#mine: covert affairs

[smoakmonster]

annie + auggie moments [8/?]

[ardethbayrulez]

Covert affairs

Rivka & Eyal about Annie.

©USA Network/NBCUniversal.

[myster-roca]

Desires and Deception: Full Undercover

"Your assignment: Assume the identity of a high-profile businessman and fitness guru with deep connections to the underworld elite.

Your objective: Infiltrate a high-stakes bodybuilding event where one of the underworld's most influential figures, deeply involved in a clandestine affair, is about to take center stage. A complete physical transformation is your only cover."

On the surface, his existence seems so different from mine. He's deeply entrenched in the world of luxury, surrounded by the glitter and glamour of the upper class.

I lead a life of shadows and secrecy, a chameleon in the backdrop of society. While he basks in the spotlight, I thrive in the darkness.

Yet, as I become more familiar with his life, I realize that beneath the facades, we're not so dissimilar. We both wear masks, albeit of different kinds.

He portrays an image of power and wealth, and I craft identities to delve into the hidden realms of espionage. We're both performers, navigating the stage of our own making, just on opposite sides of the curtain.

Within the covert operations division, our team constituted a rare breed, masters of disguise, each possessing an exceptional talent for the craft of metamorphosis.

We shared an unspoken bond born from the countless secrets we held and the trust we placed in one another.

The intricately crafted muscle suit lay before me like a silent partner in this clandestine masquerade. I'd done this countless times before, but the excitement and tension of the moment never ceased to grip me.

This moment brings a complex blend of emotions to my entire body.

There's the weight of responsibility, knowing that I must seamlessly become another person, thinking, speaking, and moving as they do.

But there's also the thrill of the challenge, the adrenaline rush that comes with immersing myself in a persona utterly distinct from my own.

As I slipped into the suit, the material stretched and molded to my physique. My hands found their way to the attached silicone gloves. The snug fit accentuated every contour, making me look more sculpted than ever.

My team of ingenious innovators had left no stone unturned to make the muscle suit as lifelike as humanly possible. Their unwavering dedication shone through in the meticulous attention to detail.

My pulse quickened with anticipation as the muscles subtly inflated, intensifying the illusion of strength and confidence.

With every stroke, the skilled hands erased my facial hair, and I could almost sense a new identity taking shape.

The skintone had been impeccably matched, with the paintwork skillfully blending the boundary between reality and artifice.

I marveled at their exceptional precision as they carefully placed the snow-white silicone prosthetic skin onto my scalp, deftly concealing the intricate details at the rear.

Each brushstroke they applied infused the blank canvas with a spectrum of shades and tones, gradually merging it with the flesh-colored muscle suit.

The cap clung to my scalp, obscuring any hint of my natural hair. Their unparalleled expertise accomplished an astounding feat, vanquishing visible seams and ensuring a flawless integration with the rest of the suit.

As I rose to my feet, I could feel the muscles discreetly swelling, enhancing my size and making me appear more imposing. Enthralled by this transformation, I locked my gaze onto the mirror, realizing that, except for my own face, the reflection before me resembled that of a complete stranger.

The next phase was even more unsettling. I couldn't help but feel vulnerable, yet excited, as I closed my eyes and immersed myself in embodying the fitness guru's charisma and unwavering drive for power.

Seated before the vanity, I felt the cool touch of silicone on my skin. With each prosthetic piece, I watched myself morph into the figure whose aura and allure I admired and now emulated.

My own features were vanishing, slowly replaced by the chiseled jawline, pronounced cheekbones, and the perfectly shaped nose.

Each adjustment, every little tweak, brought me closer to becoming the fitness influencer I needed to become.

The transformation has reached its halfway point, yet I can't shake the persistent unease that lingers within me. Something feels awry, lacking in authenticity.

This void echoes the emptiness I've felt in past impersonations. The team is well aware of this predicament, which motivated them to develop a new technology aimed at resolving the issue. Although they conducted numerous beta tests, this marks the first field trial.

I stood from my chair and began to don the silicone muscle pants, preparing myself for the next step.

The pants appeared remarkably sophisticated, quite different from the silicone muscle pants I had initially envisioned. Nevertheless, the team assured me that this unique design was intentional, tailored to fulfill its specific purpose.

As I settled into a sleek, state-of-the-art machine, they assured me that it would serve as the catalyst for the forthcoming comprehensive transformation. The team then delved into an explanation of the pants' fabric and the silicone prosthetic pieces they had attached, emphasizing their integration with nanites.

They elaborated on how these minuscule marvels were precisely programmed to discern the unique contours and characteristics of my body, thereby enabling the seamless fusion of the material with my own skin. This intricate process would ensure an astonishingly lifelike and untraceable metamorphosis.

The machine enclosed around my waist with a gentle yet firm embrace. I could feel its mechanisms hum to life as it began its work. A warm, viscous liquid began to flow from the machine's hidden nozzles, gently cascading down my legs and torso.

The sensation was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was as if I were being submerged in a pool of liquid silk. I watched, my heart racing, as the substance encased my legs and torso. It was as if the nanites and the liquid skin were in perfect harmony, dancing a choreography that was breathtaking to experience.

The machine released me, and I fell forward, landing on my hands and knees. The ground was cold and unforgiving, a stark contrast to the heat that surged within me. As I struggled to regain my footing, I realized that I was sweating, my skin tingling with life.

My skin glistened with sweat as the nanites engulfed my whole body. My senses were on fire as the second skin adapted to the shape of my own body, molding itself to me with an almost sentient understanding. I could feel the air against my skin as I breathed deeply, savoring the newfound sensations.

I stood on my feet, and a tidal wave of power surged through my veins—a breathtaking rush of unearthed strength that sent shivers of exhilaration cascading down my spine. I was utterly captivated by the profound transformation I had undergone.

It was as though this second skin had reshaped the core of my existence. It was no longer just a disguise; it had become a part of my own being.

Overwhelmed by curiosity and newfound confidence, I couldn't resist the urge to explore my transformed physique.

As I flexed my thighs, I could feel their utmost solidity, the sensation of unyielding strength resonating through my body. My legs, once unassuming and lean, now bore the weight of sculpted power.

Running my hands across my chest, I felt the hard contours beneath my fingers, swelling with a sense of pride. My pectoral muscles were now pronounced and firm. I couldn't resist running my fingers over the chiseled ridges of my new washboard abs.

With each movement, I admired the pronounced biceps and triceps, each muscle responding to my command. Flexing my forearms, the veins stood out like a roadmap of my uncovered power.

I had truly become the living embodiment of the role I was about to play.

With the transformation complete, I am reborn in the shadows, ready to dance into the abyss of intrigue and danger, playing my part in a game where trust is a currency of uncertainty, and the truth remains veiled forever.

To Be Continued . . .

[inanisomnia]

francesca

gojo satoru drabble (inspired by halsey's letter/poem abt matty)

word count: 459

tw: blasphemy ?? irdk how to describe what i wrote and heavy implications of sex

lemme know if u liked it by reblogging it or liking it !! <33 it would mean a lot, tysm !!

p.s - this is my first time writing this type... of idk if u have any tips/advice, kindly tell me !! AAA tysm <33

songs associated: ride (somo), earned it (the weeknd), all mine (plaza), and sex sounds (lil tjay)

you see it was a hazy night filled with burning liquors and intoxicating liquid and substances, probably an elixir or concoction brewed to spill half your life away in exchange for the pleasure and temporary numbness of your senses and fleeting euphoria. all you could remember was ghast of clouded and scented fumes of lavender, carefully blended with bubblegum and a bitter after smell of burning rubber - then it was him.

satoru gojo - the name you often scoffed at the moment it'll come up in a conversation, turned into a name you'll be chanting like a mantra, over and over as you wrapped your thighs around his waist - tighter and tighter, as you arched your back , feeling like you're ascending, soul entangled between pleasure and ecstasy;

carving, scratching lines on his back like you're searching for something, an answer, a solution, something so desperate, and it's him, and he's the same to you, god he spits your name elegantly, eloquently, with grace and blessings, this illicit affairs between work and what's forbidden is probably what drives this clandestine interactions to be the most thrilling -

yes, he worships your body like its an altar, kneeling, uttering prayers, whispering sweet nothings as he carves himself unto you, deeper and deeper, so damn relentless yet still so gentle against you, still desperately wanting to be needed, called by your voice amidst this mayhem brewing between the two of you;

he holds you like you're the most sacred soul to ever exist for him, he cantillates your name like its a prayer, a must in his life, covering your body with marks - what a sinful sight to see, to feel, gripping sheets, and tugging his snow colored-locks passionately each time he engraves his soul in you, eyes rolling back as he cradles you in his arm, bodies both messily entangled - sweat and liquors and sweetness of the candies he usually brings.

if this is madness, then fuck, you will, with no questions spiral with him.

if this is lust covert in love, then he will, with no hesitation give himself to you - willingness to drop everything at the sight of you, his reputation, his title, for the sake of holding you close to him, craving your warmth in the wintry aisles of his soul - he most definitely fucking will.

after all,

he's eternally damned because of his prospering acceptance in the most intimate and beguiling way of all your flaws, imperfections, scars, how you laugh, smile, love, think - everything about you.

he laughs; there's no getting away from you - and he's here for it, being with you is freedom the moment you call his name, the exact moment your touch reaches his skin, he's engulfed by it, helplessly.

yes, he utters your name like it's amen.

[littlemisspascal]

New Writers added to The Pedro Library 🐼

@jokersfangirl84 @max--phillips

New Works Added ✨

Big update cuz life’s been hectic 😬

Many fics aren’t appearing in the tags when searching. If I miss yours, please let me know 💗 Or add me to your taglist cuz I love being tagged 😊

As always, if you would like me to remove your work from the rec list, please let me know and I’ll remove them asap 😊

@haylzcyon Marcus P  Show Me

@littlebirdsbookshelf Marcus P  Roadblocks +  The Co-Pilot

@mandoblowmybackout Marcus P  Relaxation Techniques

@supernaturalgirl20 Joel  The Reason +  And Then It Happened

@miraclesabound Joel  Miasma

@psychedelic-ink Joel  When You’re Reading Me +  Reckless 

@mishasminion360 Joel  The Sweetest Thing

@forever-rogue Joel  He Loves You +  Lavender Haze +  I Like You Soft +  Catch Up

@the-scandalorian Joel  Two

@misspearly1 Joel  When Two Worls Collide

@agentwhiskeysdarlin Joel  The Sun Always Rises

@lavendertales Joel  Mine +  Lover +  Skyfall +  Shameless +  Can’t Help Falling in Love

@wardenparker @absurdthirst Joel + Dieter  Surprising Reunions

@joels6string Joel  Carnal Reflections +  No More Numbers +  Make Me Whole Again

@albertasunrise Joel  No Point

@boliv-jenta Joel  Goodnight, Baby / Joel + Dave  La Petite Mort

@moonlight-prose Joel  Marks of the Damned +  View From the Bridge +  The Wasteland of a Bleeding Heart

@theewokingdead Joel  A Second Chance

@sprout-fics Joel  Woodsmoke

@thot-of-khonshu Joel  Mr. Percocet

@oliviajdjarin Joel  Why Can’t I Breathe?

@omgreally Joel  Hurried

@juletheghoul Joel  Tease

@astroboots Joel  What’s in a Name?

@fuckyeahdindjarin Joel  Seams

@thefact0rygirl Joel  Carved Out of Stone

@ezrasbirdie Joel  Cracked Vessels

@fandom-blackhole Joel  3+1 Song Fic

@spacecowboyhotch Joel  Sweet Nothing Universe

@grogusmum Din  Crash Into Me

@novemberrain-writes Din  Breathless / Frankie  Dead by Daylight

@rise-my-angel Din  Shadows of Mandalore / Joel  Bleeding From the Heart

@kyberblade Din  Just Need You

@amiedala Din  Something Holy

@chaoticgeminate Din  My Heart Was a House

@laters-gators Din  Pure Beskar +  Cycles +  Narcissus / Javier  Compulsion / Joel  Oklahoma Smokeshow

@djarinmuse Din  Your Majesty

@grippingbeskar Din  Request TLOU Scene / Joel  Fic Request

@dameronology Din  Illicit Affairs / Joel  You and Me

@peterparkersnose Din  After Last Night +  It’s Just Paint

@absurdthirst @storiesofthefandomlovers Din  The Covert Cantina / Ezra  Pink Powder & Diamonds / Pero  A Life Together / Joel  Joel’s Children / Javier  The Cinderella Effect

@guess-my-next-obsession Frankie  A New Friend +  When We Were Young +  Lost In Love / Joel  Same Old, Same Old

@noisynaia Frankie  Bacon and Eggs

@hopeamarsu Frankie  The Makeover / Javi G  First Meeting

@artemiseamoon Frankie  As Long as I’m Alive +  Dust

@foli-vora Frankie  Cold to the Touch

@musings-of-a-rose Javier  A Busy Kiss / Frankie  I'm Right Here

@redahlia-writes Javier  Stand By Me

@auty-ren Ezra  Porcelain and Starlight / Joel  Never the Right Time

@writer-darling Ezra  Eat Your Young

@words-are-fireproof Tim  Morning, His Place

@ghostofaboy Whiskey  Double Whiskey On the Rocks

@odetodilfs Whiskey  Delicious Punishment / Marcus M  Lazy Mornings

[minisugakoobies]

Jungkook Masterlist

LAST UPDATES: Paradise Chapter 15 posted 2/3/24

ONE-SHOTS/SERIES

Timezones - one-shot; fluff; hurt/comfort; established relationship; non-Idol!AU

Only thing that keeps us apart / Is a different timezone

The Hook Up - smut (18+); crack; non-Idol!AU; also starring Jung Hoseok

You’re at a house party hosted by your crush Hoseok and you’re ready to make your move… if only Jungkook would stop blocking you at every turn!

Divine Intervention - one-shot; smut (18+); hurt/comfort if you squint; Goddess!AU

“Tell me, Jungkook. Will you worship me tonight with all of you?”

Closer: A Trilogy - limited series (ongoing); smut (18+); friends to lovers; Reunion!AU; also starring Kim Namjoon

During your college reunion weekend, one unbelievably hot evening brings you and your old friends Namjoon and Jungkook together, in ways you’ve only dreamed of. Weeks later, you can’t let the memory of that night go. Can the three of you get closer?

New Year, New You - one-shot; smut (18+); angst; romance; age gap; non-Idol!AU

New year, new you. Except here you are, minutes after midnight, already falling back into old habits. You just can’t resist.

Covert Affairs - one-shot; smut (18+); angst; enemies to lovers; Spies!AU

The five times you cross paths with legendary spy Jeon Jungkook.

Joyride - one-shot; smut (18+); strangers to lovers; College!AU; also starring Kim Taehyung

Written for the Spring Break-ing the Rules collab:

Senior year spring break sucks, thanks to the annoying spoiled little rich boy who won’t stop trying to get your attention. When a scenic drive in his ridiculously expensive sports car goes wrong, you meet two sexy mechanics who decide to teach him a lesson - and show you the real meaning of “joyride.”

All Wound Up (Unbound): A Trilogy - limited series (ongoing); smut (18+); porn with the barest of plots; strangers to lovers; Rock Star!AU

As the owner of body jewelry shop Dark & Wild, you’re given the opportunity to drape the hottest rock stars around, Dead Leaves, in your custom chains. You can’t wait to get your hands all over them.

Paradise - series (ongoing - UPDATED 2/3/24); smut (18+); Stripper!AU

That sexy man on stage - the one currently giving your friend the lap dance of her LIFE - is your super shy neighbor, Jeon Jungkook?!

Mugs & Kisses - one-shot; fluff; Barista!AU

Written for the Ficscafe au pairing event:

Jungkook has something he’d like to tell you, but he can’t find the words. So he’s thought of another way.

MULTIPLE PAIRINGS:

12 Lays of Kinkmas: 12 holiday fics based on Kinkmas prompts

Walkie Talkie Men - Seokjin x Jungkook; one-shot; smut (18+); fluff; crack; established relationship; non-Idol!AU

Jungkook has an idea for a fun new game that he and his boyfriend Jin can play. Three words: walkie talkie sex.

DRABBLES

Keep It Down - smut (18+), gender neutral reader, also starring Kim Seokjin

Sorry I Motorboated You - smut (18+), gender neutral reader

Be Mine - fluff, gender neutral reader

The Prettiest Sound - smut (18+)

By the Light of the Moon - smut (18+)

Ask My Muse 1 and Ask My Muse 2: A collection of asks answered by my characters

Main Masterlist 💜 Find me on AO3 💜 

© 2021-22-23 sunshinerainbowsbts/minisugakookies. Please do not copy or repost.

[illiana-mystery]

WIP Wednesday

Since I gave you a taste of my work in progress for the Dafoeverse fics I've been writing last week, I decided to give you a dose of what I have written for the Molinaverse fics that have been put on indefinite hiatus.

Because I love yall, I appreciate your patience with my ever changing phases (like I'm the goddamn moon), and I've left you on read for far too long.

Also, side note, if any of you have suggestions about how I should go about continuing any of these WIPs, please let me know in the replies, my ask box, or DMs. Thank you! 😘

---

Covert Affairs (this one goes out to @freddiefredfive)

Rafi was talking to Donnie when they walked back in and Leo was nowhere in sight. Kazia figured he was back upstairs with Jeanine, so didn't think anything of it.

But the remaining brothers were talking and laughing loudly and didn't even notice that Tadeusz and Kazia were in the room until Rafi noticed the young woman.

He was staring offly hard with his big brown eyes that perfectly complimented his baby face and reddish cheeks.

He looked like Leo, but had skin as smooth as a baby's bottom and his hair was curly and styled nicely on his head.

Kazia could immediately tell that he probably thought highly of himself, since the threads he was wearing were of high expense and quality.

"Well, hello," he said seductively before he realized that Tadeusz was standing next to her.

Tadeusz scowled at him before he nervously laughed and put his head down.

But next thing he knew, he was grabbed by his collar by the older, taller, stronger man.

"Kazia's mine, got it?" he angrily said before he plucked his head.

"Yeah, yeah. I was just playing, buddy. You know Layla is my girl. I love her so much...I just wish she wanted to marry me..."

"I don't care," he sternly said. "Now, let's have a chat."

He dragged the poor young man away, much to Kazia and Donnie's horror.

"You like them rough, huh?" Donnie teased after.

"Not usually," Kazia admitted before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and blushing. "But Tadeusz is different."

"If you say so," Donnie moaned.

Meanwhile, Tadeusz brought Rafi to one of the backrooms and threw him down before he closed and locked it behind them.

"Who's that Rudy guy?" he sternly asked.

"Tadeusz, do you have history with him or something? Why do you care?"

"My punching fist might be out of commission, but I'll use my other on your pretty little face if you don't answer what I asked you!"

"Okay, okay," Rafi flinched. "He's just a friend of mine. Well, actually he knew Layla first. They have mutual friends and when she introduced him to me, I knew he would be a perfect fit for our familgia."

"Oh, I see," he softly said as he paced. "So we don't even properly vet members anymore. Oh, silly me. Now, tell me Rafi, why do you think you can trust him?"

"I mean I am a good judge in character."

"Yes, Layla is a lovely girl," Tadeusz sarcastically said. "But you really aren't cut out for this life. What would you do if your brothers' lives were snuffed out...one by one? What if you had no one to hold you hand?"

Rafi was about to reply before Tadeusz cut him off again.

"Because I was once naive like you. I thought seeking quick, easy money would be heaven in Belarus...but it wasn't. I was betrayed many times and every time it became harder and harder to take their lives away," he coldly said.

"Until it wasn't anymore. It was just something that had to be done. You cross me, you die. It's as simple as that. So I say all of this to say, Rafi, you better watch that Rudy fella or I'll be forced to take both of you out, painfully...very painfully. Got it?!" 

"Yes, of course."

"Good, glad we had this talk. Now come on. You didn't properly introduce yourself to MY Kazia."

"Right," he moaned as he trembled while getting up.

But Tadeusz just yanked him again and brought him back into the room by his arm. He dropped him again and the young man fell so hard it made both Donnie and Kazia jump.

"Hello, Kazia," he greeted. "I'm Raphael Scaglioni, but everyone calls me Rafi. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she softly said as he got up.

She shook his hand and then he went over by Donnie.

Kazia looked at Tadeusz confused, but he just put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"Nie przejmuj się. Chciałem tylko zapytać go o Rudy ' ego." (Don't be alarmed. I just wanted to ask him about Rudy), he told her. "Rozumie tylko siłę." (He only understands force)

"Nie jestem zaskoczony," (I'm not surprised), she replied back. "On naprawdę wydaje się trochę przytłumiony." (He really does seem a little dim)

"To dlatego, że jest." (That's because he is)

"Prawo." (Right)

"Everything alright, Tadeusz?" Donnie asked as his little brother still hid behind him.

"Yes, everything is fine," he softly said.

Donnie didn't believe him though. He only spoke Polish, usually to himself, when he was angry or frustrated around them. Kazia nervously giggled before her stomach started growling.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize," Tadeusz assured with another kiss on her cheek. "Well, if you would excuse us, I'm gonna take Kazia back upstairs to eat and meet Layla."

"Of course," Donnie said before they both headed back up the secret staircase behind the replica Trevi Fountain.

The secret door closed by itself behind them once their feet touched the hardwood floor of the cafe and when it did, it startled Marla and Layla. They both jumped before they both smiled at the young couple.

Tadeusz and Kazia smiled back but Kazia noticed that Jeanine and Angelo weren't there anymore.

But there was one customer at one of the tables by the painted Union Jack that was munching on a croissant while watching videos on their laptop.

This person was wearing noise canceling headphones, so they were completely unaware of what was going on around them.

---

Jealousy

"I don't know what I want to wear," Alice whined as she frantically looked through all of her clothes hanging up in the closet.

Her husband, meanwhile, was sitting on their bed, just watching her.

He began to worry that she was gonna have a panic attack again, so he tried to lighten the mood.

"I don't see why you can't wear what you have on now. You look gorgeous."

Alice giggled.

"Thank you, Aldie. But I want to make a good first impression and an red and brown plaid overall skirt and creme shirt just isn't gonna cut it," she said. "I want to wear something a little fancier."

"I don't see what the problem is. We met Rodney before and in overalls."

"I know, but he has Shaye with him. I do want to start making some friends around here."

"She's no friend until I vet her," Alden grumbled.

"Of course," Alice quickly agreed. "I trust your judgment."

The way she said that made Alden worry again since she sounded like she was about to cry. So he got up and walked over to her, rubbing her shoulders again to comfort her.

"Alice, it's gonna be alright," he whispered. "Although we are safe, I still can't help but be cautious. I don't want anyone to hurt you the way he did again."

"Oh, Alden. It isn't that. I just...even far away from home I still feel unsafe. I hate that I can't just trust people anymore."

"Not all people are untrustworthy," he said before he moved his hands down to her midsection. "Just take a deep breath."

Alice did as she was instructed and as she did so, she suddenly felt herself being picked up and brought over to their bed.

She kept her eyes closed though and allowed Alden to put her down on the middle of the bed.

"Keep deep breathing," he instructed before he hiked her skirt up and slowly took her panties off.

Once discarded, he began to softly kiss her inner thighs before he finally went for the kill. Alice was still trying to keep her deep breathing up during all of this, but then her breath hitched as soon as she felt his tongue inside her.

She, at first, gasped before she got her breaths back up and began to deep breath again. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest as her lover kept going, teasing an amazing orgasm out of her. She tried to hold it back and tightly gripped the sheets below her, but eventually she broke and loudly moaned as she climaxed.

But she didn't just climax, she also squirted a little which amused her husband. She could clearly hear him giggling between her legs, before the sound of joyous slurping invaded her auditory sense.

"I'm sorry," she nervously apologized.

"Don't be," he whispered before he kissed her lower lips. "I haven't gotten you that excited in quite some time."

She giggled.

"Yeah, I haven't had that reaction since before...the first time...he appeared..." she realized before she started to cry. "I'm sorry, Aldie. I just...I just..."

Alden immediately picked himself up and grabbed Alice before he held her in his lap and began to sing to her again to calm her down.

"It's alright, Misu. I won't let him hurt you. I won't let him get near you ever again."

Alice didn't respond, she just kept crying with her head nudged on his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back, still singing a little to her.

But as he sung, his mind went dark...real dark.

He knew he would gain so much joy taking away the life of the man that hurt his wife so. But he had to stop himself.

He had to.

He couldn't risk going to jail. It wasn't worth it.

But yet, it felt so inticing. It felt like a sure fire way to get rid of him once and for all, but he knew Alice would be against it. It was her battle to fight, after all he was her old flame.

She never wanted to put Alden in the middle of this, but now here he was. Here he was miles away from the place he used to call home, consoling his anxious and brow beaten wife in their so-say dream home.

The man took everything from them. So was he in the wrong to want to cause him the most harm he could?

He still kept his singing up, well until Alice stopped crying and moved her hand to his cheek.

He just looked at her before she leaned over and kissed him.

"I love you so much, Aldie," she softly said.

"I love you too, Misu."

She lightly smiled and was about to kiss him again before her phone began to ring.

Alden kissed her cheek and reached for the phone that was closer to him before he handed it to her.

"Hey Nick," she greeted. "What's up?"

"I just finished watching your first local interview," he started. "I love the storefront. It's gorgeous."

"Thank you," Alden smugly said. "It makes a perfect bookstore."

"It really does. Nice taste, man," he said with a laugh. "Also I can't believe Lori Amato is your cousin."

"That's what I'm saying! I was fangirling a little too hard. But she's so nice," Alice chirped. "His whole extended family is so sweet. They've been nothing but friendly."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I also see that you have a lot of new fangirls, Alden. There are a lot of thirst comments on this video."

"I don't see why. I'm not the stern Dr. Bertanelli of Middleburg University anymore."

"So," Alice huffed. "You're still handsome and fine as hell and these girls agree with me."

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Why would I be? I don't get jealous like you do," she joked. "They can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, you're sleeping next to me."

He chuckled and kissed her nose.

"Also, I noticed that the amount of views and comments on our first video with Alden performing with us as Java Joe's has gone up by a lot."

"Really?" they both asked.

"Yep, really. We also have a lot of returning reviewers to our second performance with Alden. Most of the viewers are from Navassa, of course."

"Wow, well maybe we'll have to get the band back together...for the sake of the fans," Alden said.

"I'd be down. I'm sure Quinn would be too. Adam's a father now so it might be a bit difficult and then Mitzi and Maisie have their own band, Ungaii, now but maybe I could intice them."

---

Ring Around the Rosie

"Dinner's ready!" Sabrina called from the stairs while Otto and the actuators were setting up the dining room table and bringing the stew and the freshly-baked soda bread to the table.

As soon as Flo placed the last fork down, Rosie came down with Mallory in her grasp, while Margaux clung to her free arm.

She was giggling with them which made Sabrina smile before Rosie put Mallory down for both of the girls to greet their mother.

They both hugged and kissed Sabrina, then ran to the table and took their seats.

"They're such wonderful girls," Rosie told Sabrina as they walked to the table together.

"Yes, yes they are," Sabrina chirped before she took her designated seat.

Otto led Rosie to her seat while Harry cut the bread and Flo and Moe helped scoop the stew unto Margaux and Mallory's bowls.

"Daddy," Margaux asked.

"Yes, Rosie Posie?" he answered back while he took his seat, watching as Flo and Moe went ahead and put the stew in the adults' bowls too.

She giggled.

"What's this?"

"It's Irish Stew and Soda Bread," Otto answered. "Thom Donaghue's recipe."

"Who's that?" Mallory asked.

"My father," Rosie excitedly answered with a big smile, making the girls giggle. "And your father learned the recipe and now he's able to make it for us."

"He's never made it before," Margaux admitted.

"I wanted to make it for Rosie. To welcome her back into our family," Otto explained.

"It was my favorite meal my father would cook for us," Rosie added. "It was also the first meal he had with my parents. He was so nervous to meet them but then he and my father bonded over Tolkien."

"Who's Tolkien?" Margaux asked.

"He's a wonderful author. He wrote fantasy novels. His literature was a great escape for me when I was younger."

"He wrote The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings," Rosie added. "Are you familiar with those books?"

"I didn't know they were books. But I know of the movies," Margaux answered.

"Otto, you need to get them into the books," Rosie nudged. "Have I taught you nothing? They love literature. I'm sure they wouldn't mind sharing your love of Tolkien with you."

"How many books did you read to them upstairs?" Sabrina suddenly asked.

"Just three. But they are so inquisitive and curious. They're two bright little girls. Well advanced beyond their age."

"Thank you!" they both chirped.

"Would you be interested in learning more about Tolkien?" he asked them.

They both nodded, so he said, "Well, alright. Guess we're gonna be taking another trip to the library."

The girls both cheered.

"But until then, we can watch The Hobbit tonight if you would like. We do have Family Movie Night on Fridays. And Rosie, you're welcome to watch the movie with us."

"Where can we watch The Hobbit?" Otto asked Sabrina.

"We have a subscription with the parent company of our SmartTV. You can rent it or buy it on their website."

"Oh, well guess we have our movie for movie night!" he cheered.

Rosie giggled after taking her first bite of the stew.

"Otto, you really outdid yourself. This is really good."

"Thank you," he said with a genuine smile.

"You're welcome," she said before taking another bite.

"I suppose he used to spoil you too with his cooking."

"We would switch nights to cook, but when it was his turn. He always blew me away. I'm not surprised though. Maria was a wizard in the kitchen. She always had the best side dishes at my family's parties."

"Maria was close to your parents?" Sabrina asked Rosie.

"Oh, yeah. After his father died, she would come around all the time. We loved having her."

"How nice," Sabrina cooed.

"Sabrina," Rosie started. "I must say I love the way you decorated this home. Otto told me you picked out most of the decor and I'm impressed. Also I love the crushed flowers hanging on the walls in the guest room. It just takes me back to our old apartment and my old office at the university."

"I figured you would," she said. "We actually bought those for our old apartment when it was just us two. Otto told me how much you loved crushed flowers so I decided to get them since I love them too."

"My mother and I used to make scrapbooks of different flowers we would find around the yard," Rosie started. "I would pick them and show them to her before we would crush them and add them to the book."

"Small world," Sabrina chirped. "That's what I used to do with my grandmother back in Atlanta."

"No way!" Rosie chirped. "Well, now we have another reason why Otto fell for you."

"I guess so," she joked. "But wait, are you from NYC?"

"No, no. I'm from Rochester but moved to NYC when I got accepted to Columbia University."

"Oh, gotcha. I'm from Atlanta originally, but moved here to pursue my dreams of being on Broadway. Of course my dreams changed when I met Otto and especially when we had the girls, but I love my life. I wouldn't change a thing."

"Glad to hear it," Rosie said. "It's funny because my dreams changed too when I met Otto on those steps. I was planning on moving to Belfast and being a professor there, but then he knocked me off my feet with his science know-how and dorky smile."

"Am I that charming?" he asked before blushing.

"Don't flatter yourself too much," Rosie warned. "No one looks good with a big head."

"Fair," he moaned before taking a bite of his soda bread.

"Mommy," Mallory asked.

"Yes, Muffin?"

"Can Rosie stay with us?"

"Yeah, can she?"

"Well, I hope she can. Your father did set up the guest room all nice for her."

"Rosie?" Margaux asked with big puppy dog eyes. "Would you like to stay with us?"

"I would love to," she answered before looking at Otto. "I see she has your puppy dog eyes."

"Yeah, she's my little twin."

"Daddy, can she tell us a bedtime story tonight?" Margaux asked.

"Am I not good enough to read you a story anymore?" he asked with a whiny tone. "I thought you liked Story Time with Sailor Aubrey."

"We do, daddy," Margaux assured. "But we..."

"Margaux, how about this. What if Sailor Aubrey had a first mate? How about we have Story Time with Sailor Aubrey and First Mate Annie?"

"Anne is her middle name," Otto whispered to Sabrina, noticing her confused face.

"Yay! I like that! Can we do that, daddy?"

"Sure we can, Rosie Posie," he told her. "Thank you, Rosie."

"Of course. I hope you don't mind, Sabrina."

"Oh, no. I don't. I let Otto handle story time. I handle bath time."

"Okay, good. The last thing I want to do is ruin your groove."

"Oh, no, you're fine, Rosie. Thank you for being considerate though." 

"No problem," she said. "So what's for dessert?"

---

Jolly Ol' Saint Otto

Imag'n Toy Boutique was not too far from their Chelsea townhome, so it was a quick, quiet drive.

Their parking lot was behind the building, so Otto slowly turned the corner and parked in the empty space next to the back entrance.

He got out of the car first, taking in the crisp cool air as his breath was first taken away in a wisp of cold smoke as he took a first.

His actuators, who were once out and free huddled next to his vehicle's heater, quickly tucked themselves tight inside his big coat, jittering from the cold sensation they were forced to feel.

And although Otto was freezing and shaking in his coat, he couldn't help but adore how adorable Sabrina's reaction was to the snow.

The whole ride there she was silently humming Christmas carols while watching the snow fall, making his heart skip a beat.

Slowly, he opened her door and helped her out. She giggled and twirled around in the snow fall after she was released making her cold husband laugh in delight.

Swiftly, he joined her before she ran over and hugged him. He tightly hugged her back, enjoying the fluffinest of her coat as well as her natural warmth before he remembered the task at hand.

"We should have a snowball fight," she cooed as they walked gloved hand and hand to the front entrance.

He chuckled and answered, "After we finish shopping. I think there's probably enough snow in the parking lot to do that."

"Okay," she happily chirped.

They didn't even manage to fully get through the front door before the owner jumped out from the back to greet them.

She had a very happy attitude with a big white smile to boot. Her very curly red hair was bouncing in the reintroduced wind that the open door brought while her blue-green eyes twinkled in the bright lights about her.

"Hello, welcome to Imag'n!" she cheered before she realized who was standing in her doorway.

It was like she lost her train of thought as she stared at her customers, immediately noticing the actuators popping out of the bottom of Otto's coat to enjoy the warmth from the store's heater.

She squealed and ran over to them.

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I can't believe you're in my store. I'm such a big fan, Sabrina."

"Oh," she chirped. "Would you like..."

"Yes!" she immediately answered before she took her phone out of her pocket. "I just want a picture."

Sabrina nervously giggled and replied, "Okay."

Flo moved over by them and picked up the woman's phone much to her surprise. Meanwhile, the others came over to observe her before Otto told them to come back by him.

Reluctantly, they obeyed and Flo was able to take the pictures in peace. She took three and then handed it back to the woman, but her claw stayed opened with a faint glow of yellow.

"Ooh, these are really nice," the lady chirped. "Who knew the tentacles were this good at photography?"

All of them screeched at her comment before Sabrina pet Flo's claw and corrected her.

"They're called actuators. They hate being called tentacles," she said before the other three came by her and pet her cheeks in response.

"Wow, they really like you," she observed. "Not that I should be surprised. I watch your podcast all of the time and they're always all on you."

"You're an Actuatually fan?"

"Am I? I started watching it after I saw you perform as Giselle. You were amazing. And honestly, you two make such a cute couple. Relationship goals."

"Thank you, I think," Otto responded.

Sabrina giggled.

"Oh, where are my manners?" she jokingly asked. "I'm Elinor Whittaker. But you can call me Ellie. I'm the owner of this establishment."

"Oh, we know," Otto remarked. "I read about your grand opening in the Post."

"Funny, I thought you would have said The Daily Bugle."

"I don't read that trash," he grumbled.

"Right," she moaned. "Well, I assume you're here for the little one. I heard the news. Congratulations. You two are gonna be wonderful parents. Now if you just follow me, I'll take you to the baby toys."

"Actually, we're here for..." Sabrina started before Otto stopped her.

He insisted that Elinor take them to the baby toys, despite Sabrina's look of frustration at him.

Elinor didn't notice though and led them to the back of the store nearby the many Lego building sets that were displayed based on difficulty.

The baby toys, which were on the adjacent wall, were displayed flawlessly with each type of toy being put in a certain place.

The sensory and teething toys were right in the center of a buyers focal point while the educational toys were to the right and the plushies and dollies were to the left.

But Otto's eyes lit up when he noticed a plastic toy boat that looked a lot like the one he had as a child.

However, he reserved his excitement until Elinor finally left them alone to browse.

After she left, Sabrina started to softly tease him about the fact that they weren't there to look for toys for Margaux. But he was so fascinated with the boat that he didn't even register her teasing.

Slowly he grasped it in his leather gloved hands and just took in the amazing craftsmanship of it.

Although it was just plastic unlike the wood carved one his abuela gave him decades ago, he still could admire the beautiful paint job reminiscent of his old toy.

He hypothesized that whoever made this really want to put a nice little touch on it.

Sabrina soon noticed his fascination and the little admiring twinkle in his eye, which made her warmly smile.

Leave it to Otto to find the simple, little things in life so intriguing, she thought.

But she did admire that about him as well though.

"Starlight, we should get this for Margaux."

"Octi, we came here to shop for..."

"I know, I know," he playfully huffed. "But I want our little girl to have a piece of my childhood."

"Piece of your childhood?" she asked curiously.

"I used to have a toy boat just like this," he happily explained. "But it was handmade...wood carved. My abuela made it for me. She painted it almost exactly the same."

"Your abuela was a woodworker?" she asked in a surprised tone. She knew that his mother, Maria, was half Spanish so the fact that he called his grandmother 'abuela' didn't confuse her, but what did confuse her was how fondly he spoke of her.

He rarely talked about his family other than his mother, but it was a welcomed info-drop nonetheless.

"Yeah," he said with a bright smile as he kept looking at the boat in his hands. By then the actuators also fully crept out of his big coat and admired it too, their lights glowing as pink as Otto's pale face.

"She was a woodworker and a potter. Her mother was gifted in the work of clay and her father was a carpenter. She was the third of five girls and my great-grandfather was afraid that he wouldn't have anyone to pass the skill on to. But she grasped it real fast and helped him at his shop until she met my Opa. He was on a European tour and they met at a Cafe. They fell in love and eventually moved here. My mother grew up not too far from here."

"You never told me that."

"It never came up," he said with a chuckle. "Maybe I'll show you on the way back home."

"I would like that," she replied. "So I guess you really loved that boat."

"I did. I took it every where I went when I was little. My Opa was an boating enthusiast. He had his own boat that he would take me on all of the time and we even participate in some boat races near the Hudson. We won a couple of tournaments."

"Hmm, so that's why you're so good with your hands," she hummed. "It was all in your hereditary."

He chuckled.

"Yes, well that and many summers with abuela and opa."

---

If you haven't seen my Dafoeverse WIPs and are interested in reading them, you can read them here.

Stay tuned for some Otto & Sabrina and Alden & Alice fics that I shelved until further notice. As well as my long-overdue WIP for Closing Time!

But until then, Happy Reading!

[bananaofswifts]

BY MIKAEL WOOD

Taylor Swift’s pin-sharp new album, “Midnights,” closes with a song in which the pop superstar patiently explains to someone — perhaps many millions of someones — that their intimate relationship wasn’t a product of kismet but of design.

“I laid the groundwork,” she sings over a blippy electronic groove, her voice edging slightly ahead of the beat, “and then just like clockwork the dominoes cascaded in a line.” The tune is called “Mastermind,” which is what Swift calls herself in the chorus, neatly rhyming the word with “now you’re mine.” And plenty of its characteristic detail can make you think she’s describing a romance. But “Mastermind” is also about Swift’s one-of-a-kind career — about the deliberation and the ingenuity of the moves that took the 32-year-old from being a teenage country phenom to being one of the two or three biggest acts in all of music.

“No one wanted to play with me as a little kid,” she sings near the end of “Mastermind,” which might be the saddest and funniest line on an LP teeming with both kinds, “so I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless.” (Take a second to savor the intricate rhythm of those words before you’ve even heard them set to music.)

Pondering the delights and the anxieties of her own celebrity has been a hallmark of Swift’s work for years — or at least it was until 2020, when she set aside much of the autobiographical life-of-a-pop-star stuff for the ostensibly fictional character-driven narratives of her twin pandemic albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore.” Full of songs about small-town grifters and awkward high-school kids and unhappily married people — even a murderer — those projects also radically recast her sound, veering away from the synthed-up productions that sent her up the Hot 100 toward a rootsy, mostly acoustic vibe she formulated with Aaron Dessner of the indie-rock band the National.

Swift suggested that the isolation of the pandemic had set her imagination free; certainly, the music’s smaller scale reflected the demands of remote collaboration. Yet “Midnights,” her 10th studio full-length, returns to an earlier Swift mode in both sonic and lyrical terms: This 13-track set, which she produced with her longtime creative partner Jack Antonoff, feels like it picks up right where 2014’s “1989” and 2017’s “Reputation” left off, with slick, beat-heavy arrangements that seem dimly aware of hip-hop’s existence and with lyrics peppered with juicy allusions to Swift’s various high-profile feuds and love affairs. (“Lover,” from 2019, plays even more now than it did then like a transitional effort between phases of Swift’s career.)

It’s easy in a sense to understand why she took this approach, given that she spent 2021 rerecording her albums “Fearless” and “Red” as part of a plan to create new versions of the LPs she lost partial control of when her old record label changed hands. As meticulous a diarist as pop has ever known, Swift has clearly been thinking — thinking more than usual — about her journey and about her younger selves; “Nothing New,” one of many freshly recorded outtakes she included on “Red (Taylor’s Version),” captures a woman in her 30s confronting her 20-something suspicions about how her chosen industry would treat her as she aged out of ingénue-hood.

“Midnights” opens with the steamy, R&B-adjacent “Lavender Haze,” in which Swift laments the scrutiny she’s under as a famous person dating another famous person (in her case, the English actor Joe Alwyn); the song — co-written by and featuring background vocals from the actress Zoë Kravitz — seeks a safe space removed from a realm where her loose talk threatens to “go viral,” as she puts it. In “Anti-Hero,” over Antonoff’s buzzing synths and booming ’80s-rock drums, she weighs the public’s harshest opinions of her, copping to a “covert narcissism” and admitting that sometimes she feels like “a monster on the hill … slowly lurching toward your favorite city.”

The vicious and shimmering “Karma” seemingly takes aim at the powerful music executive Scooter Braun, who engineered the label purchase that spawned Swift’s rerecording enterprise: “Spiderboy, king of thieves / Weave your little webs of opacity,” she sings — heed the conspicuous “S” and “B” in “Spiderboy” — before describing what she views as her cosmic advantage with a series of vivid metaphors: “Karma is my boyfriend / Karma is a god / Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend.” The breeze in her hair on the weekend! Good night, Spiderboy.

Swift’s storytelling impulse isn’t dead on “Midnights,” which she’s said grew out of her bent toward wee-hours contemplation. “Midnight Rain,” a slow and woozy number with pitch-shifted vocals, narrates a tale of a guy and a girl with differing life goals, neither of whom appear to be Swift or Alwyn; ditto “Maroon,” in which the guy and girl get drunk off her roommate’s “cheap-ass screw-top rosé.” Then there’s the pulpy, Billie Eilish-ish “Vigilante S—,” about a woman who helps a betrayed wife get revenge on her dirtbag husband.

Yet the songwriting and the vocal performances here are so strong — she’s playing with cadence and emphasizing the grain of her voice like never before — that eventually you stop caring what’s drawn directly from Swift’s real life and what’s not. It’s just a pleasure to get lost in tunes like “Labyrinth,” in which the singer explores her fear of falling in love again, and “Snow on the Beach,” a gorgeous duet with Lana Del Rey with some of the album’s most affecting imagery: “My smile is like I won a contest,” Swift sings in regards to a surprising new fling, and that’s all you need to conjure the precise picture in your head.

She paints another indelible picture in “Mastermind,” referring to herself as “the wind in our free-flowing sails” just after she offers a bit of context for why she’s been so thoroughgoing in her interactions with her boyfriend (or her audience). “All the wisest women had to do it this way ’cause we were born to be the pawn in every lover’s game,” she sings. Then she takes a breath and adds: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Only Swift could make a self-help slogan sound like a fairy tale.

[jonathantaylorthomas]

OK, Swifties. You liked the fairytale fictions and indie-cred boast of Taylor Swift’s pandemic alt-folk records. But you’ve been yearning for the intimacy you felt when she knocked out those confessional bangers, haven’t you? Well, the wait is over. Playing Midnights will make you feel as though you’re sleeping over at her house while she spills secrets and settles scores into the night. Over a series of murky electronic grooves (mostly co-written with Jack Antonoff), the pop star unpacks her darkest dreams, deepest doubts and cruellest thoughts. All the while she keeps things just cryptic enough to keep the tension crackling and the speculation buzzing.

That said, she’s already stopped speculation about the opening track, “Lavender Haze”. “Gaylor” fans who’ve stuck (rather doggedly) to a queer reading of Swift had hoped that the song might be a coming-out track because of the colour’s long association with gay culture. But in an Instagram post, Swift explained that she had happened upon the phrase while watching Mad Men and found it was vintage slang for a dreamy love glow. Against the throb of a synth bass, she appears to be addressing the misogynistic media obsession with whether or not she’s marrying actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn, with whom she’s been settled since 2016. “All they keep asking me / Is if I’m gonna be your bride / The only kinda girl they see / Is a one night or a bride” she notes (you can hear the eye-roll). But as the vocal layers build, she shakes off the judgement effortlessly: “Talk your talk and go viral / I just need this love to spiral.”

The slower, grimier texture of “Maroon” is a dive back into a past relationship (place your bets). Describing the affair, Swift sings of it decaying from the initial pink of cheap rosé to the “rust that grew between telephones”.

She’s on her best, self-scrutinising storytelling form on the excellent “Anti-Hero”, which lyrically sends zinger after zinger bubbling up through the fuzz of distortion. She unpicks the unwieldiness of her stardom with terrific, surreal imagery. “Sometimes I feel like everyone is a sexy baby / And I’m the monster on the hill / Too big to hang out / Slowly lurching towards your city / Pierced through the heart but never killed.” She skewers her acts of public kindness, too: “Did you hear my covert narcissism / I disguise as altruism / Like some kind of congressman?”

Things get funnier as the singer, whose fortune is estimated at around $750m, slur-growls: “I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money / She thinks I left them in the will / The family gathers round and reads it / And then someone screams out ‘She’s laughing up at us from hell!’” Swift lays into her “niceness” again on the poppier swell of “Bejewelled”, on which she warns a guy that she has the capacity to light up rooms (and all the boys in the band) if he doesn’t pay more attention.

“You’re on Your Own, Kid” digs into a catchy-cute guitar melody – flecked with pretty pings that echo her early pop – as Swift looks back on the days when she sang her songs in the parking lot. Lines about starving her body, hoping for the perfect kiss, are a nod to her Romeo and Juliet teen dreams. This sweetness is balanced by the vocal distortions and rhythmic lurches of “Midnight Rain”, on which Swift revels in her role as a heartbreaker. By the time she gets to noirish rap “Vigilante S**t”, she’s relishing her shadow-self, ripping into a cheating lover. “I don’t dress for women / I don’t dress for men,” goes her predatory purr. “Lately, I’ve been dressing for revenge.” As ever, Swift drops just enough filmic detail to conjure a scene: an envelope handed to a wife who’s now driving her ex’s Benz. And there’s some classy-sharp wordplay about the guy who was “doing lines/ and crossing all of mine”. Through it all, the low vibration of the synth is stalked by the treble rattle of a snare drum. The effect is of a woman in stilettos hunting a shadow.

There’s been some excitement online about the teased track “Karma”. Many thought it would address her spat with Kanye West, and that it might have been taken from an album lost during that time. But the swipes at a “spiderboy, king of thieves” waving a “web of opacity” would suggest it’s about her ex, Spider-Man star Jake Gyllenhaal (who famously dumped her by text, breaking her heart and inspiring the album Red which she recently re-recorded). The album ends with “Mastermind”, which seems to be about Alwyn again – and includes a confession that, like “all wise women”, she engineered some aspects of their romance. “I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian because I care…” Ha.

The subtle melodies of Midnights take time to sink their claws in. But Swift’s feline vocal stealth and assured lyrical control ensures she keeps your attention. Turn the lights off and let these songs prowl around you. Just don’t expect their meanings to settle too biddably into your lap. Swift’s always as elusive as she is allusive.

[midnightsaboteur]

One very special anniversary coming soon...

Nearly ten years ago, at the end of November and into early December 2012, I joined my first group RP on Tumblr. The character I created for that RP? 

Daniel Walden.

It’s been on and off for me on Tumblr since that time, but ever since I started as an indie blog Daniel has been with me. He’s never once left my indie blogs nor have I ever lost muse for him. 

In all that time, Daniel has been married and divorced. He’s cheated and been cheated on. He’s had husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, casual flings and messy affairs. He’s been everything sexually from a dominant sugar daddy through to a femme domme submissive and there’s very little that he hasn’t tried over time.

A skilled political consultant from a wealthy, Kennedy-esque family by canon bio, Daniel has also been the President of the United States, the Mayor of New York, a US Senator and the White House Chief of Staff in various political AUs. He’s also been a covert crime boss, a CIA agent, a KGB spy, a rockstar, a treasure hunting fixer and a male model in numerous other AUs too. 

He’s been the starting point for various other muses of mine, not least children from ships of his that have become muses of mine in their own right (Daniel Jr, Cesca) and other muses past and present who have borne the name Walden too (Cormac, David). 

Every long-standing partner of mine has had at least one or two ships with Daniel over time, and a great many other partners who are either now gone or who were fleeting have also had ships with him too. I don’t have the numbers to hand but I know full well he is the muse who I’ve had the most ships with and who I’ll have had the most threads with over time as well. 

A big part of my consistent muse for Daniel has been the FC himself, and ironically Seb wasn’t my first choice for the role. It was Ryan Gosling but the RPC had him on reserve and so I opted for Seb, then best known for Gossip Girl and Political Animals. As Seb’s career has grown with Marvel and his other projects over the last ten years, so too have I felt Daniel grow aesthetically as well as in personality and history too. 

Reflecting on this milestone, I’m wonderfully proud of this character who has stuck with me for so long and grown so much since that short-lived RP way back in 2012 and early 2013. I can’t put an end date on when I’ll eventually be too busy or too lacking in muse for indie RP, but until the end I know Daniel Walden will be with me, and to be quite honest even beyond that end point too!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be doing some anniversary starter calls, opens and musings for Daniel, but as a starter piece I wanted to note this milestone and properly express my pride and affection for this special first of characters of mine. 

[holidayhunteraust]

HMAS Krait: A Tiny Vessels Mighty Impact in World War II

Codenamed Operation Jaywick, the remarkable story of the Krait unfolds. Disguised as a Japanese fishing boat, this vessel skilfully sailed undetected to a strategic position near Singapore. A team of six highly trained operatives embarked on a daring mission, utilizing three two-man folding canoes to stealthily navigate between islands over the course of three nights. Their ultimate destination: Singapore Harbour, where they meticulously attached magnetic limpet mines to the unsuspecting hulls of Japanese merchant vessels. The result? A resounding success, as six of the mines detonated, inflicting significant damage upon approximately 37,000 tonnes of shipping.

Following this audacious operation, the Krait assumed a new role as a coast watch and intelligence support vessel in Indonesia, operating out of Darwin. In 1944, it was officially commissioned as HMAS Krait. This remarkable vessel bore witness to the historic moment of the Japanese surrender at Ambon in September 1945. After the war, the Krait was entrusted to the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit, marking the end of its illustrious wartime service.

With its covert exploits and pivotal contributions, the Krait stands as a testament to the bravery and ingenuity of those involved. Its successful infiltration and devastating impact on enemy shipping exemplify the unwavering determination of the Allied forces during World War 2.

[thoughtsaladblog]

Covert Affairs

Why are men such ass holes? I mean really?

I've come across more than my preferred share of posts/reels and whatever the fuck else where so many women talk about men who leave them for hours on read- losing their minds, over-analysing every little detail and wondering whether to send a follow up text. Or men who just abruptly up and leave- no explanation whatsoever. Or just straight up gaslight them or refuse to communicate... And the fact that I can relate to all this is just WOW!

Why are you men like this? It's not like we're asking for a lot- at least not in this case! We're just saying cool it with the mind games and manipulation. How hard is it to communicate what you want and follow through on it? I mean you do it in your job don't you?

I'm currently up late juggling the thought of texting or waiting until I receive a text from Mr. Morally Grey, who has since yesterday been quite strange around me. Basically giving me the vibe that he's bored of our little dalliance or freaked out- either way dude's being distant. So me, not willing to give it up easily- I also chose to be all attitude about it. But let's be real- he's detached so I doubt this has any effect on him. But it's fucking torture for me. I want to text him- but I run the risk of revealing the fact that I need his company more than he needs mine, thus turning the tables. But also I feel like maybe the dude got bored after I showed him that I'm not as Dom as he has built it up in his head- I feel like that was a turn off. But either way, he's quiet and I want to fucking text his ass! I want to talk.

I'm headed down a fucking rabbit hole. I like the guy and he's playing games with me. Red flag much??? But my pewny brain can't seem to comprehend that coz the bitch is still letting me pursue this giant Chinese flag. Ok, I shall offer it to the Lord (who I already know isn't in support of this- because well, for obvious reasons) and go to sleep.

Bye.

[ardethbayrulez]

Oded Fehr as Eyal Lavin in COVERT AFFAIRS

[newstfionline]

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Nearly half of Democrats disapprove of Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war (AP) Nearly half of Democrats disapprove of how President Joe Biden is handling the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research—showing a deep divide within his party over the war. The poll found 50% of Democrats approve of how Biden has navigated the conflict while 46% disapprove—and the two groups diverge substantially in their views of U.S. support for Israel. The war could complicate Biden’s reelection effort as he faces having to balance factions of his party with very different views on the conflict and who is ultimately responsible.

The $2 Million Coal Mine That Might Hold a $37 Billion Treasure (WSJ) Twelve years ago, former Wall Street banker Randall Atkins bought an old coal mine outside Sheridan, Wyoming, sight unseen, for about $2 million. He thought the mine might eke out a profit. Instead, Atkins recently learned it could bring a windfall. Several years after Atkins bought the Brook Mine, government researchers came around asking if they could run some tests to see if the ground contained something called “rare-earth elements.” When Atkins acquired the mine, he says he “didn’t know the difference between rare earths and rare coins.” When he got the test results, he says he was surprised and humbled: His sleepy mine contains what might be the largest so-called unconventional rare-earth deposit in the U.S., according to government researchers. At current market prices, it could be worth around $37 billion.

Mexico City imposes severe, monthslong water restrictions as drought dries up reservoirs (AP) Mexican officials imposed severe, monthslong cuts to Mexico City’s water supply at midnight Friday, acting just a month after initial restrictions were ordered as drought dries the capital’s reservoirs. The Mexican National Water Commission and mayor announced the moves at a news conference, but officials did not report the cuts on social media until just four hours before they took effect. Abnormally low rain has dropped the Cutzamala system—a network of three reservoirs serving over 20 million residents in the Valley of Mexico—to historic seasonal lows. The system is 44% lower than it should be at this time of the year. Officials said that restrictions would stand for “the next few months.” They noted the rainy season—which at normal levels of precipitation would replenish the city’s water—won’t start until around May.

The Country That Is Helping Tens of Thousands of Migrants Head to the U.S. (WSJ) President Daniel Ortega has opened Nicaragua to flights carrying tens of thousands of migrants from Haiti, Cuba and Africa in recent months, swelling the ranks of people using the Central American country as a landing point on their journey north to the U.S. Ortega’s authoritarian government has allowed several little-known charter airlines and travel agencies to operate flights from Haiti and other Caribbean airports to Nicaragua, according to Haitian and Nicaraguan civil aviation data. Many of the asylum seekers are from Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation, and have arrived in Managua, Nicaragua’s capital. Migrants from African nations, such as Senegal and Cameroon, and from former Soviet republics are also making multiple airport stopovers in what are coming to be known as “donkey flights” to reach Managua. Anf from there, they go northward.

Ukrainian military officer coordinated Nord Stream pipeline attack (Washington Post) A senior Ukrainian military officer with deep ties to the country’s intelligence services played a central role in the bombing of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline last year, according to officials in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, as well as other people knowledgeable about the details of the covert operation. The officer’s role provides the most direct evidence to date tying Ukraine’s military and security leadership to a controversial act of sabotage that has spawned multiple criminal investigations and that U.S. and Western officials have called a dangerous attack on Europe’s energy infrastructure. Roman Chervinsky, a decorated 48-year-old colonel who served in Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, was the “coordinator” of the Nord Stream operation, people familiar with his role said, managing logistics and support for a six-person team that rented a sailboat under false identities and used deep-sea diving equipment to place explosive charges on the gas pipelines. On Sept. 26, 2022, three explosions caused massive leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The attack left only one of the four gas links in the network intact as winter approached. Chervinsky did not act alone and he did not plan the operation, according to the people familiar with his role, which has not been previously reported. The officer took orders from more senior Ukrainian officials, who ultimately reported to Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s highest-ranking military officer, said people familiar with how the operation was carried out.

Taliban success emboldens Pakistani militants, and deadly attacks surge (Washington Post) The attackers descended in the early morning from the steep mountains that tower over Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Gunfire echoed in the valleys as Pakistani Taliban fighters stormed Pakistani military posts. By the time the fighting stopped hours later, four soldiers and 12 militants were dead. The Sept. 6 attack, described by officials in Pakistan as a cross-border assault from Afghanistan, stunned a Pakistani leadership that had thought the Pakistani Taliban was virtually eliminated. But the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan two years ago has energized the Pakistani militant group. And while the Afghan government denies allegations that it is providing haven to that group, security analysts said the success of the Afghan Taliban has at a minimum emboldened its Pakistani counterpart and encouraged it to fully embrace the same playbook. A string of deadly blasts and shootings has led to a moment of soul-searching in Pakistan. During the 20-year U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s leadership was frequently accused of harboring or tolerating Afghan Taliban leaders and fighters. It now appears to find itself on the reverse end of a very similar situation.

President’s War Against ‘Fake News’ Raises Alarms in South Korea (NYT) Allies of President Yoon Suk Yeol are attacking what they see as an existential threat to South Korea, and they are mincing few words. The head of Mr. Yoon’s party has called for the death sentence for a case of “high treason.” The culture ministry has vowed to root out what it called an “organized and dirty” conspiracy to undermine the country’s democracy. In this case, the accused is not a foreign spy, but a Korean news outlet that has published articles critical of Mr. Yoon and his government. The president, a former prosecutor, is turning to lawsuits, state regulators and criminal investigations to clamp down on speech that he calls disinformation, efforts that have largely been aimed at news organizations. Since Mr. Yoon was elected last year, the police and prosecutors have repeatedly raided the homes and newsrooms of journalists whom his office has accused of spreading “fake news.” Some South Koreans accuse Mr. Yoon of repurposing the expression as justification for defamation suits and to mobilize prosecutors and regulators to threaten penalties and criminal investigations. He espouses “freedom” in speeches, but his 18-month-old presidency has been characterized by a near-constant clash with the opposition and fears of censorship and democratic backsliding.

Hamas antitank strikes show depth of arsenal (Washington Post) Early in Israel’s invasion of Gaza, an antitank missile fired by Palestinian militants struck an armored personnel carrier, killing at least nine Israeli soldiers. That Oct. 31 attack, on Gaza’s sandy northern periphery, represented the single largest cluster of Israeli casualties in the ground war. It also showed the evolution and expansion of Hamas’s firepower. Where once Israeli forces faced stones and molotov cocktails thrown by Palestinians, they now confront weapons such as laser-guided missiles and antitank munitions. The Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, is now inside Gaza City, fighting Hamas above and below ground—among civilians, around hospitals, schools and mosques—in areas the IDF says are honeycombed with tunnels. In such close quarters, Hamas fighters have displayed some of their upgraded arsenal: a staggering number of shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launchers and antitank missiles, military experts say. Many of the weapons have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip via tunnels, land crossings and the sea during the past decade, from the spillover of wars in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Sudan, and also manufactured by Iran and even North Korea.

Fights in bread lines, despair in shelters: War in Gaza (AP) Fistfights break out in bread lines. Residents wait hours for a gallon of brackish water that makes them sick. Scabies, diarrhea and respiratory infections rip through overcrowded shelters. And some families have to choose who eats. “My kids are crying because they are hungry and tired and can’t use the bathroom,” said Suzan Wahidi, an aid worker and mother of five at a U.N. shelter in the central town of Deir al-Balah, where hundreds of people share a single toilet. “I have nothing for them.” With the Israel-Hamas war in its second month and more than 10,000 people killed in Gaza, trapped civilians are struggling to survive without electricity or running water. Palestinians who managed to flee Israel’s ground invasion in northern Gaza now encounter scarcity of food and medicine in the south, and there is no end in sight to the war sparked by Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack.

Settler violence is erasing Palestinian communities in the West Bank (Washington Post) After dark in the South Hebron Hills, parents lie awake, listening for the settlers. A crunch of wheels on the dusty road means it’s time to scoop their children closer, to tell them they are loved, that they will be safe. By the time the engine cuts, car doors slam and the footsteps get louder, another night of terror is in motion. In the Palestinian village of Umm al-Kheir, residents described masked men in army uniforms overrunning their community last week. The men smashed residents’ cellphones so no one could document the beatings that followed. In nearby Susiya, five men in similar dress beat Ahmed Nawaja, 38, underneath his olive tree. His daughters cried, he said, as the attackers slammed their rifle butts down on his body. Violence by Israeli settlers, long aimed at depopulating rural Palestinian parts of the occupied West Bank, had grown common in the months since Prime Minister President Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late December—at the head of a coalition that included far-right settler activists who have been convicted of anti-Arab incitement and have advocated for the annexation of the West Bank. Since Hamas militants killed more than 1,400 people and plunged Israel into war on Oct. 7, the pace of the assaults has more than doubled, as the radical settler movement exploits the crisis to hasten demographic change across the territory. At least 11 Palestinian communities have been completely abandoned since the beginning of the year.

Egypt’s stumbling economy faces new pressures from Gaza crisis (Reuters) Egypt’s struggling economy faces new risks as the war in the neighbouring Gaza Strip threatens to disrupt tourism bookings and natural gas imports. The Gaza war on the border with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula comes after the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic exposed long-standing frailties in the Egyptian economy. After a borrowing binge quadrupled foreign debt, Egypt needs more than $28 billion to meet repayments in 2024 alone. A foreign currency shortage has led to a $5 billion backlog of imports stuck at ports, and problems for foreign companies repatriating dividends, bankers say. Government payments for some wheat imports and to foreign oil and gas companies have been deferred. A $3 billion IMF programme has gone off track over Egypt’s reluctance to float its currency and delays in state asset sales. All main three rating agencies have downgraded Egypt’s sovereign rating further into junk territory.

[blockgeni]

This year has been extremely unpredictable for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a result of a U.S. crackdown on cryptocurrencies and a subsequent Federal Reserve policy nightmare for bitcoin prices. Despite the fact that Microsoft and Elon Musk may soon blow up the cryptocurrency market, the price of bitcoin is stuck below $30,000 per coin, in part because of concerns that the United States is launching a covert war against cryptocurrencies. Now, a leak suggests that American president Joe Biden may soon sign an executive order on artificial intelligence that might have a significant impact on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, raising "alarm bells." Alexander Grieve, head of government affairs at bitcoin and cryptocurrency investment firm Paradigm, posted a link to a Semafor article that cites unnamed sources on X (Twitter), warning that the impending White House executive order on AI raises some red flags for the cryptocurrency market. According to the article, businesses like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon would have to disclose when a consumer buys computing resources beyond a specific threshold. According to the article, businesses like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon would be required to provide information when a customer purchases computing resources beyond a certain threshold. Grieve alludes to a passage in the report where it is stated that computing power is a "national resource" and that running ChatGPT, creating video games, and mining bitcoin all require large amounts of compute. According to estimates, the bitcoin network, which relies on "miners" to confirm transactions in exchange for newly produced bitcoin using powerful computers, consumes more electricity yearly than certain small nations. The United States now has more bitcoin miners than any other nation as a result of China's 2021 ban on the practice. According to Grieve, the White House currently views tech jobs, development talent, and energy as scarce national resources that are zero sum, particularly [with respect to] cryptocurrencies. Grieve speculated that working in cryptocurrencies would divert development talent "away from 'real' applications" and that bitcoin mining might be seen as robbing families of power. If we start looking at compute capacity in the same way, and reporting on who is using how much of it, expect similar political and media pressure to be directed at cloud service providers that serve large crypto industry players, Grieve said, referring to it as Operation Choke Point for computing power. The withdrawal of traditional financial services from the cryptocurrency market this year has been dubbed "Operation Choke Point 2.0" by those in the sector who suspect that the U.S. government and regulators are behind it. A U.S. Department of Justice project called Operation Choke Point was first implemented in 2013 with the goal of discouraging banks from doing business with businesses like payday lenders, gun dealers, and others that were thought to pose a high risk of fraud and money laundering. Source link

[penalowery61]

What Is Bitcoin Mining And The Way Does It Work? A Guide For Enterprise

Deflation is the phenomenon of appreciation of worth because of a mismatch in supply and demand that drives up the worth (and change rate) of a forex. The reverse of inflation, price deflation signifies that the cash has extra buying power over time. To kind a distributed timestamp server as a peer-to-peer network, bitcoin uses a proof-of-work system.[2] This work is commonly referred to as bitcoin mining. Advanced options embody auto switching, auto tuning, monitoring, auto exchanging and full distant management. Cudo’s machine learning miner is each simple-to-use and superior in management, enabling you to fine-tune your mining for max returns in multiple currency choices. Cudo Miner is a cryptocurrency miner filled with options that assist you to earn as a lot cash as possible from your laptop computer or PC. One potential assault situation is the place an attacker intends to disrupt the bitcoin community with out the potential of cashing in on such disruption. A malicious attack geared toward crippling bitcoin would require huge funding and covert planning, but could conceivably be launched by a well-funded, most probably state-sponsored, attacker. Alternatively, a well-funded attacker could assault bitcoin’s consensus by concurrently amassing mining hardware, compromising pool operators and attacking other swimming pools with denial-of-service. Outlet Miners review of those eventualities are theoretically potential, but more and more impractical as the bitcoin network’s general hashing energy continues to develop exponentially. Despite its name, the 51% assault state of affairs doesn’t truly require 51% of the hashing power. In fact, such an assault can be tried with a smaller share of the hashing power. We have an answer for all miners from PC / laptop computer homeowners to giant scale mining farms. Our platforms create effectivity and reduce guide intervention by as much as 95%, whereas rising profitability. For every transaction input, a bitcoin mining software program generates a singular cryptographic hash puzzle that is troublesome to decode. The software then groups the number of transactions required to kind a block into a Merkle tree. Bitcoin mining is an energy-intensive course of with custom-made mining techniques that compete to resolve a cryptographic downside. The Bitcoin mining course of additionally confirms transactions on the cryptocurrency's community and makes them reliable. With all the other fields stuffed, the block header is now complete and the process of mining can begin. The goal is now to discover a worth for the nonce that ends in a block header hash that is less than the problem goal. The mining node might need to check billions or trillions of nonce values earlier than a nonce is discovered that satisfies the requirement. Because this algorithm ultimately relies on the collective energy of hundreds of computers, it’s a very sturdy method to preserve a safe and decentralized community. As extra pc energy is used for mining, the amount of electrical energy required to each earn cryptocurrency and preserve the network rises. Transactions are prioritized primarily based on the “age” of the UTXO that is being spent in their inputs, allowing for old and high-value inputs to be prioritized over newer and smaller inputs. Prioritized transactions can be sent with none fees, if there is sufficient area within the block. After validating transactions, a bitcoin node will add them to the reminiscence pool, or transaction pool, the place transactions await until they can be included (mined) right into a block. Mining is the principle process of the decentralized clearinghouse, by which transactions are validated and cleared. Mining secures the bitcoin system and permits the emergence of network-wide consensus without a government. Miners are pc homeowners who contribute their computing energy and vitality to the network of a “proof-of-work” based cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. The first miner to validate a new block for the blockchain receives a portion of the forex that is mined as a reward. GPUs based techniques, that are primarily used for gaming, trendy video enhancing, proved to be extra environment friendly for mining with better hash fee than CPUs. However, the GPU mining of Bitcoin was fairly quick lived and obtained changed by a new sort of hardware- ASIC by 2015. Gradually when the acceptance and recognition of Bitcoin elevated over the time, together with the competition among miners, graphics processing items (GPU) mining came into the image. And whosoever cracks it first (the first miner), wins the block reward (currently 6.25 BTC per block) and having the power to authorize the transaction on the blockchain. The miner would also require an e-wallet to store their rewards as Bitcoins. A bitcoin wallets a digital place that facilitates in storing, transferring and accepting Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

The cause why it's called ‘mining’, is because similar to some other form of natural assets, there is a finite variety of Bitcoins out there. Just like real mining, in Bitcoin mining, one needs to speculate energy to be able to generate or create Bitcoins. The miners compete towards one another to resolve advanced hash puzzles, that are encoded cryptographically to verify the blocks containing transactions. Bitcoin Mining isn't profitable for all particular person miners besides a couple of because of the difficult mining course of and high prices. All the miners can not spend big amounts of dollars setting up the hardware. The quantity of electrical energy consumption in kWh, efficiency, issue, time taken to complete the mining course of, and the Bitcoin worth are deciding components. The pool players will achieve the better pool target rather more often, incomes them shares very regularly, even once they don’t achieve the tougher target of profitable the sport. Every at times, one of the pool gamers will throw a combined dice throw of lower than 4 and the pool wins. Then, the earnings could be distributed to the pool gamers based on the shares they earned.