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nursingscience · 2 years

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GNM Nursing psychology - First year

Unit 7: Mental Hygiene and Mental Health

Contents:

· Concepts of mental hygiene and mental health

· Characteristics of mentally healthy person

· Warning signs of poor mental health

· Promotive and preventive mental health- strategies and services

· Ego defence mechanisms and implications

· Personal and social adjustments

· Guidance and Counseling

· Role of Nurse

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|| MENTAL HEALTH ||

¶ Meaning and Definition of Mental Health:

• Mental health is a state of balance between the individual and the surrounding world.

• A state of harmony between oneself and others.

¶ Components of Mental Health: The components of mental health include:

1. Ability to accept self:

• A mentally healthy individual feels comfortable about himself.

• He feels reasonably secure and adequately accepts his surroundings.

• In other words, he has self-respect.

2. Capacity to feel right towards others:

• An individual who enjoys good mental health is able to be sincerely interested in other’s welfare.

• He has friendships that are satisfying and lasting.

• He is able to feel as a part of a group without being submerged by it.

• He takes responsibility for his neighbors’ and his fellow members.

3. Ability to fulfill life’s tasks:

• A mentally healthy person is able to think for himself, set reasonable goals and take his own decisions.

• He does something about the problems as they arise.

• He shoulders his daily responsibilities and is not bowled over by his own emotions of fear, anger, love and guilt.

¶ Criteria for Mental Health:

• Adequate contact with reality

• Control of thoughts and imagination

• Efficiency in work and play

• Social acceptance

• Positive self-respect

• A healthy emotional living

¶ Indicators of Mental Health:

1. A positive attitude towards self

2. Growth, development and the ability for self-actualization

3. Integration: Integration includes the ability to adaptively respond to the environment and the development of a philosophy of life.

4. Autonomy: Refers to the individual’s ability to perform in an independent self-directed manner.

5. Perception of reality

6. Environmental mastery

¶ Characteristics of a Mentally Healthy Person

• A mentally healthy person has an ability to make adjustments.

• A mentally healthy person has a sense of personal worth, feels worthwhile and important.

• A mentally healthy person solves his problems largely by his own efforts and makes his own decisions.

• He has a sense of personal security and feels secure in a group, shows understanding of other people’s problems and motives.

• A mentally healthy person has a sense of responsibility

• He can give and accept love.

• He lives in a world of reality rather than fantasy.

• He shows emotional maturity in his behaviour, and develops a capacity to tolerate frustration and disappointments in his daily activities.

• A mentally healthy person has a variety of interests and generally lives a well-balanced life of work, rest and recreation.

¶ Factors Responsible for Poor Mental Health

1. Heredity:

• A child with poor heredity has a low IQ.

• He may be having a feeble mind which will not enable him to good mental health.

• He may also inherit some mental diseases which may disturb his mental health.

2. Physical health:

• A normal physical health leads to a normal mental health. We say “sound mind in a sound body”.

• Persons of poor health have a poor approach towards life and hence cannot adjust to new situations due to lack of mental balance.

• They can possibly change with the changing situations.

3. Physical defers:

• Any physical deformity leads to a social stigma.

• This creates a sense of inferiority complex in the mind of the child.

• This leads to frustration and aggression on by the child.

• This also disturbs the mental balance of the child.

• He is not able to adjust himself to various social situations.

4. Role of the family: Family set up, Discipline in family, Family poverty, Family conflicts, Lack of security....

5. Role of the society: Man is a social animal. The child has his birth and growth in the society.

His mind is also influenced by the prevailing social forces conditions that lead to mal adjustment of the child.

Other important social factors which influence the children are social and religious conflicts, high disparity between the rich and the poor and the problem of untouchability.

There brings about mental tension and leads to loss of mental health.

6. Role of the school: The school atmosphere, school curriculum, methods of teaching, the examination system, etc. determine mental health.

¶ Mental Health Promotion and Prevention

• Promotion means improving the positive mental health of the population.

• Prevention means reducing the number of future mental health problems in the population.

✓ Promotion:

Specifically, mental health can be promoted through:

• Early childhood interventions (eg. home visits for pregnant women, pre-school psychosocial activities)

• Providing support for children (eg, skills building programs, child and youth development programs)

• Programs targeted at vulnerable groups, including minorities, indigenous people, migrains, and people affected by conflicts and disasters (eg, psychosocial interventions after disasters)

• Incorporating mental health promotional activities in schools.

• Violence prevention programs.

• Community development programs.

✓ Prevention:

The different types of prevention as defined by the Institute of Medicine:

Universal prevention interventions ➡️ Selective prevention interventions ➡️ Indicated prevention interventions➡️ Treatment

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|| PERSONAL ADJUSTMENT AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT ||

¶ Personal Adjustment

Personal adjustment, is a process of harmony between the individual and his environment. The individual purposefully applies efforts and energy not only to accommodate perfectly within the and the environment, but also to fulfil his needs and lead a happy social life.

¶ Characteristics of a Well-adjusted Person

• Basic needs are satisfied

• Leads balanced life

• Respects self and others

• Has realistic goals

• Aware of one's own strengths and weaknesses

• Flexible mind-set

• Ability to deal with adverse circumstances Realistic perception of the world

• Comfortable with the surrounding environment

• Absence of fault-finding attitude

¶ Social Adjustment:

As social beings we live in a society. We form opinions about others and others form opinions about us. Everybody wants acceptance and recognition from and within the society. We try to behave according to the norms of the society, so that we can adjust with others.

Social adjustment can be defined as a psychological process it frequently involves coping with new standards and values in the society.

¶ Areas of Adjustment

Adjustment, although seeming to be a universal characteristic like quality it may have different and dimensions, such as

• Health adjustment Emotional adjustment

• Social adjustment

• Home adjustment

• School or professional adjustment

Adjustment of a person is based on the harmony between his personal characteristics and the environment of which he is a part.

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|| Ego Defence Mechanisms ||

¶ Ego defence mechanisms are methods of attempting to protect self cope with basic drives or emotionally painful thoughts, feelings or events.

► Purposes

The purpose of Defence mechanisms is to reduce or eliminate antey. They may be used to resolve a mental conflict, to reduce anxiety or fear, to protect ones self-esteem or to protect one's sense of security.

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|| Role of a Nurse in Tertiary Prevention ||

• Family members should be involved actively in the treatment program

• Occupational and recreational activities should be organized in the hospital.

• Community based programs can be launched by meeting the family members when the need for discharge from the hospital. These program can be implemented through day hospitals, night hospitals, after care clinics, half way homes, ex-patient hostels, foster care homes etc.

• There should be constant communication between community health nurse and mental health institution regarding the follow up of the discharge patient.

• Nurses need to be familiar with the agencies in the community that provide these services.

• Collaborative relationship between mental health care providers and community agencies are essential.

• An important intervention in the maintenance of patients as their own homes in the community is the training in community living.

• Another aspect of community life that is more difficult to assess accurately and deal with effectively, is the stigma attached to the mental illness.

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|| CHARACTERISTICS OF A MENTALLY HEALTHY PERSON ||

• He has an ability to make adjustment

• He has a sense of personal worth, feels worthwhile and important.

• He solves his problem largely by his own effort and makes his own decision.

• He has a sense of personal security and feels secure in a group, shows understanding of other people problems and motives.

• He has a sense of responsibility.

• He can give and accept love.

• He lives in a world of reality rather than fantasy.

• He shows emotional maturity in his behavior and develops a capacity to tolerate frustration and disappointment in his daily life.

• He has a variety of interests and generally lives a well balanced life of work, rest and recreation.

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|| Warning signs of Poor mental health ||

1. In younger children

✓ changes in school performance

✓ poor grades despite strong efforts

✓ excessive worrying or anxiety

✓ Hyperactivity

✓ Persistent nightmares

✓ Persistent disobedience or aggressive behavior

✓ Frequent temper tantrums

2. In older children and Adolescents

✓ Abuse of drugs or alcohol Inability to cope with daily problems and activities

✓ Changes in sleeping or eating habits

✓ Excessive complaints of physical problems

✓ Defying authority, skipping school stealing or damaging property.

✓ Intense fear of gaining weight

✓ Long lasting negative mood along with poor appetite and thoughts of death

✓ Frequent outburst of anger

3. In Adults

✓ Confused thinking

✓ Long lasting sadness or irritability

✓ Extreme high and low moods

✓ Excessive fear worrying or ariety

✓ Social withdrawal

✓ Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

✓ Strong feeling of anger.

✓Delusions or hallucination

✓ Increasing inability to cope with daily problems and activities

✓ Thoughts of suicide

✓ Denial of obvious problem

✓ Many unexplained physical problems

✓ Abuse of drug or alcohol

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|| DEFENCE MECHANISM/MENTAL MECHANISM ||

¶ Definition: when an individual is faced with problem. difficulties or failure, he employs certain way or device to achieve health, happiness and success. These are called defence mechanism.

Defence mechanism enables a person to resolve conflict and reduce the stress and anxiety.

¶ Defence mechanism can be divided into successful and unsuccessful mechanisms as given below:

1. Successful

• Repression

• Rationalization

• Intellectualization

• Compensation

• Substitution

• Sublimation

2. Unsuccessful

• Denial

• Isolation

• Projection

• Regression

• Conversion

• Fixation

• Fantasy

• Introjections

• Identification

• Suppression

• Reaction Formation

• Displacement

¶ Implication of Ego Defence Mechanism:

• The defense mechanism has a profound impact on the development of personality.

• The idea of a defense mechanism is a psychological approach to coping with a particular problem or situation.

• It is a construct of the conscious in dealing with an issue that potentially resides in the sub-consciousness.

• We use defense mechanisms to protect ourselves from feelings of anxiety or guilt, which arise because we feel threatened, or because our id or superego becomes too. demanding.

• We all have thoughts, feelings, and memories that can be difficult to deal with. In some cases, people deal with such feelings by utilizing what are known as defense mechanisms.

• These defense are unconscious psychological responses that protect people from threats and things that they don't want to think about or deal with.

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|| Guidance and counseling ||

¶ MEANING OF GUIDANCE

To guide means to indicate, to point out, and to show the way. It means more than to assist. A man falls on the street; we assist him to get up but we do not guide him unless we help him to go in a certain direction. The synonyms of 'to guide' are to lead, to conduct, to regulate, to direct, to steer, to show, to channel, to point.

¶ PRINCIPLES OF GUIDANCE

01. Principle of all-round development of the individual.

02. The principle of human uniqueness.

03. Principle of holistic development.

04. Forced into guidance.

05. The principle of extension.

06. The principle of adjustment.

07. Principle of individual needs.

08. The principle of responsibility.

09. The principle of expert opinion.

10. The principle of evaluation.

¶ AREA OF GUIDANCE

1. Educational guidance:

2. Vocational guidance

3. Personal guidance

4. Leisure time guidance

5. Social guidance

6. Moral guidance

7. Health guidance

8. Marital guidance

9. Finance guidance

¶ Definition of counseling

:Counselling is an accepting, trusting and safe relationship in which clients learn to discuss openly what worries and upsets them, to define precise behaviours goals to acquire essential social skills and to develop the courage and self confidence to implement the desire new behaviours. (Merle M Ohlsen-1977)

"Counselling is a process through which an individual is able to solve their problem and pursue a path suited to their abilities and aspirations. - JM Brewer

¶ Goals of Counselling:

• Listening carefully to the patient is the main goal.

• To make the patient ventilate his emotions properly and help him to be aware of his own emotions and encourage him to be independent.

• Identify the needs of the patient. E.g., parents need counselling for their children's behaviour problems.

• The main problem should be focused so that the sub- problems should be identified by the patient himself.

• Make the patient accept himself with his problem and help him to adjust with it till it gets over.

• To focus on his strengths by studying the case and produce a positive attitude in him and ultimately help him to reduce his negativity.

¶ Principles of counselling

01. Principle of acceptance

02. Principle of authenticity

03. Principle of communication

04. Principle of empathy

05. Principle of non-judge

06. Principle of confidentiality

07. Principle of individuality

08. Principles of non-emotional involvement

¶ Techniques/Approaches to councelling

• Councellor centred

• Client centred

¶ AREA OF COUNSELLING:

• Emotional Abuse: allows one person to gain power and control over another through words and gestures which gradually undermine the other's self respect.

• Relationship Issues: Some relationships are unable to contain some of life's pressures and stresses; illness. redundancy, retirement or debt all take their toll.

• Trauma: A traumatic event involves an experience or enduring event(s) that overwhelms our ability to cope or understand the ideas and emotions involved with that experience.

• Stress: Too much stress can put your health at risk and leave you unable to function. It is the second major cause of illness at work, after back problems.

• Terminal Illness: Counselling can be a valuable resource for everyone close to the individual, and for the individual themselves.

• Work related issues: Counselling can help unravel patterns of relating to people, and show us how to examine our own issues, helping towards a more fulfilling career.

• Anger Management: Understanding what the trigger points are and re-examining our thoughts around them can be among the first steps to managing anger.

• Anxiety: Anxiety is a problem which feeds on itself and is often covered up and dealt with in isolation.

• Depression: Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless.

• Bereavement Counselling: This focuses on working through the stage of grief. In this counselling talking about the loss is usually helpful and allows a person to adjust to their new life with all its changes, good and bad. However keeping things bottled up, or denying the sadness can prolong the pain.

• Low self-esteem: Counselling can often help those suffering from low self-esteem and help develop a sense of self, to ensure a more fulfilling life.

¶ Differences between counseling and guidance

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learningfruits2 · 2 years

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Important things about Nursery Rhyme Functions

youtube

baby songs

There are several benefits so that you can nursery rhyme fun-based activities. Nursery rhymes can teach your child oral skills and guide them develop a particular appreciation for rhyme and rhythm. Baby's room rhymes also enable children develop your memory and other cognitive skills.

baby songs

Many reports have been conducted to look for the effectiveness of play room rhymes. The research have shown that baby's room rhymes will help young children who have difficulties finding out how to read and recognise words that rhyme. Preschools and even working day care centers set importance on rhymes and familiarizing little ones with them on a daily basis.

Setting rhyme activities make it possible for children to develop even memory skills for the reason that work hard to reflect upon the words of rhymes, songs, and poetry. Begin teaching your son or daughter nursery rhymes in the young age to help you them as they learn to really speak. It has been suggested by several experts that the golden period for learning is normally ages six by way of nine. During this their age frame, children are able to memorize more quickly and additionally remember for much longer than any other amount of time in their lives. The main reason why it is important to teach him or her nursery rhymes just before they reach that age because it will assist to them build when existing skills.

Gardening shop rhyme activities at the same time promote excellent jamming skills. Listening competencies are necessary in order to know. Take time out of your active schedule and look over to your child; it may help them make improvement toward reading time will come that.

Another great advantage of rhymes is they promote word illustrations or photos. Several nursery rhyme books are containing different pictures in addition to images that provide your child to engage their particular creativity. The snap shots found in books moreover help to activate attention for certain objects and various things when they find them.

Nursery recreation also promote drama skills and other techniques. Take an ordinary setting rhyme and transform it into a nursery rhyme game. When you plus your child read, play, play, and operate out nursery rhymes together, you are mastering together that studying is fun along with words are entertaining. The best way to promote healthy and balanced reading habits for your children is to buy them yourself. Show your youngster how important looking through is by passing time with them each day examining nursery rhymes.

A further benefit of them can be that they teach small children humor. Children discover ways to develop and realize what humor is because of gardening shop rhymes. They also showcase mathematical skills. A lot of nursery rhymes have got mathematical reasoning required such as counting, top, measurement, time, environment, volume, position, together with temperature. During your period reading nursery rhymes with your children, receive a few minutes to go over several mathematical skills. For instance , you could ask your children questions like; "How many blind the death were there? " You'll also find other vocabulary capabilities they learn from looking at and listening to play room rhymes.

Several baby's room rhymes teach continuous-duty motor and coordination abilities to your child. After you read nursery rhymes, have your child drawn in finger play and also clapping during the setting rhyme reading. Play room rhymes engage your kid's imagination and tutor them to have a vibrant imagination filled with colourful characters and different 'languages'. It is exciting to be able to children to read concerning people that live in shoes or boots or eggs which behave as people and additionally sit on walls. It's unique for a little one to think that a cow can jump on the moon or that her cat could have fun with a fiddle. There's a simple reason why rhymes possess survived the evaluation of time and are even now around. Nursery rhymes are a great way to instruct your child needed competencies and they are a wonderful approach to spend time with your toddler.

#Youtube

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tarotlogy · 2 years

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THE SUIT OF WANDS NEGATIVE

The Negative Wand

Impatient – Impulsive – Restlessness – Impatience – Won’t/Can’t Wait – Recklessness – Egotistical – Overbearing – Domineering – All-Consuming – Destructive – Arrogant – Aggressive – Temper – Over-Heated – Pessimism – Negative – Wanderlust – Transient – Lack of Growth/Progress – Unreliable – Lacking Commitment – Unpredictable – Unfocused – Stress – Over Eager – Taking On Too Much/Over-Committed/Over-Extended – Excess Action – Burned Out – Scorched – Hyperactive/Under-active – Low Energy/Exhaustion- Exhaustion – Gloomy – Unenthusiastic – Unreliable – Trouble – Bully – Bitch – Tyrant – Bad Behaviour – Jealousy- Envy – Rivalry – Bragging/Boasting – Sexual Conquest – Unsportsmanlike – Lacking Self-confidence – Lacking Self-esteem – Lacking Vision – The Glass Is Half Empty

Fire can sometimes be overbearing and if we stand too close to it for too long Fire can burn us. Fire can get out of control and cause trouble wherever it goes. In this state Wands types are overbearing, arrogant and often reckless. Tempers flare with arguments and even physical skirmishes resulting. Bragging and mouthing off is likely to be evident. Sex can become a recreational sport with a series of one night stands and bad behaviour. Their restlessness and lack of concentration increases and nothing is achieved. They are in a rush everywhere but with no idea of where they are going or why. They can leap before they look and make poor judgments and decisions

If Fire burns low, depression, apathy, melancholy, stress and fatigue will be found. This is usually as a result of the Wand over-stretching him or herself by taking on too much and not resting. The typical Wands type will find it hard to retire or hand over the reins to someone else. They will often be found working until the day they die. Wands find it hard to understand and accept weakness, timidity or fear in others and certainly have no time for those who are sick. In general they never get ill having naturally strong and healthy constitutions. As a result, they cannot cope when they find it in themselves.

Wands normally take their amazing self-confidence and self-esteem for granted, but when it falters or fails them they can become jealous and envious of others who appear more successful than they. They can become bitchy and malicious, arrogant and overbearing. Temper tantrums can be evident as they demand to get their own way or force it on others. In extreme, the negative Wands type can become the bully or tyrant.

*When several Wand cards appear in a reading it generally indicates an intense period of energetic activity, movement or travel surrounding the issue. Things are happening. Life is certainly keeping you on your toes.

When several appear reversed, too much energy is being expended for little reward. There may be too much action with not enough thought, and travel with no purpose. This will generally cause an energy drain or possibly recklessness or impatience affecting the presenting issue. However, if the Fires are burning low or have burnt out altogether, exhaustion and stress are likely to be evident

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skzdreams · 2 years

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Breeding Clinic

pairings: Minho x FemReader

warnings: unprotected sex, fingering, oral, breeding, healthcare setting, slight dumbification

genre: smut

summary: special doctors visit with Lee Know

word count: 2.5k

a/n: long time no see!! I really hope you guys enjoy!!

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You sat in the cold waiting room, shaking with nerves, as the a/c marked your skin with a colony of goosebumps. You tapped your feet on the hard ground, listening to silence that was broken by an occasional murmur or cough from a distance.

You tried scrolling on your phone to make the time go a bit quicker but you couldn’t quite stay entertained because your thoughts were being overwhelmed by what-ifs and the sentence “am I making the right decision” over and over like a bad song stuck on repeat.

Then you heard it.

“Number 325…?” A man called out, wearing blue scrubs, with sandy bleached blond hair, and facial features so sharp and perfect, all you could do was stand there for a few seconds and take in his good looks.

“Uh, I think that’s me.” You held up a little white card with the number 325 in bold black letters spread across it. Of course it was you. You were the only person in the room.

The man smiled gently. “Perfect. You’re not confused are you…? The number system can be quite confusing. But in a facility..such as this one..it is quite different from a…how should I say…normal..hospital. For pretty obvious reasons, the names of our patients are completely confidential. We fully respect the privacy of our patients. Even the personnel and staff at this facility are unaware of our patients’ names.”

His talking somewhat overwhelmed you, so the only thing you could really say back was,”Oh, okay, I guess I understand.”

He guided you into a room with dim lighting and the most comfortable exam table you’ve ever seen. “Okay 325, you can just take a seat on the examination table right there, and I’m going to ask you a few questions. Most of them are just to confirm the information you filled out before your appointment, and others are to ensure your overall enjoyment and comfortability of this experience. Is that alright with you?”

You agreed and allowed the man to move on with his quick questionnaire.

“You are fully aware of the nature of this clinic and your appointment that is being conducted at this insemination, or otherwise known as breeding clinic today, correct?”

“Yes, I do.” You responded back.

“Alright then.” He scribbled down on a notepad in the palm of his hand.

“And you do know where you are, and the exact reason you are here?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He continued asking different questions like, “Do you smoke at all?” , “Do you drink alcohol often, how often?” , “Do you use any elicit or recreational substances?” , “Do you typically have regular periods?” “Are you currently sexually active?”

You responded to all of his questions. He continuously assured you that the questions were necessary for your enjoyment of the appointment and to make sure that you’re healthy enough to go into the procedure without any unwanted complications.

“Okay so I see here that you have opted for the manual method of insemination with us today, is that correct?”

“Yes that’s correct.” you mumbled.

“There are many other ways to get the outcome of this procedure, however this specific method you have chose will require a live male assistant, that is okay with you?:”

You nodded your head while looking at the floor, kind of embarrassed. He could see that you were getting shy on him, so he did his best to try to cheer you up. “There’s no need to feel embarrassed. Most of our patients choose the manual method as well, because it is more enjoyable for both parties. We are all professionals here, so there is no need to feel any sort of shame. I know some people are also pretty skeptical of this method, because it does not always have a 100% success rate, however this isn't the 2080s anymore and with our new tech, test systems, and genetic alterations, all of our male assistants have been proven to successfully inseminate on the first attempt.”

You were happy to know that you wouldn’t be coming here for nothing and that your future pregnancy would be guaranteed. But this man was so handsome. You weren’t even worried about the baby you’ve always dreamt of having. He was the perfect distraction. All you wanted then, was him on top of you, taking you, and planting his seed inside of you. Using your body for his pleasure.

The way his hair covered his forehead lightly and slightly glided along with his movements each time he moved to the side, or when he looked up at you from his clipboard and notepad with sparkling eyes and damp lips and rosy cheeks, as he showed off his warm smile, sometimes with his small bunny like teeth poking through his perfect lips. He was beautiful. You saw his picture, when you were applying for your procedure, and just knew you had to have him as your assistant, but seeing him in real life like this was way better than you expected.

“When you were filling out your paperwork for this appointment, you chose what male assistant you would like to assist you with your insemination today, is that correct?”

“Yes that is correct.” You said trying to push back your smile that was trying to force its way past your lips.

“Now, If you haven’t noticed yet, I am the male assistant that you selected. If for whatever reason, you have second thoughts or would like to change your assist-”

“NO!!” you loudly interrupted him. “I definitely do not want another assistant. You’re perfect.”

He chuckled quietly to himself, not believing how cute you are right now. “Very enthusiastic, are we?” He laughed. “I’ll continue. Since you are already in the gown, would you go ahead and lean back all the way on the table, and try your best to relax. I know it’s a bit cold here, so I'll just..” He got out of his seat and walked over to the thermostat on the wall. He quickly bumped the heat up a few times so you could get nice, warm, and cozy. Or at least try to.

“I know it can be a little hard to relax right now, some of our patients find the clinic to be exciting, while others might be super nervous. But, we try to make the experience as pleasant, and comfortable as possible. Do you mind putting your legs in the stirrups here?

You were barefoot, the only form of clothes on your body was the hospital gown you changed into when you walked into the clinic’s private waiting rooms. When your foot touched the cold metal of the stirrups it sent chills throughout your body.

“Before we begin, I need to make sure the area of insemination is fully prepared for the procedure.” He got up out of his chair and kneeled on the floor, your pussy just mere inches away from his face. His hand trailed up the inside of your thighs, when coming back down he let his fingernails gently graze against your skin which made you hiss.

Without warning, your doctor dove in and covered your pussy with his mouth, sucking and licking all of your soft spots. His tongue flipped up and down on your clit that was growing more and more sensitive by the second. He licked up and down your slit, licking up almost every bit of wetness you were gushing out. He stuck his tongue inside of you, just a little bit which made your body jolt and spasm, barely even being able to handle the feeling of him. “Mmm” he hummed into your pussy making your clit vibrate along with the noise. You were honestly just a moaning mess, not even being able to speak with real words. He pulled away from your pussy, not letting you finish because he didn't want to make you cum quite yet.

“Did that feel alright?”

“Y-yes oh my god.”

He just chuckled to himself quietly like he was proud of himself.”Good now we’re going to move on to the next thing.”

The doctor slipped on a pair of blue surgical gloves. He got up and sat back in his chair. He spun around and grabbed a large bottle with the word “Trojan Lubricants” in big letters at the top of it.

He popped the cap up and squirted a quarter size dollop of the clear gel-like liquid on the tip of his two middle fingers. He set the bottle back on the desk behind him and looked back up at you again. But that didn't last long because his eyes shot right down to your pussy that was already glistening with wetness. It wasn’t often that you were exposed and displayed to a man like this, especially not a stranger, even if he was technically your doctor.

“Wow it seems you’re already producing your own natural lubricant, but I’m still going to use a little bit of this to kind of further prepare you.”

Finally he rubbed the lube on your entrance, that was pulsuing and clenching around nothing, just yearning to be fucked into. You jumped, surprised by the coldness of the gel hitting you so abruptly. It quickly began to warm up as the man began rubbing you up and down.

“I can see you are becoming less nervous by the way you're grinding against my hand like that, hm? That’s a good sign.” His thumb grazed and pressed against your sensitive and swollen clit. You lightly jolted back against the back of the exam table, already feeling too good.

Slowly, he pushed his middle finger inside of you. The feeling of the coolness of the glove and the wetness of the lube was almost euphoric. You gasped at the feeling of the stretch that his one single finger was already giving you.

He began to fuck his finger into you faster and faster.

“For this to work most effectively, we will act as how an ordinary couple would go about sexual intercourse. We do this so our patients feel comfortable and have an enjoyable, natural experience, as well as our staff because we are able to have a more…successful insemination, if we are also enjoying ourselves. And for comfortability, you can call me “Lino”. Of course this is not my real name, but if you later on in our procedure, need to address me, then Lino is the name you’ll address me by.”

He spoke to you in such a calm and collected way as if his finger wasn’t fucking into, causing your pussy to make gushing and shloshing noises that echoed off the seemingly thin walls.

“Fuck your pussy is clenching so fucking thight against my fingers.” It was obvious that your doctor was becoming hornier and hornier for you at that moment. It seemed as though it was a little bit more to him, you didn’t feel like any other patient. You felt like his. For him to fuck and kiss and make love to one day. He just watched your beautiful face as he drove his finger into your core, making you already so fucked out.

Lino pulled his finger out of you slowly, not letting you cum for a second time.

Lino climbed on top of you which made the exam table under you crinkle and crease, adjusting to the weight of you both.

He kissed you. That was not part of the procedure.

You were surprised but quickly got used to the feeling of his lips on yours as you began to feel the softness of his lips, and the taste, god, you just couldn't get enough.

Your hands scrambled all over his body trying to find a way to just rip off everything he had on and reveal his undoubtedly beautiful body. You could feel him smiling in between kisses.

He continued rubbing your clit, occasionally shoving his fingers in you, making you jolt and twitch under his touch.

He stood up and frantically started to take his scrubs off.

He pulled his pants down, and conveniently wasn't wearing any underwear whatsoever.

His hard cock bounced up and down, finally being freed from the confines of his tightening boxers.

Lino finally managed to get all of his clothes completely off. He walked closer to you, eyes full of lust, desire, and need for you. For the feeling of you around his member. He needed you digging your nails into his back as he was rutting into you. He needed you not to be able to speak, or even think. He needed you to be fucked dumb. He needed to be the one to fuck you dumb.

He mounted himself back on top of you. You felt his leaking tip against your sopping entrance. He leaned in for another kiss as he slowly pushed himself inside of you. He groaned into your mouth as you did to his, getting used to the feeling of your doctor stretching you out.

He began thrusting in and out of you, pace quickening after each.

He was just breathing loudly into the crook of your neck as he began thrusting faster and faster until he was rutting into you so hard and so quick, the exam table beneath the two of you was making an almost blaring crinkle sound.

The exam table’s crinkle, Lino’s moans, your moans, the sound of his cock sloppily sloshing into your pussy, the claps of your skin meeting each other with every thrust, all the sounds mushing together into a song that only intensified the euphoric feeling that was bubbling and growing inside you by the second.

Your vision was fuzzy, your speech slurred and spotty. Watching you in the fucked out state made Lino go absolutley feral. He, somehow, began railing into you harder than before, each one more powerful than than the last. For a second,you could try to look down to watch the beautiful scene of his cock making its tight squeeze through your entrance. You saw his thigh muscles flexing and relaxing every so often, he was obviously trying to restrain himself.

“C-cum.” you speaked. You looked up at Minho’s blurred face,trying your best to hear the muffled words he began to utter to you. “You want my cum? Huh baby? You want my cum?

All you could do is nod frantically as a sly smirk spread across your lover’s chin.

“O-oh oh FUCK.” He said as warm spurts of his seed coated your insides. He didn’t pull out, he instead, just slowed down his thrust and leaned in to give your cheeks, lips, forehead, neck, basically any and every part of your body that he could reach without having to pull out of your heavenly pussy. You both just layed there, tangled in each other, as you both tried to calm down, lino still pumping inside of you every few moments, still finding little nooks and crannies of your body that he could softly pepper kisses on.

You both knew, this wouldn’t be the last time you will see eachother.

#kpop #skz smut #skz x reader #stray kids #stray kids smut #skz x female reader #skz imagines #skz scenarios #stray kids imagines #skz lino #stray kids lino #skz lee know #stray kids lee know #lee minho smut #lee know

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hopelesshawks · 3 years

Note

Hey hey pspspsps if ur down to write some genshin headcanons👀👀 I’d loveee to see some modern au Tohma, Xiao, Kaeya, Childe, Zhongli and Diluc headcanons 👀👀 like college age mayhaps 👀👀

Ohhh ok BUCKLE UP KIDS it’s Genshin modern college au headcanons here we go!

Warnings for alcohol mention and very brief mention of recreational drug use

I feel like I should disclaimer that I’m in a coed frat and went to a small to mid size technical school that’s pretty nerdy so my experience with frats is probably very different and not nearly as gross as the like general US State School experience can be

Tohma

Smooth talker, big man on campus 100%

Probably joined a frat literally the minute he could for the connections and so he could meet even more people

Dude has been throwing ragers since like the first month of his freshman year, you don’t know how he knows so many goddamn people on campus he just does

Seems like a player and hopeless flirt but is actually such a dorky little himbo when you get to know him

If you need any kind of recommendation on anything he’s your guy. From the best spots to nap on campus to the best restaurants within walking distance.

In a relationship he’s super open about his affection and probably is into PDA. It’s not a possessive thing, he’s just so in awe he gets to have you that he wants to enjoy every second of it so why miss out on a hug or kiss from you just because there’s a few people around

Xiao

The first several times you interacted you were probably forced too. Like you were partners on a group assignment so he had to deal with you for a little bit and eventually warmed up

Has a reputation among the rest of your class for how standoffish he is so when he started hanging out with you a few of the other people from your year legit were just like “h o w” and you can’t even give them a proper answer tbh because even you don’t know

Is probably some kind of writing/English/history major

Not only is willing to fight anyone who tries to imply his degree isn’t as useful as a STEM one, but actually has gotten in multiple, some of which almost came down to an actual physical fight before you dragged him away

Definitely pouted about you pulling him away but will yell at you if you call it pouting

In a relationship there is almost no PDA. He might hold your hand and if someone makes him jealous enough he may pull you a little closer and/or put himself between the two of you but for the most part he feels like his relationship is no one else’s goddamn business and he has no interest in giving people a show

Kaeya

The biggest little shit as always

Also joined a frat but is mostly in it for the free booze and he says the brotherhood but you’re pretty sure he just likes the way the other members hang on his every word when he speaks

Doesn’t believe in the cult-like level of loyalty some frats expect and so will 1000% report any of his fellow brothers who try to be shady/scummy/gross. No one would dare get mad at him for it so it’s actually helped the frat stay a healthy environment, 10/10 could trust the guys there with your drinks

Honestly at this point the frat is pretty much just Kaeya’s Followers(tm) and by his senior year the juniors get worried about it because “uhhh who becomes Kaeya when Kaeya graduates” and when they try to ask Kaeya this question he just winks and gives an answer that is entirely unhelpful and sounds like it’s at least 80% bullshit

Never seems to go to class and yet somehow always has amazing grades

In a relationship acts very flirty and is constantly teasing you in public, but stops short of anything above mild pda and in private gets really soft and sweet he’ll deny it if you try to point this out in front of others though

Childe

Is in the literal douchiest frat on campus fuck the Fatui like you’re constantly trying to get him to de-brother but he’s got a misplaced loyalty to them that keeps him in the organization

First time you met him you wanted to punch him in the face but he also quickly becomes the only thing stopping you from failing out of a class the two of you share and over the course of that time he manages to win you over at least a little bit

It’s all fun and games until someone pisses him off. He’s another one that you have to try and drag away from physical altercations on a semi-regular basis

Once he notices that you care enough to try and drag him away or worry about him if he’s injured in a fight, he starts picking more of them just to see your reaction

Even if y’all’s relationship is entirely platonic he flirts with you. He thinks it’s funny when he can manage to fluster you so he tries to make a game out of it even if he doesn’t actually mean any of the things he’s saying

If you guys are in a relationship he definitely packs on the PDA, partially to fluster you, partially because he’s possessive and he doesn’t like the way some of his frat brothers look at you sometimes so he wants everyone to be totally clear on who exactly you belong to

Zhongli

Still rich, still never has any fucking money on him. The number of times you’ve had to cover for this man because he’s forgotten his wallet in his dorm or straight up lost it is honestly ridiculous at this point but you can’t even be mad at it because he invites you to his family’s beach house and shit to compensate

He’s the kind of rich where his family has had money forever so he genuinely doesn’t even realize that some things aren’t normal experiences like not everyone grew up with a butler and all designer clothes, etc.

Definitely an Econ major because his parents want him to take over the family corporation but on the low has 0 intentions of doing so and actually intends to create his own start up after graduation and do something he wants to do without having to answer to anyone

He’s so pretty and for what? Mans is oblivious as fuck. Literally half the people on campus that are into dudes have a crush on him but he has no idea and if you try to point it out to him he’ll wave you off

In a relationship he’s either taking you to the shitty Mexican restaurant on campus that’s open until like 3am on weekends or five star restaurants, no in between. You’re either eating like royalty because he knows you deserve it, or eating like broke college kids because he wants the ✨experience✨

He gives me gentlemanly PDA vibes, like he’s not gonna makeout with you in the quad but he’ll kiss your hand or your cheek, hold you close to him, and otherwise make it clear that he’s very much happily in love with you

Diluc

Not only is this man not in a frat, he probably actively campaigns against their existence and isn’t quiet about hating them

Always goes to class and thus always has amazing grades

Won’t get into physical fights the way Childe and Xiao do even though he could hold his own in one if he wanted to, but regularly gets into debates with people and is not afraid to drag you into the middle of it even if it has nothing to do with you

Doesn’t drink which frequently means him playing caretaker/mom friend when y’all go to parties together and while he might complain about it he secretly loves that you trust him to take care of you if you get sloppy drunk/high/crossed

Flusters easily but good at hiding it. If you flirt with this man in public his expression won’t change while he’s telling you to stop fucking around but his face will be going as red as his hair

In a relationship he’s not a fan of PDA but is a fan of you, so while he probably keeps the affection to a minimum while you’re out and about he still is maintaining some sort of physical contact with you most of the time or at the very least is keeping you close

#hhrequests #hopeless.olivia #genshin impact #genshin imagines #genshin headcanons #genshin tohma #tohma headcanons #genshin xiao #xiao headcanons #genshin kaeya #kaeya headcanons #genshin childe #childe headcanons #genshin zhongli #zhongli headcanons #genshin diluc #diluc headcanons

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popatochisssp · 4 years

Note

Hello Poppy! I hope you slept well! Here is the reminder you requested to create a mob au hc post like the cowboy post. Have a wonderful day!

Thank you, it’s finally time! I’m gonna put it under a cut immediately because having twenty skeletons makes every post with all of them automatically a long one!

Full disclaimer-- none of the boys are bosses, that falls on the monarch(s) of their universes... but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own roles to play~

(Warnings: mentions of crime, drugs, violence, sex, brief sexism [probably not the way you’d think] and ableism, plus all the usual mob-tropes I may have forgotten to mention)

Sans (Undertale): He’s a...humble purveyor of items, quality goods produced economically in order to pass those savings on to the crafty consumer who might not want to pay full, exorbitant price for ‘name-brand’ luxuries... Yeah, he’s the ‘you wanna buy a watch?’ guy and he spends most of his days (strategically) wandering around the city looking for customers to hock knockoff, lookalike watches, wallets and bags to. The fuzz know him by name but can never seem to find anything to hold him on, so he’s mostly just a harmless nuisance to be shooed along elsewhere if there’s been any complaints. (He’s real good at making friendly conversation with the law enforcement and keeping all eyes on him, and frankly, if there were any real shady business going on somewhere nearby... well, the cops certainly wouldn’t know about it, too busy hustling him along down the street, now would they?)

Papyrus (Undertale): An upstanding citizen, unlike his brother who’s always in some little trouble with the law or other. He is gainfully employed at a fitness center, and he commutes there by car, because paid for his license to operate one and practiced his driving skills and saved up until he could afford a very beautiful, shiny car of his own! It’s a very nice vehicle...so nice, even, that he doesn’t like to drive it for...recreational outings with friends, in case the paint might get scuffed. That’s why his friends let him borrow their cars when they go out, and let him drive very fast (but safely!) all over the city, even at strange hours or by ‘suspicious’ locations. He’s certainly never seen anything suspicious going on, he just waits outside, and if he happens to keep a First Aid kit in his glove-box, that’s just taking precautions, isn’t it? Accidents happen, you know! (He’s the best getaway driver in town and he knows it, but plausible deniability--the less he ‘knows,’ the better.)

Sky (Underswap Sans): Just your average, ordinary businessman, running a nice little bar for average, ordinary folks of all kinds. Well... he co-owns the place with a buddy of his, Grillby, but Grillbz is a free spirit and a real man about town, so really most of the ‘running’ is down to him. And he loves it! So many people (monsters and humans) to meet and chat with and serve... human food and alcohol, of course. Monster food and alcohol isn’t legalized yet to serve to humans, and a black mark like that against his little establishment would be just awful. He adheres fully to the rules and regulations set forth by human governmental agencies, no magic in anything he passes across the counter, skeleton’s honor! ...Total bullshit, obviously-- he’s running a speakeasy for humans who want to partake in a little monster food or booze, because it’s not harmful to humans and that makes it an even stupider regulation than prohibition was. Grillby taught him most of the menu and cooks on the rare occasions he’s in, while Sky handles the liquid menu and keeps an eye-socket out for snitches and inspectors trying to catch him in the act. He’s never missed a rat yet.

Paps (Underswap Papyrus): He works at his brother’s place. In the back. Only part-time, though, Sky’s got it mostly buttoned up there, so Paps has a lot of leisure time to wander around the city, hit up his favorite joints, chat with friends--and strangers that can become friends, he’s a friendly sorta guy. And if he’s ever seen sharing a cigarette or two with one of those friends, of course it’ll be a totally normal tobacco cigarette, and no exchange of money or anything else incriminating about the interaction. ...Doggo is the one that does the deals, he’s got the Dog Treat supply and a client base that’s steadily starting to include humans--but since Dog Treats are classed as Monster Consumables and illegal to distribute to humans, in spite of being non-addictive, only mildly affective, and non-irritant to lungs, things get a little more convoluted. Paps hits up Doggo at Muffet’s (a wholly monster establishment) for the Dog Treats and a client list, ‘refurbishes’ the Treats to resemble cigarettes, and then meets up with anybody who prepaid for their order real casual-like to fence ‘em. He gets a little cut of the profits, and a discount when he’s picking up for pleasure instead of business--like a (slightly) more illegal girl scout cookie racket.

Jasper (Underfell Sans): Him? He’s just an average joe in all respects. He’s got a little auto shop, spends his days tuning up cars and bikes and such as the like, and most evenings out having fun with anybody else who’s out looking to have a good time--food and drink and maybe a little gambling, but small games, low stakes, for charity, yanno? Nothing illegal, he’d freely assure anyone concerned about the law. Yep, he’s a perfectly normal, law-abiding citizen...as far as anyone can tell. If he does a little work on the side, when specifically requested to, by perhaps one of his monarchs or one of the parties they’d approved to ask for his...services... Well, he’s certainly too quick and clean about it to leave any hard evidence behind, and he’s always far away from...whatever may have happened...with too many witnesses all in agreement that he was there and couldn’t have been anywhere else, unless he could somehow make it across town in the blink of an eye. (His side-gig is as a hitman. He keeps his shortcut ability very tightly under wraps to make for perfect alibis, and takes his targets out with magic bullets which he can disappear afterwards. If he’s ever somehow implicated in anything, he’s happy to point out to the nice officers that he doesn’t even own a weapon. They’re free to look, but all they’ll find is a set of knuckledusters he keeps on his person, purely for protection--and look how shiny the brass is, never even been used, officers! Guess they’ve got nothing on him, after all...)

Pyre (Underfell Papyrus): A law-abiding citizen. He must be--surely one can’t get more law-abiding than a lawyer...right? He actually does keep his (lack of) nose clean, but studying the convoluted mess that is human law doesn’t leave time for much else--even when your studies are funded by royalty and you’re given everything you need to open up your own practice as soon as you’ve passed the bar. Still, his skill and knowledge in arguing the law is very valuable and his services are in high demand, so he’s well-compensated for his chosen career and lives his life outside of it both comfortably and legally. His clients...are innocent until proven guilty and it would be an extreme failing of his duty to give any of them anything less than his best in the courtroom, regardless of their character, their associations, and what they happen to have been accused of. (Yeah, he’s a mob lawyer, used almost exclusively by Asgore and Toriel to protect them and anyone they send to him and all of their collective...interests. He respects the law, but values justice above it, so in spite of having a lot of clients who are definitely criminals in one way or another, he has no trouble sleeping at night.)

Mal (Swapfell Sans): He’s an accountant, nothing more, nothing less. ...For Toriel, of course, so he’s paid well for his services. And he has quite a head for numbers and figures, so he plays the stock market and does quite well there, too, smart investments and reading the writing on the wall, and all that. It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for his very healthy finances and his lavish lifestyle--fur coats, fine suits, fancy cars, shiny gold pocket-watches-- it’s all expensive and almost over the top, but hey, he is the money-man and all the numbers check out. It seems that he’s just very good at handling and investing his capital, it’s no wonder the monster-queen herself hired him on... (He is, of course, running several money laundering schemes at any given time, taking all the less-than-legally-obtained money earned by constituents of the [former] Empire and layering it through official channels to make it look legal in such a convoluted, complex web that it doesn’t raise any significant red flags. He’s got his claws in a lot of pies, and he takes what he needs off the top to live a little luxuriously, with Toriel’s knowledge and permission-- a perk for the necessary service he provides.) Whatever else may be true, it’s a simple fact that he’s very, very good at his job.

Rus (Swapfell Papyrus): With the lucrative career his brother has, the lucky SOB doesn’t have to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to, but he’s using the safety net to pursue his passion in art. Subjective as it is, it’s hard to say if he’s really any good, but people seem to like what he produces well-enough--not a household name, but people passionate about the subject might recognize his work and his pieces sell with at least moderate success. For all that it’s probably not going to make him famous or rich(er than his brother), he’s dedicated to his craft and regularly makes bulk purchases of his supplies, canvas and reams of paper and paint and ink and the like, to keep up his steady work and art sales. He seems like an altogether normal and down-to-earth sort of guy, nothing suspicious about him at all. (He’s a counterfeiter and works in tandem with his brother--they even hit a Bureau together to lift a set of plates for the one and only active crime he was involved in--and his art is just a really good cover for why he needs so much ink and paper and other supplies on a regular basis. He does love and care about his art career, that part’s not fake, but he’s also got a good eye-socket for detail and steady hands to replicate it, and if fake human money that looks really real can help monsters, he doesn’t really see why he shouldn’t.)

Slate (Horrortale Sans): He’s...been through a lot. All monsters have, really, but he was hit kind of especially hard and... Whatever Gerson, or Undyne, or whoever’s running things now up on the Surface are getting involved in...he doesn’t really want any part of it. He gets regular stipends for some unspecified ‘service’ he performed for the Queen, Underground, and while no human (alive) knows what that was, it’s apparently enough to live off of relatively comfortably without being employed himself. He has a nice little place with his brother on the outskirts of the city and he lives there quietly, peacefully. He rarely goes into town, just the occasional walkabout, stopping at restaurants or scoping out the architecture. (Part of his one concession to being left out of whatever illegal, mob-type business may or may not be going on: he needs a good mental map of the city and at least a few landmarks that he’ll definitely remember, because he’s the emergency evac should...anything...go especially south. The house phone doesn’t ring too often in the middle of the night, but when it does, he needs to know where he needs to be, and quick.)

Papy (Horrortale Papyrus): He’s, ah... not involved in any ‘business’ either, but he does spend a little more time out of the house, at the local hospital. He was allowed to make a study of human medicine and become a nurse by Very Special Exception--mostly due to some friends (or at least one) in high places, and some very backwards human attitudes about parts that constitute a ‘man’ and how a skeleton without any parts could perhaps be allowed into nursing--and he’s proven himself a valuable member of staff and even made friends with all of his coworkers. He’s happy at his job, and with his life, and returns home to his quiet, peaceful house every night with a smile. (He has a go-bag ready by the phone for those late night calls, though, full of healing items and medical equipment he may have subtly nicked from the hospital, just so he has everything he needs to treat a monster or a friendly human that may have gotten hurt...somehow...and for reasons they have no need to specify, can’t risk going to a doctor.)

Ash (Undergloom Sans): Just a poor street musician...or at least, that’s what most people figure, ‘cause he doesn’t dress too well and the trombone he plays while sitting out on the sidewalk looks like it’s probably the nicest thing he owns. He gets a couple bucks from time to time, but rarely any second glances, and that... That works in his favor. You’d be surprised how much people talk about when they think nobody’s listening (or at least...nobody important) and he can pick up a lot of interesting information of what’s going on in the city just by setting up in the right spot and waiting for folks to talk business. He’s pretty quiet when he’s not tooting the ol’ horn and great at blending into the background, and that’s made him the guy to go to when you want to know something--like how much somebody else knows, or if there are any plans in place for say, a raid or a sting or some kind. (Law enforcement is the worst about keeping proprietary information ‘proprietary’ when they think their only audience is some nobody monster bum sleeping on a bench...) He’s also got something of a whole information network going on with the actual homeless people in the city, since he gives great tips about places who are hiring or somewhere to get a meal or a bed for the night and he always gives his earnings from busking to those who need it more than him. He’s paid for the service he provides and he’s got a home to go back to, it just seems right that the music-money goes to help somebody else.

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He works as a nanny for the Queen! Not too long ago, she might’ve opted to just stay home and look after her newly adopted child herself, while Asgore handled business with the humans, but... They’re freshly split now, and Toriel wants to be just as involved in things as Asgore as much as she wants to s l o w l y ease into being a full-time mother again. Yrus is the solution, already fond of little Frisk and a very warm and trustworthy soul who stayed bright even in the gloom of the Underground. He happily takes the job when asked and splits his time between supervising and caring for Frisk, and tutoring them in all the important subjects (math, history, magic, et cetera). He finds he has a passion for teaching and thinks he might go into that someday, when Frisk is older and Toriel has a little more time and confidence to no longer need him as a buffer. (Whatever it is, specifically, that takes up so much of Toriel’s time and keeps her out so late that he sometimes has to wait around well past Frisk’s bedtime for her to come back and ask after them... Yrus couldn’t fathom a guess and isn’t going to ask any questions. That would definitely be out of his scope as a simple child-minder and even if he knew anything, it would be an extreme violation of the family’s privacy for him to tell tales, which he’s happy to point out to anyone with a lot of questions for somebody so close to two of the Dreemurrs.)

Brick (Horrorfell Sans): He’s on his brother’s payroll. It seemed like the best way to kill two birds with one stone: he’s a big, scary-looking wall of bone who isn’t well suited to a regular-joe sorta job, and his bro’s a very high-profile guy who needs somebody big and scary-looking to stand next to him and be a deterrent. Nepotism, maybe, but they’ve been looking after each other their whole lives already and it’s something Brick knows he can do--he’d do it for free, but if King thinks it’s better (and safer) to have it as his job description, he’s probably right, so Brick’ll take the paycheck for it. King’s also very likely the only one who could stop him if he...lost control...somewhere out and about, so sticking close to him makes Brick feel better and hey, maybe they’re actually killing three birds with this stone of an arrangement. Still, he mostly just goes about town with King, standing around and watching his back and staring people down when he needs to while his brother carries on with his conversations and business. He hardly ever has to do anymore than that...almost never. (One of his favorite places to go is a little hole-in-the-wall craft shop, where King always pretends to take longer than he needs so Brick can peruse the yarn and try to pick up a little sign language from the nice old deaf lady who owns the place.)

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Yes, yes, he’s very high profile--he did lead monsterkind for a time, getting everyone up to the Surface and settled there--but he’s since stepped down. He’s retired, and anything his successor may be involved in... surely, he couldn’t say. He and Toriel are barely in contact and the money he receives from her on the regular is a gift of goodwill, mostly for medical expenses (his leg, and his brother’s...well). All he does these days is collect for a charity, a pet project of his, Monster Reparations. Lots of people give such generous donations when he goes around to ask for them, maybe impressed a little by his fame, but he can’t feel too terribly about using it for such a worthy cause... (It’s a thinly veiled protection racket and the people and businesses who buy into it tend not to fall victim to ‘mysterious’ criminal activity. Toriel may be officially calling the shots now, but King, as the monster who put her back there, is in a very unique position of power in having her ear, an unofficial underboss totally off the books. Some ‘donate’ more than necessary when he comes collecting, hoping to earn preferential treatment, and sometimes they get it and sometimes they don’t--it’s entirely down to King’s opinion of them personally. ...The old woman who runs the craft store pays about half the going rate, and the immigrant who imports the miniature trees he likes gets a heavy discount, too. The deli-owner he overheard hurling discriminatory epithets at a customer, however, pays triple. You get the idea.)

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He’s a researcher. Highly confidential, he’s sworn to secrecy and even mentioning that he’s being funded by Elder King Shroomba is pushing the boundaries of what he’s allowed to talk about. Still, he has his own facility, and several assistants, monster volunteers and sometimes human ones--but they have to sign papers swearing not to talk about what goes on in the lab, too. From what they are allowed to say, the gist is just that it didn’t seem like anything sinister was going on; not even a blood-draw... Merc seems pretty happy to leave at the end of every day, though, and whenever it comes up, he talks very fondly about being able to finish the project. (He’s researching DT, specifically how it can be used to enhance monster physiology and make them more resistant to damage from intent. Merc’s misadventure with DT destabilized him, but from 1HP he’s now more durable than ever, and his second attempt with his brother had less dramatic but still noticeable and successful results. The king wants that safety net for more monsters, especially ones who are on the front lines of...potentially less than legal dealings...who could really be at risk. Merc is reluctant, but with the stipulation of informed, willing volunteers for DT extraction and infusion, he can’t bring himself to turn down the resources and funding to research his own condition and bring the possibility of being normal again ever closer. He still has a hard time with the idea of ‘enhancing’ monsters, but the fact that it’s at least being done safely, willingly, and with a whole team behind it this time helps a lot.)

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He’s in a wheelchair but not letting it keep him down, and he’s running a modest little newspaper stand on the corner--papers and magazines and cheap books--nothing all that special but boy, what an inspiration, good for him that he’s got a job and can run the place by himself! All kinds come and go from his stand, and sometimes he closes it up for a little bit in the middle of the day to take a...er...roll, with some people who must be friends of his, but he’s never gone too long, so nobody says anything to the poor guy about the inconvenience. He’s a dedicated businessman, or trying to be; won’t even let people help him with those heavy-looking boxes of deliveries he gets, and for a fella with no legs, he seems to be doing his best! (...The whole thing is a low-key smuggling operation and he is making bank off it. There’s a system of code-words in place related to the publications he sells for a ‘customer’ to indicate whether they’re buying or selling, and what--magic consumables, stolen/hot items, imported goods, the works--and where and when they want things to go down. There’s even hidden compartments in his custom-built wheelchair for some of the riskier stuff, because he knows no cop in their right mind would force a guy with no legs out of his chair just to search it with witnesses around. And that’s presuming any law enforcement were to even catch wise to his set-up, which he kind of doubts: he’s sly and subtle and even if he weren’t, he knows people see the chair before they see him. Why not take advantage of that?)

Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): He makes his living as a boxer, and a subsequent minor celebrity. Pretty much any match he’s in is an exhibition match--not just a monster, not just a little guy (...relatively), but a short skeleton monster who’s blind, wow! You don’t see that every day, that’s a spectacle! Plenty of ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s in the packed stands every night the sightless skeleton scrapper is in the ring and nobody can figure out how he bobs and weaves so well that he hardly ever gets hit. He loses some matches, that’s to be expected, even for a ‘normal’ fighter, but hey, people love an underdog story, so when he wins, it’s an uproar every time. (For his part, Pitch hates most of his ‘fans’ who think of him the same way they probably think of a silly little dog who learned a funny trick, but the fame in general, and the thrill of the fight... Those are enough to keep him in the ring. Just... maybe not quite enough to keep him fighting clean. He’s as dirty as sportsmen come and he and a few other monsters regularly play his own odds with the bookies: he’ll subtly use magic to cheat and stay in longer, or go down when he could easily keep fighting, whatever’s more profitable with the over/under from match to match. If he’s going to be a circus act doing what he loves, he may as well get hazard pay for his dignity... and y’know, a couple of idiots who think being able to fight is a ‘trick’ because you’re blind aren’t nearly so annoying when you’re being driven away from them in a luxury car, to your expensive house in the hills decked out with all the amenities.)

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He’s got a place he looks after, keeps things running. Just a small joint, nothing fancy, a little cabaret variety show type place--singing, dancing, drinks on tap, that kinda thing. After dark, some of the...performances... might get a little more risqué, stuff that titillates like burlesque and striptease, but rest assured, his permits are all in order and everything’s on the up and up. Nothing illegal whatsoever going on here, just a bit of singing and dancing and everybody having a good time. (Most of the performers are sex workers--monsters, but some humans too--and patrons can negotiate private shows or off-the-clock ‘meetings’ at their discretion. Nemo opts to not know too much of the details of what his dancers do when he’s not looking, for legal reasons, but he makes sure they have a safe place to do it, are paid for their services, and don’t have repeat problem-patrons if any slip through. Being one of the gentlemen running such an establishment in the city that doesn’t happen to touch or steal from or mistreat the performers, his place is the place to get hired if that’s your line of work. He’s mostly just happy to be able to provide the job security and the job safety for a group that really seems to catch a lot of hell up here on the Surface just for how they make their money.)

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): He’s a busy guy, bouncing around from place to place, job to job... Being so scattered, you might think he’d be having money troubles by now, but while he may not be the type to stick with one thing and stay there for a good few years, nobody who knows him would say he’s unreliable--he’s the type of guy that you can give him a call anytime and if you need help, he’ll be right over, and he’ll get the job done well, too! Of course he lives with his fancypants brother, and the King and Queen probably spot him a loan or two now and then, since they’re friendly, so all in all, no one really wonders how he makes enough money to live so comfortably. The answer’s right there in their face...isn’t it? (Yes and no. He is the kind of guy you can call anytime to get a job done, and he will do it well, but the money he gets from Asgore and Toriel is less of a ‘loan’ and more of a ‘payment for services rendered.’ He’s a cleaner, the guy you call to make things go away, things that aren’t supposed to be there: stains, papers, weapons, evidence... He’ll get rid of it for you, and if you need a convincing coverup or an alibi for...whatever it is that you weren’t there doing, he’ll take care of that, too. If somebody’s calling him up for his special brand of help, they probably just want to put it all behind them and forget all about that nasty business. He’s happy to facilitate--after all, what are friends for?)

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): Like his brother, he gets on well with the King and Queen. (They both feel like they’ve known the monarchs much longer than they actually have...somehow...) But in any case, unlike his brother, Aster is very well-organized and thoughtful, so he’s a natural choice as an...advisor, of sorts, when monsters surfaced and it was...decided that perhaps there would be some...activities and...ways of doing things that...should remain unknown to the humans. Not unknown to Aster: he keeps track of everything, reminding the monarchs of little details they may have forgotten, pointing out things they may not have noticed, making educated suggestions for courses of action with likely positive outcomes based on past experiences... He’s the linchpin between Asgore and Toriel that makes them terrifyingly more efficient than they would be without him, a consigliere-equivalent who certainly isn’t a boss himself, but he has the bosses’ trust and their ears and that makes him a person of great interest. But...no one can get anything useful out of him: he’s loyal, above all, and much as he values truth, he also realizes that perhaps not everyone deserves to know the full truth of everything, especially not those who might use that truth to bring some sort of harm or misfortune to his friends...or to monsterkind at large. ...And trying to directly seize his extensive notes on the private and personal business-doings of the Dreemurrs is an even more doomed endeavor--he writes them all in a strange jumble of symbols that no one’s ever seen, and the code-breakers never have it long enough to decipher anything useful before its back in his hands, reclaimed quite speedily after unlawful seizure of private property containing confidential information. Lots of well-meaning law enforcement have their sights set on him as some sort of criminal white whale, but the simile is all too accurate-- they’ll never catch him, and even if they do, there’ll be nothing to hold him on. He simply has too many friends (and family members) in very high, very useful places.

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amtwst-tls · 4 years

Text

Scary outfit Jade Personal Story Translation Part 2

Jade Scary Outfit Part 2

Would you please teach me?

Where the 2nd years all talk about the Halloween traditions back at their places.

Classroom

Jade: Would you mind teaching me about the many different ways you all celebrate Halloween?

Riddle: ...Halloween, huh.

Riddle: In my hometown, typically young children would gather in the plaza and hold a 'Fun Party.'

Jamil: Why do you sound so detached?

Riddle: That's because I've only ever attended it once. So I can't speak much about it.

Riddle: The one thing that left an impression on me was the 'Apple Bobbing.'

Floyd: Goldfish-chan, what's that...Apple....whatchamacallit? That sure sounds real tasty~

Riddle: It's a traditional game that is played in the Rose Kingdom.

Riddle: You fill a large tub with water, and some apples will be tossed in, floating on the surface, which you have to try and catch with your mouth. Of course, you can't use your hands for this.

Jade: That... certainly sounds like a game to be played on the surface.

Azul: Indeed, the moment one lets go of the apple under the sea, it would immediately try to rise to the surface.

Jade: I suppose chasing after the apple could be a game in itself.

Floyd: That actually sounds real interestin'~

Silver: However... is it even possible to catch an apple with one's mouth?

Riddle: They normally use smaller apples rather than the regular ones... but even then it can be difficult.

Jade: Children with bigger physique would have the better advantage in trying to capture the apple in their mouth.

Riddle: Certainly, one would need good jaw strength to match the size of their mouth as well.

Ruggie: In this school, Jade and Floyd definitely have the advantage here.

Ruggie: They're dang huge. With sharp teeth to boot.

Jade: Fufufu, I wonder about that. I would be too shy to open my mouth so wide with people staring at me...

Jade: And I just may not be able to catch the apple in time while bumbling around...

Floyd: I mean, how do ya even decide on who wins in this kinda game?

Riddle: According to our rules, I think the one who manages to catch an apple the quickest would be considered the winner.

Riddle: There are regions in the Land of Pyroxene that play this game as well.

Riddle: Cater said that in his hometown, the winner was decided by who got the most number of apples.

Riddle: I was never able to grasp the technique, and would end up drenched from head to toe...

Riddle: Thinking back on it now though, I suppose the result was never the important part.

Riddle: Having fun, laughing at each other as we all struggle to catch that apple... I think such joys are important.

Jade: Certainly, to be able to see Riddle-san desperately chasing after an apple with his mouth wide open would be quite amus-

Jade: -I mean, would be worth seeing, yes.

Riddle: Just what were you trying to imply...

Kalim: I get what you were trying to say Riddle! It's not about winning or losing, it's all about whether you had fun or not!

Riddle: Yes... that's right.

Kalim: It's kinda different from the Rose Kingdom, the Halloween over at our Land of Hot Sands is real fun too!

Jade: Oh? Does the Land of Hot Sands have it's own peculiar recreational activity as well?

Kalim: Nope! When you say Halloween in the Land of Hot Sands, we mean 'Feast'!

Kalim: That's because in our homeland, to spend time together as we enjoy a splendid feast is what we consider to be the most fun!

Kalim: That's why, when Halloween comes around, the tables are almost overflowing with all kinds of delicacies!

Jamil: We do this so the ghosts that come back can also eat to their heart's content.

Jamil: Sweet, salty spicy... from small appetizers to large platters, we prepare a wide variety of dishes.

Jamil: When Halloween is close, the kitchens are always on full overdrive from the meal prepping alone.

Jade: Someday I would love to feast my eyes on such a sumptuous dining table myself... Are there any staple dishes for the tradition?

Kalim: The star of the Halloween Feast... it's definitely gotta be that dish.

Kalim: What was it again? That dish we bake with vegetables and sauce...

Jamil: Who knows?

Kalim: Ah, your face tells me you know it. C'mon, it's that one! The one with potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes!!

Jade: Is it something like... a lasagna that had the pasta replaced with vegetables instead?

Kalim: Ahh that's actually pretty close to it. It's super delicious when freshly baked.

Azul: I see, it certainly sounds like a dish that would be popular with people who prefer a healthy diet.

Jade: Jamil-san, would you mind telling us the name of the dish?

Jamil: Ha... It's a local specialty called 'Moussaka.'

Kalim: Yeah that! That's the one!

Kalim: When we were younger, even if there was no banquet or feast going on, I'd still ask Jamil to cook it for me time to time!

Jamil: It was quite the mess back then... my parents, and even the other servants would always scold me, telling me that children shouldn't handle fire by themselves.

Kalim: Eh!? That happened??

Jamil: We were still in elementary school after all.

Jamil: It's not like I was already great at cooking from that age... It would've been a big problem if I accidentally set a fire.

Jamil: I can now understand why my parents and the people around me used to get angry whenever I tried.

Kalim: Oof... I'm really sorry about that.

Kalim: But the moussaka you cooked back then was also super delicious! I can still remember the taste...

Kalim: Talking about it got me hankering for it again. Jamil, you gotta make it for me soon!

Azul: I would like to request it as well. It may be a good addition to the Mostro Lounge menu....

Jamil: No.

Kalim: Aww, don't say that Jamil~

Jamil: Moussaka is a very time-consuming dish that needs a lot of ingredients to make, it even needs two kinds of sauces to be prepared for it

Jamil: I don't believe such a dish is a good fit for a cafe.

Jade: From the sounds of it, it seems to be a dish that requires an oven to bake it.

Jade: The oven back at the Lounge isn't quite big... it would be quite difficult to bake enough of it.

Azul: I'm sure there are a number of ways to increase the turnover rate if you cook it all in one big platter.

Ruggie: Octanivelle's the same as ever.

Jade: Fufu... I suppose we can have a nice, long discussion about this once I have tried Jamil's cooking myself.

Jamil: Wait, I never said that I would make it- ...sigh...

Silver: *snore*

Jamil: See, you've bored Silver to sleep while you were hyped up about making profits.

Jade: Oh my, this won't do. My apologies for derailing the conversation.

Jade: Excuse me for a moment, Silver-san, Would you please wake up?

Silver: ...ha! I apologize. You want to know the traditions of Halloween at the Valley of Thorns, was it.

Jade: Yes, if you would please.

Silver: Halloween... all I can remember is my fath- I mean, Lilia-senpai going all out on dressing up for the occasion.

Riddle: As I recall, both of you are from the same province.

Jade: I see, so even the people from the Valley of Thorns would have costumes... It seems to be a standard custom no matter where you are from on the surface.

Silver: Do merfolk not have costumes?

Jade: We do not have a habit of wearing clothes in the first place.

Jade: But it is precisely because of that fact that I find wearing the many different kind of clothes from the surface quite interesting. Silver: As a matter of fact, it is quite difficult to say that dressing up was a fun memory... I shudder even now when I recall it.

Floyd: Ehh~ Wasn't pancake devilfish-chan even smaller back then?

Silver: Oh, there is not much of a change in terms of appearance, however...

Silver: It was the one and only Halloween that I had seen Lilia-senpai in such a fearsome visage....

Jade: My, that does sound very curious indeed, since he prides himself on being quite cute, and it's hard to disagree.

Silver: Lilia-senpai's threatening demeanor when dressed up like that...

Silver: Sebek who had witnessed the horror with me was also trembling in fear...

Silver: The two of us were so afraid to fall asleep that we promised to stay up all night together.

Jade: Oh my, if I were to be exposed to such horror, I would surely let out a loud scream myself...

Floyd: Ehh~ What the heck, I wanna see that too~ We've been together since the day we were born and I haven't got 'ta see that even once!

Ruggie: So~? Did you both end up greetin' the dawn with tears?

Silver: No, I ended up falling asleep at some point.

Riddle: As I thought...

Silver: Apparently, Sebek had to hold off on going to the toilet the whole night, so the next morning he was angry at me and called me a traitor.

Ruggie: Wow~ Even Sebek had such a cute side to him huh.

Jamil: Well then Ruggie, how is Halloween over at your place?

Ruggie: Me? I don't think our Halloween over at the slums would make much of a reference for ya.

Jade: Now now, I find any and every aspect of culture on the surface to be interesting, so please do enlighten me.

Ruggie: Well, I don't mind tellin' ya, but don't go gettin' all weirded out after hearin' it...

Ruggie: "Trick or Treat" is where ya get pranked if ye don't hand out the candy yeah?

Ruggie: But back at my place, it ain't anythin' as cute as that.

Ruggie: If candy isn't handed over, you'd be marked until ye do... it's a 24 hour candy collectin' endurance event! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wow that was long, really long, I almost died but I did it for y’all ;-; Note: Jamil and Kalim actually call the dish “Munazzara” but I believe that is another term for ‘Moussaka’ in jpn, I changed it so it’s easier to place. Part 1 Part 3

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noirapocalypto · 2 years

Note

How about 12 for all the lovelies?

Thank you!! 💕💕💕@rindemption

From this OC ask game.

12. What’s their ideal vacation like?

Paolo: He would love to go somewhere cold and snowy, somewhere he can take full advantage of wearing all his coats and wearing layers. He'd want to extend the vacation for as long as he can also, just take a few weeks off from the merc life to get a little taste of what having a 'normal' life of peace would be like. Ideally with a partner, but he's totally cool with having a group vacation with the gang.

Paola: She's somewhat the opposite of her brother. Her vacation spot would probably be somewhere tropical and on a beach. She's always wanted to have fun in the sun and a sand and wear a cute little bathing suit, like they 'do on TV'. It's probably on her bucket list to visit a beach at some point. Like her brother though, she's also eager to take a break from the mercenary world for a brief moment. All calls that are 'work' related get ignored, guns get put away (mostly) and all her focus would be on having fun and allowing herself to forget everything waiting for her back home. If she's with her partner, they have her full attention.

Renato: He's similiar to Paola in the sense that he would also love to visit somewhere tropical and with a beach. However, he's also more than happy to settle with staying somewhere nice with a pool, like a resort type of place. A big pool where he can lounge around in his swimsuit and show off that physique he's worked so hard on 😆If he's going on his own, he's definitely playing up the 'single' vibe. But if he's going with company, such as a partner or the gang, he'll be completely devoted to spending quality time with them.

Embry: Unlike his friends, he doesn't have a specific place where he wants to spend the majority of his time. His ideal vacation would be a road trip, maybe a cross country roadtrip. He loves sight seeing and visiting all sorts of new places. Wake up before the sun even rises, loading up on snacks and just driving with the people (or person) he loves most in the world. His favorite thing would be to stop at all the weird little towns or little roadside shops that sell oddities and splurging in souvenirs (he ALWAYS gets souvenirs for his loved ones).

Judah: Judah's rich ass can pretty much afford a vacation pretty much whenever he wants and at the drop of a hat too 😆His ideal vacation spot usually changes often (sometimes he wants to go somewhere cold and snowy, sometimes somewhere warm and tropical, sometimes in a bit city, othertimes in the calm, quiet country side) but his activities are usually always the same: his work phone gets shut off, his assistant knows to not call him unless there is an emergency, and the rest of his day gets spent splurging on unnecessary luxuries and getting himself pampered at spa's (either at an actual spa or he brings the spa to him). If he brings a partner with him, he'll spoil them and shower them with luxuries too. 💕

Salem: Salem is 100% a city boy and would want to visit some other large, metropolis area especially one that has heavy musical influences (particulary the underground stuff). His idea vacation would probably consist of constantly back to back concerts and shows--attending as a viewer this time rather than performing himself. And because of his 'not so healthy' recreational habits, he probably partakes in a lot of heavy partying too, curious to see what new stims he can come across that aren't available in Night City. However, if he's vacationing with his partner(s), he'll probably focus less on getting high and more on spending time with them and doing what they want to do as well--even if it's not exactly his vibe, he'll do it because he loves them.

#thank you so much for this one!!#sorry it took long #I wanted to give them each something unique xD #ᴏᴄ ⋆┊ʀᴇɴᴀᴛᴏ ᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴀ #ᴏᴄ ⋆┊ᴇᴍʙʀʏ ᴇʟʟɪꜱ ᴋɴɪɢʜᴛ #ᴏᴄ ⋆┊ᴘᴀᴏʟᴏ ᴠᴇʟᴀsǫᴜᴇᴢ #ᴏᴄ ⋆┊ᴘᴀᴏʟᴀ ᴠᴇʟᴀsǫᴜᴇᴢ #ᴏᴄ ⋆┊ᴊᴜᴅᴀʜ ᴅᴜʙᴏɪꜱ #ᴏᴄ ⋆┊ꜱᴠʟᴇᴍ

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warsofasoiaf · 4 years

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I'd love to hear your thoughts about Cyberpunk 2077 when you are ready/have finished the game. Maybe besides the game itself you have an opinion about the crunch, bugs and general feeling of disappointment in a good portion of the fans

Sure thing. It’s going to be a long write-up and there are going to be spoilers, so you better believe that this is going to have a cut. Reader beware. For context, I have beat the game, and I played it on PC and only on PC.

I’ve been a fan of the cyberpunk genre for a long time. Transhuman and techno-utopian sci-fi always struck me the wrong way; that it was too optimistic and ignored a less savory element of human nature that simply would not go away with the advent of new technologies. While I only briefly dipped my toes in the water of the Cyberpunk tabletop game (I was always a bigger fan of Shadowrun), I did enjoy the genre and was eager to see a AAA cyberpunk game. I also really liked CD Projekt Red with what they did with RPG’s like the Witcher 3. Particularly when it came to the smaller sidequests, they really found a way to bring a lot of noir elements and hard-hitting character moments to the game, and I believed that it could translate very well into a cyberpunk game. After all, noir was a similar response to detective fiction to what the cyberpunk genre was to earlier elements of sci-fi. So I was quite optimistic when it came out. What we got was...well, it didn’t quite meet up with expectations.

There are some good things about the game. Assuming you have a beefy rig, PC cyberpunk looks pretty good. Not only does it look good, but it looks like the dismal 1980′s inspired future that had defined the genre, with its neon lights, omnipresent advertising to the point of satire (amphetamines are available from vending machines in a variety of flavors and commercials are completely ridiculous). The fixers are great examples of different cyberpunk archetypes like Regina Jones being a media or the Padre being an underclass civic leader looking to protect his community with a bit of a violent streak. Plenty of the characters had great personality, the nomads and Panam were enjoyable, Judy had a great questline that detailed optimism and bitter disappointment (and the character looks cool and is a bit of a cinnamon roll), River’s quest was a perfectly serviceable cop questline with enough horror elements, they were all fine. Keanu wasn’t a great voice actor, but he did serviceably and was apparently just wonderful with the staff, so I’m willing to cut him a pass. The level design can encourage a variety of different play styles, with attribute points opening up certain pathways. Given that it’s an open-world sandbox game, the goal should be to immerse yourself in the world, and touch on elements of cyberpunk as you go through the various quests, and you do see some of that. You see the gross exploitations of dolls in the sex trade when you go to Clouds, the bizarre elements of self-expression that new technologies can offer such as the twins in Kabuki, Pacifica is an abandoned recreation ground for the rich with the nice image of rotting Ferris wheels and abandoned malls, and you can see the divide between the have’s and have-not’s on full display both in the opening (compare and contrast the Street Kid with the Corpo beginnings) or take a look at the Peralez’s penthouse apartment versus Judy’s cramped digs. Honestly, one of my favorite things in the game were just the consumables to highlight the different food and drink available to the people of Night City. The heavy population means that foods like fried ants or locust pepperoni are common, amphetamines are available in a variety of flavors, and there are no less than 20 burrito vending machines on every street (the future is not all bad it seems). I like little worldbuilding moments like this in video games because it does give a sense of completion and immersion within the world. I honestly felt bad for Johnny Silverhand, because by the end of the game I had to be a bloated man-ball of Holobites Peach Pie and Cirrus Cola.

The game even took a few things that had aged poorly in the cyberpunk genre and improved them. The Mox is a gang specifically meant to stop the Disposable Sex Worker trope, it’s small and part of the reason it survives is that it’s small, but it offers a chance of improvement over the exploitation that the Tyger Claws offer. The cyberpyscho quest is probably the best one of this. Earlier Cyberpunk had cyberpsychosis as a serious concern directly correlated with how many implants you got. The Solo archetype even spoke about how you risk losing your humanity with your implants as you became stronger, better, faster. Even later iterations had depersonalization/derealization disorders as people who could see in the dark lost connection to those who couldn’t. A quick thought in our present though, changes this. My eyesight and hearing is just fine, but I don’t lose connection or common empathy with individuals who are blind or deaf. I have two arms and two legs and I have not lost empathy for amputees. Why then, would I lose empathy and connection with someone with average human eyesight after I get my eyes replaced and now I have the ability to see in the dark or have telescopic sight? The cyberpsycho quest actually took this concept to task; cyberpsychos around the city are seen as horrifying threats that need the high-threat response of MaxTac to deal with, but Regina is looking to see if she can cure cyberpsychosis. Mechanically, the cyberpsychos are boss-fights with elements of puzzle gameplay (how to handle the different skillsets that they have) and a bonus reward for non-lethal damage which rewards certain playstyle archetypes or prepwork for those who ensure that they have a non-lethal option. The information you find around each cyberpyscho showcase different problems in the target’s life, no real common thread or inciting incident that you can trace the onset of cyberpsychosis toward and identify a culprit. After you complete the quest, you learn the twist: there is no such thing as cyberpsychosis. Each of the targets were actually just experiencing different stressors within their lives, such as PTSD, losing their job, drug abuse, etc. and the breakdown is made much worse because these individuals have the ability to toss dumpsters like they were baseballs or pick the wings off a fly with a cybernetically enhanced brain with a .50 cal. Some of these individuals had terrible implant surgery done by bargain-basement ripperdocs and temporarily lost the ability to discern reality from fantasy, something that could easily be seen as a science fiction adaptation of temporary insanity brought on by a poor reaction to medicine. It’s backed up by the game too. V can fill every slot in their cyberware deck but never once experiences cyberpsychosis. Oda has ultra-legs and flaming-hot mantis blades and is in perfect control at every point in the game, even when he’s trying to jab those mantis blade through your sternum. Cyberpyschosis isn’t real, the irresponsible media just ran with it because fear sells. For all the flaws of the game, I respect the game for taking cyberpsychosis in that direction.

But for all those good things, the game couldn’t help but feel shallower than the Witcher 3. The side-gigs were formulaic to the point where they even led with a category. There were few twists and very little that was surprising. Exposition for these quests was limited to a short text dump and a minute voice-over. Night City was big but it was relatively sparse. NCPD never seemed to intervene in any crimes (giving the character the chance to do so) but every so often they were around a taped-off crime scene, giving a sense of inconsistency that hampered the world. While it was a bustling city, it felt empty, most of the people I saw on the street were meaningless, just NPC’s walking around to give a sense of activity. There was little in the way of things to see and experience that was unique or different about these NPC’s. They weren’t crowds I could hide in like Hitman, they didn’t have ambient dialogue that showcased something like the Witcher 3. Much like other open-world games, this sense of shallowness pervaded much of the empty space of the world; it was incredibly *big* but there was little in it. Much of the time I was driving or running through empty space that was completely worthless to me. Normal for city living, but all of that is wasted time going from point A to point B, and unlike the Witcher 3, there were no small in-game beats to help flesh it out or build it. I never had Millie from “Where the Wolf and Cat Play” give me a little picture, I never had people from a liberated village say “hey, look, it’s that guy Geralt, thanks for killing those harpies.” These were things that made the Witcher 3′s world really come alive. I didn’t have that, and I was left

Of course, we also have to handle the elephant in the room, and that was CDPR’s conduct both during production and after release. Crunch has become an increasingly common part of video game development and it’s not healthy to developers. CDPR had been called out on it once before, but it seemed there was little change in how that happens. I’m not quite sure if there’s anything we can do, and I’m sympathetic to the need to hit target deadlines to actually deliver a finished product, but there’s got to be a better way, whether that’s a change to the incentive structure, or something, because it’s hurting folks. I like games like Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, but I understand that there was a real human cost to these masterpieces, and I wonder if there’s something we can do about that.

Similarly, what happened after launch was beyond terrible. The last-gen console version were simply not ready for release and shouldn’t have been released to the public. CDPR openly covered up this, by only previewing the PC version, they hid the fact that the game wasn’t ready, and they avoided delaying the last-gen console version because they were looking to capitalize on holiday sales. I’m sympathetic for the need to generate sales, but the flip of this is that you have to deliver the product you advertise, and for last-gen consoles, they didn’t do so. Bugs are one thing, these games are massive undertakings of interacting systems and bugs are inevitable; some of my favorite games were buggy at release, notably Fallout: New Vegas, Witcher 3, and so on. But this went past bugs and into malpractice and deception, and that’s something that’s less forgivable. I personally had few bugs that were out-and-out game breaking but things not loading, quests bugging out, floating bags and other physics wonkiness, all of that hurt the immersion. I’d be more willing to forgive the game without the deception; I can laugh at bugs but not at ignoring quality control to get holiday sales instead of delivering a quality product. Consumers are angry at CDPR and have every reason to be, and I’m one of them. I can express my disappointment and I will do so, we need developers to stop these practices and the only way we can do that is through our wallets and words. I’m not going to tell anyone not to buy CDPR games, that’s entirely your decision because I’m a radical individualist. But I am going to say that they’ve burned a lot of their good karma with me; credibility is a hard beast to gain back. Much like other big name developers, CDPR has hurt their standing in my eyes. Whether that means I need to resort to going to indie games for a little bit or something else, I don’t know, but it’s rough. I liked CDPR and wanted to believe it’d be different, but it seems to not be the case.

Overall, I think it’s another AAA open-world game only made better by my love of the genre, and that stings. I enjoyed some aspects of it, and I hope that through Free DLC, patching, and other good deeds, the game can redeem itself and stimulate new love of the genre. But CDPR needs to do a lot more than that to win back my affection. If anyone has anything specifically that they want to know about the game, such as talk about the main story, individual characters, or so on, just ask.

Thanks for the question, Khef.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

#video game reviews #cyberpunk 2077

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whispersafterdusk · 4 years

Text

Lost in Time - ch 4

The next morning Dr. Xu and Eli were already waiting for Arlo and Sam outside the Corps building; the initial plan had been to put Eli on Spacer and then walk out together but Eli had assured them she knew how to ride so they'd changed to Eli on Spacer, Arlo and Xu on Arrow, and Sam on Teddy, with the group heading out together with everyone mounted.

And she did seem comfortable enough on Spacer's back so they'd sped up to a light trot; with everyone mounted and out of the mud they were actually making good time in getting out to the sinkhole.

"Was horseback riding a popular hobby, in the Old World?"

There was a pause before Eli answered Xu. "For some. For me it was just part of training."

Sam, at the head of their little procession, turned to look back at her curiously. "Training? For what?" ((Continued below cut))

"Armed forces."

Arlo blinked. "Armed forces? You're a soldier?"

"Was, am, still will be. I am one of thirty seven 3-star gold rank Ranger Captains - the only person higher in the chain of command in the Ranger division is the Ranger General. The Rangers of Dubei were one specialized arm of the Dubei Armed Forces, our partner division was Spec Ops. Then you had your various rank and file for air, land, and sea, and we all answered to the High General of Dubei."

Arlo heard a very quiet 'that explains a few things...' from Xu sitting behind him. "I see. Did the Dubei army ride horses a lot then?"

"Not the army in general - the Rangers did though, Spec Ops too. We were the ones expected to be ready for anything so we were taught a lot of skills that most people assumed couldn't possibly be useful. Such as riding a horse when there were thousands of different types of personal and multiperson flying or motorized craft available."

"Were you in the war that-" Sam stopped abruptly, gaze flicking to Arlo and Xu. Xu was making a 'cut it out' gesture as he leaned around Arlo to be seen. "-nevermind."

Eli snorted. "Was I IN a war? Probably. We'd been having unrest and diplomatic breakdowns for about three years, last I remember. It was one of those unofficial deals -- everyone was doing warlike things, but no one dared declare it a war. Not yet."

"DID they call it a war, ever?"

Eli was silent for a long period of time; they were almost up to the familiar red tent at the platform's edge when she finally answered. "I remember my post being shelled. If that didn't get called out for open warfare I don't know what would've been."

When they were at the tent they all dismounted, with Sam helping lift Eli down; with the horses tied to a nearby tree they made their way onto the platform and there Eli paused, shielding her eyes against the sun as she slowly (and carefully) spun in place and scanned their surroundings.

"Not even the cliffs..." she muttered, huffing out a sigh that sounded more annoyed than anything else.

"What about the cliffs?"

Eli slowly began making her way to the elevator car. "I said, not even the cliffs look familiar. I was hoping I'd recognize SOMETHING out here...anything, really. I can't for the life of me see anything of Dubei in what's left. Even the ruins that're mostly intact -- I can recognize WHAT they were but not WHERE they were in Dubei." She paused, then gave them a strained smile. "Not surprising, I guess -- Dubei was huge. Portia's nothing at all like it."

"How big was Dubei?" Sam asked, stepping into the car.

Eli followed her in and as the elevator began to lower Arlo heard her answer "um...big. Millions big" and then they were out of sight on their way to the bottom of the shaft.

Arlo looked to Xu, and then to Selene as she came out of the tent weighed down with two toolboxes and two duffel bags across her chest and back. "We ready?"

Xu nodded; Arlo took one toolbox and one of the (extremely heavy) duffel bags, and waited for the elevator to come back up.

------------------------------------------

Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it.

It was a mantra running through her head -- one that was familiar, that had been taught to her a long time ago-

Don't think about it.

-that had popped up over and over across all the training it had taken to rise to the rank she carried.

Don't think about it. In those lessons, "it" was whatever was not immediately crucial to the mission.

That this world wasn't her own wasn't crucial. The fact Dubei was...gone, wiped off the map without a trace, wasn't crucial. Nothing was familiar, everything was new and wrong and wholly alien to her, but these facts were not crucial to the mission.

They didn't matter right now.

Her mission as it stood was:

- get to the heart of this facility and see what power system was installed - determine the extent of damage done and calculate probability of a total system meltdown - corollary to above: determine level of danger to facility and surrounding area should total system failure occur - create plan of repair if repair is possible - if repair is not possible, figure out how to fully and properly shut down the equipment and de-couple it from the system as a whole and disable it enough that it can't be turned on again - adapt as needed

There were many details that were up in the air -- did this time period even have the tools needed to do any of the steps she'd mentally laid out? Rangers were taught to adapt at any cost but adapation had its limits; if there wasn't any tool remotely similar to what she'd need to detach conduits or activate the safety measures or repair a damn reactor then she couldn't just 'adapt' a suitable tool out of thin air, and this time period may not have the infrastructure in place to try to recreate one.

Were there any AIs left down here? Based on the time-ravaged halls they were walking down it didn't look likely...where had the AIs gone? Why had her people taken the AIs but left their dead behind?

Yes, she knew about the skeletal remains in the halls these Civil Corps folks were keeping her away from (not that it mattered - Eli knew nothing immediately important would be found in the office or dorm areas). If anyone would have the details on this facility and how to stave off a reactor meltdown, it would be an AI - either one of the assistants or even the installed All Source, if it was still here.

Don't think about it.

What had happened here was a mystery she'd need to work on, secondary to securing the reactor. Additionally, what this place WAS was a mystery needing solving - if she knew what this facility was for and why she was down here that would answer a few personal questions she had.

Don't think about it.

She had to stop and rest several times, bracing her cane against the wall and leaning her backside into it like a tall, terrible stool. To be this weak and unreliable in a situation like this irked her -- she'd never been one who needed to be carried or coddled, not even as a child. Her mother liked to say she came out of the womb at a sprint and never sat down since; she'd love to be sprinting right now, or at least capable of walking ten feet without getting winded or weak in the knees.

Don't think about it.

---------------------------------------------

"I'm not sure which building this was because I'm not sure where we are, locationally, within Dubei, but I do know Dubei itself had at least 1763 hospitals and that's not accounting for specialized facilities, long-term care, rehabs, or anything else that wasn't considered general or acute care."

"Really?" Xu asked, looking amazed. "The entire Alliance doesn't even have that many between them."

Eli shrugged and waited patiently as Arlo, Xu, Selene, and Sam stepped out of the elevator ahead of her; all of them carried either a flashlight or wore a small headlamp (Eli had a headlamp herself) and the two Civil Corps members led the way to a shattered glass door across the room from the elevator's opening. "Dubei had a population of 2.7 million if you counted all the outlying suburbs and territories. With that many people you have to have enough places for folks to go. No amount of peaceful times can keep you from getting sick or old, and the human body has quite a number of failure points even if you're at the pinnacle of healthy."

Arlo stepped through the door and aside to let the other three through, then offered Eli a steadying hand as she picked her way over the broken glass in the floor. "Were hospitals normally underground like this?"

"No," was Eli's simple reply. "But I never said this WAS a hospital."

"You sure sounded like you were implying it."

"It's a possibility but not a definitive fact at this time," Eli sighed. "The only facilities that tended to be underground were research facilities. Being underground shielded delicate equipment from outside interference. We might be in the underbelly of an especially large hospital, or we might be in a research center. Neither is more likely than the other at the moment."

Ahead of her Sam and Arlo kicked away broken glass and twisted metal left over from the light fixtures that had fallen from the ceiling; it wasn't entirely needed but the gesture was appreciated all the same as she followed in their wake and walked up to the lone console she could see in the light of their flashlights.

"Did you bring a power source?"

Selene nodded. "Yep. I brought four, in fact."

"Good. I can already tell we'll need in that center panel there but let me get a look at what else we're working with."

As Selene began digging for the right sized wrench to start removing bolts from the panel Eli eyed the computer console from where she stood; it was rectangular in shape but slightly curved, came up to a little taller than her waist, and was covered in buttons, dials, a few wide slots and some sockets, a single lever whose head could fit into her palm, the grill of a speaker, and a pair of keyboards on either end. The console was long enough to fit four people, five if they stood shoulder to shoulder.

Pretty standard really, aside from the fact she didn't see any displays or monitors nor did she see where they might have been if they HAD been here and had since been removed. The slots she could see suggested that, for this room at least, they might have relied entirely on the portable displays (both portable screens as well as self-contained computer units). It was a lot more efficient to carry copies of your work around on a personal computer where you could later connect to the main system to update the files either in the database or update things on your screen rather than be tied to a stationary console -- the problem was Eli doubted they'd have any chance at all at finding a still-functional screen after all this time, which would leave them reliant on verbal communication with the AI system (assuming THAT was even functional, and she wasn't holding her breath).

With a grunt Selene popped the panel loose and Eli moved her attention to the woman and the revealed inner workings of the console. With an offered arm from Xu she carefully lowered herself down to the ground to sit cross-legged in front of the opening and hunched so her headlamp shined inside.

Familiar wiring and conduits met her gaze - the dust coating everything in here was thick enough she couldn't see coloring or labels but she could mostly guess what was what based on connector rings, sizes, and where everything was running to or out of.

"All right... See that wide cap there, in the very back?"

Selene got on her hands and knees, peering into the open panel as Eli leaned back. "-the one that kind of looks like that's where the tube wires come in?"

"Tube wi- oh. This is the room you found me in, I recall now. No, those should be routed to the left there -- that one there with the 3-way split."

"Oh, ok - I see that one. So the wide cap one is... Aha, I see it. Is that the incoming power?"

"Yes. What you'll want to do is follow it in about eight inches and then take the top off the box it looks like it's feeding in to. See it?"

"Yep," Selene answered. Eli scooted out of the way and the woman moved in closer; she took off her headlamp and tapped the builder on the shoulder with it, swapping it out for the flashlight she held. It wasn't an ideal angle but Eli shined it over her shoulder into the opening anyway to supplement the headlamp and then had nothing else to do but wait and hope the woman was able to get the relay box's lid off.

There were a few clanks, the sound of something breaking loose followed by the sound of metal clattering against plastic, and then Selene pulled out of the opening with the lid in hand. "There we go. Now what?"

"Now you're going to want to carefully unplug those wires from that box, and hope we can hotwire it to whatever power source you brought with you."

"Hotwire?"

"Uh... That's a term basically meaning to bypass an ignition or relay point."

"Gotcha."

Eli shuffled back over and watched as the builder dropped the wrench back into her toolbox and dragged over one of the duffel bags they'd carried down; inside was the familiar gleam of power stones (thank the Three that THOSE had persisted through the centuries) held within a metal bracket with wires and switches attached. Selene handed the cobbled together device to Eli before ducking back inside the open panel to examine and remove the plugs.

She didn't recognize the plug ends on the device but that wouldn't matter much so long as they had a means to strip the wires and solder them together. Definitely wouldn't be the first time she'd had to wire something on the fly like this - it'd be sloppy and slightly dangerous but if it worked it worked.

The builder pulled back out a moment later with a handful of wires and Eli waited as she carefully threaded them through and under the other components of the computer until she had about three feet of wire length freed from all the little clasps and hooks that had held everything neatly in place; as Selene handled the wires she smudged away the dust and Eli began picking out individual wires by color -- that one was for the cooling system, that one for a display (still needed to figure out that part), the thickest one was for the console entirely, there were two that powered the input devices on this end...that last thin black-looking one had to be for an on-board audio input/output system.

Bare minimum she'd need power to the console, the cooling system, and the audio (they wouldn't need the keyboard or buttons since there wasn't a screen to work off of - that would be less drain and strain on the power stones at least. The device Selene had put together held four of the yellow condensed power stones together in a completed circuit; she was glad to see the yellow ones since if it had been blue or lower they'd need way more to have any hope of powering a console this large. Four...MIGHT be enough. They'd have to see.

"Right, now - do you have a wire stripper?"

"A -- I use a sharpened part of my wire snips for that. Is that ok?"

Eli nodded. "Should work - cut the wires right at the base of the plug then clear off about a half inch of the coating. Does solder still exist?"

"Yep. I'm guessing I'll be doing the same to the plugs on my portable power device, right?"

"Correct."

Eli held the ends of the wires steady as Selene snipped and stripped, then sorted them out and lined up ends of wires so the builder woman could slowly solder them all together without having to juggle tools and align ends (strangely, she was using a mini welding torch to melt the solder...well, whatever, it was working). When they were all connected Eli searched over the device until she found the on/off switch and flicked it on.

There was a loud crackling noise out of the console's speaker, causing everyone to jump; after a few more bursts of static there came a series of pleasant tones and then a low chime before-

"-Laboratory Assistant AI, online." The voice was feminine and robotic - most AIs tended to have that metallic-like quality to their voices so that wasn't out of the ordinary at least.

Eli briefly glanced around - the others were staring down at the console as buttons and the slots lit up across its surface. "-state your designation and assigned task category, please."

There was a tiny stutter and staticky noise again. "I am known as Pauline. My assigned tasks were to monitor laboratory experiments, issue instructions to medical assistant AI systems, provide back up storage for all experiment-related documentation, and record all meeting minutes and conversations that take place within my designated region within this facility. May I ask who I'm speaking to? I seem to be having trouble with my optics and my sensors beyond this immediate station are offline."

Eli carefully moved the power device out of her lap and onto the floor near her feet. "I am Ranger Captain Elizabeth Summers. Do you have me registered in your system?"

"Let me check... I have you registered on the patient roster, ma'am."

"But nowhere else?"

"No."

Eli nodded - she had expected that. "All right. I need you to register me as primary administrative contact for this entire facility."

"I can't do that without prior administrative permissions from the All Source AI of the facility, ma'am. Please wait a moment -- oh dear. My chronometer says I have been offline for 25 years, 8 months, 12 days, 2 hours, and 36 minutes. Auxiliary power is offline."

"I know. And unfortunately I am the only surviving member of this facility so I will need that administrative access."

"Please give me a moment to verify such a claim, ma'am - I do apologize for the delays in my responses. I don't have the needed power level to run at full speed."

"Move as fast as you can safely process, Pauline. We're in a dire situation. While checking your logs run a cursory maintenance check on yourself for any data corruption."

"Yes ma'am."

The AI went quiet and Eli could hear a low whine from somewhere inside the console - age, dust, and the relative power level of the power stones were definitely putting a strain on Pauline's processor cores but there wasn't anything they could do about that at the moment.

"-I'm detecting no internal corruption. I am showing that 115 years, 3 months, 6 days, 14 hours, and 16 minutes ago the auxiliary power systems came online .0034 seconds after the primary reactor went offline. My logs indicate a connection failure between relay box 5372A-2 and 6981-B17, which placed undue stress on connected sectors and radiated out to effect the entire northeastern quadrant of floors 19 through 47. As a precaution the reactor was closed off from the rest of the facility but it doesn't appear anyone answered the maintenance request."

At that Eli let out a huge sigh and leaned back against the wall behind her, feeling lightheaded with relief. If it was a connection failure then the safety measures purposely took the reactor offline. That meant they were in no danger of anything exploding. At everyone's looks she gave them a smile and two thumbs up. "That means we're in the clear - no explosion worries."

All at once an unseen tension melted from the room and the rest of them looked as relieved as she felt.

"Thank goodness," Xu sighed.

"Oh. I didn't realize there were more than one user present," Pauline interrupted. Xu seemed surprised that the AI had heard him as he'd been barely above a whisper. "Please identify yourselves."

"They're not anyone registered with this facility, Pauline," Eli replied before anyone else could. "Please search back through your logs and tell me what happened prior to the relay failure."

"One moment."

As they waited Xu dropped down to his knees beside Eli, gingerly resting a hand on her shoulder. "How are you doing?" he asked - this time he WAS whispering, and Pauline either didn't detect it or was too preoccupied with her task to respond.

She smiled faintly at him. "Like I want to fall over, but in a good way. Knowing we're not going to explode any time soon is a big relief, and now we're in no rush to do anything down here."

Xu frowned. "You're still recovering, exhaustion is to be expected."

Eli briefly clapped her hand to his on her shoulder. "I'll be fine for a bit longer, doctor. Don't worry about me."

His fingers carefully squeezed but his look of concern didn't budge; there WAS a creeping ache born out of tiredness coming over her but she didn't actually feel on the verge of collapse. She glanced around and saw Arlo looking at her with the same concerned look on his face - Selene and Sam were both focused on the computer console at least.

"Ma'am, I am ready to provide my log report."

She returned her attention to the console as well even though there wasn't anything to actually look at. "Go ahead, Pauline."

"Approximately 329 years, 7 months, 27 days, 10 hours, 12 minutes ago, I am showing that the facility went into emergency lock-down with the lock-down tagged with 'status: invader, armed, dangerous.' Approximately 26 minutes later I am showing a mass evacuation of registered users leaving the building though the roster indicates there were 115 people unaccounted for based on automatic logging at all exit points. 3 minutes after the evacuation the 'hazardous material release protocol' broadcast issued."

"This place was attacked?" Arlo asked into the silence that followed Pauline's report.

"It would seem so, Unknown User Male A. I do not have any further information beyond what is contained in the logs however. For more detail you would need to speak to the All Source AI of this facility and I do not detect him online."

Arlo blinked at the AI's words; Eli inwardly laughed -- assistant or administrative AIs always gave odd designations to users they weren't familiar with. "When did he go offline?"

"Checking. -- when auxiliary power went offline."

Selene straightened where she sat, looking up to Arlo. "The auxiliary power went out right as we rescued Eli -- that All Source hasn't been offline for long."

"Correct, Unknown User Female A," Pauline responded. "The All Source AI has priority when there is any power issue. As auxiliary power reached critical levels all non-essential services were disabled, followed by non-essential sectors, then I was put into standby and then deactivated completely to preserve what remaining power was present when auxiliary power dropped below 20% - unfortunately this means I am reliant on passively obtained system logs at this time and my access to those is hindered due to alarmingly low system power."

Arlo blew out a sigh. "I can't believe there's another All Source here... We had enough trouble protecting the first one we found."

Pauline's tone shifted from the pleasantly proper one she'd been using to one that had a tinge of amusement to it. "Of course there's an All Source AI here - it would be silly to have a facility of this size and importance without one."

"An All Source AI is just a central AI that controls and coordinates a system of lesser AIs," Eli said, glancing up to Arlo again. "Even every house had one."

"Indeed!" Pauline chirped, sounding pleased. "And Stewart is quite a pleasant AI - I look forward to interfacing with him again. It's been a very long time. -- ma'am, considering the situation I have decided to give you full adminstrative access to all protocols, sectors, and documentation that are registered as being within my job designation. Further access will need to be provided by Stewart."

"Got it," Eli replied. There was a burning starting behind her eyes and she rubbed a finger in one idly, trying to encourage it to water a little bit. "Pauline, we're going to leave you hooked up to this current emergency power. Can you tell how long before it'll run out?"

"Checking... I estimate the current power source attached to my system will last approximately 6 days, 4 hours, and 19 minutes."

"Is that at your current activity level or without activity factored in at all?"

"With activity. If I put myself back into standby my estimation goes up to 14 days, 19 hours, and 47 minutes."

"Good enough. I want you to put yourself into standby and only awaken on the command of myself, or one of the the four people currently here with me. I'm going to have them state their names - get a voice imprint for your access logs."

"Yes ma'am!"

Slowly draining energy was something Eli had in common with the AI; she pressed her back fully against the wall and pointed a finger at Xu, then to Selene, followed by Sam and then to Arlo. "In that order, go. All you need is your name."

"Uh...Dr. Xu?" Xu said, sounding as uncertain as he looked; Eli gave him an approving nod and dropped her gaze to Selene.

"Selene!"

"Sam."

"Arlo."

After everyone had had their turn there was a brief period of silence before Pauline responded. "Users: Dr. Xu, Selene, Sam, and Arlo voice imprints registered. A pleasure to place names with voices. If that's all then I'll place myself on standby and await future orders."

"That'll be all, Pauline. We'll be back later."

The glow of the buttons all dimmed to barely noticeable and the whine of processors faded; Eli closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The anxiety from not knowing the reactor's status had been mostly keeping her alert and on her feet - anxiety and adrenaline both, really - and now that she knew they were in the clear she was approaching a point where all she wanted was a warm blanket and a relatively clean horizontal surface to stretch out on.

Again there was a hand on the shoulder; she opened her eyes to find Xu had dropped down beside her on his knees. His other hand moved to her wrist where his fingers found her pulse. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Just tired, doctor. Don't need to be so tightly strung now that I know we're not going boom."

Xu nodded and looked from her to Arlo. "Let's get back to the surface and to the clinic. It seems we're done here."

"Right," Arlo said; he stepped down from the dais to give Sam room to get out of his way, then he came back up and offered both hands to Eli.

She hated how her hands were shaking as she reached up to take them, and with Xu at one side and Arlo pulling up both men got her on her feet; before she could reach for her cane Arlo swept her up into his arms, carefully adjusting his grip so his fingers weren't pinched against the backs of her knees. Xu had her cane in hand and was following close at Arlo's elbow as he turned to carry her toward the elevator.

"Sam, if Selene wants to poke around stay with her, all right?" Arlo called over his shoulder (he was considerate enough to shout it over the shoulder opposite from the one Eli's head was currently drooping toward - she appreciated that, even if it rubbed her the wrong way to have to rely on someone carrying her to get out of here).

As they walked away Eli could hear Selene giving Sam instructions on securing the exposed wires; she closed her eyes again and focused on keeping her head upright as the three of them got into the elevator and began the long walk back to the surface.

So far as she could recall Dubei had 47 research centers within the capital -- most of those were tech-based but 13 she was certain had been strictly medical research. The problem with that was she could recall all the numbers she wanted but she still had no means of matching where they all were on Dubei's map to try and mentally overlay that to what the land looked like now.

Don't think about it.

'What kind of damn war could alter the landscape to such a degree...' she found herself thinking. It would've need to be one hell of a war to have removed Dubei from the map like this.

Don't think about it.

Her eyes started watering. It didn't help the aching, burning feeling behind them.

After a bit she felt the first hints of a cold wind blowing down the entry-point elevator shaft, and then sunlight hit her eyelids; Arlo's boots thumped across the wooden platform underneath her as he carried her out to the horses.

"You get up first, doctor - I'll hand her up and you can ride together back to town."

Eli could do little aside from wait to be passed from one man to the other; Xu wasn't willing to go faster than a walk with the horse so the trip back to town took longer than the trip out this morning had, but that was all right -- the cold woke her up a bit so she was able to slide down from the saddle with Phyllis's help once they were back in the clinic, and then with Xu on one side and Phyllis on the other she was helped back inside and to the bed she was becoming incredibly familiar with.

"Are you in any pain?"

"Minor headache, doctor - just tired."

"Do you feel you'll be hungry after you rest?" Phyllis asked then, helping her get her boots and coat off.

Eli shook her head and fumbled her legs up into the bed, and Phyllis pulled the blanket up as she sank into the pillow and shortly after she was out like a snuffed candle. When she woke there was still daylight coming in through the clinic's windows so she couldn't have been out for long.

'Not nearly so long as...as the last big sleep I took...'

Her eyes started burning again, and watering; with an irritated huff she scrubbed the back of her hand across them to smear the moisture away.

From nearby she heard the rustling of paper. "-are you all right, Eli?"

"Yeah, doc - bad dream, is all. Just a really bad dream."

#Lost in Time #lit #Lost in Time - ch 4 #Arlo #Sam #Dr. Xu #Builder #Eli #Phyllis #My Time at Portia

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nmik-agere · 5 years

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♡ Littlespace ♡

Sadly, I accidentally deleted an ask regarding littlespace while trying to edit it and add on to it so I decided I needed to make a post regarding it!

What is littlespace?

Littlespace is a term that derived from the 18+ ageplay kink community. It is a term that submissives in the ageplay/cgl community use to describe the voluntary psychological shift they create themselves to motivate themselves to metaphorically feel younger and happy. Littlespace is a term to describe a certain mood; or headspace a person has while consciously being aware of their chronological age and withholding to their cognitive abilities while still being aware of age appropriate behavior that they themselves can control. It is a hobby and a coping mechanism people use to cope and distress and enjoy embracing the innocence of childhood and releasing and expressing their alter ego or the child within. It is also a type of subspace; a distinct, noticeable shift in a persons mental and physical state provoked by BDSM activities, specifically BDSM activities that fall under the subcategory of ageplay, such as ageplay itself or cgl and it’s variants and ab/dl.

Didn’t the term littlespace derive from the DID community?

The term Littlespace did not derive from mental health facilities towards those who have dissociative identity disorders. The term you are getting confused with is the term Little. In dissociative disorders a system; a person with DID or OSDD may have a child alter that they refer to as a Little because that person in their system is a child. Trauma at a young age is the cause of developing a dissociative disorder and experiencing age sliding or having a child alter, which is a form of age regression. The term littlespace has never been used in context to refer to age sliding or a child alter fronting. Littlespace is not a clinical DID or OSDD term, It has never been used by clinicians; psychologist or therapist.

Is littlespace an alternative term for regression?

No! Despite the improper use of the term littlespace on social media, littlespace is not a term to describe the regressive mindset that is due to trauma, psychiatric disorders, neurological/developmental disorders, and intellectual and cognitive disorders. Regression is a defensive coping mechanism. A defense mechanism is an automatic response or reaction of the body that is an unconscious mental process used to avoid conscious anxiety or conflict. Age regression being a defense mechanism means it can not be a deliberate activity, unlike littlespace. Littlespace is about distressing, coping, and recreation, It has nothing to do with safeguarding your mind unconsciously as an instinct learned through trauma against feelings and thoughts that are too difficult for you to cope with consciously in order to escape and protect yourself. It has nothing to do with the loss of intellectual or cognitive abilities or experiencing a dissociative intrusion or an emotional flashback due to being triggered. When a person is in littlespace they are not retreating to an earlier mental or behavioral level that is the reversion to a chronologically earlier or less adapted pattern of behavior and feeling that they have to periodically live with. Littlespace is not a defensive mechanism because it is voluntary. When people put themselves in this certain headspace as a coping mechanism or as a hobby, physically, emotionally, and mentally they do not believe they are chronologically and biologically a child.

The term littlespace has also never been used in the medical field or the medical community by psychologist, therapist, or patients. If it was an alternative term for regression or a term that was cohesive with regression it would be known by those who work with people who regress in the medical field and by the community of those who regress since regression is a psychological term. There would be a history of the term littlespace associated with trauma, psychiatric disorders, and intellectual and cognitive disorders, and it would be a term used sometimes when referring to having a dissociative intrusion or an emotional flashback. The term littlespace hasn’t been associated with regression until 2016 due to online tumblr community discourse. The CGLRE community in particular. People who use the term littlespace to identify regression are using a term that derived from a subcategory of BDSM in replace of a psychological term made to describe their experiences and they are misinterpreting the original definition of littlespace; mixing a defensive mechanism with a voluntary hobby and coping mechanism. In other words they are mixing a conscious process with an unconscious one. This is not okay. Using the term Littlespace to explain regression can also make people misconstrue the definition of regression. This should not be supported.

Is the term littlespace SFW?

No! SFW stands for safe for work. Littlespace is not safe for the work place! Since the term littlespace oriented from the bdsm kink community it makes the term littlespace inherently NOT safe for work. It is clear for people to understand that CGL (DDLG) is not safe for work because it is a subcategory of BDSM; it is inherently a Kink whether or not it’s non-sexual or not. You can not take a term that derived from a subcategory of BDSM and make it completely safe for the public. Something that is safe for work is content, actions, and speech that would hold no issues if your superviser were to find out about it. It would also be content, actions, and speech that would be okay to be shared with your boss and your coworkers. If individuals at work were to see you using an adult pacifier at work or looking at text post or photos regarding people who are not physically babies or toddlers using baby items it would be deemed as inappropriate regardless if it’s not sexual and there is no topic of BDSM mentioned. The content, actions, and speech that comes up on your search results from looking up the word littlespace could be considered obscene material because the supreme court and the states have a direct interest in public morality. Material is also considered obscene if the material appeals to prurient interest or depicts offensive sexual nature. It is clear to see that Littlespace is stigmatized to adult themes, it can be traced back to its roots, the kink community. Your boss could identify your behavior as engaging in inappropriate activity at the workplace. The first definition of littlespace that you see by looking up the term in google is “the mindset or headspace in which an adult baby or little feels most carefree, accepted, and mentally youthful. Some adult babies or littles are only in littlespace during certain times while others may always be in littlespace as part of their natural personality.” It is not okay to behave like a child at work. The bold words are also terms that can be found within the BDSM community. SFW does not mean nonsexual and non-kink, and just because your hobby or lifestyle is nonsexual and is not apart of bdsm because what you’re doing isn’t a playful usage of sexual concepts that are overt, accentuated, and unambiguously expressive of sexuality, sensuality, and intimacy doesn’t mean it will always be seen as something cute, innocent, and harmless towards an outsider. A lot of people do not find “littlespace” as something tasteful or healthy. Some alternative lifestyles are too taboo to be considered appropriate regardless if it’s non-sexual. At the workplace you want to make sure on your break you are viewing and partipating in normal mundane activity that doesn’t hold any risk towards you getting in trouble or being fired from your job. You want your behavior to be considered as something society would see as normative and morally okay to do and view at work that wouldn’t require an inappropriate explanation. Unless you work at a very liberal work environment, little space is not SFW!

Disclaimer: I am not saying that it isn’t okay for people who have natural childlike personalities and characteristics to work. Nor am I saying that anyone who has childish interests or an alternative lifestyle where they like a collective of cute and playful items or they employ tendencies much younger than they chronologically are can not discreetly express or look at different interests, traits, or habits that make him/her/them unique and shows a part of who they are. For example wearing a Disney necklace or watch at work, having a childlike picture frame on your desk, having a plush keychain on your bag or briefcase, or looking up shopping photos of teddy bears or a set of colored pencils, there is nothing wrong with doing so. Littlespace isn’t about being naturally childlike though, it’s more so refers to getting yourself consciously in a chronologically younger headspace, where in that headspace role play is heavily involved and so is heavily presenting behavior people wouldn’t prescribe as age appropriate. Littlespace is a hobby and a coping mechanism, not an identity of self expression. Littlespace can be considered a act of releasing and expressing your alter ego or the child within you that you don’t normally publicly expose. It is not safe for work.

Should you support people not in kink using the term littlespace?

Supporting people who aren’t in kink using the term little space is very ambivalent. Logically people who aren’t involved in kink should not use the term littlespace because it is a term that was created in the bdsm kink community and it was inherently for people who are within the subcategories of bdsm, specifically ageplay and it’s subcategory cgl and it’s variants, and ab/dl. Using the term littlespace when you are not in kink can be considered appropriating from the BDSM ageplay/cgl/abdl kink community. Not believing the term littlespace is a kink term in itself doesn’t mean it isn’t considered one by a majority of people, especially those who are apart of the communities that created the term. Since the term littlespace is associated to an adult community and adult activities it is not safe or appropriate for minors to use this term. It is also not okay for adults who allow minors in their space to use this term. Using the term little space when you are not a submissive in bdsm allows people, including abusers and predators to misinterpret your interest and what you do. Minors should not be associated to an adult community centered around prurient interest and actions they can not consent to. (sex, fetishes, bondage, discipline, sadochism, masochism, dominance, and submission.) Using the term little space as a minor or a person not in kink is sharing a term with an adult community and it makes you associated to kink even when you aren’t a participant of it. No one wants to be responsible for jeopardizing safety if a danger were to occur from promoting this behavior. More than anything safety should be more important than the popularity of a term or liking how a term sounds. It doesn’t make sense to use the term little space in an environment surrounded by kinksters who also use that term. Separating non-kink communities and labels from kink communities and labels is important for safety and educational purposes. When people use the term littlespace when they are not a submissive in kink they are misconstruing the definition of the term. It is also not ethical to tell an entire community that has established something years ago that certain terminology isn’t theirs anymore just because you want what they have. You can not reclaim terminology that wasn’t yours or your community’s to begin with.

On the other hand, the word little is an adjective. According to context the definition of the word little is something small in size; not big; not large; tiny. It is small in number, or small in amount or degree; small in condition, distinction, or scope. It means young. Lastly it can be referred to something or someone that is pleasingly small. The word space is a noun. According to context the definition of space is a continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied; it is a place that is available for a particular purpose. It is also the freedom or opportunity to express oneself, resolve a personal difficulty, be alone, etc. by distancing yourself from other people or things in order to remain comfortable. There should be no problem supporting nonsexual roleplayers and people who have childlike personalities that naturally employ childlike tendencies, characteristics, and interest using the term littlespace as long as they are using this term in appropriate places where the meaning of this term will not be misconstrued. Language is fluid and it is everchaging depending on what’s said and what’s understood. A word or acronym being used a certain way does not mean it’s connected to another group that uses that term the same way, regardless if it’s similar. A lot of words share similar or identical spelling but mean completely different things! The definition of the word littlespace has changed drastically over time. It has adapted to the wants of others in a different environment. This is called semantic change. Semantic change is a form of language change regarding the evolution of word usage. The term littlespace has also gone through what is called polysemy. Polysemy is the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word, phrase, or concept. Polysemous words share the same or related origins or roots according to history.

The following sentences contain some examples of polysemy:

He drank a glass of milk.

He forgot to milk the cow.

The enraged actor sued the newspaper.

He read the newspaper.

She ran to get the groceries.

I finally get the joke you told the other day.

He fixed his hair.

They fixed a date for the wedding.

People should be able to call their environments and creations whatever they want to call their environments and creatons. It is inappropriate to label something a child made or is doing as a kink if a child were to tell you they named their environment or creation as something and they explained to you in an appropriate way why they chose that name. As an adult you should keep that to yourself. It is wrong to project your kink on to minors and unconsenting individuals. Interpretatng words involves much more than etymology and definitions. It’s also about context and conventions and how the word is used and what it is intended to convey. Littlespace is a well established term that is understood and is respected as not associated to kink. Despite its origin and many submissives in kink still using the term littlespace how it was originally intended: as a form of subspace or a term to express indulging in the fetish and sexual activity of ageplay, the term littlespace is only refered to describe the voluntary psychological shift a person creates themselves to motivate themselves to metaphorically feel younger. Littlespace is a word to describe a headspace people have as a hobby and a coping mechanism used to cope and distress and embrace the innocence of childhood. It is not a term owned or used only by participants of the kink community anymore. Online today it is used more by those not within the subcategories of BDSM, and a vast majority within these subcategories see littlespace as something non-sexual. As long as people understand the origin of the term littlespace for safety reasons and kink spaces are separated from non-kink spaces anyone should be able to use the term littlespace. No one can claim the name of something that is now considered as an entire concept and use it to exclude others. So many people have sentimental value towards the term littlespace. Littlespace for a lot of individuals is a term that helps them feel calm and grounded and many people have memories attached to the term. It is not fair to take that away from others since the term is polysemous now. If people using the term littlepace aren’t causing harm to anyone and It is not illegal for those not in kink to use this term then people need to ageee to disagree and leave them alone by not interacting with each other.

How can I use the term littlespace safely if I’m not a participant of kink?

Using the term littlespace as a minor or a person not in kink is best off of social media and only around people you trust who feel the same way you do about the term. If you are already using the term littlespace on social media it’s best you do so in an environment where the term will not be mixed in with how those in kink use this term. This means it is best to use this term on social media platforms where you can make your account private, such as Instagram and Twitter. Not using the tag littlespace itself and not allowing those who can’t see the that the term littlespace is polysemous in your interaction criteria (DNI) is also important. If you are a minor, no adults in kink communities should be following you. As always you have to continuously be careful on the internet. Please remember internet safety! Always block those that make you uncomfortable. 💗 Please be careful.

*People will still be uncomfortable regardless of either way you decide to use the term (for kink purposes or for non-kink purposes) Please treat others how they should be treated and respect everyone! If you don’t have anything informative or nice to say don’t say anything at all.

#agere positivity #agere community #age regression #agere #safe agere #nsre #chire #littlexspace #littleplace #sfw little community #cglre #babycore #kidcore #agedre

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writerbyaccident · 5 years

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Intruder Turned Lover Part Two

Request: Bruh that naga reply....Mmmm™ (gosh sequel pls)

Who am I to deny the people what they want?

Part One

Gray stone walls. That was all that surrounded you, the only kind of view you had. There was no variation, no change as you walked aimlessly through the tunnels. Wandering through the caverns was about the only thing you could do at this point. The naga who had captured you and now held you here was always careful to block the cave entrance before he left, rolling an enormous boulder over the opening, one you had no chance of moving. You had tried of course, pushing at the damn thing and prying sticks underneath it in a desperate attempt to get it to budge. But after some time, you were forced to concede that you were well and truly trapped. So instead you had taken to spending the increasingly rare times when you were alone meandering through the branching tunnels attached to the cave where the naga kept his nest.

You weren’t sure exactly why you chose to spend your time this way, unable to say if you were searching for some possible way out or simply searching for something to take your mind off of the mess that had become your life. In all honesty, it was probably the latter. For as much as you wanted to escape, you had to admit that it didn’t seem like much of a possibility; besides, you had found several tunnels blocked by boulders, leading you to believe that your captor had already discovered and erased any way for you to leave. So the part of you that continuously insisted upon these aimless walks most likely sought only distraction. You couldn’t complain though, not when your only other option was to just sit and wait in the nest. Being forced to lay passively in the nest whenever your captor wanted to lay close to you, it had begun to feel suffocating to you, even when he was gone.

Brushing your fingers over the cool walls as you walked, you let your mind wander. You couldn’t help but wonder what was going on at your village at the moment. What did they think happened to you? Had they searched for you at all? Was someone at least taking care of your garden? You certainly hoped so, it would be such a shame for all of your plants to be destroyed. Out of everything you missed while you were trapped here, your garden was probably the thing you missed the most. A wide array of plants had adorned the humble yard of your cottage, from flowers to herbs to vegetables and fruits, and you had tended to them all with the utmost care. You had taken great joy from the chance to help them grow, knowing that when you did so you were providing yourself not only with recreation but also with a means of living. Working in your garden had given you a sense of independence and security in your life, especially when times had grown harsh. But here you were given no such luxury.

No, your captor refused to let you do anything for yourself. He claimed it was his job as your mate to take care of you, studiously ignoring the fact that you had no desire to be his mate. He hunted for the both of you, brought you water, and even bathed you on occasion, claiming that all of it showed his love for you. Whenever you attempted to tell him that you could take care of yourself, he reacted sternly, telling you that as a human it was far too risky, that you might end up getting hurt. Frankly, you were surprised that he even let you take these walks of yours. He had found in one of the side tunnels one afternoon after he returned home, following your scent to the spot where you stood. Expecting a lecture or even a punishment, you had tensed up, only for him to tell you that he understood that you needed some form of exercise to stay healthy. He wanted his mate to be healthy, after all, he had said. Ever since then you had taken longer and longer walks, letting him find you when he came back to the cave and letting him guide you back to the nest.

But at the moment it was still in the early afternoon, meaning that you had plenty of time before he returned, and you intended to thoroughly enjoy the solitude. You weren’t expecting anything special though, which was why it such a shock as you followed one tunnel around the bend. For there, only a few yards away, was a boulder. This in and of itself was nothing extraordinary of course, but what had nearly stopped your heart was the fact that this particular boulder had clearly been nudged into a more narrow section of the tunnel, blocking the way, only for it to be pushed to a wider part. Now there was plenty of room for you to make your way past it and continue on your way. Peering closely at the rock, you noticed several long scratches and gashes that some animal must have caused when pushing the boulder out of the way. Thanking whatever wonderful beast that had provided you with this means of escape, you quickly glanced behind you to reassure yourself that the naga was not watching you. Finding yourself to still be alone, you rushed past the boulder and into the tunnel that seemed to hold your salvation.

Even as your breaths grew shorter and sweat pooled at your forehead, you pushed onward, not about to let this chance leave you behind. You were so focused on reaching your hopeful destination that you hardly even paid attention to your surroundings. So when resound throughout the tunnel, you were far too focused on your escape to notice. But when a monstrous black bear stepped out in front of you had no choice but to take notice. Stumbling backwards, you tripped and fell down to the ground. As the bear stalked towards you, you could do nothing but watch. It loomed so completely over you, swallowing your entire view and keeping you firmly in place. You could do nothing but tremble as it raised one of its paws, claws glinting in the dim light. As it brought it down, you closed your eyes, some sort of instinct telling you that if you didn’t see it, it wouldn’t hurt as much. But as the rough claws tore into you, you could feel every last bit of the pain that rose through you. It ripped through you, setting every part of you aflame. Feeling blood beginning to drip from your arm, you found yourself finally able to move. You crawled backwards, but the pain made your movements slow and lumbering. The bear roared as it approached, raising its claws once more, and you sobbed in inevitable defeat.

As you waited for the next blow though, it failed to come. First you saw the bear shift its attention to something behind you, but you could hardly process what that meant. But when a familiar form slithered in front of you, shielding you from the predator, you realized what had happened. Still on the ground, you watched as the naga you had feared so thoroughly leapt, sinking his fangs into the beast. The bear struggled harshly, but the naga ripped his fangs through him, causing bloody gashes to show themselves through its fur. Once the beast ceased moving, the naga turned back to you. He took your injured arm in his hands, brushing over the wound gently and soon running his long, forked tongue over it to clean off the blood. Although he had already been looking for you, it had been the scent of your blood that had sent him barreling towards you to where you were being attacked. The mere thought of you, his precious mate, being hurt was enough to give him the strength to fight off a dozen bears, so he slaughtered this one with ease. As you looked up at him with your vulnerable eyes, he was struck by a sudden wave of love and affection, so thankful that you were safe.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked softly. You shook your head, and he gathered you up in his arms. Normally you would struggle whenever he tried to hold you, but at the moment you found yourself too exhausted to do so. Besides, you couldn’t deny how safe you felt in his grasp. So instead you moved closer, tucking your head into his chest and trying to match your breaths with his own. The naga, meanwhile, relished the chance to hold you so willingly against him. Before you knew it, he was setting you down tenderly in the nest and wrapping himself around you. You nuzzled into him as he took some spare cloth he kept for such occasions and tied it tightly around your injury.

“Now tell me the truth, little one. Did you walk past that boulder that had been moved to try and leave me?” Still too weak to bother trying to lie, you nodded hesitantly.

“Yes,” you whispered.

“And tell me, little one, did it end the way you had hoped?”

“No.” Sighing in response, the naga nodded slowly.

“That is what happens to creatures like you in this world, little one. Even if you had somehow left the cavern, do you really believe that this would not have happened as soon as you stepped out into the woods? My dear, you are far too tempting to the beasts out there, you need me to keep you safe. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” you answered as he gripped your chin in his hand, forcing you to look into his eyes to see the concern that lied there.

“I understand that you need to stay active, my love, but I am simply not comfortable anymore with you wandering through these caves alone.” At his words, you felt your heart lurch. On the one hand, you despaired to think one of the few joys you had found would be taken from you. But on the other hand, when you thought back to that bear looming over you, you could feel nothing but fear curl through your bones.

“I—” you began, unsure of what you were going to say.

“I think it would be best if you waited for me to return before taking your walks from now on, so that I may go with you, do you concur?”

“Yes,” you agreed easily, not realizing that he wasn’t truly giving you a choice, simply thankful that you could continue your walks without having to fear for your safety. Smiling at your acquiescence, he placed a gentle kiss on your forehead and held you tightly.

#yandere naga x reader #yandere x reader #yandere naga #naga x reader #fantasy short story #fantasy yandere #yandere monster x reader #yandere monster #naga #yandere drabble #yandere drabbles #yandere scenario #yandere fic #yandere fanfic #yandere short story #yandere fanfiction #yandere

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canarhys · 5 years

Text

valdangelo headcanons

hey guys. so... i reached 500 followers last night. and i’m really happy that you fuckers can deal with my dumbass posts because jesus, i never thought i’d get this far.

so in return for the amount of souls i have stocked up, i have redone the valdangelo headcanons i did for 100 followers a long time ago.

let’s fucking go.

• the two of them are meant for each other simply for the fact that nico sleeps all the time and eats so much junk food he has cavities while leo hasn’t slept for an entire month and hasn’t eaten in three days.

• they don’t like grand, fancy dates and instead go for drives through the city at night and hang outs at a fast food joint. (“nico stop saying mcdonald’s we’ve been eating there for the past week i’m starting to hallucinate ronald mcdonald.”)

• they don’t show much affection in public. usually it’s just hand-holding (it’s basically their second nature) and cheek kisses but when alone they’re touch-starved and cuddle all the fucking time.

• they play video games together obviously. when they compete (say, mario kart), it’s a ruckus because they’re both equally good so the entire camp watches and places bets because it’s so intense. when they play together, it’s usually nico on his nintendo 3ds playing pokémon with leo resting his head on his shoulder, making jokes and occasional pointers.

• i’m all for the idea that they two of them could hold conversations without even talking. nico and leo share a look, nod, and somehow they know what the other is implying. it’s insane.

• they get matching tattoos not just because it’s a couple thing but because it’s fun. they decide to get star tattoos on their ankles.

• nico: lend me a hand.

• leo: throws his prosthetic arm to him

• nico: thanks.

• i just love the thought of them having such funny ass laughs. nico cackles and it almost resembles a wicked witch. leo wheezes like a balloon losing air. also nico slaps people whenever he laughs while leo is stuck in a position for a fucking hour.

• and i just imagine when one is laughing the other is silently watching them with an adoring smile. despite the fact that the one laughing looks so fucking stupid.

• when they laugh at the same time it sounds like a hospital delivery room, ngl.

• they argue all the time but it’s over stupid shit like which superhero wins or who can be the most edgy/annoying. it’s all playful banter but it goes on for hours on end and everyone is about to kick them out.

• they’re fucking dorks; they watch jojo’s bizarre adventure and binge stupid instagram videos and recreate tik toks that are somehow worse than the original.

• they can’t give each other flowers because nico always ends up with lifeless, drooping ones and leo somehow manages to set all of them on fire so they just pack snacks and lunches for each other.

• they have to coax each other into taking care of themselves because they’re self-destructive little shits. nico often drags leo to bed when he’s working on a project. leo cooks nico healthy foods and forces him to brush his teeth. when one of them is sick, the other is by their side all the time.

• they share earbuds a lot. they both really like the arctic monkeys, they’re basically their soul band and whenever one of them is listening to them, the other senses it and immediately grabs the bud out of the other’s ear.

• i like the thought of them trying to be like buzzfeed unsolved and recording videos of themselves strolling through haunted houses and searching for cryptids but it would be so... disastrous.

• nico, playing don’t mine at night on a stereo at goatman’s bridge: come out, bitch.

• goatman: i’m fucking begging you to stop.

• leo, recording: fucking wheezing

• or they would try to be like game grumps and record themselves playing retro games like donkey kong or sonic but it also yields some fucked up results.

• leo, playing sonic adventure dx with tears in his eyes: screaming at the tv and trying not to have a nervous breakdown because the game is so fucking bad his brain functions have gone haywire

• nico: laughing so hard he knocked over twelve vases on the table

• they call each other by their last names a lot. it used to be an insult when they were arguing a lot back then, but now they use it as fun little nicknames with mild malice (unless one of them fucked up).

• they also have some personal ones for each other! nico calls leo “firebug” and “bombshell” and leo calls nico “sunshine” and “angel.” (they totally call each other “amor” and “bébé” as well.)

• they have small picnic dates at the strawberry fields in camp since leo loves strawberries to death and nico likes seeing leo’s adorable face as he eats them. usually they eat those along with chocolate dip and some milkshakes.

• leo has tried to teach nico how to cook in the past but it resulted in the inflammation of the argo ii’s kitchen and buford sending nico angry “glares” due to leo having to scrub off all the excess smog off of him.

• leo buys nico a fuck ton of hawaiian shirts as a joke but nico had worn all of them in less than a month and rocked all of them. leo now has taken the duty of buying as many as he can because damn, if his boyfriend didn’t look so cute.

• the two of them wear each other’s clothes all the time. leo uses the excuse “i’m cold” in order to achieve nico’s jacket or sweater. nico has started using it as well and leo hands him his hoodie or mittens. it’s cute.

• also i love the idea of them either wearing complementary clothing or drastically different ones, with no in-between. one day leo is wearing a soft rainbow-striped shirt under some overalls while nico wears a floral striped hawaiian tee, the next nico is in all black and leo is wearing a neon green jumpsuit. everyone gets whiplash from it.

• i feel like after the giant war and during apollo’s mortal quest, they go with him to indiana to search for meg. and they find themselves at the waystation and after the entire commodus fiasco, the two of them decide to stay and live there. both of them are going to visit chb in the summer but they like the thought of having normal lives and being normal teenagers, plus jo and emmie basically adopted them into the family and all of the kids there love them (especially georgina).

• at camp, they usually hang out in bunker nine or the hades cabin since both of them don’t like crowds and get overwhelmed by them. also they talk about conspiracy theories all the fucking time.

• leo: what if... in a parallel universe... we were straight...?

• nico: holy shit.

• they’re such horror movie fanatics. leo’s favorite is texas chainsaw massacre and nico has a heart for alien. both of them have confirmed that killer clowns from outer space is the best horror movie of all time and have watched it exactly thirty-six times.

• they both had serious discussions of which horror tropes their friends are. they are still categorizing to this day.

• nico: piper would be a final girl, that’s clear. what about jason?

• leo: first one who dies. that fucker is literally dead and hanging in a hotel.

• i also think the two of them love horror/thriller shows. stranger things, tales from the crypt, ash vs. evil dead. especially ash vs. evil dead. leo literally dressed up as ash for halloween, chainsaw hand and everything. nico, in turn, dressed up as a deadite.

• speaking of halloween, it’s like the culmination of their entire beings. because they both a) like dressing up, b) like free food, c) love halloween decor and shit, and d) love seeing each other’s happy faces during the holiday.

• both of them are incredibly dedicated to it, wearing black and orange and hanging up the majority of the decorations around camp. they buy the candy, organize the activities, and take a roll of what campers are dressing as so if someone is worried that they’ll have the same costume as another person, they can check with them. percy says they should get married on halloween just because they’re that into it.

• both of them hyper-fixate a lot. leo gets so invested in a project that he forgets to eat or sleep or even acknowledge anyone else around him, so nico makes sure to not disturb him unless it’s time for lunch or bed. he wraps his arms around leo as he works and buried his face in the crook of his neck and leo always smiles.

• leo does the same for nico, as the guy is incredibly invested in nerdy things that he tries not to tell anyone lest they make fun of him. so leo lets his boyfriend infodump as they lay in bed together, stroking his dark wavy hair and watching nico’s mouth move and continue to describe a dnd campaign he’s been watching recently. leo has to use all his will to stop him and get him to brush his teeth.

• they’re not really much to make future plans as they’re pretty pessimistic about everything due to their pasts but one day they found themselves discussing about getting an apartment or even a house together. leo said he’ll probably open a garage if they become the next caretakers of the waystation or even get a house and ask annabeth to help with the design. nico joked that they could have a floral shop there too since they’re both bad with flowers. and suddenly the conversation shifted to them planning a round-trip across the world on festus and one of them mentioned “kids.” then the two realized what they were doing and stopped, albeit hesitantly.

• i love the idea of persephone being a total mom to them (i don’t care about canon, she loves hades children no matter that her husband cheated) and having garden parties with them down in the underworld. she started teaching them how to take care of flowers better — which was sort of relevant since nico brought up the flower shop at home thing — and soon their blossoms almost stopped wilting or catching on fire.

• persephone: hey, you guys want some pomegranate?

• leo: yeah s—

• nico: n o w e ‘ r e g o o d .

• persephone wasn’t trying to trap leo in the underworld but nico couldn’t take chances.

• leo’s pretty good with instruments because of tool proficiency and is a master at the drums and guitar. nico actually has a nice singing voice and recently got into guitar as well, so you bet your ass that they have jam sessions constantly.

• leo is the gay that can drive while nico should not be within a steering wheel in any circumstance, so leo usually drives them to their dates. that, or they enlist the help of nico’s zombie chauffeur to drive them there.

• both of them share this soft and tender expression with each other that they don’t express towards other people, not even their other friends. it’s sort of like a face saved for them, for their little world and it’s cute.

• nico is way more touchy than leo and likes to wrap his arms around leo’s waist a lot. he often peppers his face with kisses and shit and leo gets really shy about it. when this happens, he nuzzles his face into nico’s shoulder or chest to stop his boyfriend but nico is resilient.

• i just... love valdangelo being so soft towards each other. every single banter they have they do with heart eyes and they usually just cuddle in content silence because they’re not big on talk, communicating better by actions. when they kiss, it’s like a perfect mix because nico is cold while leo is warm. they often lay in bed, smiling as their limbs are tangled together. maybe they’ll start up another conversation or game file. but for now, they like the quiet.

#pjo #nico di angelo #leo valdez #valdangelo #headcanons #home depot intercom #follower milestone #thank you guys!!

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villanevest · 5 years

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"You're Her Type": Anna and Eve and the Garden of Evil (+ how Eve and Villanelle learn and love)

hello everybody i have had more wine so now you're going to be subjected to my Opinions. today, we are going to be talking about eve and anna, specifically in the context of their respective relationships with villanelle. i believe that, as we wind up to another season finale, and our characters make some pretty defining choices about one another, this is a comparison that killing eve invites -- it's no coincidence that after six episodes of relative radio silence on the matter, konstantin returned anna to the show's discourse in 2x07. so buckle up. a little signposting: first we're going to break down how eve and villanelle engage with the idea of love, then contrast anna and eve's moral frameworks, and then finally explore how anna and eve have gone from almost mirror images of one another to completely divorced in villanelle's mind, and why that's a good thing. i will try and keep this shit concise, but y'all know how these turn out.

now as i've mentioned before, killing eve is a precarious cantilever of parallels. eve/villanelle are obviously our most important and riveting example of this -- initially, they have their resemblance, but we watch as they slowly and softly kill their old selves until they complement each other seamlessly. but eve/anna is a crucial secondary parallel because it contextualises the primary; it situates villanelle and eve's mutual obsession.

i believe that as we progress through our formative years, the people around us provide us with experiences and patterns that teach us how to love, and what to expect from love. this can sometimes set us up for life (leaving us with a model that drives us to seek out healthy and productive dynamics), but sometimes, it means we don't know how to recognise or cultivate genuine affection, and we get trapped in damaging cycles. i've said before that i think eve sits on the psychopathy spectrum, but i also think that growing up, she had strong examples of relationships, which is why she is such an accomplished long-term chameleon -- she was able to maintain a marriage and friendships. yes, this was partially through self-repression, but at a base level, eve has the formulae to pass in these typical emotional environments.

villanelle, on the other hand? anna tells eve that villanelle's father was a drunk, and her mother passed away. i doubt that villanelle had ANY actual relationships, let alone good ones, with family. she's exceptionally intelligent and a very fast learner (which anna asserts and we have confirmed on-screen almost every episode), and she's versatile. this is why she's able to craft and adopt the perfect character/personality for a particular situation -- she's built up a repertoire of dialects, micro-expressions, cue responses, etc. that allow her to smoothly navigate short-term interactions (e.g. with Sebastian, with Gemma). but prior to anna, villanelle has no people she can invest in and expect a returned investment, so she's never had the opportunity to develop skills beyond the superficial. she gets what she wants through charisma, a calculated blend of innocence and sex appeal, and transactions (i do this, you do that).

but then villanelle meets anna, and undoubtedly forms an imprint on her of some kind, as her first "reciprocal" relationship -- the first adult to treat villanelle like she has value. obviously, the ethics of student/teacher affair are EXTREMELY dicey, but getting into that discourse will take us outside my intended scope. so here's how eve and anna differ. 1) proximity. villanelle and anna are together all the time, and this gives rise to their relationship. villanelle and eve, in the first season, are almost always apart. initially, their fascination is at least partly driven by mystery. it's not a "crime of opportunity". this is pretty much the most difficult long-distance mess imaginable. essentially, villanelle and eve both take an active role -- they pursue each other deliberately -- rather than a passive one. it's not a matter of convenience. 2) commitment. for anna, villanelle was an avenue of tourism, a compartment kept self-contained which anna could visit to re-explore youth and sexuality. but villanelle was not allowed to bleed into the rest of her life; anna wanted to keep job-husband-image just-so while also having villanelle when desired (cake had and eaten too). eve's whole life, however, orbits villanelle. her husband, her friends, her job -- these are discarded as acceptable sacrifices on the path to villanelle, rather than prioritised. while anna (potentially due to guilt) idealises the memory of her husband, eve considers niko disposable, and is a clearer iteration of herself without him.

3) psychology. anna is inarguably fucked up (she had an affair with her STUDENT), but i don't think she registers as a psychopath. she displays empathy, remorse, reticence to cause harm. eve? villanelle kind of nailed it with the "like us" thing. and this brings us to how anna and eve each fit into villanelle's life, and way of life. im making an absolute reach of a biblical reference with my title, but if for a minute we did position anna/eve as adam/eve, we end up with two items of real relevance. firstly, that eve is the one who takes the bite of the apple, and secondly, that eve is created from anna/adam. the apple as we know is symbolic of the temptation of sin. eve eats, and is cast from paradise forever. what i love about this, though, is that our eve isn't cast from paradise, she's cast from prison. eve's boring office job in witness coordination, her stale marriage, her enactment of normality day in, day out -- it isn't a utopia, not by any stretch. and i think that's only really starkly apparent to eve after all those trappings are gone; once she feels "wide awake", she realises exactly how long and how deeply she's been asleep. but anna? anna doesn't give in, or rather, she doesn't give in enough. she sleeps with villanelle, and spends time with villanelle, but when she's confronted with villanelle's capacity for violence, she retreats. she calls the police and cuts villanelle out of her life (which im obviously not going to criticise her for; it's a justifiable response), although it's too late by then. she's stranded in this halfway purgatory -- a woman whose adolescent lover murdered her husband; a woman who isn't good but won't commit to being bad, CAN'T commit. anna is undoubtedly morally grey, but (and bear with me here, because i can't think of a better way to articulate this) anna is kind of weak. she never had the guts to look at her situation for what it was, to bother to try and see villanelle beyond what she wanted her to be. she was using villanelle -- someone she could feel good about helping while simultaneously bringing excitement to her mundane life -- and set her back down when villanelle became too much trouble. what we and Villanelle learn from this is that certain parts of who she is are attractive (irresistibly so) to other people, and others are repellent.

which obliquely brings me to the second point, that eve is created from anna. as early as 1x02, we have our attention directed to the physical similarities between anna and eve, which is perhaps part of the initial draw to eve for villanelle, but we also have their differences immediately emphasised. eve is unique from the outset, because these repellent qualities -- the enjoyment of destruction, the dramatic flair, the violence, the efficiency -- are what excite her about villanelle in the first place. villanelle's beauty/charm/off-beat humour/loyalty all come into the picture later. at the beginning, there's just a string of bodies, and that's what sucks eve in. don't get me wrong, i think it's very much villanelle's personality that eve is obsessed with -- we could see her professional but lack of personal interest in the Ghost -- but she has always understood villanelle in the context of her darkness. it never surprises her, only intrigues her. in 1x08, we have a number of direct comparisons between anna and eve, or at least, the show recreates the same situations with each of them and watches them respond entirely differently.

we have anna pulling the gun on villanelle. the entire time, villanelle is relaxed, stating outright that anna doesn't have what it takes to shoot. she waits her out. she has no intentions of killing anna, even though she tells irina, "i don't love her anymore." we'll come back to the significance of that statement.

later, in the tea room, eve has a gun levelled at villanelle, but again, villanelle is certain she won't fire. eve admits that no, she can't use the gun, but rather than turn it on herself as anna did, she makes villanelle an offer: come with me; it can be just the two of us, and we can talk. in a high stress environment, eve's response is to treat villanelle like a person, not a weapon or a thing.

so villanelle runs. and that brings us to their final interaction of the season, when they meet in villanelle's paris apartment. as they lie together on the bed, eve pulls the knife, and villanelle tells her, "you can't."

this is where eve cleaves distinctly and irreversibly from anna in villanelle's mind. like i said, a fraction of eve's initial appeal is her similarity to anna, although it's also obvious that villanelle is very much attracted to eve in her own right (in 2x03, she calls the woman she sleeps with "eve" and not "anna"). but then in 1x04, eve gets out of the car to face villanelle, and villanelle has dinner with her in 1x05, and eve begins to overwrite anna in villanelle's mind. how can we be sure of this? because in 1x08, when villanelle is sneaking past anna and irina in the apartment, she pauses and stares, even though it's vital that she get to her passport quickly. what's notable about this particular moment is that this is the only shot where anna could easily be mistaken for eve. this is what prompts villanelle to linger for that extra beat.

so we have that initial similarity, then a merging, then an overtaking. but when eve stabs villanelle, she becomes removed entirely from anna in villanelle's mind. she goes from "you're like anna" to "you're more interesting than anna" to just "eve". because along many other things, eve has the capacity to surprise villanelle. she doesn't take the easy or the expected choice. not only does she understand villanelle's language of extremities and violence, she speaks it. this is what villanelle means by "like us" in 2x07; she and eve are more similar than they are different.

and now we're circling back to villanelle's defence to irina -- "i don't love her anymore!" obviously, this line carries all kinds of implications, but the most critical is that villanelle conceptualises herself as someone capable of love. she doesn't say "i don't like her anymore" or "i don't want her anymore" or "i'm not obsessed with her anymore". she chooses and uses "love".

with anna, though, it never could be a mutual, reciprocal love, because she and villanelle don't mean the same thing when they use that word. they have fundamentally different understandings of what love means. so even though, ostensibly, it seems like villanelle broke her learned pattern by seeking anna out, she actually perpetuated it -- anna is another authority-position adult who discards villanelle, who misunderstands her and pushes her away (again, fair enough; villanelle is very complicated and dangerous). but eve? look at eve's initial constructions of love. she loved bill, but remains infatuated with his murderer. she loved niko, but when he questioned her rather than supported her, she discarded him too, and went from upset to acceptance in a matter of DAYS after what was presumably a 15yrs+ partnership.

and then look at her with villanelle. it's not conventional or healthy, but they have a much more compatible interpretation of interpersonal relationships. they're both quite manipulative, but they don't see this as an issue -- the manipulations are a means to the end of helping the other. villanelle is very transactional (she sends eve clothes and perfume, wants to make her favourite recipes), but eve responds very well to the expressing affection through gifts and gestures; far less well when niko and kenny try to show care by giving eve instructions or suggestions. they each romanticise eve stabbing villanelle ("i think about it all the time"), yet neither of them believed villanelle would go through with the hit on eve, because violence plays a deliberate, rather than random, role in their dynamic, which they both comprehend innately. eve stabbed villanelle to assert their equality; she probably did it because villanelle's first response was to say, "you can't", and eve needed to prove she could. but they're on different terms by the time they meet again, and harming each other is no longer a productive currency, no longer has purpose; instead, they hurt others, and help each other, as a way of affirming the growth of their connection.

for eve and villanelle alike, the other represents a deviation from their established learned patterns, but an important choice for them personally. eve isn't going for the stable, normal relationship that she's been brought up to seek out; instead, she's gravitating towards the possibility of someone who embraces her complexity and darkness, and will give her space and means to explore and express herself. and villanelle isn't recreating a nonreciprocal relationship where she is used/enjoyed and then discarded; she's chosen someone who has the potential to be longer-term, who genuinely cares about her holistically.

from where we're standing before the finale, it looks like they may learn to "love" each other, in the way they are each capable of. villanelle and eve aren’t a relationship that can exist in heaven, because they’re not people of paradise; whether they’re the apples or the snakes or the gods in this equation, the pertinent fact is that are each other’s gateways into a world that fits them, and gives them what they need. is that fucked up? absolutely. is it kind of nice? I think so. it’s certainly gripping as all hell to watch.

xx. see y’all on the other side if we survive tomorrow’s episode.

#villanevest #villanevest writes #villainever writes #killing eve #ke #killing eve analysis #ke analysis #ke essays #villanelle #eve polastri #anna killing eve #anna leonova #villanelle x eve #eve x villanelle #killing eve s1 #killing eve s2

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