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occamstfs · 6 months

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To The Ground Floor

Heyo- Saw this next picture and just had to use it so here’s a businessman to dumb sub twunk TF!

If anyone wants to suggest a prompt for my 1K follower post here’s the link- https://forms.gle/NE66kaH4KJxkhgPk9

Probably be wrapping it up/posting a poll soon! -Occam

I don’t know what my company was thinking when they scheduled our conference in Tenerife. It would be one thing if it was a retreat or team vacation, but it is nearly impossible to get any real work done with all these tourists stomping around and getting in my way. I was set to make it early to our morning meeting, as I always do, before this twat forced his way in before I could get to the close door button. He surely noticed since he glared at me before returning to focus on the only thing that seems to matter to him, his vanity.

In retrospect I should have kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help but scoff as he started to take a picture of his reflection in the door. It was immature, but when dealing with this crowd of influencers or whatever these childish twits has put me off my usually stoic demeanor. He immediately responded with aggression, “You laughin’ mate? You lot all think you’re so much better than us eh?” He scowls once more at me and to his credit, I do think myself superior to him. Not afraid to say it either.

I open my mouth to shoot some clever insult at him but before I can the delinquent fully spits at me! Where does he get off! The elevator chimes as it stops at the sixth floor. I grab my handkerchief to wipe the spit off my dress shoes as I hear him run off, shouting “you’ll get yours ya git!” I look up to see the small of his back showing beneath his trailing coat and mesh top. I can’t help but stare as he runs, asshole he may be but, god, he is hot isn’t he?

I cough as I can’t believe I thought that! He’s absolute filth! Parading himself around dressed like that on a work day, my word! I don’t notice that there is no longer a handkerchief in my hand as I reach to wipe the spit off my shoes with my now empty hand. As I finally wrest my eyes from his pert body I notice that the villain pushed every button in the elevator. So help me god if I’m late to my meeting I will find him and- well, there’s not much I can do. I’m not exactly the peak specimen, unlike, uh him I suppose.

The doors click closed and begin to take me to the fifth floor. I consider hopping off to take the stairs but I’m sure he’ll be there waiting for me. I go to check my rolex when I notice I’m not wearing it? I would never go to a meeting without it though? My mind grows foggy as I thoughtlessly wipe the spit still on my hand on my suit. God it’s a little warm in this elevator isn’t it. I sniff the air and find that it still smells of that jerk. His cologne must’ve been something intense.

I continue to whiff the air before realizing that it is clearly not perfume but his natural body odor, blushing as I grow slightly jealous at his scent. I find my mind drifting as I think what a man he must be to smell so, mm. The only word I can think is, virile? Ugh, I need to get to work, this is going to set me back. The doors clink open to the fifth floor as the heat only continues to grow. Why am I wearing such a thick suit jacket anyway? It is so fucking hot on this island. I absolutely hate it here. I’ll just take it off for the rest of the elevator ride. Yeah, that couldn’t hurt right? My eyes glaze over as I think of his coat trailing off his head as he ran down the hallway and I bite my lip.

God that hot fucker. My jacket falls to the floor and before I can catch it it’s as if it was never there. I grunt as I think once more of my upcoming meeting. Surely they won’t judge right? My mind shuffles as I don’t even try to understand what has happened to my jacket. The fogginess in my head swiftly finds a form though as I see his smug smirk in my mind. Fuck I- I need to fuck him, or be fucked or? I grunt once more, my voice noticeably more dull. I try to fan my shirt open as the heat grows worse and I find myself growing hornier by the second. The elevator is already on the way to the fourth floor without my notice. I give up fanning my shirt and instead just open the buttons when I am suddenly met with something I cannot reconcile. When the fuck did I get, such, fuckable pecs? I press a finger into my own chest and start to drool as I see the depth of my muscle. I see my brown nipples grow and try to wipe the pooling drool from my mouth as I think how much my body looks like that uh, that twit? No that uh, that hot fucker? I feel like I’m losing my mind. Or, losing myself? Uh..

The doors open and close on floor four as I struggle to think of absolutely anything but that, uh, stud. My own chest jutting out forces me to think of his own hearty pecs. The powerful curves of his body stretching his fishnet top, ugh. I see the biceps now on my own arms and struggle to not flex them thinking of that staring at himself in the elevator’s reflective wall and posing. I stare at the abs pushing out of my torso and think of his cinched waist peeking out from those sagging pants. God why didn’t I just try to fuck him then oohh.. Or no, Why didn’t I give myself to him..I moan as I loosen my belt, trying to allow my growing erection some air, instead giving my cock and ass more space to expand.

God his fuckable ass was impossible to miss even through those jeans. I bite my lip once more trying to stop myself from moaning as the doors open to the third floor. No one is there to see or hear me as my pants drop to the floor and disappear as if they were never there. As if I would wear pleated pants ever I think blushing. My cock begins to grow to fill my boxers. Or no hee hee- Surely I’m not wearing boxers right haha, giggling as I look down and see the clear imprint of my erection in my tight spandex. Mikey would never let me wear something so unattractive as boxers~

I feel an itch in my crotch as I think of Mikey once more, not hesitating to wonder how I could possibly know his name. Nor why he brings me such intense, feelings. It’s just, I’m so lucky to have him! Ah- I might lose control if I keep thinking about him, I need to keep it together for my uh, meeting? I shove my hand into my crotch to deal with whatever that itch is when I find it’s not my still growing cock, but a jungle of pubes that have begun to grow down there. I feel my fingers drag through them, now covered in sweat as the pubes begin to push themselves above my waistline.

I giggle to myself as I see the thick black hair inch its way to create a perfect treasure trail up my stomach. I’ve gotta keep it looking good for Mikey after all! I play with the lengthening hair in my crotch, giggling to myself, as the elevator makes its landing on the second floor. I raise my sweaty hand to smell it as some prude stares in disbelief in the elevator lobby. I smile coily at him as he narrows his eyes in shock. He almost looks a little familiar but I’d certainly not waste any of my time on him haha!

He decides not to get on for some reason, not that I care as I look at my sharpening reflection. I play with my chest feeling the ebb and flow of my strength as I start to smell my own scent fill the elevator. I notice my feet are now bare on the dirty elevator’s floor. Ah, I hope Mikey won’t be upset if my feet are gross, smiling to myself as I think of him chewing me out. I feel a similar forest begin to grow in my pits as the elevator stops unceremoniously on the first floor before making its way to the ground floor.

I rub my hands all over on my now almost completely unclothed body as I feel my spandex shrink and tighten into a yellow speedo. My hands glide smoothly around the muscular curves, only ever getting caught on my tangled pubes as I giggle to myself. Wasn’t there something I had to do when I got to the ground floor? I raise my arm to bask in my scent as the elevator finally delivers me to my destination, and who could be standing there but Mikey!

“Mikey!” I shout at him! He looks so happy to see me, before responding, “well you’re looking great aren’t ya love.” He pushes and prods me as if he’s inspecting me as I proudly stand there giving him the doe eyes he demands. He smirks as he pulls me out of the elevator and plants his lips on mine. I can barely help but come right there as I feel my cock stretch at my speedo. I moan but keep it together, feeling his pursed lips grow into a smirk before he pulls away and laughs.

I tilt my head at him before he speaks once more, “you remember what you’re supposed to be doing right now right, pet?” My face grows warm with blush, surely betraying my cluelessness as I struggle to remember. I had a meeting or? No, Haha As if! I, I could never work a stupid office job~ I try to look as coy as possible, inviting him to jog my memory. His eyes grow dark, not from aggression, but a hunger welling within him as he answers, “I need ya to get those posh wankers and bring them to me eh, doll? Need to them to submit yeh?”

My smile grows wide as my mind fills with excitement for this task. I’m gonna be so good and Mikey will be so proud of me! None of those boring businessmen will be able to resist me hehe! I begin to make my way out to the beach looking for any salarymen looking especially susceptible to my charms. I strut around, my body on display to everyone, monkeysuit suckers and other horny tourists alike. As if any of them have something more important going on hee hee! Soon they’ll all realize there is nothing more important than pleasuring Mikey!

#male tf #mental change #top to bottom #masculinization #dumber #male transformation

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bamfkeeper · 10 days

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Sub.

RQ: 'Hi! I've absolutely adored your work so far! Is there a chance you're up for more gender neutral dom reader, dom/sub, bondage and punishment type beat similar to the previous with Kurt? That type of thing is so hard to come across.' - Anon RQ 2: 'i NEED more sub Kurt getting dicked down (UR BLOG IS AWESOME!! Most in character kurt EVER)' - @wheezyth3dem0n

Pairing: Kurt Wagner x GN!reader (reader's junk either organic or silicone depending on your preference.)

Warnings: 18+ MDNI Smut | dom!reader/sub!kurt, light BDSM, bondage, dom/sub dynamics, some impact play, anal play/anal sex.

A/N: Haven't written nsfw in a minute, most of my focus has been on sfw stuff. But I'm a sucker for sub!Kurt. I don't see a lot of it or read many fics of it so I'm happy to contribute. These requests were from two different blogs, but were similar enough that I combined them together. Not proofread ignore mistakes. WC: 3.3k

"Ready?" You asked him softly, holding up a long silk ribbon for Kurt to see. He looked at the red silk and he nodded slowly, shifting on the bed and sitting up more to face you properly.

"Ja, I am ready..." he murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper. He remained motionless for a brief moment, his body tense with anticipation. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze towards you, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and obedience. "How should I position myself?" he inquired, his tone laced with a hint of eagerness, clearly awaiting your guidance.

You couldn't help but let out a low, appreciative hum in response. He was always so compliant, so eager to please, constantly seeking your direction. You liked him this way…so easy to mold. A familiar thrill of excitement coursed through your body, settling in the pit of your stomach. His yellow eyes, reminiscent of a cat's in the darkness, emitted a faint, ethereal glow in the dimly lit room. Those eyes, wide and filled with an innocent sweetness, looked up at you trustingly, seemingly oblivious to the intense situation that was about to unfold. The juxtaposition of his apparent naivety and the looming events sent a shiver down your spine, further heightening your anticipation.

You circled him slowly, savoring the palpable aura of submission emanating from his form. With each step, you felt your authority over him grow stronger, an intoxicating sensation that coursed through your veins. The power dynamic between you was unmistakable, and you reveled in it. He squirmed uncomfortably on the floor, his movements betraying a mix of anticipation and trepidation. As you completed your circuit, rounding to stand before him once more, his eyes flickered upwards, meeting yours for a brief, charged moment before dropping submissively.

"Now, let's see..." you mused aloud, your voice a silky purr that seemed to caress the air between you. "I think some rope will add a delightful element to our little scene. Red rope, to be precise." A slow, predatory smile curved your lips as you considered the visual. "It will look so good against that exquisite blue skin of yours, don't you think, my dear?" The words rolled off your tongue with deliberate sensuality, each syllable dripping with promise. Your tone alone was enough to elicit a reaction from Kurt, who struggled valiantly to suppress a soft, needy whine that threatened to escape his throat.

You carefully take the velveteen rope, a thoughtful purchase you made to ensure it wouldn't cause any discomfort or harm to his delicate skin, you knew how painful and uncomfortable rope burns were, especially for Kurt and his fuzzy skin. The soft, plush texture of the rope feels luxurious between your fingers as you turn towards him, your eyes meeting his with a mix of anticipation and tenderness. "Now," you say, your voice low and gentle, "I need your wrists, please."

Kurt's gaze meets yours, a flicker of trust and excitement dancing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he extends his arms, offering his wrists to you. You notice the slight twitch of his tail, nervous energy coursing through him. It's a beautiful blend of anxiety and eagerness that you recognize and appreciate during your intimate moments together.

As you begin to wrap the soft rope around his wrists, you're acutely aware of the weight of his trust in you. The responsibility of his vulnerability isn't lost on you, and you take a moment to offer a reassuring smile. "You're doing wonderfully," you murmur, your fingers working deftly yet gently with the rope. "Remember, we can stop at any time if you need to."

You understand, perhaps better than most, the profound level of trust required for these moments. It's not just about the physical act, but the emotional connection, the willingness to be completely open and exposed to another person. As you secure the final knot, you take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this trust, the depth of the connection you share with Kurt.

He raises his gaze to meet yours, his arms slowly descending to rest in front of him. You maintain a deliberate silence, allowing him the opportunity to acclimate to the sensation of the rope against his skin. Your keen eyes scan his form, searching for any subtle indications - a twitch of muscle, a flicker of expression - that might betray discomfort or unease beneath his composed exterior. However, Kurt's demeanor remains steady, his body language conveying a sense of calm acceptance.

After a moment of quiet assessment, he lifts his head once more, his eyes locking with yours. His voice, when it comes, is steady and tinged with a hint of curiosity as he poses the question, "What now?"

"Now..." you whispered, your voice a soft caress against the silence, "I want you to sit very still for me, like a good boy." Your words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken promises. You held his jaw in a grip that was both gentle and firm, a delicate balance of tenderness and control. Slowly, deliberately, you leaned forward, closing the distance between you until your lips were mere millimeters from his skin. With care, you allowed them to graze over the bridge of his nose, a feather-light touch that sent electricity coursing through both of you.

The contact, brief as it was, seemed to ignite something primal within Kurt. A visible shiver ran through his body, starting from where your lips had touched and rippling outwards like waves on a pond. His tail now thrashed wildly behind him, betraying the intensity of his emotions. You watched as his throat worked, adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly, clearly struggling to maintain his composure under your intense gaze and touch.

"I want you to move to the bed for me," you cooed softly, your voice a gentle caress in the quiet room. "Lay on your belly, and keep that beautiful tail of yours to the side." Your words were a tender command, filled with both authority and care. He was in a complete haze by now, his senses overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. His bright eyes, usually so alert and focused, were now foggy with desire and submission. A soft whine escaped his lips, a sound that was both vulnerable and eager.

With visible effort, he managed to get to his feet, his movements slow and deliberate as he obeyed your command. Each step towards the bed seemed to take an eternity, his body responding to your will rather than his own. He laid down on the bed, his body sinking into the soft sheets. His arms extended in front of him, creating a long, elegant line from his shoulders to his fingertips. The red rope that bound his wrists together stood out in stark contrast against his skin as you said it would, beautiful red swirls wrapping tightly yet tenderly around his indigo skin.

"That's it... I want your tail to be kept to the side at all times, understand? No exceptions, no matter what happens," you spoke authoritatively as you stood behind him, your eyes meticulously raking over his form in this vulnerable position. Your gaze lingered on the curve of his spine, the tension in his muscles, and the way his tail twitched involuntarily under your scrutiny.

"Ja..." he replied softly, his voice barely above a whisper and almost caught in his throat. The single word hung in the air, laden with a mix of anticipation and nervous energy. His tail twitched again, more pronounced this time, the end curling slightly as he exerted visible effort to keep it off to the side as instructed. The thin, velvety fur along its length bristled slightly at your command.

You began with a gentle touch, your fingers delicately threading through the soft strands at the nape of his neck. With deliberate slowness, you initiated a trail of tender kisses, starting from the sensitive skin just below his ear. Your lips traced a path across the expanse of his neck, each kiss like a gentle whisper.

As your ministrations continued, you gradually moved downward, your lips exploring the contours of his body. You paused momentarily at his shoulder blades, pressing soft kisses against the taut muscles there. Then, with meticulous attention, you traced the line of his spine with your fingertip, your lips following the gentle curve of each vertebra.

Throughout your loving exploration, Kurt's reactions were a beautiful symphony to your ears, a slow building one that you would for sure hear more of shortly. Soft whines escaped his lips, intermingling with gentle moans that resonated in the quiet room. His body trembled slightly beneath your touch, clearly eager for more.

You moved down to the round of his ass and rubbed over the muscles there, sighing as you felt him relax under your touch. Gently, you spread him lightly, looking at his pretty purple hole, teasingly pulsing as it flirted with you. "As much as I'd love to just push inside, I know how much you love to play first." You stood up fully and went to your bedside table, grabbing a handful of items.

When you came back to his side, you placed the items along the bed. There was a bottle of lube amongst the toys you had, your hand found the clear bottle and you squeezed some out onto your fingers. "This will be cold," your fingers brushed his hole, making Kurt tense up at the sensation.

"Aah..." he sighed, his body shuddered, "It is...cold." There was a chuckle in his voice, a hint of shyness in it too. He was twitching slightly as your fingers slowly worked into him, the lube aiding you as your fingers gently moved in and out of him. He was tense at first, but as your fingers pumped in and out, you could feel the tight muscle begin to relax.

"Doing okay so far?" You slowly inserted a third finger into him, earning a gasp and soft moan from Kurt in response. He shivered and nodded, "Uh-huh...ja. Gut." He swallowed thickly and he pushed back against your fingers, gaining more confidence as there was no discomfort. "I'm ready for more," he rasped to you, turning enough so he could see your face.

Kurt was flushed, the German squirming with your fingers inside him, he clearly wanted more and he was getting a bit greedy. You pulled your fingers out of him, a slick pop sounded as you did so, his hole throbbed at the absence of your digits.

"Don't whine too much, I'll be filling you up in just a moment. For now...let's just put this here." At your words, Kurt felt a cold sensation on his hole again, though it was firmer than your fingers and more round. As you pushed the plug into him, he felt his ass stretch around the bulb before it settled inside. He moaned out once it was placed in him, his cock was leaking heavily with arousal and staining the sheets below him.

"Good boy, Kurt." You praised, leaning and kissing his tailbone. "I'm going to need you to slicken me up too, so get on your knees for me, baby..." your voice sounded so sweet and hypnotic in his ears, his body followed automatically. He knelt in front of you, looking up as you held your cock in your hand, slowly stroking it. "Suck...get me nice and prepared for you."

His half-lidded eyes blinked slowly at your dick, his tongue came to wet his lips before he scooted closer to you. The flick of his tail behind him showed his raised nerves, his excitement, and he carefully took you in his mouth. He had to be careful, his fangs made giving blowjobs a bit tricky, but he learned.

The first movements were slow, he gave gentle sucks with each bob of his head, taking more into his throat until he was practically deepthroating you without any visible struggle. You let out a soft moan at the raunchy display, fingers tangling in his curly hair and guiding him. "You're filthy," you managed, gently moving your hips forward as his mouth remained on you, throat open to your shallow thrusts and allowing the tip to slide past his tongue and deeper against the flesh of his throat.

He really got into it, sucking hard and eagerly, making you grunt and moan back at him, he got you nice and sloppy, the light fuzz on his face and chin were coated in his saliva as he pulled off you to breathe. "Aah..." he panted, one of his bound hands awkwardly stroking you while his hot breath kept your head warm. "I want it now." He drooled on you, swallowing thickly, his gaze needy.

"So soon? I was hoping to tease you some more baby..." You looked down and tilted your head, "But I see you're a little impatient. Alright...I'll give you what you want. On the bed again. Lay on your belly...just like that, good boy." You guided him to lay down, talking to him the whole time. His tail obediently moved to the side, that pretty muscle on the underside flexing lightly as your thumb ran up it.

"Aah...bitte..."

"Patience..." You chuckled down at him, reaching for the plug and slowly pulling it out of the tight muscle. Damn...he was still so tight. He was going to feel incredible.

You took the time to spread more lube on him just to help, and you positioned your head at his hole. You felt the muscle tightening around the tip, your breath came out sharply as you pushed inside. There was still some resistance, but overall you slid in easy. Kurt mewled feeling you enter his ass, his face deep violet as he squirmed his hips.

"Bitte, move," he whined, clearly a little impatient. You smirked and held his narrow hips, giving him a quick pop on the ass. He gasped as his tail flicked sharply, his hole clenched around you and he whimpered. "I-I said bitte!" He added, as if it were going to entice you.

"I know you did, baby...I'll move for you, you've been so good for me tonight." You praised and ran your hands up and down his back once, a slow and soothing motion before you began to move inside him, your hips pulling and pushing your cock. The thrusts were deliberate and careful, just in case there was any pain there, but you soon realized he didn't feel any discomfort so you picked up the pace.

Kurt groaned as he felt the muscles in his as stretch, it was such a delicious burn, it was dull but enough to make him feel like he was throbbing. His cock bounced, hitting his abdomen with every thrust you gave to him, the poor head inflamed and leaking heavy bits of precum, the thick beads falling to the sheets and creating a web of arousal from his fuzzy belly to his tip with each swing.

You held his hips tight as you fucked him harder and with increased vigor, knowing he was approaching his orgasm soon, you had been thrusting into him for a few minutes now and the way he tightened around your cock and cried for you told you enough. You gave his ass another light spank, earning you a delightful moan. "Does that feel good? Do you like being spanked? I would've never guessed...you're secretly a little deviant aren't you?" You teased, another spank, and another. None of them were hard, but enough to leave a little sting.

"You gonna cum baby? I feel you...you're moving a lot more, chasing that high aren't you?" You teased in his ear, leaning over him while you kept his hips still so your thrusts felt deeper inside him. You angled his body ever so slightly, finally finding that pesky spot. That sweet, electric spot that hid from you, now exposed to your head as you hit the spongy flesh every time. Kurt cried out in pleasure as you continued to stimulate his prostate, you swore you heard him begging within the choir of moans and cries he gave you. "Aa..ach! Don't stop! Bitte, bitte...! So gut..."

He couldn't hold himself back, and he let out the sweetest broken mewl as he came, his cock swollen as thick ropes of white shot from him. They coated his abdomen and chest, some on the blankets below him, a strand hit his face. He accidentally hit you with his tail as the thing thrashed around wildly, and you had to grab hold of it before he hit you again. You felt your body respond to him and you too reached your release with a sudden burst of rapid energy.

Your hips stilled and you both took deep breaths, recovering from your passions. He was spent, laying in his mess as his legs gave out from below him, no that he seemed to care at the moment. Your hands grasped his ass, spreading him as you slowly pulled out of his greedy hole, the sweet thing now slightly swollen and more purple than before. "Pretty boy...you did so good..." You praised, kissing his spine and laying beside him.

The stickiness of the bed made you cringe slightly, but you pushed that discomfort aside, your presence to him was what mattered most right now. With deliberate care, you gently reached for his arms, your fingers working meticulously to unbind the ruby rope that had held him. As you worked, you hummed softly and spoke in a tender, reassuring tone to poor, exhausted Kurt. "That's it, sweetheart... we're almost done," you cooed to calm his nerves and help him through the daze. He let out a soft, appreciative whine in response to you, the sound tugging at your heartstrings, knowing he felt completely spent.

As the last of the rope fell away, you discarded it without a second thought, letting it fall unceremoniously to the floor. Your attention remained wholly focused on him, your fingers returning to his skin. You began to gently massage the areas where the rope had been, your touch both comforting and therapeutic. The careful pressure of your fingertips worked to soothe any lingering discomfort and restore circulation to his arms.

He instinctively gravitated towards you, nestling himself more snugly against your side as if seeking refuge in your warmth. A deep, contented sigh escaped his lips as your gentle ministrations continued, you could feel the tension that had been coiled tightly within his body begin to dissipate, like ice melting under the tender caress of spring sunshine. His muscles gradually relaxed under your soothing touch.

"D-danke..." he rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. His head shifted slightly, angling to look at you more directly. His eyes held a vulnerable softness that spoke volumes, one only you got to see after being so intimate. "Feels... wunderbar," he murmured, his German accent more pronounced in his relaxed state. "Bitte... don't stop."

"Okay...but in a minute, we need to get you to the shower..." You smiled tenderly at his behavior, observing how sleepy and dazed he appeared. His vulnerability in this moment only strengthened your resolve to care for him, a task you were more than happy to undertake. It was your responsibility and you felt joyous that he trusted you enough to allow himself to be this way with you.

You helped him settle into a more comfortable position. He responded with a drowsy nod, his body relaxing under your attentive touch. As he got comfy, you continued your ministrations, your fingers working methodically to massage his arms and the areas where the ropes had been intricately wrapped around his skin. The intricate patterns left by the ropes were still visible, you hadn’t realized the complexity of the bondage, but you were pleased to note that the skin remained unbroken.

You knew you needed to get up to wash him off of all the sticky cum and sweat, but...looking down at how sweet he was curled up against you made you hesitate from moving right then. You sighed internally, playing with his curly hair and scratching his scalp.

Well...five more minutes wouldn't hurt.

Thanks for reading.

*BAMF*

Dividers by @/adornedwithlight

Cover Images: Pinterest, X-Men '97

#kurt wagner #nightcrawler #kurt wagner x reader #nightcrawler x reader #kurt wagner x reader smut #kurt wagner smut #nightcrawler x reader smut #nightcrawler smut #x men #xmen #x men 97 #🎠my works

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getvalentined · 6 months

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Okay I know I keep saying I'm gonna do a big post about Vincent in Rebirth and I've kinda been waiting until both my besties have gotten to him so that I can explode at both of them about him first, but there is one point that I've talked about a bit on the twits and I'm gonna babble about over here in greater detail.

There won't be a lot (if any?) direct spoilers here, but I'll be using screenshots that are absolutely spoilers to drive the point home, so keep that in mind.

Babbling under the cut.

One thing that really strikes me about Vincent's design in Rebirth is how he looks so...young. There's no other way to describe it, he looks young. In Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus he had this sort of agelessness to him, particularly when compared to the rest of the cast; it was hard to get a read on how old he was aside from "younger than Hojo" because of this. He could have been anywhere from 25 to 35 at a glance, and up into a healthy 40+ during some scenes.

In Rebirth, that agelessness has been completely thrown out, and the only thing lending even an iota of uncertainty to his age is how covered up he is. The moment you see anything more than his eyes, it's excessively clear that this is a man in his mid-twenties, no older.

It's particularly obvious when he's confused or in pain, moments when he's not tooling his expression into something more neutral, when wouldn't be consciously presenting himself a specific way.

At a glance, Vincent is definitely older than Cloud, sure, but he's undeniably younger than Barret and Cid, he's younger than the majority of the extended cast—Reeve, Tseng, Rufus, the "emissary from Wutai," et cetera. He might even be younger than Sephiroth.

This makes the incongruity between his apparent age and his behavior hit particularly hard, in a way that it was never really able to in the Compilation thus far.

The way Vincent talks is off, noticeably off, and not just in a way to indicate education or accent—the way he structures his sentences follows grammatical standards from decades ago. Him commenting "if we're to stay the night" at Gold Saucer is one that really sticks out to me, because when other characters use similar sentence structure in the series (Genesis is the most egregious example of this) it's explicitly an indication that they're speaking in an old-fashioned way, they're being intentionally over-the-top. Vincent, though? He isn't doing that. The comment is so simple and offhand, there's no question that this is just how Vincent talks.

But he's a man in his twenties.

Vincent knows Dio as an antique collector, even though it's been over twenty years since he was in that business—Cid is the one that calls him out on this, because Cid clearly "knows" that he's older than Vincent, and Vincent brushes him off with a simple statement: "I've been around a while."

But he's...a man in his twenties?

When Cid warns him that the Tiny Bronco's radio is old enough to be considered an antique, Vincent is pleased—and in spite of having failed to properly operate the brick-phone-outdated security system in the mansion earlier, he has no problems operating the aforementioned antique radio.

But he's a man in his twenties! He's obviously a man in his twenties!

The juxtaposition between his appearance and his behavior is so stark as to be distressing; even if you don't know what happened to him, you can tell that there's something terribly wrong here.

Because Vincent Valentine is a man in his twenties, and he will be until the end of the world.

#ff7 rebirth spoilers #ff7 rebirth #ff7r #ff7rb #vincent valentine #fandom ramble

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copperbadge · 9 months

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Hey Sam, this came across my feed on twit and I wondered if you’d heard about it at all? :(

https://www.reddit.com/r/duolingo/comments/18sx06i/big_layoff_at_duolingo/

Direct link for the curious. Short version, a post on Reddit reported that Duolingo laid off a "large percentage" of its staff, replacing them with AI. I hadn't heard about it, but I knew there were reports about Duolingo trimming its offerings and losing a lot of goodwill after revamping itself a year ago; they've been public about their use of GPT-4 AI starting last March, and it was a tentpole of this year's annual convention, so I was aware of that as well.

The Reddit post is by a former Duolingo contractor, who also shares their severance letter, which is terse to say the least. They state that of their four-person team, two people were let go, with the others left to "babysit the AI". They say that they're a translator and that the people who remained were recast as "curators" for AI translation.

But the post is also not otherwise sourced. So here is everyone's periodic reminder that if the only source is Reddit and Reddit isn't citing other sources, you need to dig a little.

All journalistic sources I've seen (that aren't paywalled, like the Bloomberg article most of them cite) are visibly using the Reddit post as their entre, but also state that the percentage of contractors who were let go is about 10%. That's 10% of contract workers, not 10% of all staff, although admittedly I don't know how many people Duolingo employs, contract or otherwise. 10% is a meaningful chunk, but Duolingo has said that the contractors were let go because their projects had wrapped. While company reps state that this all could be related to the use of AI, they've also said that it's not a 1:1 replacement.

Mind you, the company isn't offering much in the way of backing that up, either.

So there are a couple of issues. Some workers probably were let go simply because their work was finished; the Reddit user doesn't seem to be one of those. We are still seeing that at least some of these jobs were replaced by AI, which is undoubtedly a harbinger of things to come. We don't know what impact this will have on the app. We don't know what kind of work the majority of those people were doing. There's a thread in the Reddit post about whether the voices are now "AI voices" but there's no citation to back up the idea either. They definitely aren't doing AI voice generation for the Latin, where one of the voice actors has a nice voice and also a very loud pet bird.

There is a bigger issue of contract work in the digital and translation industries in the first place; a lot of these people should have been full employees and would have had more protection from this if they had been. Translators have also been brutally devastated by machine/AI translation, which is its own issue. But these are separate and much larger problems that are in no way unique to Duolingo.

I don't like taking this stance because I feel like I'm defending both Duolingo and AI, which isn't my goal. My goal is to remind people that if you see a single source offering a vague statement, you should fact-check. 10% is likely a lot of people but it's not "a huge percentage". We have no real numbers on who was fired, just this person on Reddit saying they're a translator and they were let go. Do I believe them? Absolutely, I have no reason not to and the basic gist is backed up by statements from Duolingo. Do I trust this person's intel? Not especially, after the loud axe-grinding noises they made while posting. Do I trust Duolingo, whose goal is to make money and not look bad while doing it? Not especially either, simply from the standpoint of "the bigger the company the more they're likely to screw you".

But the point is we don't have good data, and this is a complicated and nuanced issue involving a lot of different factors. So either you have to let it go on past, or you have to be prepared to dig a little deeper than a person posting to Reddit about getting laid off.

In any case, Duolingo is one of the few activities that brings me joy right now (I know, I'm working on the issue) and is the only language learning structure that has ever actually worked for me, so despite the new intel and despite the fact that I know a lot of people think of Duolingo's revamp the way I think of Tumblr's new dash, I'm going to keep on with it.

(Plus I paid up for a year, so I might as well at least use it until the year runs out and then reassess.)

#your daily news digest #sam learns italian #duolingo

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