TV." He then turns back to you, "I'm Lucky Flickerman, Capitol weatherman, TV personality..."

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Lucky says into his microphone, "You're the girl who volunteered."

Coriolanus watches your reaction as best he can from his peripheral vision. Your lips pull downwards slightly. There's something almost sad about it, but it's done in such a respectable manner that he can't imagine anyone minding it.

You confirm with a slight nod of your head, "Yes."

Lucky takes the microphone back, "Now why would you do a thing like that?"

For the first time, a hint of cracking presents itself in your expression. It's minor, just the pull of your eyebrows, but he can't help but hold his breath as he waits for your reply. "For my cousin."

"And she's back home, right? You're from 12?"

You nod again, the motion small, "Yes. She's with my mother, her aunt."

"Well, that was a very brave thing," he commends, almost surprisingly serious, "Not many people are willing to die in someone's place." Your expression wavers, Lucky moves on before it can matter. "And you're?"

"Coriolanus Snow," he says smoothly, "I'm a student at the Academy."

"And you were...told to come here?"

Coriolanus breezes past the speculation in Lucky's tone, "I was told to present my tribute."

Lucky nods, turning on the easy, camera ready smile, "And present her you did."

"Excuse me," a tiny voice mumbles. You instinctually look down. A girl that can't be much more than maybe 7-years-old, "Who was the girl you volunteered for?"

You blink at the loaded question, "Uh--she's my cousin, and her name is Marigold, we--we call her Mari." The little girl blinks at you, watching you like you're something foreign. Which, he guesses, you technically are. "And you know what? She kinda looked like you when she was little."

The little girl beams, "I like your bows."

"Thank you," you hum brightly, like the compliment truly does mean the world to you.

You unlink your arm from his. Coriolanus watches you unsurely as you reach both hands to the side of your hair. You pull at the ribbon on one side of your head, unraveling it expertly. "Would you like one?"

The girl beams, nodding her head enthusiastically. You lean forward so that you're about eye level with the girl. You hand her the short piece of ribbon. The girl giggles before running off with her prize.

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Lucky's speaking to the camera as he starts to walk forward, "Come down, folks, and see these tributes before it's too late. And I do mean, too late."

Lucky disappears, walking as he continues to talk to his audience.

"You gave her your..." He gestures in the general direction of where the ribbon had previously sat.

You shrug, "Oh, I think the other one fell out on the way here. They're impractical, but I didn't--I didn't think I'd be in them for so long."

There's something he should say to you. Probably something comforting, assuring.

"Okay." The stern voice of a peacekeeper. Coriolanus should have known that it was only a matter of time. One of them clasps his shoulder, the other grabs his arm. "You're not supposed to be in here."

He's pushed back before he can speak to you. "Okay," he mumbles, "I'm go--"

You grab his arm before he can obey, "Bring us food." The words are hard, urging, "Please, I haven't eaten anything since before the reaping."

He nods once, pausing long enough to force the peacekeeper to push him back again. Coriolanus starts walking, flanked by the peacekeepers, his eyes trained on what's directly in front of him.

As they pass where the group had initially landed, his eyes find a bright speck of ivory white. A hint of brightness hidden by rocky dirt and grime. Your ribbon.

Coriolanus wonders if it's something you'd want back, something you'd spend your time searching for. You already gave away the other one, it can't have mattered that much. It's likely just some repurposed scrap.

He doesn't know what he's doing as he bends down under the guise of adjusting his shoelace. He's not sure what his goal is until his hand reaches forward, grabbing the ribbon.

"Okay," one of the peacekeepers hurries him, bending down to place a forceful hand on his shoulder, "Hurry up."

----

His apartment is heavy with silence. His grandma'am and Tigris have been asleep for hours now, resting the way he should be.

It's everything that's happened today. That's what's stealing sleep from him. There's a lot to do, a lot to think about if he's going to pull this off and win the Plinth prize. There's an uncertain charm about you. It's as if you have a greater understanding of what it's like to be civilized than the rest of them. That's something to work with, isn't it?

You mentioned needing to eat. Another obstacle that his financial predicaments have placed in his way. He'll have to take a risk he's taken so rarely--taking food from the Academy's lunch in order to bring you something. You'll be of no use to anyone if you faint in the arena.

There's more to think about, to plan. He could stop by tomorrow after his usual classes if Dr. Gaul doesn't orchestrate any specifics. And maybe even then. It'd be ideal to convince you that he cares about you more than any of the mentors care about their tributes. The more you think he's working for you, the more you'll work for him.

That's why he's awake. He shifts, moving from his back to resting on his side. All of this, all thoughts and analysis of you, are extremely practical.

He wipes at his eyes, forcing himself to sit up. He finds his discarded uniform, left folded neatly on his small desk. Without thinking, Coriolanus reaches deep into the uniform's pocket, digging through it until his fingers brush against something smooth and cool. He pulls out the partially stained, ivory ribbon. Truly practical.

----

Taglist (tagging people who were asking about part 2, if this is annoying, i'm so sorry pls lmk if you don't want to be tagged) : @juleshaters @cosmicsully @edb954 @h-l-vlovesvintage @darknessdevil25 @mavkaorlova @astarborntowrite @karmaswitch @daughter1of2anita3dearly @zucchinimalfoy @madislayyy @weaponb33 @darlingisntit @deamus-liv @etheriaaly @clintsupremacy @spookyconsultingcriminal @dylanstilinskiposts

[not-so-bored]

May has the potential to be the most intense month of my life so far!

But the next months will sure beat it!

My name is M. I use he/him pronouns. I am a half-time retail employee, full-time chaos, and a European. My goal is to study at a university in the Netherlands starting in September 2024, and I am doing everything necessary to achieve that. I am determined because if I fail, I will have to stay in my home country, which is something I’d rather avoid.

I love cats, Philosophy, Computer Science and silly little emojis. This sideblog takes the form of a progress log. Its purpose is to hold myself accountable. I don’t usually post photos. 

Nice to meet y’all! 

Semi-schedule, plans and goals 

Week 1 (1 May - 5 May): 📌 Take care of myself. ✔️ . 🥗 Eat regularly. ✔️ . ⏰ Sleep more than 8 hours per night. ✔️ . 🧠 Meditate for at least 10 minutes. ✔️ 🗒 Study. ✔️ 🏬 Work shifts: 2. ✔️✔️

Week 2 (7 May - 12 May): 📌 Take care of myself. ⭕️ . 🥗 Eat regularly. ⭕️ . ⏰ Sleep more than 8 hours per night. ❌ . 🧠 Meditate for at least 10 minutes. ✔️ 🧸 Relax. ⭕️ 🗒 Revise. ⭕️ 📝 Exams: 3. ✔️✔️✔️ 🏬 Work shifts: 2. ✔️✔️ 👔 Discuss my contract extension with my boss. ✔️ 👥 Hang out with people. ✔️ 📃 Prepare my scholarship application. ⭕️ 📃 Write a report on Computer Science Classes. ✔️ 📱 Wabi-Sabi Studyblr Challenge by ddaengstudies 🍵

Week 3 (13 May - 19 May): 📌 Take care of myself. ⭕️ . 🥗 Eat regularly. ✔️ . ⏰ Sleep more than 8 hours per night. ⭕️ . 🧠 Meditate for at least 10 minutes. ❌ 🗒 Study. ⭕ 📝 Exams: 3. ✔️✔️✔️ 🏬 Work shifts: 3. ✔️✔️✔️ 👔 Discuss my contract extension with my boss. ✔️ 👔 Send 50 job applications. ✔️ 🎟 Help with organization of an event. ✔️ 👥 Hang out with people. ⭕️ 📱 Post my April Achievements on Tumblr. ✔️ 📃 Apply for a scholarship. ❌ 🎟 Participate in an online event organized by the university. ✔️ 🍜 Try ramen. ✔️

Week 4 (20 May - 26 May): 📌 Take care of myself. ⭕️ . 🥗 Eat regularly. ✔️ . ⏰ Sleep more than 8 hours per night. ⭕️ . 🧠 Meditate for at least 10 minutes. ❌ 🧸 Relax. ⭕️ 📝 Exams: 2. ✔️✔️ 🏬 "Volunteer" for paid overtime. ✔️ 🏬 Work shifts: 3. ✔️✔️✔️ 👔 Send 50 job applications. ⭕️ 👔 Update my English CV. ❌ 👔 Create my Dutch CV. ✔️ 📃 Apply for a scholarship. ✔️ 👥 Hang out with people. ⭕️ ✍️ Edit my WiP. ❌ 📘 Learn Logic. ❌ 🇳🇱 Learn Dutch. ⭕️ 🪡 Finally finish my embroidery project. ✔️ 🚲 Go cycling. ❌

Week 5 (27 May - 31 May): 📌 Take care of myself. . 🥗 Eat regularly. ✔️ . ⏰ Sleep more than 8 hours per night. ❌ . 🧠 Meditate for at least 10 minutes. ❌ 🧸 Rest. ⭕️ 🏬 "Volunteer" for paid overtime. ✔️ 🏬 Work shifts: 3. ✔️✔️✔️ 🫡 Thank my coworkers. ✔️ 👔 Send 10 job applications. ⭕️ 👔 Attend a job interview. ✔️ 👔 Make a decision. ⭕️ 👔 Polish (haha) my Dutch CV. ⭕️ 🖨 Print my Dutch CV. ✔️ 👥 Hang out with people. ✔️ 🇳🇱 Learn Dutch. ⭕️ 🚲 Go cycling. ❌ 📋 Set goals for June. ⭕️ 🎒 Pack for a trip. ✔️ 🔜 Go on the trip, explore and meet new people. ✔️✔️✔️

[loser-female]

What app do you use to manage your life and your long term projects?

I have adhd and god I can't find anything that suits me. I'm so exhausted.

Hi!

It's complicated as each project has its own "method". I'm going to cover both work projects and personal ones and studying.

My problems with projects are:

Since, for the most part, I cannot see a "finished result" I feel no satisfaction in doing them;

I have a terrible perception of time regarding days;

I tend to have issues if I leave a project for more than a couple of days.

Also, I'm using David Allen definition of projects, which is "Activity that needs two or more actions to be completed". I really like the getting things done method to organise my works stuff. I wouldn't recommend it for studying because it's not calendar based.

I also use Notion for... Everything. I like Notion because it's free and it's an incredibly powerful software. I use it to take notes, archive stuff... Check it out.

That being said, let's start with work.

I do a monitoring job, so I don't have to plan a lot for it - mostly I just take notes on what happened. Which is a very important part, still.

In this case if I have a project I delegate my main job (monitoring) and I do my project immediately, because chances are the client wants the thing done immediately. If the project needs two or more people to be done I tend to take the project manager role in this case and I assign everyone a part of the project, I tell them what the results I expect are and what is the deadline (usually the end of my shift).

I use an A5 size planner (I use hobonichi, because planners are a hobby for me, but you can use whatever daily planner for this). That planner never leaves my desk - I'm under a NDA and if I lose it it's going to be Big Trouble.

Home life (chores etc).

I do a monitoring job, but I also work on shifts. When you work in shifts you get what I call "the curse of the shift worker", because you kind of stop thinking in Mon-Sun and start thinking according to the hours you work. But my boyfriend, family and friends are 9-5 workers so it's difficult.

In this case I did two things:

Ended up delegating chores to a third person (hiring an housekeeper);

I asked chatGPT (but you can do it on your own, I used it as a test) to make me a chore list divided for one shift worker (and I gave it my shifts) and one "regular worker".

The latter in particular was an interesting experiment, that worked, mostly. ChatGPT( that's also regressing) suggested me to do chores at like 4 am before my shift, which I discarded.

I can suggest you an app though: Sweepy. It's free for one person,and 15€/year for a household if you live with other people, which is a good price for what's being offered. The main feature is that it reminds you to do things like cleaning the windows, fridge... Basically the monthly basis stuff.

I have a common calendar in the kitchen where everyone puts in their appointments and stuff, my shifts etc. I also use a personal planner to write on the stuff I need to do on a specific day, take notes on what needs to be done (eventually lol) and what I want to do.

Personal projects pt. 1 volunteering/semi-professional activities.

This is complicated because the projects are not under my control (they have their own coordinator) and full of people that are as busy as me.

We generally do a meeting every couple of weeks until the project is done. My parts generally can be done in one hour or two/weeks. I tend to do it right after work and I generally avoid the commitment to organise everything - I will let others do it. For the deepfake project i will see in September how to fit it in my schedule because that's MY PROJECT.

My notes are in my personal planner in this case.

Personal projects pt. 2 - Hobbies

For my hobbies I don't have a project planned out. Like I like to learn languages but I don't really keep track of it and I don't plan for it. I go with inertia by habit. I do 30 minutes of languages everyday. Also Duolingo keeps everything for me. There are better apps for sure but Duolingo is free.

For my writing, I also don't have a real plan. I have a writing notebook where I take notes (go look for Helen Redfern if you're interested). I use 4thewords (4,5€/month) because it's fun. If I don't want to actually write new stuff I pick up a writing exercise and do that instead. There is a commitment of 444 words/days, which for some days are a lot.

Gym? Well, I go when I'm home from work during the week and when I have the afternoon shift. No need to plan for it.

In this case I prefer to do things as they come to me, because there isn't a deadline or something. These are things I do because I want to do them, not because I have to and if I actually planned for them... I don't want to reduce my hobbies to another chore.

Studying

My job, which can be demanding on its own, has the feature that I need to constantly study. I have certifications, courses to take... I'm currently doing courses for red teaming for example.

I'm not going to lie, I hate studying. I'm slow, it's boring, I literally prefer to clean my cats litter boxes than studying. But I need to suck it up.

I'm experimenting with a Kanban board - someone suggested it to me on a Discord server I'm in,(Heart Breathings is a writer that has few videos on the subject). I divide it in "needs to be done", "doing", "done" and "needs to be reviewed" (if it's something I'm not sure if I actually know or not).

I have a home office so I have the space to implement such things.

I take 4 projects at time at most, regardless of difficulties etc. When I will start university again I will do 3 uni courses + 1 certification(I'm doing my degree in 4 years instead of three because I'm a worker). And it's A LOT. I don't recommend doing this unless you are forced by other situations in your life.

Conclusions

I know I seem like this super organised person but the truth is that I lose a lot. Things sometimes don't get done, I still forget to refill my meds, I still forget to do stuff I've promised myself to do. Just this week I lost a very important deadline for university for example.

I tell myself I'm satisfied when I hit 75% of what needed to be done that day, regardless if it was big or small. Due to my circumstances now I'm 50% - my dad's situation lives rent free in my head and I spend the day off work travelling to see him in another region and I get no free time.

Also, delegating is not bad. Delegating is essential. I understand the need to have control on the things so they get done the way you want it, but it cannot work. A household is not a one person project, like my Security Operations Center isn't. And while I know that if I do X I will be done the way I like it, but at the end of the day there is only 24 hours/day.

And yes, you will need to drop a few things here and there. There are things you can't delegate (such as doing that course you wanted to do), but you also can't fit in your schedule, and in that case you need to review the activities you do.

I also tend to spend a lot of time just... Doing nothing. It's fine. I need time to just stare at the wall.

I hope this helped. I know it's a lot of process, it took me years to get to a working system btw, it's not an overnight thing and it will always end up getting tweaked. I never was a "multiple planner gal", but I've decided to use two because taking my work planner around when I go to the doctor and losing it is a risk I don't want to take.

A lot of these things also overlap. I can study at work if there isn't anything better to do for example.

I really hope this is understandable to humans. I'm a professional time waster so I definitely don't feel all the 16 hours I'm awake, don't be fooled by how much commitment I have. I'm scrambling as everyone else!

[rappaccini]

... alright nobody asked for this but i have been thinking and i'm gonna throw my hat in the ring re: the whole ~what hunger games story should suzanne collins write next~ debacle.

and the answer is yes and no. yes, there's a lot of story to explore, but no, people are going about it from the wrong angle.

first, these are ya novels. no matter what, they must have a teenage protagonist because that's the age category the hunger games series belongs to, and these stories are intended to teach teenagers about war. so there can't be any more books about snow, katniss, or any character over 18 (or under 13).

and i do agree that since we've met all the victors from 12 and seen a capitol perspective, the story would have to move somewhere else. i disagree that we need a protagonist we've seen before. no finnick, johanna, annie, beetee, the list goes on. no. we're done with them. we need something new.

we don't even need one from every single district. in fact, you can sort them into a few categories based on common culture, industry, and the strategies of the victors they tend to yield.

career frontrunners: 1, 2, 4. victors rely on sponsors, alliances and weapons training.

tech-based darkhorses: 3, 5. victors are inventive and intelligent.

urban longshots: 6, 8. victors seem to mostly survive by pure luck.

rural darkhorses: 7, 9, 10, 11. victors use knowledge of specific tools and weapons (offense), and potentially their environment (survival skills).

(for the record i'd place 12 somewhere between urban longshot and rural darkhorse; 12 is a rural district, but like 6 and 8 it teaches its tributes few useful skills for the games, but katniss picks hers up because of her woodscraft and hunting, like the rural districts would for their tributes.)

so. the protagonist would have to be new, a teenager, and from a type of district we haven't seen yet.

now when would it take place?

first, it'd be useful to outline the eras of hunger games/panem that we currently know of.

1-11: the early games/post dark days. the games as a punishment instead of a spectacle. performed in a single arena, over in less than a day on average, exclusively a show of force, with winners from 1 and 2 on average, 4 and 11 occasionally, and heavily favoring male tributes. 10th and 11th being the implementation of a host, sponsors, mentors, interviews and muttations, and then a victory tour and prizes for the winner.

12-24: experimental age. fine-tuning of the games as a spectacle. this is likely snow's tenure as gamemaker, when volunteering begun, the career programs in 1, 2 and 4 were established, and also when tributes begun to be treated as celebrities and the games started being televised in the districts.

25: first quarter quell. probably marking the shift in snow from gamemaker to politician, as he went into politics while relatively young; and a way to destabilize the districts internally (... and put down stirrings of rebellion) after a generation of recovery from the war.

26-49: interquell. by now the capitol's fully recovered from the dark days, the rebellion's been fully wiped out, and the games are a pageant that a generation have grown up with, so tributes-as-celebrities is normalized, meaning they're probably being prostituted at this point, if not earlier. the career districts are tradition by now. this is likely when snow quit gamemaking for politics and rose to power.

50: second quarter quell. we know what it is and who won it. by now snow's become president. also, force field tech exists but is worse, and arena engineering seems to have been perfected.

51-61: golden age. the tradition's fine-tuned, victors are numerous and established enough to start networking with one another while in the capitol.

62-74: late games/pre-second rebellion. most memorable tributes from the 75th games from these years. these were the games katniss is old enough to remember, and this would've been the time that victors were starting to prepare for a second rebellion.

75: third quarter quell/beginning of rebellion/final hunger games.

so. we don't need to see any games before #12 and after #61. or #50. cross everything before 11 and after 62 off.

(odds are, they'd probably be a simple number to remember to match the others. tbosas was about the 10th, and thg was about the 74th because collins knew she was writing a trilogy and that catching fire's games would be the 75th so she subtracted one. so in reality, we're probably looking at the 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 55th, or 60th games as real contenders. but i digress)

back on topic: we don't need anything before 11 or after 62. we know the broad strokes of what the games were like during these periods, we have examples of victors and their strategies, and more importantly, we know what the political climate of panem was like.

this is important because the hunger games aren't the point of the story. they're the bait to reel you in for a story about war.

collins has gone on record saying her intent for the original trilogy was to discuss just war theory. under what circumstances is it just to declare war? see hunger games and catching fire. how do you wage war justly? watch katniss and gale butt heads in mockingjay. how do you end a war justly? see katniss turning on coin to prevent the rise of another dictator. even the love triangle is meant to show katniss literally flirting with different ideologies.

tbosas was written in the leadup to the 2020 presidential election and made to show how a young man from the imperial core with problematic views can transform into a future tyrant, and how a lack of jus post bellum and the trauma of war itself can perpetuate the cycle of violence.

when you ask yourself 'what hunger games story should we see next?' you should be asking 'what aspect of war should we use this games to explore?'

we don't need 75 books about 75 hunger games. we need one story set in each era, using the games, the political happenings around them, and the culture of the protagonist to discuss an aspect of war.

so. what aspect of war is applicable to each era of the games, and what story could be used to tell it with what kind of protagonist?

12-24 (most likely 15 or 20): how the oppressed can devise ways to rebel within the system, like, arguably, creating the career program... and how that system can be perverted by the powerful, like turning the careers into celebrities and fostering a culture that fetishizes the games within the districts that came up with that program to try and protect themselves, thus breeding loyalists. show us a career who begins with rebellious sympathies, turns into a loyalist after the capitol decorates them in riches (and to cope with their actions), and goes home to perpetuate the cycle of violence.

the 25th: how the powerful shut down and sabotage solidarity among the oppressed by forcing them to turn on each other... like voting each other's children into a death pageant. show us a district starting to consolidate and rebel that implodes on itself after the tensions within the members are inflamed by voting certain children into the games, and the lack of trust and solidarity when the victor returns to a community they can't trust.

26-49 (most likely 30, 35, 40 or 45): since this is the age of snow's political rise and the first time the games would've been an established institution, this would be a good time to show a pedigree career becoming disillusioned, either through their ordeal in the games, or even as a victor being exposed to capitol exploitation or mentoring a doomed tribute and watching them die or win at an awful cost.

51-61 (most likely 55 or 60): how to refoster solidarity in order to begin a resistance movement. the founding of the second rebellion and the initial involvement of the victors in connecting the districts and meeting capitol sympathizers would've likely happened during this time. let's see how.

there's even a pattern emerging. like how tbosas rhymes with thg, we now have two more mirrored stories to work with.

the war story: indoctrination into a regime and radicalization against it. the destruction of a resistance movement and its rebuilding.

you could even go so far as to mimic the tbosas/thg genderflip and make each mirrored story alternate between male and female protagonists.

or tribute and mentor perspectives

and the games' victors having strategies that are opposite to each other-- if the thg-tbosas mirror is hunter in a performance and performer in a hunt, what's the mirror image of a career who wins via brute force and capitol favoritism? one who wins thanks to the mercy of another tribute, or willingly gives up victorship to someone who'd never have won otherwise.

but that's getting too specific. i'll stop it here.

anyway. that's how you do it. no nostalgia. no characters we already know. build out the world and explore the central theme.

[ao3feed-everlark]

My Ocean blues

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/UWwNKZv

by Thatweirdo_leon

Zuko Coleman has been best friends with Finnick Odair since he can remember. Everything shifts when at just 14 Finnick’s name gets Reaped and no one volunteers for him. The fear kick starts something inside the 14 year old Zuko and he shuts down. Until, Like a miracle, the 14 year old Finnick Odair comes home!

Now the year of the 68th hunger games, like every year on July 4th Zuko’s standing in the 17 year old women's section. Which sucks in its own way, Zuko being transgender means nothing here. You can change your name and get the surgery if you so wish but you will still be taken out of the woman's bowl. He’s watching the escort come out and his eyes find Finnicks with a soft smile. It's the way they say i’ll see you when it's over because Finnick leaves every year to be a mentor for the male of district 4. But just as Finnick smiles back and starts to mouth the usual ‘I’ll miss you’. The name is called out.. And Finnick’s eyes widen, Zuko’s mouth drops and the world comes crashing down around them. Because he’s not saying goodbye today.. Because he’s going with him.. Because when the name is read..

Its Zuko Coleman

Words: 2037, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Hunger Games Series - All Media Types

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Finnick Odair, Original Characters, Haymitch Abernathy, Johanna Mason

Relationships: Katniss Everdeen & Johanna Mason, Peeta Mellark & Finnick Odair, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark, Haymitch Abernathy & Katniss Everdeen, Finnick Odair/Original Character(s), Haymitch Abernathy & Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen & Finnick Odair

Additional Tags: Character Death, Hunger Games-Typical Death/Violence, Finnick Odair Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Abuse, Torture, Hijacked Peeta Mellark, District 4 (Hunger Games), Johanna Mason Needs a Hug, Finnick Odair Needs a Hug, Peeta Mellark Needs a Hug, Hunger Games Victors, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts, 68th Hunger Games, 74th Hunger Games, 75th Hunger Games, Mental Anguish, Survivor Guilt, Forced Prostitution, Protective Finnick Odair, Possible smut, Death, Transgender, ill add more when i think of them lol

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/UWwNKZv

[missalicevalentine]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Hello! I'm Rexi, a 21 year old RPer!^^ I'm currently looking for someone down to play the one, the only, Choptop (Robert) Sawyer or even Thomas Hewitt. I am a long time fan of TCM and it kills me how seemingly dead this fandom is! Choptop is my absolute faveee! And definitely one of my favorite characters of all time! Hes just so fun!

Honestly for plot I haven't got too much sorted, since I'd love to come up with plot with my partner! But much like TCM2 I'd wanna do a fun, horror rp with a good old butch of romance! Of course its gotta have all the angst and comedy of the og series!

My rules are simple and i hope you can understand!^

If you have ideas or anything feel free to let me know! As well I have a tad few rules.

1: no minors. I am 21 and refuse any minors in my dms.

2: OCs must be above 18, preferably 21 and up.

3: Semi literate and above.

4: Third person, no first person.

5: Be happy to chat and even become friends! I use RP to make friends so please don't come into my DMs hella serious and straight to the point, show me some of your personality! Can't have a good RP if our vibes don't match!

6: Send me a burger emoji if you read all of this.

7: Feel free to DM if interested, comments will most likely he ignored because it shows you didn't read all through tehehe.

8: Please let us shift to a private discord server!

9: Google docs with out characters info! Doesn't have to be a heap but a little always helps.

10: I work and Volunteer so sometimes I may be a tad AFK so don't think I ignored you! Same with if I don't reply for awhile I'm probably asleep, I have a slight pain of a time zone.

[earaercircular]

The Climate Fresco becomes a viral phenomenon in companies

At Saint-Gobain (here in Compiègne), 80% of the 168,000 employees must have followed a Fresque du climat by 2025.

Saint-Gobain, Bouygues, Suez, Orange…: more and more large industrial groups are using the Climate Fresco, a fun workshop to raise awareness of the issues of climate change. A tool that enables them to mobilise their employees on the subject or, at a minimum, to make them understand certain central decisions.

Keihann Yavari fell into the Climate Fresco[1] somewhat by chance. A researcher at Saint-Gobain[2] in Compiègne, the engineer discovered this tool to raise awareness of global warming in 2020, while he was learning about the subject privately. “I immediately said to myself that it made sense to use it in the group, which has strong commitments to the climate,” he says. “I started by deploying it in my research centre, with 200 people. It then spread slowly until reaching the Executive Committee, whose members did so in May 2022.” That’s when the brain wave appeared: management decides that all the group’s employees must take part in the exercise. Objective: 80% of the 168,000 employees worldwide must have followed a Climate Fresco by 2025. “There are already 16,000 today,” says Keihann Yavari.

Fun and educational workshop

The Climate Fresco? This is a fun and educational workshop, enabling you to lay out the main principles of global warming in three hours. Largely based on IPCC reports[3], which themselves reflect the scientific consensus established on the subject, it consists of placing 42 cards on a table, each representing an aspect of the phenomenon (combustion of fossil fuels, melting of glaciers, carbon sinks, climate refugees, for example), depending on their links to each other. Objective, to reconstruct on the table a sequence of causes and consequences: the famous Fresco.

“I was giving courses and conferences on the subject, when one day I had the idea of printing IPCC graphics and asking participants to connect them together,” says Cédric Ringenbach, who invented the Fresco in 2018. This close friend of Jean-Marc Jancovici, who directed the think tank The Shift Project[4], immediately understood the educational potential of the concept. “Handling objects, exchanging and arguing, drawing around the cards, all this really triggers something. Most often, we don't come out unscathed! »

Success is almost immediate - and it lasts. Five years after its creation, the Fresco was followed by nearly 1.2 million people, in France but also abroad (15% of the total). It has been translated into 49 languages and available in 149 countries. “The progression continues to be exponential,” says Cédric Ringenbach, who estimates the proportion of corporate participants at around a third.

Saint-Gobain is not the only large French group to have adopted the tool. Bouygues[5], Orange[6], Renault[7], Vinci[8], Engie[9] and Decathlon[10] also use it, for example. EDF[11] was one of the pioneers, having decided to deploy the workshop in March 2020: 72,000 employees have already created a Fresco there. “We want to raise employee awareness of the issues of global warming, so that they better understand the mechanisms and become agents of change themselves,” explains EDF.

Growing awareness

Deployment can be fairly quick, as workshops can be facilitated by employees within the company. La Fresque du climat, that is an association, is based on a network of volunteer facilitators, themselves trained by volunteers. If the interventions in companies carried out by service providers are most often invoiced (around 1,500 euros, of which 10% donated to the association), employees can train themselves in animation and even train trainers... "In In this case, the association receives a user fee of 3 euros excluding tax per participant,” says Cédric Ringenbach. Planning to generate revenues of 10 million euros in 2023, the Fresque du climat, which has 50 employees, reinvests all its profits in its growth, particularly internationally. It has set itself the goal of reaching 1 million animators (55,000 today).

In particular, it intends to surf on the growing awareness of climate issues by companies of all sizes. It is certainly not an exhaustive training. But to raise awareness, the Fresco has no real equivalent. “We think, we discuss, we find: the workshop brings out a collective intelligence. It's a good compromise between a practical guide to possible actions and a didactic presentation”, testifies Keihann Yavari.

Even if the Fresco itself is not focused on solutions (which it is sometimes criticised for), the workshop ends with a time for reflection on the subject. “Employees most often come out of it motivated to act, and reflect on what they can do in their unit. And at a minimum, they understand certain decisions taken at the central level, such as limiting air travel, for example, ”continues Keihann Yavari.

Diversification ideas

According to Cédric Ringenbach, companies that would only use it to tick boxes in their CSR[12] report are taking a risk. “It's a powerful antidote to greenwashing[13], because employees become guardians of their actions,” he says. Some even come out with ideas of diversification. "After having followed it, the Executive committee of a large accounting consulting firm decided to embark on carbon footprint training", says Cédric Ringenbach.

The breakthrough of the Fresco in companies will not, however, be enough, on its own, to transform the economy. “Companies have an important role to play in the ecological transition, but they will end up being confronted with the rules of the game of the economy, if these do not change. So we also need to talk to decision makers in the political sphere!” the entrepreneur insists

Awareness has begun, at least in France: since the start of the last school year, the government has undertaken to train the 25,000 state executives in the challenges of global warming – a training course which includes a Fresque du climat workshop. And other governments (in Croatia, in Mexico, in certain states of the United States) are beginning to take an interest in it.

Siblings in all areas

Focused on climate change, the Fresque du climat has made siblings in all areas - independent of the workshop invented by Cédric Ringenbach. Biodiversity, mobility, waste, circular economy, forest…: around sixty workshops based on the same principle have been identified. The latest, the Fresco of office waste, developed by Cèdre[14], a solidarity company specialising in this field. “It's a way for our customers to help their employees put the right actions in place,” explains its managing director, Jérôme Boillot. We learn, for example, that it is better for the environment to print a report than to consult it extensively on the Internet.

Source

Anne Feitz, La Fresque du climat devient un phénomène viral dans les entreprises, in : Les Echos, 27-08-2023: https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/la-fresque-du-climat-devient-un-phenomene-viral-dans-les-entreprises-1972805

[1] La Fresque du Climat (the Climate Fresco) encourages the rapid and large-scale dissemination of a shared understanding of climate issues. Its purpose is to accelerate the understanding of climate issues at the global level to help trigger, as soon as possible, the shifts necessary for the preservation of living things. The effectiveness of the educational tool, the collaborative experience and the user license have contributed to the exponential deployment of the Fresco. The association was created at the end of 2018 by Cédric Ringenbach to accelerate the dissemination of the tool, train and develop the skills of a pool of facilitators. It is based on a decentralized and participatory operation whose principles are “do-ocracy”, the right to make mistakes, the rule of three, transparency and the duplication of initiatives. https://fresqueduclimat.org/projet/

[2] Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris and headquartered on the outskirts of Paris, at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a mirror manufacturer, it now also produces a variety of construction, high-performance, and other materials. Saint-Gobain is now present in 76 countries and in 2022 employs more than 170,000 people.

[3] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations responsible for advancing knowledge on human-induced climate change. It was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by United Nations General Assembly.

[4] The Shift Project is a French think tank advocating the shift to a post-carbon economy. As a non-profit organisation committed to serving the general interest through scientific objectivity, we are dedicated to informing and influencing the debate on energy transition in Europe. https://theshiftproject.org/en/our-purpose/

[5] Bouygues S.A. is a French engineering group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and has been led by his son Martin Bouygues since 1989. The group specialises in construction (Colas Group and Bouygues Construction), real estate development (Bouygues Immobilier), media (TF1 Group), and telecommunications (Bouygues Telecom).

[6] Orange S.A. formerly France Télécom S.A. is a French multinational telecommunications corporation. It has 266 million customers worldwide and employs 89,000 people in France, and 59,000 elsewhere. In 2015, the group had a revenue of €40 billion. The company's head office is located in Issy-les-Moulineaux.

[7] Groupe Renault, also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A. is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans and in the past, has manufactured trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches, aircraft and aircraft engines, and autorail vehicles.

[8] Vinci is a French concessions and construction company founded in 1899 as Société Générale d'Enterprises. Its head office is in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris. Vinci is listed on Euronext's Paris stock exchange and is a member of the Euro Stoxx 50 index.

[9] Engie SA is a French multinational utility company, with its headquarters in La Défense, Courbevoie, which operates in the fields of electricity generation and distribution, natural gas, nuclear, renewable energy and petroleum. It is active in both upstream (engineering, purchasing, operation, maintenance) and downstream (waste management, dismantling) activities.

[10] Decathlon is a French sporting goods retailer. With over 2080 stores in 56 countries and regions (2023), it is the largest sporting goods retailer in the world. The company manages the research, design, production, logistics and distribution of its products in-house; partners with global suppliers; and markets its own brands directly to consumers in Decathlon-branded big-box stores. Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/720296708134879232/if-you-make-sustainability-elitist-it-will-never?source=share & https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/713152521798057984/decathlon-will-repair-more-and-produce-less?source=share & https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/681225153122861056/decathlon-recycles-bicycles?source=share

[11] Électricité de France S.A. (literally Electricity of France), commonly known as EDF, is a French multinational electric utility company owned by the French state. Headquartered in Paris, with €71.2 billion in revenues in 2016, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of at least 120 gigawatts of generation capacity in Europe, South America, North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

[12] Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to how companies integrate social, environmental and economic aspects into their values, culture, decisions, strategy and business operations. The importance of CSR for companies is increasing.

[13] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/712601625867567104/only-really-green-can-be-called-green?source=share

[14] https://www.lecedre.fr/

[mellifluous-maiden]

March Report

Goals: work on post-admission college checklist; start beauty binder; look for prom dresses; volunteer at high-school lock-in; spring break shopping; find all prom accessories; finish chapter 1 of TBoaH

Job: Been getting more hours this month, which means more money. Unfortunately, I’ve had 4 closing shifts in a row during spring break. Also, the cafe has missed its daily sales goals. Luckily, spring break saw some turn around.

Writing: I finally got started on the actual writing process for my short story, The Blog of a Housewife! The first time I tried to write it, I just wrote the basic premise and jumped right in. Now, I’m starting over with plot outline, chapter outline, blurbs for the prologue and epilogue, and inspiration for the main elements and themes. I’m glad to finally have the motivation to start writing again.

School: GOVT - 91%; CALC - 90%; ENGL - 91%; ASTR - 82%

[laisai]

I posted 24,235 times in 2022

That's 6,648 more posts than 2021!

95 posts created (0%)

24,140 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@elytrians

@azdesertwillow

@primeemeraldheiress

@eighthdoctor

I tagged 1,799 of my posts in 2022

#pure 24k gold - 53 posts

#goncharov - 30 posts

#for future reference - 27 posts

#omfg - 25 posts

#laisai talks about life - 24 posts

#eurovision - 24 posts

#unreality - 23 posts

#signal boost - 23 posts

#writing - 21 posts

#psa - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#alkjdsflasdkfjd i need to see what my neopets password was. if its the same as anything else i need to change that other website's password

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

The OTW/AO3 Election is over

and I am going to mute my notifications now.

Go check the results here: https://www.transformativeworks.org/results-of-the-2022-board-election/ -- no, Tiffany did not win a seat.

The OTW has weathered worse than what people were scared of (like an entire Board of Directors being actively hostile to the volunteers: https://fanlore.org/wiki/OTW_2015_Board_Election or this reddit write-up) and AO3 still carried on as usual (this was 2015. I noticed nothing and I was using AO3 religiously at the time).

I won't deny that there were valid worries and concerns raised during this election, but as I've stated many, MANY times, what I am tired of seeing is overblown, exaggerated, and misinformed concerns.

We're all going to be fine, and AO3 is going to be fine. The intense response and scrutiny we had the last few days only proves that the system works. It was a good stress test and the results were positive.

There's nothing more I can add.

Good night <3

110 notes - Posted August 15, 2022

#4

See the full post

317 notes - Posted June 11, 2022

#3

I posted this ages ago when I first got my cat Míriel and I'm posting it again because I want to BLAZE IT. SHE DESERVES TO BE SEEN. ACCEPT HER HUGS!

...if I can figure out how this blaze thing works. 👀

368 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

#2

I'm blazing another post of my cat Míriel because I can. Look at her tiny paws!! I love when she sleeps and feels comfy enough to stretch her paws out like in the top pic. Best feeling ever <3

567 notes - Posted May 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

So this OTW Election drama is getting out of hand...

I see a lot of panic and fearmongering, and I think some facts need to be stated to help put things into perspective.

The OTW, which operates AO3, has yearly elections for the Board of Directors. This is position which is occupied by SEVEN PEOPLE total. You can see the members of the current board here: https://www.transformativeworks.org/board-directors/

The entire Board of Directors works together to oversee the OTW as a whole. They cannot and also do not oversee the details of day-to-day operations, such as your tags being wrangled, or keeping track of donations, or responding to support tickets, or keeping the servers working, etc. (https://elections.transformativeworks.org/what-the-board-does/)

Therefore, ONE person being elected to the Board will not be able to completely shift the direction and goals of the OTW as a whole. You would need a 4 person majority at the very least, and the maximum number of seats up for election in any year is usually 3.

The requirements for running for the Board are fairly simple: 9 months in the previous year as a volunteer (everyone in the OTW, including Board members, are volunteers), not being in the Elections committee, being a legal adult, and being a paying member (basically the same as being a voter in the election). More info: https://elections.transformativeworks.org/becoming-candidate/

There is no nomination process or any sort of internal popularity contest at play here. Any views being expressed by a candidate therefore doesn't mean anything about the OTW's culture internally as a whole.

There is a period of time before the election where all eligible voters get emails at the same email address they will send the ballots to, with instructions to a mock-up page of the ballot so that people can work out technical issues if needed. People who need accommodations for any reason are also able to request them during this period weeks before the election. So asking for a "tech testing" period before the election happens is... pointless. It's already there!

Asking for more "screening" of candidates is reasonable on the surface, but the truth is, it could be ripe for abuse by people in charge of the process. Sure, perhaps the people who put these rules into place won't use the process badly, but who's to say nobody will ever be tempted to do so? It could lead to a Board and Elections Committee that works together to keep new ideas and changes in the OTW from ever coming to fruition. Just imagine the Board of Directors we hate in movies: old white men in suits who never want anything to change, and only let in people who are just like them. Also -- the reason we have elections AT ALL is so everyone gets a voice in how the OTW will run.

This isn't like the US Election (or British, or wherever you are) where your vote is one drop in an ocean of millions. The OTW and AO3 are actually not that big in the wider world, and that means each vote counts more. Also, the ranked voting system means peoples' votes can count towards their second- or third-favourite candidate, or so on. It's not all or nothing here!

I know a lot of people are worried seeing what seems like anti views coming from "within" the OTW itself, but it is still one person out of hundreds. People are always going to have varying opinions; the GOOD thing is that people are voting against opinions that they don't agree with. That means the voting process is working.

There is a conversation to be had, perhaps, about changing some policies and requirements for candidates and members future elections. But right now? Breathe.

There is no risk of the AO3 censoring and banning fic overnight, even if you personally cannot vote this year. After all, the candidates weren't revealed until after everyone donated, and we know antis would never give AO3 their money.

(And for the conspiracists out there: ballot-stuffing is not 100% impossible, but EXTREMELY UNLIKELY. You would need to have paid 10$ donations for HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of fake people (which is $$$$) months in advance and also set up hundreds/thousands of email accounts for all these fake people, or for real people with nefarious aims. The reason we know the moon landing wasn't faked is because that many people could not have realistically kept a secret for that long. We would have heard whispers about it. The same applies here. This entire debacle came out of left field over the course of a few days!

And all that work, for ONE member who can't unilaterally change anything? Please.)

4,662 notes - Posted August 13, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[preppernewstoday]

A Short Introduction A 1994 copy of Wired magazine contained a full-page illustration of Marc Thorpe, showing a radio-controlled tank and a chainsaw attached to its top. It was an advertisement for Robot Wars, which later became the BattleBots TV show you are probably familiar with. I thought, "I am made for this!" and went on to win many trophies. It's not bad for a software engineer. I found a Remote Area Medical DVD (RAM) while browsing DVDs in a local thrift shop last year. The one I bought was made in 2013. After spending just a dollar, and then spending 90 minutes of my time, I thought again after 27 years. Here's how I turned that desire into reality. Belmont, Nevada Every few years, I visit a hunting camp. It's very remote. It is impossible to get cell service, so I a can read b and listen to podcasts. I've found that I can hear stations from the east coast if I use the 1/4-wave antenna. This was again proven when I was listening to an old sermon from Dr. Gene Scott on WWZR, GA at 5935 KHz. He urged his church members not to just show up Sunday mornings, but to get involved in their local communities for the good of God. * Tonopah, Nevada I broke camp to go into town for breakfast. I arrived too early to get eggs and pancakes at the restaurants and too late to have lunch so I needed to rest my feet. After some delicious barbeque, it was time to get back on the road. I was flipping through FM stations and found "Pahrump’s only Country Music station." It informed me that there was a RAM event at the vocational school so "y’all come down." I then turned my radio off to call my wife. You won't believe it, but there is a RAM event at Pahrump. I'd like to volunteer." She said, "You go do it!" I changed my mind and hung up. I then turned on the radio again. It was all static. * I was in a dead spot and was not able to tune into that station again. Pahrump, Nevada I arrived at the school to find it was hosting an event. The event was quite ordinary, with the exception of the RAM 18-wheeler that was parked at the side and the scattered portable generators around the perimeter. It was already 2 PM, and there were many people in scrubs eating outside. They had surgical masks down to their chins. I approached them and asked where the volunteer check-in was. "You can enter the building through there (pointing at the doors), but you must wear a mask." I knew of the medical futility, and government control aspects to masking for the frauddemic. So I turned around and got into my Jeep. My brain prodded me* to get on the street. No mask necessary." I turned around and parked my car next to one the generators because I knew that there would be a door open to allow the power cables to pass through. In a Star Trek movie, James T. Kirk said "Learn how things works." Maskless, I presented myself at the volunteer check-in counter and offered my services as site security. "I have five years experience in church security. I am certified in both verbal de-escalation techniques and proportional escalation, if required. And I have all of my own gear." A co-sponsor of this event placed her hand on mine and said, "You are the answer to my prayer." I reported to the outdoors lead and was told that my shift would be from 8 to 10 am. These long hours have been done before, so I went to Wal-Mart to buy spare socks, Gold Bond powder to prevent inchiness, and 5-Hour Energy and Kind bars. I was able to make it to sunrise. Friday Night RAM exists to provide free medical care for those who can't afford it. Medical professionals are required to volunteer their services to a community that is in need. This is almost every community. These are the major focus areas. Dentistry Optometry General health Mental well-being Patients can check in at the gates at midnight. Services begin at 6 am. When I arrived at the gate, the cars were already lining up outside and 32 cars had been waiting when we opened it.

The check-in procedure is to get the name and need of the patient and line up their vehicle. It's that simple. It's to manage the limited resources and time available. My heart quickly changed from a slightly procedural tone to one of compassion as I began this task. Have you ever had to wait four hours for someone to come up to you and tell them that they don't use meth. But not me. But I was there all night, right up to the dawn, as their first point of contact. I began to get to know people and learn about their lives. A friend of mine in Alberta Canada lost most of her garden to a hailstorm. She was trying to grow food for her family. As I listened, laughed and smiled with these people, I thought to my self "The right kind of hailstorm in mine would place me in the same circumstance." But that hasn't happened yet. I was ready to serve by my willingness and my talents. The medical providers had already seen 233 patients by the time I left on Saturday morning at 10:01 AM and provided the equivalent of more than $101,000 in services. The same co-organizer was there as I was on my way to take a shower and get some sleep before heading home. "You were great. "I hope you're coming home tonight for day two." That was something I hadn't thought of. So I moved to the side and called my wife once more. "They considered me an asset and asked me to continue working tonight." "What do they think?" "I believe that I'm here, it's working and I should do it. Dan, I knew you would. * So I said yes. Saturday Night I was back at 8 PM. Although the line was shorter, I did recognize some of them. In fairness and to help as many people as possible the patients who had been there the night before were offered the option of either vision or dental service, but not both. Many people returned to the hospital the next night to be treated in the specialty that best suits their needs. In the gym of the school of dentistry, there were 20 bays. There were many instruments, sutures and numbing agents. Four autoclaves were even used to reprocess instruments. I felt that all of the dentistry was well supervised. It was 3:00 AM, and I decided to take some photos and pray over the areas. Asking God to make the decisions and skills of the doctors and the patient outcomes a success made me feel a little more awake. Many smiling faces returned to their cars, with many gauze-covered mouths. For the second crowd, the check-in process was slightly different because many people had arrived by word of mouth rather than following the official announcements on radio and Facebook. Although it didn't feel as busy, the numbers by Sunday noon were much higher with 394 patients and $172,000 of services. Also, I learned that the fancy 18 wheeler contained machines that could grind custom lenses for patients. So on Sunday, many people were returning to get new glasses. Free of charge. Only a small part of the team was working all night. I learned that there was an increase in people seeking mental well-being. This is evidently due to the sociopathic fear our governments have placed on people over the past 2 years, the conflict with Ukraine, as well as the rising costs of food, fuel and rent. Driving home There was a lot I could reflect on. I was an introvert so constant interaction with people took a lot from me. I was already charged up from the two days of camping. But I also took in the glimpses into other people's lives I was given. It wasn't about spreading joy; they came because they were in desperate need of it. I was able to help the team. If you are still able to fog a mirror, I encourage you to sign up for RAM events. These funding options will help you cover the cost of transportation and lodging. Cancel Netflix/Disney+/Amazon Prime (they are all evil corporations anyway) For six months, stop drinking Starbuck's coffee Stop drinking alcohol for six months Make a budget for it now. Sign up to volunteer

It is hard work. It is hard work if done correctly, but it is worth it when God comes alongside you to help you. The RAM people are great. I've volunteered to teach Sunday School, to drill water wells for Honduras, and to serve on a medical mission in Haiti. There is nothing like helping fellow Americans in need. So, go! Never forget the mission. All comments will be replied to: JustExecute@proton.me Footnote * These asterisks detail instances where God worked in my life, and without any doubt, during these two days. You can say the most powerful prayer you ever make is "Lord here am I" like Samuel, the young prophet.

[britishserpent]

Loki Fanfiction - Master List

Stumbled upon my Tumblr and not sure where to start? All of my work is listed below with a short summary.

Please note although most of my work contains explicit sexual content, it is consensual between the characters and they are of legal age. Posts of this nature are clearly marked 18+ Please do not engage if it's not your thing / you are under age.

Longer Work

Insubordination - 18+ Explicit Content (Loki x Female, Currently Chapter 11) Wattpad / AO3 only.

This was the first Loki fic I wrote and is currently on hiatus while I re-work it. It will be updated, it's just quite a bit to get through!

The Palace Baths - 18+ Explicit Content (Prince Loki x Female Servant, Ongoing)

Originally a One Shot. I couldn't help but continue this one. Prince Loki has never paid a female servant any mind, or so she thought. He unexpectedly extends an invitation to one of his exclusive gatherings late at night, hosted in the Palace Baths.

The Palace Baths, Part 1

The Palace Baths, Part 2

The Palace Baths, Part 3

The Palace Baths, Part 4

One Shots - 18+ Explicit Content (Loki x Reader)

These are all posted as collections on Wattpad & AO3 if you prefer to read on those platforms.

Happy Birthday, Mr President (President Loki x Female)

During a televised Birthday performance, President Loki teases his pet, leaving her squirming during the Birthday meal that follows.

A Prayer Answered (Loki x Female)

Hard day at work? Unable to settle, the readers mind drifts to thoughts of Loki, only to find the God himself stood at the foot of her bad after hearing her call.

Occupied (Loki x Female Rival - Request)

Tired of the crowds of swooning maidens Prince Thor attracts to the training grounds, a female warrior finds somewhere a little quieter to train. Only she's not left in peace for long when Prince Loki disturbs her.

The King of Jotunheim (Jotunn Loki x Female)

The King of Jotunheim, Part 2 (Jotunn Loki x Female)

Loki never left Jotunheim. Following the death of his father, he inherits the throne and quickly improves the realm for its inhabitants. Alfheim has been carefully watching from afar and arranges a visit to form a treaty. Rader has been selected to protect the dignitaries during their trip, only they have other plans for her…

Nervous? (Lady Loki x Female)

Set on Asgard, the reader spots a mysterious, enchanting woman walking through the halls of the palace. Lady Loki is quick to spot the reader's gawping and follows them into the library.

Saviour (Female Warrior x Prince Loki)

When a serpentine beast wages an attack on Asgard, the warriors are quick to defend the realm with Prince Thor and Prince Loki by their side. Only things don't go to plan.

Breakfast (Female Chef at Avengers Tower x Loki)

Tony Stark has hosted yet another grand party at the Avenger's Tower. Reader refuses her invitation, instead offering to cover the breakfast shift so her colleagues can have a good time.

Undeniable (Female x Loki)

Set before Thor arrives in Thor: Ragnarok, the realm comes to terms with the death of Prince Loki. Loki's plan of appearing as Odin is going perfectly well… until an old acquaintance uncovers his secret.

Shorter Works

Protective / Comforting Loki (Loki x Anxious Reader) - 643 Words Loki comforts reader following a panic attack. Based on my own personal experience with anxiety.

What If… Loki Episode 1 (Loki x Sigyn) - 566 Words Just a shorter piece about how that would have happened if Sigyn had been waiting for Loki in the Gobi Desert.

Bite-Sized Smut - 18+ Explicit Content

#1 - Loki is questioned on his abilities in the bedroom and takes the opportunity to prove his talent to his sceptical volunteer. (Loki x Female, 190 Words)

Requests

I am open to requests, whether it's a line prompt or something more specific. I love hearing what you would like to read, so please let me know!

Just a few things to note:

Please do not request non-con, I am not comfortable writing this.

I always have multiple stories that I'm working on, so there may be a delay in my answer while I complete any current work.

All requests are appreciated, and I carefully contemplate each one, thinking up a plot that would work. Please do not be offended if I do not complete your request, I find it impossible to do my best work if it's not something I 100% connect with.

Dividers from @firefly-graphics post which can be found here.

[absolutebl]

I saw you reblogged a few posts regarding subtitles and how they’re often not really the ~best~ lol. It reminded me how when Semantic Error was airing, some people who knew both English and Korean were a bit annoyed and/or confused at how the show was subbed because it cut out a lot of the more cheeky/rude and explicit language (in addition to there being some inaccurately or awkwardly translated dialogue). This seems to be an issue across countries too! I wonder why it happens. Things being inaccurately or awkwardly translated could just be from subbers not being proficient enough in one language to translate and keep the same meaning and make it flow in the translated language. However, I find the cutting out or censoring of bad language to be kind of odd and I’m curious what the thought process is there. That doesn’t seem like just translators who haven’t mastered the skill, it seems more intentional, but I can’t figure out why they might do it!

Why Are Subs/Captions Censored? Or different? Or inaccurate?  

Yeah, those of you who got the GaGa subs for Semantic Error reportedly got better swears, but less accuracy in other regards. I only saw Viki's subs and some screen caps. 

This was one of my favorites off GaGa: 

And I *think* it is straight up a wrong translation. 

Also there was this bit of Cutie Pie:

That was challenged by the bilingual community, then re-captioned so now this version doesn’t even exist any more. (Or something like that, I wasn’t paying very close attention.) 

So why does this happen? Why are they different? And why no bad language (I get to that in #4.) 

Sub Challenge # 1 - Cultural Depth & Nuance 

Okay so I had to do a whole post about Daisy and Intouch’s language nuance in ONE SCENE in SCOY in order to explain what was going on in just 3 sentences. The translator even copped up to how complicated it was. 

That’s just how it is sometimes with language. There is too much nuance. There actually is no way to do a direct translation. 

Sometimes subbers or sub teams do put in comments saying this kind of thing. The Stay subber for Kingdom LW on Viki is hilarious. And do you any of you remember... who was it? PinkMilk? Back in the day, who did 2 Moons grey for us? What a HOOT those subs were. I kinda LOVE getting little footnotes on language and personal commentary. But I’m warped. Where was I?  

For Semantic Error there was much discussion over the yaja time scene. (This is the beginning of ep 7, drinking together in the bar after hours right before the BIG kiss). 

Viki translated it as “let’s be frank.” But actually yaja time is more complicated than that since it involves linguistic register shifting and role reversals. It allows the younger person to be more frank (and impolite) without consequences... or supposedly without them. 

I hope you can see how this is also an issue for idioms, puns, word play, sarcasm, and humor. The translators may have English as a second language, or be translating from their second language (so the may know one idiom but not a good English one to translate into). Also the country they live in/are originally from influences them and how they translate. 

Sub Challenge #2 - Platform Philosophy 

The platform’s source country may make a difference in its “house rules” and subbling policy. Viki is a Japanese company, YouTube a US one, and GaGa comes out of Taiwan. But how they source subs also makes a difference. Is the subber a volunteer, a team, hired by the studio, or hired by the platform? 

So Viki (mostly) does subs by volunteer teams, this means certain things are mutually agreed upon, they try to make their subs less open to interpretation but it means they can flatline, getting kind of muted. In other words their subs in English can come off as bland and businesslike - subs by committee. Also they are usually in a rush to get them uploaded fast, and can be haphazard. They had access to a lot of Korean and Japanese subbers, but not so many from other languages. 

GaGa either buys ready subbed, handles them in house, or hires professionals, which means (mainly) one person is doing most of the subs for that one show. Like a translator hired to do a novel. Which means that person’s voice style will permeate their subs. Also any chronic mistakes or non-standard choices they make will carry through. You can notice this if the subber has a tick (something they never learned correctly in English). 

So, for example, I think there is basically one eng subber for GMMTV who cannot let go of pluralizing the word “works.” As in “I have to go do the works now.” I mean, it’s awful cute but also, hot tip, we never say that in English (outside of ladies doing “good works” in Victorian London). They occasionally do “childs” too. Dek dek. So cute. 

A lot of Thai and Vietnamese BL is subbed by someone hired by the studio, or on staff at the studio (in house). There are even some Thai actors who helped proof their show’s eng subs. Pavel is rumored to have helped with 2 Moons 2, and, of course there’s this gorgeous man:  

This is why there are indie subbers who have fans, who follow them around and tip them and watch everything they translate, because the LIKE the subs. 

One of my favorites is irozuku.

Sub Challenge #3 - Registers 

How to translating honorifics, shifting pronouns, and polite particles from a language that has them to one that doesn’t? 

This is a big one for many Asian languages into English. Since English no longer has registers (we used to, see thee/thou), but most Asian languages do have them (at least formal and informal registers if not more). Registers are indicated by the use of honorifics and polite particles, but also by use of slang and rude words, changing pronouns and titles/modes of address, and grammatical arrangements. 

Base level explanation of registers for English only speakers:

Think about someone using baby talk and how different that is from “normal” English. Now imagine it’s not just for babies, that you have one way of speaking for someone older than you, another for someone younger or equal; sometimes one mode if you are female, and another if you are male; one if if you are with your parents’ generation, and another if you are meeting royalty; one way of speaking in business or with professors and another when you are home or with friends. 

Viki seems to just translate all honorifics (from Japan to Korea to Thai to...) to the person’s first name in English. So if the boy calls his older lover phi or P’Dean, Viki just always writes Dean. If he calls him sempai, sensei, sunbae, hyung, hia, whatever... Viki has just unilaterally decided to make it the first name. Which is very odd for Japan in particular, where first names are almost never used. 

(I actually really LOVE the translator of Love By Chance on YT, they left many of the particles and honorifics in, so you can read them and start to learn.)

As a result, unless it’s a plot point they don’t both to explain that register shifting is occurring, and even then... you kinda gotta know what you’re listening for. 

So like sunbae versus hyung in Semantic Error is a big deal. (And if there is any sluttier execution in existence than JaeYoung’s yaja time hyung to SangWoo I need a link right TF NOW, for science.) But unless you’re hearing/notice SangWoo call JaeYoung sunbae the whole time and then drop to hyung only at moments of key significance/emotion, you don’t realize that hyung is important or why. 

In Love by Chance the subber chose to explain Ae’s use of Koon Chai* for Pete, thus saving us all from confusion, but in KinnPorsche they chose not to explain Khun Nu for Tankhun and just look what happen to my inbox! 

* Khun Chai’s a bit like Little Prince, or the UK’s old fashioned Young Master. Also Ae add’s Ai to the front which means equal/friend/peer but also is a bit rude and casual. So he amended a formal title with an informal honorific. 

Translators have to decide whether to go for accuracy or precision or a compromise between the two. And they’re given like one sentence or so to explain themselves if it’s a plot point. See challenge #1, that’s not enough space. 

Sub Challenge #4 - Profanity Censorship 

Possibly not “exactly” censorship but basically certain platforms, distributors, web hosts, searching platforms, and integration software programs come loaded with (or subject to) profanity (AKA modesty) crawlers. I’m only familiar with the USA ones but one of the things they hunt for is... you guessed it, swear words. 

Now these can crawl captions that are soft subbed (uploaded as a separate file) but not (really) those that are hard subbed (encoded as part of the image). They are looking for bad/blue language, and they find it. They were designed (originally/ostensibly) to catch porn and sex work (*clutches pearls* protect the children!) and not for moral reasons but for in-country (and intrastate) compliance reasons (the platform doesn’t want to be sued, so many platforms police themselves *waves at google*), but are now actually being used to find unlicensed IPs (the platform doesn’t want to be sued). 

Did I mention the suing part? 

Here on Tumblr you can imagine this as just like the tagging wars. The crawler has a list of keywords and they just flag up anything that triggers them. 

The product (video) is “punished” for its infraction in various different ways (depending on the platform); 

On YT, for example, a video found to contain swear words can be flagged with a notification for contestation (channel has to take action within a certain time frame), or the whole channel could get removed, or that one video could get blocked until fixed, etc... resulting in major loss of revenue. 

Some BLs will simply have a few episodes behind an 18+ mature rating (the kind you have to click on, Cutie Pie did this) to avoid issues with visual content. But that can detrimentally impact your add revenue, and sponsorship deals. (Watches certain brands clutch their pearls.) 

But for subs? 

It’s a hell of a lot easier just to not use the word fuck. It’s just one word, after all. 

Now, I would expect a platform like GaGa that specializes in high heat content just not to care much. But they also might want to be careful of pissing off host countries, and subs are easier to crawl than imagery, so they might just have a house policy in place (style sheet) not to bother with bad language, too much of a hassle for not enough reward. 

For example, I’m sure as shit not tagging this mf post with “profanity” “censorship” or even “YouTube” because i don’t want this post to be flagged or attract the wrong attention.  

Sub Challenge #5 - The Pay 

I don’t talk about this because I don’t know any subbers personally, either pros or fans. I do number a few literary translators among my friends but it’s materially different in the publishing industry. Some discussion here. 

(source) 

[amayaonly1]

A Lil’ Oopsie - Lesson 6 (Obey Me x Female!MC/Reader)

@strawberry-moonpies It's already the 25th here in my home country, so Merry Christmas! 🎄 Wishing you many blessings and good health for the years ahead. I hope this chapter could bring a little bit more joy to your day.

Other work: Diavolo's Cousin from Hell

A Lil' Oopsie mini-series:

Prologue | Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 | Lesson 5.5 | Lesson 6 | Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 | Lesson 9 | Lesson 10 [End]

The food was gone, dirty plates and cutleries were washed, the dining hall was cleaned up, but Mammon's irritation had yet to subside. It was made even more obvious when he crossed his arms and paced back and forth outside of a room. He was aware of how he looked right now; like some kind of puppy desperately waiting outside its owner's room. Literally speaking, though, he was waiting for his master.

Asmodeus once again was in charge of bathing the toddler. Only this time, instead of Satan, Mammon volunteered - or rather, he'd actively insisted during last night's discussion - to be the one to look after MC for the night. It's been a while since he last hung out with MC, even before the toddlerisation. She'd been so busy teaming up with Satan and Solomon for their assignments that he almost barely saw her except during meals. So it is expected for the Avatar of Greed to fall into his own sin, for he desired to more time spend her than any of his own brothers.

Even if it meant barging into his brother's room after waiting for a long while.

"Oi, Asmo!" he called. "Are you done? You're takin' forever to bathe her."

The said demon was sitting on the floor with his back facing him. On his left side was a discarded damped towel, and on his right was a small container filled with skincare products. Clicking his tongue, he glanced at his elder brother over his shoulder, giving him a clear look of annoyance.

"Since when did I permit you to enter my room without my permission?" he chided. "I'm almost done. Let me finish applying some moisturiser on her."

"Huh?!" Mammon let out a sound of disbelief. "Since when did kids ever need 'em?"

"Might as well start early before it's too late. Now if you'll excuse us." As he turned back to the babbling toddler, Asmodeus's smile immediately flipped before he cooed, "Don't mind him, MC. That's Mammon being his scummy self. Rude and condescending, I might add."

"Hey!"

But the Avatar of Lust paid no heed to him. With one hand holding a small spatula that had some remaining cream left, he used the ring finger of his other hand to wipe them all off which he then gently dabbed on the toddler's round cheeks.

"Oh, your skin is going to be even more supple and smooth by the time I'm done~ I hope your skin would be just as smooth when you change back to your normal self. And..." After gently tapping the remaining smears on her face, he chirped, "We're done!"

"Finally!"

Before Asmodeus even realised it, the second-born was already beside them swooping down to carry the toddler, now adorning a fluffy brown bear onesie with round ears on the hoodie and a small soft round tail at the bottom. Carrying her firmly on his hip, he rushed out of the room as his brother's complaints went in one ear and out the other, shutting the door behind him. Without taking a breather, he went straight to his room where he locked the door after entering.

As soon as she was placed on the mattress, MC's attention was immediately shifted to the foreign surrounding. Her gaze shifted from the snooker table to the messy sofa, then to the painting on the wall on the left of the large bed. That was when she felt the bed dip, prompting her to direct her to turn her head in its direction, seeing Mammon sitting next to her now dressed down to a simple white tank top and grey sweatpants. In his hand was a stuffed crow with a pair of black beady eyes, grey beak and claws.

"Here ya go," he said, handing the plushie to her.

MC's eyes lit up as she slowly brought the toy close to her, feeling its softness with her hands before she hugged it, seeming to test it out. Placing the toy aside, the toddler got on her knees to scoot over and threw herself on him, with her small arms trying their best to wrap around his torso.

"Hey!" The flustered demon slightly jolted at the sudden action. "Be careful! If ya not careful, you might actually fall off."

But that didn't matter to the little girl. For she lifted her head to look at him in the eyes and a big toothy smile crept across her face. "Thank you, Mammo'!" she babbled.

"You givin' my nicknames now?" he remarked playfully. Giving her a pat on the head, he muttered, "You're welcome."

It was silent between them; a comfortable one, though. Mammon thought his room was the messiest among them seven brothers, but strangely, he noticed MC bobbing her head trying to stay sitting upright. Well, that didn't take long for her to get sleepy. From what Satan told him, the blond demon had to read a bedtime story to her before she could finally get some shut-eye.

Mammon removed his hand from her head and shifted, gently urging her to lay on the bed. "C'mon," he cooed. "You need to get some sleep. It ain't gonna be comfortable if you sleep upright."

"Mhm..." responded MC softly, nodding while she rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hands.

He figured she'd do as she was told if he himself laid on the bed. So he did that, and true enough, MC followed suit. He lifted the maroon blankets and covered themselves. With one arm out, Mammon gently pulled the sleepy toddler closer to him, until he hugged her and rolled over to face up, letting her lay on him with her head on his chest with the crow plush in her grasp. The demon kept the same hand on her back while the other hand was underneath his head, trapped by the pillow underneath. It seemed like a bizarre sleeping position, but he found it surprisingly comfortable. As both hands were occupied, he channeled just a bit of his energy, which he then manifested to dim the lights until his room was nothing but pitch dark.

"Goodnight, MC."

All he received were quiet snores. Although, it didn't long for him to soon feel sleepy. He shut his eyes, letting his mind drift away as he gradually dozed off.

...a...on...

*Snrrrk* *snoooork*

M...mon...

*Zzz...*

Ma...mon...

"Five... minutes..."

"Mammon, get up this instant before I confiscate your credit card again."

All of a sudden, sleep instantly vanished from the said demon. His eyes shot open, and he tossed his blanket aside as if it had caught on fire, clumsily getting off his bed while detangling his legs from the large material. "I'm up! I'm up! I'm up!" He halted in his tracks. Where was MC? Did she fall off when he forced himself up?

He soon got his answer when he saw the said toddler still snoozing in Lucifer's hold. Come to think of it, how was his brother able to enter his room when he'd remembered locking it the previous night?

"Get ready," was the first thing the eldest said. "Diavolo sent me a message last minute that he'd drop by to check up on MC."

"Huh?" Mammon was confused. "Why'd he decide on that?"

"Yesterday I'd informed him of the incident that led up to this," he began, nodding his head to gesture at the toddler. "While I did expect him to be fully aware and would pardon MC from classes, I certainly didn't foresee him wanting to meet her in this state." Lucifer heaved an exasperated sigh. "Save the questions for later. Even I do not have the answers to his peculiar request. I'll help MC get dressed. You go wake the others up."

"Hold on," called Mammon. "Since when did we agree that she'll get dressed by you?"

"As pertained to the agreement, you were assigned to get MC ready for bed, and right after your slot would be mine. You've had your fair share of time spent with her. So cease your complaints and do as instructed, before I decide to feed you to Cerberus instead."

A smile as wide as that of a Cheshire cat spread across the white-haired demon's face. Standing straight, he raised a hand and held it over his head in a salute. "Yes, sir! Leave it to the Great Mammon!"

[professorspork]

superhell fic prompt: JAUNE RUNS INTO PYRRHA

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5]

It doesn’t occur to that she’s allowed to talk to them until Torchwick reveals himself to Neo. And even then, well-- Roman Torchwick isn’t exactly a shining paragon when it comes to setting a good example of what’s allowed.

But the idea refuses to stop hounding her footsteps, once it’s come. Once she’s seen it’s possible, without consequences. Still, she waits, and keeps her distance. There’s no sunset, here on the island, no night, but there are shady places beneath the towering roots of the Tree; eventually, they all bed down, and Jaune-- as she’d known he would-- volunteers to take first watch. It’s a heartening display: Yang and Blake twined together like ivy on a wrought iron gate, but each clinging to the hands of their teammates, chained together by grasping fingers. Otters in a stream, unwilling to be separated.

She doesn’t know why she’s surprised to hear her own voice when she approaches.

...I know this can be frustrating, and it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so determined to better themselves...

“You’ll drain your battery,” she cautions, reaching out with her mind to press the off button on his scroll. His head whips up, expression aghast, and she smiles at him softly. “I’d have thought you’d have it memorized by now anyhow; you haven’t seemed to need it in some time.”

She expects disbelief, perhaps, or shock. Joy would have been nice, but she’d have understood anger. So she’s surprised and---bizarrely proud, actually-- when instead his eyes narrow in suspicion and the first thing he says is, “Your Semblance works.”

“Well, yes.”

“Why does your Semblance work?”

“Because I’m where I’m supposed to be. A soul knows when it’s in the right place. Or the wrong one, as the case may be.”

“Or I’m dreaming.”

“Or you’re dreaming,” she agrees, keeping her voice mild, but feeling it like a punch to the stomach when his shoulders relax at the idea. Does he... not want her here? Goodness, but she’s out of practice. She’d forgotten it was like this; how talking to him had been both the easiest and the hardest thing in the world. “Would you-- prefer that? If I weren’t really here?”

“The real Pyrrha would know better than to ask me that.”

Despite herself, she laughs. “Oh, I wish that were true. I asked myself that every day. Every class, every glance, every study session on the roof. I’m afraid I was never as confident as I should have been.” It’s an embarrassing admission, but an effective one; the walled-up caution behind his eyes dissipates... only for tears to well up in its stead.

“Are you-- can I touch you?”

“I hope so.” (She’d left Torchwick and Neo behind before they’d gotten that far, for obvious reasons.)

“I--” He scrambles to his feet and crosses the distance between them, enveloping her in a crushing hug. It doesn’t feel like she remembers, but then, that’s no surprise-- he’s taller than he used to be, and her body isn’t exactly a body, per se. She’s grateful, even so. Happy just to have the chance to hold him up. She keeps quiet at first, letting him get it all out as he sobs incoherent apologies into her shoulder--

(IloveyouImissyouIloveyouImissyouI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry)

--and contents herself with playing with the short hair at the nape of his neck. Eventually, he calms.

“I like the haircut,” she says, when he pulls away. “It’s handsome. You look so grown up.”

“You look so young,” he croaks in response, and-- she supposes she must, to his eyes. It’s strange to think that she’s the same age as Ruby now; that they’ve kept going on without her, and they’ll continue to do so, once she’s led them out. “Are you--? Have you--?” He wipes at his eyes, laughing at himself a little. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know where to start. I just-- I can't believe you're here with me.”

“I'm always with you,” she assures him, unable to suppress the urge to thumb away a tear he’s missed. She keeps her hand there, at his cheek, as she she speaks: “Even when you can’t sense me, I... oh, Jaune. I’m so proud of you. You’ve come so far.”

He sighs and steps out of the circle of her arms, hanging his head to stare at Crocea Mors where it rests in its sheath. You’d never know it to be broken, just by looking. The scabbard hides the damage-- giving him the appearance of being armed and ready though all he carries is a shattered hilt. “Yeah, maybe. I-- I thought I had, but...” He swallows, face filled with shame.

She starts to reach for him again, unwilling to waste even a moment of their time not touching him, but forces herself to relax and drop her hands to her sides. It has to be his choice, doesn’t it? “Tell me. You can tell me anything; you know that.”

His voice falters terribly when he finally speaks: 

“I mean, I feel like you already know. For the longest time, I wanted to be this... I dunno. This warrior, or whatever. And it never fit, no matter what I did, or how hard I worked, and I just-- I resented it so much. Being...” He shakes his head. “I just felt useless. But when I unlocked my Semblance, I had to let that go. And it was hard at first, it took time, but for a second there it finally started to feel like... like I knew my place. Where I belonged; what everyone needed from me. I was good at it. But then Penny needed--” He chokes on a sob, and has to stop and take several deep breaths before he can continue. “Nothing’s changed. I’m still useless. The idiot stuck on the wrong side of the glass, out of his league and forced to watch because someone else has to be the Maiden now and there’s nothing he can do about it. Only this time it’s worse, because this time I actually-- I--”

Unable to hold herself back anymore, she reaches for his hands; he squeezes her fingers tight, like a lifeline. “I understand,” she soothes, voice heavy like a vow. “Did you think I wouldn’t? I don’t think I have to remind you that I’m the only other person who knows what that feels like. To have been the one who killed her.”

He lets out an awful, cynical noise; a parody of a laugh. “Depends on who you ask,” he says in explanation, looking askance towards Ruby. Pyrrha sadly follows his gaze. Ruby’s shifted in her sleep, curled under her cape to be as small as possible with her head nestled in the crooks of Yang’s bent knees. Her arms are wrapped around Yang’s shins in a death grip, as though she fears her sister might fly away at any moment. Pyrrha’s heart aches for her; for the responsibility she carries. Weight Pyrrha could have helped shoulder... if only she’d been a little faster, a little more clever.

She shakes off the feeling; now’s not the time for regret. “But things have changed,” she says, bringing Jaune’s hands up to her mouth and kissing the knuckles. It will be a long time, she knows, before he believes there isn’t blood on them; maybe this small act can help. And if it doesn’t... she has other options. Maybe even a little levity, for once. “You’re not useless. You’re amazing. You’re a licensed Huntsman now; you’re accomplishing things you’d only dreamed of. All the mothers of Mantle adore you. You even got to go on a date with Weiss!”

He boggles at her, wrenching his hands away. “What?! That wasn’t a date, we were just hanging out with Oscar, we--” His jaw falls open, suddenly, and his eyes narrow once more. “Wait a minute. Are you teasing me?”

She grins, sheepish and caught. “I figured it was now or never to give it a go; I didn’t want to waste my last chance to try it. Nora always said it would be good for me.”

“To make fun of me?” he squawks, indignant.

She laughs. “To remind myself it’s okay to be a novice sometimes; that there are things I won’t instantly be good at.” She bites her lip, unable to stop her grin. “...And also to make fun of you, yes.”

He surges forward, then-- wrapping a hand around the back of her neck and pulling her closer, pressing a fierce, grateful kiss to her forehead. Then he does it again; then once more, at the bridge of her nose. And then a final time, against her lips. Quick; intense. Filled with meaning.

She’s got not breath in her, and still she’s breathless.

“I miss you so much,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut and resting his forehead against hers. His fingers thread themselves into the hair at the back of her skull, tangled into the base of her ponytail. “So much. I think about you all the time. Every day. Wondering how different things would be, if only...”

“I know,” she says, because she does. There’s more that she should say, probably-- that it’s good that he’s started to move on; that none of them can hold onto her forever. But she can’t quite bring herself to voice the words.

“It’s not fair,” he mutters, then sighs at the sound of it. “I mean, none of it is fair, but-- I feel like a jerk, I guess. That I’m the one who gets to see you, of all of us.”

“You’ll tell them I love them, won’t you? Ren and Nora. They...” They’re doing things she never did, is the thing. Maturing in ways she’ll never have the chance to. Learning that responsibility doesn’t mean putting it all on your own shoulders; that love doesn’t mean giving all of yourself away. It’s overwhelming, how proud she is of them for that. “They were on the right path, in Atlas. Don’t let them convince themselves otherwise.”

He nods, the movement of it levering her own head in shared agreement. “Anything else? Anyone else you’d like me to...?”

So many; too many. But one rises above the rest. “Tell my mother to stop leaving flowers,” she murmurs, wishing she had more to offer than that. “Tell her they belong in the garden; that I like to watch them grow. That’s-- the way it should be.”

“Okay,” he says, and relief rushes through her. “Okay. I will.”

Slowly, they both become aware once more of the gaggle of Huntresses sleeping just a few yards off. Pyrrha could leave dozens of messages with Jaune, if she wanted, but the people she most needs to speak to are right here, within arm’s reach. They need her guidance; it’s selfish not to provide it. She’s taken so long already. And yet...

Jaune beats her to voicing the thought: “I know we should probably wake them, but-- can it be just the two of us, for just a little longer? Please?”

She smiles, and brings a hand up to caress his cheek. “I thought you’d never ask.”

[supremeinlilac]

Three’s not a crowd, especially when it’s us (1)

Summary: Its just part one idk what to say? oh, its a slow burn :) The idea came to me at 4am and I’ve just ran with it, it was initially going to be like 4 parts, and now its probably more like 10.

Word count: 2546

Warnings: mild language 

You weren’t quite sure how you’d managed to get through 2 months of being at Miss Robichaux's without accidently revealing your true ‘power’ to anyone. You thought that Ms Goode, of all people, would see through your bland lie about setting your families house on fire being the reason you’d ended up at the academy’s front doors. Instead, she’d simply nodded at you with a kind smile and a tour of the house.

You’d met all the witches, heard stories about the house and how this was now one of many schools like it that the Supreme had opened since rising. Some of the other houses were for the young witches and were more discreetly placed to avoid the inevitable hate crimes that witches still faced, while some were for the older women who’d always been taught to hide in the shadows and supress themselves rather than flourish. You’d fallen into the middle, gifted witches that were brought to learn under the Supremes’ close guidance and protection.

Your first night had involved sitting beside the fireplace with Zoe and Queenie, who were asking of your abilities and showing their own with stories of before Cordelia’s reign as supreme. You were awed by Queenies voodoo abilities, laughing at the time she’d stabbed her hand with a fork when Madison was being bitchy. You insisted she show you sometime. Madison was back at this point, you’d yet to meet her as she was off on some trip but Zoe had already advised you to stay clear. They weren’t even sure how she’d got back from hell, normally she would be the first to brag about something like that, but apparently she’d kept relatively quiet about it.

You’d met Ms Venable the next day, after hearing hushed rumours from the other girls about her sharpness and generally how they were all scared of her intimidating grandeur. She’d given you your lesson timetable with a quick flick of her eyes down your body at your state of undress when you’d come to the door, barking about having some decency. Her striking features and the perfect peaks of her red hair had you scrambling for something coherent to babble back to her as she turned and left you, mouth agape and staring after the strike of her cane on the ground.

Although Ms Venable had no magical abilities of her own, she was no less admired and feared among the other witches at the academy, her quick wit and sharp tongue more than compensating and aiding in her looming dominance. She prided herself in teaching the girls practical non-magic skills and subjects that they could put to use in due course when their time within the school’s halls ran out.

The girls had whispered and giggled to you about Ms Cordelia having a thing for Ms Venable, because of how she used to flush and stumble over her words in the presence of the woman. You hadn’t noticed in your brief week at the academy, mainly due to not having seen them together an awful lot in that time.

Over the weeks you found yourself watching their fleeting interactions, mentally noting the way Cordelia would shift under her gaze at the breakfast table. How she would be the first to pick up the fallen cane as it clattered to the ground; never using her telekinesis for it either, she would go out of her way to get up and retrieve it, small smile and glances exchanged as she did so.

You understood why the girls had picked up on Cordelia’s feelings for the redhead, but you were surprised at how they’d missed the obvious way Ms Venable would soften when she looked at Cordelia teaching when she’d walk past the open classroom door, or the way she’d grip her cane until her knuckles whitened when she caught one of the girls imitating the Supreme. You thought it was obvious, maybe it was just you. Maybe it was just that you’d grown rather fond of her and liked to observe the small habits that she’d do when annoyed or relaxed.

It was clear they didn’t just like each other, but that they were together, whether they formally declared it or not, to you at least; the lingering touches and glances when they thought no one was looking.

Over your weeks at the academy, you’d grown to appreciate the time you were able to spend alone with either women. You were always the first to volunteer your time in the greenhouse or to carry files for Ms Venable when she walked past a classroom with papers balanced precariously in one arm.

Cordelia had developed a soft spot for you, as an eager and caring student. You’d laugh and mess around with the plants in the greenhouse and share stories of times when your magic hadn’t quite gone to plan. You’d become infatuated with her laugh on one of these nights, when she’d let down all barriers and just enjoyed herself without worry.

Once, and at the time you’d totally thought yourself to be completely pushing your luck, you’d arranged a dinner for the pair of them out there, hauling Wilhemina’s chair outside from the kitchen so that she would be comfortable. You’d known that they’d both been stressed and hadn’t had much time for themselves away from the hum of the girls. Happy as always to oblige, you’d thought they’d appreciate the small moment to enjoy a meal together in the peace of Cordelia’s safe space.

They did, of course. Although it was only the Supreme who voiced her thanks, squeezing your shoulder tightly while Ms Venable shot you a momentary smile and a nod of approval. Since then, you wanted nothing more than her approval again.

***

At the dinner table, Madison had made some offhand remark about your magic which had sent ripples of barely contained laughter down the table. You’d looked up to Zoe who just gave a sympathetic grimace and a shrug, everyone else just continued sipping at the soup, an occasional slurp breaking the quietness. Everyone was so used to Madisons comments and attitude that they just took to ignoring it in uncomfortable silence.

You were not used to it. You didn’t understand why everyone could just sit and let her berate people as she did, you’d been brought up in kindness and empathy. Pushing your chair back, you emptied the contents of your bowl into the bin before quickly leaving the kitchen, guilty faces watching you leave. Cordelia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, knowing as the headmistress and supreme she shouldn’t stand for the way Madison talked to some of the girls, but she knew that aggravating her further would be a worse idea. Wilhemina’s hand came to settle discreetly on her thigh, squeezing slightly and grounding her in a silent way to tell her that it wasn’t her fault.

You’d slipped out into the greenhouse to let of some steam, moving objects around and letting yourself set random balls of paper on fire safely as an outlet for you to bubble your frustrations out through magic. After having done so, you settled into one of the chairs in the corner, pulling your knees up to your chest and resting your chin on them.

It had been Ms Venable who came through the doors to find you, heaving a sigh as she lowered herself into the chair beside you and balanced her cane against the arm. She sat rigidly, as always, hands clasped in her lap and one leg balanced over the other. Allowing herself to observe you, she took in your slumped shoulders and tired face which you hid in your drawn up knees.

“Cordelia sent me.” She stated, straight to the point as always, and you lifted your head in acknowledgement.

She’d lied, Cordelia hadn’t sent her. The supreme had actually wanted to come herself but Wilhemina had said that she’d go, that she needed to talk to you anyway; but she’d never tell you that of course. She had a stature to uphold.

You sat in uncomfortable silence, neither one knowing what to say to put the other at ease. Wilhemina didn’t really know how to start conversations with anyone apart from Cordelia that didn’t begin with a barked command or condescending jab.

“Ignore Madison. That insolent girl needs to be put in her place.” She quipped; lips drawn into a thin scowl before softening as you looked up at her. “From what I’ve seen and been told, your magic is coming along quite nicely. You should be proud of your progress.” She added quickly, suddenly finding great interest in the hanging plants that Cordelia had been tending to over the past few days: a new addition to the greenhouse.

“No. she was right. I’m not upset about Madison; I’m upset because no one knows me. Not really.” You mused, an appreciating smile gracing your lips for a second at her words. It wasn’t that you were overly affected by Madisons words, it had just served as a reminder to how you were keeping everyone in the dark.

“What do you mean?” She asked softly, as soft as you’ve ever heard her talk, hand reaching to draw your knees out from under your chin so you could uncurl to speak to her properly. You inhaled a shaky breath, fingers digging crescents into your knees as you prepared to tell her the thing you’d been hiding for months.

“Promise you won’t get mad?” You asked hopefully, knowing it wasn’t something she could, or even would want to promise to you. She shook her head shortly, “you know I can’t promise you that.” Pushing it to the back of your mind, you decided to just blurt it out; now or never so to speak.

“I’ve been keeping my natural power a secret. I lied on my first day. I- I didn’t set my house on fire.” You admitted, head hanging shamefully and tears pricking at your vision. You didn’t need to look at Wilhemina to see the scowl that would inevitably be forming to replace the slight smile she’s had, at your stupidity.

“And you didn’t think Ms Goode needed to know of this?” watching you in disbelief, shaking her head and tutting. “You’ve been here long enough to know better, missy.” She scolded, making to get up by bracing her hands firmly against her knees and reaching for her cane.

You scrambled off your seat, frantically holding your hands up in front of you towards her in an attempt to stop her from going. Your hands found purchase on her wrists and you guided her slowly to sit back down, pushing slightly when she protested.

“No, no please- I mean, don’t go.” You pleaded, eyes wide, squatting in front of her so you could fall to a kneel, making sure your face was in her line of vision and she could see how scared the thought of having to tell Cordelia of your dishonesty was making you. Shuffling in place where you knelt, you quietly muttered your thanks when she settled back against the chair.

She scoffed audibly to make you aware of her distaste at the current situation but made no attempt to move your hands from where they now rested near her hands on her knees, or even to suggest that you move them yourself. Accepting that you weren’t going to let her leave until she’d listened, she let her curiosity pique and, raising her brow in question, she asked you shortly.

“What ability is so embarrassing that you decide to keep it from us all for so long? Lord knows it can’t be as bad as being a human gluten detector.”

You appreciated her dry attempt at humour to deflect from the uncomfortable silence you’d fallen into. Fidgeting your fingers against the fabric of her skirt, you remembered a dream you’d had where you’d told Zoe of your power and she’d turned the whole coven against you. Brushing it off, telling yourself that Zoe would never do that, you continued to admit to Ms Venable.

“I’m not even sure of it myself, I can’t find a name for it anywhere. I don’t even know if it has a name.”

“So it’s rare?” Wilhemina seemed to strike an interest then, straitening up and raising her eyebrows as if to prompt you to continue. She did this until she seemed to remember that she’s meant to be uninterested and she forced herself to scoff and reached to tweak her earring deftly between finger and thumb.

“It will have a name. Incompetence is the reason you cannot find it.” She stated coldly, lips pursed in intolerance. “That or your just looking in the wrong place,” she added, noting the way you looked down at your trembling and twitching fingers when she was mean.

You paused, having a momentary realisation of what you were doing before the thought was swiftly pushed to the side of your mind by the familiar pull of your magic at your fingertips.

“C-can I show you?” you blurted, almost clamping your hand over your mouth at your unexpected boldness.

“You most certainly will do no such thing, it’s not me that needs to be aware of your abilities, it is Ms Goode that you need to show.” She barked, defensiveness coming back out at your request. You tried not to take it to heart, knowing that that was just her way. Not that she would ever tell you, but Wilhemina felt a lot more secure talking about magic with Cordelia present, where she knew she wouldn’t be judged for having a less secure knowledge of the field. She liked to always be the most well versed in the room, hated to be spoken at about a topic she was new to.

“I can’t show Ms Goode without you.” You tried to explain, an itch of annoyance bubbling under your skin when she laughed at you again mockingly.

“I can’t show Ms Goode without you.” She mimicked, face pulled into a grimace which made you scowl, and exaggerating the words to a degree that just felt excessive, even for Ms Venables constant condescendence.

Your mouth fell open. You couldn’t believe this woman’s nerve.

Something suddenly snapped in your head at her incessant mocking and the condescending tone she used, and you found yourself moving your hands quickly from her knees to her hands, linking your fingers tightly before she could even react. You watched her eyes raise in surprise and the cocky smirk fall from her lips as she attempt to pull away unsuccessfully.

“What are you- get your hands off me!” She exclaimed; voice higher than normal in surprise as your quick movements caught her off guard.

You closed your eyes, trying to block out the way her hands pulled within yours and the sting of her nails digging into the delicate skin of your palms as she tried to free herself. The heat of your magic burned under your skin, the annoyance you felt only serving as a fuel, directing all your power towards the woman in your grip.

When you felt the snap of your magic release, Wilhemina let out a cry of pain and you almost stopped.

Almost.

***

  Part 2

Just to clarify, your powers do not involve giving people orgasms lmaoo. I will never try to leave anything on a cliffhanger ever again rip.

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